heather & olive

Happy Monday--we're waking up to 1/2 a foot of snow this morning, and I'm not that mad about it...especially because I'm working from home. I really don't mind the snow in December/January, but come March I'm ready to hop on a plane and not come back until June. Oh, the joys of living in New England.

On Friday I was super productive and got all of my Christmas cards in the mail--I'll post what I sent later this week.

On Saturday my mom, sister and I headed into Boston for the Nutcracker--I was looking forward to this for months. It's my absolute favorite holiday event.







We stopped at Bostonia Public House first for brunch--it was our first time there, and it was really good. I think downtown Boston can be tough in terms of finding a good breakfast/brunch spot, but this didn't disappoint--I would definitely go back. I kept things light and healthy with their short rib biscuits and gravy.


We then made our way to the Nutcracker, and it was amazing--my mom got great seats and it totally put me in the Christmas spirit. After a cocktail at the Four Seasons and some quick shopping, we made our way home and I went to bed super early.

On Sunday my sister and I did an early Pure Barre class (it was a struggle getting out of bed but I'm so glad we went). We then ran a bunch of errands and I was able to finish my Christmas shopping. For once I feel totally on top of gift giving and it's a huge relief. (Sidenote: I was super pumped to see that Target is carrying a ton of Hammond's candy for stocking stuffers--get the Pigs and Taters bar. Trust me).

I spent the rest of the day wrapping presents and watching movies, and made Ina's meatballs for dinner. Although the weekend was completely jam-packed, it was completely perfect.

Olive was ready for the weekend.

On Saturday I met my brother, sister-in-law and niece at Parker's for pancakes.

It was so festive and cozy and I stuffed my face.

Then we went to Pierce's, and I bought a tree.

I relaxed with some Elf...

...and did some decorating. It's not as fat as last year's, but respectably husky nonetheless.

michelle adams via one king's lane

via jackie greaney's instagram this house was for sale in kennebunkport two summers ago and I was obsessed with it

portsmouth houses

a very blurry drive by of a house in York

My house is currently yellow with green shutters and I believe it's been some version of this combination since it was built in the early 1900s. Right before I purchased it, it was "spruced up" with a hack paint job and the yellow is a little too yellow. It's not my favorite. I have dreams of taking off the shutters (they're original and are always falling off and driving me crazy), replacing all of the windows and painting the house a dark blueish grey. While there are a number of other projects I need to tackle first, I'm hoping eventually my grey house dreams will come true.

moody tugboats in portsmouth.

Ahhhhh, where has the time gone? I can't believe Thanksgiving is over and the holiday season is upon us. I'm determined to end 2016 on a high note and I plan on packing as much cheer into the next month that I can muster (I have a rather high capacity for cheer).

Thanksgiving was great--my cousins and sister slept over my house Wednesday night and then we spent the day at my parents' house. Dinner was delicious and it was great to have some serious family time. I headed up to Maine with my parents on Friday and my mom and I met my sister in Portsmouth for lunch. We shopped and ate and were cozy by the fire, and it was the perfect weekend.

On Sunday I was super motivated to get festive, so candles went up in the windows, swag went on the doors and I managed to put fresh garland on my staircase which was no small feat. Also, I can't sing Trader Joe's holiday decor praises loud enough--I believe the swag and a 20' garland were $6.99 each (and although I was super bummed they were out of boxwood, we managed to track some down at holiday farm stand #3).

Happy December!

generic leaf picture while taking a breather on our hike.

obligatory olive snuggles.

most delicious brunch at aquitane.

After last week's events, I was completely wiped and emotionally drained come Friday so I did an early night of way too much Chinese food and some reading ('m currently reading The Nightingale and it's making me have weird war dreams but I like it). I felt somewhat refreshed on Saturday so my dad and I did a 3 (plus or minus) mile hike of our local mountain. It was just what I needed, and I celebrated my athletic endeavor with beer and sliders with my brother (which was another thing I needed). Saturday was, again, a lowkey night and I watched It's Complicated with ravioli and went to bed early.

On Sunday my mom and I hit up Ikea (I needed a larger jute rug for my living room along with all of the other random things Ikea sucks you into) and then we stopped at Legacy Place on our way home. We had the absolute best brunch at Aquitane--I had the croque madame and my mom had the benedict provencal and we shared truffle fries. I then spent an obscene amount of money at Sephora (and I am OBSESSED with this purchase) and later I hosted my parents for dinner (we had steaks from Whole Foods that were delicious). It was a busy but good weekend, and my fingers are crossed that this week flies by--I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week.

jmclaughlin faux fur collar

zara super soft plain scarf

maine sunrise.

Oh, hello. Once again, I've let this little blog fall by the wayside--I haven't been up to anything too exciting, which is probably why I've neglected to post. That said, time is flying: I can't believe it's already November and the sun is now setting at 4:30. I've been so tired lately (partly due to early morning workouts and traveling to an office) and the lack of daylight is not going to be good for my overall functioning. I'm notorious for quasi-hibernation in the winter months.

Aside from my seasonal complaints, I had a great long weekend in Maine a couple of weeks ago--I'm trying to figure out how I can relocate there full-time, because it's seriously my happiest place.

While at Stonewall Kitchen headquarters in York, I picked up their Roasted Apple Grille Sauce and made what might be the most delicious pasta sauce ever--stayed tuned for the recipe and a giveaway this week--I seriously loved it that much.

Thanks to a heads up from my mom, I bought these boots in grey and I'm obsessed--they are so incredibly comfortable and I also love that they come up to my kneecaps which is no small feat. While they aren't a total copycat of  50/50s, at $39.99 you can't beat the price.

On my way home from work, I've been listening to the My Favorite Murder podcast--at first I wasn't sure I liked it (I started at the beginning) but it's so weird and disturbing and it has totally grown on me.

Another thing I'm loving is a new nail polish discovery: I've been self-performing my manicures and pedicures as of late, and after reading this article I decided to try Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel. So far, it's great--super shiny and I love the thicker brush. I'll be sure to update with my thoughts after I've had it on for a while, but so far, it totally looks like a salon manicure.

One thing I wasn't so enamored with: When in French. I know I had said before that I liked it, but I definitely jumped the gun--I was expecting more of a memoir and it ended up being super heavy on historical references of language which had me like "meh". I forced myself to finish it, but it was definitely not my favorite.

That's all I've got--have a good week!