Happy Happy!

Happy New Year, folks!

Jan. 4th  isn't too late to still be saying that, is it? Because I've been saying it all day already...

Anyways, we had a wonderful Christmas break and I hope you did too.

here

We traveled over the river and through the woods to just about as many houses as we could fit in a week and half - and still missed people we wanted to see! But our visits were great and Santa was overly generous - I received so many nice presents and loved seeing ours get torn open, too (especially by two excited little boys). We also had a bocce ball engagement party, which was pretty much the coolest thing ever.

After all the holiday excitement, we were major lame-o's for New Years Eve. Nothing wrong with being home on your couch when the ball drops, amirite?

Of course, we did sit down and make some resolutions for the new year. Matt and I had actually been working on them for a few days - it's so much more fun to have someone to team up on these goals with! And just for added resolution we put these up on our fridge - no forgetting!!

2013: Bring it on.

• Duh, work out and eat healthy. But the real resolution is to feel great about ourselves in time for our wedding. So, thanks to our friends Zach and Dana, we picked up a copy of Bob Harper's The Skinny Rules and we're following it to a tee. Don't you just hate friends that inspire you to do unpleasant things that you know you really should do? Sheesh. And we've got a personal trainer lined up for later in the month, once we stop feeling hungry all the time :(
• Have FUN planning our wedding. We've already had enough with wedding stress -the rest of this process is going to be fun, or ELSE! Anyone not on board with that can jump off.
• Volunteer. We spend almost every Saturday cooing over the puppies up for adoption at Petsmart, so we think we'll do something to help out with them.
• Use our free time wisely. So often, we come home exhausted and just camp out on the couch all night ... which just makes us feel more tired and busier on the weekends. So we're going to try to fill our weeknights with some chores (laundry night, wedding planning night) plus even more fun traditions, like our favorite Modern Family / baking night with the Dewey-Gills.
• On top of all that, I'm back in the saddle of the great grad school search. I'm talking to a program (offers online and hybrid classes, plus would take transfer credit from ND) and hope to take a class this year!

So, share the goods. What are your resolutions? 

Hazy Days

From here, via Pinterest.

I'm still in the Christmas haze this week -- and travelling in the Bay Area!- so please don't mind a few less-frequent posts this week. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming after New Years!

xo, E.

Merry Christmas!

Best Christmas card ever, from Cookiesound.

To those of you hear in Indiana, in other places in the US (DC, New York, Atlanta ...) and all around the world (shout out to Japan, Costa Rica, Russia, India, and Australia), Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful day, celebrating with family, friends ... and food!

Thanks for joining me on my travels through the internet... :)

Love to you,

xo, E.

Christmas Around the World

Not travelling this year? You can still enjoy all the unique - and familiar- ways people around the world celebrate the holidays. Thanks to A Cup of Jo for the link!

1. Indonesia

2. Malta

3. Thailand

4. England

5. France

6. South Korea

All images, plus more, via The Atlantic!

Also, check out http://www.the-north-pole.com/ for Christmas traditions around the world.

For example, did you know that:

-In Iraq, families burn thorn bushes for good luck on Christmas Eve?

-In Norway, Christmas gifts were historically delivered by Julebukk, the "Christmas Buck"?

-In Venezuela, families roller-skate to Christmas Eve services in the city of Caracas? Streets are closed to allow for safe skating...

-In the Czech Republic, St. Nicholas is said to descend to Earth from a golden rope, accompanied by an angel and a devil.

-Poinsettia's come from Mexico, and legend has it that they grew their star-shaped flowers after a young boy brought the plants as an offering to his local church nativity.

Merry Christmas Eve, to all!

xo, E.

Last Minute Gift Ideas

DIY materials, via Pinterest.

First off, I'd like to welcome any new readers! I've had some lovely shout-outs lately, so thanks for checking out the blog!

Secondly, if you are a member of my immediate family, my boyfriend or my boyfriend's family,

 please stop reading!

You'll ruin all the fun.

Ok, we'll proceed. Some of you may, like me, be a teensy bit behind on Christmas gifts. Some of you, like me, may be stuck in the office and unable (or unwilling) to make it to the mall.

Solution: These gift ideas are DIY, and all you really need are office supplies.

Genius? Thanks, I thought so too.

1. For Grandma:

Need: calendar, markers, printer



Via Pinterest



We always struggle to find presents for my grandparents. At that age, they really don't want that much extra stuff, that, to be honest, they're just going wonder "now who should I leave this too?" This year, my Dad said "All Grandma really wants is visits from her grandchildren." Cue the guilt attack.

So here's what you do. Take your standard office calendar-preferably for the correct year - and personalize it with all the days you plan to make the pilgrimage to Grandma's house. Mark them on your calendar too - the visits are an essential part of the gift.  I used one of the laminated, pocket kinds, circled a few days every month, and added some fun doodles, holiday reminders and notes. Then I added text to the cover:

front "Emily's Coming to Visit...."

back "So Put on Some Pants!"

Always a good reminder.

2. For the Parents (or anyone hard to buy for):

Need: Publisher or word processor, images from google, printer

From here, via Pinterest.

Gift certificates are kind of tacky and impersonal. But not if you make your own! Remember when I talked about gifts of experiences? A great way to present them is by making a cute little greeting card announcing your gift, sharing the relevant details, and opening yourself up to praise and gratitude.

So, say you were giving someone something like a segway tour of San Francisco (for example.) You might make a card like this:

Front: This Christmas, roll into San Francisco in style...

Inside: Unitard NOT Included

Enjoy two hours of Segway Touring in San Francisco!

xo, E.

They don't have to be extremely witty (as soon above) but a little chuckle is a nice addition, if you can manage it. Add some google images (this one's from here) and you're good to go! Publisher has great templates that print out all on one side (no fighting with the printer and flipping pages) and you just fold them up and you are set.

3. For your sweetie:

Need: notebook, word processor, printer.

The Boy wants practical things = boring gifts like socks and jeans. So I'm trying to spice things up (and stay within our enforced budget limitations) by making a notebook full of a year's worth of fun things to do. I've got a section for restaurants we need to visit, day trips, date night ideas, and attractions. I've been using Yelp.com mainly, plus recommendations from friends and things we've always wanted to do but haven't gotten around to. Slap some tabs on the different sections, add a cute intro and you're done. No more thumb-twiddling Saturday nights in 2012!

(PS this idea was inspired by a blog I read, but I don't remember which one. Check the ABOUT ME tab to see my list of favorites. It's one of those.)

Hope this helps with some last minute ideas!

 Oh, and BTW, like, don't steal office supplies from your employers and stuff.

That's just wrong.

Reel in the Holidays!

I may have mentioned before that I love traditions. So naturally, I love Christmas - a time devoted to doing things exactly they way you did them the year before and the year before that.

Of course, my family has traditions for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - that's a given - but I also have a list of things I love to do during the build up to the holiday. And chief among them is wrapping up on the coach, grabbing a warm drink, and basking in the warm glow of my favorite holiday flicks.

1. A Christmas Story

This 1983 classic is actually set in Indiana, which makes it extra special. Sometimes, I find myself talking about Ralphie and his adventures like memories in my own life. Remember the time we had Chinese on Christmas Day -and the waiters tried to sing Deck the Halls? But they kept saying Fa Ra Ra instead of Fa La La?

Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing when you realize your funniest stories are actually scenes from a movie. Regardless, this Christmas epic is a part of my very being and I will love it faithfully until the day I die.

Important Note: You can now visit the actual house where the movie was filmed!! Road Trip, now!

And look what a fox Ralphie is these days! Shoot!

Wow.

2. Home Alone



Don't you love that scream? From here.



Maybe I have a thing for movies with cute little blond boys. Or maybe these are just two of the best families in movie history, and I just love visiting with them for a few hours. Either way, Home Alone (and none of the sequels) is a must-see.

3. White Christmas



All I want is a crushed red velvet gown for Christmas.... from here.



I love the clothes. I love the singing and the sexual tension. I skip over the dance numbers ('cause Vera Ellen's legs freak me out). It's a lovely fun movie that you can totally watch while reading your favorite holiday magazine or wrappin' up some gifts.

4. Love Actually

From here.

When this movie came out, I saw it in theatres at least three times. And bawled every time. Hugh Grant rips my heart out. So do Laura Linney and Emma Thompson. And oh man, Colin Firth at his best! I could do without the little chipmunk boy (Liam Nieson's son) but I get his appeal. Overall, an extraordinarily fine romantic comedy. The Boy and I watched it last night. Tears were shed. I'll let you guess whose...

5.  Bridget Jones' Diary 

Lucky girl, from here.

I don't know if this is really a Christmas movie (it didn't make this list) but it ends at Christmas so I think that counts. If you're noticing another trend here, I admit - I believe almost any movie with Colin Firth is a gift in itself and thus more than appropriate for holiday viewing. We watched this one recently too (I promise, I only get away with this amount of romcom viewing on my birthday) and, as usual, I nearly died when Hugh Grant and Colin battled it out pansy-man style in the street.

Comic gold. 

Alright, I realize this is a topic that breeds huge debate. What are your must-see holiday movies??

Come on, don't be shy...