Einstein & Duke, freshly groomed

1. This week, Einstein and Duke went for a much-needed trip to the groomer. They’re so fluffy and soft and smell so good, I can’t stop snugging them!

2. Are you planning to see Anchorman 2? We may need to do some last-minute Christmas shopping today, but I see a matinee movie date (my favorite!) in our future!

3. I’ve recently started using the shampoo and conditioner from DevaCurl. I was on the hunt for a new shampoo and conditioner combo that was free of parabens, silicone and sulfates, and gave this a try. I am LOVING it! The shampoo is different since it doesn’t lather, which takes some getting used to, but my hair has never felt so clean and light. I’m still using up my old styling products, so I haven’t tried any from their line yet, but I will keep you posted.

4. Last Saturday, we had a beautiful snow storm. It came and went all day, and I just kept standing at the window watching the big, fluffy snowflakes fall. Such a cozy day, I hope we have more of them throughout the winter!

snowstorm2

5. I am epically bad at arranging flowers. I love having fresh flowers on the table and have an assortment of vases, but they never end up looking very good. I’m not sure if I’m using the wrong vase, cutting the stems too short or long… does anyone know of some tutorials or “how-to” sites that might be helpful?

6. My dad passed away in April 1999 and every Christmas since then, my aunt has given everyone in our family a homemade ornament with the year and my dad’s name on it. I finally set up a little ornament tree with all of them…

Dad's Ornament Tree

It’s really very pretty and a nice tribute to my dad. However, after I got them all hung, I counted them… 14 ornaments… it made me incredibly sad. Fourteen Christmases that I haven’t spent with my dad; I can’t believe this year will be 15. Life really goes by in the blink of an eye, doesn’t it?

7. On Wednesday, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I went to the dentist for our annual checkup/cleaning. Incredibly, neither of us has ever had a cavity. Most people can’t believe it, including our current dentist. We grew up about 20 minutes from each other and, ironically, had the same pediatric dentist growing up until we were in college. Maybe we owe it to him!

8. How awesome is this garden? I have total garden envy!

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9. How is your holiday baking coming along? My mom and I spent all day on Sunday baking, and I’ve done some on my own, as well. At current count, I have walnut pillowsthumbprints and decker cake in the freezer; peanut butter chocolate barkpeppermint barkreindeer chowpecan tassiesmini cheesecake cookiesdate barssnowballs and buckeyes in the refrigerator; and peanut butter blossoms hanging out in the dining room. I’ve also made Italian sesame seed cookies; I’ll be sharing that recipe on Monday! I feel like there are other things I want to make, but I might be up to my eyeballs in cookies until March if I don’t stop now ;-)

10. TGIF! I hope you have a fabulous pre-Christmas weekend! I’m going to try not to eat all of the peppermint bark before I give it away :)

peppermint-bark-tgif