lovely things.

it's that time again. time to spread a little pinterest love. here are a few of the lovely pins i have come across recently that are wonderful. enjoy!

happy christmas eve eve!

*all photos compliments of pinterest

merry CHRISTmas quiz!

How fun! This is a borrowed idea from my favorite blogger Casey Wiegand, and she borrowed the idea from here! One of the things i love most about this little blogging world... shared creativity & inspiration :)

enjoy!

1. egg nog or hot chocolate?

hot chocolate with cinnamon, yummmm!

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

wraps them!

3. colored lights on tree/house or white?

colored && white on the tree & white everywhere else!

4. do you hang mistletoe?

yesssss! it's my favorite place to get caught.

5. when do you put your decorations up?

thanksgiving weekend! but it'd be sooner if it were only up to me!

6. what is your favorite holiday dish?

sweet potatoes, or anything my parents cook & husband's mom's seafood pasta that we eat as a CHRISTmas eve tradition!

7. favorite holiday memory as a child?

hmmm... going to my nana's on CHRISTmas eve, with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, etc!

8. have you ever had a white CHRISTmas?

yes! the last one was in 2007 :) best CHRISTmas ever!

9. do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

yes! always have!

10. how do you decorate your Christmas tree?

colored and white lights, all of my CHRISTmas ornaments from growing up (my grandparents gave every grandchild one for CHRISTmas every year :)) and a bunch of other cute ornaments!

11. snow! love it or dread it?

L.O.V.E. it!!! can't get enough :)

12. can you ice skate?

yessss!

13. do you remember your favorite gift? 

hmmm, i love all of the gifts i have been given :) i am not a 'gift love'... so the sentimental ones are always what warm my heart the most!

14. what’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?

spending time with loved ones!! Jesus! and baking :)

15. what is your favorite holiday dessert?

what isn't?! sweeeeeet tooooooth :)

16. what is your favorite holiday tradition?

amy grant CHRISTmas cd :) and baking with my mom & sisters!

17. what tops your tree?

for now, a gingerbread man :) we haven't gotten our 'married topper' yet :)

18. which do you prefer: giving or receiving?

giving!!!!! i love seeing the joy my gifts bring to others :)

19. candy canes: yuck or yummy?

eh... wouldn't be my first choice

20. favorite Christmas movie?

soooo many! HUGE fan of [[theSANTAclause]] && theGrinch (withJIMcarey)

21. favorite Christmas song?

it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas... along with SO many others!

only 4 more sleeps 'til CHRISTmas!!

olivia wilde love.

olivia wilde.

end of story.

she is my favorite. such a talented actress & absolutely STUNNING. i just wanted to take a second & appreciate her beauty :) lovelove her.

reeses peanut butter surprises!

peanut butter surprises!

so my older sister & i had a baking night this past weekend! i, as usual, wanted to try something new! we've put oreos inside of cookies, and also s'mores... so what could be better than that? hmmm... oh yeah! a reeses peanut butter cup. yummm. i've shared the recipe i used below! enjoy :)

Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
1 bag of standard size reeses cups

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3. Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

4. Take one scoop of cookie dough, place Reeses peanut butter cup on top and then take a second scoop of cookie dough and place on top of the Reeses. Press the cookie dough together, sealing the edges and then carefully mold into a ball. Drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

5. Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.  EAT!

so far...

so far since we've been home we've...

had fun with our pets.

gone to our favorite starbucks (where we got engaged).

reunited with our beloved whirly pop! homemade popcorn for us!

fallen back in love with colorado, wintery fashion.

 gone to eat! some new, some old.

double dated with fam & their loves.

 decorated our CHRISTmas tree.

wrapped presents pinterest style.

 so so many more pictures to come!!

only 10 more sleeps 'til CHRISTmas!!