holiday decor

November is well underway, whether I'm ready or not. Which means the holidays will come and go well before I've had my fill of gingerbread lattes. 

Coffee drinks aside, the decorations are one of the best parts of the holidays. Twinkle lights earn the respect they deserve and red is everywhere without being too bold. While buying red and green peanut m&ms is the extent of my decoration so far, I've been brainstorming with great intentions.

Here are a few of my favorite ideas for holiday home decor.

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Stovetop potpourri is such a romantic tradition. It was a staple to have cinnamon sticks on the stovetop growing up, and this collection of orange-peel, cranberries, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg is a variation I can't wait to try on a lazy Sunday. Because smell is everything.

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Filling the canister with ornaments is a great, quirky way to bring the holidays into a space! I love this to help coordinate a color scheme or just bring character to the normal decorations.

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And finally what holiday isn't complete without 80 wine bottles for the creation of this fabulous wine cork wreath. Love it.

More details and step by step instructions are available at the links below each image.

stale coffee beans get fresh

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The Texas Pecan Coffee ran out this morning, so I rummaged through the back of my freezer* for the back-up Dunkin' Donuts coffee beans. Dunkin' Donuts makes fabulous coffee for a simple brewed cup, but they don't stay fresh for long. The result is bitter. And how does one combat dry, bitter coffee beans without running over to the local grocery store? Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to ground coffee in filter before brewing. This worked like a charm. I also added warm almond milk for an extra special cafe au lait. Highliy recommend.

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*I store all of my coffee beans in the freezer to keep it fresh for as long as possible. 

pay it forward

A stranger paid for my coffee this morning. Have you ever had a morning that just set a magical tone for the rest of the day? This was one of those mornings. Every moment aligned into a picture.  I woke up, fully rested before my alarm went off, and left early for work with George, who was all set for a day at Doggie Day Camp.

The employees at PetSmart all greeted George by name and he wagged his little body into the play area. I love him. Ok, no more George tangents.

As I take my exit for work, the split decision is made to pick up a misto and muffin at Starbucks.  Roughly 500 cars were in the drive-thru, but I had my satellite radio readily entertaining me so I joined the masses in line. Then, the most magical thing of all happened. I pull up to the window to pay for my goodies and the driver in front of me had already paid my bill! A stranger had picked up the tab, without even a honk.
“What?” I questioned as the barista explained the good deed once more.

I was stunned and pleasantly surprised by the kindness of a stranger. It’s as if Dallas were trying to prove me wrong, claiming, “See how great we are? You just need to be open to it.”

Then the Barista asked if I wanted to pay for the person behind me, and so I did. Pay it forward was happening in real time, and who knows how long the good deeds went on. I like to think it lasted all morning.

sweaters and earrings and coffee

All I want is to wear this cozy sweater with glamorous earrings and sip cappuccino while the winter storm continues. But alas, I'm at work, on the phone with a computer programmer who is trying to teach me how to code. As you can tell, he has my full attention.