happy holidays.

Happy holidays to everyone. I hope if you're going home, you've arrived safely (and without two flat tires, like we did). Tonight we're tasked with making the Christmas Eve meal, so I'm looking up recipes that should please some picky palates.

What's your favorite Christmas dish? Is it basically Thanksgiving deja vu or is it completely different? Does your family booze it up or do you stick to non-alcoholic beverages? Do you get to open a gift on Christmas Eve? (Me: Pretty much deja vu, and happy with it; maybe a glass or two of wine, although I'm considering a specialty cocktail for tonight; yes, but I already opened my gift at 1 a.m. this morning — a bike basket from Todd!)

wrap stars.

I've been quite the procrastinator this Christmas, waiting until this week to buy most of my gifts. And half of them aren't even wrapped yet. At this point I doubt I'll even put much effort into wrapping, but if I had a little more time, I'd be all about making them so pretty you wouldn't even want to unwrap them.

simple but pretty.

put a name on it.

I love this because it's reusable after unwrapping!

How could you even consider unwrapping these? They're little works of art.

white christmas.

I really want a white Christmas. I've only experienced a handful in my lifetime of Southern winters, and it's currently 75 degrees and sunny outside, but I still have this tiny unrealistic childish hope that we'll wake up to a blanket of snow on Christmas morning.

These photos are all from my Tumblr.

dogs at the beach.

On Sunday we took Muni and his cousin Sammy to Sullivan's Island to play in the water. Although technically dogs aren't allowed off-leash on local beaches (unless you're a crazy early bird), the beaches are fairly empty in the winter so you won't be hassled.

Sammy enjoyed chasing his ball into the tidepool, while Muni preferred to wait in the shallows or run along the surf. Seriously, there's nothing more joyful than a dog allowed to run free on the beach.

santa's goodies.

1, 2, 3, 4.

1, 2, 3, 4.

I've yet to be bitten by the baby bug (knock on wood), and I think it's because I have so many nieces and nephews to give me my fix. Shopping for presents for them is so much more fun than for anyone else, and Etsy is just full of cute little gift ideas.

What was your favorite Christmas gift when you were little? Mine was probably a microscope (nerd alert!) and the big dollhouse my parents made me.

Speaking of kids, how cute are these ones? That's me and my sister in 1990ish. The funny thing is, I recently thrifted a little brass rocking horse identical to the one on that shelf and it's sitting on my TV table right now.

technology loop.

I've finally gotten around to watching Portlandia, and this funny skit really hit home for me — I'm definitely technologically overloaded. I'm on my computer all day at work, emailing, writing, blogging, and tweeting, and then I come home and feel pressure to update my Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, blog, Etsy, Google+, and two Twitter accounts, not to mention keeping up with my favorite TV shows. Man, oh man. Something's gotta give. I'm just not sure what I can give up yet.

How do you deal with technology overload? 

Here's another Portlandia skit that makes me laugh: the crazy bike guy.

boat times.

Last weekend we went out on a friend's sailboat for the Parade of Boats. The parade includes dozens of boats, from yachts to kayaks, all decked out in lights and decorations. On the shore, people line up on both sides of the harbor to watch the event. We drank champagne, roasted hotdogs, and wondered why we don't do this every weekend.

to me.

via.

Today I turn 27 years old. This sounds a little old to me (late twenties!), but I refuse to be one of those people who freak out about aging. 

Twenty-six was a good year. We spent time in Boston, Newport, Memphis, and Atlanta visiting friends and family. We bought a house and made it our own (though it's still a work-in-progress). I got some of my first freelance writing gigs. I re-started my Etsy shop (and promptly forgot about it). I enjoyed countless happy hours, dinners, and events, from underground art shows to black tie balls. It's been fun.

My number one wish for 27? Some serious travel adventures. And maybe a new car.

charleston christmas magic.

Charleston is simply magical around the holidays, with twinkling lights everywhere, beaucoup festive events (we're going out on a friend's sailboat for the Parade of Boats tonight!), and Christmas trees everywhere you turn (plus the occasional palm tree decked out in lights). We may not have snow, but this is a great place to be in December.

We've already trimmed our tree, and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, but I want to make my house even more festive. Here's some inspiration I've been pinning to my Christmas board.

wish list.

With my birthday and Christmas on the horizon, I've been selfishly obsessed with adding to my Wish List on Pinterest. Being in a strictly enforced no shopping drought doesn't help matters. Some of my biggest current wants:

pretty graphic pillows and blankets, especially chevron and ikat.

 cookbooks! oh so many cookbooks.

a record player.

a sparkly dress for holiday parties.

I don't know why, but I'm really feeling the dead papier mache animals.

and if I was really good, I'd ask for a sweet new ride with colored rims.

What's on your wish list?

thanksgiving.

I'll probably kick myself for saying this years down the road, but I can't wait to host my own Thanksgiving dinner. I love the six-hour trek home to Virginia — either to Todd's house or mine — but I look forward to having everyone come to me. I like to think I'll go all out, Martha Stewart-style, with fancy place settings and floral arrangements. Or maybe I'll just carry on the family tradition of keeping it simple with endless turkey, taters, green bean casserole, giblet gravy, and pies. Who's hungry? 

 

via. 

barn wedding.

Today I pitched a few stories to a Virginia wedding magazine, and they accepted all of them! I have three to work on in the next few months, and I think I'll start with one about barn weddings. I just love the contrast of a glamorous, sparkling reception inside a weathered, rustic barn in the middle of nowhere. If I ever have reason to host a big ol' party again, I'm gonna do it in a barn.

Images via Pinterest.

What do you say? Would you get married in a barn or would you rather leave them to the horses?

alleys and entryways.

Yesterday I had an interview with an artist downtown, and I was actually happy when he was late — it gave me a chance to take a little stroll around the French Quarter. Fall in Charleston is fickle — some days are 80 degrees, some days are freezing. But yesterday was just right with light breezes and crunchy, colorful leaves on the sidewalk.