12/29/13

Christmas


Cricket waiting patiently by the tree Christmas morning.



Amelia yawning yesterday still recovering from the hustle and bustle (I am too dear).




Christmas cookie making


R putting far too many cinnamon candies on a cookie (smart fella).


Cookie cutters that have been in the family for a long time.


My favorite one.


Yummy!


Cricket waiting for stockings on our messy day bed Christmas morning.


Isabelle trying to get to her stocking.


Every year we make Pillsbury orange rolls for breakfast in the 
aluminum Christmas tree pan my mother-in-law used in her family as a child.


 Coffee!


Isabelle with her new toy. Hedgehog with a top hat, how can you go wrong?
She is obsessed with him still so I call him her "blueberry boyfriend". 
Yeah, I name dog toys.


Having fun!


Whoville.

It has been crazy quiet on the blog. I'm still recovering from the holidays. We had a lot of fun. Things were simple which was nice. And I got some really thoughtful gifts. Including some family heirlooms (one is a tea set!), R's baby book, two months of organic produce delivery, a bird painting from R's/my grandma, vintage swan candlesticks I have been admiring for months, and a sweet Mary figurine I am now keeping on my nightstand. R got me some dresses that came in the mail yesterday and all but one fit well. I also got a hummingbird feeder and a bunch of new movies (I will share which ones I got soon).

I've been really tired and not feeling great physically. No matter how much I sleep and nap I don't feel rested. I haven't been able to be very active either. Most of the day I am sitting because I am too tired to do much else and I get a lot of pain when I do even basic stuff. It's pretty discouraging.

I do have a lot of plans for the new year, and I am going to devote a lot more time to the blog. I miss posting regularly and am looking forward to doing more. 

I will share more of my new years plans soon. So keep an eye out!

xx, C

12/26/13

pardon the mess

Hi Dollies!

I got a new blog template for Christmas. I like how simple it is. I am still working out the kinks and there are a lot of things I need to add, so please pardon the hodgepodge right now.

Hope you had a peach of a Christmas! I'd love to hear about it so send me a comment or note!

xx, C

p.s.- my email link isn't up yet but if you want to send me a note write me at: catherine(at)life-collection.com

12/19/13

"it stays pretty green"









a. Cricket on the sly

b. Our pretty Christmas tree

c. Perfect mug for Monday mornings

d. This book is awesome, love its design ideas

e. I've become quite addicted to Pinterest these days, you can follow me here

f. Made this clementine vanilla bean quick bread last week. It was harder to make than I thought but unbelievably good! It was more like a cake than a bread, and was perfect with vanilla ice cream.

g. Amelia being a cutie.

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It's been a while...

I really haven't been feeling good, so the idea of taking photos or thinking of a post topic, let alone typing seems impossible. I'm doing my best though. Trying to get through.

I'm working on getting back on track, and hope to be feeling better soon and back here more often.

Until next time, happy Christmas and all those goodies.

xx, C

12/12/13

randoms


Hello Dolls!

I thought I would share a few random things about me today, so here goes...

1. I have a mole on my lower lip. It's a little weird, but not super noticeable when I'm wearing lipstick.

2. I got my first wrinkles this year. They are around my under eyes (you can see them in this picture). Even though I think wrinkles are beautiful on others, I feel awful about mine.

3. I'm almost thirty and think I have nothing to show for my life. I'm nowhere I planned to be, and it seems like all I've done is survived. 

4. I have inflammation throughout my body but my doctors don't know why. It hurts a lot and I just have to deal with it until we can get more data. Along with fibromyalgia pain, I am pretty miserable.

5. I love baking. This year I finally decided to start making cakes from scratch. I'm still working on it but it's really fun. Today I am thinking about making this clementine vanilla bean quick bread. Doesn't it look yummy?

6. I almost always know exactly what I want but I have trouble saying and doing the things that will get me there. It gets to the point where I can't even speak and my words get caught in my throat. I'm working on it though.

7. I am bird obsessed. The last few months I have been trying to learn more about different species of birds. I bought a book with info on North American species and it's fascinating. Right now I am actually watching a nature show about hummingbirds, they are amazing! We have a lot of hummingbirds, doves, and birds of prey in our area, makes me happy to live here. 

8. Sloths scare me. I know they are all the rage in cuteness right now. But they really freak me out.

9. This year I became the worst emailer on earth. I used to love connecting and writing emails to friends and family, now I'm lucky if I can manage writing one email a day. Thing is, I still love receiving emails. If I owe you an email, I'm sorry it has taken so long! I really am trying my best.

10. I discovered ginger cookies this year. These are my favorite, they are light and crisp and really do help when I have an upset tummy. I eat these instead of chocolate and it is such a better option. 

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What is something random about you? I'd love to hear!

Next post I will share the recipe for an amazing winter cocktail. Talk then!

xx, C

12/10/13

today














It's coming on Christmas 
They're cutting down trees 
They're putting up reindeer 
And singing songs of joy and peace 
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

But it don't snow here 
It stays pretty green 
I'm going to make a lot of money 
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene 
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on 

I wish I had a river so long 
I would teach my feet to fly 
I wish I had a river I could skate away on


-Joni Mitchell

12/7/13

a few of my favorite pins

Morning Sweets!

I thought I would share a some of my recent pins from Pinterest this morning. I love discovering new things through that site, and also seeing what my friends and family like! You can follow me on Pinterest here. If you have a Pinterest account leave your info in the comment section, I'd love to follow you!

source

Love the water color feel this jacket has. It's perfect paired with those burgundy pants!

source
This to do list printable is simple and lovely!

source
I find this image strangely beautiful. 

source
This bed looks so cozy!

source


This print is too cute!

source
I am loving this Serbian proverb, sums things up beautifully.

12/6/13

just a bit









Pictures of home taken this morning. We have our tree, a crackling fire in the fireplace, a tea and cocoa station (pictured above), and freaking cold weather! It has been in the mid-twenties at night. For California that's a bit crazy...

Now to a cocktail and a Christmas movie. I'll be sharing a cocktail recipe in the next few days and more photos of our tree.

Have a toasty night!

C

12/5/13

bake time







Hello Darlings!

It's been a while but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. I really do think blogging is a positive in my life. It gets me planning posts, taking photographs, and connecting. So here's to blogging, this good and annoying and wonderful and annoying-good practice.

Last night we picked our Christmas tree. It's wonky, adorable, and just the right height. We kept it simple this year with white lights and only used the ornaments that meant something to us. Usually I add tinsel, or more decorative ornaments but I like this look. We need to get a tree topper as I decided I hated our old one. Once that is on I'll share some pictures.

I have a lot of holiday baking planned. I'm hoping I can make most of it. Above are pictures of last years baking. I seriously look like the host of a cooking show in some of these...except I'm in pajamas and have tattoos...oh, and I used way too much flour. ;)

Here is my baking list:

chocolate sugar cookies

lemon sugar cookies

sugar cookies

whiskey cinnamon rolls

five minute bourbon balls

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I probably won't end up making all three sugar cookie recipes, but it's good to have back-ups. These recipes are all new to me as I have yet to find the perfect holiday recipes. Do you bake for the holidays? What are some of your must-bakes?

xx, C

Bonus: Here is a recipe for whiskey hot chocolate. Ronald and I had this last week and it is amazing and surprisingly easy to make. I'm spotting a whiskey trend here....cheers!