Weekend Highlights

Woohoo--last week of work before the holidays and 2 full, glorious weeks off! 

But before we get there, let's recap the weekend shall we?

My weekend highlights included:

-Friday night holiday party with some friends from work (MG is not pictured because he and the other guys were off talking about house stuff and whatever else boys talk about lol--so glad he gets along with my friends' husbands and boyfriends so easily tho!)

-A hubby-made breakfast, both mornings (he's the best)

-MG's work party Saturday afternoon where I got to meet a lot of the people who are in his new office (now I have faces to put with the names that I hear)--didn't take any pictures because I'm a bad blogger

-Wore my cute Toms booties and got several compliments ;)

-The family who rented our house from us before we moved in came by for a bit and we got to see their super cute girls who loved up on Cooper. They got to see all the stuff we've done to the house since the last time they came over and they were impressed :)

-Tried to have dinner at the newly opened YardHouse but the wait was insane #maybenexttime

-Sleeping in both mornings of the weekend

-Cooper had a boo-boo on his paw so he got a festive red wrap so he'd stop licking at it

#holidaypup ? lol

yes his leg is actually that skinny under all that fur lol

-Our realtor that we worked with for our house dropped off a pretty wreath for us

-Ran errands, picked up some last minute Christmas gifts for family (and splurged on these yummies):

-MG put part of his birthday gift to use making his much-desired Moscow Mule (it was delicious!)

-Watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

-Finished the book Wedding Night (review to come), and started reading The Andy Cohen Diaries immediately after.

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-Watched the final episode of Newsroom. Bummed it's over.

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-Slipped into bed with the softest sheets ever

I hope your weekends were filled with holiday fun!

Linking up with these ladies today:

and Biana!!

(and Monday Morning Gossip, but something is up with their linky button)

I wanted to take a moment and pay my respect to the children and teachers who lost their lives two years ago yesterday at Sandy Hook. 

Please appreciate each and every day that you have, and make the most of your every-days. And don't forget these sweet faces. My thoughts and prayers go out to each of these innocent kiddos, the teachers who lost their lives protecting these little souls, and the families of all.

Focus on what's important this holiday season--family, love and friendship!

5 Favorites on Friday

I seriously can not believe how quickly this month is flying by! This time next week, I'll be wrapping things up at work and leaving for a 2 week break! Insane!!
Linking up with these ladies today!

 

{1} Inspiration

(it doesn't actually say MG)

I have a coworker right down the corridor from my office who is an older gentleman--very kind, smart and personable. He takes the time out of his day to say hello to me, and we share stories about the kids that we share, etc. He stopped by my office on Tuesday and said he read an inspiring story that morning, wanted to share it with someone, and thought of me. It's amazing what a little time and thoughtfulness can do to change your mood on a crummy, rainy day!

{2} New Ornament

MG and I are starting the tradition that I read about during the Blotgober link up, of getting a new ornament each year that symbolizes a big event from that year. Obviously we got married this year which was a HUGE event, but we already had a ton of ornaments from my bridal shower in January to commemorate that, so this year's ornament is to celebrate our first home together which is also a monumental occasion!

{3} Loft/ #ihaveaproblem

{all photos found here} See that free shipping sign?? It's like Big Foot--
You might see it once in a lifetime, but probably not twice!

The other day Amanda and I were emailing back and forth about various things, one of which was Loft, and we were complaining about how they never EVER have free shipping. And then that same day the free shipping fairies must have heard us because an email went out from Loft saying the next day would be free shipping.
Well, I took that opportunity to buy a crapload of stuff (at 50% off mind you)...so much so that I made two purchases in one day. Yes, I have a problem. (My closet being chock full of cute clothes will not be one of them, however!) 
 Take a look at some of my purchases this week (not counting the loot I got on Cyber Monday...seriously, Loft is my kryptonite)
P.S. that dress was only $48!!  #sorryimonlyalittlebitsorry

{4} Holiday Party
Tonight is my friend from work's holiday party at her house. She goes all out and has something like 7 trees fully decorated throughout her house (no joke, they are decorated to the nines)!! I seriously don't know how she does it!! It's always fun to hang out with work friends outside of work and this group is no exception! Should be a fun way to spend a Friday night :)

{5} 12-13-14
Did you realize that tomorrow's date is 12-13-14, and it's the last time that the month, day and year line up like this again until the 3000's? I'm a nerd and like fun facts like that. Don't judge me (but feel free to take that fun fact and share it!) :) #nerdyandiknowit

And on that nerdy but fun note, I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with all kinds of holiday cheer!

My little bit of holiday cheer today is: 
Receiving little holiday treats from my work friends. It's always so nice to get a little something from someone unexpectedly to make you feel special, and bring out the holiday spirit that much more. My work bestie made me these cookies and oreo chocolate balls the other day and put them in a cute little package for me (and then told me she has another gift to give me closer to our Winter Break)
I have a surprise in store for her as well--I can't wait to give it! I think I get more excited about giving gifts sometimes than getting them!

2014 Recap: {Jan, Feb, March}

I loved the idea of reviewing the year in smaller posts throughout the weeks leading up to the New Year!

Today's post recaps January, February and March which happened to be SUPER filled with all kinds of exciting things!

{January}

-Rang in the New Year with this guy:

-the first gifts from our registry arrived!

-My wedding dress came in and I had my first fitting in my dress (no clamps needed that time!)

-Sent out our wedding invitations:

this isn't our information--just the invitation templates we used

-1st bridal shower in PA thrown by MG's mom and sisters

{February}

-Tried a ton of new recipes!

-Watched the Olympics

-Had my second bridal shower (locally), thrown by my bestie, while MG was on his bachelor party

-Sent out thank you notes the same weekend!

-Had a ton of snow days! (and days off from school)

-Started looking at houses and going to open houses on the weekends

-had a Valentine's date night out

{March}

-Celebrated an early birthday in Philly with the nieces and my SIL (whose bday is the day before mine)

-Had our tasting at the wedding venue, got to see the table set up, and stuffed ourselves silly with all of the delicious options! And we made our food choices for the wedding day!

-Had my bachelorette party in Charlottesville VA at wineries with some of my best friends!

Love these ladies!!!

-We went to 3 Open Houses when I got back from my Bachelorette party, and ended up putting in an offer on our now-house because we fell in love with it! We found out on my birthday, that the offer was was accepted!

#bestbirthdaypresentever

-Celebrated the big 3-1!

-Our friends signed off on renting our condo from us within the week of getting the house accepted (everything falls into place so easily when it's meant to happen!)

-More snow, and I began to wonder if I'd need to wear snowboots on my wedding day

(but Cooper enjoyed himself)

(he dug all of that snow out with his face....I'm not even joking)

-Picked up our wedding bands on one of the many snowy days, testing out MG's car's All Wheel Drive (it worked haha)

-MG went to Europe for work and got food poisoning, delaying his return back; luckily he got better and made it back only a day late

-DIY'ed my escort cards, table numbers and programs

Phew!! See what I mean?? Those were 3 JAM-PACKED months!! So glad I'm not recapping the whole year or you guys would be reading this post for a LONG time....

Stay tuned next week for April (Wedding month!!!), May and June recaps!

Recipe: Panko Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon

I promised you guys a while ago that I'd share my yummy and SUPER easy salmon recipe with you guys, but then Thanksgiving happened, and then after-Thanksgiving happened, and really I just didn't do it. But, I'm here to share with you now!

I saw this recipe on Pinterest (duh) from Cooking Classy

What You Need:

- 4 6oz salmon filets

-1 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard

-1 1/2 Tbsp honey

-1 clove minced garlic

-3/4 C panko bread crumbs

-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

-1 tsp lemon zest

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-salt and pepper

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, dijon mustard, and honey.

3. In a shallow dish, mix together the Panko bread crumbs,  lemon zest and parsley, then drizzle with the olive oil and mix evenly.

4. Working with each piece of salmon, brush the top and sides of the salmon with the honey mustard mixture and then season with salt and pepper. Flip it over into the Panko bread crumb mixture and press. Brush the bottom of the salmon, season with salt and pepper and flip it over in the bread crumb mixture. Repeat with all salmon filets.

if your filets are larger like this, cut them so they are 4 filets, otherwise they will take forever to cook through the middle

5. Transfer the filets into the baking dish and cook for about 20 minutes, until it flakes easily, and the middle of the salmon does not look cloudy. (The fork should slide in. If there's a jelly-like feeling, put it back in for a few more minutes).

Squeeze some lemon juice on top and garnish with the lemon slice. Serve with whatever veggie you like!

That's it!! Easy peasy! And SO delicious! I've already made this meal twice and it was even better the second time!

If you're scared of making salmon at home, don't be! It's one of the most forgiving fish to cook and this recipe is suuuuuper straight forward!

A Better Me

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Things I'm Committing to in Order to be a Better Me:

~have faith. Everything happens in His timing, when it's supposed to. This is a lesson I continue to learn and will probably always need to remind myself about. It's so easy to get caught up in what you want, when you want it (now now now!!!) but there's always a bigger plan. Sometimes, you just need more faith.

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~don't take my work home with me. Including the stresses. This year I have some really tough parents who have been causing me to stress out more than in other years--even talking about it gets my heart racing sometimes. I need to work on leaving work at work, and not letting it take over my thoughts or ruin my days. It's just not healthy.

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~stop responding to other people's negativity. If they want to gloat, hold onto grudges or be unnecessarily rude, that's on them. I don't have to be a participant. And I won't be anymore.

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~listing and looking for the positives. It's SO easy to get bogged down by the day-to-day when things are tough, but focusing on the small, positive things every day, and actively looking for them, can really help to turn your perspective and your outlook around.

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~making the time for healthy things, even when I'm tired, stressed out or unmotivated. Those are the times these things help out the most, and they do you the most good!

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~making sure to show the people in my life--those who are my rocks, my cheerleaders, my strength, the ones who take the time to include me in things, and make sure I'm doing ok--that they know how much they mean to me.

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Life is certainly a journey of learning.
I'm on the journey, and becoming a be a better me in the process.

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Hey, Friday Faves!

Phew! It's been a crazy busy week overall and I'm pumped that it's Friday!!
Before I get to my favorites this week, did you guys see Peter Pan Live last night?? I saw the first hour and then couldn't watch anymore, but reading the live Twitter feed was SO hilarious, it made it worthwhile.

Anyway, let's talk about my faves this week!

{1} Christmas Decorations are Up!

I posted about this on Tuesday (you can read it and see everything here), but I'm loving that our Christmas decorations are up and everything is feeling festive outside and around the house! Something about Christmas decorations that makes everything feel more cozy and magical!
Now the tree in Rockefeller center is lit up, and the National Christmas tree in DC, too! I can't wait to go into DC and see it, along with all of the trees for each state that are decorated with special things from each place!

{2} MG's birthday

MG's birthday was on Tuesday and I had some presents all ready to go for him--two Moscow Mule cups and a long sleeved biking shirt/jacket thingy. I wasn't sure how excited he would be about them, but he was pumped about the shirt jacket (said it was something he'd wanted but never would have gotten himself--win!) and he's been talking about Moscow Mules for weeks now since having one out at dinner a bit ago. We also went out to dinner at Mike's American Grill on Tuesday night and stuffed ourselves silly with delicious food! Overall, despite the crappy weather I'd say it was a birthday success. MG makes 33 look good!

{3} Book Club/Wine Exchange

Saturday I have book club with some friends, but we didn't read a book recently so instead, we are all just hanging out and bringing wine to do a Holiday Wine Exchange. It's gonna be fun to see what kind of wines everyone brings, and to catch up with everyone before the holidays take full effect and there's no time! And then I have a massage scheduled for the afternoon, which isn't a bad way to spend a Saturday!

{4} Holiday Perspective
It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and sometimes it makes us lose focus on what's truly important. I saw this online this other day and I loved it, so I thought I'd share it with you guys:

Isn't that such a good perspective??

{5} Wedding

Borrowed from Here Isn't she stunning???

I saved the best favorite for last: one of my bloggy to IRL friends is getting married on Saturday! Lynn, I couldn't be more happy for you, and can not wait to talk to you on Saturday, and to see all of the gorgeous pictures from the day. I know it's going to be beautiful and you will be breath-taking. I wish that I could be there to celebrate with you in person, but I know that you will be surrounded by family and friends who love you dearly. I'm there in spirit and am so so so happy for you, my sweet friend! Sending you nothing but  tons of wishes for a lifetime of love and happiness together with your almost-husband, your little peanut and fur babies! Love you!!

Happy weekend, party people!
Don't forget to link up with these ladies!

 

Book Review: Garden Spells

This weekend I finished another book--Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

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This one was a recommendation from Katie and I'm so glad that I listened to her. The book was just what I was looking for--an easy read, with likable characters, and a cute storyline.

The beginning of the synopsis on Amazon is: 

"In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.…"

And beyond that, it's the story of 2 sisters, Claire and Sydney, who each find a different way to cope with a mother who abandoned them when they were young girls.

I really liked the story--it was a bit more whimsical than other books I typically read, but I enjoyed that different element. It seems like people either liked it a ton or didn't like it at all. I read some of the reviews for the book before I downloaded it and someone likened it to the movie Practical Magic, which I could see.

Either way, I rated it 4 out of 5 stars, and I'll definitely be checking out more books from Sarah Addison Allen.

Also, you can download this one from Amazon for your Kindle for $1.99 right now. I actually got it free with some of those settlements/credits Amazon had.