The 12 Dates of Christmas — #5

Posted in 12 Dates of Christmas, Favorite Things, Holidays, weekend by

For our fifth date of Christmas (yep, we’re on a roll over here!), we headed out on Sunday evening to do some Christmas shopping.  I don’t know about you guys, but this whole “late Thanksgiving” thing is totally throwing me off.  Usually I get at least a few gifts done between Thanksgiving and the beginning of December, which helps me feel like I’m at least semi on top of things for Christmas (even if I don’t actually finish my shopping until the 23rd.  Or 24th…)

This year it feels like December is just flying by (stay awhile, please!), and I was beginning to feel a little anxious about the fact that I had only one gift completed.  (Y’know, out of like, a thousand.)  So, we bundled up in our boots, scarves, and coats, and braved the terribly cold California weather in the name of gift-giving.  (And if you live outside of California, y’know — someplace that has real weather, I’m sorry.  It must be terribly cold where you are.  All I know is that whenever it’s 55° or colder outside, it’s basically like we’re all living in Antarctica.  I mean, I don’t even own a heavy sweater.  What am I supposed to do?)

We hit the stores, and we hit them hard.  We even took a break in the middle to go have some Mexican food (shopping fuel!), and then shopped some more.  After our haul, we headed home and I wrapped gifts while we watched Home Alone.  Now our tree is looking extra festive:

presents 1I’ve still got three big gifts to wrap; but I ran out of wrapping paper, so those will have to wait.  And can I just say that it’s super awesome that Gap was giving away free gift boxes (as many as you wanted!), but man, square boxes are such a pain to wrap!  There are so many gifts under our tree that have an extra strip of paper over the bottom secured with packing tape because I didn’t cut the wrapping paper correctly to cover a square box.  Oh well, they look nice from the top!

presents 3Also, I may have run out of boxes by the time I got to my brother’s gift, so his miiiiight be split up into like 6 different bags.  Partially because it’s funny, partially because I’ve had these Christmas bags for years and never use them, and partially because who wouldn’t want to open 6 gifts (hello!).  A Christmas miracle, to be sure.

Well, due to our marathon shopping outing, I’m happy to report that we’re in the home stretch of present-buying.  Although, I haven’t even come close to finishing shopping for KC’s stocking…  Does Santa do IOU’s?

presents 27 dates left!  Merry merry :)

The 12 Dates of Christmas

Posted in 12 Dates of Christmas, Favorite Things, Holidays, Relationships by

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I came across the idea of 12 dates of Christmas a couple of years ago, and loved the idea.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to go on 12 dates in December?  Now, I’m sure everyone will have their own interpretation of what constitutes a “date,” but my standards are pretty loose.  (← Haha, quiet.)

Our first date was heading to Home Depot to pick out our Christmas tree on December 1.  (Like I said, what I consider a “date” is pretty easy to qualify for.  Lucky KC.)

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Our second date of Christmas was staying home on Friday night with the fire going, and watching The Family Stone together.  It always makes me cry, but it’s one of my favorite holiday movies, and I still love watching it every year around this time.

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Our third date was getting dressed up real fancy and heading into the city for KC’s office’s annual holiday party.  They go all out with this event, and this year was no exception.  They rented out the City View Club at the Metereon and had a huge open bar and tons of different food stations with all kinds of small bites.  Not to mention that people were wearing everything from what appeared to be formal evening gowns to Forever 21-style club attire.  (I always find it interesting what people deem appropriate to wear to work parties…  I think maybe I’m just not that brave to take those kinds of fashion risks!)

IMG_0480Our fourth date was sleeping in after our late night out at KC’s work party, and having a slow morning of Christmas coffee and good conversation.  Sometimes being extra-lazy is just the best, isn’t it?

We’ve still got eight dates to go!  I can’t wait :)

Little Letters

Posted in Holidays, Little Letters by

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Dear Christmas Tree: I wish you were a year-round tradition, then our little house would always smell good and be lit up by the soft glow of all your lights.

Dear Penny: Remember how you decided to investigate the absolutely-terrifying tree skirt the other day? Apparently the ties in the back were so scary that you started shaking while on your (very bold) quest to sniff out whatever evil magic was back there. Sometimes I can’t even handle how cute you are.

Dear Mistletoe: Sorry Penny barked at you for like 5 minutes straight. Apparently you’re pretty scary too.

Dear Fireplace: Even though those stupid “natural” logs we bought are the worst (the wooooorst), you’re still the best. Let’s never part.

Dear Grandma Lynn: Because of you, I have an entire 7-foot tree’s worth of ornaments. I love putting them up every year, and they always make me think of you. I love you.

Dear Glass Ballerina: You were my most favorite ornament, and the very last one I went to put on the tree this year — but you slipped out of my hands and shattered on the floor. I’m pretty sure that I’ve had you a long time now (since 1990?), but I was still a little bit heartbroken when I had to sweep you off the floor and throw you in the trash.

Dear KC: I know you grumble about me “putting up Christmas” every year, but every year you give in and get me a tree, help me put it up, and deck the halls to my heart’s content. This year was a little above and beyond with that extension ladder. I love you.

Dear Christmas Shopping: You seem a little more stressful this year than usual. I think it’s because I didn’t get that extra week after Thanksgiving to feel on top of things. Oh well, you’ll get done eventually, right?

Dear Le Creuset: Totally BFFs right now! We’re gonna make so much soup together.

Dear Champagne: There’s been a rift in our relationship. We’ll probably be ok by New Year’s, but right now I need some space.

Love, Chelsea

It’s Here!

Posted in Favorite Things, Holidays by

I have a self-imposed rule (which comes from my family) that Christmas is not allowed to start until Thanksgiving.  Yes, I do start listening to Handel’s Messiah in October (which is allowed because that’s when we would start rehearsing it in high school choir), but all other Christmas songs and activities are halted until Thanksgiving day.  Once Turkey day arrives though, it’s full-on Christmas cheer until the end of December (and maybe a little beyond that.  Let’s just be honest.)

KC always tries to stall me and my boundless amounts of holiday spirit by telling me I have to wait until December to get a Christmas tree.  (If it were up to me, we would get one on Thanksgiving night.  Oh heck, really if I had my way, it would be up November 1st.)  I start badgering him about the tree long before Thanksgiving, in the hopes that he will (just this once!) give in and let me get a tree early.  But this year, Thanksgiving was so late in November that I didn’t have to pester him much at all to go out and get a tree Thanksgiving weekend.

And so, a tree we did get.

tree 1This is the first year we’ve had a big (7-foot!) tree.  We’ve always had Christmases together at our previous, teeny-tiny, postage-stamp-sized apartment, which only really allowed for a 3-4 foot tree, which we would put on top of a table.  It was magical, nonetheless; but this is a whole other level of Christmas joy:

tree 2And yes, I know it’s a little bit Charlie-Brown-y in spots, and that freaking star tree-topper never stays straight; but I can’t tell you how incredibly happy this tree makes me.  And, if you must know, I have a little bit of a soft spot for not-so-perfect trees.  I think half the fun is figuring out how to cover up the bare spots with ribbon and ornaments, and how to position the tree so it only looks crooked if you’re standing right-in-that-one-spot.

And, just as I was thinking that things couldn’t get any better, KC agreed to put lights up on our little green house.  (Yes, we live in a little green house with a purple door on the top of a hill.  All of my childhood fairy-tale dreams maybe came true when we moved into this place.)  And so, now I get to come home every night to this:

house lightsAnd even though it was a little terrifying to have KC up on our (super-nice!) neighbors’ extension ladder, I think this sight is kinda worth it.

Happy holidays, friends!  I hope you’re all filled up with holiday spirit and enjoying every moment of December.

Our First Thanksgiving — The Verdict

Posted in Dinner, Fall, Holidays by

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Despite my nervousness of hosting 11 people for dinner, and possibly poisoning them due to having never cooked a turkey before (a 20+ lb one, at that), our first Thanksgiving was a smashing success (if I do say so myself). Of course, the turkey, which was supposed to take 5-6 hours to cook, was done in a mere 3 1/2 hours — at 2:30 in the afternoon, no less. But, my mom assured me that I hadn’t ruined Thanksgiving, and we let the bird sit, wrapped in foil, until we were ready to eat. I completely spaced and forgot to put out the cranberry sauce my mom had made — and, of course, I didn’t realize it was absent until dinner was already over. Ah, holidays.

We ate, we drank, and we ended the night by sending everyone home with some leftovers (not nearly as many as I feared we might have). My sister, her husband, and her husband’s brother stayed late, and we all sat by the fire and listened to Christmas songs (much to the boys dismay), as we attempted to finish the huge bottle of prosecco that was opened earlier in the evening. (We didn’t even come close.) On a whim, we decided to go to a (late!) 10pm showing of Catching Fire. It’s been ages since KC and I have seen a movie that late, and it felt like our college days. (Although the 1am hangover that followed, quickly assured us that we were no longer 22.)

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Even though it was a bit of work to cook and host, and maybe just the tiniest bit stressful, I think our first Thanksgiving was quite a success. My family has a lot of traditions, and so does KC’s, but it’s nice to start some of our own, since KC and I are our own family now. I’m sure that there will be a lot of traditions that we’ll keep from both sides of our families, but I think this new Thanksgiving setup might just turn into a tradition of our own. And hey, cooking a giant turkey the second time around can’t be nearly as hard as the first, right?* Well, that’s what I’m telling myself for next year, anyway.

*And really, the hardest part was just lifting the dang thing, and that was all KC’s job. ;)

It’s like owning a condo, except it’s in my mind

Posted in Budget-Friendly Weekend Fun by

Yes, that’s how I describe my mountain of law school student loan debt to people.  It’s literally like I bought property, except I can’t live in it.  I like to call it a condo, because it would really only be like a condo in some crappy bay area suburb; however, in the midwest, I’m fully confident that I could have bought a 4-5 bedroom McMansion with what I owe the federal government for my education.

This brain of mine, it’s real pricey.

Anyway, if you have student debt, you know how all-encompassingly (not a word, apparently.  Whatever) sh*tty it is.  Mine were constantly being transferred between providers (oh, you thought that online loan interface was bad?  Well just check out this one!), not to mention my absurdly high interest rate of 7.5% (shootmeintheface).

Also fun: first year of law school our first big research/writing assignment was about the process to get your student loans discharged via bankruptcy.  The verdict?  You pretty much can’t get them discharged.  Ever.  For any reason.  Sooo, that was a nice little mind-$%#@.

However, recently I came across a little ray of hope in the stupid world of student loans — SoFi.  They’re a Silicon Valley-based startup that’s alumni-funded.  They’ll take over your loans and lower your interest rate if you qualify.  I mean, it’s not like they’re gonna pay them for you, but they can save you some money in the long-haul.  Like, thousands.  (And I don’t know about you, but I’m not Scrooge McDuck rich over here, so I like to hold onto my thousands when I can, thank you.)

Anyway, if you have student loans that are ruining your life (or just making it mildly uncomfortable — whatever) check out SoFi here.  And, if you apply through that link, you get $100.  What up, Christmas shopping!

PS: I also saw somewhere that if you get approved they’ll send you a pie.  Super random, I know.  And I’ve sent an email to ask about this pie — I’ll report back on what I find out.  I mean, if it’s mincemeat or something, I don’t really know what to tell you; but free’s free.

Our First Thanksgiving — the menu

Posted in Dinner, Fall, Holidays, Savory, Sweet by

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As you probably already know, KC and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year for the very first time.  We’re breaking out our wedding china, every serving dish in the joint, and opening all bottles of wine we come into contact with.  It’s my first time making a turkey, and my first time hosting this many people for dinner (there’s only 11 of us, but it still seems like a lot to me!)  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.

With that, here’s the menu for the day, linked up to the recipes I’m planning to use:

Pre-Dinner

  • Appetizers: I bought big wedges of cheese (1, 2, 3, and some kind of herbed, soft brie-type cheese I can’t remember the name of) at Costco, which I plan to serve with cured meats, crackers, and other accoutrements.
  • Drinks: champagne, sparkling rosé, and prosecco.

Dinner

  • Roast Turkey: Because, obviously, right?  I got a 20lb organic, free-range bird, and I’m keeping things simple (no frying, smoking, what-have-you — just good ol’ roast turkey).
  • Gravy: I’ve actually made this recipe before on a couple occasions, and it’s turned out perfectly delicious every time.  So, why mess with a good thing, right?  Right.
  • Mashed Potatoes: I don’t have a standard recipe for these (I mean, do you need a recipe to make mashed potatoes?  I’m going with no.), but I bought a huge bag of russets at Costco + the 4lb pack of butter, so I think I’m good.
  • Stuffing: My sister is doing the stuffing (and, technically, I guess it’s dressing because I’m pretty sure we’re not actually stuffing the bird…)
  • Green Bean Casserole: My brother is making this, so I’m sure it will be made the traditional way (complete with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup and French’s French Fried Onions.  Although, we do draw the line at canned green beans.)
  • Salad: My sister is making this (Yes, I asked for a lot of help since it’s my first year!  Not to mention that I have some very talented cooks in my family.)
  • Cranberry Sauce: My mom is making this (from scratch!)  No cans here :)
  • Bread: I’m not even gonna act like we’re above these.  Because we’re not.  And they’re delicious.
  • Drinks: white wine & red wine & beer

Post-Dinner

  • Pumpkin Pie: I’ve made this pie a few times now, and it always gets rave reviews.  I’m not actually a fan of pumpkin pie, but KC is, so I like to make this as a special treat for him.
  • Chocolate Pie: My mom is making this.  She makes it every year, and despite the easy recipe, it always gets gobbled up in about 3 minutes flat.
  • Holiday Spice Cake: My sister is making the last dessert, and I think is planning on some kind of holiday cake (though I don’t know exactly what recipe she’s using because I don’t think she’s decided on one yet).
  • Drinks: coffee (gotta combat all the tryptophan!)

*Oh, and in case you’re thinking that KC is getting off scot-free, he’s in charge of getting ice, entertaining the guests before dinner, making sure people know where to get drinks, and keeping everybody out of the kitchen! ;)

I hope you have the happiest of Thanksgivings, and a great long weekend!

Giving Thanks

Posted in Fall, Favorite Things by

fall colorsI’m so thankful for:

  • that bright red and gold tree that’s right outside our front window
  • date nights (we’ve been on a roll lately — hitting up the star and penrose in the same week!)
  • a cozy house when it’s freezing cold outside
  • coffee dates with good friends
  • friday happy hours
  • a big, loud, smother-y family
  • the abundance of delicious food and drinks
  • the little troublemakers in our house (Penny + Seuss)
  • modern science’s ability to correct my terrible eyesight
  • stepping outside of my comfort zone
  • the amount of tiny-kid clothes I get to buy this holiday season
  • programmable thermostats
  • and the cutest husband around

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!