christmas traditions : )

light show at wanamaker's in philadelphia

1. eggnog or hot chocolate?
"put your hands together."  (just a little f.r.i.e.n.d.s. reference for all of you who miss them as much as i do...)  i make killer hot chocolate that's mixed with egg nog instead of milk.  yum!

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
presents of santa are unwrapped.  presents from family are wrapped : )

3. colored lights or white lights on the tree/house?
growing up we did our big, 12ft tree in the family room with white lights and our little, 6ft tree in the living room with colored lights.  at our place this year, craig and i decorated both tree & barn with colored lights.  it looks awfully cute, if i do say so myself...

4. do you have mistletoe?
not currently.

5. when do you start putting your decorations up?
about a week after thanksgiving.

6. what is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
does "holiday" include thanksgiving?  because i really love my mom's stuffing.  mmm mmm good.  oh, and also my homemade cranberry sauce.

7. favorite holiday memory as a child?
that's a tough one.  i have sooo many wonderful memories.  decorating the house.  baking christmas goodies.  carolling.  holiday gatherings with family & friends.  christmas eve dinner at hotel du village.  not being able to sleep at all on christmas eve.  one thing i have very fond memories of is our annual christmas ride, which we still do to this day. we all pile into the car in our pjs and drive around to see all the lights and decorations while munching on fun (i.e. unhealthy) food and listening to christmas music! 

hotel du village

8. do you open a gift on christmas eve?
craig & i are doing our gift exchange on christmas eve this year before spending the holiday with family.

9. when and how did you learn the truth about santa?
hmm...i don't remember exactly.  i think i was 8 or 9 when i first started questioning.  but, to this day, i still refuse to become a true non-believer.

10. how do you decorate your christmas tree?
growing up, we decorated the big tree with hand-crafted, homemade ornaments and then decked the little tree with all the truly special antique ornaments.  craig and i don't have many of our own ornaments yet, so we invested in a small starter kit of red, green and gold ornaments.

11. snow! love it or hate it?
are you joking?  who cannot love snow?!!  (especially at christmas)

12. can you ice skate?
i don't think so.  i haven't tried since i was about 7 years old.  craig's a fabulous skater, though.  (he's a hockey boy.)

craig in all his glory : )

13. do you remember your favorite gift?
one of my favorite and most memorable gifts was my cockatiel, tucket.  i desperately wanted a bird in a beautiful cage and come christmas morning, there he was beside the tree.  magical.

14. what is the most important thing about the holidays for you?
being with family & friends and savoring every minute!

15. what tops your tree?
usually an angel.  but, this year, my parents' tree is too tall for the angel to fit.  and craig and i have a small sock monkey ornament bedecked with scarf and hat atop ours : )

16. what's your favorite holiday tradition?
what isn't my favorite?!  i love them all.  i'm big on traditions...  but i would have to say that my ultimate fave is our philadelphia weekend.  for years, we've gone into philly around the holidays to see the light show at wanamaker's (now macy's) and walk through the dickens' village.  in the past, we've stayed at the rittenhouse hotel for the entire weekend to christmas shop and enjoy delicious meals at amazing restaurants.  this year, we're heading in on the 18th!  i cannot wait : ) 

lobby at the rittenhouse hotel

17. which do you prefer giving or receiving?
giving.  i love watching someone open a present that i'm excited to give.

18. what is your favorite holiday dessert?
hmm...another tough one.  i love all the homemade cookies that we bake each year.  especially the shortbread cookies that i just wrote about in my previous post.  so delicious!  and the oatmeal scotchies are great too!

19. what is your favorite christmas song?
i love "the christmas song" sung by karen carpenter.  "white christmas" performed by bing crosby.  and "have yourself a merry little christmas" sung by judy garland.

20. candy canes! yuck or yum?
candy canes, though not my favorite holiday treat, definitely have their place.  i like stirring my hot cocoa with them : )

21. what is your favorite christmas special/movie?
i adore the oldies.  "christmas in connecticut" with barbara stanwyck, "white christmas" with danny kaye and bing crosby and "miracle on 34th street" (both the old and new versions).

christmas in connecticut

feel free to answer any/all of these questions on your blog.  just be sure to send me the link so i can read yours, too!.

25 questions...

picture credit {here}

sara beth from simple thoughts from a simple girl tagged me with 25 questions to answer about myself.  so, here they are!  hope you enjoy : )

1. Do you see a lot of stars at night where you live?
i wouldn't say "a lot", but on a clear night, you can definitely see them.

2. Did you cry today?
actually, yes.  kind of.  i got a little teary eyed (in a good way) this morning over a video my mom sent me via email.

3. What are you doing tomorrow?
working.  then craig and i are heading to my parents' house for dinner and to spend the night.

4. What is the last movie you watched and what's the best thing about it?
sex and the city 2.  the clothes.  definitely the clothes.

5. Are you craving any kind of food right now?
hmmm...right at this very minute?  no.  but lately i've been dying to get some good sushi.

6. Who slept in your bed with you last?
craig of course.  we always try to convince olive (or doggie) to join us, but we're rejected every time.

7. Where were you at 9am?
i was at home having breakfast with craig.  (he's home today because it's veteran's day.)

8. How do you feel about your hair?
generally i like it.  i used to not get along with it at all because it's sooo curly, but i've learned to embrace the curl over the years.

9. Do you plan on having any babies and if so how many?
yes.  probably two.

10. Do you wear makeup?
rarely.  i'm not big into the whole makeup thing, but if we're going out, i definitely put a bit on : )

11. Have you done any community service this year?
yes.

12. What is the last concert you went to?
i think jack johnson.  like 3 years ago.  i guess we need to get out more... lol

13. Do you have any secret wishes right now?
yes (but for obvious reasons, i cannot share them...then they wouldn't be a secret!)

14. Have you ever cried in front of the last person you kissed?
yeah.  definitely.

15. If you could be anywhere right now where would you want to be?
on a romantic getaway with craig somplace secluded and relaxing (with great restaurants nearby : )

16. How is the weather lately?
beautiful.  sunny & high 50s.

17. Where do you want to eat next?
well, this weekend craig and i are heading into philly to go to our fave restaurant tinto.  so, i'm really looking forward to that meal!

18. What scares you the most about relationships?
losing people you love.

19. What's your favorite sport to play?
well, i don't really play sports.  but as far as physical activities go, i love yoga and walking.  i used to play tennis in high school, so i guess that would be the sport i like best.

20. Do you like chocolate?
umm...YES!

21. What are you listening to?
a mix.  ella fitzgerald, norah jones, billie holiday, etc.

22. What happens to you when you get nervous?
i get tense and can't settle.

23. Does the rain ruin your day?
rarely.

24. What is your relationship status?
engaged : )

25. Are you ticklish?
a little bit.  (not nearly as ticklish as craig, so i always win tickle fights.)

so, if you were "tagged" by receiving a link to this post in your blog comments, feel free to copy & paste the questions and answer them for yourself.  (ps. stop back and leave me a link to yours, if you get the chance!  i'd love to read it.).

perks of the job

back of lodge

today i went with one of my writing clients, denise from nelson bridge, to view a house that she and her design partner have been working on.  i ghostwrite their blog and do some email marketing for them, so they wanted me to see the house, so i can brainstorm some ideas about how to publicize the project.

front door - welcome to the lodge!

the place was unreal. it sits on the top of a hill in the middle of 1000 acres of land. yes, that's right...i said 1000. there are amazing views in every direction. it's done in the style of a rustic hunting lodge, but believe me, there are very, very few "rustic" qualities about the place. everything is so lavish and impressive - i felt like i was on a movie set!

great room

view down the stairs

the floor plan radiates out from the central great room.  this massive space has two huge fireplaces, four seating areas, a gigantic bar with seating for 8 people and a floor-to-ceiling window (or rather window wall) with gorgeous views.  flanking the great room are the billiard room and master bedroom on one side and the dining room and kitchen on the other.  upstairs there are four more bedrooms, all with private baths (and amazing views, of course), and the basement contains two "media zones" - one for tv viewing and the other for gaming.  like i said before...unreal.


view of great room from upstairs

notice the bar to the left???



view from widow's walk



another view of back



another great vista

 

what a fun day at work! 

oh, and if you're interested in checking out the blog i ghostwrite for them click {here}.





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the (holiday) countdown begins...

picture credit {here}

can you believe that thanksgiving is just 3 weeks away?!  yes, that's right...i said 3 weeks!  where does the time go?  the holiday season is my favorite time of year.  i (strive to) relish in every moment and savor every passing minute, but it's not always easy.  with an endless to-do list and tons of obligations, it's sometimes hard to sit back, relax and just enjoy.

tonight i'm presenting about how to "make the most of the holiday season" at the hunterdon county library in flemington, nj.  (for those of you who don't know, i'm a lifestyle designer and author and write about how to live a happy, healthy life.)  i was honored when asked to share my tips and techniques about how to truly enjoy my favorite time of year.

picture credit {here}

i'll be offering decorating ideas, tips about how to get through the holiday season stress-free and also discussing the importance of traditions.  (i'm all about traditions and love anything nostalgic, so i'm really looking forward to that part!!!)

so, if you're in the area, i'd love to have you stop by.  the program is at 7pm at the hunterdon county library on route 12 and is free and open to everyone.  for more info click {here}.

happy (almost) holidays!  hope to see you there : )

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