Christmas Home Tour 2017

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I love Christmas and I especially love all the decor that comes with it. I've collected a lot of Christmas stuff over the years but when we moved into a house that was three times as big as any place we ever lived in, I realized that I need a ton more to fill the house. Thankfully, I was able to score some great Black Friday weekend deals on garland and wreaths but of course I would love every room to be covered :) I feel like we have a good start though. The living room, dining room, and family room are all decorated. I have a few pieces in the kitchen that have some cute things too but they aren't pictured because I really hate our kitchen lol. It needs to be updated so badly! So without blabbing any further, let's get into the pictures of the house.

Garland down our bannister 

Living room corner

Bookshelf in the living room- I made these mason jars last year :)

Sorry the pictures are dark, I was trying to show the cute lights in the garland. 

the bar in the dining room

I made the buffalo plaid and burlap banner last year for Mark's birthday. 

My photo buddy

I can't hep it with these adorable birds!

Phew, did you make it through all those pictures?? Like I said, this is only part of the house but hopefully next year we will have more rooms decorated. I'll include some pictures of the outside of the house later this week :)

Gift Guide for Him

I'm back today with another gift guide but this time it's for the men in your life. Thankfully I had Mark to help me with this because shopping for guys is hard work. Most of these items are going to be based around an outdoorsy guy but some will work for any man in your life.

ONE   TWO  THREE
FOUR   FIVE   SIX
SEVEN   EIGHT   NINE

One- This Garmin heart rate watch is awesome for any athletic guy.  Mark uses it for tracking his workouts by connecting it to the Garmin app. You can also download maps for hikes or even golf courses on to the watch. "It's the ultimate watch for the man on the go" says Mark.

Two- Who doesn't love a GoPro?? This latest edition has all the bells and whistles such as voice controls, a 2-inch touch screen display, and is waterproof up to 33 ft without a housing. The best thing about though it is the single touch go feature.

Three- Patagonia jackets are long lasting and will always be in style. This plaid one is perfectly casual but is a little different than a standard nano puff.

Four- This Leatherman multitool is a must-have for any guy in your life. This would also make a great stocking stuffer!

Five- My brother in law had these Nikes with him this past week during his visit and we all loved them. They look really nice but are still comfortable enough to wear everyday. This gray and white combo is my favorite but they have other options too.

Six- The Amazon Echo will work for almost anyone on your list. It's super versatile and can do almost anything from change a song to requesting an uber. This is on my list this year too! Bonus is that it's on sale on Amazon right now.

Seven- These are another recommendation from my brother in law. He loves Lululemon pants and always raves about how comfortable they are. They are on the pricey side but I'm sure you have someone on your list who would really appreciate a pair.

Eight- These Norman Copenhagen whiskey glasses are super nice and would be a great addition to any bar. I know Mark would love these!

Nine- Golf balls are always a safe option (well if your guy golfs lol) and I always end up buying Mark at least one box. The Pro V1s are a fan fave in my family! Plus right now you can get them personalized for free which is a really nice touch.

**Bonus item: This didn't make the collage above but I recently saw this and thought it would be a great gift idea. The Classic Nintendo is back and what a fun gift for a girl, guy, or even the whole family. I wish we still had our Nintendo from growing up! Duck hunt was my jam!

Hope this helps you get some inspiration and of course if you have any ideas, comment them below! I'll be back with more gift ideas this week!

Christmas 2016 Recap

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. I still can't believe it's over. I get pretty depressed the day after Christmas because there's such a buildup and then bam, it's over! I'm trying to stay in merry spirits today though :) I started my day with a workout, quickly stopped at a couple stores, read for awhile, and now I'm getting ready for a night out with some friends. Stay away, Christmas blues! :)

We got to Vegas on Wednesday night and were able to have dinner with our families. My brother in law just got back in town, so it was great to spend time with him too. Thursday we went shooting for a couple hours and holy moly it was cold. I've been spoiled by the San Diego weather and was freezing lol. I would never survive in the midwest!

On Friday, we went bowling and had dinner at Coyotes. We go bowling every Christmas season and it's always a blast. I was pretty terrible at taking pictures, but you get the idea :)

On Christmas Eve, we started our morning in Boulder City at the Coffee Cup. Mark biked there from my parents house and met us. The food was delicious!

We went to an early church serve at four and then had a yummy dinner at my parents house. The Haneys and Mark's mom and brother joined us. We always have a good time when we are all together.

my dad photo-bombed :)

I borrowed Bob's Christmas present :)

Christmas day was spent opening presents, partaking in a yummy breakfast, a family trip to the movies to see Passengers, a nice ham dinner, and then a game night. We had such a wonderful time and like I said, I'm depressed that it's over already. I'm trying to soak up my last week of break :)

Christmas House Tour 2016

I absolutely LOVE decorating for Christmas. It makes everything seem so cozy and warm. I decorated pretty early this year because we aren't home very long to enjoy it.  We head home the week before Christmas and that only gives us 3-4 weeks to have our Christmas decor up around the house.

I've slowly been collecting Christmas decor each year, so my house is no where near complete. Hopefully one day, it will be fully decorated at Christmas time. Here is what we did this year...

Next year- I want to change out the items that are being used as book ends. I didn't want to make it TOO girly though lol

I LOVE this snowman. He was new this year too,

I've had the trees forever, they were from Target.

We don't have a fireplace so I have to improvise :) Also, I made the little frame with the ornaments. My mom made one too and hers is WAY better!

I have a thing for woodland animals and owls. Can you tell??

new addition this year

these two are also new! From Rod Works in Vegas. I LOVE that store. 

This nativity was given to me by my mom. I love it! 

This is a mish-mash of things in my office. My mom made spray painted the wine bottles white and we added some greenery to the top. For next year, I'll add the letters to spell noel. 

We have a few things in the kitchen but they aren't shown here. I forgot to take a picture... whoops! Next year :) I hope you are all having a great Christmas season!

My Christmas To-Dos

I have several things that I want to do before Christmas is here. Let's jump right in:

1. Make the Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls:

I will be the first to say that I really stink at baking. I usually over-mix things and they become dense, don't rise, and/ or look super funky. My sister and I once made cookies that resembled one giant pancake. I don't know how that happened. Anyways, the only way to get better is to practice right?? Well that's just what I'm going to do. First on my list, are these cinnamon rolls. I've wanted to make these for years and I think it's finally time. This isn't something I normally eat but why not splurge a little for this festive time of year?? I'll let you know how it goes.

2. Ice Skating

Mark and I seem to miss all the Christmasy festivities because he is usually gone right up until Christmas. Well this year, we have a little less than a week in SD to have some Christmas fun and I'm taking full advantage. There is an ice skating rink set up close to our house but I REALLY want to go to the rink at the Hotel Del. I know it's going to be amazing there.

3. Yearly Ornament

Every year we get a special ornament that signifies something that we've done that year or somewhere we have visited.  Last year, we got a really cute one from Disneyland since it was our first time going together. This year, I'm not sure what we are going to get, time will tell!

4. Finish Christmas Shopping

I am almost done with Christmas shopping, hallelujah! I actually really enjoy buying presents for people but I have a few people that I can't figure out. Can't I just buy everyone the things I love... books and skincare lol?  I'll figure it out! :) I'm almost done with stocking stuffers too. I just need a couple more items.

5. The Nutcracker

We are going to see the Nutcracker tonight! I am so excited!! I've wanted to go for a few years but it never seems to workout. We bought the tickets last minute, because we weren't sure if it was going to work out. It will be fun to dress up and have a Christmasy date night, especially since I will be depressed that we won't be in Vegas at my parents Christmas party. This is the first time we've missed it in years. Mark actually surprised me the first year we started dating, and showed up at my parents party. Such great memories!

I'm linking up with some of my faves today... September Farm, The Farmer's Wife, A. Liz Adventures, Hello Happiness, and Carolina Charm. Have a great weekend!

My Christmas Wish List 2016

So year after year, my Christmas list becomes more and more boring haha. I debated not putting the bundt pan on there but I really do want one lol, I just never remember to buy one for myself. I'm not a huge baker but I really love monkey bread and I can totally make that in a bundt pan. :) I also LOVE getting new cookbooks. I've heard great things about Danielle Walker's new cookbook, Celebrations.

The waffle maker is a must! I really stink at making pancakes but I can't screw up a waffle lol! A bunch of my paleo cookbooks have yummy looking waffle recipes that are healthier than the regular version. Can't wait to try those!

I'm always in need of new workout clothes because I wear them all the time. I'm not saying I workout all the time haha, but I'm in workout clothes a lot. I'm hoping with some new clothes, I will have more motivation to workout too. I also want new Zella leggings but they don't have a very good selection in the high waisted crop version. I've found that I feel much more secure in high waisted workout pants. Also, most of them have mesh on the legs and I already have those in black. I'm keeping my eye out for some new options.

I've gone back and forth about the Cricket vs. Silhouette for years. I feel like the Silhouette will suite me better and I can see myself using it a ton. I know I will for sure use it weekly for my planner stickers and I can think of about a dozen crafts I want to do. This is a pricey present, so I'm not expecting it. A girl can dream though, right??

I talked about this portable phone charger in my girlfriends gift guide. I just think it's adorable and sooo helpful to have a portable charger. I would have loved one this weekend in Disneyland. I don't need this specific one but it is pretty!

I also forgot to add a couple things. This is my favorite candle of all time. I'm obsessed with the scent and it only comes out around Christmas. This is a great gift for anyone on your list too. I've also been eyeing the Harry Potter illustrated books too. They have this one at Costco right now but I'm linking the Amazon version. :)

What's on your Christmas list this year??

My Favorite Christmas Books

As a teacher, I am a HUGE fan of children's books and Christmas books are my absolute favorite! I have a ton that I like to read to my students and these are my top choices. Some of these are focused on the true meaning of Christmas and some are based on Christmas traditions or Santa. There's a wide variety here and something for everyone!

The Night Before Christmas

Room for a Little One

Humphrey's First Christmas

The Polar Express

The Christmas Wish

Mortimer's Christmas Manger

Olivia Helps with Christmas

A Wish to be a Christmas Tree

Christmas in the Barn