A Few of My Favorite Christmas Things- Plus a Workout!

Merry Christmas Eve! And for some, merry it's so close to Christmas you can almost feel it!! So sorry for a lack of post yesterday, this was meant to be for the day before Christmas, but all well. Christmas day there will not be a post, but we will start back up on Friday! And next week, there will be lots of life hacks to make the New Year happier, healthier, more organized, and an all around kickin year. Of course, there will be plenty of pics on Instagram in the next day or two as well!

For now though, let's savor this Christmas goodness and talk about a few of our favorite things over the holidays. Lately, I have been overcome with feelings about how blessed we are. I can truly say that life is incredible right now, and that is something to be oh-so thankful for! My favorite thing over the holidays is spending time with friends and family and all the kindness we get to spread around. This year, it feels like everyone has gotten nicer for Christmas instead of more rushed, stressed, and just plain mean. The general goodwill towards our fellow inhabitants of this earth is definitely my favorite this time of year.

Of course, kindness is a bit trickier to take pictures of, so let's look at some favorite things around our place instead, shall we! Also, sorry for the lack of super wonderful make you cry at the beauty pictures, these were taken by me with my iPhone. I am not the photographer in the family.

1. Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String

Yes, this is the reason for the post's title. The hubs had a great idea to go super traditional with our wrapping this year and I am OBSESSED. When you put all the packages together it looks like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel did all our wrapping for us. This paper is also the least I have ever spent on wrapping and the bows are hands down the easiest as well. No wonder Pottery Barn and the like use this as the wrapping of choice, it is wonderful!

We have also added white paper to the mix (swoon), but those will be in pictures later.

2. Cats That Love Trees

Our cats love to sleep under the tree, play around it, smell it (side note: Chuu smelt like a Christmas tree the other day, it may have been the happiest day of my life), and just look at it. The do not, however, enjoy climbing it. That is something I will never stop being happy about.

3. Christmas orchids

These orchids bloom every Christmas and every Christmas it makes my heart happy. This year, we have seven whole buds on the orchid and six of them have bloomed! Chances are pretty high that it will stay like this until my birthday. Just another one of my favorite bits, orchids that seem to have found the fountain of youth!

4. This Funny Stick Village

My Grandma got the whole village thing for us from Crate and Barrel and I am loving them. The fox is especially cute and greets everyone who comes into our house. Too bad I did not get a pic of him. Next time.

5. Live Sprigs

So, this is not the greatest picture ever, but the candle holder is brass, the ornaments are white and silver, and the tree sprigs are green. We also have automatic tea lights mixed in that give the prettiest glow ever to the centerpiece! The color combo, spell of fresh evergreen, the chic but natural look make this a favorite for me. Tree sprigs are also free and can be picked up at any Christmas tree lot. When you cut the stems, it smells like Christmas, winter, and everything happy in the world. Then, put them around your home and spin around in joy just like Maria does on that hill.

6. This Workout

This barre workout has to be on the list because it is just great over Christmas. We are busy and workouts can fall on the back burner list, but this workout can be done anywhere at anytime! It is wonderful and I am loving it this season.

Merry Christmas and I hope your days are sunny and bright and your Christmas is just splendid!

Love,

Jenni

Motivation for Your Monday

Well, this is the last Monday before Christmas folks. In keeping with the Christmas theme, I wanted to have a quote from one of our family's favorite Christmas books/movies/stories- A Christmas Carol.

One of the hub's favorite authors is Charles Dickens and one of our Christmas traditions is to watch at least one movie version of A Christmas Carol every December. So far we have watched A Muppet Christmas Carol which is just so cute, have you seen that one? I just love it! And now, to prove we are adults, tonight's viewing will be the version with Patrick Stewart. I do not think I have seen this one in quite a long time but is the hub's favorite. 

As far as quotes go, this is one of my favorites from A Christmas Carol, it is just so good. Gifts are great and seeing family is wonderful, but nothing can lift or lower a mood like our attitude. This Christmas, my goal has been to stay relaxed, kind, patient, and nice. I would like to be solution oriented rather than basking in all the issues of the holidays. Sure we are giving family and friends gifts, but this really does seem like the greatest thing I can do for all of them- especially the hubs. Poor guy has had to deal with my Christmas craziness for too many years now. Not this time :)

Merry Christmas!

Great Christmas Recipes

Every year for Christmas evening we go to my cousin's house. My cousin inherited Christmas from my Grandma a few years ago and it has been going great! Instead of everyone getting a gift for everyone else (which gets rather pricey with 20 people and handfuls of children) we do a round robin gift exchange. Everyone also brings a side or two to help with the cooking.

This year I will be making three dishes that range in appeal from the adults to the tiniest ones we will have there. I am super excited to make a new dish and really excited to be making a few staples in the hubs and my diet for everyone this year! Oh, and by the way, the Thanksgiving Brussels sprouts were a major hit! They were also so easy to prep the day before Thanksgiving and pop in the oven 15-minutes before we ate.

Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

This is probably the easiest thing to make out of the lot. Add salad to bowl, add shaved Parmesan cheese, grill or pan cook shrimp, mix together with dressing before eating. Really, I think this side salad is up there with eggs on the list of easy things to cook. And no, it is not the healthiest option for a salad, but you can do a few things to keep it light.

My first recommendation would be to skip croutons- they are unneeded fat and calories and most people just push them to the side anyway. Second, go for a light Caesar vinaigrette instead of the usual, heavier option. This will make the salad a little less filling and also keep the flavors a bit less overpowering. Of course, you can always skip all those preservatives and make your own dressing instead!

Truffle Oil Mac n' Cheese

This idea came to me when I was super craving lobster mac n' cheese but no restaurant I wanted to go to had it on the menu. Seriously, I could live on lobster mac n' cheese, unfortunately, that would lead to massive joint pain from my new-found 400-pound frame, a massive reduction in friends because who wants to smell mac n' cheese all day, and constant pawing from cats for my lobster. It is my lobster cats, get use to it.

I digress. Lobster mac n' cheese is good, but pricey. Truffle oil mac n' cheese is slightly less pricey and oh-so good!!

Garlic Roasted Kale

This is my favorite way to make kale ever. It is so easy and so yummy, you just might want it every night as well! My best recommendation for this is to add the kale in intervals so you have different textures of leafy green. I also like to continue adding small amounts of seasoning, olive oil, and vinegar each time I add more kale. The fish also helps add some fats and flavor, but if you would prefer, chicken or nothing at all works just as well!

If you really want to mix it up (which I always like doing) add some spinach in as well! Just be sure to add the spinach towards the end since it cooks much faster than kale.

Christmas Brunch Pastry Ideas

Do you make food for brunch on Christmas? It has become a bit of a tradition for me to make a Christmas brunch. Nothing fancy or big, just mimosas (maybe) and a yummy dish for the hubs and I. A sit-down-together breakfast never happens in our house, so why not have Christmas be the time when we are able to enjoy each others company and relax before family and friends start coming around!

This year's Christmas brunch is going to have similar themes to last year's, but add some sweets in as well. The hubs loves salmon and capers for breakfast, so I am thinking I will do some type of smoked salmon dish and something more sweet for me as well. Here are a few ideas I have found for great Christmas breakfast pastries!

Lemon Raspberry Tart

This is just too pretty to not be in the running for a Christmas brunch. Although, someone will need to help me figure out what crystallized ginger is.

Stuffed Caprese Bites

Ok, so these guys may not exactly be a pastry, but there is no reason all bready ooey gooey things need to be sweet. Some people even like salt over sugar. Besides, they just look so yummy!

Pumpkin Sweet Rolls

I bet that go your attention, right?! These look incredible and are, most likely, what sweet treat we will be eating come Christmas morning. The recipe is from Elle Penner, so a bit healthier than the usual.

Homemade Raspberry Danish

We may just be making this one this year because. Every year for Thanksgiving my Grandma gets a raspberry danish. I have not continued that tradition on Thanksgiving morning, but I am the only one who eats it! Eating this entire danish is surely much healthier than the grocery equivalent.