Three Years

Dave and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary yesterday. After so much Christmas-related celebrating, we were in the mood for a low-key, fun day. We saw The Muppets and treated ourselves to Chinese food yesterday afternoon. Dave made two delicious homemade pizzas for dinner which we enjoyed with a bottle of red wine. It was a very casual anniversary celebration, but fun because we got to spend the whole day together laughing and being silly.

Dave and me dancing at our wedding.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the entire year. Dave and I worked super hard yesterday cleaning our house and running errands so that we could spend today relaxing. We met Bekah and Nate for brunch this morning and are spending the afternoon wrapping gifts and reading. Tonight we are dining at the Peacock Inn with my family. I'm so excited to enjoy a delicious meal and to see all of the gorgeous Princeton houses all decked out for Christmas.

A bit of Christmas cheer by my front door.

I hope you have a cozy evening spent with family and friends. Don't forget to leave some cookies out for Santa!

Co-worker Gifts

My co-workers and I exchange small gifts at Christmastime each year. Lately, I've been finding presents arranged on my desk when I come into work in the morning (what a great way to start the day!). My co-workers have given me such thoughtful gifts this year:

My boss gave me a bottle of Pinot Noir that I can't wait to try. I also received a few gifts that will make my life a bit more luxurious and special: a pretty candle with a fresh scent, kiwi hand cream, and a sweet, pink vase. I love the shiny ornaments and think they will look lovely on my Christmas tree. I was given a box of delicious cookies, donuts, and sweets as well - yum.

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season - only 4 more days to go!

New Girl

New Girl is my very favorite TV show right now. Jess is awkward and cute and Schmidt cracks me up! Have you checked it out yet? You can watch recent episodes here.

(Photo from Fox.com)

Christmas Around the House

My weekend got off to a great start on Friday night; Dave and I had a few friends over for wine, cheese, and chatting by the fire. I love having something easy and fun to look forward to at the end of the week.

Dave had a ton of papers to grade this weekend and while he was busy with the papers I worked on getting our house decorated for Christmas. I chose "woodland glamour" as my decorating theme this year. A bunch of our decorations and ornaments easily fit into this theme, and I picked up a new table runner, some pinecone and acorn ornaments, and a few new mercury glass votives earlier in the week. Here are a couple of snaps from around the house:

We kept it super simple this year and only trimmed
the tree with white lights and ornaments.

I love this little snowy cottage ornament.

A perfect fit with this year's theme: golden, glittery acorns.

Our mantle is decorated with mini boxwood plants, Grandma's
silver candelabra, mercury glass votives, and silver glitter deer.

On our Christmas table: a rustic runner, nuts,
glamorous mercury glass, and German glitter birds.

I took Monday off to finish up my shopping; I'm hoping that the stores won't be as crowded as they are on the weekends. Have a great week!

A Little Something for Friday Afternoon

I love this...

Print by Gemma Correll

(Available here via A Cup of Jo)

Volunteering at Philabundance

On Tuesday I headed down to Philabundance with my co-workers for an afternoon of volunteering at their warehouse. I was so impressed with Philabundance! The warehouse was clean and bright and the volunteer program was well-organized. The organization works hard to alleviate hunger in the Philadelphia area.

Our department was given the task of sorting, weighing, and packaging apples to go to Philabundance's food cupboards, emergency kitchens, and neighborhood markets. We processed 8,817 lbs. of apples in three hours! I'm happy that I was able to contribute to this charity while enjoying an afternoon away from the office with my co-workers.

Weekend Wrap-up

Here's my weekend wrap-up delivered to you on Tuesday night. Better late than never, right? :)

This past weekend was full of Christmas-y fun. I spent Friday night with my mom. We went on the Christmas in Doylestown House Tour and had fun driving around town and getting to peek inside four gorgeous houses all decked out for the holidays. We apparently had a lot of catching up to do because we could barely get one story out before we were on to the next topic.

Dave and I spent almost all of Saturday at Longwood Gardens with his family. We ate lunch together and then headed over to Longwood Gardens around 5:00. We explored the grounds and admired the lighted trees and fountains as darkness fell. Then, we walked over to the greenhouses for more exploring and a short concert. The staff had set up clever trees (full-size!) and wreaths throughout the greenhouses made out of unusual materials like aloe plants, orchids, succulents, and even parsley! I've never visited Longwood Gardens in the evening during the holidays, but it turned out to be such a treat.

An elegant tree all ready for Christmas at Longwood Gardens

We put our Christmas tree up on Sunday evening and enjoyed its twinkling lights while we watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and drank hot cocoa.

Christmas Activities

Has the following scenario ever happened to you? About a week before Christmas you realize that December 25th is quickly approaching and you are completely unprepared for it and (ahhhhh) it doesn't even feel like Christmas yet.

Well, this has happened to me and I can't stand it! I think the best way to keep Christmas from sneaking up on you is to start celebrating early. This year, Dave and I tried to buy all of our gifts in November so that we could focus on Christmas activities in December. We almost finished crossing everyone off our list and I only have a few more gifts to buy. We also came up with a list of fun things we want to do this year to keep that Christmas feeling going strong all month long (inspired by this).  Here is what we came up with:

Christmas in Doylestown House Tour

Write and mail Christmas cards

Drink a peppermint latte from Starbucks
Visit Longwood Gardens with Dave's family

Trim the tree
Enjoy cocktails at the William Penn Inn
Bake cookies
Visit the Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem
Drink eggnog
NYC daytrip
Attend cookie exchange
Watch as many Christmas movies as possible
Drive around town to look at lights
Drink hot cocoa

Paperwhites

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I've been thinking about Paperwhites for the past couple of Christmases, but I never got around to planting any until this year. I picked out a couple of bulbs this past Saturday and can't wait to see them grow into plants and bloom. It's not too late to plant Paperwhites if you want flowers for Christmas - just make sure you plant them this week!

(Pot and rocks from Ikea; bulbs from Terrain)

Visiting Terrain

Terrain at Styer's is one of my absolute favorite places to visit! This garden shop features a huge outdoor garden center, greenhouse, store, cafe, and restaurant. I like to visit at least once every season and I almost never leave empty-handed. My parents drove down with us on Saturday and we had a great time winding our way through the Christmas trees outside, hunting for gifts in the store, and sharing lunch and a bottle of sparkling apple cider in the restaurant.

Poinsettias all ready for Christmas in the greenhouse.

Mom and me at lunch.

This huge bloom was the centerpiece on our lunch table.

Dave and Dad enjoying some sparkling apple cider

P.S. Terrain has an awesome brunch, too! Dave and I just visited with Lindsay and Dave a few weeks ago. :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

I have been enjoying Thanksgiving weekend so much this year! Dave's sister and her husband hosted Thanksgiving dinner and they sweetly invited my family. It was so nice to gather together on Thanksgiving rather than splitting our time between families. Dave cooked a turkey for us at home so we can enjoy leftovers (my favorite!) throughout the weekend.

Dave and I hosted a cocktail party at our house on Friday night. We loved chatting with our friends and were so happy to have a mix of old friends (some from middle school) and new buddies. Dave mixed up rosemary gin and tonics as well as cranberry clove Champaign cocktails - yum! I was so busy having fun that I completely forgot to take pictures. :)

I hope you had a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving! It's beginning to look a lot like...

Brian & Theresa's Wedding

I had so much fun at Brian and Theresa's wedding on Long Island this past weekend! I caught up with Dave's family, dined on delicious food (there was a mashed potato bar at the cocktail hour!), and danced up a storm.

I wasn't the only one hitting the dance floor...

Brian and Theresa

The chocolate wedding cake was delicious!

The reception room had two flat screen TVs with burning "fires." We couldn't resist warming ourselves by them. :)

I also had the pleasure of eating at a classic Long Island diner twice!

Weekend Getaway: Long Island

Dave and I are heading out to Long Island this weekend to attend his cousin Brian's wedding. I'm ducking out of work early tomorrow in hopes of dodging the infamous Long Island traffic to make it to the rehearsal dinner. It will be nice to get away for a bit - my cold has been hanging on all week and I'm sick of missing out on all the fun. I'm looking forward to dancing with Dave and eating wedding cake! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Is it too early...

...to start my Christmas list? If not, I'd like this lovely tote. It matches my blog and everything!


Kate Spade, of course.

I'm Sick. Boo!

I caught Dave's cold last night and woke up with a sore throat this morning. I don't have any pressing work projects, so I took the day off in hopes of beating this cold before it really kicks in. I have too many fun weekend plans to be sick!

Dave gave me this lovely bath tea that I'm so excited to try.

Today I'm taking it easy - I'll be watching old T.V. shows on my DVR, taking a hot bath, and drinking epic amounts of tea with honey.

Happy Friday to you!

Girls' Night Out

I spent Saturday evening in the city with a few of my dearest friends. We caught up over wine and yummy Indian Food. These ladies lift my spirits and make me smile until my face hurts!

I snapped a few pictures while we were waiting outside of the restaurant:

Michelle and Bekah

Natalie, me, Michelle, Bekah

We are trying to see each other frequently until Shruthi moves to California at the end of December. I think she is going to love living in Palo Alto. :)

Shruthi and Michelle

Sadly, I have no pictures of Alexis - bummer. I'll have to make sure I get her next time.

Happy Monday!

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.

I'm reading "Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M." at the moment and I'm really enjoying the book. The author, Sam Wasson, describes the making of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. I've loved Audrey Hepburn forever, so I was eager to get my hands on this book.


Sometimes, I feel that Wasson is a bit too broad in his generalizations about big, important ideas like "the 1960s" and "women". Ha! I'm enjoying the juicy gossip and glamorous movie stars, though.

P.S. Happy Friday!

Autumn Snowstorm!

Last Sunday, Dave and I wanted to do a bit of exploring after Saturday night's snowstorm. We drove over to Lambertville to walk around and poke in some of our favorite shops. I couldn't get over the smell of the crisp, autumn air and snowy sidewalks - what a crazy combination!

The Delaware Canal looked so beautiful:

I was so happy to be home from my business trip:

I'm back from Spokane!

Spokane turned out to be almost exactly as I expected: quiet and scenic. As I drove from the airport to my hotel I noticed that the surrounding mountains were covered with pine trees and autumn foliage.

Sarah and I did share one good meal together (the other meal was not so good). We couldn't get over how quiet the city is. We could walk for blocks without passing another person!

Here are a couple of snaps from the SkyRide. I spoke to a couple of locals about the Spokane River and, apparently, the river dries up during the fall and winter and begins to flow again after the snow melts in the spring. I'm sure the falls look awesome during the warmer months.

The Spokane River from the SkyRide.

I came home on Saturday night to an October snowstorm!

Flying the Friendly Skies: Spokane, WA

I’m leaving early tomorrow morning for a business trip to Spokane, WA. I’ve never been to Spokane before nor do I know anyone who has travelled there. I’m so curious to see the city. I’m hoping for some fun restaurants to try with my co-worker, Sarah; quiet time for reading (perfect for the long flight!); and, if I have time, a ride on this:



Spokane Falls SkyRide

I'll be back on Saturday evening. Hopefully, I'll have some SkyRide pictures to share. :)

Weekend Wrap-up

I've had another busy weekend. On Friday night I invited both sets of parents over for belated birthday cake in honor of Dave. I spent Saturday afternoon with my parents while Dave was at work. We went on a house tour in Solebury. It was a sunny, crisp autumn day that was just perfect for driving around and visiting gorgeous houses.

I look forward to the golden leaves on this tree every autumn.

Last night Dave and I attended a harvest dinner hosted by members of our wine club. Nine courses in five hours - I was stuffed! My favorites were stuffed cherry tomatoes, country mushroom and nut pate, butternut squash soup, and apple pie. We drank a different wine with each course and my favorite was the 2010 Cuvee Amrita White from Anne Amie Vineyards in Oregon. Yum!

Dave played in a soccer game on Sunday morning, so I went to brunch with Michelle and then enjoyed a long walk around the neighborhood. I love sunny Fall weekends!

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Dave enjoying a birthday cocktail at The Boathouse

Dear Dave,

Happy birthday! I adore you and all of the sweet things you do for me. I love that you tell me jokes when I am bored, pack my lunch every day, and give me kisses whenever I ask. I'm super proud of how hard you are working on your PhD. Having you as my husband makes me a fortunate girl, indeed!

Love,

Steph

Fall Wardrobe Refresh

I like to pick up a few additions to my wardrobe each season. Here's what I chose this fall:

No. 2 pencil skirt from J.Crew

This skirt is both elegant and snuggly. Plus, I adore the color.

Autumn Breton shirt from Boden

I love striped shirts, especially if one of those stripes is navy. Throw in brass buttons and I'm sold.

Weekend Wrap-up

Whew - I had a super busy weekend! Dave and I scrubbed our house from top to bottom (I love starting the week with a clean house). We visited with our families over dinner, coffee, and Sunday breakfast. And we hosted a Sangiovese tasting on Sunday night.


Dave setting out delicious wines for us to sample.

The wine tasting was a perfect way to end the weekend and start the new week off on a cheerful note. Happy Monday!

Growing Basil

I love keeping a basil plant in the house so we can have fresh basil for cooking. Unfortunately, I can't keep these plants alive for very long. I've tried keeping them inside and out, but they always die after a few weeks.

Dave picked up a gorgeous new plant at Whole Foods and I'm hoping that it will be happy in the sunny window in our living room.  I've also put it in a colorful pot hoping that it will feel pretty and loved. I'm going to start out small and try to keep this plant alive until Thanksgiving. Wish me luck!

Baby Gifts

Recently, Dave and I had occasion to buy two gifts for brand new baby girls. I was a bit stumped at first since I don't buy baby gifts very often.  Both moms had already been given showers and didn't have many fun options left on their registries. Luckily, I read this post on A Cup of Jo about gifts for new parents. Dave and I visited our local bookstore on a dreary October evening and picked out two new books for these sweet babies.

The Runaway Bunny is a classic that I can still remember reading with my mom when I was a little kid.

We also selected Forever Friends which describes a sweet friendship between a bunny and a bird. We loved the story and the gorgeous, creative illustrations.

I hope these babies enjoy their new books!