Weekend Recap / 2018 Christmas Bucket List

Hi all!

This weekend was a good, good, good one. So happy to be recapping it today.

Per the title of this post, it feels pretty lazy to include our Christmas bucket list at the end of a recap post, and it is pretty lazy. But we're heading toward the middle of the month, we've already completed a good portion of these, and I just want to get this on the blog for the sake of documenting so at the bottom of a random post it goes.

But first—the recap!

FRIDAY
Chelsie came over Friday night so we could make many, many cookies. My future MIL does this with her best friend and they make enough to last them through Christmas (and then some) and I've always thought having cookies on hand throughout the season was a great plan, so we decided to do it this year!

We made five different ones (started small this year) and we split the ingredients and the resulting cookies. I grabbed a frozen pizza from the store and had it ready when she got there so we wouldn't waste our time with cooking stuff for dinner or waiting on delivery.

We made white chocolate, peppermint, Oreo cookies (stupidly good), chocolate chip, peanut butter with Hershey kisses in the middle, shortbread, and pretzels with kisses and M&Ms.

We exchanged our gifts as well, which really means I got a gift and Chelsie got to HEAR about her gift since Amazon ruined hers. But first, she got Henry a Christmas gift which was so sweet!

When we were in SJP's pop-up shop in NYC, we smelled her candle and decided we would get it for each other for Christmas, so she gave me her candle (the part of her gift from me that Amazon ruined) and this insanely beautiful ornament for our tree. I love, love, love it. I told her her candle is on the way... and also got her a pair of socks from Barefoot Dreams.

Our haul.

And this guy watched over us all night and was pretty darn good except for eating one whole cookie and a Hershey kiss with the foil still on.

And I went outside to see her new car and we realized we didn't take any picture inside sooo we took a selfie in front of my garage hahaha.

SATURDAY
Saturday morning, Morgan and I met up and went to a "holiday faire" at the McHenry County fairgrounds. In addition to being a craft fair, they had events you could enter for best chocolate chip cookie, decorated cookie, crafted stocking, ornament, etc. Well Morgan and I showed up and no one else brought in their entry and it remained that way until we left. We were the only dorks in the county who entered cookies--ha! Morgan received an email this morning saying that she won first place (obviously...), but I, hilariously, have yet to receive my email, so either it's still coming, or I made a REALLY bad cookie.

After the fair, we stopped at Allen's Corner so I could introduce Morgan to the amazingness. And then we chatted for a little while at my house and exchanged Christmas gifts. I gave her a blanket that says "This is my Hallmark Christmas movie watching blanket" (because we're obsessed) and two Harry Potter items that have yet to arrive. She gave me (for my birthday and Christmas) this AMAZING mug I will use until I'm 1000 years old, a HP blanket (so I guess I'm officially a fan now), vanilla dipped spoons for coffee, and gorgeous hand sewn Paris themed tote bag.

I was happy to stay home all night cleaning the house (for a brunch I was hosting the next morning), doing laundry, organizing our guest room closet, and working on our Christmas cards (which still have to be sent out). I also got a chance to watch Dumplin' and I loved it. I loved the book, so I was glad the movie lived up to it.

Finished the night putting away a big pile of laundry, watching Girls Incarcerated (swear to God, I'm obsessed with our prison system), while Sammy clung to Henry as soon as he got home from work. You know, the usual.

SUNDAY
Sunday morning I planned a brunch so some of my favorite people could come over and see our house and Henry, and so we could all be together during the busiest, most wonderful time of the year. And so Sammy (before we went to work) and I could ask one of our cousins to be the officiant at our wedding.

I kept it pretty simple. We did many mimosas, two dips as appetizers, and for brunch, my mom made two quiches, I found stuffed bagels at the grocery store (Bantam Bagels if you've never heard of them, they're real good), and my grandma made spinach pinwheels. 

Some boy was incredibly good all day, I was pretty damn shocked. Even after everyone left, he kept on napping and being such a sweet guy. We may be out of the insane puppy phase after all!

The women... I can't even describe how I feel about them. Being in their presence completely lifts me up. They are my church and my religion. And asking one of them to be our officiant was so fun. She and my mom teared up, and she was so surprised, even though she definitely shouldn't have been. (She was born to do this stuff!)

I truly love them (and their children) more than I can say. I was so happy to have them in our home and spend the day with them.

We sat around eating cookies and talking, while they asked me what songs I wanted to play at our wedding and I played a few through the TV. These are the best kind of memories and I'm so grateful for them.

It was a wonderful weekend and left me feeling rejuvenated for the week. Now—the bucket list! I want to handwrite this like I did our 2018 Fall bucket list and post it on the fridge, (which Sammy may add to if I have forgotten something!) but I want it here as well.

2018 Christmas Bucket List

FAMILY
Pick out our Christmas tree
This would be an example of me cheating a little on this list because I wrote this down after we already did it ;) we got our tree the day after Thanksgiving, just as I had hoped. We cut it down this year and I think that'll be the last time haha. I just want the tree, I don't need to make a whole thing out of obtaining the tree. Next year, we'll go to the church parking lot down the street ;)

Decorate the house
Another cheat. Done before I wrote the list! Decorating a home for this time of year is truly the number one reason why I wanted to buy a house. I can't tell you how much this means to me and I love how it turned out.

Decorate our gingerbread house
Doing this week!

Get Henry a festive bandana
Done! Plus a bow tie for Christmas Day ;)

Play outside in the snow with Henry
Done! We didn't stay out long because Momma can't hang, but I'm sure we'll get another opportunity or two before the season is over.

Do at least one festive thing with each of our extended families
We have plans this Sunday to have a Polar Express experience with Sammy's family. And we'll be hosting Cugini Christmas this year at our house with all of Sammy's first cousins.

I've already gone to a Christmas craft show this season with my mom, she's come to CL for the Christmas parade and tree lighting, and the brunch I hosted this past Sunday felt relatively festive. I also have traditions with my dad and siblings that I'm sure we'll do this year too. Always happy to tack on festive events/traditions each year with our families.

Host a festive gathering in our home
Done! And more to come!

Watch Home Alone 78 times
Well on our way.

Watch nostalgic Christmas movies/shows
Always a favorite. I've been trying to watch something festive almost every day.

Go to a festive event in town
Done! Went to two so far! I hope to squeeze more in or just more time downtown CL while it's all decorated.

Start a new tradition
This came about organically without even discussing the idea of starting a new tradition. Sammy mentioned to me he bought me an ornament as one of my Christmas gifts because he saw one he thought I would like, and then he said he wanted to start a tradition of getting each other an ornament each year. Check that off the list! And I can't wait to see what he picked out. I still have to find him one!

PERSONAL

Read three Christmasy books
I have one on my Kindle right now from the library, and should be able to plow through two more if they're "light" enough.

Do something festive every day
This has been easy and so fun. Whether it's having a cup of cocoa by the tree, reading by the tree, watching a festive movie, wearing festive pajamas, or all of the above, I try to do something every day that's specific to the season.

Continue my wrapping tradition
Every Christmas, once all of the gifts I'm giving have been purchased and delivered, I gather everything, make mac & cheese, grab a Coke, turn on Home Alone, and eat and then wrap all the gifts in front of the TV. I absolutely love doing it and now I get to wrap even more gifts because Sammy is decidedly not a fan of wrapping ;)

Start a Christmas tradition with a friend(s)
Another one that came about organically. I feel like we spend a lot of time making an effort to have traditions with our immediate families and significant others, which is obviously very important, but I think it's also important to make time for traditions with our friends as well. Chelsie and I started our cookie baking tradition this year, and I hope we carry it on until we can barely walk. My girlfriend is also hosting us this Friday for a festive girls night and I hope we're able to do that every year as well!


That's it for me all. If you made it this far, you're a saint. xo

2018 Fall Bucket List

Seasonal bucket lists are some of my favorite posts to write, and I meant to write this earlier this month, but the last few weeks have totally gotten away from me.

Nothing gets me amped up for a season like creating a bucket list! I wrote up our bucket list and put it on our fridge so Sammy and I could both add to it if we wanted. Here's what we have so far...


1. Decorate the house for Fall

Decorating is literally the reason why I wanted to buy a house. Not a joke. I'm SO stoked to decorate for the upcoming holidays, I can't even put it into words. And as icing on the cake, Sammy has recently discovered the magic that is HomeGoods and the home section at TJ Maxx and has brought up going there to buy some decor several times which couldn't make me happier.

I've put a few things around the house, mostly neutral pumpkins and such, but I definitely want to amp it up. Trying to keep it neutral in September, go hardcore in October for Halloween, and transition over to the "harvest" look in November for Thanksgiving. And then come November 23rd, all bets are off for Christmas decorating. But that's for another bucket list ;)


2. Go apple picking 

I love apple picking and look forward to going every year, which is why I super excited to think we might be able to take Henry with us this year. I have researched every orchard in IL, as well as WI and MI, and can't find one dog-friendly one. And I understand why that might be, but I thought I would be able to find at least one. Especially since it seems like other states have several! So we may have to leave Henry at home for an hour or so to go to the nearby orchard, which will probably be easier in the long run, but I'm still a little bummed.

3. Make an apple pie

I've already accomplished this one actually! I made a pie last Sunday when our family came over for dinner. I used my grandma's crust recipe and filling recipe came from the NYT. I'm going to be making at least one more before the season is over and am hoping to make a few slight adjustments to the filling recipe and practice my lattice work.

4. Try three new chili recipes

Sammy and I are very excited for many hearty meals this season re: soups, casseroles, but most of all, chili. I'm chili obsessed, so I'd love to try three chili recipes this season and declare a favorite which I'll make again next year and compare to two new recipes. Kind of like a chili bracket so we carry the best one from year to year. Sammy didn't really get this one since he thinks chili can only be made one way (wasn't a huge fan of pumpkin chili last year *eye roll*), but I'm excited to find the best recipe out there. I really want to make this white chicken chili and may have to this weekend.

5. Pick out Henry's Halloween costume

This has been a feat. And if you know me, it should come as no surprise that I've been brainstorming his costume since before we even picked him out. I'm leaning toward a DIY dinosaur costume I can make myself because it'll be cheaper (most likely) and it isn't some extravagant, humiliating costume he has to wear.

6. Take Henry to at least one Halloween/Fall event in town

CL has the cutest events around the holidays and I'm excited to finally be living so close to the downtown where a lot of them take place. In addition to CL, the entire county does awesome events this time of year, so I'm looking forward to taking advantage again. At the end of September, CL puts on a Johnny Appleseed festival and Sammy is off that Saturday, so we plan on going with Henry! I'd love to go to a Halloween event, but I also don't need to be that creepy woman with her dog at a children's event. If I can swing the Autumn Drive event (meaning if I can convince someone to come with me), we may have to do that again too.

7. Have trick-o-treaters for the first time!

This isn't really a good bucket list item because it requires little to no effort since it'll happen on it's own (hopefully!), but I still wanted to mark it down! In addition to decorating, having trick-o-treaters is something I've been super excited about. It's half the reason we have an entryway table: a place for the candy bowl ;) and I'm even more excited now that we have Henry (reason for him to wear his costume and for the kids to gush over him). Our neighborhood is entirely townhouses and kind of set off from other single-family home neighborhoods, so I'm not sure how many kids we'll actually get, but I'm hoping for at least a few door bell rings!

8. Carve pumpkins

Sammy and I have done this every year for probably as long as we've done our gingerbread house at Christmastime. I've done a castle for the last few years, but I have a feeling I'm going to be criticized if I choose it again this year ;) I can't wait to display them on our porch.

9. Have our annual Halloween date night

One year I decided to really let my crazy fly and I set up this entire Halloween-themed date night for Sammy and I complete with themed foods, drinks, and movies. We've even worn costume onesies (for comfort while still being festive). This is one of the times I realize just how much Sammy puts up with my increasing enthusiasm for the holidays haha. And even though I toned it wayyy down last year, I look forward to spending the time together in a festive way.

Sammy is off on Monday the week of Halloween (Halloween is Wednesday), so we'll do our date night then. I can't wait, and I can't wait to figure out how to incorporate some festive treats for Henry!


10. Go to the Drive-In

There is a drive-in a few towns over from us (sooo happy we're so close now!) and they do a "fall throwback series" from the very end of August through September. We went two summers ago and I loved it. It's dog-friendly (!), so I'm hoping we can make it this season.

11. Try a new recipe for Thanksgiving dinner

I always make the same thing for Friendsgiving because my girlfriends love it, but I like to try a new recipe to bring by either my family or Sammy's. Would love to make this Cranberry Curd Tart or the Jalapeño Spoonbread I said I was going to make last year and never did...

13. Volunteer 

Now that we live in the town where Sammy's serves, I really want to get more involved with the community. I think a great way to do this is through volunteering. I'm hoping to get involved in the food bank this year which seems to be at its busiest around the holidays. Would love to be able to do this as a family but will definitely do it on my own as well.

So that's it for the 2018 Fall bucket list! I can't wait to make all kinds of memories this year. xo

2017 Fall Bucket List

Eee! I'm so excited to be writing this post today. I've missed drafting up seasonal bucket lists. They keep me accountable and save me from being lazy, plus they're just fun to think about!

Diving right in...

Go Apple Picking 

Sammy doesn't have any weekends off this fall, so I'm not sure him and I will be able to get to an orchard together this season which is a bummer. But that just means I'll have to go with some girlfriends or my mom! Sammy's mom has already mentioned wanting to go this month, so maybe we can make a day of it.

via

Go to the Drive-In

Sammy and I went and saw Grease at the McHenry drive-in a few weekends ago and it was SO much fun. I'm such a dork about this kind of stuff and had a blast (even though I chipped my tooth while eating popcorn and cried about it, it's fine, guys). A bunch of people came with their vintage cars and it was so cool to see them all parked there.

They're doing a fall throwback series until Halloween and once October hits, it looks like all the movies are horror/Halloween themed, so I'd love to catch one more movie before the season is over.

Carve Pumpkins 

This is one of my and Sammy's fall traditions we do every year. I love going to a farm and picking pumpkins together and then going back to one of our houses and carving them while listening to Halloween music I make him listen to. Maybe this year I won't subject us both to "Monster Mash" and we have a movie on in the background instead. Why have I not thought of this before?...poor guy haha.

I've carved a castle for the last two years, and even though Sammy insists I have to pick something different... I think I really still want to do a castle haha.

Go to "Autumn Drive"

Autumn Drive is an event that happens every fall in McHenry County where participating farms, orchards, local businesses, etc., will sign up to be on a route you can drive through and peruse items they're selling. Sammy and I went last year and I enjoyed it a lot. Some stops are definitely better than others but it's nice to get out and walk on beautiful fall day. This year it's the third weekend in October and I'm hoping my mom will want to go with me!

Make (at least) Two New Pumpkin Recipes

A few days ago, I searched through the New York Times cooking section and saved a few fall-inspired recipes to my virtual recipe box.

I mentioned in my fall favorites post that last year I was surprisingly turned on to pumpkin chili, so I'd love to try my hand at it this season. This version looks hearty and perfect for a chillier day.

here

These maple pumpkin muffins sounded really great to me as well. I'm wondering if I can tweak the recipe and make them as scones with a side of clotted cream instead.

here

Go to an Oktoberfest with My Dad

I mentioned this to my dad recently and he suggested heading up to Wisconsin to go to one of their Oktoberfests so the hunt is on for a good one!

See the Leaves Change on the East Coast

This is going to be a lifelong fall bucket list item because I can't imagine I would ever tire of seeing the changing of the seasons on the east coast, but it could actually happen this year. My siblings and I are going with my mom to Niagara Falls (on the New York side) over Columbus Day weekend and I'm hoping it looks super seasonal and festive.

Have Halloween Date Night

Two years ago I went a little ham on the idea that I was going to plan this super cute Halloween date night for Sammy and I, and while it turned out a little bit over the top (see photo below of a ridiculous amount of shit that was intended for TWO people...), and the food definitely turned out less than stellar, it's become a tradition for us. We eat some comfort food, watch halloween themed movies, and I usually force Sammy to dress up in some kind of costume so we look somewhat festive when we pass out candy to the five kids that show up (like where are all the kids these days? the last few years we've gotten such a low turnout of trick-or-treaters). As I've mentioned several times, Sammy is working Halloween, so we'll have to do our date night a few days early. I think we'll keep it way more low key than the last two years by staying in pajamas, but I'm already planning a few treats ;)

Donate to a Food Bank for Thanksgiving

The holiday season is always a reminder for me to give back (although I really need to work on doing this throughout the entire year), and I really want to organize something with my family and/or friends to gather a bunch of food to donate to food bank, especially around Thanksgiving.

Bring Something to Thanksgiving Dinner

Every year on the night before Thanksgiving, my siblings and cousins and I have slept over at my grandparent's house to help prep food for dinner the following day, but beyond helping in that respect, I don't cook any dishes by myself entirely, so I'd love to make and bring something this year. 

Sammy has to work this Thanksgiving, so I'll be with my family this year for the entire day instead of splitting the day with his family, so I think it's a good time to try a new recipe out even though I have a fundamental opposition to new recipes (or altering old ones) on Thanksgiving (the food is already so good!! why change anything?!) 

But this jalapeño spoonbread looks too good to pass up and pretty foolproof. 

here

So I think that's it! I wish it were even longer though. I bet I can come up with a few more things ;) I'll report back if I do!

xo

{a bachelorette} weekend recap

It's Friday and I'm just now getting around to posting this recap. #sorrynotsorry. This past weekend was so wonderful that I knew there would be more than five great things within this post to participate in Five on Fridays with some of my favorite bloggers! 

I'll be linking up with April & friends today!

*

I've been waiting for this weekend for several months now and it finally came... bachelorette weekend! I was so thrilled to be able to celebrate Christina before her big day with so many other wonderful women. 

I left Friday afternoon with  my sister-in-law (who technically is Sammy's SIL, and not mine yet, but I love her so I claim her as my own SIL because it's easier and because this is my blog and I do what I want) and we hit the road for Michigan! The plan was to stay in a house with the women in the bridal party and some close friends of the bride's and do a winery tour on Saturday. 

We got there before most of the guests and were able to help Sarah (the Maid of Honor and the bride's sister) and the mother of the bride finish decorating/prepping dinner for night. And when I say I helped prep dinner I mean I sat on a bar stool and ate peanut M&M's out of the bowl (HEY AGAIN, WEIGHT WATCHERS, HEY). I did help blow up balloons though. Clearly I was instrumental in the execution of this weekend. Aka not at all since the women in charge of this weekend are flawless and everything I hope to be in life (which is not a dramatic, nor creepy, statement at all). 

Sarah picked a champagne theme with black and gold as accent colors. Everything came together so beautifully. 

We all got a bottle of prosecco and a champagne flute as a favor which was so cute.

We showered the bride with more gifts than this, FYI, I just took these pictures before most of the guest got there. I got her a black lace, cotton nightgown, some pretty lace thongs, flip flops that say "bride" on them she can wear while getting ready, massage oil from Bath and Body Works, a bottle of champagne, and two monogrammed champagne flutes. 

Wouldn't be me if I didn't document all the snacks...

Like pumpkin Reeses? Yes, honey, yas. 

Impressively enough this was not made at a bakery but by the Maid of Honor and her boyfriend. Like get out of here. Realism people. Realism. (or Surrealism? I joke, I joke. Because honestly I don't even know the proper definition of Surrealism I just felt like there was a joke there). 

The Chrstina's mom made pesto pasta for everyone and we all got to know one another while we ate (if we didn't already). It was a really fun, low-key night to hang out with the girls before a long day of winery hopping the next day.

Our winery tour was hosted by Fruitful Vine which provided an awesome service and experience for us. A shuttle picked us up from our house at 10 am and took us to our first winery where our wagon was waiting to take us on the rest of the tour. They provided all the transportation, paid our tasting fees, and were genuinely nice people (our driver was so funny and even carried our complimentary glasses and purchases to the wagon after every winery!). I was very impressed with their services. I will most likely be using them when I plan my girlfriend's bachelorette party! 

We started off our day of vino at Lemon Creek Winery. It had such beautiful scenery (my favorite of all four wineries we stopped at) and I wished we could have spent more time outside here before we were whisked away to the next one. We moved on to Domaine Winery (cute but not a favorite), Round Barn (a favorite among us girls...I also bought the most here), and finished at Gravity (we really liked the scenery and being so close to the grapes but the service wasn't our favorite).  The Wine-O-Wagon tour was such a fun way to spend the day. I would recommend it to any bride (or for any celebration! we saw a 30th birthday group doing a tour while we were out) who isn't as into the traditional go-out-get-trashed type bachelorette party/weekend. Not that there's anything wrong with that ;)

This was during one the wagon rides in between wineries. I really got a glimpse at just how beautiful the Midwest can be. It gets a lot of flack, sometimes most often by those who live here, but I think it's beautiful and I'm never leaving. :)

After the tour, we all went back to the house and calmed down a bit. I am a light weight so I ended up falling asleep on the FIVE MINUTE shuttle ride back to the house... so clearly I needed to decompress. We showered, got ready, and headed out for dinner at a restaurant in town. The town looked so cute (at this point I think we had crossed over into New Buffalo, MI) and I wish we would have time to explore it a little during the day. We'll just have to come back! 

After dinner, we came back to the house, full and exhausted, so after hanging out together downstairs we called it a night a little before 1 am (while all the groomsmen were just getting started in New Orleans ;) ). 

We had to be out of the house by 10 am the next morning so after a quick breakfast, and we cleaned up, we headed out. On our way home from Michigan we stopped at County Line Orchard in Indiana and I got to cross apple picking off my Fall Bucket List! 

At first it seemed like a lot had been picked over but with a little persistence we found a golden row and got a big bag full. I regret to mention that I actually said, "snapchat it or it didn't happen" as I took this picture. I feel like that's the saying all the kids say? I don't know, but I said it, and regretted it immediately. 

Grabbed one too many purchases from the huge store next to the orchard but I regret none of this. It was a fun, Autumn-y, way to finish off our little trip!

I ended up getting home much earlier than I thought I would have so I was able to join my grandma and mom and go with them to the Cary Main Street Fest in Cary, IL. My Mom and Uncles grew up with the Mayor of Cary and another friend of my Mom's had a photography booth at the fest we had to check out. 

How adorable are all the little touches she had in her booth? I had to take pictures for future decorating inspiration. Her photography is stunning (and further solidified my longing for a new camera) and so were all the unique pieces she hand makes as well. 

I grabbed letter pressed gift tags, a St. Theresa prayer card, and this quote hanging. My mother told me it reminded her of me and Sammy so I promptly told her friend Linda to wrap it up ;) (I also ordered the book immediately). Check out her photography page if you're interested: Linda Barrett Productions. & her Etsy page as well for all the cuteness: Soulful Handmade

Since I have Mondays off, which was much needed after this weekend, I finished off my "weekend" by having brunch Monday morning with my grandma and dad. 

We stopped over to Grove Kitchen in Palatine which had a new, modern interior. All the food seemed to be fresh and they serve Intelligentsia Coffee which means I'm an instant fan. I ended up getting the Salmon Benedict with a side of hash browns which was rich and filling. I think I liked it more than my Dad did (he's kind of a tough critic, although he thoroughly appreciated the Intelligentsia) and I'd go back just to see their dinner menu. 

It was packed weekend but it was so much fun. I was thrilled to be a part of Christina's bachelorette weekend and get to spend so much time with her, her family, and friends as well as some much needed time with my SIL & Sammy's cousin's girlfriend (love her and it was so awesome to bond with her even more). 

With my work and school schedule during the week, I don't get a lot of quality time with my family or friends (since I get home after 11pm), so it was great to spend an afternoon and evening with my grandma and momma AND getting to see my dad, and grandma again, the very next day. A weekend filled with blessings, that's for sure. 

This has taken me a week to write which is totally ridiculous but I ended up getting a little sick smack in the middle of the week which threw my work/graduate school/blogging schedule for a bit of a loop. But I knew I wanted to remember everything so it must.be.written. 

Blog it or it didn't happen, am I right?! Am I? I'll stop.

Happy Friday, people!