early present to myself!

My ex-roommate, super bestie, and fellow blogger extraordinaire, Miss Amy, recently got a job at TOMS Shoes which (fortunately for me) came with a SICK discount! I've always really admired the TOMS mission and do-gooding, but have not been able to afford a pair. Plus there's the fact that I hate wearing shoes and live in flip flops for as long as the weather will allow. I got three pairs today and they are THE next best thing to being barefoot! Super comfortable and cute! Do yourself (and a needy child) a favor and order yours today!

1. Grey Wool Fleck Cordones, $69

2. Gilded Herringbone Classics, $54

3. Dolina Cordones, $69

my {preliminary} christmas list

1. White Gold and Green Amethyst Ring, Kay Jewelers, $219
2. 15" Macbook Pro, apple, $1999
3. Michael Kors Two-Tone Oversized Chronograph Silver/Gold, Michael Kors, $250
4. Marc by Marc Jacobs Petal to the Metal Natasha, Bloomingdales, $428
5. Chanel 2.55, Chanel, WAY TOO MUCH but hey, a girl can dream
6. Sam Edelman Pierce Boots, Shopbop, $300
7. New York Jets Football Tee, Victorias Secret, $39.50

too soon? no way!

I got a lot of grief from facebook friends who thought I put my Christmas tree up too soon last Friday. Steve and I popped a bottle of champagne, played some holiday tunes, and decorated our tree. I thought it was normal do this the day after Thanksgiving, but got tons of comments saying that we jumped-the-gun! I personally LOVE the way a tree looks in the corner of our living room and there's less than a month left until the holiday sneaks up on us, so I'd like to have it up as long as possible! More pictures of my home-made tree skirt to follow ;-)

pray for leftovers

Every Thanksgiving my puppy and I both pray that the turkey isn't completely devoured that night... so that we can eat leftovers the next day! Steve, as well as other people everywhere, has a tradition of making a sandwich out of everything that wasn't finished the night prior. Below is a picture of his day-after sandwich (mine wasn't nearly as pretty and he took the fancy plate). YUM!

los angeles thanksgiving with friends

My friend Lindsey has made it an annual tradition to host Thanksgiving with friends. There are several of us who stay in town for the holiday, saving vacation time for Christmas or (in my case) weddings. She usually hosts the dinner at her house, but having moved to a smaller place with very little indoor seating, Steve and I offered up our home for the event. We had to clear out our living room to accommodate dining space for 12, but it worked out great!

Decorations: It wouldn't be a party at my house if there weren't decorations! I made (my favorite) Martha Stewart tissue paper pom-poms as centerpieces and hangings. (how to here) ** Personal tip- use more than 8 sheets for bigger pom-poms and make sure the length is longer than the width. 8 Sheets (cut in half to 10"x20") works great for smaller pom poms. Everything else was from Party City. I kept the budget under $50 for all decorating supplies and some left over!

Food: Everyone was responsible for bringing something different. We had two turkeys- one roasted and one fried. Steve bought us the Materbuilt Butterball Turkey Fryer on sale which might be the most dangerous appliance we own (we have since been plotting what other things we can deep fry in the convenience of our own home). After researching a bajillion recipes for Fried Turkey, we ended up using a cajun rub/marinade found here by an allrecipes.com user. It turned out AWESOME and only took about an hour to fry. No mess, super delicious, and EASY!!! The fryer was well worth the money and the options are ENDLESS. 

I also made Macaroni and Cheese as well as Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. I'll post the rest of the food pictures later (there are a lot!).

Friends: Thanksgiving just isn't the same if you aren't surrounded by family and friends. Great company is just as important as the turkey! Our Los Angeles family is very important to us and we were happy to have them all in our home for the holiday. There was SO much food AND booze- the night turned out great. We wrapped up dinner with some Jenga (also a new tradition), an Elf and Home Alone 2 screening, and lots of desert (YUM Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pecan Pie). 

Now, time to work on Christmas...

craft/outfit/idea sharing

I've been told several times that I should start keeping a blog of things I like because, well, I like a lot of stuff. I craft a lot. I love clothes. I love cooking. I love entertaining, so this can be my outlet for sharing all those things with you!

I am notorious for being terrible at keeping up on my blogs, but I'll try my best to make it work here. Enjoy!