Wednesday, December 4, 2024
It’s the first Wednesday of the month and that means Currently with Jennifer! But, stayed tuned at the end for Hodgepodge with Joyce, too!
Currently loving
Admittedly, I don’t have much decor up, but what I do have I love. The lights make me happy in the mornings and evenings.
I have a plaid tablecloth on the dining room table and this dough bowl of pine cones, too.
Sunday morning I finished reading this and while it is common sense and nothing earth shattering, I took notes and wrote down what I wanted the holiday season to look like and what I can and want to put forth effort to do. I also have my December List that I plan to work on and it’s all fun stuff!
So, I am loving going into the season the way I want to and with intentionality as best as I can. There are sometimes external obligations but that’s ok.
Looking forward to
Wrapping up this semester with some fun holiday things and midterms that are easy to grade (ha!) and having two weeks off. I can’t remember what it’s like to have that much time off since summer seems like it was a long, long time ago in a distant land…
I am also hoping for more snow! Eddie Otis enjoyed his first taste of snow and enjoyed chatting with his dog friends about it!
Buying
Well, I need to get my butt in gear and start buying – gifts! I have already ordered and received new pajamas for the kids. I got fleece pants and hoodies this year. So the pants are pj, but the hoodies are not pajamas really.
We aren’t having a big Christmas this year as far as gifts go and we have really simplified over the years.
Hoping
To have a chic and simple Christmas a la Fiona Ferris. I am trying to channel what we experienced last year in the UK and be very intentional. I am hoping to play a couple of games and honor the people in my immediate family with favorite foods that I make for them. There’s that word intentional again!
Baking
I will be baking another batch of pink meringues and I will ask what other cookies I should do. What are your favorite things to bake for Christmas?
And, now for the Hodgepodge…
1. What’s the best $5 gift to give someone?
Something that shows you listened. They might have said they love coffee from a certain place or donuts from a certain place so even a $5 gift card will make them smile. A framed photo or a printed out photo of a fun or special time you had with that person!
2. What’s your favorite way to relax/unwind during the busy holiday season?
Just say NO! I really don’t have many things I HAVE to do anymore with older kids. I have my work party and Tom’s work party was moved to January last year which is really kind of nice. It gives you something to look forward to. I like to have time to go to a nice dinner out with friends or out for a nice happy hour. It’s fun to see places all decorated for the holidays!
I think keeping an empty calendar as best you can and use those blank days to see which thing on your list feels right for that day.
3. How do you feel about gingerbread? Love it or no thanks? Are gingerbread houses a part of your holiday tradition? If you said yes, how does that look? Do you like ginger flavor in other kinds of dishes?
Not a big fan. I think men are cute, but the taste is not my favorite. I am not an aspiring gingerbread architect. I do like a gingerbread coffee once a season.
4. December 5th is National Blue Jeans Day…will you be celebrating? Do you have a favorite brand? A favorite pair? Do you have a hard time parting with a favorite pair of jeans? Blue jeans-joggers-leggings-yoga pants…which one do you wear most often?
Sure! That sounds good! It’s also repeal day when prohibition was abolished. Jeans and booze! Yes!
5. As we head into this holiday season what’s your biggest priority or goal for the end of the year?
To keep it simple and to do the things that bring me joy and bring joy to those I love. To focus less on material gift and more on quality time.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I have already broken out the red lipstick and gloss. Have you found a red that works for you? What do you think of a red lip?
I made a basket of accessories – a red and green hair barrette, a headband with red and green, my black velvet headband, baseball caps in olive green and bright green, my red and green purse strap.
After almost three months of wearing all the fall colors, it’s time to wear my reds and greens without looking crazy, of course! Come back tomorrow for Fashion Files and you can see some examples.
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
We got our first dusting of snow last night. I love how pretty it looks but hate how cold that means it is outside now. We are not big gingerbread fans either; though I am loving the explosion of ceramic gingerbread home decor for the holidays.
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You are inspiring me to bring out the red lipstick! I haven’t done that yet. Love your outlook and advice with keeping things simple and just saying NO- Amen!
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This is a fun post! I love your plaid table cloth. So pretty! I’m 75% finished with shopping and so happy about it. Now I need to wrap 🤪 I agree about saying no to things. Christmas will be here before we know it
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I like the word intentional and I really am embracing this stage of my life as far as Christmas goes. It’s so nice to be able to relax and enjoy without running aimlessly to a million concerts/parties/events.
I’m hoping to start reading my Fiona book soon, I downloaded it on my Kindle. Can’t wait!
xo,
Kellyann
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I love the Christmas accessories and keeping things simple. Usually, my December is not too busy, but somehow, my weeknights are busy and weekends are free this month. Yay for a 2 week break!
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Popping in from the Hodgepodge. I like that…less material and more quality. Your $5 gift suggestions are good especially the listening part. Happy December to you and by all means pull out the red! 🙂
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I think it’s nice that you don’t have a lot up, if that is how you want to do Christmas. I think it’s more important to only use what you love, and if that’s minimal and makes you happy, then that’s a great thing. I didn’t go as crazy with it all this year, either, and mainly focused on the living room and my bedroom with its little flocked tree. I’m good with it, too! Girl, you know I love a red lip! I’ve been wearing mine too. I go back and forth between the colors I use, though. I think my favorite is a Neutrogena lip crayon over neutrally lined lips. Thanks for your book recs today! I actually already read that Fiona Ferris book. When I went to search for it on my Kindle, I saw that I already had it, so I must have read it in the last year or two. It’s worth a reread, though! Her books are always so very inspiring.
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I love a red lip but feel like I need someone to help me with the right shade. I typically wear more of a burgundy shade. We have a busy calendar the first half of the month, but as once we’re past the 14th it slows way down and I will enjoy that. I know I need quiet days interspersed with activity. We’re not doing as much decorating as we do if we’re hosting and have the kids here. I am doing just enough to make it feel festive, but not stress me out when it comes to the take down. That’s the part I dislike. Enjoy your day!
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it does take trial and error – but if you get a chance to go into an ulta or sephora the people are really nice I have found.
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When I was younger, I thought red lipstick was TOO MUCH. Now it’s my go-to. My favorite is Revlon ColourStay Ultimate in Top Tomato. The best thing about it is it’s a lip gloss so I keep it in the console of my car. I put it on right before I get out of my car at school and once it dries, it lasts all day and then some. (Sometimes I have to scrub it off my lips at night before I go to sleep.)
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I have ordered it! I appreciate your rec!
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I am definitely not a minimalist when it comes to Christmas decorations! I have collected so many things over the years, but I’ve had to pare it down since we moved to a much smaller house. Mike loves the cookie jar collection as they’ll soon be filled with decorated (not very well) sugar cookies. We have never been big on Christmas events. My husband’s company would do a party sometime around Christmas (sometimes before and sometimes after). I think we only went a handful of times. I loved going to our Christmas dinner (without the husband) because my besties and I could be as silly as we always were. I still have navy blue on my toenails so it’s about time for the red. I seem to gravitate toward greys at this time of year. I’ve been trying to get out of that rut.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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That’s ok! If I had more time, an older dog, and more surfaces I would do more. I love that collection and I bet the kids and grandkids love it, too.
Yes, I am going to my school party solo this weekend! it’s karaoke!
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I love your idea about a framed photo of a good time! When my boss was retiring years ago, I took a picture of our two office doors near each other and wrote her a little thing about how I enjoyed going there for 13 years and it was so awesome. She really liked it!
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That is so special! Thanks for sharing!
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I forgot that we bought our matching family pjs. Yay! Now I can feel less guilty that I’ve hardly bought anything. Hahaha!!!
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