December 1st! The final chapter of 2017. 31 days left to make it a great one. Who else is planning to finish it off with a bang? It’s been one of those weeks, and I’m so, so ready for the weekend. Lots of fun things planned. One of those weekends where you’re looking forward to everything on your calendar. Don’t you love it when that happens? Have a good one peeps!
But first, I’ve got 5 things on my mind…..
ONE – Elf on the Damn Shelf // Today, December 1st, our Elf on the Damn Shelf, Holly arrived. It’s bittersweet. On one hand, I LOVE the tradition. The anticipation of where Holly may be hiding each morning. Or what kind of mischief she’s gotten into in the middle of the night, while we’re all fast asleep. On the other hand, it’s a royal pain in the ass to move the elf on the damn shelf every. single. night. for 25 days. Being that I am a seasoned elf on the shelfer, I’m going to share a week of Elf ideas each Saturday morning. For the next 3 weeks to get you though the agony. Including supplies needed. Promise, promise, promise…they will all be easy and with minimal items.
Come back tomorrow morning for {elf on the damn shelf // week 1}
TWO – Christmas Place Setting // This may not look like much more than a place setting to you. To my Mom and I, this is the place setting from hell. Ha. Not really. It was a pain in the ass to make happen. In case you haven’t heard me say it before, I’ll say it again, My Mom is THE SHIT. I called her Wednesday and chatted with her on the phone for about an hour. I told her everything I could think of. From ideas to current events to real life shit. She’s a fantastic listener. Then when we were ready to hang up, I remembered 5 more things I need to discuss with her. One of them being this table…lol.
I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with something I LOVE. Also something that’s different from what I’ve done before. Without spending a shit ton of money. After 3 trips to the Dollar Tree, made by the one and the only….My Mom, I finally have a place setting I love. She originally went for the gold chargers. Then sent me a pic of the gold-rimmed plates. My love for gold will never die. Then went back to get the matching salad plates. Then yesterday, went back AGAIN for 2 more place setting. I can’t even make this shit up.
THANK YOU MOM!!! I’m going to buy you something really great for Christmas ♥
Table Runner: World Market
Gold Charger: Dollar Tree
Gold Rimmed Dinner + Salad Plate: Dollar Tree
Plaid Linen Napkins: Target (Hearth & Hand)
Gold Flatware: World Market
Plaid Ribbon: Target (Hearth & Hand)
Garland Clipping: Trader Joe’s
I’ll share my full Christmas table soon! Just a couple more finishing touches.
T (urkey) minus 2 days! Ha! I had to.
Okay guys, I was thinking last week….
People get so stressed out about hosting. I honestly LOVE it. Weird? Maybe? I think I’ve done it so much that I’m really comfortable opening my home just about anytime of the year. But, Holidays. Holidays are my jam. #holidaywhore.
I wanted to share some tips for stress-free hosting that I think might just make you chill the fuck out a little bit.
Here we go…..
Prep!
Do as much prep as possible ahead of time. This is probably the biggest NO BRAINER! It’s also is the one thing that makes the biggest difference. Stay up late if you have to. Run all your errands on your lunch break. Make shit happen. Groceries + paper products. Grab an extra pack of TP. And definitely DON’T forget lotttsss of wine. That way the day of, you will be smooth sailing!
You don’t have to make everything from scratch!
Cut yourself some slack sister. I guarantee not a single person at your table is going to give a fuck that your rolls came from Nugget. Shit, they might even be better than the 5 hours you could have put into making them from scratch. Don’t chance killing the yeast! How about pies? You think guests aren’t going to smother that Costco pumpkin pie in cool whip and lick their plates clean? Trust me….you’re gonna to be just fine. And if they do mention somthing, then remove them from next years guest list. You don’t want a jerk at your table anyway 🙂
Set your table in advance!
The day before, or maybe even….the week before, take your time. Set a pretty table. Admire it. Pull out all that fancy silverware + china you never use. Have fun with it. Then the night before or the day of, all you have to do is add some greenery or fresh flowers and you’re set.
I went with my forever favorite, eucalyptus. It’s timeless. Goes with everything. You will always find a vase of eucalyptus in my home, year round.
Ask your guests to bring a favorite dish!
Everyone likes to contribute, well except for lazy assholes..Ha. It can get fun to see what your peeps sentimental dish may be. Doesn’t each family have that one weird/odd item they HAVE to have on turkey day? You get to try something new and hear a fun background story as to how this dish became so important. Ours would have to be pretzel jello salad. Every time a newbie comes to Thanksgiving they never know what to think. But you better believe they ask for seconds.
{Anna’s beautiful charcuterie platter}
These are a few of my favorite things…..
I go through phases where I feel like I wear the same shit over and over. Anyone else do this? Standing in my closet staring at the options and I go for the black jeans + booties + Tee almost every. single. time.
This has been my uniform lately.
F R I D A Y!
I cannot believe we are just one week away from Christmas.
And then, BOOM! It’s 2017!
I can already hear the bottles popping and the glasses clinking. Speaking of glasses clinking…did you do the new iPhone update? I only update for the new emoji! They have clinking champs glasses and it’s already in my most-used. Along with the avocado + pregnant lady.
ONE – All that bubbly talk got me thinking….Chandon bottles! The Rebecca Minkoff designed Chandon’s 2016 Holiday bottle. Isn’t she pretty?!?! I’ve only been able to find the bottle in black. It comes in both white + black. But, the white is so much better. Those gold gems pop! I finally got my hands on a bottle…after calling BevMo for about 3 weeks straight. I bet the dude was like, OMG the crazy chandon chick called AGAIN! Haha! They had 2 bottles left and I snagged both of them 🙂 Double fisted!!
I designed this bottle to be a little chic, a little bit rock and roll
Rebecca Minkoff
Well done Rebecca, well done!
TWO – Last night we had our “Cards” Christmas get together. Hand + Foot to be exact. We play monthly and I still have to ask the rules each time we play. We did an Ornament exchange. Anna’s bomb.com lasagna. I could have eaten three pieces. (back on the carb diet) Funny thing is, we didn’t even play cards. We sat around the table and chatted. More like laughed our asses off. And drank a little tiny bit of wine:) Thanks to Good Neighbors of Woodland we googled shit we shouldn’t have – 4th degree rip (don’t do it) Talked about our kids. Drank a little tiny bit more wine…. And took 416 selfies!! Good time ladies!!
(Andrea left too soon and we missed you Nicole)
THREE – Smile there’s wine!! Doesn’t everyone sit on their couch and drink wine like this? Fur + cute tank + wine! Thank you Nikki for my bad ass tank top. I vow to wear it every time I drink wine…maybe even to the gym? That way peeps know what I’m doing afterwards. Or why I have a smile on my face? Either way. I LOVE it ♥
Plaid + Stella & Dot for the #OOTD # WIW win!!
Since I was lazy AF this morning and really didn’t feel like taking any pictures, this is all I got. Sitting at my desk selfie. Up close of my new beloved necklace.
One of my Yaya’s, Tara had a Stella & Dot party last week. Last Wednesday to be exact. (sorry for cheating on you Robyn) And this beauty graced my mailbox yesterday. Isn’t she pretty? And for the fist time since Bay was born – I used my own initials for the monogram. Can you believe it?!?! Everything I own says BAB on it. Anyway, I’m so in love and I should warn you now, this piece will be on maj repeat.
My love for J.Crew plaid + Stella & Dot is real friends.
Are you a coffee fanatic like myself? Starbucks or Dutch? I’m a loyal Starbucks girl. The app is amazeballs. I order my coffee then run in and out in a matter of minutes. You can’t beat that for morning coffee shop lines. They can be unreal.
I’m also a gold cardholder since 2008. Told you I drink a shit ton of coffee. I actually didn’t drink coffee, like at ALL. Then in 2006 I had a baby and that shit changed real quick. I realized mom’s NEED coffee. It’s kind of a deal breaker. No coffee No talk. Once I get that warm cup of joe in my hands, I’m instantly a different person…lol. True story.
Lent is over in less than 48 hours peeps. You know what that means right? I will be reunited with my long lost best friend, Wine. It’s been a looonnnnggg 40 days. I may just drink it straight from the bottle. Chardonnay is what I will be enjoying. It’s been on my mind none stop…lol. Now the big question? What kind of chardonnay should I get?? I’m thinking that this is a celebration worthy of Rombauer. What did you give up for lent? Will you be indulging in what you gave up? Or did you give it up for good? Bailey and I will be cheersing with flavored water and chard, that’s just a given 🙂
Friday on xoxostacyb means one thing – 5 things on my mind…..
ONE – Easter Brunch // Cory + I are hosting Easter brunch again this year. Just our closest family. I pulled out my parents wedding China. Annnndddd did you take a peak at that gold flatware. Thanks to my mama’s bestie Ronda 🙂 I mean, It’s so gorg I cant contain myself. Rich heavy gold. A table setting girls dream come true, really. I found these bunny ear napkin holders in the $1 bin at Target. Super bummed I could only find 1 package of 4. You know Bailey is our house napkin folder so she decided she would try out the bunny fold from last years brunch. Check it our here…..Super cute.
Our menu:
Honey Glazed Ham
Cheesy Potatoes
Spinach Orzo Salad
Mixed Fruit
Croissants + Berry Butter
Carrot Cake
Mimosas
WINE….Duh
It makes my mouth water…haha. What’s on your Easter menu?
{image via}
Let the weekend begin, it’s music to my ears. I’m looking forward to slow mornings. Making breakfast. Planting some flowers in the front yard. Catching my nephews basketball games. Bike rides. Soaking up as much sunshine as I possibly can. What’s your weekend looking like?
Friday 5 is what I do, so here we goooo……
ONE – Remember last time I posted my blog stats? If not, you can read about it here {friday 5}. Well, I posted my weight again and guess what? I had record breaking stats AGAIN. I guess I know what you all want to read. How much my ass weighs. I watched as the number grew larger + larger. (emailing my Mom to update her and we cracked up laughing together) Adding Brazil + Thailand this time. WTF? 1047 peeps read