Weekending {12/29} Christmas Edition

I am so excited to be back and share my holiday travels with you! Oh.... and I booked my wedding venue (eeeekkkk!!!)

I am most excited about being back home. I have been out of town for almost 2 weeks and just got in last night. Sleeping in my own bed, cooking in my own kitchen, and sitting on my own couch never felt so good.

My trip started off in Texas with my family. My mother and I flew in early to enjoy some time with my Grandmother and aunts before all of the craziness started. We did lots of wedding planning, shopping, chatting, and baking :) I also got to wrap Grandmother's gifts, which I love to do!

Grandmother's gorgeous tree

Mom and I are twins :) 

AR, my dad, and my brother joined the group right before Christmas. Other family joined in and by Christmas day, we had 24 people at dinner! AR and I were able to slip away and grab dinner with friends from Texas on two nights, which was amazing. We have so many great friends in Houston that we miss!

Post Christmas Eve Service with my Grandmother

A small sample of the Christmas Day sweets

AR, me, Mom, Dad, and my younger brother Sam. Apparently I am marrying a giant. 

AR and I (note that he is wearing one of the gifts I gave him. I think he likes it!)

After lots of holiday fun, AR and I packed up and drove the 5 hours to his family in Louisiana. It was so nice to see his family and some of our friends (along with their cute babies!).

AR is the baby whisperer. I believe I made Ava cry here, so I handed her to AR. He fixed it. 

We left for Atlanta on Sunday morning and drove 8 hours. It took a million trips to unload our car and I may never be done sorting things out! Seriously, my entire dining room and entry way is covered in stuff.

After a grocery store trip and a yummy dinner (wheat pasta with tuna, capers, lemon, and artichokes), we sat on the couch with homemade hot chocolate and the movie Four Christmases. It feels SO good to be back home.

Almond milk, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and vanilla. So so good

What is the first thing that you do when you come back home from a long trip? Mine in laundry!

Linking up with B Loved Boston and Champagne and Suburbs today! Check back tomorrow for the wedding planning updates! 

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Weekend Review - post christmas

Happy Monday! Christmas has wrapped up, and I am headed home to Atlanta right now. I'm actually writing this in the car, so let me know if you find any tragic typos ;)

The weekend was fun filled and spent in Texas. On Friday afternoon, I went to the movies and out for coffee with my Dad and little brother. We saw American Hustler (anyone see it?) and I was reminded once again how gorgeous Amy Adams is. Love her hair.

My mother & I - twins in our sweater dresses

On Saturday AR and I went to a friend's wedding that was SO gorgeous. I love weddings. The reception had the most amazing food, which is always one of the most memorable parts of a wedding. Afterwards, we drove back to my family's house.

 

LOVED the center pieces!

 

Christmas manicure (& a new ring from my parents)

We love a photo booth ;)

 

On Sunday after church, we met up with friends from Houston. I cannot tell you how much we miss our friends there! Then we headed back to Louisianna one last time to see AR's family. I made it from Houston to Baton Rouge with no bathroom break. OMG.

 

Confession: We miss Houston.

 

 

And now we are headed back to Atlanta! We've got a NYE party tomorrow night, and I can't wait to share what I am making for it :)

Xoxo,

Hannah

Five on Friday - post christmas favorites

I cannot say Merry Christmas anymore! But I hope your holiday was amazing. I am still enjoying my family in Houston. I will be staying through until Monday, then heading back to Atlanta in time for NYE. While the holiday is still in full swing, I thought I would share a few favorite memories from the trip!

 

 

one. Christmas Eve

On Christmas eve, we spend the morning at AR's mother's house. She made a huge breakfast, we visited with family, and opened gifts. By afternoon, we headed to Houston and arrived just in time for the Christmas Eve service. I LOVE the service... stories, carols, candles. It is just magical.

 

 

 two. Christmas Day

Christmas Day was eventful. After breakfast, we took a long walk, cooked a big lunch, and enjoyed time with my large family. We had people from New Mexico to Wisconsin all together this year. It was a little crazy, but fun.

Our third Christmas together. He still puts up with my crazy family :)

 

My not-so-little-brother, Samuel.



three. Food

If I see another cookie, I may vomit. I LOVE sweets. I have a massive sweet tooth. But I am burned out. Even yesterday, I started craving fruit and veggies - I think my body is a little sad from all the desserts around. Today I will stick with my tea cup and avoid the sweets table I think :)

(And no, I haven't run since Sunday. Its my longest break since the marathon and I don't mind a bit!)

 

four. Gender Reveal Party

On Monday, I went to my first gender reveal party. It was so cute! I've seen lots of blogs with gender reveal parties, so it was fun to finally have a friend with one. They had a piñata that was filled with  either blue or pink. They let all the little nieces and nephews hit the piñata and when it broke open, PINK candy and glitter fell out. So excited for the little girl's arrival.

 

 

 

 five. Shopping

I know, I know, we just finished shopping for gifts. Yesterday I hit up the sales at the Woodland's Mall with AR and my little brother. I only ended up with two tops from Banana Republic, but for $15 each, I couldn't complain. Of course, I got home to find a security tag still on one (fail). Looks like I will need to make another trip to the mall!

 

Clearly, this doesn't upset me at all. I've shopped more since finals than I did in the whole semester.

 

 

Have you hit up the sales at the mall?

What was your favorite part of the holiday?

 

x0x0,

Hannah

A Baking Fail.. and Christmas Eve :)

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

 

I hope your holiday travels are/were safe and your holidays are starting well. Yesterday, AR and I drove to Louisiana to see his family. We had a fun drive (I love road trips), complete with spicy mochas from Caribou Coffee and lots of Christmas music.

 

Prior to leaving for our trip, I did some major holiday baking. Remember my list on Friday? Well, it didn't go exactly as planned. The sugar cookies were lovely, and chocolate covered pretzels are already being devoured. The candy cane blossoms? That was another story.

 

 

 

After a busy trip to the gym (note the sarcasm), I went home to make my last type of cookie. The recipe instructed me to roll the cookies into crushed candy canes, then bake them before pressing the kiss into the center.

 

Imagine what happened when I put the candy cane covered cookies into the over. The candy cane melted, the cookies spread, and it was a MESS. I pulled one pan out and had to chip the cookies off. I finally gave up and poured boiling water on top to melt the whole thing again so I could clean it.

 

I readjusted the recipe by just sprinkling the top with candy cane. If you have any suggestions for how to fix it, let me know. I wrote an e-mail to Taste of Home, so maybe they will tell me what I did wrong :)

 

 

 

Hope your baking is going better than mine! If it isn't, don't worry. It happens :)

 

x0x0

Hannah

Marvelous Monday & Weekend Review

Happy Monday! This week was crazy and eventful, with holiday parties, the end of school, visits from friends and tours of Atlanta. I am excited to be linking up with  Heather at Housewife Glamour to share my weekend.

 

On Thursday, Kathryn came to visit from Nashville. I went to visit her last month, and now she came to see me! 

 

Friday morning (or afternoon... opps), we went shopping. After a stop at Ulta, we got majorly lost on the way to the outlet mall. We finally made it and had a very successful trip. I found a new suit at Ann Taylor! And we got matching sweaters from J. Crew. We had to call AR on the way home and say we would be a little late to dinner. I say that is the sign of a good shopping trip, personally.

 

 

 

Saturday was a day to play tourist. AR made breakfast (grits, turkey bacon, and eggs) and then we went on a tour of the CNN headquarters. It was so much fun. After walking around downtown, we went home to get ready for AR's holiday party.

 

  

The holiday party was a blast. The band was so good and the food was amazing. They had kale salad and a million kinds of hummus (totally my taste!).

 

 

 

After the party, we picked up Kathryn and headed up to Buckhead to meet friends for drinks at the St. Regis Bar. My cocktail of choice? A blushing socialite.

 

 

By the time we made it home, I was exhausted. This old lady was not ready for 3 nights of staying up past midnight! We woke up in time for brunch at Highland Bakery (review coming tomorrow). After coffee and treats, I was so sad to see Kathryn go. I cannot wait until our next visit!

 

What's the best menu item you've had at your holiday party? I'm all about the food!

 

x0x0,

Hannah

Five on Friday

It is Friday! And I am linking up with Natasha to share some my five on Friday. Enjoy!

 

one. Christmas Shopping...

hasn't even started in this house. Am I alone in this? I seriously have not sent a single card or bought a single gift. I didn't buy ANYTHING on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I studied. Sad day. I thought about trying to go shopping, but in reality, I won't. I am just going to study. I plan to re-enter society after Wednesday when I finish finals. 

two. Pinterest story

I thought I deleted my Pinterest app on my phone when school started, but I randomly found it when flipping through my phone this week. The black hole pulled me in again, and next thing I know, I am pinning wrapping paper suggestions. Like I am going to color my own wrapping paper this year. Not likely.

Anyways... then I saw IT. A girl I know from high school is posting naked pictures of herself as "fitspo". So the whole world can see her in her bra and thong! I am not even going to discuss posting yourself as fitspo (another time, another place), but come on. Who puts naked photos of themselves online? Thoughts?

p.s. Follow me on Pinterst! hrw1126

 

three. Celebrating the little things

Today I am celebrating being half way done with finals with a pedicure. Sometimes, it is the small things. A new pedicure can make everything seem better :)  I'm also thinking about going red, because I have done so many dark purple-ish colors this fall. Red seems Christmas appropriate.

 

 

four. Running

I started a new running plan this week - I am using the Runners World smart coach as an easy way to stay structured with running over the holidays. I used them for my first half marathon and was pleased with the results 2 years ago. I like that it includes speed workouts and you can modify for your schedule. I'm really planning on working on speed work until the spring - spring is the time I do a million 5ks and 10ks and I am gunning for a PR ;)  

 five. This holiday decoration

I found this on my newly discovered Pinterest app. And I died. It is happening tomorrow morning and I cannot wait! I think AR is going to LOVE it :P

 

 

Weekend Recap! Football, Thanksgiving, and a Roadtrip

Hey all, happy post-turkey day! I love thanksgiving, partially because it always coincides with my birthday, and because it combines some of my favorite activities: cooking, eating, and spending time with family. Many fun things happened over the weekend, so I thought I would recap in photos. Enjoy!

 

I got ready for the weekend with some baking! Chocolate chip muffins for my friend before her family came to visit, cinnamon bread for Aaron's family. My kitchen smelled amazing.

 

 

Road trip: On Wednesday morning, Aaron and I went to the gym and then left for Louisiana. I packed an entire bag of books to study (law school is such a blast). At one point, I ran out of water for about 45 minutes and nearly DIED (lack of water sends me into a panic attack. Can I get an amen on that?). At the next stop, I bought three liters of water. Guess who had to take a few bathroom stops... oops ;)

 

Thanksgiving Day! Aaron and I celebrated twice, first with his mother and her side of the family. Mid afternoon, we headed over to his sister's house to celebrate with his dad's side of the family. I ate my main meal at his mother's house, but saved dessert for the second stop. So glad I did that - both were amazing!

P.S. He is a cutie, huh?

 

Friday morning started early with some shopping LSU Football! We made a run to the daiquiri(such a LA thing) store, then headed out to tailgate. I was a little worried it would be cold, so I wore like 500 layers. I felt like the kid in A Christmas Story. We got to hear the band come down the hill, wave hi to Mike the tiger, and watch the cheerleader. My favorite parts of football might be before them game starts, lol.

 

Check out this dog that someone painted like a tiger. LSU people are crazy.

 

 

Sadly, I left when the game started to go study. I sat at Starbucks for a good 5 hours, which was really helpful. Check out my color-coordinated outline for my exam. Aaron and our friends came to pick me up and rescue me from all the studying.

 

We came home Saturday, and Sunday was filled with studying, a massive Whole Foods trip, and a TREE! Look at my adorable Christmas tree! All my decorations are out now, and I will be sure to add photos once the tree is complete :) 

 

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you celebrate more than once?

Who has their tree up and decorated already? I love seeing all the photos that people keep posting of their trees!

 

x0x0,

Hannah

The Holiday Bucket List

Jessica, over at The Newly (LOVE her & the blog!), recently posted her holiday bucket list. I thought this was a great idea and wanted to follow suit. With finals and several trips planned around the holidays, I think this is the perfect way to take time and enjoy the season. AR and I made our list over dinner this weekend and I got so excited, I busted out the holiday pjs! Thanks for the idea, Jessica!

x0x0,
Hannah

Holiday Bucket List 2013

 

1. Put up a real Christmas tree.
The last two years, AR and I swapped putting the trees up at each other's places. I got it in 2011, het got the tree in 2012. This year we can both enjoy the tree and we plan on getting a big one! I always want a real tree too. There is something about the smell of a real tree. My family always had a real one growing up, and I guess I just follow suit.

2. Get a winter wreath for my front door.
I've never had my own, but this year I feel like it is a must. I *might* even take a trip to Hobby Lobby and make my own!

3. Bake and frost cookies.
I've done this for as long as I can remember. My mom used to have my brothers and I cut out all the cookies. After they cooled, she would cover the dinning room table in plastic and let us go to town. Last Christmas, I rolled out, cut, baked, and frosted cookies with 22 first graders. Talk about a messy experience! We had a blast and for many, it was their very first time. This year it will be a little simpler with just AR and I.
(My mom just sent me a holiday cookie cook book - thanks mom!)

4. Take a Christmas light drive with hot chocolate.
This is always a tradition in my family, and I cannot wait to see the lights of Atlanta. Of course, I will do a second round of this when I get to Houston for the holidays at the end of December. There can never be too many light tours.

5. Spend a day Christmas shopping.
My list is half-way there, so not I cannot wait to get my shopping done. I may take an afternoon break from studying and go shopping the first weekend of December. I need to mail my brother's gift to London, so I need to get it done asap.

6. Watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
And several other holiday classics. I LOVE "Meet me in St. Louis", but I cannot find a DVD of it anywhere! Any ideas?

7. Go see the play "A Christmas Carol".
Also a family tradition. We always go see the annual production at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee and it is a-mazing. They do such a spectacular job. I won't be up there for the show this year, but I plan to see it here in Atlanta with AR. We can carry on the tradition :)

What is on your holiday bucket list?
What is your must-see holiday movie list?

5 on Friday - Thankful Thoughts

Hey loves, its Friday and first-year law student has her LAST day of class today! Hallelujah! I'm continuing the thankful theme with Natasha at Hello! Happiness today - I have so enjoyed reading other's posts each week. What a sweet reminder to appreciate everything around us.

one. New friends.
Yesterday at school, one of the ladies brought me a piece of carrot cake for my birthday! I had mentioned that I wouldn't be celebrating much because of finals, but she remembered. I am so lucky to have met some amazing friends at school this semester. I feel like I "click" a bit more here (does that even make sense?) then I did in San Antonio, which has been a welcomed feeling :)

two. The Pioneer Woman.
This is going to sound silly, but I tend to get a little weird with my food. If left alone too long, I can become paranoid about butter, sugar, preservatives, EVERYTHING. I'm much better than I use to be, for which I thank people like the Pioneer Woman. She makes amazing food, gives hysterical narratives, and always throws in extra chocolate and butter. This week, I am making her Cinnamon Bread to take to AR's family for Thanksgiving. It is amazing.
--> For other recipes I've tried from blogs lately, click here.


Source: The Pioneer Woman. (Mine didn't look exactly like this...)

 three. Small Holiday Treats
It is amazing how some little holiday treat can make things seem brighter. Candles, stickers, lights. They don't cost much, but they make my apartment seem to much more cheery and inviting. I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk right now, reading and studying. Burning a holiday candle is just the pick-me-up I need. It doesn't need to be anything extravagant, just a simple reminder of the season. Note, the Christmas tree is NOT up yet, because Scrooge AR says we cannot put it up until after Thanksgiving. I've got a countdown going on the calendar.


This is what I want my home too look like right now.

four. A Walkable City
Now that I live in Atlanta, I am reminded how much I missed walking everywhere. I LOVE being able to step out my door and walk to the store, the coffee shop, the gym, anywhere. It is such a freeing feeling. AR and I have really enjoyed talking walks to the farmers market and out to dinner in the evenings. It is such a great way to unwind and enjoy my surroundings.

five. Ear Plugs
It is football season and finals start in 10 days. Enough said.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hannah

 

P.S.  If you did a post on what you're thankful for, please comment so I can read it!

five on friday

It is

NOVEMBER!

 

Lots of exciting things happen this month - Thanksgiving, my birthday (!!!), the end of classes! It is sure to be wonderful. Now, onto some Friday favorites :)

 

one. Fall Food

My friend gave me this amazing tea and I have been drinking it non-stop. It smells and tastes just like autumn and doesn't need honey or milk. It is perfect.

 

I'm going to enjoy is with the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins I made last night. On my way home from school, I stopped by Trader Joes, and several cans of pumpkin magically jumped into my cart! I started with muffins and plan to continue on to pumpkin oats and maybe soup :)

 

two. Fall Clothes

This week I've enjoyed rocking some real fall colors, but also some brights. I think it is totally okay, right?

 

 

 

three. Girls weekend

AR called to say he is working all weekend... I was so sad.This means it is an all-girl weekend, but it won't be getting too crazy. I have a competition at school all day Saturday and maybe Sunday (if I do well). Wish me luck! As the first year law student on the team means I have no clue what is going on. Let's hope I figure it out quickly!

 

four. Christmas

Speaking of holidays, I asked AR when I could get a tree. He said "not until December"!!

I died.

I told him in no uncertain terms that he was being ridiculous. I'm thinking Thanksgiving week is an idea time(at the latest)... we will see who wins. My pumpkin candles are running low, so he might be surprised with Christmas candles pretty soon ;)

 

five. Dogs in costume

This video was the best part of my day. It is the dog costume parade and they are adorable. My favorite is the dinosaur. Enjoy!

 

Hannah