merry & bright…

i hope it was the merriest & brightest of christmases for all of you!

hubs & i were somehow blessed to have a few days off in a row this christmas {which hardly ever happens in retail} so we packed up all the presents & henry & hit the road to charleston. it was my first christmas spent in the southern city & it was quite beautiful. the palm trees were all lit up & the carriage riders were bundled tight in blankets. on Sunday evening we did a little downtown shopping, ate at our favorite restaurant: Hall’s Chophouse then we headed back home to hibernate for the rest of the holiday… we really tried to rest. we slept in, stayed in our comfy clothes & the couch was my seat of choice. i lost count of how many christmas movies we watched, i don’t think we ever ceased eating + drinking & there were presents galore. i think my favorites from gil were tiffany rope rings, a le creuset enameled cast iron french oven, peugot salt & pepper grinders & a new julia child book. i have plans to really explore cooking & baking in the new year… i know gil is excited.

headed to downtown charleston… isn’t he handsome!?

SO happy about this beauty… i’m pretty sure i’m going to cook everything in it all the time.

my favorite wrapping paper to date… i heart herringbone.

we’ve already taken down all the holiday decor at Nordstrom! until next year…

we did a little family photo shoot with the talented andie linn… henry was very excited to be a part of it. obviously.

even though christmas seems to come & go so quickly it’s always such a magical season… each time i read the story of Jesus’ birth i am more awed by the gift that he is to us. one we could never deserve but one i am more thankful for with each passing year. this christmas was one to remember & we haven’t even celebrated with my parents yet!! can’t wait to spend new years eve with them celebrating the most wonderful time of the year…

i’ve missed you all…

i didn’t mean to take a 2 month long blog hiatus but i did.  i’m not sure if i needed a break or not but i do remember asking myself what i was doing. i remember thinking that if i wasn’t encouraging people to do something that really mattered then maybe i should just stop…

i think i’m still figuring it out but i do know for sure that i’ve been called to be a wife. one that brings good to my husband & not harm… one that helps the poor & speaks wisdom. one that is profitable… i’ve got staying up late & having expensive taste in the bag but watching over the affairs of my household & building a home is what i love most & i’m honored to do it.

i know it looks different for all of us. some of us aren’t married, we’re renting apartments or funds are extremely limited but no matter what, as women (no offense to my male readers like Marc) i think we’re the ones who can choose to make wherever we are a place that’s more than just a home. a place that overflows with encouraging words & reminders of His love for us. a place that’s a comfortable hideaway from the things stirring non-stop on the outside. a place that resources what we already have so that we aren’t wasteful, as well as a place that riles up the creativity inside all of us…

i’m doing my best & that’s all i can do. sharing ways to encourage all of you to live small, dress up, make changes, & be the best version of yourself is what i love most. so if now that means cakes, antiques, wallpaper, lots of spray paint & pin after pin then let’s get back to it… maybe i just needed a little pep-talk… but really, i’ve missed you.

i’ll leave you with a few things i’ve been up to these last 2 months:

i ran my first 5k the color run! isn’t my friend leigh cute?

this is the apple pie i baked with my mom on thanksgiving… it was more than delish.

i diy’d my own metal letters… i’ll show you what they spell soon enough

we have our christmas tree up & in a new corner! i added a huge burlap bow on top after i snapped this photo.

& this is what henry has been up to… he’s constantly resting under the tree between snacking on it.