Where have I been? I've been missing this space. But what a wonderful holiday break it was! I have been so rejuvenated over this past month. Time with family, girls nights with friends that had me laughing my head off, a full night's sleep or two, exercise. I even took (almost) an entire week off from looking at my laptop - how refreshing! And now it's officially 2017. But before this blog moves into the New Year, I have to quickly recap Rowen's first Christmas with a quick photo dump, because ohhhh it was so special. These photos are blurry and dark and quite imperfect, but they capture the love and joy (and cuteness) of Rowen's holiday in Massachusetts! 

What do you buy a Tiny House baby for Christmas??

People love to ask us how on earth we are handling the baby in the tiny house. And the answer is...pretty much the same as everyone else with a baby (i.e. we're exhausted, happy, insanely busy, in love, exhausted...)! But clearly, we have a few extra challenges to deal with...and clearly one of those challenges is space. So as we a approach a holiday that exaggerates the need for things, I thought a bit about what a tiny-house-baby (or any minimalist baby!) might appreciate for Christmas :).

Tiny-House Baby Holiday Wish List

chatbooks / baby beads wood rattle / green toys elephant / jungle rumble bath book / the lorax / pixie hat / sippy cups / zig zag bunting / wave pants / bowls / rainbow fish / booties / artifact uprising

Memories
There are so many cute services for printing photos and memory books these days! I've heard great things about Chatbooks - can't wait to try them. Shutterfly, Snapfish and Artifact Uprising are some of my favorite photo services. Prints, frames, photo books (or gift certs for these things) will end up being valued so much by lil babes in the long term!

Small Toys
Toys for kiddos are important for fun and development (and distraction, so Mama can get something done from time to time). But too many toys is just not an option in our house! So, just keep it simple - even tiny-house babes need the good toys!

Experiences
The gift that keeps on giving! This is by far my favorite tiny house gift (for babies or anyone) because it takes up NO room and our lives become so enriched by the excursions and experiences we have. Museums, meals, camping, shows - there are so many experiences you can give at the holidays and they mean so much more than accumulated stuff!

Necessities
There is a time and place for adorable dresses and cutiesie tootsie accessories, but for tiny housers it's best to keep it pretty minimalistic. That said, a girl's gotta get dressed, so you'll never go wrong with high-quality basics and necessities.

Books
There will always be room for books! Rowen got so many great board books at my baby showers, and we read them all the time. I'm so excited to expand our collection as she grows older (and I love the idea of incorporating books that inspire simplicity and gratitude).

Something for Mom and Dad
Happy parents, happy child ;). Experiences and support for the parents like a gift certificate to a local restaurant or tickets to a show will always go over well.

And to conclude I have to say...as far as I can tell, babies really don't need anything at all for Christmas. A dishrag, a silly voice and a nice walk is about all Rowen could ever ask for ;).  I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season!!

Last minute gift ideas for the stay-at-home shopper

Okay, this month has been crazy. I'm sure I'm not alone right now in my last-minute gift buying flurry. Right? For those of you who have all of your gifts purchased and wrapped up all pretty under the tree, I bow to you!

For those of you who are with me in the last minute scramble to get something thoughtful and meaningful, I'll let you in on my three tips for last minute gift buying:

1. Gift certificates. These can be meaningful and personal, if you do it right. I'm all about experiences over things (especially now that we're in a tiny house!) so I know that I for one would be pumped to receive a gift certificate to a good restaurant, a favorite coffeehouse, a spa or yoga studio nearby, or any fun local experience. If you don't have time to grab it before you gift it, spruce up a card with a picture/description of what you're gifting and tell them "it's in the mail!" - everyone's happy.

2. A subscription of some sort. This was my method last year! These days you can get a monthly subscription to just about anything - meals, beauty products, stationery, bacon, beer, music - you name it.

3. And finally, hello Amazon 2-day shipping! Now, I'm a strong advocate of buying local and enjoying the shopping experience and I think/hope that most of us try that first, but if you're getting down to the wire here and have a few things to do over the next couple of days besides stand in lines and hunt for parking spaces, here are some ideas of what you can buy from the comfort of your home.

(by the way, this post is not sponsored by Amazon in any way, I just love Amazon Prime that much.)

1. corkcicle hot and cold canteen 2. Winston Churchill coffee table book 3. leatherman multitool 4. classy shoes 5. fun party game 6. moscow mule mugs 7. outback hat 8. humans of new york stories 9. assorted gourmet chocolate bars 10. camp hammock 11. handsome valet and charging station

1. le creuset dutch oven 2. sugar lip treatment 3. Scotch and Soda Sweatshirt 4. diptyque candle 5. concert ukulele 6. big magic 7. fancy shampoo 8. grown-up coloring book 9. prismacolor art markers 10. a house plant 11. aroma diffuser

By the way, every time you shop on Amazon you can support a nonprofit of your choice. Just go to smile.amazon.com and select which school or charity of your choice will receive a percentage of your purchase.

Now, 2-day shipping will only get you so far.... we better get shopping!

Gift Guide :: Last Minute!

1. Plated // 2. Birchbox // 3. Popsugar Must Have // 4. Kiwi Crate // 

5. Citrus Lane // 6. Love With Food  // 7. Bark Box  // 8. Spice Panda //

9. Mantry // 10. ABM Happy Mail // 11. Bespoke Post

TGIF my friends! I'm feeling very merry today. Feeling ready for the weekend. Ready to jam out to some Christmas tunes, wrap some gifts, pack some bags and head on over to chilly New England. I hope you're feeling merry, too!

If last minute gift shopping is the last thing stressing you out, before an enjoyable holiday, well then rest easy - I have your solution. The answer to a last minute gifting dilemma is.....subscriptions!

Why?

a) it's the gift that keeps on giving
b) it's ready almost instantaneously (no strip mall shopping or 3 day shipping required)
c) you can make it fit your price range (gift a month, or 6, or 12)
d) there is something for everyone!

Food, books, beauty products, stationery, puppy snacks, baby toys, exotic spices, tea, crafts - you can have literally anything delivered monthly to your (or your lucky giftee's) doorstep. I already mentioned a couple of subscriptions in my manly gift guide (the monthly coffee seems amazing to me), but I've provided some of my other favorites for you here.

I also think these are good for that person you know who already seems to have everything - they need an experience.

My favorite? ABM's new Happy Mail service - wouldn't you just love to have a collection of adorable cards and notepads at your disposal? And Mantry is supposedly for men but those snack boxes look verrrry shareable :). Which one would you gift?

Have a jolly weekend everyone!

Nearing Christmas + Links

Woohoo - the end is near! Are you taking some time off for the holidays? The holiday break is one of the many perks of working at a school, I must say. I'm heading back to Boston on Sunday for a fun week with friends and family, then have plans to spend New Years up at Tahoe. I'll have almost two full weeks to decompress and shut down after a very busy fall. I'm really looking forward to Christmas in New England - bring on the snow! I hope you're looking forward to a break as well.

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Here are some things around the web that I've enjoyed lately:

this beauty pouch looks perfect

25 famous women on getting older

the best documentaries on Netflix

I love this guest room

Cute blog I'm enjoying

Caitlin's post about taking it easy on the blog spoke to me

loving some of these bags

every been to Reno?

image source

Gift Guide :: My Man

1. Filson shirt // 2. Mantry subscription // 3. USA made duffel // 4. cocktail guidebook // 

5. GoPro // 6. Hippy Tree t-shirt // 7. box drum // 8. Bushcraft tactical knife // 9. inflatable camp pillows // 10. book about the future of humanity // 11. good coffee, monthly // 

12. sushi and more sushi // 13. whiskey soaked jerky ('cause why not)

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I've been MIA, I know. And it's been kind of nice! But let's see... what is there to report... I've been working, traveling, and watching The Walking Dead. Thanksgiving was delightful. I ate my way through Portland last weekend and have fantastic plans for the holidays. My 'hood is expecting crazy rain today, so much so that the school I work at was canceled, to which the New Englander in me says "pshawwww, you silly gooses, it's just a little WATER", but to which the rational part of me says "Sweet, I'll take it!".  I haven't felt up for working on the 'log lately, partly because I already spend so much time on the computer screen at work, and partly because I have so many things I want to blog about that sometimes it's kind of overwhelming and I just don't know where to start. But I'm feeling a rekindling of blog-love over here. It must be the holidays or something - it brings it out of me! Hopefully we'll see more of each other soon.

So now down to business. Jimmy and I are keeping it light on the gifting this year, mostly because we're putting our dollars towards some 2015 travel, but also because we have birthdays this year that we're saving our energy for (it's a big one for both of us...that rhymes with hurty...eek!). But I couldn't help but pull together a bunch of gifts that I know that he and any other adventure/flavor/music/USA-made loving men would enjoy. Would the man in your life like this stuff?

Happy rain-day everyone! 

Thoughts for a Holiday Season

Merry merry merry merry. What a wonderful week this has been. And how nice to see you here! I've been incredibly out of the loop, I know. I needed a bit of a break from the old log. And really, without meaning to sound dramatic, I needed a break from everything. So, this past week or so has been an absolute dream. I've been hiding away with my love and friends up in a cozy cabin up at Tahoe.  There has been way less snow than we expected, but I honestly think that's been a blessing in disguise. With our snow activity options cut down a bit we've had even more time to relax and sleep and catch up and play games and cook and explore together. I've had time to reflect on the crazy past two months, and to make goals and plans for the new year. 

And as I said, it was needed. I'm not saying I was any busier than the next person, but for me, November and December were a LOT. My job exploded, in exciting but at times, overwhelming ways. I love new challenges, but I hate failure (really...who doesn't?), so I let myself stretch a little bit thin, hyper-focusing on some areas of my life (work) and ignoring others (exercise, blog, healthy eating). This requisite winter break could not have come at a better time. I've had time to digest the changes and let my mind catch up a bit, and to find some balance again. Nothing like a few months of ignoring yoga and healthy cooking to realize how much you need and love them. And there's no time like the New Year to get back on track, right?

Now, may I blab for a moment about Christmas? I freaking love the holidays. I'm a little bummed to have missed out on the fun of Christmas wishlist and recipe posts here on the log, but I'm happy to say that I didn't let anything get in the way of serious holiday cheer at home. We got a tree, we decorated, we had mulled wine and whiskey ciders and beautifully wrapped gifts and a party crashed by Santa. I did everything on my list of rules for your best holiday season. I listened to a thousand Christmas songs, sent cards, and drank eggnog. Being without my family for Christmas (for the first time in my life) was sad, especially Christmas Eve which has been absolutely magical for me ever since I was a kid. But I whisked away up to Tahoe with dear friends, and we ate a turkey dinner and wished on shooting stars on a frozen pond and exchanged stocking stuffers and laughed and laughed. I'll get to see my family and homeys in a couple of weeks, and in the meantime, this relaxing Christmas in Cali was absolutely what I needed.

I'll close this up, as this is probably the most text-heavy post I've ever done and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Actually you know what? I'm not gonna lie - it felt really good! This has served as a wonderful reminder that I need this space to record - unload - wonder - and catch up. Thank you for letting me selfishly do it in one long-winded swoop. 

In summary - I'm on my way to being back in balance, and I'm excited for what's coming. I'm hoping to use this space more regularly and become a bit more clear about what, how and why I share here. Thanks so much for checking in. I hope you had a merry and bright holiday!

photos:

1. holiday mojitos on Xmas eve

2. a Christmas scene on Bodega Bay

3. beautifully wrapped gifts from my beautiful sister

4. back country hiking on a Tahoe ridge

5. lovely Bodega dunes

6. walking in the dunes

7. Tahoe vacation kickoff with whiskey ciders

8 Rules for Your Best Holiday Season :: #GivingTuesday

Is anyone else feeling a tad overwhelmed? The holidays are officially here. There are so many things I should be planning/sending/decorating/wrapping/buying/writing/cleaning right now. I'm behind on blog posts. I ignored Black Friday and Cyber Monday and am ashamed to admit I have a FOMO feeling about it. I wanted to do ABM's December Daily project but lo and behold it's Dec. 3rd and I never got it going. There are actually a thousand amazing holiday crafts I want to be doing, for that matter.

But, it's okay! It's more than okay actually. I had the most amazing Thanksgiving weekend ever, (minus the fact that I missed my family a bunch). I saw so many friends, bringing old and new together, laughing, sipping, and enjoying the weather (I'm a poet and I know it). We had not one but TWO Thanksgiving dinners, one on a farm out behind Mount Diablo and one up at our friend's cabin in Tahoe. We had a Friendsgiving party in the backyard complete with a fire and leftovers. We went wine tasting in Napa with one of my besties from home and enjoyed a romantic dinner in Yountville at one of our absolute favorite spots. We crushed the Alameda flea, getting our holiday shopping started, and enjoyed some of the most happy, wonderful, feel-good music I know at the Independent.  All in four days. So although I feel a bit behind and overwhelmed, I'm going to venture to say that it's been worth it.

And even better - I have a plan for getting back on track. I'm going to keep things simple this year by living by these 8 rules. Just writing these down I feel the slate getting wiped clean; like I'm starting the season with a clear mind, and I'm right back on track.

8 Rules for Your Best Holiday Season

1. Be a kid again. Write a note to Santa, talk about elves with your closest 6-year-old buddy, and wish on shooting stars.

2. Call friends. They probably want to catch up with you even more than they want that decanter/necklace/pair of J.Crew socks you've been stressing over for 2 days.

3. Play games. With hot chocolate! I think if you play some games you're actually covering #1, 4 and 5 so I'll definitely be doing some of this in December. If only I could get someone to play with me...

{Polish horseshoes in the backyard}

4. Be festive. This can mean many things, and it doesn't mean you need to stress out about going to every holiday party you're invited to. For me it will mean small celebrations with friends, getting a Christmas tree, and going to the Nutcracker with my sister.

5. Be lazy. This is an important part of the holidays too. It's what fires and blankets and flannel pajamas were made for. I think my laziness will come in the form of turning on the TV for once and watching as much of ABC's 25 Days of Christmas as humanly possible.

6. Keep it simple. 5 ingredients or less. One stop shopping. Less-is-more decorations. Finding that one favorite holiday outfit that you can wear to at least 3 events (all with different people, of course!).

{dried apricots, chèvre, toasted walnuts, agave}

7. Be outside. Fresh, crisp air equals the holidays for me. The smell of wood fires and pine and pies and fresh snow. Breathe it in!

8. Give Back. The world has been so good to me, and I know that returning the favor will give me a greater joy than anything else on this list. Today is #GivingTuesday and so it's a great day to start! Click here or here for more info on #GivingTuesday, but basically it's turning the first Tuesday of December into a day of giving. Counterbalance those icky, consumery feelings created by Black Friday and Cyber Monday - and give back in whatever way you can today, whether it's giving food, time, money, or toys. Then carry on the message. 

 {photos are all from Thanksgiving weekend and edited on VSCOcam}

So what do you think? Do you have any "rules" to add that would help keep the holiday joyful and simple? Happy #GivingTuesday everyone!