if i were hosting a new years party

if i were hosting a new years party..

my invitations would look a little something like this.

source

i love hosting! i can't wait for the days where i get to invite my friends over for dinner parties, have pretty floral arrangements, and wonderful food, especially delicious deserts! only a couple more years...  :)

hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

new favorite sweater

so if i haven't mentioned it before, when it comes to clothing i am a quality vs. quantity person

i will spend a little bit more money on a product i like- and then wear it all of the time. for instance my frye boots or a nice pair of jeans.

this little habit of mine has created this funny thing where i will find a couple of things and wear them over and over and over again. so if i find a new clothing item i really love. you bet i will be wearing it on repeat mode. i think that is it okay because   i don't see the same people on a daily basis. however... my sisters and chad disagree ;)

with all of this... i would like to share my favorite item of the last three weeks...

the tan sweater!

this lovely sweater i picked up at the grand ol' navy for twenty dollars. this sweater of mine has become a new favorite and i don't think it is publicly acceptable to share with everyone how many times a week i have worn it.but i can't help it! this sweater is so comfy and cute. i can wear it out and about or i can wear it cuddling up by the fire.

so please don't judge me as i continue to bundle up for these cold minnesota winters my new favorite sweater for the next few months :)

twenty things that i am thankful for

1

quick little post on the things i am thankful for as a part of my challenge for the "elf for health":

my family, an obvious one but seriously what would i do with out my family. be very lonely and bored because i had no one to go on adventurous with.

the snowy winters, though they may cause major traffic, it is a beautiful thing

my friends, especially those i haven't seen or talked to lately because i have no life with planning the wedding and school, thank you all for being there for me

for chadly, and how he always seems to love me though i don't always deserve it

coffee, and when i drink yummy hand crafted chemex coffee. yum.

espresso. good quality espresso makes for a great beverage. thank you for quality coffee shops, such as kopplins and spyhouse for providing this deliciousness.

a car, that may not be the nicest thing but gets me from point at to point b.

the ability to move, and be active

cook books, and how much i love to read them and find new recipes

books, because i can't go a day with out reading. (anyone have any recommendations? i am always looking for new reads!)

my new fiesta wear dishes, that will make my kitchen nice and colorful!

nordstrom, the best all in one shopping place. with high quality items. and the rack is amazing too.

old school music, like frank sinatra, i feel like a lady when i listen to it

my church, where i feel surrounded and supported, where i gain wisdom and understanding of god's grace.

trees, and the oxygen and beauty that all of the trees provide

hunter boots, they keep your feet warm and toasty during the wet season (which is 6 months in minnesota!)

the kids that i watch, and all of the joy that they bring me. and their understanding of love.

for education and the easy access we have to in the united states.

for all of the beauty that surrounds us daily, and acknowledging that beauty is held through the little things in life. 

what are you thankful for?

end of year review

 

so i never was really into making resolutions

until last year when i made "smart" goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound).

by following the smart format i was actually able to keep my new year resolutions (well most of them)

2012 goals:

be more fit- exercise 3/4 times a week

run a 10k & a half marathon

loose ten pounds

drink more water

read cs lewis/bible

the result:

-be more fit-

i actually did exercise 3-4/week every week of the year expect for maybe two. i finally got the habit of exericing into my life. i feel so much better. it is now something that i look forward to and is a major part of my life. i can't imagine not exercising anymore and i want to encourage everyone that it is do-able! it is all about making it a habit. and once it becomes a habit- it is something you truly enjoy.

-run a 10k & a half marathon-

this is the resolution that truly amazes me. i am a runner. previous to 2012, i had never ran more then three miles. three miles. and that was a long run, but one year later i have not only ran a 10k and a half marathon but i ran two half marathons, and loved it! 

once again, making smart specific goals really enables you to accomplish greater things then you could imagine. 

-loose ten pounds-

this was more the motivation of why i wanted to work out.... and though i may not have lost ten pounds, i lost eight. and i feel pretty dang good. i hope that i continue with my fit goals and keep on getting healhier and leaner, because i know i am able to. have to say that cupcakes will always be in the diet :)

-drink more water-

my water consumption has majorly increased. i drink at least ten glasses a day. and am always craving it. 

-read cs lewis and the bible-

this sadly is the area that i feel like i could have put more effort into. i did read several of cs lewis's books, which are amazing. highly recommend screwtape letters. my devotional life got better, but it still not great. i want to keep working on this and hopefully work to making reading the bible a daily habit. 

overall i cannot believe the progress i have made over this last year. i am excited for the future as i continue to set more goals and work my way to a healthier lifestyle.

did you make any resolutions this past year? how did you do?

joy to the world

joy to the world,the lord has come

let earth receive her king

let every heart prepare him room

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

.... he rules the world with truth and grace,

and makes the nations prove

the glories of his righteousness,

and wonders of his love,

and wonders of his love,

and wonders, wonders of his love.

as i was listening to christmas carols around the house this song came on and kinda just hit me.

the lord jesus came to this earth for us.

the greatest gift.

and we get to celebrate this event thousands of years later.

with that, let us prepare our hearts over the next few evenings 

and be reminded the true purpose of christmas

photo credit: 1

merry christmas bloggy friends

merry merry christmas everyone

i hope the season is filled with love and family

laughs and joy

embrace the family traditions (for the anderson crew it means going to perkins and baking on christmas eve- and cranking up the christmas music to dance around like fools. this is what life looks like with three girls in the household)

and if you want a sweet holiday song to end your week.....

wedding invites

one month until the wedding.. eek! what better way to celebrate then sharing our wedding invites and the process of handcrafting them.

these bad boys may have taken forever to hand screen print but they turned out great, good job chad ;)
the invite had 4 layers of printing (black side pine cones,  front side w/ tree, lettering on front side, and rsvp cards) and each was hand made for our guest. we pride our selves for being DIY type of people and know that it means more to our guest to see the handcrafted work then going to a manufacturer to get them printed.

when building our invites we wanted to incorporate the winterness of the wedding but still make it look classy(hence why we choose the gold color). i am obsessed with the silhouette look- so chad drafted up the shadows of our heads- mine of course being in that top knot that i love :)

cannot believe the wedding is a month away- but boy am i glad that it will be over soon :)

sweet city life

why is city life so so sweet. since moving home to the suburbs (now about twenty minutes from the city- but it feels like forever) i really miss living in the city. the awesome coffee shops, the fun non-chain restaurants, all of the delicious bakeries. you just don't find those in the suburbs.

thankfully i am only twenty minutes away and with the little kiddos i nanny i get to go on city adventures daily. such as this adventure to the cupcake stop. it's our favorite little place- the little was especially happy to get her frosty the snowman cup cake, she couldn't stop singing the song :)

but from all of this chad and i have decided we will never live in a suburb. 

we love the uniqueness the city has. we like being able to walk/bike everywhere. we like going to new restaurants that we have never heard of. 

hopefully we will get down there soon, just gotta pay off our student loan debt and we can be on our way, unless we make a pit stop in europe ;)

photos/cupcakes are from sweets bakery located in saint paul.

things that make me say yay #2

these are the little things making me say YAY lately.

1. my frye boots. yes they were a million dollars ;) but i love them. and wear them all the time. so i am so happy that i have them and will wear them for the next trillion years :)

2. the snow. yes it does suck to drive in, and i can't run. but it truly is a beautiful thing and helps things to really feel like christmas. i feel like a little kid again, i want to make snow forts, go sledding, and drink hot cocoa. so maybe i will!

3 & 4. my elf for health challenge! this has been a fun little way to stay healthy in the midst of the holidays and holiday sweets. they give you a little challenge everyday to try and motivate yourself to be healthier. earlier this week it was drink your body weight in water (which i added lemon and limes to) and eat a full serving of veggies before 2pm. both have been excellent!  i mentioned i found this challenge through another blogger so i want to keep sharing the challenge everyone so they have the chance to participate! 

5. coffee with my friends. one of the few things keeping me sane lately. i just have to keep telling myself one more week until that break. only one more week!!!

6. my new favorite scarf from target. yep it is amazing and i wear it daily. the little black and white pattern go with everything and i am in loooooove! keeps me warm too :)

what is making you say YAY lately?

2 samuel 22: 2-4 " he sang the LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my god is my rock in whom i find protection. he is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. he is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. i called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise and he saved me from my enemies." 

baking

we came, we baked, we conquered ;) 

not really but we did have an awesome weekend!

my sister, future mother in law, and fiance's aunt and cousin decided that it was time for a day of massive amounts of baking, so that is exactly what we did. 

after several sticks of butter, sugar, and flour. we made 7 varieties of cookies! my favorite being the peanut butter blossoms and the melting moments

this was all going on while outside was finally getting it's white blanket for the season.

we hadn't gotten any snow yet in Minnesota (very odd! it was 60 degrees last monday, something that never happens in decemeber!) and now we got 8-9 inches of snow all in one day. lovely! 

now with a little weekend updated:

other then baking, my time was spent doing homework ( what is new i know?) i am realizing that finals week in grad school is a little more time consuming then undergrad and you can't quiet hang out with your friends as often but that is okay! i get a break in a couple weeks right- (cannot wait until next friday)?! then hopefully my life will get a little more interesting and my social life will regain strength once again.

what did you do this weekend?  what are some of your favorite christmas cookies?

linking up!

its a holly day to be busy

happy weekend everyone.

mine is a busy one- few weeks left of classes so major homework going on

and with the wedding being a month there will be lots of planning (my life per usual, homework and wedding planning) lots of little details to figure out eeek!

i am jealous of everyone going out and about, especially on this lovely winter day so go enjoy it for me ;)

but i am sneaking in some holiday fun tomorrow by making lots of christmas cookies- yay!

so be looking forward to some nummy recipes monday or tuesday

happy saturday!

winter needs

winter needs by heathermarie2391 featuring a bobble hat

so if you haven't ever heard, minnesota can be very cold. very very cold. meaning we all know how to dress in many layers to help  keep warm and comfy! i thought i would share some of my favorite winter wear products/must haves to keep warm this winter. most of these items (or items like these) got me through awful cold winters, that i had to walk to work.lucky this year the weather has not been too bad ( it was 60 the other day, something that is unheard of in decemember!) but i know that snow is going to be coming down any day now.

WINTER NEEDS 

1 & 2 - hats, you need hats and lots of them! if looking for a great deal on a hat check out carhartts basic knit hat, only $8!

3- wool socks, i live by these, they make such a difference! 

4- sorel boots, though they might not be the best looking things (but boy have they came a long ways!) they are the most practical winter boot out there

5- parka coat. last year was the first year i owned a parka coat, and i loved it. highly recommend purchasing one, especially if you live in a colder climate

6- big chunky scarves- i just purchased this scarf at target the other day and i am very excited to use it. scarves are awesome because not only are they a great fashion accessory but they keep you so warm! two for one deal.

7- mittens, this one is self explanatory, mittens are great and a must have in the cold. unless you want chapped hands 24/7  :)

some of my other favorite items that i don't have listed are long underwear, fleece jackets, and my faithful hunter boots with the fleece inserts. 

what are your winter needs? do you live somewhere cold?