Gretch Runs

Happy Friday everyone!  Instead of having a regular Top Five post, I wanted to share a virtual house (and cube) tour of my Christmas decorations.  I have to admit that I don't have anything extravagant this year, but I'm happy with what we have.  I didn't buy any new decorations and just used up what we had in our old apartments!  I'm hoping to take advantage of post-Christmas sales to pick up some new decorations for next year.  I hope you enjoy! First up is the office!  I kept things pretty simple and just hung up a hand-made ornament garland that I made a few years ago and a Merry Christmas sign. We also have a cardboard deer (named Wilson) that hangs on our wall year-round and is decorated for the seasons.  I'm loving Christmas Wilson! I kept the dining room table simple, with a tartan runner, a hand-painted tray, fake poinsettias in my fish vase, a white pinecone, and a snowman votive holder.  I love how everything looks togeth...

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's finally an appropriate time to start thinking about all things CHRISTMAS!  Even though I listen to Christmas music year round when the mood strikes, I really go all out this time of year.  I listen to it in the car, at work, and turn it on as soon as I get home.  I just want to be surrounded by all the Holly Jolly songs I can find, 24/7! Here are a few of my favorite Christmas albums and songs (and if you want to here a playlist of all of these, plus a few extras, listen on Spotify !) Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas Listen HERE This is an album that I always listened to growing up.  I love how it's a mix of classic songs and new pop Christmas songs, all in Mariah's incomparable voice. Josh Groban - Noel Listen HERE If you're looking for more old-school songs- look no further than Josh Groban.  His voice is so amazing and gives me chills any time I hear it! Christina Aguilera - My Kind of Christmas Li...

To all of you who celebrate - Merry Christmas!  And to all my other readers out there - Happy Friday to you! Linking up with  Mar ,  Cynthia  and  Court  as well as  Heather ! Today's post is going to be short and sweet, and I'll just be sharing my top five Christmas songs, Christmas movies, and TV specials!  I'll also share my recipe for my favorite Christmas Morning Cinnamon Buns! I hope you all have a very special weekend (maybe even enjoying one of these movies with a big mug of hot cocoa and a bun!) and I'll see you back here on Monday! The Best [and easiest] Cinnamon Buns First- story time!  Growing up I loved to cook so much, and one of my traditions was making cinnamon buns and rolls for Christmas morning.  Throughout the years, I tried so many different recipes, and literally felt like I tried every type out there- from buying Pillsbury rolls to making Emeril Lagasse's rolls that took nearly ...

'Twas the morning before Christmas, and on GretchRuns's blog, She shared a few cookie recipes, that will taste great with egg nog! A few crafts as well, that are so easy and quick, So that you have time to set up for old Saint Nick! It's the final week of GretchRuns Christmas!  I hope that you all enjoyed this series, and today I wanted to spread the love a bit.  Instead of sharing my own crafts and cookies, I decided to share a few of my favorite recipes from my friends in the Bloggers Gonna Blog group!  I hope you enjoy, and make sure you spread the cheer over to their blogs! Cookies  Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan  via Uproot from Oregon Vegan Snickerdoodles  via Fooduzzi Healthy Ferrero Rocher Truffles  via Food, Pleasure and Health Crafts Healthy Gingerbread House via a Traveling Wife Winter Chest Rub via Simple Medicine What is your favorite cookie? What are your plans for Christmas? If you do...

I can not believe that another week is here and it's time to share another Christmas post!  I've loved putting together this series, and I hope that you like what I'm sharing today! I have two super simple crafts (they're seriously so easy that I feel silly for sharing them!  But they look SO cute!) and a delicious cookie.  Don'r forget to play my song of the week while you're reading, and enjoy! P.S. if you missed any of my other Christmas posts, you can find them here ! Song Let It Snow - Dave Koz and Kenny G Today we're getting a little sassy and a lot saxy with this cover of Let It Snow!  I love how the melody is passed between the tenor sax and soprano, with lots of improv thrown in.  Such a fun song!  Maybe this will give Mother Nature a hint and Pittsburgh will get some snow this year... Craft This week we're going back to basics with some super-easy mason jar crafts.  I'm sharing two ideas, but the options are really limitl...

On the second week of Christmas, GretchRuns shared with me.... ONE festive song TWO cute shadowboxes and THREE shapes of gingerbread I'm so excited to be back for round two of my Christmas series!  This week I'm sharing one of my recent favorite Christmas songs, a holiday pin that I tried to replicate, and a traditional cookie that's delicious and simple to make.  I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you back next week for more ideas! If you missed last week's post, click here Song : Mary Did You Know : Pentatonix Last week I shared an upbeat song, so this week is a slower, more somber selection.  Pentatonix has some of the most amazing Christmas albums, and this song is my favorite.  It's so beautiful and the harmonies give me chills!   Craft : Festive Shadowbox I had so much fun replicating a shadowbox that I saw on Pinterest.  The original one had mini ornaments, but I thought it would also look cute with jingle bells.  I love ...

Happy Holidays everyone!  I'm so excited that it's December, which means it's time to bust out those decorations, surround yourself with holiday music 24/7, sip on holiday drinks and eat your weight in cookies. Today I'll be starting a new holiday series (check out my Thanksgiving posts here ) for Christmas!  Each Thursday from now until New Year's Eve I'll be sharing a favorite song, craft, and cookie.  I'm really excited and I hope you enjoy this series! Song : Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (Nsync) I suggest you play this song in the background while you're reading this post.  Nothing gets me in the holiday mood like this song!  This song brings back so many memories of being younger and listening to this song with friends.  I can't help but smile when this song comes on, so I had to have it as my first song!  P.S., when everyone starts clapping at the end of the song, you MUST join in! Craft : Fireplace I love to decorate my cubical a...