this past weekend i – 

• spent lunar new year weekend in dallas with que and his family
• learned that chrysanthemums are considered a new years flower (signifying optimism, perfection, and joy). i’m not sure why i never realized this in my 20 some years of life, but they were everywhere this weekend!
• listened to more new years inspired music than i have in my entire life
• realized that fruit, salt, and pepper make a great combo. and so does beef jerky and papayas.  (who knew?)
• discovered a love for crab fried rice and the refreshing simplicity of vietnamese cooking
• stopped for pho at a church
• realized that i should pay more attention to our traditions and customs
• decided that i want to spend the lunar new year in asia one day!

lemon crinkle cookies
found via lds living (makes 2-3 dozen)

ingredients:

½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar.
3. pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
4. bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

i came across this mantel today and was drawn by it’s  simplicity, the placement of the photos,  and the windows! i dream.

i may not be the best at keeping my new years resolutions (or even my seasonal ones), but i like goals. goals give you something to work towards and that can’t be a bad thing, right? so, here are my 2012 resolutions:

be healthy (run a 5k, healthier eats)
stay organized
have a girls trip
blog regularly
pursue my passions
seek new adventures
learn something new
save my pennies
don’t be wasteful
have a plan
read frequently
& smile often

hopefully, you’ll help keep me in check
happy 5th day of the new year!

new years eve was just as it should be – filled with family, shopping, friends, sparkles, and fireworks! it was a lovely end to 2011 indeed.

here’s to a new year and new beginnings!
happy 2012!

*a (very amateurish) video i made of the evening.

happy holidays/merry christmas
from us

“may your christmas be merry and bright!” xo

i can’t believe it’s already the last week before christmas! i feel like i still have a billion things to do before the weekend, but i suppose it wouldn’t be christmas without all of the hustle and bustle would it?

 and, the holiday season would not be complete without a few holiday projects here and there either. one of the projects i’ve enjoyed working on the past couple of years is the houston children’s charity adopt-a-family project. we (a professional organization i work with) adopt four lower income families every christmas and collect christmas presents for each family. and the great thing is, we get to wrap and deliver the gifts to the families ourselves. the families are always extremely sweet and the kids too excited for words!

 the cutest moment -
at one house, the kids were so excited they rushed out of the front door and latched immediately onto the first volunteer’s leg she saw for a great big bear hug and lots of thank yous… all before we even rang the door bell!

 the most embarrassing moment -
when i stepped off the curb and fell on my behind. i was surprised none of the kids laughed!

 the most “aw” moment -
we asked to take a picture with one of kids in front of his christmas tree. he very reluctantly agreed -  he was embarrassed by the small size and sparse decor of his tree. we had to ensure him his tree was lovely! and that my christmas tree is only a foot tall. and it doesn’t have any lights.

trees | more trees | white | words

last week wreaths, this week – holiday mantels!

if you can’t tell – i am obsessed with all things christmas! i can’t wait to have a place with more storage so i can properly decorate! but in the mean time, maybe this lack of space is good for me… =)