just a few ways i'd like to spend my time in january...

links via images

mountain holiday

fireside kiss

first~ever hot chocolate

sledding!

matchbox toys

rockets + airplanes

holiday view

we had a delightful holiday this year at the mountain. we spent our time filling up on sweets and snow, and although Lars and i could not hit the slopes this year (but will be for sure next year) my husband braved them alone; only to return a few hours later to claim it's just no fun without us~ aahhh, we love him for that!

white christmas

image via here

we're off to have our white christmas in just under 12 hours now. hope everyone has a beautiful holiday~no matter what color!

holiday home top 10

~wooden bird napkin rings~scrap fabric garlands~

~coffee filter pom poms~vintage glass balls~

~whimsically wrapped gifts~tons of ribbon and ornaments~

~a very excited two year old~guitar rock pjs~

~wool sock monkey~handmade felt garland~

describe your holiday home  'top 10'....

just a few more things we'd like to add under the tree...

...we're really into the alphabet, numbers, and of course motorcycles over here right now!

renewing our spirits

after spending weeks and weeks shuttling from work to home, home to gift shopping, gift shopping to holiday activities, repeat repeat repeat, we were all in for some much needed fresh air. after we couldn't take being couped up indoors for a second more, the three of us layered up and headed here for a late fall hike. although there is a bigger bite in the air now and the trails were a bit muddy, it wasn't raining and we were surrounded by the fresh smell of enormous douglas firs and forest. armed with coffee, we marched on for much further than i imagined Lars would go; he insisted walking the entire length and has managed to impress us once again with his independence and stamina.

luckykids...

...lucky me. although there are some really cool resources out there for kids fashion, i have a slight hunch that the magazine above, launching in march, will hit all the right notes. i have to admit dressing my son is one of the major perks of being a mother. as he's matured he's shown quite an interest in what he wears day to day, which i adore. going forward it looks like i won't have much say in what he chooses to walk out the door in, therefore i've adopted the 'supply' theory. 'supply' him with as many interesting options as possible, and watch the combinations roll... this will help me do it. and just what i need, another periodical to add to the subscription list. really.

holiday beauty inspiration

i'm getting excited for our christmas getaway~ can you tell? this is truly the first occasion i've had since our son was born to really get dressed; meaning hair, makeup, and outfit (i always manage at least one of those day to day~ but all three these days can be a challenge). my husband has offered to give me an updo, which is a real treat and normally never possible with our time constraints in daily life, family and work.

the cutest little boy came in the mail today...

last month i placed an order for a custom handmade waldorf inspired toy for my son. i wanted a race car theme because right now he loves nothing more than 'nice, cool race car(s)' in his words. the artist suggested that i submit a photo so that she could make the doll in his likeness. i had the perfect one having just celebrated Halloween. when the package arrived in the mail today my husband and i were thrilled to see just how much it really looked like him! this artist's work is truly phenomenal. we can not wait to give this to our son for christmas and begin a collection of these delightful toys.

shop handmade here

film fashion : Talia Shire

although i grew up with a house full of brothers, i was surprised to discover i had never seen Rocky from beginning to end. sure i'd seen the iconic scenes we all know from the film but i had yet to fully absorb the dialogue. while i've never been a fan of sports dramas, this is a true classic and i'm glad i watched it. the love story is one of the best, and we can all take a few cues from Adrian's winter styling.

two year olds love holiday light displays...(ok so do we)

with just a little over a week left until christmas, it's beginning to feel like crunch time over here. although we can now check this and this off our list of festive activities, we still have one more to go. i'm hoping we'll be able to fit it in before we leave for our trip. Oh yeah, add packing and wrapping on that lengthy, taunting little to-do list...

stormy sunday

tacoma narrows bridge near my home, via here

although i am an early riser through the fall and winter months, this morning i awoke to a rainstorm at a time that left quite a few hours to go until daylight. wind and rain outside my bedroom window whirred and whistled until i was left with no other choice than to get up and brew an extra large pot of coffee. these days i'm a much lighter sleeper since having my son, and after i rubbed most of the sleep from my eyes and had a few sips of caffeine, i was able to see the opportunity at hand and take advantage of it~ some alone time. it is an elusive occasion for me and truly one i don't think about until the moment presents itself. when it does i'm usually left contemplating what i should do with my time, until it has run out and all i did was spend it trying to make a decision. not so this time. i fired up netflix and chose a selection i would otherwise never have the opportunity to watch in the presence of my two year old. it was a 2 hours in the early early am that was well spent, and inspires my next film fashion post. stay tuned!!

grey dresses + snowy skies

with christmas eve dinner only over a week away, i've been thinking about what to wear. since we'll be spending it at the mountain this year and dining out, i'm posed with the challenge of looking festive and keeping warm. i could pair any of these dresses with red tights and a cozy sweater... the grey of the dresses against the snowy grey skies seems so pretty to me. now if i could only make a decision on how to dress my son...

1 four layer cake, 7 vintage belt buckles, and 40 years of life

my husband's 4oth went off without a hitch! he made it through the entire day in great spirits and in the evening we celebrated with his favorite - german chocolate cake. this cake was truly a labor of love, this being the first year i ever made it entirely from scratch. with four layers, the coconut pecan filling, and rich chocolate frosting, i spent all morning and afternoon on tuesday 'building' it (i felt like this guy). after cake we opened gifts; he has another vintage belt buckle to add to his collection - one of my favorites so far, with a native buffalo theme. here's to my husband!!

seasonal must see - you've got mail

although not technically a christmas movie, you've got mail is most definitely a must-watch seasonal film. taking place at the beginning of fall and ending in riverside park in the spring, it's a cute love story that takes us through nearly all of new york's weather changes - minus the blistering heat of summer. i have a fairly lengthy list of films i like to watch starting in the fall, but this is the only one that hits all the right notes. and i don't think meg ryan looks prettier in any other film (except maybe this one; another one on my list...) not only is the story delightful, the set is one that i could be happy living in forever; to be surrounded by books, coffee and french-inspired vintage furniture and linens?! but ultimately the laptop theme played throughout the movie is my favorite. while this was filmed at the very beginning of the internet boom, it seems years beyond...what are your favorites?

carousels, hot air balloons, and a newborn

holiday shopping in the city and a visit with my beautiful friend and her newborn baby boy couldn't have been better. we don't get to see nearly enough of each other but now that she has entered mommyhood i'm hoping all that will change! after 2 hours of making funny baby faces and the latest in video gaming (her husband has the coolest job with microsoft} we headed across the bridge for downtown coffee and carousels. Lars couldn't have been more full of joy during his festive ride; and afterwords we headed here and here for this year's tree ornaments. with our little guy growing so fast we've begun a new tradition~ it'll be fun to look back 10 years from now at our growing collection...

my new favorite ornament...check out this amazing anthropologie inspired DIY tutorial; i may have to try my hand at it to add to my collection...

...and my new favorite baby!!

sweets for my sweet friend and her new baby boy!

impending our meeting of a certain special little one, Lars and i baked what will be the first of many holiday cookies this season.  using a recipe from this book (which i found thrifting last christmas; it's vintage quality is fantastic and the projects in it are truly timeless) we had fun taking turns cutting, frosting and sprinkling our festive shapes.  the cookies turned out great and were a hit~ my only challenge was keeping my husband from eating the whole batch...  we'll definitely be baking more of these again soon.

SUGAR COOKIES

makes 2 dozen

1       stick unsalted butter

1       c. granulated sugar

2c.    sifted all-purpose flour

1/4t. salt

1/2t. baking powder

1       large egg

2T.    brandy

1/2t. vanilla extract

ROYAL ICING

1c. confectioner's sugar

1    egg white

food coloring

cream butter + sugar. sift together dry ingredients; add to butter mixture and beat well. add the egg, brandy and vanilla and beat again until well mixed. shape dough into two flattened rounds and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (i put mine in the freezer for 20 min.)

roll out dough and cut shapes. bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes and do not allow to brown. cool on racks and frost with royal icing and decorate.

i was supposed to be holiday gift shopping...

...but then i started thinking about spring (i know, i haven't even put our tree up yet) and i know i'm not going to be able to resist this color combination. the rose pillow might be a fun project for a diy knockoff, and with the tablecloth fabric i'm thinking kitchen curtains (or an apron, or cute potholders; the list could go on~ i love this print!).