12 Days of Christmas: DAY THREE

This past weekend I was the Cookie Monster.  By Cookie Monster I don't mean the lucky girl that lays restfully on her chaise lounge stuffing her face full of beautiful, tasty and sweet morsels of goodness.  Nope. I was the Cookie Monster that had flour in her hair and egg all over the counter muttering naughty words under her breath.  Remember I am the ALMOST-DOMESTIC GODDESS - who am I kidding, I sure as heck am nowhere close.

This was the first time I tried making my Grandma Wilson's Christmas Cookies.  They are amazing! Growing up I remember looking forward to, being SO excited for the santas, trees, stars and bells all adorned in different colored frostings and sprinkles!   It is a tradition that I want to keep in my family for many years to come and I had to get it juuuuuuuusttttt right!

 I have been wanting to do this for the past couple years but the recipe looked so intimidating!  I needed the push to do this and the push was a cookie exchange at the hubbos work.  I knew some of the ladies involved and their domestic goddess-ness is at a much higher ranking than I so I knew I had to pull out the big guns with this one - enter Grandma Wilson's Christmas Cookies.

Once I got started it really wasnt that bad and thanks to my Kitchen Aid Mixer (I LOVE YOU), the process went quite smoothly.   When I started rolling out the dough, I realized I had done something wrong.  It was sticky gooey and frustrating.  I worked with it adding flour every now and then and managed to make lots o cookies.  I didnt realized until the next day that I didnt double the flour and eggs!  WHOOPS!  I made a new batch, baked them and went up to my moms house to get her and my sister's help with the frosting :

Eddie is SO ADORABLE!!



They turned out great and everyone at Justin's work friends loved em :]  SUCCESS!

Look what we recieved in return!!! HOLY BUCKETS!

As a side note: I recieved this cute email today from my cousin which fits perfectly with todays post :]

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare... You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.


4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand and wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a Great Holiday Season!!

Do you have any special treats you like to bake during the holiday season?

12 Days of Christmas: DAY TWO

DECOR DECOR DECOR!  MY FAVORITE THING!

Christmas is one of the best times to decorate.  Actually it IS the best time to decorate.  There are so many different ways to express Christmas through decor.  Some people go for a Grand, Ornate tree covered top to bottom in ribbon, Regal oranments and a topper that could light a city and others go for a more simple, Charlie Brown feel.

Me you ask?  What do you think?.... VINTAGE with just the right amount of GAUDY! I decided to go this route because of three reasons.  1.  I Love it.  2. I had a ton of hand-me-down cool ornaments and decor and 3.  It fits with the character of our home.  Everything from silver tinsel on the tree to creepy old Santas, our house screams christmas vintage.  I'm sure you would rather see it than listen to be blab.  :]

Outside: We did it pretty simple this year.  I have MUCH bigger plans, but we need to change a few things (hopefully this summer!)  The lights were all hand-me-downs from my grandparents and they work great!

Garlands Galore! I love garlands, especially with lights strung throughout

I Love this picture. I Love everything about my tree and fireplace, I think it turned out great!

 Creepy Santa? Check!

 Poinsettias :]

My Christmas Village.  My Grandma started this village for me and now that she has Alzheimers, it is even more meaningful.

I hope you enjoyed our Christmassy Casa.  I am so excited for the coming weeks and cant wait to share!

12 Days of Christmas: DAY ONE

A Little delayed but I think its a good way to start off the 12 Days of Christmas Blogathon that will be hosted here, on my blog.

We had snow at our house!  It was a very exciting thing for me not only because we rarely get snow but also because we live in a valley so when it does snow we never get any!  I think we had about 4-5 inches and it stuck around for a good 3-4 days!  It was fun to see our little downtown area covered in white and it made me extremely thankful for our cozy, warm, home :]

PURTIEEE!!

It all started around lunchtime on Monday, the week of Thanksgiving.  It was snowing all morning but just a light dusting that turned into quarter sized flakes that were coming down so hard - you could barely see through them!  Both Justin and my offices let us head home early and I am so happy they did.  I made it home in 20 minutes (which NEVER happens) and it seemed like as soon as I stepped in the house, poo hit the fan.   TRAFFIC WAS HORRID.  I am NOT exaggerating - NO I'm not!  My poor future brother in law was stuck on a bus for 7 hours.  7 hours to go less than 20 miles.  A friend of mine left work at 3:30pm and didn't get home until 1:30am! 

Snow and Seattle DO NOT MIX.  When we get snow - we shut down.  Justin and I were told to stay home on Tuesday and the roads were still a mess from the night before. 

Anyway, all this purty snow I'm talking about was put to massive shame when we showed up at my in-laws house to celebrate Thanksgiving.  We drove over Wednesday after work (yes, I said work.  I had my snow tires put on so I had NO excuse not to make it in) and got into their neck of the woods around 9pm.  The snow there was above my knee and the City of Spokane was still able to function and go about their daily lives.  Quite the opposite of what we had just experienced in our homeland.   Oh well.  We had a wonderful, relazing weekend and I gained about 1,000,876,982,235,987,344.02 pounds.   I'm serious.

 Justin and Buddy

 Joy, Peg and Whit

 Rupert and Buddy

 Whit and Kev

 We watched a ton of home videos and I HAD to snap this picture of my man as a little guy!! SO CUTE

Whit, Mamma Llama and I

My mother-in-law and I did some Black Friday shopping (the non-agressive kind) and decorated her Christmas tree. They had a live fire roaring daily and it was so peaceful to feel the warmth and hear the crackling while watching the snowfall outside.  Justin and I built the biggest snowman I had ever seen and I slipped and fell while trying to shovel about 103.2 times.

The Countdown to Christmas has officially begun...GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Incorporating the Past into my Closet...

As I'm sitting here on hold with a Movie Company, the orchestrated tune of "Singing in the Rain" is filling my ears.  Since I was a young girl I have been fascinated with the Glamorous, Simple eras of the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's and 1950's.  I know that is a rather large time period but I LOVE IT. I often joke with others that I was born in the wrong decade :] I was born in 1986.  Nuff said.

I wish I could have experienced some the changes that happened in our world in that time. If you think about it, 1900-1950 brought amazing technological, social and cultural changes.  I am so captivated with these early American Eras.

1920's - 1930's:  The era of silent films, flappers, the mob, the prohibition and the great depression.  Even though not all these events were glamorous, they are extremely intriguing in their own right.  As modern day Americans, we have never experienced the brokenness that was brought on by the great depression.  Yes, we are currently in an economic downturn but I don't feel it reached the severness of that back in the 30's.  We also take for granted the fact that we can buy and drink alcohol whenever we want.  Though it was against the law, I would have loved to experience an underground speak easy and dabbled a little bit in the illegal partaking of alcohol.   Organized crime back in the day is another thing that pulls me in.  It is still to this day alive and well in many Hollwood productions as well as the lesser known gangs and mobs of the present. Flapper and cigarette girls adorned themselves with short hair and hats.  They wore short skirts and sleeveless dresses, quite a drastic change from the modest apparel of the women a decade before. Fashion was born and women were ready to step out of the shadows.

1940's -1950's:  This is the era where my heart truly lies. When this era began, America was in the midst of  WWII. If you ever want to watch a good GREAT depiction of what living during the war, as a soldier might have been like in Europe, you need to wach the TV miniseries "Band of Brothers".  It is entirely informative, captivating and is based of a true company "The EZ Company", that served together in the war. (I digress) After the war came a booming economy, women in the workforce and my opinion, the best music, movies and television to ever hit the public.  Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Audrey Hepburn, Bob etcetera etcetera.  This post war era of Glamour is what I admire the most.  Going to movies was glamourous, flying was glamorous and everyone dressed for life.  Women didn't even own sweats let alone go grocery shopping in them.  There is a style and grace about this period that will never be matched again.

Most recently, I have been hooked on a more gritty version of life in the late 50's early 60's.  That would be called AMC's Mad Men.  It is a show that follws Ad Executives in the heart of NYC.  The Cigarette filled, Whiskey drinking and philandering characters in this show bring a more scandalous outlook on the seemingly innocent era.   The women on this show are insanely gorgeous and their style is to die for.

With all of the above said, It brings me to one random point that was the point of this whole post. I want to learn how to sew.


One common thread of all these eras that I love so dearly is FASHION.  I love the way women used to dress and I want to learn to sew so I can make myself some classic pieces that you just cant find anymore.  The flowy dresses, tailored jackets and high-waisted pants are looks of the past that are slowly coming back. For me, I had always loved the things of the past but watching "Mad Men" brought it all back to the surface.  I want to incorporate some of the old Fashioned Glamour into my own closet.
 
I asked for a sewing maching for Christmas...  We will have to see what happens :]

What's Up(stairs)?

I've spent the last months catching you up on projects that we have had done for a while.  Now its time to get with the program and let you experience our remodel as we do.

So "what have we been up to?" you might ask... I will tell you.  We are pretty much done with the main floor, minus a few tiny things but we are ready to venture upstairs and tackle the master bathroom - well it will be a master bathroom when were done :]

Here is the before of the master bedroom / bath.

As you enter the room to your right, there is a little built in shelving unit complete with scalloped trimmings (GAG!) I like the idea of a build in shelf here, it will be good for books, jewelry, pictures etc. but it will definitely be getting a facelift. MAJOR facelift.

Directly back from the door is the bedroom window.  (This picture sucks, sorry) I love the ceiling angles of the room!  It adds a lot of visual interest. :]

 To the Left to the left, is a built in that makes no sense because it butts into the future master bathroom, so that is going buhbye.

 Here is the weird nook/closet/toilet/sink/wannabe bathroom which we will make into a fully functioning master bath.

 The previous owner shoved a toilet and sink in the back area which DOES NOT work for us because Justin doesnt fit back there.  The built ins to the left are HUGE and would provide great clothing storage but are also going buhbye to make more room for a tub and/or shower.

With the plan set, it was time to demo and give ourselves a completely empty space to work with.

 Justin is AWESOME!  Thats all I have to say.  He ripped out the toilet and sink, ripped out the built-ins and  ripped out the hardwood floors.

 Here it is empty with everything completely torn out.  The next step is to get a plumber in here and my father-in-law and rework the space to best fit our needs.

YOWZA!

Here is our wishlist:

Toilet

Clawfoot Tub

Double Sink Vanity (depending on space available)

Drawers Built into the attic space

Closet Space

That's a pretty ambitious list considering the amount of space in the room.  I'm sure we will have to make some adjustments but ideally, we would like to have what's listed above. Our estimated start date is right after the new year and I am SUPER excited!  Once this room is complete, the rest of the upper floor will be a piece of cake!

WISH US LUCK!  We're definitely going to need it!

Fine Dining

Since I have been so LAME lately with my blog posting... (hey, i'm a busy chick)  I decided to do a double post day :)  There is a lot I need to catch you guys up on.... I have a list going with blog topics I need to cover...  Geesh! Not enough hours in a day.

The dining room has taken us some time to fine tune and complete. I have to say that now, its one of my favorite rooms!  Mixed with new and old pieces, it is a very intimate cute space to dine with guests, with my hubs or by myself (one seat has an exceptionally great view of the TV) :]. 

The first thing I love about our dining room is the arched doorway, it add a lot of interest to the space and gives it more of a "grand" feel while entering into it.  It is small, that would be its only downfall, but the corner window helps bring in a lot of light and makes the room seem more open. 

Before, the dining room seemed closed off and small (remember the doorway that led to the kitchen?), the paint was silly and poorly done and the lighting fixture was circa 1986 and lets face it - Any decor from the 80's is no bueno.... just sayin.

Unfortunately this is the only pic I have of the before. (I wasn't really in the blog picture taking mindset at this point).  Anyways, you see the light, beaten floors and bad paint job - well I guess you cant really tell...

As you saw in the earlier post, we ripped out the doorway to make a larger opening, painted, refinished the floors, refinished the window trimmings and purchased a new lighting fixture. We purchased a new dining set from Mor Furniture and we loves it! It doesn't match our hutch perfectly but it's definitely close enough!

The hutch is a very special piece! My maternal grandparents gave it to us. It was their first piece of furniture they purchased as a married couple in the 50's and they didnt have room for it anymore in their home. I was MORE than happy to take it and whenver people come to look at our place, the hutch ends up being their favorite piece. :]

This vintage cake carrier is from my grandparents on my dad's side.  I LOVE THIS!  I remember every year for my and my Papa's bday (we share one, October 21st)  Grandma would make angel food cake and keep it in this carrier. :]

 

BON APETIT!

L. O. V. E.

WOW.  I LOVE THIS. A LOT.  LIKE A LOT, A LOT.

These are a few of my favorite things,

Look at the colors,

and antique brass table,

fruit mixed with flowers,

and the pillows angle.

Antique blue grey sofa,

and pale painted walls,

this is my favorite room of them all!

Sorry to get all "Sound of Music" on you but LOOK AT THIS!  It is beautiful and a definite inspiration front runner for the Master Bedroom and Bath.

Ahhh... I could stare at this forever.

Picture Courtesy of House Beautiful