Hey everyone! First I just want to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who read and left the sweetest words on my last post. I truly just felt overwhelmed with encouragement and love. It’s amazing the connection and conversation that has been made through this blog and yours, and I am incredibly thankful for it.
Thank you also to Michael for his nomination for the Sunshine Blogger’s Award! I absolutely love his writing- It’s so genuine and full of truth. Check it out if you get a chance!
Today is Thursday. The awkward middle child of “FriYAY” and “HUMP DAY!”. Soooo I think you all can relate to this “poem” right about now. My mom sent this to me a few days ago and I had to share.
And this was another one of my favorite things I saw all week..
Anywayyyyy, I think for the update we left off right before Thanksgiving! I didn’t get many pictures of actual Thanksgiving day, but it was a good one! Just great family time, conversation, and happy bellies. I was on salad and fruit duty! I love that the holidays are an extra special excuse to make extra festive foods 😉
This little guy had apple slices/farro/pomegranate/goat cheese/craisins/mixed greens. Pairs well with a nice balsamic or champagne vinaigrette.
Friday, I had a to-do list ten pages long. I conquered the errands for the day with a No Cow Bar in hand. These are my FAVORITE. I am a notorious Quest bar addict, but I like these even more. The lemon meringue flavor is by far the best, but I am a sucker for anything lemon. The dark raspberry truffle is really good too. The macros here are terrific, and they are vegan!
I didn’t do any Black Friday shopping. OK. That’s a lie. I did jump into TJ’s real quick, but they weren’t having any sales “technically” because that place is always like one big Black Friday sale, and I love it.
I feel like the winter is birthday season central!! I love picking out the perfect card — and in my search I think I found the best card of all time. It’s 3-D sushi. I should have stock piled them.
Saturday during the day DJ went to a friend’s basketball game and caught up with a good friend that he hasn’t seen for years. That night we finished up The Office series. I cried like a baby when *spoiler* Michael came back for Dwight’s wedding. *ALL THE FEELS*. We have moved on to my choice series, which is Dexter. Good so far! Parks & Rec is next on the list after this. Also I need to catch up on Gilmore Girls so I can jump into that chit-chat.
We had Thanksgiving leftovers most of the weekend and into the beginning of the week. I swear Thanksgiving food is always better round dos. Saturday for dinner we decided to take a break from the bird & sweet potato mash and picked up some Oren’s. You guys know how much we love our Oren’s!
Also, Main street Cupertino is looking GORGEOUS. One of my favorite things this time of year is the way the Christmas lights suddenly appear in shopping centers and line the roads! Funny story though…. when I was driving on Main Street this past week a cop went through a stop sign and almost hit me (no lights flashing). The IRONY. He did wave in apology, but what is up with my run-ins with the po-po lately?!
Sunday-FUNDAY! It was baptism Sunday at church. Everybody who participated was such a trooper considering it was in the 50s outside and the water was ice cold! There is something so powerful and exciting about watching others make a public declaration of their faith!
Sunday afternoon we went tree picking!!!!!! I was havin’ serious FOMO when I saw everyone setting up their trees all over Insta & Fbook. We were planning on going Saturday, but by the time DJ was back it was nearly dark out! It gets dark so gosh dang early nowadays. It makes me all sleepy and hungry for dinner at like 4 o’ clock. Anywho- it was so fun looking for our own little piece of nature to bring into our home.
Time to set it up! We named it Bow-Bow (Pronounced like “boe-boe”). Yes it’s silly & a bit strange to name your tree, but also more fun. No judging. We are hoping that Bow Bow stays alive longer than Spanky Tom did… RIP little guy.
Yes I know I am being I’m being such a type of girl in these next few pictures. Being basic isn’t a choice, I swear, I can’t help it.
DJ wouldn’t let me get lone pictures of him by the tree. Party pooper.
Yes, Aunt Terry, you best believe we are rocking the mugs you got us last year!
Confession: I made nine trips to Target in two days for various reasons. NINE. The first five were for the Christmas tree lights/decor. We kept getting the wrong kinds of lights (one of my friends said “HOW, they are Christmas lights?!”) and we still cannot find a good star topper that will actually stay up there. I think Bow Bow is a bit flimsy. I still have one more trip to make back to return a few things, but I’ll wait till we have to do a grocery trip.
I had so much fun pulling out our Christmas decor. The stuff collects dust all year, so when it’s even kind of remotely socially acceptable these decorations come out to play.
Monday DJ started a new job!! Wooohoo! He is working with the Church, but still getting his MBA next year. This is the perfect job in the meantime. He absolutely loves it so far!
On Tuesday morning I made this little guy because DJ wanted bacon and eggs. I couldn’t help myself and made a face. I couldn’t get the egg “eye” right on the left, but I just said it was because he was winking 😉 For some reason I think you would enjoy this, Cyranny. Hahah.
I squeezed in a run outside on Tuesday to take a break from Shaun T kicking my rump (Insanity).
The trees are finally changing!!! It’s nothing like gorgeous Ohio in the fall, but I had an added pep in my step seeing a few bright colors here and there <3
Yesterday I went to Peet’s (which I have been spelling wrong forever, along with pescetarian, which is really embarrassing) and caught up on e-mails and last minute organization for holiday shenanigans!
I have had to get creative this week to use up random leftovers. Last night for dinner I made sautéed scallops over farro root with roasted root carrots and sautéed almonds with orange zest and basil. It turned out pretty good!
Another meal I have been making this week is this omelette. I can’t get enough. I had a ton of left over stuffing from my stuffed acorn squash as well as goat cheese. I just threw in 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1/2 cup of the stuffing, a sprinkle of goat cheese and some sprigs of rosemary. All the stuffing is gone now, but I have got to make more soon so I can do this again. It was so tasty!
Wednesday night we had our Bible study group. Someone brought CRONUTS! (AKA: Croissant + Donut). I am not even kidding, one of the best pastries of my life. We were going crayyyy for our cronuts.
This morning I woke up at 6 to meet with a friend for coffee @ 7. I love getting up early and soaking up the mornings. We went to Philz coffee. They make every single cup over drip. It’s really great, but SUPER strong. I am so jittery after. We had such great conversation, and my heart just bursts with love for the amazing individuals we have met since moving here in July.
Quick side note: the reason I changed my name to “Mackenzie” from “Mack” for the profile is a lot of people thought I was a guy. LOLZ.
OK- now I am super excited to announce…….drum roll…… I am going to be hosting my first blogging Meet & Greet, BUT it is going to be called “Mingle & Jingle” in light of the holiday season!!!!
For those who don’t know what a Meet & Greet is, it is essentially a post where you can come in and talk about your blog a bit, leave your link to either a favorite post of yours, or your site in general and find other blogs you may enjoy too! It will be some time next week- stay tuned! 🙂 I am so excited!!! Hope to see you there!!!
I must ask one very important question before I go: What is your favorite kind of Christmas cookie/dessert/holiday treat?! Feel free to leave recipe links!
Stay warm everyone!
xo <3
Mack … or Mackenzie….. or a million other options…oh shoot, identity crisis!
Ok I want a cronut and that’s all I can think about! Love Bow Bow! and cronuts and you and DJ! And cronuts! Also love the poem about work. And CRONUTS
Seriously- you don’t just want a cronut, you NEED a cronut!!!! They are LIFE CHANGING. So so good!!!! Guess you will have to come back out soon to get one 😉 What is your favorite type of holiday cookie?! <3
Loved your post as usual!!! Always lots of amazing things you do and put together. You managed to make Thanksgiving food look spectacular and healthy and tasty. I still want to know your secret to doing sooooooo (this should become an official spelling of “so” dedicated in the dictionary just to you) many things in a short timeframe and still look gorgeous!
Awww thank you, Samantha!!!! OH MY GOODNESS, you make me blush!!! You seriously are the sweetest in the world. I am trying to squeeze in as many fun activities as I can before I start the work grind so soon!! Thank you for stopping by, lovely ! oxoxo
I really love your post! It’s so festive and, haha, the memes at the beginning were so great! Love it!
Heheh- I laughed harder than I should have at those. And thank you so much for stopping by, Jasmine!!!! <3 xo
Haha, I did too! For sure! I started following your blog as well, I’d love to stay connected!
Absolutely! I would love that!!!
Sweet! My blog is at http://jasminegrace.net
PERFECT. Following right now. Can’t wait to check it out, girlie!
Thanks so much girl!! Same to you!
Ps what’s your insta?
I’ll DM ya 😉
I love your zest for life, so inspiring. Wonderful post. Looking forward to visiting again soon. Do biscuits count as cookies?
Absolutely, Barbara 😉 Thank you so much for stopping by <3 I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
How cute are your decor pieces?! And your meet and greet/mingle and jingle sounds like SO much fun!
Thanks Kristy!!!!! Please feel free to stop by the Mingle & Jingle (I clarified a little bit above about what a Meet & Greet is, for those who don’t know!). I hope to see you there 🙂 Have a wonderful week, dear!! xo
Congrats to DJ of course! 🙂 Your tree looks amazing- and I wish I could pop on a plane to get to your meet and greet. I adore the name!
These posts are my favourite to read, as usual! X
Oh girl you are so sweet! The Meet & Greet is a blogging meet and greet right here on my site!! Everyone can come and leave their links/ discuss what their blog is about, etc. It’s sort of tongue and cheek about having food 😉 So I hope to see you there, lovely !!!! Xoxo
GAH stop being so freaking adorable! Haha just kidding, of course. I LOVE all of your holiday décor and super cute outfit. And you use a real tree!! So cool. I just bought a new fake one for myself, but I still love the giant beast. I’ll be posting pictures on my blog so you’ll have to look at the size of it hahaha. I love your catch up posts so much. And a mingle & jingle?! I am so sad that I live so far away or I’d be there in a heartbeat!! Have a wonderful weekend! XO
Annnnnnaaa! You know I always get so excited when I see a comment from you <3 GIRL! The Mingle & Jingle is right here on my site! I clarified in the post exactly what it is. So you definitely can attend 😉 Basically you can just come, talk about your blog, and leave a link to a favorite post of yours or your site! It's a great way to meet some other amazing bloggers and hone in on blogs that you may be interested in! Fingers crossed that people actually show up, right?!? Hehe. So I must know- what is your favorite type of holiday cookie?!? Also- thank you for your sweet words as always and I CANNOT WAIT to see your Christmas tree!!! Have such an amazing weekend! Mwah xo
Mack, I don’t know if I could take knowing you outside of the blogo-sphere! SO. MUCH. FOOD! I’m going to have to get a plastic cover for my keyboard if I see too many more pictures!
Great tree!
Hahahah!! I thought this was a light food post compared to my usuals?!? Lol!! Thanks for stopping by. Have such a great weekend!
You too!
You are so creative and artistic, Mack! I love how you put together the salad and fruits! You turned such a simple task to an artsy & pretty dish! lol How exciting you guys got your tree!! The pictures turned out so beautiful! You and DJ are always on top of the festivities which is so cute hahah and I love the idea of your blogging meet and greet! ❤️ I can’t wait to see more details about it! Oh and a big congrats to DJ on his new job! 🙂 Have a greaaaat weekend, stay blessed the both of you! 😊
Awwww thanks, girlie!!!!!! That is SO sweet of you to say! After four years of nursing school and feeling like all my holidays were robbed from me, I am DETERMINED to make sure I make up for lost years 😉 Hehe. I am so excited you are interested in the Meet & Greet! Woohoo! And I will pass that on to DJ. He is one happy camper. Have such a great weekend yourself, and I bet you are just counting down the days till you board that ship! Also real quick- what is your favorite kind of holiday cookie/dessert (can be a recipe too!) xoxo
Oh my gosh, tell me about it! Isn’t it so nice now just enjoying the holidays without having to worry about exams or be in clinical rotations while people are out doing festive activities!! Lol but yasss girl go all out and make the most of it! ❤️ And of course, wouldn’t miss the meet & greet!! Hahah Roman has been doing our countdown since November 😂 we are excited! Favorite holiday cookie would be…. maybe snickerdoodle! Girl Idk I’ve been sitting here for ten minutes thinking because I just love all sorts of dessert– I DO NOT DISCRIMINATE. Hahaha but I do love snickerdoodles though! What about you?! What’s your favorite to have during the Christmas season?! 😍
I LOVE that Roman is so into the holiday season too. That’s amazing! And I literally laughed out loud— “I do not discriminate”!! Hahah. That is the best. Snickerdoodles are so so good! My step dad LOVES snickerdoodles, so in high school I felt like they were allways in our pantry. I loved it. And oh man, for me probably everything too- but I’d have to say a good homemade gingerbread cookie may take the cake (or take the cookie)<– Pretend I didn't say that. Haha. Hope you are having such a great weekend, dear!!!!! xoxo
Lolll being basic is not a choice cracked me up :)) my fav Christmas cookie is the peanut butter cookie with the Hershey kiss squished on top!
GIRL. I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Hahah. And YESS! Those are some of my favorites too! <3 Thanks for stopping by, and have SUCH a great weekend!!!
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! A Mack Meets & Greet!!!! When? When? When? (am I a bit overexcited, or what? :P) I’ll make sure to be there 🙂 🙂 🙂
As usual, I would have a lot to say, but I don’t want to leave a whole post in your comment box lol I loooooove that bacon and eggs breakfast! And you didn’t even use a mold hihihihihi
I also noticed you have a little French Holiday touch in your living room… Nice!!! You are a real holiday fairy! Bow-Bow is fantastic and it gave me an itch to prepare our own tree!
It is always such a treat for the eyes and the heart to read you, Miss Sunshine 🙂 Thank you for sharing your Target addiction, food pictures and warm thoughts 🙂
Pass on my congratulations to DJ for the new job!! That’s simply great…
Your friend from Freezingland!
P.S. How dare people wonder if you were a guy??? Wake up people, Mack is a true lady 🙂 Muaaah!
Woooohoooooo!!!!!!! I am SO excited that you are so excited!!!!! But since I have never done this before I am a bit scared out of my britches! (Is that even an expression)? But if I know at least you will be there then it will be a party! YAYYYY! I’m thinking next Wednesday! I am SO excited! The rest of your sweet words just warmed my heart. I will pass on the kind congrats to DJ as well <3 HUGSSS!!!! Oh wait…… what is your favorite holiday treat?!? This may be a silly question – but is there a special Denmark dessert that you like around the holidays?! xoxoxo
There is indeed a Danish treat I like to make around Christmas…. it is Risalamande (litterally “almond rice”)
http://nordicfoodliving.com/risalamande-danish-rice-dessert/
Wednesday would be purrrrfect for me, since I’ll be home all day, enjoying a day off work! But it IS your, party, so I’ll join in no matter when you throw it! I’m sure it will be a success!
Have a great weekend beautiful!! *hugs* 🙂 🙂
Oh wow- this looks FABULOUS!!! I cannot wait to try it. Plus it’s fun to say – “Risalamande”. Makes it sound like I’m all fancy- “DJ, I’m making risalamadeeee”! Hehe. And yay PERFECT! I am definitely going to be aiming for Wednesday!!! Have a great rest of your weekend too, Cyranny! <3
It is fun to say… hehehehe Easy to make and the kind of deserts I love, not too sweet, nice texture… Let me know if you try it!! 🙂
That’s exactly how I like mine too!!!! I definitely will ! 🤗
Waiting for meet & greet. The positive look you have on your face (profile pic) reflects on your post too.
Aww, that is so kind of you to say, Sijo! Thank you dearly. I can’t wait to see you at the Meet & Greet!!! It will probably be middle of next week (Wednesday or Thursday!). Have such a wonderful weekend, and thank you very much for stopping by!
Have a nice weekend Mackenzie!! Spread smile! 😊
You too, Sijo!!!
Love seeing all of your adventures (and let’s be real… the food looks to die for). I love peanut butter cookies and can’t wait for the mingle and jingle! Love you boo ❤️
Oh hey, love u, kels bae. I’ll have them PB cookies for u sugar, no worries 😉 xoxo MWAH. Miss the freaking heck out of you.
WoW!!!……okay i will be honest…….i do not remember a thing except those delicious treats…………food overrules everything……….favorite cookie or dessert……hmmm………..thinking about this makes me even more hungry…..off to the mall……btw…..great pictures and amazing post!! 🙂 🙂
Heheh- I agree!!! Food does overrule everything!!! IF you have to take away anything from my posts, please let it be the food!! Lol. Thank you for stopping by!!
:D:D my pleasure!!! 🙂 🙂
You are born writer Dear Sister Mackenzie. ..FYI my name is Kiran( A ray of light)..I loved the way you are getting the tree ready for Christmas…God bless you …be happy and cheerful always 😊
Oh wow, Kiran, your name is so beautiful!!! I love it!!! Thank you for clarifying!! I wasn’t sure if it was one or two names in there! God bless you too always! <3 <3
Good morning dear sister Mackenzie end ….the day has begun at your end…for me the day is ending here 11:38 pm …a bit relaxation since Sunday is a holiday tomorrow I will wake up bit late 😊😊
Hehe I don’t blame you!!!!!
Your home looks so festive and beautiful! Nine trips to Target may be a record! 😀
Thank you, Heather!!! Hahah. I am honestly embarrassed because who is that disorganized to have to make that many trips back and forth?!? We have one that is basically right outside our apartment so it makes it easy to justify it hah. But as of right now I’m pretty sure I won’t have to make another trip for a little bit… but who knows… Hehe. Have such a great weekend!!!
Love this post. So cheerful and Bow Bow is lovely! Looking forward to your Mingle & Jingle!
Yayyyyy! I’m so excited you will be there, Nikki 🙂 Also do you have a favorite holiday cookie, recipe, or treat? <3 <3
Yes..one that is made for me. 😉 Not a baker or lover of cooking in general. 😉
Hahahhaha! Love that
Hi, Mack!!
Hehe…thank you for explaining the name change! I saw it as “Kenzie” at one point and I was thinking…”Umm…have I been inaccurately calling her ‘Mack’ this whole time?!” Makes a little more sense now. 🙂
All of your Christmas decorations are awesome! And your tree is so cute — it must have been fun going to cut it down together!
Your salads for Thanksgiving look delicious, too. I’ve never tried farro before…what is its texture/flavor like? I’ve been starting to cook with quinoa more to mix things up a bit and, fortunately, hubby loves it as much as I do! Today we made Mexican lettuce wraps for lunch and used it for one of the fillings — yummy!
I would love to be part of your blogging Mingle and Jingle, too! I’ve never heard of doing one online (thanks for explaining), and that sounds like a wonderful idea! So if it’s at a time when I can participate, I would definitely like to “come.” 🙂
Favorite Christmas cookie…oh dear….That’s hard….Probably some sort of spice cookie, like homemade gingerbread or ginger snaps.
Have a wonderful weekend!
xo
Hahah that’s so funny you saw that at Kenzie too! See what I mean about identity crisis?! I couldn’t decide, so I was like well… we will go with the birth certificate. LOL. Sorry for that confusion 😉 And thanks for the sweet words, girlie! So farro is a bit thicker (more like an orzo), and adds a nice fullness to a salad! Those mexican lettuce wraps sound amaziiiing! I love that your husband is open to trying new things like that. DJ is too which makes it way more fun when you don’t have to try all of it alone! But I don’t think it’s super common for guys to usually be on board with that, so we are lucky 🙂 I am SO glad you like the idea of the Mingle & Jingle! Woohoo! I will probably make the post around Wednesday, but you can come in and go at any time thereafter 😉 And yessss! Ginger snaps/gingerbread are probably my favorite as well! We have a recipe passed down through our family for “pfeffernusse” cookies from Germany which are a type of gingerbread spice cookie, and I look forward to them all year long. Have such a great rest of your weekend, dear ! Thank you SOO much for stopping by . <3 xo
Ooo…that farro sounds yummy! I’ll have to try some.
I know—It is such a blessing to have husbands who like health food and are very willing “guinea pigs.”
Yay! I’ll definitely stop by for the Mingle and Jingle!
I wonder if those “pfeffernusse” cookies are the same things as “peppernuts”??? It sounds about right….those have been a family tradition in Alexander’s family for years (his mom even has a secret recipe for them), so those are his favorite holiday cookie.
YESSSS!!!!!!!! They are peppernuts !!! I didn’t know if that was just what my family called them so that’s why I called them by their original name 🙈 I just got so excited about this! I love that Alexander’s family has a special recipe too! My cousins, siblings, and I would make them every single year for an entire day- like hundreds!!! I miss that tradition so much! Thank you for sharing this with me, hopefully you can enjoy some this year 🙂 Have such a great week, Lauren! 💕
I loved this post – some great photos there 🙂
Aww, thank you so much, Chloe!!!! <3
Wow! I get exhausted reading your posts. And hungry. And congrats to DJ on the new job. I love hearing about good things happening to good people.
Hahhah, glad the post could work up an appetite!!! That’s what I’m here for . Lol. And thank youuuu! I will pass that on to DJ. Have such an awesome rest of your weekend!
Mission accomplished
What a wonderful post, you’re like wonder woman with the amount of things you do..
Oh man, I don’t know about that. Lol. I could save myself a lot of the running around if I just get more organized!! hahah. But you are so sweet, Myra! Do you have a favorite dessert/cookie recipe of yours for the holiday season?! I know those brownies look to.die.for!
Your tree is beautiful and you know I’m partial to “Wendy” haha. Can’t wait to hear how the jingle and mingle goes. 💟💟
Oh man, Aunt Terry- no worries, I reserve Wendy just for you! Hehehe!!! I can’t wait to tell you allll about it.
I’m new to your blog, but I gotta say that I fell in love with that Christmas tree. It’s like the brightness most sparkly thing I’ve seen all week. 😀
Have a great weekend. 🎄
Thank you for stopping by, Hugh!!! I so appreciate it. And I’m glad that you liked the tree!!!! It was such a blast setting it up. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!
You guys are so cute! I just tried a “No Cow” bar for the first time yesterday. Peanut butter and chocolate. Great texture and a nice change from my ever present Nature Valley Protein Bars.
Awww thank you 🙂 And yayyy! I’m glad you like them! I absolutely love the texture, but some people aren’t a big fan of it. I’m so glad you like them! The pb & chocolate and raspberry are my other two favorites besides the lemon meringue! You’ll have to let me know if you try other flavors 🙂
The salad you made looks amazing and I love the apple slices idea! I hope I remember that one for in the future.
Yay! I am so glad you like it!!!! Super easy to make but still pretty and festive- I’m all about the simplicity !! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Love simplicity.
It is very good to see people rejoicing and celebrating life. Keep smiling and writing joyful posts to spread happiness!
Awww thank you so much, Bhavana!!! I appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Wow, you are so active! Thanks for sharing, and Shaun T has kicked me around a fair share as well. Insanity Asylum!
Shaun T -“this is only the warm up!”
me-“Stop saying that Shaun T, I’m already dead!”
can’t wait for your jingle mingle! God bless.
Hahahah I so related to that!!! I have been wanting to try Asylum for a while!!! How do you feel it compares to the original ?!
It was really nuts, ramped up! I lost 12 lbs actually got faster in my 5 k!
Ahhh wow!! ok, now I have something to add to the Christmas list!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!
So cute!
Thank you so much 😊
Your Christmas tree and decorations are soooo cute!! I love cronuts! Our donut shop has them and they are definitely a treat that I look forward too! What is your snapchat and instagram username? We need to be friends on there! 🙂
Thank you, Tara!!!! Oh good- you have had cronuts! I swear, no one should be allowed to go through life without trying them! They are fantastic. And yes! We absolutely need to touch base on snap & insta: my snapchat is mackmarie3 and I DM’d ya on Instagram 🙂 Have a great rest of your week <3 I am so behind on reading, but I am looking forward to catching up on your blog so soon!!!!
Guuurrrrlllll I can’t believe you just finished The Office! I absolutely love that show. I watch it over and over and it’s just as funny every time! And yes, you need to watch Gilmore Girls too. The new ones were amazing. Also, have you seen Gossip Girl? I love that show too.
I love anything sweet, so really anything that has sugar is my favorite Christmas dessert hahaha but currently I’ve been craving crispy sugar cookies (old family recipe. They’re sugar cookies that are so thin that they’re super crunchy and buttery and amazing).
P.S. LOVE your mugs! I have a Rae Dunn obsession.
Hey girl !!!!!!! Ok- I’m going through serious withdrawal from the Office though right about. Ow 😭 It was SOO good! I can’t wait to catch up on Gilmore girls – I’ve heard such good things! And YESSS Gossip Girl was my addiction during early college days! So great. Since we have such similar taste in shows pleases let me know other suggestions 😊 also- those sugar cookies sound to die for!! YUM! Old recipes are just the best! Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer 💕 hope you have a wonderful week, lovely!
Aww thanks for the shout out!! You are freaking the best.
More importantly, it looks like DJ taught that tree a lesson! Loved the wine poem too haha! It looks like you two are gearing up for a wonderful Christmas together and that made me genuinely smile. Christmas has to be the best holiday, period.
PS it started seriously snowing here. I am supremely jealous that you AREN’T experiencing Indiana winter….haha
Of course!!!! I truly appreciated the nomination! I wish I had more time to sit down and respond to the questions! And yessssss- 😂 DJ certainly did ! It was a blast decorating , I’m such a sucker to get caught up in the cliches of every holiday. And I have been receiving pictures from friends back home of the snow!!! It’s so crazy that it’s that time of year there and yet I was wearing shorts last week here 😳 I’m going to be in for it when we travel back in a couple weeks ! Stay warm, friend !! Have such a great week!!!
I love your Christmas Tree adventure: what a riot! to get to pick your tree, cut it & bring it home!!! Thank you for sharing an experience which I vicariously enjoy through you!
That sushi card is da bomb!
You make such lovely looking food …. never underestimate an omelette, right?
My favourite holiday cookie find for this year are Norwegian Butter Squares: really simple to make, big impact! Everyone loves them! (we have decorated them using chocolate drizzle and sprinkles)
Recipe found here:
https://purplepumpernickelblog.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/a-cookie-baking-sort-of-day-norwegian-christmas-butter-squares/
Hehe! I am so glad you enjoyed our tree extravaganza!! And I totally agree – omelettes are such a great go to! You can basically throw anything in and it will turn out delicious! Those Norwegian squares sound FANTASTiC! I cannot wait to try! Thank you for sharing the recipe !!! 💕 have such a wonderful week!!!
Hi Mack! Great post! I really like your Christmas tree! I like how a real tree smells. The salad with fruit looks great! I’m going to try making one sometime. Your mingle and jingle sounds fun! I’ll be looking out for it. Do you have a Twitter?? Me, my grandma and mom make tamales every year so that’s my favorite. It isn’t Christmas without them. My grandma won’t give me the recipe because she has it in her head. One of these days I’ll have to ask her again. BTW, the cronuts look awesome! I’ve read about them but I don’t think they have them here. Oh something else I like for the Christmas holidays is champurrado. It’s a thick hot chocolate. I usually just buy the powder but I think I’m going to make it from scratch this year. If I do, I’ll do a post. See you later, Mack! Take care!
Hi Lisa!!!! I have been loving the real tree! Growing up I had a fake one most years , so this has been a treat! I do not have a twitter (well technically I do have an account but I never go on it, I need to jump on that train!).. I’m so excited you want to join the mingle &jingle ! It will be Wednesday most likely 🤗 and Oh My!!!!! Those tamales sound INCREDIBLE along with that delicious hot chocolate!!!!! I love traditions like that and hearing about all the different ones everyone has! Thanks for sharing yours!!! Have such a good week 🙂
Twitter really helped my blog grow. I just prefer it over any other social media platform. I’ll be looking out for your mingle and jingle on Wednesday! 😃 Have a great week as well!
That’s so good to know!!!!! I’ll have to look into that more 🙂
🙂
Awesome post as always! And that’s great, I’ve never heard of a meet and greet before! My favorite Christmas cookies are butter cookies. I haven’t had them in years since I had to stop eating gluten…but now I’m inspired to find a gluten-free recipe!
Thanks, Samantha!!! I have attended a few meet & greets and they are just a blast! You get to meet so many new people and it really emphasizes how awesome this community!!! And oh yessss! Butter cookies are heavenly! Especially with a cup of coffee! Mmmmm . I will stay on the lookout for gluten free ones and let you know if I ever see anything!!!! Have such a great week, and thank you always for stopping by! 💕
I love your Christmas Decoration over your house!!
And your Christmas tree is amazing!!
https://marioness.wordpress.com
Marioness
Thank you so much 😊
I have yet to do my Target Christmas run this year. That and The Container Store are my kryptonite! You have such cute decorations! Also, I have allergies so we can’t get a real tree but I so want to go anyway for the experience!
Looking forward to your meet and greet. I’ve never done one so I will be interested in finding out how it works!
Hey Katy!!’ I’m so excited to see you here! And I hadn’t heard of the container store until we moved here( there is one right down the road) …. needless to say, I LOVE it! I hope you can get that Christmas experience. ! Maybe take some Benadryl before! Might be sleepy, but at least not sneezy ? Oh no I’m going into nurse mode ! Haha. I’m excited you want to come to the meet & greet! They are always so much fun! I’m hoping it goes smoothly since this is my first . Have such a great week, dear 💕
Your tree is beautiful, and I love the pictures of your “hunt” for the perfect tree! Enjoy the tree and the season! I am looking forward to your meet and greet. I love meeting new bloggers. 🙂 – Suzanne
Thank you so much!!!!! I am so excited that you want to join in 🙂 It will most likely be tomorrow !!Thank you for stopping by here 😊Have a great week, Suzanne! ❤️
Your Christmas decor turned out SO cute, lady- and your tree is perfect!
I love that poem about work- totally feel the same. 😉
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Thank you so much, Ashley!! I am so excited to see you here 🙂 and how true is that poem ?! Have a great rest of your week!!
If I wasn’t already in the season this post definitely got me there! I loved all your decorations (especially the naughty or wine plaque!) And girl you were rocking it! I loved your outfit! No shame at all! Philz looks so yummy! Like it is right up my cup of joe! (Lame joke but tea sounded so wrong to say!) As always all the food made me hungry! That salad looked so yummy and I always love a yummy omelet! I think it is my go to regardless of the time of day. I am so excited for you and the mingle and jingle! Hope you are having a great week! xoxo <3
Hahaha- you know I would NEVER shun a good pun 😉 bring on the cup of tea !!!! And thanks! Coming from you, the fashionista, that means so much !! 😊 and I just had another omelette for dinner- I start to crave them in the winter !!!! Hope you are having an incredible week too, K. ❤️
Hehe. I am glad you appreciated it 🙂 You are very welcome! 🙂 Ooo yummy! I know what you mean. Soups and omelettes are my staples during winter. 🙂 Thanks beauty! <3
You’re an Office lover too!!!?!?!? I should’ve known! Jim and Pam, ah I love them!!! I’m on season 7 and have been taking my sweet precious time to watch it because I don’t want it to ever end!!! I kind of sort of want to watch Parks and Recs but I weirdly feel like it’s betraying The Office (as if they’re going to know or something…lol) Dexter is definitely a good one though! That sushi card is literally AMAZING, holy moly, if you find another one….Andrew’s birthday is right around the corner *cough* Jan HA. Look at you cutting down the tree, you’re too cute….I’m just going to go ahead and assume you did ALL of the work with that while DJ just sat there and admired his darling girlfriend 🙂 BTW what does DJ call you? I’m sticking with Mack. Also, congrats to him for getting that job!!! YAY! And now I can’t end this comment without mentioning the cronuts, because they are totally yummy and now I want one. Ah, I’ve missed your blog, so good catching up on whats been going on!!! <3
xo, JJ
YESSSSSSS! Ok we may be the same person. The Office is the best!! I hope I didn’t spoil anything for ya 😳 and girl- sushi card is at target !!!! I got the last one here but if I see the little boogar again I’m stocking up! And Hahahah that is essentially how the decorating went 💁🏼 except instead of watching me, he was watching ESPN . 😂 JK , he helped a good chunk.:) I was just glad I convinced him to go get the tree with me! And DJ calls me sugar or kenz . But I love Mack all the same ! And it makes a good alliteration for the blog 😉 I have missed you and your posts and I cannot WAIT to catch up!!! Xoxo 😘
Loved the quote “Outside weather may be frightful but wine is delightful”
Hahah! It’s one of my favorite decorations too 😊🍷
That’s great
Sorry I just left the comment without introducing myself.Hi Mackenzie,I am Payal.First of all nice to meet you and thanks for going through my blog.I am too excited for christmas and your post increased it and chocolates are always my favorites.Decorations are going on everywhere in Aus,I will post the pics soon.Once I will make cake I will surely share the recipe too.Nice clicks 🙂
It is soo nice to meet you, Payal! Such a pretty name! I can’t wait to see that post – and that cake sounds so yummy 😋 Thank you for stopping by !!!!! Have a great rest of your week!
You too dear
Your blog is so cute! Glad to have found you 🙂
Aww! Thanks girl. Excited to follow you ! xox
Likewise! 🙂 x
Hooray for Christmas tree picking! And for 9 trips to Target in two days, haha! I’ve been there before, girl. Looks like your holiday season is full of fun and cheer! 🙂
Hehe- it’s such a busy season, but SO much fun!!! Hope you are having a wonderful start to yours 🙂
Love the pics around your tree! You guys are so cute <3 Jingle Mingle sounds like fun. Perfect idea!
Hehe thanks so much 🙂 Hope you have such a great weekend! Almost Friday!! Woohoo!
Great post! Mack. I mean, Mackenzie.
Lol! Mack is great too! Like I said… identity crisis!!!! Thanks for reading and stopping by. Have a wonderful rest of your day!
Your posts always make me smile
Aww I’m so glad 🙂
Christmas pudding, and Christmas cake.
Good choices !!!!!
Thanks
Oh Mack, what a great post! You and DJ look so happy, and your tree is beautiful. That coffee place looks wonderful too. 🙂 Sending you and DJ so many blessings for Christmas and a wonderful new year. Take good care of yourself!!
Love, Debbie
ps – where you live seems really pretty. You’re inspiring me to go around LA and check out some of the decorations. Thanks!
Debbie, you always just leave such kind, heartfelt comments!!!! Thank you so much ! I wish you soooo many blessings in this year to come!!!!! 🎉❤️️
Aww thanks Mack! And to you and DJ too!!! <3
My goodness, you and DJ are too, too cute! Aha! Bow Bow! What a perfect name for a tree!
NOW, I gotta know if BB lasted longer than Spanky Pete! Will there never be an end to the tree related questions???
You are too sweet!!!! I love that you hunted down this riddle 😉 LOL!!!! What a journey this story is taking you on!!!!!! Hehe
Yep!! I have an insatiable need to know!!