Christmas Verse

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It is at last the week of Christmas! I hope all of your days are merry and bright, full of joy, peace and thanksgiving as we celebrate Christ the Lord.

 

Christmas Verse

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Are you starting to get a little bit more excited about Christmas? I can hardly believe it is just over a week away. Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of buying last-minute gifts and forget the real meaning of this special holiday, the birth of Jesus. Enjoy this wonderful Sunday, friends!



12 Beers of Christmas Advent

The past few weeks I've been trying to figure out something fun to do for Bryan this holiday season. I thought about doing 12 Dates of Christmas or some type of homemade chocolate advent calendar for each day of December. Then, I came up with the best solution yet: 12 Beers of Christmas Advent.

 

With advent calendars, you normally open up a gift each day of December. And we all know that in the song the 12 Days of Christmas you end up with 24 gifts at the end.  I made up my own rules to form a 12 Beers of Christmas Advent.

 

I went to the liquor store and picked out twelve different beers. Some were Bryan's favorites and some he hadn't tried before. Ideally I would have loved to have gotten just holiday ales or winter lagers, but there wasn't a huge selection of those.

 

 

Next, all you need is Christmas paper and a hot glue gun. I have gobs and gobs of Christmas stickers, paper and embellishments all in storage, so I made a quick run to Michael's and purchased a 12x12 stack of Christmas paper. {The paper had a sheet with the dates of December!} With my handy Cutter Bee I quickly and easily cut strips of paper to wrap around the beer so that each night the brand and type would be a surprise. I tried a couple of different ways trying to get the paper to stay on the bottles and figure out that using a hot glue gun was the best.

 

 

To semi-disguise the bottle caps I used a snowflake punch with some of the paper and adhered them to the top with 3D pop dots.

 

 

Time is precious to me right now, so I didn't have a lot of time to put a lot of effort into this. I think I spent about an hour and a half total. It is a little something extra special for my hubby to enjoy each day this season so that he knows how much I love him.

 

 

And it is nice to have a festive and happy fridge full of beers to enjoy.

 

 

Do you have an advent calendar that you are opening each day this month? Or are you doing any form of gift giving for the 12 days of Christmas? If so, please share!



Holiday Gift Guide: for the Food Lover

 

Snow in the Uintas

Hellooooo, friends! I'm sorry for my absence the past week. I got a new job {hooray!}, but now I am working every day of the week, since I am still at the boutique. Also, I was a tad under the weather last week, so when I got home each day the last thing I wanted to do was turn on my computer. I thought I wasn't going to have a day off until Christmas, but there was a text waiting for me yesterday when I got out of church that said I had the day off from the boutique. {Squeal of delight!} It was the first day on a weekend that I could spend with Bryan in almost three months.

 

We packed up hot chocolate, Ivy, and the Jeep and headed about an hour south into the Uinta Mountains.

 

 

We were in search of a Christmas tree, but ended up not finding one at Renegade, where we stopped for a little fishing. Ok, I did not fish, it was below freezing, but Bryan threw out a line and was successful.

 

 

 

Does anyone notice that my pictures are better? I got my new camera last week!!! I ended up going with the Canon D5100. There was a great sale at Best Buy, so I went up a couple of levels from what I had planned on getting. These are the first pictures I have taken with it. No adjusting had been done and I had not even played with it. I think the pictures turned out pretty well considering all of that.

 

This isn't the best shot, but Ivy was very interested when her daddy landed a fish.

 

 

It was bitter cold, with snow falling on us almost the whole time we were up there. On the way back it really started coming down hard. Some of the roads in the national forest were already blocked off for the winter. I doubt I will get another chance to go up there any time soon, so it was a fun afternoon trip for us to take together.

 

 

Hopefully you will see more of my own pictures posted on the blog from now on. You might have to endure some that aren't so great, but I am excited that they are much better quality that I have been posting.

 

 

I'll be back tomorrow with another Holiday Gift Guide. Thank you all for being such wonderful followers and friends. Have a great day!



Christmas Verse

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Growing up I remember playing with the nativity set that my mother had placed on our buffet each year during the Christmas season. There were three angles hanging at the top and I always imagined them saying this verse. My mother loves telling the story about how my little sister would pull out her Barbies and have them worship the baby Lord Jesus. Do you all have a nativity set somewhere in your house? I realized last year that I didn't have a full set anywhere as decor. Back in October I found a Fontanini set at Tuesday Morning! It's the little things that add such special touches here and there.



Holiday Gift Guide: Outdoor Guru

How is the Christmas shopping going? Thank you to all of you who have sent me messages or left comments about items you have found through my Gift Guides. It does take me a while to get them together, and it really encourages me when I get positive feedback from you. Picking gifts for people who love the outdoors can be difficult since there are so many outdoor activities. Let me tell you, it is much easier to find things for men than women! Here are a few of the things I've found. Have a wonderful Tuesday!
   

 

Christmas Verse

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My favorite time of year at church is the Christmas season. I always enjoy the seeing the red poinsettas, singing Christmas songs and hearing about the events leading up to our Savior's birth. I hope you all are blessed during this wonderful time of year.



Birthday Day

Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes that you sent my way. I had a very relaxing, wonderful day. Bryan got up and made homemade biscuits, eggs and bacon. Bless his heart, but the biscuit recipe was not written down correctly and they were awful!They didn't rise and were a tad bit salty. He was such a sweetheart getting up so early to cook for me before he went to work. I had a Lululemon bag sitting in my chair at the kitchen table. I was super excited!

 

 

Ivy and I went for a hike on a new trail that I hadn't been on before. It was a fairly warm day and I got hot in the fleece that I was wearing.

 

 

There are a couple of restaurants that Bryan and I really want to try, but we opted to go to a local sushi favorite of ours. Everything was very yummy.

 

 

Next week I'm going to get a new iPhone!!! Finally you won't have to endure the horrible quality pictures that I keep posting. I'm also going back and forth over the Canon vs. Nikon debate over a good camera. Thoughts?? I was very bummed that Bryan and I didn't get a picture together, so we took one once we got home.

 

 

My neighbor brought me a bottle of wine and another friend brought me a variety of tea--she insists she is going to make me a tea snob! When I opened my mail box, it was full of sweet birthday cards. I certainly felt like the birthday girl all day long! I am looking forward to my last year in my 20's, I know it will be a good one!

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts & Accessories for Him

 

{Click on the pictures for links to purchase.}

Special Day

Twenty-nine years ago my daddy celebrated his birthday with the best birthday gift he ever received, me! It has always been incredible to share this special day with him. Even though we are a million miles away from each other right now, we will still celebrate together. Cheers to a wonderful day!



 

Sundance

Last Saturday after work, Bryan and I went to Sundance with two of our friends, TJ and Alyssa. The 2012 Sundance Redford Film Series showed five of Robert Redford's films in his own screening room at the Sundance Resort on various dates throughout the fall. The only one we were able to go see was Jeremiah Johnson, which is one of Bryan's favorite movies.

 

We arrived at the resort in time to have drinks and dessert at the Owl Bar before the film started. Everything in the bar was full of character and we even got to see the cellar underneath where the reserve is stored. {Only because they were having problems with one of the hoses at the bar and it runs through the floor.}

 

 

We were served complimentary popcorn to enjoy the movie. It was pretty cool getting to see one of Redford's older movies on a huge screen.  

 

 

Everything is closely knit together at the resort, with streams running throughout and bridges to cross over them. Lights were up and the whole place was beautiful. It is amazing what all Redford has done in this area throughout the years. I can hardly wait to go back and see it in the daylight.



Accessories for Her

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday weekend. We spent Thursday night with a group of friends, celebrating with turkey, pumpkin pie and lots more other delicious dishes. Bryan got to hunt and fish, while I had to spend my days at the boutique. I was wiped out after the craziness of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Did you all find any good deals over the weekend or on Cyber Monday yesterday? I could not get the Gifts for Him up on Friday so I'll combine it with Accessories for Him this week. Here are some accessories for your sister, mother, friends or even yourself!



 

 

Tis The Season

After a day of Thanksgiving yesterday, it's time to get up and work off all that turkey by breaking out the Christmas decorations! Tis the season to be merry and bright!

 

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Thanksgiving



World Market Finds

Do you have anything baking in your oven yet? Mine is getting turned on in a little bit to start cooking everything that can be made a day in advance. I'm even going to get all of the breakfast food ready tonight so that when Bryan and I get up in the morning we can relax and not have to make anything. Well, I am going to throw the appetizers in crock pots. That is the beauty of not having to cook the turkey this year!

 

Yesterday I went with friends to an afternoon movie date to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. It is by far the best out of all of the movies. The acting still isn't superb, and we don't have to watch Bella and Edward being awkward and looking at each other the whole time, but they have come along way since the first film. After I left the movies, I swung by World Market to pick up a couple of things. I snapped a picture of these cute stag glasses the other day when I was in there and decided to go back and get them. I think they will be a perfect addition to the bar at Christmas time, and even other times of the year since they are sorta "mountain-ish."

 

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Don't worry, I'm not going crazy over a bunch of stag stuff, but I really like this doormat for our back door. A little over the top or cute?

 

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I spend way too much time in this store browsing the aisles. One of my newest finds is this Sof'ella Sour Cream Coffee Cake. I have a fantastic coffee cake recipe that I have used for years and this boxed stuff is pretty darn close to it, and much easier.

 

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I have a $10 credit and I think I am going to use it for this tray. My bathroom storage isn't great and I'm contemplating putting some of my lotions and perfumes together on the vanity, to the left of the sink.

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 The list of things that I like at this store can go on and on. I hit it up at least once a week since it is about 3 minutes from my house--dangerous, I know. Lastly, I found this Trina Turk blouse at Nordstroms last week. They only had it in an xs, which I thought was just a tad bit too short in length. I came home, googled it, and found it on sale!

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I'm off to take Ivy for a walk and then start my day of cooking. Enjoy the rest of your holiday week and I'll see you back here when you are stuffed or exhausted from shopping.

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Also, one of my dearest friends, who is actually my sorority little sis, is hosting her first giveaway on her blog, Kara's Stories. Go over and follow her, not only because she is hilarious, sweet, AND beautiful, but because she is going to Vegas next week and will be picking up a special treat for a follower while she is there! I love this pic of us from NYC last year at Regis and Kelly. Click here to read her blog and help her get 100 followers.



Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Her

I've made my lists and done my shopping, now all I have to do is figure out what dishes I am going to cook tomorrow and what I am going to wait and cook on Thanksgiving morning. After two stops at the liquor store I have champagne for mimosas and fixings for coffee cake. Are you ready for the craziness of Black Friday? I'm hitting up a few stores before I spend the day at the boutique. Here are a few gift idea for the lovely women in your life {or for yourself}.

 

Lately...

Good morning, friends! Can you believe that it is already Thanksgiving week? Where has the year gone? I can't believe we are celebrating Thanksgiving and that Christmas is just around the corner. Last year I had finished all of my shopping by this time. This year I'm not quite that close, but I know pretty much what all I am buying for others. Last week my friend, Alyssa, and I walked all over Park City's Main Street and went into all of the shops that we hadn't been in to see yet. We ate lunch at The Eating Establishment, and after eyeing all of the brunch food I'm definitely going back for it. The fish tacos were yummy, with a hint of tangy lime in the sauce.

 

 

I cannot tell you how much ski equipment I have looked at the past couple of weeks. It's like people are speaking another language and I am completely clueless when it comes to knowing what looks good I need. Luckily I've had a few friends that know what they are doing helping me make decision. I had skis and boots picked out and on hold so Bryan could see them before I purchased them, but when he went to pick them up, they were nowhere to be found. Talk about ticked. Finally the boots were found, but no skis. And when it comes to helmet/goggle combos I've tried a lot of those, too. Here I am in a youth helmet, which actually fit really well.

 

 

On Friday I went to Salt Lake City and spent the whole day there while Bryan worked. It might be a tad bit dangerous that there are two Nordstrom Racks that are easy to find. This was my favorite find of the day: a red Kate Spade purse for $160, which was originally over $450.

 

 

I didn't get this DVF dress, but I loved the leather at the top and the same matching color under the lace at the bottom.

 

 

Alyssa met me in SLC for lunch and we ate at a healthy food place called Roots Cafe. My salad had spinach, beets, strawberries, goat cheese, turkey and a balsamic dressing. The beet and kale drink juice was heavenly, too.

 

 

And lastly, I've heard many of you mention lately how cute LOFT has gotten recently. I went into one just to look around and was blown away. Tons of cute stuff! There was an adorable red scarf with embroidered gold polka dots that I almost bought. I did get a few shirts that were on the sale rack, which were an extra 40% off.

 

 

Hummm, that's about all that I've got to share with you this morning. Are you all enjoying the Holiday Gift Guides? Thoughts or feedback on them? Tomorrow it will be gifts "For Her." I hope you all had a great weekend--it's going to be a short week this week!