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

20 while 20's

I've had this post in my drafts folder forever. For some reason I felt like it was a daunting task to write twenty things I want to do and accomplish during my 20's but when I actually sat down to write it… it took me five minutes. Get it together, girl. 

I love, love, love the idea of these kinds of lists. I'm sure over the years my list will change/vary and that's okay. This is what is important to me now, and even though it may change from year to year, I hope to still accomplish these things by my 29th year. It was so fun dreaming about all the adventures to come and look forward to. Definitely made my day a little brighter. 

Here's my list if you'd like to see...

- Go to three new countries

This is the town my grandfather's family is from in Sicily and I would love to get there soon

- Write my first novel

*sigh*

- Buy a home

preferably this one ;) #thathomealonelife

- Host a large holiday in my own home 

Basically I want this to look like those Pillsbury crescent roll commercials they air during the holidays

#goals 

- Get married

Just so I can register at Crate & Barrel ;) But seriously, I'm going ham at Crate & Barrel

- Start a family

If only to have people to watch Disney with ;) just kidding… this tops my "most excited for" list. Already can't wait to meet my sweet chickens

- Rescue a dog and/or cat

I'm using the singular form here but really I mean rescue like seven

- Own a pair of Manolo Blahniks

Again, using the singular but really I mean like seven

- Visit {at least} 20 unique restaurants across the country

"At least" is crucial here

- Buy my own car & drive cross country

This will be huge for me… hopefully I write a post about my struggle with driving and anxiety someday 

- Visit 10 new states

This is also up there on the "excited for" list. I can't wait to see more of our beautiful country

-  Pay off my student loans

Right after I buy those Manolos ;)

- Finish my Master's degree

So soon!

- Stay at a luxurious resort for an entire week

This is something I could never afford as an "early twenty-something" so it would be an accomplishment to be able to reward some hard work by getting to do this

This is the Westin resort in Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs, California and I've actually been here (only because when you're 13 your Mom typically foots the bill) and it's one of the loveliest places, ever

- Volunteer/donate to charity regularly 

I typically like to choose a charity or cause each season to donate to or volunteer for, which I intend on continuing throughout my life and not just my twenties

- Learn a new skill and get certified {or at least practice often}

Make up artistry, meditation, cooking, etc., 

- Read at least 100 books

The thought of this makes my heart beam

- Develop my relationship with God

Continue praying and thinking about Him

- Get back to Disney {world and/or land}

Ideally, I would go back every year…reality is a different story so going back at least two more times within my twenties would be awesome. Hopefully toward the end of these twenties I'll have a little one to go with ;) ahh!

I will lose my mind someday if I get to do something like this 

- Learn to be comfortable in my own body

This would be pretty huge and pretty awesome

So there it is! I love when I find other bloggers who have written the same list. I love seeing what everyone's dreams and goals are. What are some things you want to do in your 20's, 30's, 40's? Even 80's!

Here's to always looking forward.

Seasonal Goals {Autumn}

I used to attempt at monthly goals, and well, that shit went right out the window real quick. I tend to confuse daily/weekly/monthly tasks with goals but whenever I set a list of goals to complete each month it ends up feeling too overwhelming for me. *sigh* Maybe one day.
 So, I read on someone else's blog they had similar feelings about monthly goals (praise that woman) and decided to do seasonal goals which I promptly decided to rudely copy. 

So, here are some goals I'd like to accomplish, or at least make progress on, during September, October, & November:
- Lose more five pounds (minimum)  I feel like that's setting myself pretty low so I hope I can achieve that. I've been really buckling down lately on watching what I'm eating and portion controlling everything (or mostly everything) and working out more so I'm hoping I can keep it up!
- Go apple picking This has already been discussed with Sammy and I've already started researching places. This is happening. 
- Cook/bake at least 5 "fall" recipes from Pinterest I'm no stranger to Pinterest and anyone who knows me knows how completely obsessed I am with the site. It's the greatest invention, ever. Ever. So, it goes without saying that I have quite a few pins and it isn't unusual for some of them to go "unused" so I would really love to utilize my fall recipe board and get some cooking & baking done! 

Like let me make this no bake pumpkin dessert. This looks so good, like punch myself in the face good.

- Finish wedding prep early I'd like to finish some last minute wedding tasks for Sammy's cousin's wedding a little earlier than I normally would get it done. That's how I'm going to turn a task into a goal haha. I still need to pick jewelry to match my bridesmaid dress, pay for the bachelorette weekend, get a bachelorette party gift, etc,. 
- Carve pumpkins Sammy and I do this every year and it's one of our holiday traditions I love to continue. 
- Watch a "scary" movie with Sammy Sammy is always trying to get me to watch scary movies and while I could come up with logical arguments as to why it's stuuuupid to scare yourself for pleasure I'm just going to admit to being a baby. I do.not.like to be scared and I get real dramatic about it (which I'm sure makes me the ideal scary movie watching partner...why does he hang out with me?) but maybe a half scary movie is a good goal/attempt?

Every time.

- Work hard & be proud This will be my first Autumn with my company as an official employee (I started last Autumn as an intern there) and I really want to work hard this fall and turn out a lot of projects I can be proud of. I'd also like to help market our books in my free time because I'm so proud of our house and the stories we put out. 
- Complete 5k in October without walking the entire thing I'm doing a color run with two of my girlfriends at the beginning of October and I'm hoping to lose some of my bitterness about running and just have fun with this run this time...and maybe not walk the entire thing ;)
- Buy an Autumn/Halloween themed children's book It can get competitive in the business/sales/marketing world and in an attempt to market our own brand I sometimes forget that all publishing houses are in this together to put quality stories out there for children to enjoy. So, instead of being jealous of what other publishing houses are putting out (I see you, Random House) and boycotting them I've decided to start building my own children's book collection in support of other houses and the importance of getting children to read. 

I think this one about a witch who goes to the spa to relax after a busy Halloween looks adorable.

Every season I'd like to buy one book from a different house. There are so many gorgeous children's books out there to choose from! & one day, I'll have started a collection for my future children to enjoy which will be so special to me. 
- Finish Baby G's quilt I started a cross stitch quilt for my cousin's baby before she was born and haven't gotten my shit together to make even a dent in it so I would love, love, love to have it finished by Christmas.
- Get back into a routine It's really easy for me to get comfortable in a lazy routine which is exactly what I've done over the summer. I'm currently only working part-time but when school starts (next week...) I'll be so grateful it's only part-time because my school schedule this quarter is more hectic than it ever has been so I'd really love to get into a better routine that is going to be beneficial to me and allow me to be productive. This means getting into better sleeping, meal prep, studying, and work habits. Those are like all the habits for any basic human being so basically I need to revamp my life.
- Take at least three different classes at the gym & use the pool I have trial membership at my mom and brother's gym for the month of September (and fully plan on using their guest passes every month after that) and they offer a hugely wide variety of classes there and I'd love to try a few different ones and also utilize the pool to switch my exercising up.

Yassss. 

So there they are. Probably boring to most but I feel like this may hold me accountable! I like to mix festive with practical. Nothing like "watch a scary movie" as a goal to make you feel least like an adult as possible.  Oh well. 
Hope everyone has had a great start to the new season!