see you in 2011!

{image via design*sponge}

Happy New Year to all my lovely readers! Thank you so much for visiting my blog this year, it means a lot. I'll still be posting some "memorable moments of 2010" tomorrow and the next day, don't judge me because they weren't all finished before the new year. I don't usually like to make resolutions but there are a couple of things I wouldn't mind fixing in 2011. We'll see how that goes, for now I'm filled with happiness that 2010 is over and we can all start fresh!

Have a happy and safe new year!

memorable moments of 2010 {franklin}

At first I really wanted to kill Jacob for bringing home a Jack Russell puppy. I came home from work and, just as I always do, said hello to Bruce first but then this teeny tiny little thing, for he was only 5 pounds, came out from under the chair. I won't repeat here what I said when I first saw him, but let's just say it wasn't very lady-like.

He won me over though, that sweet little thing. Even though he can be a lot of work and he has more affection to give than any other dog I've ever met, I am very happy he came to live with us.

fingers crossed

After having my flight canceled due to the huge snowstorm on Monday, I am finally able to fly out today. A three day wait isn't so bad I guess when you think of all the people stranded in Europe over the holiday, but I'd rather not have any more delays. SO cross your fingers for me, please and thank you!

memorable moments of 2010 {paris}

Paris. Sigh.

I had always wanted to go. I had planned on it several times and somehow over the years they each fell through. The opportunity arose in February and I made a last minute decision to go. By last minute I mean I decided on Monday at 2:00, bought a ticket and left 24 hours later. It was one of those moments where I could almost feel the opportunity slipping away and I wasn't sure when it would come up again. So I went. I stayed in a lovely little hostel in Montmarte and visited my dear friend Reba.

It was February so it was gray and cold for most of the time I was there, but there were some days where the sun would come out. We spent a lot of time seeking warmth inside cafes, museums, bookshops and more cafes. I don't think I need to tell you that we spent a majority of the week eating, that much should be expected. Laduree became a favorite of ours. Their rose tea and macarons were amazing, but even more so was the decor. It's hard not to sit within those pink marble walls and not feel special enough to lift a pinky when drinking tea. We also spent a good amount of time sipping hot chocolate at Cafe le Flore, a treat I haven't stopped craving since.

My sister had given me Breakfast, Lunch, Tea for Christmas and I had to go check out Rose Bakery. I think we had three different meals there, but my favorite was their basic bacon and eggs. It came with a roasted tomato and the best mushrooms I have ever had. Also they asked if I wanted a "big coffee" and I almost died with happiness at that point, having grown somewhat tired of drinking espresso. I know, I know, but sometimes when you're away from home little thing like that can be such a comfort.

We also stayed warm by purchasing banana nutella crepes every chance we got. "Oh, are you cold? Well I know we just had dinner and dessert but we could get a crepe, I mean strictly for warmth right?" Let's just say I needed a week of detoxing from food when I returned home.

Anyway, Paris was definitely a highlight of 2010, one that would love to make a highlight of each year if I could. Perhaps I'll be able to visit again in 2011, I'll keep you posted. :)

WHAT a gleek.

OK, hear me out.

I didn't want to do it. My cousin made me.

Oh who am I kidding? My name is Samantha Huba and I'm a GLEEK. It happened so fast, I don't even know where to begin. When the show started I thought to myself "I love show tunes, why not watch it?" and then moments after I thought "because I'm 24." However, I have, on occasion, when nothing else is on, turned on the Glee, and I must admit, it's cheesy, but done really well.

Being raised with a love for broadway and musicals, I should have seen this coming. It was only a matter of time before I too was sucked into this flamboyant show. Laura and I have been watching the first season for the last two days and I'm hooked. Maybe it's the show tunes that I can sing along to, maybe it's Rachel's crooked mouth or Kurt's ability to do the single ladies dance really well, or, even more likely, it's Finn's adorable baby face. Either way, I don't care. There's no turning back now.

memorable moments of 2010 {homeownership}

Probably one of the most terrifying and momentous events of the year was purchasing {and moving into} our new home. It's still a mystery as to how we fit all of our belongings, ourselves, and Bruce in our tiny garden apartment prior to moving, but somehow we managed it. We had a small amount of room to walk around, but it was mostly set up as a maze. When we moved into the house, it took a little bit of getting used to all of our space.

Now, you've seen the semi-finished product of our living room, but it started off as an incredibly daunting empty space. Decorating and renovating the house has become, and I say this in the least cheesy way possible, really rewarding. It's been really fun to pick stuff out and take on new projects with Jacob. There's a lot more that we need to accomplish in 2011 but I think buying a new home in 2010 was a pretty good start. Also, buying and moving without killing each other is an accomplishment in itself.

snowed in

So I've been in New York for 5 days and it's been cold but pretty quiet in terms of the weather. Of course the day I'm supposed to fly home is the day there's a blizzard. My flights claim to be on time, but we'll see. My main disappointment is having to leave the beautiful snowy wonderland. The first day of a snow has always been one of my favorite things, sitting by the window, sipping hot chocolate with a fire roaring in the background. I'll be sad to leave it.

happy holidays

Merry Christmas too all you lovely readers out there! <3

dough-tastic

Aren't Christopher Neimann's new illustrations adorable and clever? The ikea one made me crack up, as did the "pinwheel of death" in the last one.

home for the holidays

I'm headed up to New York for Christmas where it's freeeeezing. I'm excited to see my family and maybe some snow!

homemade eggnog

One of my FAVORITE things about the holidays is eggnog. Seriously. I would freebase this stuff if I could. I know that it's perhaps not the healthiest drink but it's so delicious. I was watching E! News the other day and they were talking about low fat recipes. WHAT? Blasphemy I say.

Anyway, the other night we made some homemade eggnog for a Christmas party and boy was it tasty. It was so easy to make too.

Ingredients

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon

1 pint whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 ounces bourbon

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 egg whites*

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

Cook's Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.

drywell

Drywell is Alyson Thomas, an attorney turned illustrator. I love her quirky, whimsical style {check out that narwhal!}. She is currently focusing on what she calls "Meat Sections" where she draws all the respectable parts of her subject. She also just made these awesome prints for the Bruery's {my personal favorite brewery} seasonal beers.

Clearly, she's pretty awesome so check out her shop!

day dreams {whitepod}

How amazing would it be to wake up nestled in this little pod in the Swiss Alps? So dreamy!

stocking stuffers {33beers}

So I found these 33beers notebooks in Food & Wine a couple of months ago and thought they were really cool. I showed them to Jacob and he laughed at me, but 10 minutes later went online and ordered 9 of them {3 for him and 3 for each of his friends}. Now, whenever we're at a bar {or restaurant, or drinking a beer at home} he pulls out one of these booklets and spends a couple of minutes jotting down notes as I roll my eyes. There's always a couple of annoying moments of silence as he's doing this where I just look around and pretend to be doing something else, but not anymore. Now they've come out with 33wines, 33cheeses 33coffees, all of which are right up my alley.

So if you have a list-maker or a beer/wine/cheese/coffee enthusiast in your life, these may be the perfect little gift.

buddy prints!

I LOVE these prints from Sharon Montrose's studio, The Animal Print Shop! They're so adorable, I can't even stand it. Some of you little buddies might be coming home with me very soon. :)

gift guides {foodies}

Now, when purchasing gifts for someone who is into cooking/eating, it can get a little overwhelming. I've been working on this particular gift guide for a few days because of that very reason. There's so much out there and it can be difficult to whittle it down to the very best of gifts. In my case, I fall in love with kitchen stuff so easily, our cabinets are definitely proof of that. I decided to go with a wide range of ideas for these special people, many of them are things I own and have tested so you can be assured that they will be loved very deeply by the recipient.

Happy Holidays!

1. KitchenAid Artisan Mixer; 2. Mast Brothers Chocolate {every bar has a different pattern! as if I needed another reason to purchase chocolate}; 3. Pig Dishtowel ; 4. Paulette Macarons ; 5. Salt Plates and Bricks ; 6. Marble Salt & Pepper Cellars; 7. Farmers Market Onion Letterpress; 8. Laguiole Cheese Knife Set ; 9. All Clad Saute; 10. Maple P,TE Board; 11. Ad Hoc at Home; 12. Bettereraves IV Globe Jaune; 13. Le Creuset Honey Pot; 14. Savannah Bee Company Honey ; 15. Hungry Bowls; 16. Le Creuset cast Iron French Oven; 17. Salt Pig; 18. Jean Debost Laguiole Corkscrew; 19. Dean & Deluca Spice Rack

day dreams {mad men}

Why does the next season have to be so far away?

white's books

How many copies of one book is too many? Jacob and I have an obsession with collecting books, especially old or very pretty ones. I think I have three or four copies of Pride & Prejudice at the moment, but then I saw these and I though "NEED." I haven't been shy about my love of the Penguin Classics series that we've collected {btw we just found these too!} but I think I've found a new series to collect as well. Look at those editions of Emma and Jane Eyre, totally swoon- worthy.

gift guides {for your girlfriend}

A friend of mine {who shall remain nameless} asked me to make a gift guide geared towards girlfriends to get some ideas. I had a hard time choosing things for myself this year, there's so much stuff out there, but I think I've narrowed this list down to gifts that any girlfriend would be happy to have {especially yours friend}.

1. Instax Mini 7S Instant Camera; 2. L'obsession Print; 3. Glee the First Season {which i don't watch but i know a lot of girls that do}; 4. BDG Convertible Gloves; 5. The brownstone bag; 6. Monogrammed Mug, Missus ; 7. WCS Button Journal; 8. Luxury Plush throw; 9. Velvet lined slipper; 10. Zoo Year Calendar; 11. canine companion bookend in pug; 12. Chocolate Editions; 13. Butter London; 14. Clothbound Penguin Classics ; 15. Baked Explorations; 16. Sake Bath

georgetown cupcakes {nom nom}

While in D.C. I really wanted to go to Georgetown for some Christmas shopping. Jacob's sister is a huge fan of Georgetown Cupcakes so we decided to stop by, I mean who doesn't like cupcakes right? I knew it was popular but it's a little overwhelming when you go inside. It's pretty small and there's always a lot of people inside, plus they were filming when we went in, crazy. I do have to say that the cupcakes were pretty good, and they had their holiday flavors out so that made me pretty happy. The featured cupcake is their chocolate eggnog, which was what I was most looking forward to eating, however, Jacob got to it first. Imagine my disappointment. I did get to sample their red velvet one though and that was pretty delicious.

It was definitely worth the trip, but I still think Magnolia cupcakes are better... maybe it's just the New Yorker in me. :)

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

:)

{and yes that's a village, clearly i'm an old lady}