Autumn Goals & Thanksgiving Recap

It's December people. DECEMBER. And I'm clearly pumped about it. I feel like for the entire month I must do, wear, eat, drink, watch, listen to, or think something festive. That festivity will obviously be showing up on the blog as well. 

I decided I will be making an official December bucket list of sorts to keep all my festive and holiday inspired goals and wishes in check and to make sure I do them! I shouldn't have any problems though ;) people usually have to calm the Christmas lover in me down. 

For real though.

But before I go Christmas crazy I want to recap the last of the fall magic as well: my autumn goals, my Thanksgiving, and some fun Thanksgiving books!

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Goals

- Lose more five pounds (minimum) This is funny. I ended up gaining some weight (probably the five pounds I should have lost) so I'm finally getting back on the wagon (kind of) since Thanksgiving, so we'll see what I can do about losing some more. 

 -  Go apple picking

Got to do this with my SIL and Sammy's cousin's girlfriend which was such a fun girl's day experience. 

 -  Cook/bake at least 5 "fall" recipes from Pinterest

Whether or not they were all from Pinterest I did bake at least 5 different "fall" treats this season:

-halloween funfetti brownies

-mini caramel apples (Pinterest)

-spider web nachos (Pinterest)

-pumpkin pie (twice, with two different recipes from Pinterest)

-pumpkin pie dip (Pinterest)

-Harvest Trail Mix (Pinterest)

-  Finish wedding prep early

From what I can remember I did this all pretty early (for me at least) which made the weekend go much smoother. Ah, that weekend was so good!

-  Watch scary movie

Yeah… this didn't happen ;)

-  Carve pumpkins

-One of our favorite traditions so I knew this would happen. Loved my princess castle carving!

-  Work hard and be proud

I have a hard time crossing this one off because I have a hard time giving myself credit for things. Honestly, I know I could have been even more productive at work and am definitely trying to keep that dedication up. Not hard when you work somewhere you love! I will say I am proud of the work I've done so far though.

-  Complete 5k without walking the entire time

Hah! Another hilarious goal of mine. We did, in fact, walk the entire thing. 

(In our defense it was poorly, poorly laid out and the entire course was on gravel, which no thank you to running on, and it was blustery and unseasonably cold this day so it was hard to find motivation.)

-  Buy Halloween book

I bought several for my baby G!

-  Finish baby g's quilt

This one makes me really sad because I wanted to give it to her as a Christmas present, but I just didn't have the time to work on it this season with school and work, so it'll probably end up being a 1st birthday gift instead. Fingers crossed...

-  Take at least 3 different classes at the gym and use the pool

And yet another hilarious fitness/health goal I made for myself. How in the world I EVER thought I would have enough time during the week (with getting home right before midnight from school) I would have time to go to the gym and follow a class schedule is beyond me, but okay Alex. Nice try. Maybe next month. 

I'll be dong another seasonal goals post for winter (in addition to the festive December list) but I also want to write a slightly more broad "52 in 52" list I've been reading so much about! Lots of lists coming up on the blog soon. I know it's so exciting for everyone else to read ;) but it makes my little obsessive list making heart happy. 

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Thanksgiving books

My job has made me obsessed with children's books even more so than before, and my favorite children's books are holiday books, so I knew I wanted to throw a few in here from some different publishing houses for children & adults.

For the kids…

-The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks by Jan Berenstain

A holiday round-up wouldn't be complete without the classic Berenstain bears! 

-Giving Thanks by Katherine Paterson

This is a beautiful compilation of poems and songs from different cultures, written by a Newbery Medal Winner, teaching children about gratitude which is so important to start teaching at a young age.

-Sarah Gives Thanks: How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday by Mike Allegra

This is the true story of Sarah Josepha Hale who made it her life mission to make Thanksgiving a national holiday all while raising a family and becoming a writer and magazine editor. A cool profile on a lesser known woman who we should all know about. 

For the adults… 

-Heartburn by Nora Ephron

I'm just about the biggest Nora Ephron fan there is, so I would be remised if I didn't include her novel Heartburn a work of fiction based on her own experience after discovering her husband has cheated on her while she's pregnant with their second child. I'm including it in this Thanksgiving round-up because she includes recipes throughout the piece, so I thought it fit the food theme of the holiday ;) Any way I can fit Nora Ephron in I do. 

-Delicious! A Novel by Ruth Reichl 

I'm reading this right now actually. For those who don't know, Ruth Reichl was a food editor at Gourmet magazine and is a fabulous novelist. This novel is also centered around food in that the main character leaves her life in California to move to New York to work for a food magazine. While there she finds "letters written during World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the legendary chef James Beard" in a secret room in the magazine's library. The letters teach her to face her own fears about her family and about love. I can't wait to keep reading. I find Reichl's voice so cozy and familiar. 

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Thanksgiving

My Thanksgiving was so lovely this year. Here's a little photo dump of some of the pictures I snapped this weekend. 

      

A little Thanksgiving prep the night before: Table being set and sweet potatoes & the beginning steps of the stuffing. 

      

Playing cards with my Grandma and siblings later in the evening.

Breakfast at our traditional diner on Thanksgiving morning with my Dad & aunt. 

A cigar and wine break on the balcony with my uncles before dinner. 

My uncle's gorgeous presentation. 

Our full table. 

And my full plate (of course). 

Saturday I went to Thanksgiving dinner with Sammy's family and it was such a nice evening.

Also, I got to hang with this sweet chicken all night and I was in heaven.

Loving this holiday season, man.

xo

Five on Friday

I'm so excited for this weekend! So much is going on, and yet it feels like it could still be relaxing. Perspective really is everything people. I got plans to relax, organize (we're doing a room overhaul/cleanse over here), cook & eat a lot of good food, drink some bubbly, and do a lot of celebrating!

On to my Five this Friday...

One // Frankie Liked to Sing

I was doing comp title research at work at the end of August and came across this title and knew I had to have it. If you didn't already know, I'm completely obsessed with Frank Sinatra, so this book was a must! A husband and wife team wrote and illustrated it (also adorable) and it's such a cute book telling the life and story of Frank. Abrams is such a great publishing house. They have adorable titles for children (plus they published my beloved Cupcakes & Cashmere creator, Emily Schuman's book, so clearly they have taste), so consider looking through their catalog each season to pick out some good ones for your littles or littles you know!

Two // Halloween Decor

    

I still live at home (hey, student loans, hey), so I don't have complete say or control over the holiday decor that goes up in our home, but this year my mom added some really cute little touches around the house. It feels so warm in here this season! I love it. 

Plus, there's this guy, and while he's certainly not "decor", haha, he's very cute to look at ;)

Three // Crate & Barrel Appetizer Inspiration

I saw this posted on Facebook and I was like...what. How gorgeous is this? I'd love to do this for a casual party or get together. You wouldn't even have to cook dinner! Pinned this immediately. 

Four // Halloween Date Night Dinner Inspiration

It's supposed to be rainy and chilly Saturday night in Chicago, so we, and all of our friends, slowly dropped our plans to go out for Halloween in lieu of having date nights with our significant others. One of my best friends is watching movies with her sweet man and making mummy dogs! As soon as she mentioned it I knew I wanted to do something similar, so I took to Pinterest, as I usually do, and found a couple of festive recipes for inspiration.

{via pinterest here, here, and here}

I thought it would be fun to have a festive drink, snack, and dessert in addition to dinner! Sammy loves chocolate, and I love Oreos, so that drink is pretty perfect. He's also always mentioning how he's never had a caramel apple (who is he? I know) because he doesn't get how to eat them without making a mess... oy, my clean freak boyfriend ;) so when I found this mini version I thought it would be great to try out, so he can finally try one since he can just pop these in his mouth!

{via pinterest}

For the main event, I'd like to make these spooky, spidery nachos. Half steak {for him}, half plain {for me}. So, nothing anything that healthy haha, but oh well! It's a holiday!

I'm hoping to grab one of those superhero onesies from Target, so it still feels like we're dressing up a bit, and maybe watch corresponding movies because I still need to see the Superman movies. My boyfriend has turned me into a superhero nerd and I secretly love it. 

Five // My birthday!

 My birthday is on Sunday :) I'll be 24 and I'm realizing how excited I am to get deeper into my twenties and experience everything these years are going to hold for me. 

It's funny how similar my birthday list is from last year! Still asking for Disney DVDs to add to my collection, the new Lorac palette just like last year, and I always ask for books obviously ;)

This year I chose the new Jonathan Franzen book because I've been wanting to read his work for a while now, Shoeless Joe which is what they based "Field of Dreams" on and because I think baseball is the most romantic of all the sports, and Infinite Jest because I think David Foster Wallace is one of the greatest American writers of all time. 

New items include some Christmas pajama items with little Mickeys on them ;) and that 5 year journal I mentioned in my last Five on Friday!

So far, the plan is to go to Sammy's little league game, have a late lunch with him and do a little shopping (girlfriend wants to grab her free birthday gift from Sephora ;) ), meet the family for a movie, and then have dinner at home. I've requested only pasta since I'm pretty easy to please, and also 24 going on 5, but my family will obviously make other stuff for everyone else so they have more variety & there will be a pumpkin pie for dessert!

Linking up with April!

Can't wait for all the festivities this weekend! I know it will be filled with so many blessings. I'm so grateful for all the wonderful things in my life. 

I'm off to snuggle with my pup until heading to lunch with my dad and brother. It's a good life, people. 

Hope your weekends are filled with relaxation, celebrations, and so many blessings.

xo

Weekend Recap

Classic me, here with an end-of-the-week weekend recap. Today has just been one of those days. I took last night off from graduate school and stayed home to catch up on some other homework and projects. It felt like such a treat to be home on a Tuesday night. I can't wait for winter break in a few weeks. My body (and mind and heart) definitely need it. Although, I know once school is over for good it will be a huge adjustment for me. DePaul has been such a huge part of my life for the last six years almost that I don't know what I'll do with all the free time. I just love this university.

Anyway, move on nerd.

On to the recap which is basically going to be a photo dump and some highlights because girlfriend don't have that much time tonight.

- h i g h l i g h t s -

-girls night out with my girlfriends Friday night to celebrate Chelsie's engagement! 

-getting manicures with Sammy's mom on Saturday morning

I tried this color and loved it. It's called Magala Wine by OPI

-another win for Sammy's little league team! They're now the division champs and are in first place as they move into the playoffs (which starts this Sunday)!

-went to a surprise party for a very deserving family friend on Saturday night

-made this purchase for Benny. A superhero cape for Halloween ;)

-Went to the loveliest engagement lunch for Kate & Brian on Sunday afternoon!

This was the gift I put together for them. A bottle of prosecco, a monogrammed dishtowel with her new monogram on it, and a wine stopper made from an old drawer knob that has Paris & London written on it which is where they went on their trip when they go engaged! Both of those items were found on Etsy.

Snapped several pictures of all the adorable details:

   

-our annual pumpkin carving date later Sunday night!

He made his little league team's logo and I made Cinderella's castle (which actually looks more like Price Eric's castle in The Little Mermaid than anything else, but we'll roll with it). I thought they turned out pretty well!

It was a busy weekend, but definitely a fun one. Looking forward to a relatively relaxed weekend, and Halloween, coming up!

xo

Five on Friday

Eee! It's the weekend and there's lots to celebrate! TWO engagements of dear friends and a surprise birthday party! Can't wait to celebrate some wonderful people, and fit in some much needed family time. Hopefully a little pumpkin carving as well!

On to my five favorites! 

One // I would be remised if I didn't mention the two engagements I get to celebrate this weekend. 

The first (because it happened first), is the engagement of my friend Kate, who I met at DePaul my freshman year of undergrad. She's one of the most genuinely sweet women in my life and I couldn't be happier for her and her new fiancé Brian. I can't wait to celebrate them at their engagement lunch on Sunday!

So, yeah, that's the Eiffel Tower… He's definitely a keeper. 

& then there is my oldest, and one of my closest girlfriends who got engaged over the weekend! I have been helping her fiancé for the past few months pick a ring and solidify his plans. Of course, he took care of everything himself in the end, but I guess she told him she wanted me as a sounding board ;) I can't wait to celebrate them, and everything wonderful that's to come in their future together. Chelsie is my very best friend, and I know this next year or so, while she plans her wedding is going to be such an emotional roller coaster. She is my everything, but I guess I have to learn to share her now ;)

They were in Door County, WI (which is a special place for them and an area where they spend a lot of time) "celebrating their new town home" or so she thought… He took her to an ice cream shop they always go to whenever they're visiting (and if anyone knows Chelsie they know the way to her heart is through ice cream) and they had the ring hiding under that ice cream cone! Very cute, very them. 

Can't wait to get together tonight! We're having a girls night to celebrate. :) & how gorgeous are both of their rings?!

Two // Family photos

Sammy's mom wanted to take family photos to fill the walls of a newly renovated room in their home, so we booked some time with their cousin who is a photographer! Kristy is an amazing artist and we had such a fun afternoon with her. Book her immediately!

I was thrilled to be able to get some photos of Sammy and I individually. One of my favorites below:

Three // Pumpkins!

I'm hoping to fit some pumpkin carving in this weekend. Sammy and I are very into holiday traditions (thank God he's into it like I am otherwise I would be insufferable), and pumpkin carving is one of our favorites to do together. 

I tend to be a classic at heart, so I'l probably stick with a classic jack-o-lantern style face or…

soooo… probably this. This will more than likely result in me getting stupidly upset when I can't recreate this exactly, but I'll do it anyway 'cause Cinderella is my girl. 

Four //  5 Year Diary

I have this on my birthday list (which is next Sunday!) because Joanna featured a woman who mentioned it recently, and I decided long ago anything mentioned on Cup of Jo must be purchased. 

The idea is that there's five lines on each page, one line for each year, and you can write a short little entry about your day, so once it's filled in you get a glimpse of five years on each page which I think will be so cool to look back on. 

Five // Halloween

Still no plans aka still no costume. All I really care to do is sit on the couch and eat candy and watch movies, but we'll see if Sammy and I plan anything with our friends. If we do, I really want to do these guys as our costume:

"We're the wet bandits." ;)

Happy weekend!

xo

Linking up with April!

Five on Friday {Wedding Recap}

Ahhh, I'm still coming off last weekend's wedding high! It seemed like the planning process went so quickly (probably because I had zero part in planning anything) and before we knew it the wedding was here. 

It was the most stunning wedding and everything went smoothly. The bride was stunning like make me cry several times looking at her stunning. I was so honored to be a part of this day and celebrate such a wonderful couple and family. 

Here are my top five mentions from the wedding for Five on Friday!

1 / Rehearsal

The rehearsal dinner was at Quartino in downtown Chicago. Ahmazing food. I was here once before for a bachelorette dinner and it does.not.disappoint. If you have the chance to go, please do. Also, I urge you to order the Polenta Fries. You.will.not.be.upset. 

from google images

I wore a navy a-line dress from H&M, my light trench from Forever21, and strappy charcoal heels that are my mother's because she's cooler than me. 

2 / Venue

We got ready on Saturday morning in the bride's suite at the Westin Chicago. Westins are the best hotel and resort chain in my opinion. I think they're absolutely incredible and I've always had the best experience with them.

image

Dress waiting to be photographed. So gorgeous, right?

We had mimosas and chocolate for breakfast ;) and sandwiches and salad from Corner Bakery for lunch. My cousin did the makeup and we spent the morning relaxing while getting our makeup and hair done. It was so nice to spend that part of the day with the bride and all the bridesmaids.  

Once we were all dressed, the bride and groom did a first look before taking immediate family pictures on the beautiful grounds of the Westin that face the Chicago River Walk. Absolutely stunning views and I can't wait to see the pictures when they're done. 

The ceremony and reception were held at River Roast which is a restaurant and venue right on the Chicago River. 

from google images

from google images

They had a short, but beautiful, mixed religious ceremony. Their rabbi and priest complimented each other exceptionally well and it was so nice to witness. 

Afterward, we took some extended family photos and then had cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres on the terrace which sits beautifully on the Chicago River. 

I snapped these between cocktails. The weather was crisp but so lovely for a fall wedding. 

The food at River Roast is really wonderful and I'd love to go back to have dinner there in their restaurant. 

All the flowers were a soft white and blush and were so pretty against the dark wood of the tables. 

Inside, the venue was very modern Chicago, yet elegant. There was exposed brick and ductwork and our head table was a dark farm table. 

We spent the night eating, drinking, and dancing. After the reception, the bridal party walked over to theWit Hotel to their rooftop bar which has a club-like vibe. We stayed there until the bride and groom decided to head back to their suite and the rest of us went to get late night pizza. 

3 / Bride & Groom

It wouldn't be a wedding recap without mentioning the bride and groom. They are seriously some of the kindest people and just look at them! They are so effortlessly cool. 

4 / My Date

Just 'cause he's one of my favorites and he's the most handsome ;)

5 / Family time

This really should be number one on this list. It isn't often all of the cousins on Sammy's (dad's) side of the family are all together in one room because of work schedules and where we all live so being able to spend time with them is always such a treat. 

Several things: I love her. I don't know why the actual hell I'm holding my stomach. We had already started drinking at this point. K.

Cousin photo! Love these people!

It was such an awesome weekend and I wish we could do it all over again. Hopefully one of these people in this photo get married soon. Just not me. ;)

Thanks for reading!

xo

Linking up with April today!