What I’m Loving Lately – December 2018
Happy New Year! As is often the case, December was packed full of amazing food, family get togethers, and fun events. We wrapped up the month with a very low key NYE spent at home watching movies, eating pigs in a blanket, and drinking Martinelli’s sparkling cider (I miss champagne!!) Head over to See You In a Porridge for more monthly recaps from other bloggers!
TV Shows
King of the Hill – Jay was absolutely thrilled when we found out King of the Hill is now streaming on Hulu. I’d never seen it before, so I was convinced I wouldn’t find it funny. Well, I was wrong. It’s pretty entertaining!
The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition – Since we got rid of Netflix, I’m missing my access to The Great British Baking Show. Luckily, I can watch the American edition on Hulu! It’s not quite the same, but it’s a decent substitute.
Movies
Elf – Obviously you can’t make it through a Christmas season without watching Elf!
Santa Claus is Comin to Town / Charlie Brown Christmas – Since we cut the cord and stopped paying for cable, I miss it the most when the 25 Days of Christmas rolls around. I finally splurged this year and bought a collection of classic Christmas TV specials and the Charlie Brown Holiday Collection so I can join the fun!
Die Hard – Jay insists on watching this every year on Christmas Day since it’s a “Christmas movie.” We had a lengthy debate about it and we still fall on opposite sides of the argument…
Rush Hour 3 – During the Christmas break we finally got around to finishing the Rush Hour trilogy. The third movie was surprisingly funny, but it probably helped that we went in with low expectations.
Books
Check out my 2018 book survey here! I’m currently reading:
Events/Activities
Christmas Festivities – We spent two days with my Mom and Dad for Christmas this year. Then, saw Jay’s family the weekend afterward. It was a wonderful week and just the perfect split between visiting and having lots of downtime to relax at our home.
Baking Bonanza – On one of our free weekends in December, I went a little crazy and made cutout sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, Irish soda bread, and chocolate cheesecake. It was SO MUCH FUN! The cookies were for a Christmas party, the soda bread fit into my baking bucket list challenge, and the cheesecake was just for us 🙂
Nursery Progress – It was a busy month in terms of getting the nursery ready! We painted the room a light / mint green color and painted the closet white. We also hung wire shelving so we’ll be able to store lots of clothes and toys in there. I bought our changing table on Black Friday so we put that together as well. It’s exciting to see everything come together piece by piece!
Crafting Success – When I was searching for travel themed nursery items, I stumbled across a mobile on Etsy with various world landmarks. I loved it, but wasn’t willing to pay $68!! So, I took a quick trip to Hobby Lobby and got all the supplies to recreate the mobile for $7.50. Surprisingly, I managed to complete the project in just a week and I’m thrilled with how it turned out!
What I’m Loving
Twinings French Vanilla Chai Tea – One of the unexpected side effects of pregnancy is congestion, so I’ve been drinking a daily cup of tea to help clear out my nose and throat. I love the French Vanilla chai flavor, especially on these chilly winter days.
Milk Frother – When I’m looking for an extra special treat, I use this frother on some warm milk and add it to my tea to make a quick and easy chai tea latte.
Wilton Decorating Supplies – I attempted cutout sugar cookies for the first time this year and went a little crazy with the decorating. Wilton is my go-to brand for cake and cookie decorating supplies and this kit is a great starter set.
Ebates – We used this cash back service A TON this month. Not only do you earn at least 1% cash back on most online purchases, they also identify coupons/discount codes currently available to help you save more money. I just love it.
What were you loving in December?
Here’s what I was loving in November!
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Love your tree and cookie picture, that looks like straight holiday magic.
Thanks! My husband thinks I’m crazy for staging photos like this one hahaha.
I have never seen Elf (or Die Hard for that matter).
Some of those are great movies. My kids and I watched elf again this year!
I’m glad you had a nice Christmas. I really need to buy some of my favorite Christmas movies on DVD. I don’t actually own that many. I do have some Christmas movies on my DVR still, and I do plan on still watching them. It’s Winter – it counts!
-Lauren
I usually stock up on Black Friday! Christmas movies are almost always on sale.
$68 for a mobile? that’s crazy – yours is so cute! love it. i love ebates – it’s amazing. everyone needs to use it!
Now I can spend all the money I saved on something else hehe.
I love watching Elf over Christmas 🙂