Bring on 2013!

It's always a sad day when the Christmas decorations come down and get packed away till next year.  Although, I plan to talk hubby into leaving them up till Easter :) 

We've had a wonderful, relaxing and very memorable Christmas week here in Harbor Springs, MI.  We skyped with Rochester, Bangkok and Cape Town.  Winslow met  Santa (and screamed in his face), went sledding & ice luging, played in the snow, rode a 2-horse open sleigh, met a dog sled team and slept/ate like a champ while up here.  Fingers crossed for an exhausted babe on our flight home tomorrow!

I'm sad to see this holiday season fly by, but I'm excited for 2013.  This was a HUGE year for us... from watching Winslow grow from a teeny lil peanut to a strong willed, smart little lady to buying our first home to travels to building our businesses. I've loved every minute of it, especially being Winslow's mom. (And, my gosh, have I learned a lot about myself!)  I've started my list of goals and I'm ready to start checking them off.  Bring on 2013 :)

Happy New Year!!  Be safe.

  

Chocolate Chip Meringues

Chocolate Chip Meringues... they're as amazing as they sound.  And SO, so easy.  

Ingredients

4 egg whites, warmed in the shell (submerge whole eggs in shell in warm water)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup super fine baking sugar

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  In a medium bowl, beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar (1 tbsp every 5 seconds) and continue to beat until meringue is stiff and glossy, about 1.5 minutes more.  Gently fold in chocolate chips...

Drop meringue by 1/4 cup dollops onto parchment-lined baking sheets...

Bake until dry and just golden brown, about 1 to 1.5 hours.  Let cool on baking sheets.  (Be careful not to burn, continue to check on them after an hour!)

And that's it.  So simple!

Give a little extra love to the packaging and you've got a really an easy and decadent gift for the holidays!

stella & dot arrived!

I'm completely swooning over this bracelet and ring from stella & dot that just arrived in the mail...

I'm a sucker for great packaging and they do a GREAT job.  I almost don't want to throw these boxes away.  Is that weird?!

Gift Guide: Winter White & Gold

I love all of the gift guides out there this time of year, so I thought I'd put one together.  Gifts should be thoughtful and fun... special things that make them smile and think of you years later!  These are some of my favs, in stunning winter white and gold...

Zara Studded Stretch Belt | $19.90
Free People Crochet Fleece Armwarmer | $38
Lulu Off The Mat Jacket | $178
J.CREW Giant Bow Sweater | 98
Madewell ID Cuff Bracelet | $28
Anthropologie Giltwork Pin-Fringe Clutch | $78

Hope this helps cross someone special off your list!

{ Photo Credit: zara.com, freepeople.com, lululemon.com, jcrew.com, madewell.com, anthropologie.com }

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

After a good friend made these for a pre-Thanksgiving gathering, I couldn't stop thinking about them. So naturally, I decided to make them again for a dinner party just a couple days later.  Light, moist (sorry!), delicious and the perfect amount of lemon and sweetness.  Try them.  Seriously.

Cookie Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (15 oz) container whole milk ricotta cheese

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Glaze Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside

In the large bowl combine the butter and sugar.  Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated.  Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Beat to combine.  Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Spoon the dough (about 2 tbsp each) onto the baking sheets.  Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth.  Spoon about 1/2 tsp onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread, or drizzle on top.  Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. 

___

They'll be a hit at your upcoming holiday party... I promise.

{ Photo Credit: thepickycook.com }

 

Kaua'i Love.

Although they really should have met years before, I watched two dear friends fall in love the moment they shook hands.  It was at a Lady Antibellum concert a couple summers ago and the rest is history.  Seriously inseparable and so beautifully perfect for each other.  I couldn't be more excited for them to get married along the pristine waters of Kaua'i this Spring.

It meant so much to me, to be asked to create their Save The Dates.  Here they are, and as you can see, the images I had to work with made this project way too easy.  Could they be any hotter?! :)

Love you two so much.  Can't wait to celebrate!!

Sequins & Glitter for the Holidays!

It's officially holiday party season!  Is there anything better than dressing up with a little extra flare than normal to celebrate the holidays?!  My "go to" has been red lipstick, glittery/dark nails and my new favorite heels...

Shoes | Zara (no longer available online)
Nails | OPI Lincoln Park After Dark and Only Gold For Me
Lips | Sephora Rouge #R03

Let's be honest... you can't ever really go wrong with anything shiny and sparkly mixed with other fun textures.  How amazing is this gold sequin peplum top paired with a pair of navy velvet skinnies and an extra fab statement necklace?

Top | Piperlime $79
Bottoms | Anthropologie $98
Necklace | JCrew $165

I can't even begin to talk about these.  Emerald suede and silver glitter?!  Ugh, just love.

Booties | Rachel Roy $297

What are your "go to" pieces for the holidays?!

{ Photo Credit: piperlime.com, anthropologie.com, jcrew.com, neimanmarcus.com }

San Diego Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, reflecting on all they're thankful for!!  Sometimes we all need a reminder how ridiculously blessed we are.  I'm thankful for the tradition of meeting family and friends in San Diego, to spend this holiday together.  Unfortunately I left my camera behind, so here are a bunch of pics... Instagram style.

We arrive.  Winslow makes herself at home!

Reunited with her bestie, Kenzie!

Daddy repairing Winslow beloved Bunny.  And a pair of teeny tiny sneaks :)

Hot air balloon ride above and the view from my work spot.  Reading by the patio fire... must be nice :)

Always inspired by the decor at The Grand. Wall of ribbon for Winslow's nursery?!

Boo in mommy's necklace.  Drinks at L'Auberge.  Epic night in Del Mar :)  Beautiful view.

Thanksgiving Day brunch.  Winslow loving her "leg" painting :)

The crew for picture time!  Winslow playing in/eating the sand.

Visit to Bull Taco.

After a rough day for Boo, she's back in action!

Goofball!

Checking out the decor before the big party.

Santa?!  Where you at?

Close look at the tree.  And an attempt at a Christmas card photo.

And that's all folks!

Dress Up.

One of the few good things that have come from my week and a half of computer hell...  I have been working from the Cardinal Group offices and get to play dress up!

Button Down | Madwell (here)
Top | Banana Republic (old - similar here)
Pants | Gap (here)
Booties | Banana Republic (old - similar here)
Necklace | Loft (not shown online - similar here)
Watch | Michael Kors (old - similar here)

Please ignore the mess in the background. I'm standing in the sitting room off our master bedroom that will soon be turned into my first ever, walk in closet. (Ahhhhhhh, so stinkin excited!)  The quality of this photo is embarrassing.  So I recreated it for you...

I've worked from home for the past 4 years, so my work attire has diminished.  I've had to get pretty creative with what I'm working with, which I love.  And what a treat to actually get out of my PJs before 5pm!

{ Photo Credit: piperlime.com, madewell.com, gap.com, nordstrom.com, forever21.com, loft.com }

Rustic & Sweet.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post about this project.  I absolutely loved working on these invitations and am SO thrilled with the way they turned out.   Miss Kylie handled all of the assembling herself (bless her heart), so it was like Christmas morning waiting to get mine in the mail.

It's the perfect combo of rustic, sweet with the natural twine and twig thermography printing...

Do you love like I do? Congrats again Kylie & Patrick!

Gold Spikes.

A friend talked me into hosting a Trunk Show for Stella & Dot.  I had heard the name everywhere, being worn by celebs, but hadn't ever looked through a catalog or visited their website and... LOVE!  So many fun and affordable pieces.

I've been picking out my wish list items and posting them on my FB event page, but thought this one was blog worthy.  I love this Renegade Cluster Bracelet ($59!) paired with more conservative pieces.  Most looked a bit too hard core for me, but these sweet little gold spikes are perfect.

And one of my favorite bloggers from The Pink Peonies, has been sporting this sweet lil guy with everything...

See, spikes aren't so scary!  What is scary... the next 4 years :)

Come join us through the end of the month here.  And now, back to my 2 day long process of backing up my broken computer and setting up my new one.  Still smiling of course :)

{ Photo Credit: thepinkpeonies.com }

Outfit Love.

I first took a screen shot of this pic posted by Nordstrom because I was diggin her haircut.  Then I quickly noticed how fabulous the beaded tank was under the chunky nordic sweater.  It's a bit unexpected mixing the prints and textures, but I love it!  

Free People 'Bead It' Embellished Tank | $118

Free People 'Annabelle' Nordic Knit Cardigan | $198

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! The kiddies costumes being posted today are just too much.  Winslow kept her Busy Bee getup on for a full hour.  We were so proud :)

{ Photo Credit: nordstrom.com }