The Most Epic Road Trip

 

One of my favorite things about Matt is that he loves to cook as much as I do. He also loves watching food shows with me. We're all about Chopped, Iron Chef America, No Reservations, Worst Cooks in America, and DD+D. If we're scanning, and one of those is on, it's game over. (A way better compromise to my HGTV or his fishing shows). 

I found this website that tells you every restaurant featured on said cooking shows, categorized by state, show, and even city. 

And now my dream is to plan a crazy road trip and eat at some amazing dives on the way. 

Or wouldn't it just be fun to explore the restaurants in the state you live in? 

...JUSTKIDDING they already have a road trip planner. Dream. Come. True.

Graduate

#1 reason I love having a smartphone: When I'm in Coalville at a school with literal stuffed animals hanging in the library, and wonder what the difference between a buffalo and a bison is, I can just Google the crap out of it. Question answered. Who needs grad school? I have Google and a lot of questions.

Coworker: "Think about how big that guy's head is. Like, imagine if he were standing right next to you. It doesn't look that big from far away. But up close...whoah."

And those are basically my metaphorical feelings about grad school.

Just kidding. But for reals, I'm still flirting with the idea of grad school. Remember when I confessed that I truly, madly, deeply love school? Going back is still on my mind. My question is, how do people work full time and get a masters? That sounds like my own personal nightmare. But I really really really want it. hashtagmasochist.

Do you have a graduate degree? Does anyone have advice about going back to school while your spouse is also in school? 

My Proverbial Love Fern

So Matt got me an azalea tree (bush?) for Valentine's Day. I swear it's one of the most beautiful plants I have ever seen. The best part is that it lasts so much longer than a bouquet of flowers would. The worst part...is that it lasts so much longer than a bouquet of flowers would. He says I have to

keep it alive until next February. 

Suddenly I feel like Kim Kardashian when Kanye gave her that cat. Who cleared me for this?!

The only experience I've had with keeping plants alive was watching my mother unceremoniously throw away the pair of impatients that died annually on our front porch. Like clockwork, a new pair would greet me the next day like nothing ever happened. 

Oh, and one time we grew some pumpkins in the backyard. My dad also grew tomatoes. Sometimes we picked limes off of the tree that was there when we moved in. Mostly I just reaped the rewards but did none of the work.

Needless to say, I need some help keeping this tree alive. 

I've googled some stuff. I water it ever day. I even open the blinds to give it that much-needed indirect sunglight. But after that, I'm kind of clueless.

Help!

If it dies before next February, I may feel like Matthew McConaughey's Ben in HTLAGITD.

"YOU KILLED OUR LOVE FERN!!!"

I wouldn't put Matt past it. 

My Funny Valentine

Last week we went on our Valentine's date. Matt always likes to make a big deal out of this day, so I was excited to see what he had planned! The last two years we did Valentine's day together, he picked amazing restaurants. This year we went to Fresco Italian Cafe, a house-turned-boutique-restaurant in Sugarhouse that was as hard to find (and as charming) as Narnia. The food there was so good Matt almost cried when he took the first bite of his steak. Everything there had at least six descriptively-hyphenated words attached to it. In this case, the more words, the better! This may be the second best meal I've ever had (only trumped by our first Valentine's Day meal at Tuscany).

It was fun to have an excuse to dress up and spend some time together outside of our apartment. Every time we go up to Salt Lake, we end up having a great time. Why don't we go up there more often? Dinner was followed by an evening at Abravanel Hall. The Utah Symphony performed music from Romeo and Juliet and Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky. I had never been to a legit symphony before, so I was pretty impressed! I used to set up the stage background before performances at BYU, so I was double impressed. Those panels looked heavy!

Matt made sure to remind me that his main reason for going the symphony was for school credit. I guess that was a hint that I shouldn't get used to this? I think he changed his mind once he heard that live music, because he walked out at the end talking about coming back. I think we have a believer on our hands. Lucky me :)

And...a really bad iPhone photo.

Happy Valentine's Day!

a story of love

This is my first Valentine's Day as a married lady. I'm gonna be honest, most of my Valentine's Days have been spent "alone", pining for the day when I would have someone special to share it with. You know, that's just how it went.

My V-Days didn't get good until Matt came along. Lesbehonest, I was just happy to have someone awesome to spend time with. But he went all out to make me feel special.

These past two years, Matt was on his mission in the Philippines. The first Valentine's Day was spent hoping this guy I was going on dates with would call me (he didn't) and the next one was spent pranking people around Provo with my roommate and a mannequin head on a broom stick painted like David Bowie. Let's just say it was a weird two years.

I don't know what this year will bring, but I'm happy to have an excuse to reflect on why I love my husband and other special people in my life. Here are some links I found to help you guys get in the holiday spirit:

A tribute to 19 years of being single on Feb 14th: 10 great things about being single on valentine's day

diy chocolate heart wall (I would love to walk home to this any. day.)

"I love everything about you" color-yourself printable

a printable chalkboard valentine

Plus, in case you missed it, a post about what no one tells you about being engaged.

And...some quotes on love:




"Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don't see it yourself." - unknown

“All I understood was that she was the girl I sat up every night thinking about, and when I’m with her, I feel happy to be alive. Like I can do anything. Even talk to you like this. So that’s, that’s what I think is love, mom. When I’m better because she’s here.” - Cory Matthews, Boy Meets World

"I wish never to be parted from you from this day on." - Mr. Darcy

"Never allow your happiness to depend on a relationship. I think it's a very special thing to find love. It's beautiful. Nothing can match it. But make sure you find other things in live that you love besides...your love." - unknown

"A reporter asked the couple, 'How did you stay together for 65 years?' The woman replied, 'We were born in a time when if something was broken, we would fix it, not throw it away.'"

"And them my soul saw you and went, 'Oh there you are. I've been looking for you.'"

"Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused." - Alan Cohen

"'I was waiting for the longest time,' she said. 'I thought you forgot.' 'It is hard to forget,' I said, 'when there is such an empty space when you are gone.'"

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

These are the first two pictures ever taken of us together, at Jacob Lake, before we even started dating. Notice he said something to make me really mad in the first picture, and then I couldn't stay mad. That's basically how it goes, and he loves it. I think this day we had decided to both wear read and be fake prom dates on our day off together. 

I can't tell you my first impression of Matthew, because I don't really remember the first time I ever met him. We were working summer jobs at an inn on the Grand Canyon, and honestly, I was too busy doing my thing to notice him. What I can tell you is, once he had my attention, he kept it. And the rest is history.

In May, we will have know each other for five years. May is also our first wedding anniversary. Best five years of my life. Matt turns 22 today! In honor of his birthday, here's a list of 10 things that make him awesome:

- The neoprene fishing pants he wears as pajamas

- He wrote me letters once a week, every week, his entire mission. He also wore the ring I bought him in Italy every day of his mission, then turned it into his wedding ring when we got married.

- He sold his xbox (or something) to buy me a present once

- Whenever he doesn't want to do something around the house, he says, "Babe, that's my worst job" and gives me the saddest face. And then I do it for him. I can't argue with that face.

- He loves to plan adventures and take me with him

- He is great at bringing people together

- One time he hired his siblings to cook dinner and serve us in his candlelit living room all fancy-like

- He is passionate about a lot of things (fishing, music, his career, his family, cooking)

- He works really hard, then plays hard

- I am excited to live this life with him

In Mexico on our honeymoon, May 2012

In the Philippines on his mission, 2011

Fishing, 2012

He specifically said he doesn't want a big to-do for his birthday, but I'm pretty excited about the gift I got him. Come back tomorrow and I'll let you know what it is!

Do what you want. Be who you are.

I'm a firm believer in doing what I want. I'm pretty sure I've always been this way. If you don't believe me, just ask my parents what I was like as a kid. Maybe some people call it stubborn? I've just always known what I wanted and how to ask for it. 

I remember when Matt was still on his mission, this girl came over to see to my roommate and I sat down to be polite and socialize with them for a bit. She asked about my missionary, then proceeded to tell me that it would never work out and that no one ever ends up marrying their missionaries and that I should just give up now. Ten minutes after meeting me. That conversation made me so mad and baffled that all I could do was politely excuse myself and go silently rage in my room. 

After an experience like that, you might expect a normal person to rethink their decision and maybe doubt their resolve. Somehow, criticism and doubt aimed at my choices only ends up making me want to follow through with 10x more enthusiasm. If someone tells me I can't do something, I just end up doing it anyway to show them it can be done. 

Maybe someone should tell me I can't lose 50 pounds and be a millionaire. Maybe it would work.

What I'm trying to say is, if you tell me not to do something, watch out, because it will give me the fiery passion of a thousand dragons' flames. And I will prove you wrong.

If you're prone to being a people pleaser (to your own detriment), I challenge you to start politely, yet unapologetically doing what you want. It's amazingly liberating.

BTW, I'm trying to take this theory even further with a new mantra, "Be who you are." I'm trying to stop feeling guilty for being an introvert/homebody/indoor cat. Because the world needs people who are true to themselves. 

Where The Sun Glows

Oh man. I'm so glad I married an adventurer. My personal ideal day usually consists of staying home and relaxing, but Matt loves to get away. I'm really starting to love it, too. The wear and tear of daily life can sometimes feel almost too overwhelming to bear. Getaways like this create events to look forward to and memories to last.

Today we slept in on our fancy air mattresses, ate sausage mcmuffins the size of my face, took naps, walked to a charming outdoor restaurant with the best French waiter and vinaigrette I've ever seen, and danced with baby in the living room.

The house isn't finished yet, so we are improvising...which means cooking with a grill and microwave, and using the front stoop as our fridge.





And I had two (yeah, two) of the best baths ever in a triangle whirlpool bathtub.

We even started planning our summer vacation. What initially began as a cruise to the Bahamas has turned into a week in Costa Rica with the brother's family, then Miami, then the cruise.

When the sun started to set and all were napping, I sat outside on the deck to worship the forgotten sun and bottle it up. I wish I could take the sun home to Provo with me. It makes all the difference.

Hopefully this will get me through the last weeks of winter. What do you do to recharge?

My 2012 in Review

What's that? You want a re-cap of everything that happened to me this year? Okay!!

Check out highlights of this year after the jump...

Waking Up In Vegas

We are back from California! It was so good to be home and spend time with my family. The girls got manicures and (much-needed) haircuts, my dad took the men on a "man day" (who even knows what they did) and we watched lots of movies and ate lots of food with lots of people. And we had FOUR Christmases! 

On our way back, we picked up some friends and spent the night in Vegas! The last time I was in Vegas, I was eight and my grandma took us to Excalibur. I don't remember anything about that trip, so all my ideas about Vegas have come from movies like 21 and  Ocean's 11, 12 and 13.

This time, in real life, we spent some Christmas money on a nice meal and walked through the Venetian and saw the water show outside of the Bellagio. 

The whole time we were walking around town, I just kept thinking about how many casino heists and card-counting scams were most likely secretly happening all around us. All the moguls making huge business deals in elite penthouse suites, and me wearing my husband's huge sweatshirt to keep from freezing. Something about Vegas makes me nervous, because I am not a Vegas person. I don't enjoy anything that people who go to Vegas like to do. I felt pretty out of my element based on all the things I've seen in movies about Vegas (luxury, danger, sex, and partying, all done by George Clooneys and Julia Roberts' with lots of swagger). 

Have you actually walked around the strip and looked at the people walking around?  They aren't sexy. They don't look like moguls. In fact, they look just like ordinary people! The only people who looked sexy were the girls on the corner dressed up like flamingos who got paid $10 a pop to take pictures with people and promote their hotel. Even they looked like they were freezing and not having a good time. I'd rather be warm in a big sweatshirt than freezing in a flamingo costume. 

And that, my friends, is why I should trust real life instead of all those movies I watch. 

PS: My favorite things about Christmas was that it was our first year together as newlyweds. The last two Christmases were spent pining instead of fully celebrating. On Christmas Eve, after everyone went to bed, we stayed up playing Wii and Pinning (respectively) and watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional together. It was a great way to start Christmas and reminded me why we celebrate this holiday longer than any other holiday. What better reason than Christ? 

A Christmas Card

Can I just count our wedding announcement as this year's Christmas card? Who am I even asking? Who is in charge of all these questions? The answer for me is, my delusional self. Yes, Kellie. This totally counts. You can post a Christmas card on your blog and it will totally be the same as sending out a nice paper one to all your friends and family. 

Technically we haven't even been married a whole year. So this Christmas, we're taking our mulligan. Expect a Christmas card for the next 50 straight years. Or until the apocalypse comes.

(Please pretend you received this card after December 21, 2012).

Friday Favorites

It's Friday! I have been at the museum all week (usually we're in schools teaching, but my co-worker is in EUROPE for a month, so schools are out). It's nice to have a teaching break! For more on what I do at work, go here. This week we got to see lots of loved ones before we go off to California for Christmas. We made gingerbread houses, had FHE together, and even visited a little one in the hospital :( Luckily, she's doing better and will hopefully come home tomorrow. 

I'm super excited because my BFFL is coming down to have a ladies night with me tonight! Who even knows what we're going to do. Last time she came down, we ate dinner at home while Matt played video games and sat in my bed on our computers for an hour, then went to bed. And it was awesome, because we have the kind of relationship where we have an awesome time, every time, no matter what we do. This time we might go out and do something festive. I'll keep you updated.

Time for Friday Favorites! 

I'm re-writing a lesson I did while student teaching on barriers. I found this video about El Bocho + CNN's Berlin Wall Tape Art Project  for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The things people come up with continue to amaze me. Watch it...it's pretty cool. 

Do you guys know about Flash Mobs? A group of people get together and rehearse a dance, then meet up in a very public place to perform it as a surprise for strangers. I'm going to admit that this one made me cry (but then again, everything makes me cry). I just love the idea of strangers getting together to make other people smile! The world needs more things like this. 

This list of unexplainable GIFS had me crying laughter.

ps. The first time I tried having a civilized, decent public forum on Facebook about a hot button issue, it blew up in my face. Good to know! Turns out I can't take the heat.

I Need Your Advice

Remember how I told you guys about our summer travel plans? We were originally going to save up to rent an RV to road trip up the coast of California to see the Redwoods. Then Matt found out that it's even more expensive than going on a cruise, which seems about 100xawesomer than a road trip in my home state. So we are now planning a cruise for summer 2013 with our friends, the Johnsons. 

Have you ever been on a cruise before? My family has been on a few cruises, and we loved them all. 

Even if you haven't been on a cruise, I am looking for some travel advice. 

Where has your favorite vacation been, and what made it so great? 

The Best Thing Matt Has Ever Said To Me

So Matt and I spend a lot of time at home relaxing. Work is crazy, and home is this blissful sanctuary where we watch tv and google crap until the cows come home. We go on real dates on the weekends and go to the gym or the store, but we do spend a lot of after-work time at home. Last night I did yoga and Matt got pumped on his doorway pull-up contraption. And then we ate dinner on the couch. Something on tv must have referenced a chicken (I wasn't paying attention), because all of a sudden, Matt blurts out,

"Babe, did you know that I know how to hypnotize chickens?"

I mean, you can't just spring something like that on someone who's knee-deep in Pinterest. It's just too random! It was so out of the blue that I couldn't stop laughing for like 3 whole minutes.

Just the image of him trying to calm a chicken down makes me crack up.

I didn't even know chicken hypnosis was a thing! Apparently you do that before you kill it. Which makes me sad.

But there you go! Now you and I know about one more crazy strange thing that exists in the world.

So this is officially the best thing Matt has ever said to me, besides all that romantic stuff he said while we were engaged haha.

Happy hump day, y'all.

Why I want to be BFF with Abraham Lincoln

Have you guys seen the movie Lincoln yet? We saw it in Arizona over Thanksgiving break. First of all, we went on a Tuesday afternoon, so I'm pretty sure Matt, our BIL + I were the only three people there under the age of 60. We walked in and were surrounded by seniors! When I pointed it out to Matt, he just said, "Babe, look at the only other movie playing at this theater. Twilight. That just goes to show how dumb our generation is." What has become of our generation when most people would rather see a poorly-written movie about glittery vampires than an amazingly produced movie about our best president ever? I mean, he got rid of slavery, for crying out loud. There is my rant. Go see Lincoln. 

BTW, the uptight mom from Mrs. Doubtfire played Mary Todd Lincoln. She brought me to tears during their fight scene. But then again, I think I also cried during Twilight, so...

Friday Favorites

It's Friday! Why is Monday so close to Friday, when Friday is so far from Monday?

Our best friends got married to each other this weekend! Other than that, we have spent the entire week detoxing from Thanksgiving. We have been hitting the gym way more than usual (easy, when the usual is never lately), cooking healthy meals, and overdosing on all things Christmas. This weekend we're going to see the lights at Temple Square (I'm a sucker for twinkle lights) and doing a temple session. Lesbehonest, a good portion of this weekend will also be spent on my rear.

Here are some of my favorite things this week:

Tradition .... TRADITION!

I think I mentioned earlier that I am trying to find some new family traditions that Matt and I can share together. I love my family's traditions, and I love being a part of Matt's family traditions, but I think it'll be fun to have our own. Being newly married puts a big old magnifying glass on everything I thought was normal. Turns out, some things are normal for me, but not for Matt. The things I did growing up are not the same for Matt. Talking to people about their holiday family traditions has either proven that 1) my family is weird or 2) my family is awesome. I am wholeheartedly choosing #2. 

Here are some awesome Rowland family traditions that I am excited for this Christmas:

1) Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This is the only movie that I have seen more than 7 times. (Other movies that come close are Titanic, My Little Pony, and Sex + the City).  My father loves it. He quotes it all year long. It's a given that this will be on in the background at some point during Christmas vacation..........Do you see what I did there?

2) Chinese food on Christmas Eve. I think this tradition might have started because my mom was getting too stressed out about cooking a perfect meal on Christmas Eve, so my dad took away the stress by ordering Chinese food one year. I love that he gave her the perfect reason to relax and enjoy the family instead of slaving in the kitchen. We have done this for a few years now, and I look forward to it. It's a nice treat for us and for my mom...(BTW, she cooks amazing meals all the time and we love them). 

3) Mom's Annual Bathroom Reader Giveaway. That's right. I don't know how this started, but my mother buys literally every single person in our family a new version of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader every year. I always pretend to be grossed out, but those books are actually really interesting. I just keep them outside of my bathroom...

4) New Year's Empanadas. Growing up LDS outside of Utah means no LDS friends (except for my trusty sidekick, Jeannette). I obviously wasn't allowed (or invited, let's get real, I was a total nerd) to go to parties, so New Year's Eve was always a family night. We started cooking Empanadas every 31st while we watched the countdown. Now that I'm away from home, my new tradition is to spend New Year's with the very same sidekick Jeannette, no matter where we live. 

My favorite New Year's was the year before Matt left on his mission. We went to a party in SLC, but it was lame, so we went and watched Benjamin Button. That movie was so long that we had to run to get back to the party to see the fireworks go off at midnight. We were running through the deserted streets of Salt Lake and missed the fireworks because the buildings were so tall, but they reflected off of the buildings across the street. We stopped running and just stared...and then I got an asthma attack.

5) Three Christmases. My extended family is very small. And we all live within an hour radius of each other. We see each other all the time. Thanksgiving is always at my house, and Christmas is always split up between my mom and dad's sides. Christmas Eve: immediate family. Christmas afternoon: Mom's side. Christmas night: Dad's side. I had never even heard of a family reunion until I moved to Utah. We never needed them. 

6) The wrapping party in the laundry room. My mom usually stays up wrapping Christmas gifts late into the night. My sister and I loved helping her wrap presents growing up. I love giving gifts, and I love giving pretty gifts even more. I would try to make every gift look different somehow. We have a whole closet in the laundry room dedicated to wrapping supplies. Boxes of gift tags. Bows upon bows. 10 different kinds of wrapping paper. Bag and bags and bags galore. Wrapping the gifts for me was almost better than Christmas itself! I loved staying up late with them and talking or listening to Christmas music. When we had dogs they would come in and walk all over the presents, but we loved them so much we didn't care anyway. Good times.

7) Stake Christmas Choir. I don't do this anymore because I can't be at rehearsals beforehand, but in HS, I was always in the Stake Christmas Choir every year. We always sang at a special Christmas fireside a few Sundays before Christmas. I love singing, and I love Christmas music. It was so fun to be a part of a singing group that sounded pretty dece. Nothing brings the spirit of Christmas to my heart faster than singing Christmas music.

8) James Taylor Acoustic Christmas. Once my dad figured out how iTunes worked, I'm pretty sure James Taylor Christmas was the first album he bought. And then he played it loud enough for the whole house to hear. I would be in the bathroom and hear that guitar start up and I knew exactly what was going down. "James Taylor is such a good musician, but man, is he messed up." Who cares...his voice is like butta.

9) Late-night Mexican food runs. Somehow my brother found the most ghetto authentic Mexican food in Fullerton and craves it annually, at 2am. It's the kind of place where all the cooks expect you to order in Spanish. Since we both inherited the night-owl gene, we'd be the only two up and he'd ask me to go on a Tacqueria de Anda run with him. Of course I thought it was super cool when I was in high school to hang out with my cool adult brother, so I usually went along. One time he tricked me into eating a brain taco. I think that was the end of the late-night runs for me for a few years. I hope we go again this year.

NEW HARDIN FAMILY TRADITIONS: 

- Buying a new ornament every year when we go on vacation. 

- Decorating the tree together for FHE
- Small gift at Christmas. Use the saved money to go on a nice summer vacation.

- It's not Christmas yet, so I still have time to think of some more + execute them.

What's your favorite Christmas tradition? 

Eternal Things

I have been thinking a lot about eternal things lately. I am trying to study the Gospel more (read scriptures, ponder + attend the temple) and understand my eternal purpose. By trying to spend my energy caring about eternal things like family, personal progress, God and my marriage, I feel like all the little insignificant things have started to fall away. Life is hard, tedious and frustrating at times. But it is also full of joy, wonder and amazing moments. I am trying to focus on the latter. 

Speaking of Christmas (wait, what?), I am trying to make this my most spiritual Christmas yet. I do love posting holiday gift guides, but I am also planning some fun December activities for my family to build up some awesome Christmas memories. In 10 years, we will all remember how we felt instead of what we got, anyway.

Here is a great website to get you into the true spirit of Christmas! You can read the Christmas story, quotes from some very inspired men, and listen to some srsly great Christmas music.

Happy Sunday! 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! We are down in Arizona with Matt's family, riling up children like nobody's business and eating way too much food. This is my first holiday as an official spouse, and I'm having a great time! It helps to know your husband's family four years before you're married. No nerves, just fun. There are almost 30 people under one roof, which I love! And we went hiking after Thanksgiving lunch (a first, but it definitely makes room for Thanksgiving dinner). 

We were planning on driving up today to be in our best friends' wedding, but we have had some car trouble. Getting a car repaired on Black Friday looks like it's going to be a daunting task, so we will be staying here for a couple more days instead of driving back up. We are sad to miss our friends' wedding! But at least we get a few more days of family time. 

You guys know I have been all up in Christmas's business since Halloween ended. I still have a few more gift guides scheduled, but today is devoted to things I love. I'm channeling my favey faves, Oprah, and her favorite things. Right now I'm loving on bold pops of red, cuddling weather, and simple decorations. Here you go! 

The art of lighting a Christmas tree.

Have you heard of the sound wave bracelet? You record yourself saying something, send it to the company, and they make a bracelet, representing the sound wave of it.

This website lets you upload any picture and turn it into a coloring page. I wish I could still get away with doing this in church.

I don't know why, but I don't crave baked goods like most people I know. This sounds like the perfect holiday treat to me!

It's almost time to start the official countdown to Christmas! This website has 34 ways to make an advent calendar.

Friday Favorites

Happy weekend! Not gonna lie, this was the longest week ever. But, at least we are all kinds of ready for Christmas around here! On Monday (for FHE) M + I may have sat around in our unmentionables and watched The Voice...but then we decorated our Christmas tree! We're all about keeping it real. I'm so excited for Christmas that today's post will be mostly dedicated to my favorite holiday. Here you go! 

The island where people forget to die. What?!

12 healing foods to cure headaches and other ailments.

Christmas is coming! I'm more excited this year than any other year! Here's a list of things to do in November to get ready for crazy December Christmas-month.

Have you heard of renter's wallpaper? I kind of hate those sterile white walls that come with rented apartments. I might have to get some of this myself...

Wondering what to get me for Christmas? I knew you were! Let's start with these vintage Santa matryoshka nesting dolls. Oh boy!

Look! A free, cute, printable DIY Christmas calendar.

One of my Bucket List items: Sleep under the Northern Lights in an ice igloo in Finland. Yes, please!

Need a neighbor gift for Christmas? This is super easy and better than cookies.