A CHRISTMAS TREE!

the first saturday in december is always my favorite. not because it’s december {well, that, too} but because as a family we go out to get our christmas tree! i am not sure when the tradition started, but as long as i can remember we all piled into the truck, blasted christmas music and felt like little kids as we made our way to the tree farm. now, i set up my own christmas tree about a week ago, because, well, i just couldn’t wait. and can you blame me?

so after i woke up from my cold induced sleep {come on, body, it’s almost gone!} and my brother got home from work, we all set out in the freezing cold to Galehouse Tree Farms in Doylestown, OH. this year it was my brother’s turn to pick out the tree, and while i am more for the biggest, fattest and most full tree, my brother loves the traditional triangle shape. and i think he picked the perfect one this year. it has already proven to bring memories into the Rhodes household because yesterday, it rained in our living room. it was so muddy outside that the tree was a little dirty. to clean it off, my dad had to spray it down. well, we may have brought it in a little too early out of excitement because it sounded like an actual rainfall as the droplets fell and soaked our carpet. all is well now, but that sure was interesting!

pictures, if you are wondering, were taken with my iphone and edited with the VSCOcam app.

^^^ except for the muddy ground, it was the perfect day for picking out our christmas tree.

^^^ one of the best parts of this farm is it has live reindeer. can’t help but think of the film, Prancer, when seeing them.

^^^ chopping down our own tree is always so exciting. although, someday, it would be cool to live in the city and go to a tree farm on the side of the street. looks so festive.

^^^ brave brother carrying to ginormous tree to the car. he may have almost fallen over but recovered pretty quickly.

^^^ the inside of the barn is beautiful! you can buy hot chocolate, hot cider and popcorn, sit by the fire and warm up by the fire from the cold. there are also some amazing christmas decorations, ornaments and treats in there as well.

^^^ zip was extra loveable on the way to the farm and home. i think he was happy to get to go pick out our tree!

i’m pretty much obsessed…

…with this blog and this outfit:

it’s pretty much what i wear almost everyday {substituting the leggings for jeans and switching my tops up} and i have been dying for a pair of boots like these.

on Natalie:

sweatshirt: isabel marant for h&m
leggings: c/o No nonsense
shoes: h by hudson
watch: c/o NFNT

you better believe i will be on the hunt for these items! and make sure to check out her blog! it’s fantastic.

a little winter wonderland, baby

it was pretty snowy on friday.
the weather man said we were going to get 6 inches by that morning
when, really, it all came at once that night.
and it was beautiful.

it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

christmas music

yes, it’s only the beginning December.

yes, i might be a little crazy.

but yes, i am playing Christmas music like it’s my job.

hey. at least it’s not October. which, no judgment. been there, done that, gotten the glares.

but it’s the holiday season and i can’t get enough. here are a few that i listen to over and over and always get the chills or tears in my eyes because they are so beautiful.

^^^ yes, i know this is GLEE…but lea michelle has such a heart breakingly beautiful voice.

^^^ seriously, the message of this song is so amazing. i truly believe every word of this song and the movie is one of my favorites every year.

oh, there are so many more. of course, The Christmas Song, Merry Christmas Darling, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, Happy Christmas {War is Over} and so many more.

happy holidays and happy listening !

fresh.

i needed a pick me up, health wise, this past week. so i have been trying to be good and cram lots of healthy choices into my diet to kick this cold in the butt!

one of my favorite things are smoothies and these fresh ingredients made it perfect!

sorry about the pictures…wordpress seems to be having some issues. and the pictures were edited using the VSCOcam app

^^^ the Oster personal blender is my favorite thing. i have told so many people about it and they all love it and instantly get addicted to smoothies because of it. eating healthier is so much easier when appliances are this awesome.

the smallest christmas tree…

…is currently set up in my bedroom at the foot of my bed taking up the only remaining space i had left in my room. but it’s perfect and it reminds me of my grandma.

every year after thanksgiving, i would spend the weekend at my grandmas {it would take the whole weekend} to help her set up her Christmas decorations and Christmas tree. she wasn’t always a huge fan of the tree, seeing it as something that took a bit to take out, put together and put the ornaments on. but somehow, every year, it was so much fun.

we would watch Christmas movies on TV or listen to music as we unwrapped all of her decorations and set them out. every year she would joke how she needed to start throwing things away because she had too much stuff. she never did and she kept buying more ;)

^^^ a German family tradition. to hide the pickle and find it on Christmas eve.

this is the first holiday season without her. and it makes me sad a lot. when she passed away, i asked for her Christmas tree. not knowing where i could put it at the time, we put it up in the attic along with the ornaments.

of course, i missed the routine of setting it up and a few days ago, i decided to put it up.

opening the box, i got the biggest smile on my face. the smell of her and her apartment enveloped me and made my heart happy. i brought the tree up to my room and put it together. and i felt her there with me the entire time.

trust me on this one…

hot chocolate becomes a favorite of mine all over again in the winter time and, friends, that time is HERE! so on the night i put up my Christmas tree, i was craving hot chocolate in my favorite Christmas mug.

as i was getting the things out i needed, i came up with an idea. why not add a splash of International Delight’s peppermint mocha creamer to the mix?

creamer only for coffee? what?

it was phenomenal.

actually, more than that.

so worth the calories.

so trust me and try it for yourself. and if you hate it, i’m sorry. but i know you won’t!

25 beautiful christmas challenges

^^^ a picture from 2010 at the house from A Christmas Story in Cleveland, OH

i was searching the web for some easy yet challenging christmas ideas for this year. a couple of pages in the search results, i came across this blog post and was inspired so very much.

you don’t have to feel obligated to do any of these challenges, but if you do, please share.

here is what she blogged about allllll the way back in 2009:

last christmas, i blogged about how my mom had sent each of her daughters a christmas package on december 1st, which included 25 of her favorite christmas stories along with 25 christmas challenges she had compiled. the idea was to read one story each day and also complete one of the simple christmas challenges until christmas day.  i really loved this idea and since last december was particularly difficult for me, this little project helped me get into the true spirit of christmas. and hopefully this year i won’t be such a slacker and i’ll actually complete this list….

i wanted to share the list again this year incase you’d like to join in with me in completing one challenge each day. whether you celebrate christmas or not, i think a lot of these little challenges are the perfect way to go about your day in the right way…

25 christmas challenges…

• go out of your way– befriend someone today that needs a friend and follow through to christmas
• tell someone you love them
• make a tree decoration that will remind you of Christ
• in your prayers today, give thanks for every blessing without asking for anything
• try to be as kind as possible to others today
• try not to quarrel with family members today
• do a good deed anonymously
• make goals for yourself– seal a copy in an envelope to be opened in a year
• visit someone sick or lonely or sad
• do volunteer work for some worthy cause
• do something fun for a child or younger sibling
• try to forgive someone who has wronged you, be reconciled
• make a “give list” instead of a list of gifts you’d like
• improve yourself in some way to please the savior
• quietly reflect and choose uplifting activities vs shopping
• phone or send a card to an old friend or family member
• listen to handel’s messiah
• make a christmas treat for someone else
• be a calming influence today and control your temper
• accept the gift of forgiveness– pray for some weakness and ask for help in repenting of it
• look at christmas lights… where does all light come from?
• sing carols
• do something nice for someone without their knowing it was you
• be the first to say hello to people all day
• ask someone to tell you about a past Christmas

thank you so much, Naomi of Rockstar Diaries, these were beautiful and i cannot wait to do all of them.

breakfast at tiffanys

there is something about New York City and Tiffany’s. i think the magic started with Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s which, by the way, is one of my favorite movies. a cat named cat? i will be doing that someday.

anyways, when i went to nyc for the first time in 2009, we only briefly walked through. the second time i took my time finding the perfect (and most affordable) treasure to bring home. i was so happy to have a little blue box and shopping bag. not for vain reasons.

^^^ my mom helping me take a picture back in 2011

so this year when i went to the city, Tiffany’s was on my list. even if i just walked through, i would be happy. but, to my excitement, i found something! a small butterfly charm. Tiffany’s slogans for their necklaces are “to wear close to your heart” and with that in mind, i had to buy the charm. you see, my grandma who passed away in January, loved butterflies. and i have been wanting to have something i could wear everyday to remind me of her. so i went ahead and bought it.

oh, and the funniest thing happened on the elevator from the fourth floor to the first. a couple got on the elevator and the woman, very elaborately dressed, sighed loudly and said to her fiancé, “Oh, my hand hurts so much from trying on all of those diamond rings!” someone wanted the seven of us in the elevator know what she had been doing.

a happy thanksgiving

^^^yes, i know i used this already but i just love it.

i hope you had a wonderful day on thanksgiving with your loved ones. i spent the day eating, eating and eating. no, not really. i do have some humility. the day started off to a relaxing and slow morning. there was coffee brewing while we watched parts of the macy’s thanksgiving day parade. i couldn’t help but wish i were in the city with my family.

after the parade was over, we started getting ready and headed out to my cousin’s house who was hosting the holiday this year. when we got there, everyone was pretty shocked {and some not so nice} about my hair. oh well, the older ones just don’t understand the fashion, i guess!

as a family, we gathered around the food and linked hands as the dinner prayer was said. it is such a blessing to be able to say thanks all together like that.

the food was amazing. there are endless possibilities when it comes to thanksgiving and food. seriously. you almost can’t go wrong! my go-to’s are usually my mom’s green bean casserole {mm mm mm} and my cousin’s potato casserole. nope, you didn’t see turkey in the mix. about three years ago, i had the stomach flu after eating a thanksgiving dinner, and it has been ruined ever since. although, slowly, i am trying to eat it.

^^^asleep right after dinner…and he didn’t even have turkey. silly brother.

more importantly than the food was the company. family is always nice to have around the holidays, especially. and we have a new member this year to be excited about. little cousin Grayden. he is an absolute smiley 10 week old doll and i loved getting to spend more time with him. i even rocked him to sleep and let me tell you, the amazing feeling of a sleeping baby is something to be thankful. so precious.

thanksgiving this year also left me feeling excited to someday have my own traditions with my own little family. someday, right? what’s the rush?

so now that thanksgiving is over, our Christmas decorations are UP and i can finally start celebrating the holiday. so many times in the last week or so, i wanted to say ‘Merry Christmas’ and you betcha i won’t be holding back now!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS :)

what are your holiday traditions?