reluctant turtle

Poor Pancho has grown to really dread his annual turtle costume...so much that he even protested on our walk this year! Ok fine you win, we'll get you a new costume next year;)

Happy Halloween! 

blueberry gingerbread pancakes

In keeping up with our breakfast on Valentine's Day tradition, Kyle and I decided to stay in and make pancakes at home...since we had eaten out every day during our vacation (recap to come next week). We cheated and used a gingerbread pancake mix that my good friend gave us (thanks Hillary!)...but they were still insanely delicious. I prefer topping mine with honey and extra blueberries, but Kyle likes to spread nutella on each one like it's a pancake sandwich:)

Hope you had a sweet Valentine's and happy Friday...

i love you cards

Valentine's Day is less than a month away so of course I have cute cards on my mind...remember the elementary school days of make-your-own-mailboxes that were actually shoe boxes? Yea, I miss those (and the cards that had candy stuck to them!).

See more of my favorites this year...

lately...

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break! We spent ours visiting both of our families in Austin and seeing some friends, in addition to stuffing our faces the entire time. On Christmas day, we headed back home only to find there was snow waiting to greet us. Not the hard icy and gross kind, but the soft, fluffy magical kind. It was so thrilling(!!!) to be able to celebrate a white Christmas, especially since living in Texas makes it near impossible. 

Though I do have to add, Pancho was most certainly not a fan...after only a few minutes, he ran back to the house as fast as his short little legs could carry him:) 

happy holidays

May you all be safe, happy, and warm this holiday season! xo.

a gift guide, sort of

It's been awhile since I've done gift guides...I feel like it's so much pressure to do your own sometimes because they are everywhere! And they are all so awesome, it's hard not to get sucked in. Catalogs, emails, and pretty much every blog I read are doing them...so rather than calling this a gift guide, I'm going to say it's a list of things that I like at the moment (and wouldn't mind being a recipient of, hint hint): 

A neon pink salad bowl for making salads look extra tasty, $32.

Gold dot earrings because they are oh-so classic and will last forever, $360.

Rose gold headphones. Yes please, $149.

French macarons, because they make every girl feel as cute and French as could be, $60.

Steak and egg potholders, because they'll make you smile every time, $26.

A genius scarf necklace that makes it look effortless...for the scarf-tying handicapped types (um, hello!), $279.

A cute Austin mug because it's one of the very best cities in the world, $16.

A charming little print for the kid in everyone (seriously, I want to be on that plane), $24.

A personal library kit for the librarian in everyone (you know you would go crazy with that stamp!), $15.

And lastly, a second bulldog for Pancho to kiss every day, $$$. Just kidding, he has Kyle for that...;)

Happy Shopping!

christmas card photos

If you're reading this, I just want to say thank you! I know I've been slacking on the blog...I think I've been spending all of my social media energy on Instagram lately, but it's not the same. I miss blogging! 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's that time of year for...Christmas cards!! Last year, we used one of the photos from our family photo session and the year before that, we had my sister take the picture for us. But this year, we thought we could do it ourselves (how hard could sitting still for five seconds with a squirmy 50 pound bulldog be?). Turns out, impossibly hard. 

Here are some of the outtakes...captions provided by Pancho:

"Oh sorry, I'm not blocking anyone am I? How about...now?"

[Achoo!] "Wait, what just happened..."

"How you doing?;)"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!"

"Helloooo handsome. I think we have a winner."

:)

turtle hat

"Not again?! I'm tired of being called four-eyes."

-Pancho

Happy Halloween!

happy holidays

Hope you all (dare I say "y'all"?) have an absolutely wonderful Christmas weekend with family and friends!!! xo. 

early christmas

I have a love/hate relationship with the weeks leading up to Christmas...along with the anticipation of much deserved time off comes the stress and pure madness of gift shopping and dealing with crowds. Which is why I am extremely thankful for two things this year: 1) Online shopping (2-3 packages delivered every day to the house for the past few weeks...no joke. The mailman must hate me) and 2) Celebrating Christmas early with Kyle's family in Graham this past weekend. Lots of rest and relaxation time for all...and an abundance of tree branches for Pancho:)

(Photo by Kieu)

dog bowtie

These tartan bowtie collars are so handsome...hopefully they come in extra large for Pancho next Christmas... 

sparkly skirt

The perfect holiday skirt for dressing up or down, don't you agree? So sparkly!

(Via Oh Joy!)

luggage tags

With the holidays just around the corner (I know, can you believe it?!), I'm already on the hunt for one-of-a-kind gifts...these personalized leather luggage tags are so perfect. How romantic would it be to include the coordinates of where you first met your love? Plenty of "aww" factor, I know. 

happy halloween!

"I'm starting to think mom didn't put me in this turtle costume because I look good in green..."
-Pancho

sugar high

One of my favorite traditions that Kyle and I celebrate is going out for breakfast on Valentine's Day...it's way less crowded and I can always satisfy my everlasting sweet tooth. Coming home to a gawdy heart-shaped box of chocolates helps too (my favorite). Hope yours was extra special!

happy valentine's!

Happy Valentine's Day to you & yours!

(Painting by Caitlin McGauley via Kate Spade)

holiday snapshots (part 2)

It's such a surreal feeling after seeing all of your loved ones during the holiday mad rush, to almost feel relieved after returning home. I never think I'll miss our house when we leave it, but I always do. We spent a few mellow days doing what we usually do...long walks with Hallie, cooking and staying in. Our New Years plans were foiled by a sick dog (cleaning up throw up is always a downer), so we spent the night drinking mini champagne bottles and watching movies from our couch. It was the perfect ending to a perfect year.