Ginger Spice*

What is more festive and successful than getting you into the holiday spirit than baking gingerbread men? And I mean really baking, not using a pre-made kit from William Sonoma or the clearance section at Ross. 

 Gather everyone up! A fair amount of ingredients on this one. Oh, I should mention I used this recipe from King Arthur Flour. Notice I have baking soda and baking powder. There is a difference. 

Martha always mentions it, and I always forget. 

On the list, ground cloves. Well, I only had whole ones. What's a girl to do? 

Break out her never-been-used mortar and pestle!

Presto chango!

Molasses! A word about molasses. At the store they had full flavor and mild. I got full flavor. Once I opened the bottle I swore at myself for not getting mild-by how insanely strong it smelt. Well, the flavor was not at all overwhelming once the cookies were done-so I would not recommend mild at all!

Once you have prepared the dough, wrap it up real good and refrigerate it for an hour or more. 

 Meanwhile, feel free to go out shopping and grab a bloody mary with a friend!

Cuteness. Use lots of flour-these guys are sticky. And bake on parchment paper!

And finally, decorate! I had a couple casualties 

(X face and BURN) from rolling out the dough too thin, so be careful. 

You will also see I made a Mr. T (lower right corner).

*P.S. For the record, my favorite Spice Girl was Baby.

Have yourself a Pink Christmas

No I am not talking about the line from Victoria's Secret. I just love different Christmas color schemes, especially ones involving metallics and pinks.

Merry girly Christmas! Meow. I love it all. All goodies from ABC Home. This store puts Anthropologie to shame.

Thanksgiving Scenes (You knew it was coming)

Every year Jon and I trade off whose family we go with and this year it was with Jon's family to their cabin in the mountains. Word is it was the most snow the area had seen in a November in 20 years!

 Hello snow! Also just realized I'm wearing head to toe Gap.

Morning walk in a almost-winter wonderland. Nearly froze my little ears off. 

Thanksgiving morning.

Still a kid at heart. Totally bit off a few icicle tips. 

Shoveling snow, we did a bit of this. Such a workout!
{P.S. I get to marry him.}

What's Thanksgiving without green beans? 

We added bacon, shallots and sliced almonds.

The following day, some of us wine tasted in Murphy's,

 while some of us got our shop on in the Spice Store! 

Aaaaand it's only Saturday! Woohoo.

The Talented Mr. Pre-School Photographer

Landon, 2.5 years old. Pre-school photo.

My reaction? Wow, so grown up! How did he do that pose?

Where did my baby nephew go?

So, I tried to get the same pose out of him naturally......

Nope, still my baby nephew! There is the toddler I know and love.

Huge massive props to that photographer.

P.S. Happy birthday to my sis in law, Cindy! (The mother of this beautiful boy)

Weekend Scenes

Its been a tea kind of weekend. And past couple of weeks for that matter, minus the occasional weekend coffee.  Trying to cut back on coffee (due to sugar & half n half). Hasn't been hard at all!

I have begun wedding dress shopping! Had mixed emotions going in (would I love any?). Turns out....SO much fun. Let's just say I totally and completely understand the girls that buy a dress for the ceremony and another one for the reception. And let's also say I am so not supported in that opinion. Must decide between two different vibes/themes. 

Beefing up the liquor cabinet! Got some Pimm's. A lovely summer-y British gin. I've seen it all around the blog world and tried to order Pimm's Cup at a few bars with no luck. 1 part Pimm's, 2 parts Ginger Ale, lime and cucumber. Perfectly refreshing. Highly recommend. 

Fall cupcakes for an early birthday celebration for my sister in law, Cindy. From Teacake Bake Shop. A big hit with my nephew. He calls them "happy birthday". And he cannot focus on anything if he seems them and then becomes deliriously happy while eating them. Sounds about right?

I made this citrus, mint, feta salad from Smitten Kitchen. A nice break from leafy greens.And a nice prep before a week ahead with known heavy foods. Here's to a short work week!

Thursday is the new Friday

Last night Jon and I headed out to SF to meet up with his sister and her girlfriend. Destination: Pizzeria Delfina! We went to the pizzeria side and not the restaurant side, which is a must for the next visit. Sadly we had to pass up the once-a-year truffled pizza ($49) for some more economical yet still delish pies. Afterwards it didn't take much convincing to get ice cream at BiRite.

Late night crowds line up. Meanwhile, it was freezing outside. No matter.

I got the salted caramel and malted vanilla. Um, hello. It was good.

Five Guys

Five Guys just came to our town not too long ago. After reading about it on other blogs, and thinking it was just an east coast thing, I was intrigued to check it out.

The verdict? Jon liked it more than I did but we both agree In-N-Out easily blows Five Guys outta the water. In-N-Out is also a way better value. Either way, it was a fun little dinner date.

Anthology Launch Party (Where I did not get a copy of Anthology magazine)

The girl of the hour. I should have snagged this before they ran out of copies.

The bartenders mixing up fancy cocktails with rosemary and Absinthe.

Homeboy needs to cut his nails. Eek!

Just drinking wine on a West Elm couch with my girl Jackie.

I met the beautiful Logan of Oh Hello.

Just as adorable and funny in person as you'd imagine.

Did I mention the delicious cocktails were freesies?

That sleek white machine is the Smilebooth! Highlight of the night, especially since this is where I met Joy of Oh Joy! Talk about charming and sweet.

After our first couple rounds at the booth, we were told by the dude above to come back after we had another cocktail.

Which resulted in....

No comment!

Stylish erasers, trays, and cups for pieces of chalk.

Only a blogger can truly appreciate this stuff.

And finally, checking out the holiday goodies at West Elm.

Amazing party, thank you so much Anthology!

The best way to spend a Thursday night

A magazine launch + photobooth + home design store + good friends + blog talk + drinks = recipe for success. Will post up all my photos soon!

Everyone needs a wedding logo

Here is ours! By the ever-so-talented Emilie Friday. I think I shall hire her to make my grocery lists. Kidding. But how pretty is it? I am thinking it can go on the envelopes for the save the dates and cocktail napkins. And as far as favors go, I don't know if I'm on board yet. I guess that will be determined if the budget allows for it at the end. In which case, this could be printed on paper bags (filled with treats), or a pint glass or even a beer cozie! I don't discriminate here.

Also, you've noticed I placed this logo on the side bar.

Click it and it will take you to all my wedding planning posts.

Just a guess

I think this adorable day pack deserves a spot on your Christmas wishlist.

Found in the super cute Etsy shop, LetsPlayAllDay.

Withdrawl

Going through a bit of Giants baseball withdrawl. It is better for my waistline though, since 4 nights a week no longer revolve around beer and snacks. My nephew (dressed as a dinosaur) clearly has the fever.

Don't mind my Stacy London gray streak. Going back blonde on Saturday, woo hoo!

We're cute.