Porcelain Perfection

You can find this stunning photo shoot here.

December Wishlist

It's the month of family, hot drinks, warm hearts & most important: Parties!! I personally like the "fancy" ones. My work has a black tie Holiday party every year, which I am always excited for! Probably due to the fact that I never get to dress fancy schmancy!

What are you most excited for this Holiday season?

Image Sources {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

Advent

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving for 2 reasons. First, I love spending time with the people I love, while eating food. Second, it rings in my favorite time of the year. Whether you celebrate Christmas or another holiday, this time of year is so magical.

One of my favorite traditions that I grew up with is advent with an advent wreath. This is a tradition passed down from my German heritage. Advent is celebrated the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve. At the beginning of each week (we celebrate on Sundays) you light the candles consecutively by week. The first week, you light only the first candle, the second  week you light the first and the second, etc. The week of Christmas, all four candles are lit. Traditionally, each week after the candle(s) are lit, you pray and read scriptures. Instead, my family growing up just did a Christmas activity together. Like decorating the tree, making cookies or reading Christmas stories. I love how it really sets the tone and gets you in the spirit for the whole week.

Yesterday was my first advent with just my husband. We spent the day putting up the Christmas decorations, drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music. It was lovely.

What sort of traditions do you have in your home?

I'm loving these non-traditional advent wreaths {1, 2}

Happy Thanksgiving

This year Drew & I decided to spend Thanksgiving with some of our favorite people in New Mexico. We spent over 14 hours yesterday in the car driving down. But it was so worth seeing them! Tuesday night I got the opportunity to spend time with my best friend Rachel, who I haven't seen in almost a year. It is so hard for me to live away from her, but when I do see her, it makes it that much more special! On Monday, Drew's brother came home. We haven't seen him since June and missed him like crazy. Also we celebrated my sweet Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary! This has been such a special week!

Which brings me to the things I am grateful for this year. I am especially grateful for the relationships in my life. First my relationship with my Husband. He truly is my world! I'm also so grateful for my family. My parents are my rock. My siblings are my best friends. I look up to my Grandparents and their simplistic and positive nature. My in-laws and extended family add so much to my life! And my friends are very special to me!

Other things I am thankful for: A great place to live. A job. My dog Tallee. Me and my families health. 5 senses. Technology. Art and fashion. Higher education. Bubble baths. Soup. Carbs. Great music. Seasons. Coffee. Soap. Colors. Thrift stores.

What are you most grateful for this year? I hope you have an excellent Thanksgiving!

Holiday Gathering Inspiration: Cabin Fever

What do you think of "Cabin Fever" as your holiday gathering theme? I am really loving the idea! Turn your home into a cabin with lots of fleece blankets & fuzzy pillows. It would be perfect if you had a fireplace in your home. Decorate with these bottle brush trees & some antlers. Use natural materials like wood silverware, ceramic bowls & linen napkins in the place settings. Dress code is flannel shirts, cable knit sweaters & boots! For dinner, make tin foil dinners or chili. Then finish it with cobblers or scones & jam for dessert. Make sure to serve bottomless cups of hot cocoa! 

Image Sources: {1, 2, 3, 4}

A Gift Guide & a Rant

Find these cute pooch gifts here: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}

The other night, we had some good friends over and we got into a deep discussion about pets. Mostly dogs. I didn't really realize before how opionnated I am about the subject. I also hardly get the chance to spout my knowledge about dog breeds.

When I was 15 and 16 I worked at the local pet store. After working there for a few months, I got really good at selling puppies. The reason I found it so easy was because I knew the breeds I was selling & the families that would be perfect for them. The truth is, most people don't know what kind of dog would be good for them. They simply choose a breed based on what it looks like. Then give it away when they don't like it's personality.

There are hundreds of breeds. Each with their own unique set of personality traits. Some are extremely smart. Others don't shed. Some are big and need a yard to run in. Others are small and hardly need any exercise. There are breeds of dogs that like to play and others that like to be left alone. Some are good with children and others aren't. Know what you are getting yourself into before you choose a dog!

The other thing this discussion brought to my attention is how little people know about dogs! One of our friends talked about his perfect dog. I just laughed at him! Asking for the perfect dog is like asking for the perfect child. It doesn't exist!

Here is some basic truths about dogs:

1. If you want a "chill" dog, don't get a puppy. Adopt an adult dog. All puppies are hyperactive (some more than others) and don't  "chill out" until around 2 - 4 years old. Some breeds are playful for most of their lives and others are lazy. Chose a breed that fits your activity level.

2. There is no such thing as an easy to train dog. All dogs take time and energy to train. Some are stubborn and others just don't understand. Every breed is different when it comes to training. Research how others have been successful with your particular breed and try those techniques. It's important to remember, you create the dog. Just like raising children, you set the guidelines and the rules. They chose whether or not to follow them and whether the consequences are worth it.

3. All dogs shed! The phrase you are thinking of is not a shed-less dog but hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenic dogs have hair instead of fur, but they still shed. Some dogs shed like crazy and others hardly at all. The trick is in grooming. If you keep any dog clean & brushed, the shedding will lessen.

4. If you get a dog, it will make noise (I won't say bark, because some dogs don't "bark"). Don't expect a silent dog! Ever!

5. Breeding IS important. I don't mean the dog needs "papers", because truthfully that doesn't always mean much. If at all possible, meet the parents of the puppies you are looking at. Take notice to their temperament, size and physical features. Ask the breeders a lot of questions. This is a lot like what your puppy will turn out like. It's important you like the adult version of your puppy because that's what it will be like for most of it's life.

6. Dogs cost money. Dogs need check ups. They need shots. They need to be spayed/ neutered. They will get sick. They might have allergies. They need to eat. You'll buy them gadgets you didn't even know existed for pets before. They will chew your things up. They will ruin toys.They'll need to be looked after when you go on vacation. And you will have to vacuum your car, a lot!

Dogs are big commitments. They take lots of time, love & money. Do your research. Find the breed that is right for you and your family! It's so worth it!

Lemon-Lime Sugar Cookie Truffles

I really wanted to make a dessert for Thanksgiving. Since Thanksgiving is such a big meal and usually includes pumpkin pie, I thought something small and bite size would be perfect. I found the recipe for these delicious Lemon-Lime Sugar Truffles on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try.

Ingredients:

1 Batch Sugar Cookie Dough (store bought or home made)
1 Large Lemon
1 Large Lime
1 1/2 Packages of Cream Cheese
1 Package of White Chocolate Candy Coating
Colored sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Zest & Juice the lemon and the lime. And mix into the cookie dough.

Press the dough into a 9x9 pan. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until completely cooked.

Once it's cooled. Crumble the cookie into your mixer bowl. Add the cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls. Refrigerate for no less than an hour.

When mixture is chilled, melt the candy coating as packaging directs. Dip the balls into the candy coating and cover completely. Put the covered balls on wax paper to harden and cover with sprinkles.

Store in refrigerator.

Find the original recipe here.