It's November, the time of the year when we seem to enter warp speed. Just when I am most wishing that time would slow down so that we could linger in the good weather and in holiday magic. A few things helping me to slow down time right now are: Christmas planning in my Holidays Master Plan Google Doc and Christmas Gifts Google Sheet; listening to The Lazy Genius podcast How to Make the Rest of 2023 Easier, and queuing up both the Calm Christmas audiobook (for a re-listen; and to note I listen via Hoopla where it's free and... Read more →

I started this while sipping a not-too-sweet nog latte and finishing blackberry jam toast at Mythical Coffee where they were playing just right jazzy Christmas music. I spent time updating my Christmas spreadsheet and my Christmas notes for next year (what worked well, what not to forget, what we enjoyed, etc.), very enjoyable admin tasks. Reflecting on A Calm Christmas Recently, I finished re-listening to the audiobook A Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton which I first read last year. I love the gentle guidance in this book for connecting to what matters to you during... Read more →

The stockings are hung on their Command hooks with care and, because of our curious toddler, our Christmas tree is decorated with all the ornaments hanging in the top half of the tree. This year Maeve is fully participating in the wonder of Christmas and it's bringing us all joy. She shrieks in excitement when we tell her we're going to look at lights. She points at Christmas books to show us "Pata!" (Santa) and "teee!" and "mights!" At every opportunity she wants to see decorations in our neighborhood over which she oooos and ahhhhs. I'm savoring that we still... Read more →

Fall weather is very reluctant to visit us in south central Arizona. So we have to bring the fall spirit ourselves. A list of fall activities reminds me of the fun seasonal things we can still do despite the over-eager sun. The boys are old enough that they're excited to think about fall activities too which makes a family bucket list much more fun. We brainstormed ideas together with the boys one night after Maeve's bedtime. Some of the boys’ ideas are not quite fall themed (like "play with friends") but I love hearing what they come up with. Cedric... Read more →

I've long admired activity-based advent calendars seen at friend's houses or online. This is the first year we've had one for our family and I'm smitten with it! I had been eying reusable fabric advent calendars on Etsy but hadn’t found one that I absolutely loved. I wanted something easy to store and in a simple, modern-ish style. Then, I came across the perfect one when I wasn't even thinking of them while browsing the beautiful Food52 shop (so sorry, they seem to be out of stock - check back next season!). I often second guess myself and hesitate before... Read more →

In addition to the best pimiento cheese, there's one other family recipe that I crave around the holidays: my Aunt Peta's spicy-sweet pecans. But first we need to clear up a couple of things. For one, my Aunt Peta wants to make sure I tell you that this is not actually her recipe. She remembers having these pecans at a school or church function and then asking for the recipe. But for all of my life I've associated these spicy-sweet pecans with my Aunt Peta and so I think of this recipe as hers. Plus I always love a recipe... Read more →

Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday because it's a day all about loved ones and food. It's also a really fun holiday to plan and planning is one of my favorite things. There's browsing recipes, thinking about table decor, deciding who will make what, and planning fun things for the kids to do. We're hosting Thanksgiving this year so I have lots to plan! I love keeping a Thanksgiving Pinterest board for collecting recipes and ideas. Who's gathering There will be our family of four, Chris's parents, and Chris's sister's family. All together that's five adults and five kids (ages... Read more →

Have you heard the saying "dress for the job you want"? Well, I took that to heart for my Halloween costume this year and for a party on Saturday night I dressed up as... Read more →

This might seem strange, but I'm already thinking of Christmas...next year. But then you remember it's ME, and planning for the distant future is my jam. And actually this idea came from Erica, my seasonal decor mentor. On a holiday podcast episode a couple years ago she mentioned making notes about what worked well and didn't during the holidays. Then she tucks that note into the holiday decor to find it next year. Isn't that such a genius future high five? Obviously I loved this. So I wanted to collect my thoughts and notes and what worked well, and didn't, this past Christmas. Read more →

Every year I enjoy creating our family Christmas card and sending them all across the country, from San Francisco to Brooklyn, and even to Canada! I designed our cards myself again this year and I'm so happy with how they turned out. Here are our cards in previous years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 (so many!). Originally I thought I would do a collection of photos from the year like I did in our card last year. But then I remembered the awesome family picture we took together during Chris's birthday trip to Prescott. Plus the fact that our... Read more →