Friendsgiving Twenty Seventeen

Okay okay, I know this is late, as in Thanksgiving is officially donezo and my Christmas obsession is now socially acceptable. I had plans to post this last Monday, but I had way less work this week because of the holiday, which meant sleeping in and taking a break. Unfortunately that also meant that blog/creative stuff took a backseat as well, but also sorry not sorry cause I was starting to feel a bit of burnout coming on. Instead of throwing out the entire post (that I have been very excited for btw) I thought I'd just post it late. Cause better late then never. So...let's go :)

For a couple years now I've wanted to host a Friendsgiving dinner. I love good food...I love gorgeously decorated tables...I love my friends...and Friendsgiving is basically a perfect mix of all three. I also looove the Holidays, so in short, Friendsgiving is an extremely Kate thing. I figured that this season of my life is the most ideal time; working full time (so I have enough money to actually pull it off)  and no school stress. So last week I hosted Friendsgiving dinner.

In Kate fashion, I wanted to go big or go home. And by big, I mean everything had to be *perfect.*  So perfect, I even attempted to make my own fabric napkins. That lasted about ten minutes before I gave up...ain't nobody got time for that. In all honesty, I'm glad I did because the next day I fell in love with a set I saw at World Market (aka the best store ever, second only to Target.) Bonus: There was a matching table runner. You know you're growing up when you get excited about table linens...yet here we are. 

I started planning by scouring Pintrest in search of some yummy recipes. Traditional Friendsgiving involves Turkey and stuffing, but I knew that would be too much for me to handle, so I went with a baked chicken (because it looks like a mini turkey so we still get the effect, amirite?) and mashed potatoes. For drinks I bought the boys some root beer, and for us girls I got two different kinds of sparkling juice...man am I a sucker for cool drinks. I also made some yummy appetizers and a cake for dessert. Simple, festive, and delicious :) 

Now on to the table. As I said, I found some adorable linens at World Market. I got eucalyptus bunches and some festive red berries at Trader Joe's for pretty cheap, and pillar candles on Amazon. The taper candles and sticks are from my mom's stash, as are all the dishes and utensils. Once again, I grabbed some ideas off Pintrest (let's be honest, that's where most of my ideas come from) and set up this super chic, minimalist tablescape. Much pleased, very happy.

The day of, I did all the cooking, cleaning, and setting up in what I like to call "The Domestic Hurricane." My mom was such a help with getting everything done. Moms the the best. Thanks mom :)

I mean I have to include a couple pic cause he's just so dang cute. 

Here are links to the recipes I used--super delish. The mashed potatoes were a H I T . 

Appetizers: Baked Brie with Peach and Basil // Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs

Dinner: Lemon Rosemary Chicken // Parmesan Mashed Potatoes // Pear & Feta Salad

Dessert: Buttermilk Spice Cake

After dinner we sat down to watch It's A Wonderful Life, which was basically one or two people actually trying to pay attention and the rest of us making dumb comments. I had plans to take a lot more pictures, but I was so busy prepping beforehand and then once everyone arrived I really wanted to BE in the moment, which meant a lack of photos. But I'm okay with that...Basically it was awesome and I can't wait for next year.

Now on to CHRISTMAS.

A Day In D.C.

This past weekend I was in D.C. with friends for the March for Life. We were given all Saturday to explore the city, so I thought I'd share some bits from my trip :)

We had a 22 hour bus ride to D.C. from Florida, which provided a lot of time for bonding. I do NOT sleep well on road trips, so by the end of the trip I was quite literally a zombie. Thursday night we attended mass at the Basilica, but it was so crowded that there was no real opportunity for pictures. 

The morning of the March, I was up at 5am. We went to the Mass/youth rally at the Verizon Center, which was crazy! Then it was on to the rally before the March, where we heard lots of cool speakers (but let me tell you, standing out in the cold for two hours was not fun, but #forthebabies.)

After the March we went in search of dinner, which led us to the Shake Shack in Union Station. After seven straight hours of walking in the cold, and twelve hours without food...that burger was king. 

roomies :)

The next day was a free day in D.C. so we basically wondered from place to place. First we went to Eastern Market, which was *amazing.* It's basically a year round art fair with tons of amazing food. I had the best chocolate croissant of my liiiiiiife, yall.

Figuring out the metro. lol.

Then we headed to the National Portrait Gallery, and technically I wasn't supposed to take any photos, but...do it for the insta, amirite?

After that we split off into little groups. I ended up at touring the National Basilica again and eating the best pizza ever. ("The best *insert food*" seems to be a theme here...)

pretty ceilings!

We ended the day at the Jefferson Memorial. So cool guys. so cool.

Oh, and we stopped to take a very chic city mural photo, so that was cool.

Now I'm back in Florida, which is significantly warmer, but not as cultured. That's okay though :)

Until next time, D.C.!

outfit post: valentine's day

this valentine's was a special one--my very first one*not* single! i had a wonderful dinner with my lovey, followed by a cozy movie night back at his house with family. then, when i got home, i found some yummy chocolate and sweet notes waiting for me in my room. it was lots of fun and super special :) i know valentine's day is a rather taboo holiday, in which you're usually either a lovestruck sap or a lonely, bitter singleton...but i don't see why it necessarily has to be that way. valentine's day is a celebration of all love, not just romantic. i have really beautiful childhood memories of getting candy and cards from my parents; memories that i still treasure today. plus it's four days before my birthday, so growing up there was always bunches of cute party decor in the stores. i may be a little bit partial.

i had lots of different ideas for a valentine's day look, from the classic little black dress to winter whites, but in the end, i loved how the edginess of the leopard print & black leather worked with the delicate nature of the pink top & sparkly jewelry. you can't tell from the pictures, but the hem & sleeves of the shirt are scalloped--super cute and chic ;)

if there's one thing i love about winter (besides christmas and cozy nights by the fire) it's that i'm finally on an equal playing field in terms of skin tone. everyone gets super pale from november-march, whereas i stay the same year round. while everyone is mourning their lack of a tan, i'm totally in my element. gotta love those irish genes!

i also want to add that i just learned how to curl my hair with a flat iron and it is quite literally a life changer. i am obsessed with the loose curly/wavy look! i'm seeing a wavy hair tutorial in the future... 

so, how did you celebrate valentine's day?

 {jacket: eropostale / top: mode / skirt: homemade / shoes: katie & kelly / purse: target / necklace: target / bracelet: target / earrings: lauren conrad}

xoxo, kate

christmas day

is christmas really over? how did this happen?! i still haven't watched elf all the way through yet!

this year the holidays are really flying by. we didn't get a white christmas, so i found it really hard to get into the christmas spirit. then one day i woke up and it was christmas eve--not sure how that happened! regardless, i had a wonderful day full of food and giggles. 

christmas eve breakfast: french toast. yum. 

we had a crazy few days getting ready for christmas day; lots of last minute baking and wrapping!

the kids decorated the gingerbread house without me...but it is pretty cute...

baking. except all the cookies were in the oven before i could snap a picture.

prezzies wrapped and ready for my family to open :)

the altar at christmas eve mass. gosh darn, i love being catholic.

christmas dinner was at my aunt's & uncle's house this year, so we had a bit of a drive, but it was definitely worth it.

parcheesi is a tradition on my mom's side of the family, so my uncle pulled out the board. i played a game with conner, my mom, and my uncle--the sibling rivalry was strong ;) we also had it's a wonderful life on in the background--it was definitely one of the moments this year that i felt peaceful and joyous. the kind of memory i treasure forever. 

see the blue pieces? that's me. i'm not very good at parcheesi. i actually got pretty close to winning towards the end, until conner caught on and everybody ganged up on me.  conner won and i ended up in last place. haha

 the adult table at christmas dinner...that blur in the back is the chef/my aunt.

notice how my plate (to the right) is about 90% cheesy potatoes...yeah.

merry christmas & God bless!

xoxo, kate

haul out the holly

i can't believe we're already half way to christmas--this is crazy! i'm totally not ready. i've got 0% of my shopping done. no christmassy foods have been made. the tree isn't decorated, aside from the lights that i slaved away on. haha. oh, and i have no idea what i'm wearing to the vigil mass.

oh, and did i mention we have *zero* snow?! it's so hard to get in the christmas spirit without snow. how do people from california do it?

even though december if flying back waaaaay too fast, and i'm kind of freaking out, and i really need it to slow down a bit, i'm still excited. this christmas, we've hit a milestone.

we got a life christmas tree! for the first time since my parents got married (which is what, like 25 years? crazy.) we were able to convince dad that a live tree will *not* explode if left unattended with the lights on.

now if only we could slap some ornaments on there. haha.

i can't wait for the holiday prep to pick up a bit!

xoxo,
kate

the christmas rush

I just want to say that we haven't gotten a good snow yet and I'm starting to freak out. If I don't get my white Christmas, so help me God...hehe ;)

I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow! My brother, Conner, started college in Florida last year, and it doesn't truly feel like Christmas until he gets home, since we usually save all the festivities for him. We're always packing in the tradition until the last minute. 

I think we tend to get lost in the to do lists that the season brings; cooking, wrapping, decorating, shopping. Even things like watching festive movies become rote. I'm the kind of person that wants to maximize the "fun" but it always ends up being at the expense of the true virtues of the season. I have to watch myself and make sure that I savor each moment instead of rushing through Advent.

We picked up Conner from the airport (after a six hour delay) on Friday, which was mom's last day of school until the new year. Saturday was a girl's shopping day, and coincidentally, the busiest shopping day of the year. I had a ton of shopping to do since I decided to make all of my gifts this year, and I hadn't purchased any supplies yet. We also watched the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol and decorated the little gingerbread village. Conner decorated his to be like the Tardis :) Sunday was the guy shopping day, and the girls started on the Christmas cookies and cleaning, since we're hosting Christmas dinner this year. I finished making three of the five gifts I had planned. Crafting is really tiring!

Monday we went with my grandma to visit my grandfather's headstone at the cemetery. This is one of my favorite traditions because it reminds me that in the end, all the food, gifts and decorations can't come with you. It puts everything in perspective and reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas. Then grandma took mom out to lunch so that I could snap a few pictures of me and the siblings. I'm going to frame the picture and give it to mom and dad (and give one to grandma as a thank you, but shh, it's a surprise!!) I finished all my gifts, and wrapped them too. Conner and I went to a friend's house for a little Christmas party. I'm excited to see people, since I've been out of school since December 12th.

There is still a lot to do,but I'm making sure that I cherish the little things, especially my time with Conner. He goes back in a few weeks so I want to make sure I spend every moment possible with him. I'm sure he'd be pleased to hear that :P

xoxo,

fashion: first snowfall

                                                                                It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

 Top: J Jill // Pants: Target // Shoes: Sam & Libby for Target // Earrings: Forever 21 

Don't get me wrong, I love snow, Christmas, hot cocoa, fuzzy socks and fireplaces, but as the temperatures decline, palm trees start to sound more and more wonderful...

I've got some fun stuff planned for you guys, so stick around! I promise it won't be nearly as quiet around here as it's been recently-being a high school Senior is really exhausting. If you want to see what I've been up to, pop on over to my Instagram!  

Here's to the beginning of another Polar Vortex winter!

xoxo,