we’re nearly two weeks away from christmas and i’m just making a list of all the things i need to get. i wish i was more consistent with my christmas shopping. one year, i’ll have everyone’s gifts wrapped and under the tree WEEKS before christmas and the next year i’ll be out on christmas eve braving the crowds and screaming internally. from year to year it’s always different but if you’re like me (this year) and you need some gifting inspiration, you can take a look at my gifting guides below!
this past sunday i posted a picture of myself and my two dearest friends and captioned it “18 years and counting”. 18 YEARS! 18 years of friendship, laughter and some embarrassing stories… but 18 years of life together. i don’t know if it’s because of oprah’s golden globes speech or because it’s my time of the month (not sorry) but 18 years is giving me ALL the feels…feeling extremely grateful in particular.
every year during the holidays we get together to exchange gifts, it’s been our tradition for as long as i can remember. each year is a little different but more or less the same. we’re tasked with trying to chat, open presents and consume all the cheese and wine within a respectable amount of time. this year was particularly different… it was the last year with just us three. next year will be momma kenna, auntie taylor, auntie kenzie and baby easton! i have spent a lot of time with these two over the years; with their families, in their home and both of them in mine and i can’t believe all of the things that we’ve done together but i especially can’t wait for all that we will do in the future. xx
something i get from my mom is her love of wrapping and decorating… and her freckles. sometimes i forget that people need to be able to open their presents rather than just stare at my beautiful creation. bless kenna and her patience, this bow was no easy feat.
the night before our get together, i was at disneyland with the fam and saw this adorable “baby’s first christmas” ornament. i had to get it for momma kenna.
i’ve put together some gift guides on my polyvore for this coming (already here) holiday season. with christmas around the corner, polyvore is a great way to find inspiration and get organized, especially for last minute shopping. i’ve created a guide for your guy, your gal and yourself! you can find all my gift guides here.
if you’re braving the stores like me this weekend, good luck and god speed…i’ll see you on the battlefield. x
the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear by baking PIE. okay… to each their own but for me, nothing says “merry christmas” quite like a homemade pie baked with lots of love.
meet taylor- yoga instructor, pie baker and best friend of mine for 19 years and counting. for tay, it all started one night at home watching the food network. she was looking for something to cheer her up and decided to bake using whatever ingredients she had available in her pantry… and that’s when the mixed berry pie was born, bringing a happy tear to every pie lover’s eye. she brought the pie to work to share with her coworkers and they LOVED it. so much so that folks requested her pies for their party, their sister’s baby shower and for their thanksgiving. she sold 15 pies for thanksgiving! this pie is no joke. we’re sharing her recipe below but if you want one made special with her love and magic touch, you can message her here!
dough:
in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, one teaspoon at a time until a ball forms. Toll out to fit 9-in plate. set in the refrigerator until filling is ready.
with the remaining dough, gather and roll out to create your own personalized stamp on your pie. 
filling:
heat berry mix in a sauce pan on medium heat. in a separate bowl, mix together; sugar, flour, eggs, sour cream, vanilla until completely smooth. in another small bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon.
pour berries into the dough lined pie dish. pour custard on top of the berries. sprinkle the sugar and flour mixture on top and lightly mix with fork.
set oven to 350 degrees and let the pie bake for 40 min or until edges are golden brown.
me waiting for the timer to go off…nikki keeping it real.
after my stop in stockholm, i was on my way to italy to see my dear friend hannah. i took a bus, plane and train to get to cortona and after a full day of traveling, it felt so good to see a familiar face and such a cute one at that! i met hannah’s boyfriend luca, their new pup milo (mee-lo) and i finally got to see the place that hannah’s been calling home for the past year and a half. after i arrived we met up with luca’s friends and went out for drinks and dinner. luca told me how they all grew up together, knowing each other’s families and playing on the same futbol team… he was explaining to me how where they’re from you’re born and raised there and you don’t really leave- his reasoning “why would you want to leave?” after my time there … even i didn’t want to leave!
in the mornings, hannah and i would walk down to the piazza with milo to get breakfast before she went to work. milo and i would wave goodbye as she left for the train, then make our way back home for some good old fashioned puppy cuddles. 
luca is an amazing cook and he really knows his stuff. i felt so spoiled having these two cook for me. coming from someone who is pretty terrible in the kitchen, eating delicious homemade meals was a highlight of my trip. for lunch they made homemade fish tacos… i still have dreams about it and hannah’s habanero peach jam!
most of the time milo and i would keep each other company while we waited for our food to be ready. 
on sunday we went to luca’s parent’s house. his parents had a fig tree and we picked some right from the branch, they were so sweet! all the food here is so fresh, luca picked basil from the garden and made pesto from scratch for our pasta. like i said… he knows his stuff!
we took a trip to florence so hannah could take me to eat the most delicious sandwich on the planet…i stand by my last statement.
earlier this month i went to visit a friend in italy. i booked my ticket through kayak which had an amazing deal…the catch was a 21 hour layover in sweden going to and from italy…fine by me! i’ve always wanted to go to stockholm so it was nice to get to spend some time there and explore the city, even if it was for a hot second. in my first 20 minutes in stockholm, i stumbled upon a record store. i went in and asked the guys who worked there if they could recommend a good swedish album that i could buy. they showed me a couple of options and then both agreed on det stora monstret. i was anxious to listen to it, i figured these guys would either take this seriously or just give the “american” the worst record they could think of. thanks to them, i now own an amazing record and one of my favorite souveneirs. 
walking around gamla stan i was going in and out of all the shops and cafes. i took this after i had loaded up on all the swedish chocolates i was going to bring back to the states. i love that this picture makes it look like a ghost town when in reality everyone’s actually inside the candy shop…that place was a zoo but it sure was magical. shortly after, i began to crash…my jet lag was REAL and my tylenol cold was wearing off. i desperately wanted a nap. i found this little garden behind a building and laid on a bench for a bit. i sat listening to the sounds of the city, watching people pass through, i think i could’ve laid there forever.
this cafe made fresh squeezed orange juice and the kids inside were mesmerized. it was really sweet seeing their excitement.
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