Baking, snow, and chai!?


Tomorrow. Christmas Eve. Sleeping in. Yeeeesssssssssss. :) My day will consist of waking up whenever I feel like it, making some breakfast for the future hubs and myself, and then baking all kinds of holiday treats all morning, hopefully while SNOW is falling! (fingers crossed). Ahhhhh..sounds pretty amazing. I might even throw a chai in there. Thrilling I know. :) The trifecta of elements that make for an amazing morning in my eyes. Have a great Christmas Eve everyone!

Sad but true


I purchased a set of these bad boys at Target today. Do you know what these are? These are stop signs you place in your garage, in front of your car so you know where to stop. Admittedly, they are for ME. For some unknown reason, I have no concept of where to stop my car when pulling into the garage and manage to "tap" our bicycles about 50% of the time. While doing some last minute Christmas shopping, I spotted these on an end cap, (along with about another bazillion gizmos I could have purchased just as easily--I hate how Target does that) and had a come to Jesus moment..."Abbey, you have a problem, you should get them". At $10, it wasn't that difficult of a decision. And seeing how the little stop sign lights up when the pole is tapped, it at least makes it fun to have this stupid problem. :)

My weekend in 3 images

Ok, 3 images w/ 3 descriptions. :)

Black Swan: YAY! Finally it opened up to us mid-westerners. Why must they make us wait so long when the east/west coast see it 2 weeks sooner?! Anyway, complaining aside, a group of friends got together to have some amazing Thai food and then see a late night showing of Black Swan on Friday evening. A group date, if you will. Unfortunately, due to the sparkling conversation, our dinner ran a little longer than expected, and we wound up arriving to the movie 10min before showtime, ergo sitting in the 3rd row seats up front which require you to turn your head from side to side to keep track of the action. That, coupled with the very bouncy, artistic and close-up camera work in this movie made for a rough, and sometimes dizzy, hour and 50min. But WELL worth it. This movie was nothing what I expected it to be...and for that reason, I liked it even more! :) GO SEE IT. It's already nominated for four Golden Globes. I believe Natalie Portman will win at least one award for her work.


White Christmas: So technically the White Christmas watch party wasn't during the weekend, it was Thursday. That's close enough, eh? On Thursday, my sister, my mother, my best friend and her mother all joined for the 3rd annual watch party: We drink wine, eat way too much homemade snacks, and watch one of our favorite Christmas classics, White Christmas. Yes, that's Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, and Rosemary Clooney in the image. And if you haven't seen this movie, you NEED to! It's a classic for a reason, and you better believe each one of us can sing every song word for word. :)


White Elephant Gifts: These are the goodies Jared and I ended up with from a Christmas Party we attended at the Boxberger's this weekend (mine is the hat). Lovely huh? The s^$#ing dog image on the hat is a nice touch. I still haven't decided if Jared actually hates his gift. :) I think this hat actually could be used on my annual float trip. It would fit in real well with on the Niangua River locals in Lebanon MO. (If you haven't been there, just think of it as a big spring break bash, on a very shallow river, with a very different breed of people). Yes....there are beads thrown around, if that gives you an hint. If nothing else, these gifts will be at least recycled at another White Elephant gift exchange, that is if Jared doesn't secretly sport his Superman undies around the house. :) The best gift at the party either goes to the Shake Weight, or the 3 cans of the now locally banned Four Loko (brought by yours truly) :)

Jared and I are heading to the Olive Garden this evening to celebrate his mother's birthday. Ahh, their salad and breadsticks--I can't stop myself! And Jared is home for 2 weeks from travel, which is so great. I finally have someone to cook for in the evenings and we get to watch our favorite shows together. His job has certainly taught me not to take those kinds of things for granted. Happy Sunday everyone!

Honeymoon plans!

Jared and I have started the super exciting task of planning of our honeymoon! Given the time of year of our wedding, a Caribbean destination is a little too much of a risk for me. Chances are a hurricane wouldn't occur, but it would be just our luck. :) So some other options include Hawaii, Mexico, heck even Egypt has come up! With the heavy travel Jared needs to do for work, we have more than a few points to cash in, and the opportunities are endless! If it has a Hilton, it's on the table. I suppose all the time he spends away has it's pros. (even though I would take him being home any day). I feel so lucky that we can consider so many opportunities for our week in wedded bliss. I never thought I'd say this, but thanks IBM. :)

I can't wait to get this decision nailed down so we can actually visualize our worry free week in paradise. :) If anyone has any recommendations in Mexico, Hawaii, or anywhere else for that matter, I would love to hear them!

Intervention on A&E

Tonight is the newest season's premier episode, and you might be surprised to know that I am excited. Something about this show has always interested me; it moves me to tears what these people and their families deal with. This is the second season I have made sure to record and watch. It's graphic, heart-breaking, and interesting all in one. Clearly I'm not the only one who feels this way, as this show won an Emmy just last year. It's not for the faint of heart, but I would definitely recommend it!

Tis the season

Tonight we are expecting our first real snow fall of the season!What better time to go out and celebrate the season by donning our ugliest of Christmas apparel and jumping on a party bus? :) Yes, it's the return of the annual 12 shots of Christmas pub crawl. Ugly Christmas sweaters are required! Wish me luck, it's going to be sooo cold out there!

Who wants Chocolate?


Know any chocolate lovers? Gift set with 400 pieces of chocolate. Unreal! Via Michel Cluizel Chocolate in New York.

Black Swan, where are you?!

Words cannot express how excited I am for this movie to finally be released in KS. Just 1.5 more weeks!! East Coast/West Coast friends have already seen it, and are raving! I can't wait. :)

All Things Winter

Image: Winter in my heart by ~LiliumLion


As much as I dislike being cold, I sure do LOVVVVE things that make you warm! Kansas winters can be so bitterly cold with no snow to show for it, just making it gray, dreary, depressing cold. Ugh. If it's going to be so cold, it could at least snow right? Alas, so many of my fashion blogs are highlighting the most adorable winter wear, it's making it hard to resist despite the lack of snow so far this winter. :)

1. Fair Isle Fitted Sweater from Chloe Loves Charlie--$43.00
Ahh the fair isle sweater. If you would have asked me 10 yrs ago if I would ever buy a sweater with this style of pattern again, can you guess what my answer would have been? Hint, I was in high school...a teenager...

2. Minnetonka Moccasin from DSW--$36.95
Sooo cute, and more importantly, WARM. I can just picture living in these shoes all winter long.

3. Faux Fur Lined Hoodie from Old Navy--$32.50
Purrrrrrfect for the weekends!

4. Blu Bijoux Rose Crystal Branch Necklace from Max & Chloe -- $22.50
So this has nothing to do with Winter, but so so much to do with ADORABLE. Love this.
And at that price?!

5. Sweater-Knit Slipper Socks from Old Navy -- $13.00
So sad, these are now out of stock! Bummer dude.


Stay warm and here's hoping for our first snow this weekend!