Rocking Around the Tinsel Tree

I finally bought a Christmas tree! Until recently, I couldn't imagine having anything other than a freshly chopped, lush Spruce to scent up the house, because that's what I always had growing up. I will forever cherish the memories of picking out a tree and watching my dad chop it down while I drank hot chocolate. 

For many reasons, mostly out of convenience, I decided that artificial trees are not so bad afterall so I bought a lovely white aluminum tree today. It's only four feet tall but I love it! I'm still working on decorating it so I'll try to get a picture up soon.

It's definitely not a traditional tree, but my favorite type of Christmas decorations all things glitzy and glittery! Here's my inspiration: 

via Apartment Therapy (Rue Magazine) 

 via Making It Lovely 

via Thompson Family Life

What kind of Christmas tree do you have? 

Turkey Trivia

I hosted a trivia game at Thanksgiving this year with this Turkey Trivia from One Charming Party.

Decor Time Machine: The 80s

 via Apartment Therapy 

This room is like, totally to the max, an awesome explosion of Laura Ashley. 

Fancy Water

I try to do my part in staying green by using reusable water bottles. When I don't have one handy, I like Smartwater and Fiji. 

via Brandflakes for Breakfast

How do you select what kind of bottled water to buy?

I Heart Cotton Candy

I absolutely adore this picture of my middle school pal Rachael with cotton candy. 

Do love cotton candy? Add a cotton candy maker to your holiday wish list! 

Oprah's Favorite Things

The audience at Oprah's Favorite Things episode thought they were there for a show on meditation. Little did they know that they would be doing the exact opposite of meditating and completely freak out throughout the show as she revealed her incredible list of goodies for everyone in the audience. Aside from biggies like a cruise, camera, and 3D TV, here are a few of my favorites from the list.

Top row: 1. Baker's Edge Baking Pans and Ghirardelli Brownie Mix 2. Elfa Customizable Closet System from the Container Store 3. Decoded by Jay-Z 4. Kiva Gift Card from Groupon
Bottom row: 1. Lululemon Relaxed Fit Pants 2. Five-Year Netflix Membership 3. Nike "Free Run+" Shoes 4. Tory Tote and Reva Ballerina Flat by Tory Burch

What's on your favorite things list?

workin' on my fitness

A few months ago, I set a few fall fitness goals. I had just joined a new incredible fitness center, Equinox, and felt very motivated during back-to-school time. With the holidays fast approaching, it's a good time for me to reevaluate those goals and set some new ones for winter.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I met all of my fall goals but I'm glad I set them. Here they are:

1. Lift weights at least once a week for an hour - I started off full-steam with this goal but it  eventually tapered off. It's so much easier to do this when you have someone pushing you, and I don't have a fantastic workout buddy (Kathleen) or a trainer (Hollywood Body Builder) like I did at Gold's Gym. I'm going to need to push myself to achieve this goal.

2. Try one new workout class each month - Oops. This one was hard because most of the classes are not conducive to my schedule. However, I need to make a more concerted effort to go to classes on the weekend instead because there are some awesome ones.

3. Run a 10K by November - Kind of. I ran two 5K races: the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the White Rock Half Marathon 5K. 5K+5K = 10K, right?


4. No excuses! Hit the gym at least 4 times a week for cardio - I managed to do pretty good with this one. With the exception of a two insanely busy weeks and week when I was sick, I seldom gave myself an excuse not to go.

... Now for some new winter fitness goals!

1. Run, the entire time, at a 5K - I only truly ran about 2/3 of the time (2.25 miles) during both of the 5Ks. I need to train better for a 5K before I can even think about attempting a 10K.

2. Become the Foursquare mayor of Equinox. - I realize this is geeky and I'm totally okay with that. If I achieve this and maintain it, that means I'm going to the gym at least 4 or 5 times a week!

3. Work out in the morning on the weekdays. Will this be hard? Yes. Will I feel more refreshed for the day? Probably.

4. Lose, not gain, 5 pounds over the holidays. Don't worry, I won't be depriving myself of any holiday goodies but I will need to make up for it (and some) at the gym!

Old Navy at Park Lane

It's official: I no longer have to trek to the suburbs (or the Galleria) to get my Old Navy fix. Months of speculation and waiting turned into reality tonight at the soft-grand opening of Old Navy at Park Lane. I must say, it was pretty magical. Red Carpet? Check.

Accessories galore? Check. 

Old-school candy? Yep.

"Pop it in your purse!" items such as 3-Hour Energy, Advil, and Luna Bars? They've even got that too.

Old Navy will have it's official grand opening on Saturday, November 20. Go check it out! 

"Lingers on your palate"

My friend Christine and her roommates hosted a fun wine tasting last weekend where every guest brought a bottle of wine that was $13 or less. It was supposed to be a favorite for everyone to sample, but I had actually never tried the wine I brought, so I was a little worried it might not be very good. Whatever. I've seldom met a bottle of wine I didn't like, cheap or expensive. 

Fortunately, Rex and Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon turned out to be a good choice and a new favorite of mine! I found it at World Market for $10 $7. 

Since there was plenty of wine at this party, I replaced my go-to hostess gift (the oh-so-original bottle of wine) with Fred Wine Lines glass markers that were $7, also from World Market. 

Designer Silly Bandz

Clearly the Silly Bandz craze isn't ending anytime soon if fashion designers like Marc Jacobs are just now releasing their versions of the colorful wrist bands.

I love the gold charm that's attached to each band. They were selling on Shopbop for $15 but are currently sold out. Hopefully they'll be back for in time for Christmas stocking stuffers!

Alphabirds

via Lemon Drop

Rider of the storm

The only good thing I can report about my afternoon commute home on I-30W is the truly incredible view I get to see of the downtown Dallas skyline.

Last week, we had a few sunshowers in the area. It was storming like crazy but the sun was still shining. This picture was taken by an Advocate photo editor and was pretty much my exact point-of-view that day.

Sweet Life: Dylan's Candy Bar

Sticking with the candy trend from my last post, Dylan Lauren, founder of the Dylan's Candy Bar and daughter of Ralph Lauren, is on a tour promoting her new book "Unwrap Your Sweet Life." She hosted a book signing at Neiman Marcus at NorthPark Center on Saturday, November 13. 

I bought the book and met the candy queen herself! It wasn't crowded when I went so I had a few minutes to chat with her while she signed my book.

And yes, we're both rocking the Canadian Tuxedo - denim on denim. I ordered the Lucky Brand Shrunken Chambray Work Shirt at the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale last week for $14.97!

Dylan's book is much like her colorful candy shop in NYC. Filled with candy history and trivia, inspiration for decorating with candy for holidays, and a few recipes it's a must-have for any candy aficionado like myself. The book retailing for $35 but I bought it at Borders with a 40% off coupon. 

I think what I like most about Dylan's Candy Bar, is not the candy itself, but the fun packaging. Most of the items are a little pricey but the display is absolutely fabulous. One of my favorites is the Dylan's Candy Bar Tackle Box. 

This would be super easy to DIY. They sell boxes like these at craft stores like Michaels or at The Container Store. Buy different candies to put in each compartment and you've got yourself a sweet gift! 

The Candy Shop

I'm a sucker for candy.

Photo by Jeremy Arnold 

There is something magical about colorful candy on display. Where is your favorite place to get a candy fix? 

The Candy Store in San Francisco 

Candyality in Chicago 

Miette Confiserie in San Francisco 

Hello!Lucky Postcards

I'm always swooning over the print work at Hello! Lucky. If you're planning a wedding in one of the cityscapes featured in their postcard Save the Date cards, these are really fabulous.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the newlyweds, Katy Perry and Russell Brand.

Trick-or-Treating with Tex at White Rock Dog Park.