post-christmas family trip to the mountains

some snapshots from an extended weekend in the mountains with family..

it was cold, but it was beautiful. we had nothing on our agenda but to rest, watch movies, and enjoy each other. it was just what i needed.

 ^ the name of our cabin! ohhh, it was cozy!

^ janie, my sister-in-law! she makes these really pretty ear warmers and scarves. you can find them in her etsy shop, here!

^when it's cold, my outfits seem to make no sense. layers upon layers and colors upon colors. that, and i'm really bad at packing. the weekend scofield proposed to me, i literally threwa few different shirts, skirts, and pants into a bag because i was too stressed to think it through. when i tried to get ready for our date, nothing matched. luckily my sister shared her closet with me that weekend. i've gotten better since then, but i still have a way's to go [clearly]. i know there's personal shoppers...but is there such a thing as personal packers!?

little goals.

i've never been one to make new year's resolutions. to me, it has always been nothing but a way to let myself down because, well, i've never been good at keeping them. so rather than new year's resolutions, i'm using this time to dwell on goals i have for the year. goals that are attainable and practical. long term goals vs. the short term.

• exercise more
• read more. on my list - cooked, in defense of food, and every body matters
• practice yoga every week
• take trips to visit friends
• go on a camping trip
• more date nights with the husband
• more meals around the table
• decorate and use our back porch when its warm out
• eat something green every day
• learn to knit
• learn more about photography and improve my food photography
• go on more walks
• grow my nails out [i have a terrible nervous habit of picking at them] and get a manicure
• have friends over and host parties

i'm seriously so excited for 2014. i think it's going to be a good year. what are your new year's resolutions..or goals, rather!? i'd love to hear!

happy new year!

favorite moments from 2013!

i started the year off by completing my second half marathon! my first one was in high school, which seems like a worlds away, so this one really did kind of feel like a first. it was definitely a huge accomplishment, and i hope to do a third in 2014!

i graduated from clemson university!

we went to the bahamas on a mission trip with our church.

we celebrated our 1 year anniversary and took a trip to litchfield beach.

scofield got a new job and we moved into a new home in greenville. we've had so much fun exploring our new town....

...like visiting the farmer's market and the neue southern food truck.

we spent summer days at the lake with friends and family.

i got to accompany my husband to camp (as the proud wife, i am) and watch him speak for the weekend. it was kind of like a mini vacation.

we celebrated scofield's birthday with a surprise party. i can hardly ever surprise him [he's too smart..or maybe i'm not sneaky enough?] so it was a big deal for me.

...and i made this blackberry and beet chocolate cake for him.

we took a couple of trips to the mountains over the year...one for a wedding near montreat and another to camp buc in sapphire, nc for a vacation with the family.

i made this pumpkin pizza [my favorite savory recipe from the year.]

and these s'more cookies...my favorite dessert recipe from the year.

we went apple picking and ate these amazing donuts.

i got to take some fun pictures with my sweet friend jessi for her photography portfolio. 

we drove on the blue ridge parkway for my birthday.

and for my absolutely favorite moment..i got to visit best friend in new york during christmas time! 

here's to 2013! i can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!

christmas morning

i remember i was in high school when christmas lost it's magic. ya know...i wasn't counting down the days to christmas eve anymore, i didn't try to sneak a peek at my presents, and it just kind of came and went. it was that confusing time between being a kid and an adult, not really sure how christmas fell into all that. little did i know that the holidays were sure to get better every year. we don't have any little ones around to wake us up at the crack of dawn, or to watch unwrap presents with all their joy and excitement [although we can't wait for that!!], but christmas where we are now is pretty great. we stayed with our family on christmas eve and slept until 10:30 on christmas day...10:30! i can't remember the last time i got to sleep in that late. we wandered upstairs, opened our stockings, ate breakfast, and marinated in the day. i've gotta say...the holidays have always been my favorite time of year and they are still pretty magical.

^ my sweet, precious sister-in-law made me this mug for christmas. it's one of my favorite gifts from this year! i swore it was from anthropologie when i opened it...but, nope. all her! she's pretty great.

^ scofield borrowed band of brothers from a friend a few weeks ago, and watched the whole series while i was away in new york. he had been talking about it ever since, so of course he was so excited when he got a copy of his own [thanks santa!]. we've been watching it the past couple of days, and wow it's emotional, intense, and eye-opening.

and now, for my favorite gift of all.....

my new pouf!! i've been wanting one ever since we moved into our new place. we have a few chairs in our small living room, but you can't really lounge in them and we're always wanting to prop our feet up. i searched online and found one i liked, but this one is far more beautiful than i even dreamed!! seriously..i'm in love.

i hope you had a very merry christmas! now, on to the new year!

12 days of christmas cookies: white chocolate mocha cookies

i know, i know, it's the day after christmas. but i have one more christmas cookie recipe to share with you. my starbuck's guilty pleasure is definitely a white chocolate mocha. something about it screams "holidays" to me. maybe it's because it is so rich, delicious, and full of sugar. so for all the white chocolate mocha lovers out there, here's a cookie i hope you'll enjoy just as much...

white chocolate mocha cookies

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. instant coffee powder
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 350 F. combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl [flour, coffee powder, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder]. in a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. add the egg and vanilla extract. mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. dough will be thick, so add 2 tbsp. milk and continue to mix. fold in the white chocolate chips.

scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 F for 9 minutes. let cool for about 15 minutes before transferring. 

to see more from the 12 days of christmas cookies, go here.

hope you had a very merry christmas!!

12 days of christmas cookies: melting moments cookies by amanda k by the bay

today amanda from amanda k by the bay is so graciously sharing a recipe for the 12 days of christmas cookies series. these are her melting moments cookies,  and as their name says, they melt right in your mouth...a perfect addition to a holiday cookie spread.

melting moments cookies

by amanda of amanda k by the bay

ingredients:

1 cup butter
2 cups flour
2 tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

frosting:
8-12 tbs powdered sugar
2 tbs butter
2 tbs boiling water 
1 tsp vanilla
food coloring optional

1. cream together butter and vanilla. add flour and powdered sugar.
2. form balls. flatten with fork dipped in sugar.
3. bake at 350 until golden.
4. cool on rack, handle very gently. 
5. frost, and form a sandwich. enjoy!

thanks for sharing, amanda! be sure to check out her blog for more of her mouth-watering recipes!

bits of christmas around here

we kept our tree simple this year...i try to pretend its on purpose, but really it's because we still don't have any christmas tree ornaments. well, i take that back...our friend anne gave us our first one this year! its shining on our mantle, though. hopefully we'll have more for our collection next year! 

this pine cone garland is definitely my new favorite christmas decoration. i think i'm going to keep it up all winter. the pine cones give a very wintry feel.

hope you're having a wonderful christmas eve and are spending time with the ones you love!

12 days of christmas cookies: salted caramel chocolate chip

a couple of weeks ago in new york, katie took me to a bakery called ovenly that she swore had "the best chocolate chip cookie in the world." you can see that post here. it was a salted caramel chocolate chip cookie, so when i got home, naturally i had to try and make my own version. new york was my first introduction to the salted caramel chocolate chip combination, and oh my, am i sold. i'm not too big on caramel, but when it's paired with chocolate, i can't get enough!

salted caramel chocolate chip cookie

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter [2 sticks], softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup caramels, chopped
• sea salt

preheat the oven to 350 F. combine the first four ingredients in a mixing bowl. in another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. add the eggs and vanilla extract. pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until fully blended. fold in the dark chocolate chips and the chopped caramel. use a cookie scoop to drop 2 in. thick balls onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. sprinkle sea salt on top of each cookie. bake for 9 minutes. remove from heat and top each cookie with a little bit more salt while they're still warm. let cool fully before transferring to a plate.