XOXO, A Christmas Giveaway! (Closed)

Merry Christmas to you all!  John and I are headed off to spend the holidays in Chattanooga and Denver, so I am taking a holiday break, but I will return soon enough!  Yet before I go I wanted to give you a chance to enter a Christmas giveaway!  TWO lucky readers will each receive five of these designer Thank-You cards made by Frontier Paper Company!

 So you can thank that special someone for that special gift!  I also want to say that I hope your holiday is merry & bright and that you enjoy spending time with your loved ones.  Thank you for reading and supporting this little blog!  Best wishes to you this Christmas! 

xoxo,

Annie

TO ENTER: leave a comment on TwinYolks.  A winner will be chosen at random over the holidays!  Best of luck to you!

Keeping Things Light.

Now that it is break time (and oh! how it flies by...), and since I'll be traveling I am really looking forward to some light reading.  Did you know Anthropologie has some amazing books?  (I am usually too distracted trying on clothes to notice.) Here are a few I think it would be delightful to read when on the plane or riding in the car.  They look like so much fun - or great gifts - or both:

The Happiness Project, by Gretchin Rubin, catalogues the small achievements (going to bed earlier, getting organized) that add up to amount to happiness.

How to Sew a Button, by Erin Bried, because let's face it: I still do not know how to do this properly.

Your Mother Was Right by Kate Reardon.  Sigh.  Yes, usually, but that does not mean I will let her catch me reading this book!

Dogs, by Tim Flach, the ultimate coffee table book, complete with hilarious photos of some adorable dawgs.

How to Find Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker.  This is a "children's book" but I do not care.  I would love to learn (via pop-up magic!) how to find flower fairies!

The Gospel According to Chanel by Karen Karbo.  Well, why not.  The woman was clearly worth emulating.  

{Hope you enjoyed the list!  Any recommendations for some light reading over the holidays?}

The Loveliest Feeling.

Aaaaaaaaaah.  The loveliest feeling has arrived, the feeling of freedom, of finishing exams, of not having class, of knocking out one big bad semester.

The feeling of knowing that it is time to snuggle up without a care in the world.

Hope wherever you are, you're feeling it too!

xo

Happy Thoughts.

I'm feeling rather hateful at the moment.  Harsh thing to say, but also true.  This usually happens when I don't receive a particular grade I was hoping for, almost always when this particular grade is on a paper.  This morning I woke up early to take my final exam and worked through it with an unfortunate pounding headache.  Received said paper, growled at grade, then came home and let Mable out.  Of course  she stepped in her own poop (time to shovel, John!) and then ran upstairs before I had a chance to wipe it off her paws and jumped all over my white bedspread.  Not exactly the best morning.  All I can say is that I hope my husband's morning is going a bit more smoothly seeing as he's currently in a med-school interview.  Phew.

It is frustrations (and anxieties) like these that lead me to declare that it is time for some Happy Thoughts.  So, without much ado, I'm going to declare a few of mine, in the hopes that it'll cheer me (and maybe you) up.  Here goes.

1. I'm going to have a new nephew in exactly four days.  And then I'm going to get to meet him very soon.

2. I'm not always miserable and Mable isn't always a total disaster...

in fact, sometimes she melts my little heart.

3.  This house is a happy thought.  Especially the light fixtures & the outdoor fireplace.

4. Scotland scenery is a happy thought.

6. Christmas and New Years, aka: the best occasions to wear sparkles.

7. Christmas decorations = mega happy thought (& sight).  And Christmas is right around the corner!

8. Despite major and minor frustrations, there's a lot of love in my life.  So, that's my last (and best) happy thought.

I think it is working.  What are your happy thoughts?  What do you think about to get back in a good mood? I'd love to know!

{(most) photos via pinterest}

Eye Candy.

Since today I've been posting eye candy ranging from flowers to wedding gowns, I figured I'd round them all out with a little R. Patz.

(You're welcome!)

Wowza.

Um, wowza.  John and I are rapidly approaching our 2nd year anniversary, but I have to say that if I could marry him all over again, it would be in this dress.  (Vera Wang, you are the Queen of Bridal!)

Oh, and I'd also have these floating flowers as centerpieces for the reception!  Stunning!

Adore.

Aaaaaah, peonies.  Aren't they the most beautiful flower?  I could stare at this photo all day long, the petals look like bird feathers.  Adore.

(p.s. if anybody out there is studying for finals, I recommend listening to the nutcracker on pandora while you study.  it is the perfect holiday study music!)

Dream Home.

Hey guys!  Look what I found!  The other day I was browsing the interwebs and I happened to stumble across my dream home,

complete, of course, with a guest house...

a little tree house for some (future) kiddies,

and a dream garden!

Now, it is back to reality & final exams...

{photos via pinterest}

Let There Be Light.

Last night, John and I put up our Christmas tree - a real one for us this year!  It is always my job to put on the lights, and I take this task very seriously.  I don't know about you, but I want that tree to be sparkling.  Taking my time, I wind the strand of lights around every single branch until the tree is loaded with glittering lights.  (John kind of slings the lights on, so his job is to put on ornaments.) Anyway, it is looking good!  All the twinkling has made me feel inspired to post some more lovely lit-up photos.  Enjoy!

and the dreamiest of all...

{photos via pinterest}

Brr!

Brrrr!  It is getting colder and colder!  I'm not the greatest at coping with the cold, but I want to live in this house, regardless.

And also, check out these hilarious "Adult Truths".  (I'm soooo guilty of number 11.)

Outfit Envy.

Admission: I suffer from acute & chronic outfit envy.  The question is, can you blame me?  

{photos via pinterest}

How To Stay Warm.

My goodness it was so cold today!  I'm glad that {Wit + Delight} posted some rad ways to stay warm!  Usually when I'm cold I drink tea and take a looooooong soak in the tub but that's because I didn't have a twosome blanket!  (Or those awesome topshop slippers.) How do you stay warm?

Why Don't You Try...

Sometimes it is fun to switch up your appearance.  Why don't you try...

A spiraling braid?

 coral lips?

leather gloves?

I think I'll at least attempt the braid! What about you?

{photos via pinterest}