by Jen
on December 29, 2012
Here is the continuation of the last post with a look at family, presents and dessert. We had a great time exchanging gifts. It’s always so much more fun when there are little ones to buy for and play with!
My grandmother is ridiculously talented at gift wrapping. She even does all of her own bows and is so creative.
My grandmother and I have been exchanging this same gift bag for over 10 years. Each year we alternate who gets to take it home. This year mine was full of fun stuff like lip gloss and nail polish.
OPI’s top ten. I’ve already broken into this today and painted my nails Alpine Snow (top left).
It didn’t tak long for the living room to become complete chaos. It was pretty awesome.ย 
My grandmother was way excited to receive a Neato robotic vacuum cleaner. We got it all set up this morning and it’s been circulating the downstairs all day. The dogs aren’t quite sure what to think.
My grandmother gave me an adorable hat and scarf that just happend to match my outfit along with beautiful pearl studs for all the girls in the family. ๐
And I gave her an Erin McDermott disk necklace that’s stamped “love you to the moon.”
Why play with your toys when it’s more fun just to sit on the box? This is literally where she wanted to stay and play all night.
After all the gifts were open we moved onto dessert. I baked Ina Garten’s Apple, Pear and Cranberry Crisp. It was perfect warm out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream.
And my dad made his famous red velvet cake. I don’t think we’ve had a Christmas without if for as long as I can remember.
Such a happy evening. ๐ ๐ ๐
{ }
July 22, 2026
I am such a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast. 95% of the time I’m craving a breakfast that is on the sweet side. That mostly alternates between smoothies or yogurt bowls with overnight oats, chia pudding or oatmeal occasionally thrown in there. On the rare occasion I go savory – it’s scrambled [...]
{ }
July 19, 2026
I want to bottle up this summer and make it last forever (well, maybe minus the wildly hot and humid weather that makes running a big thumbs down). I mentioned this in my last post…but I am really enjoying the slower pace and the days that feel like they have more space. While I’m trying [...]
{ }
July 10, 2026
Happy Friday! I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the summer. We are in the dog days of it over here in Charlotte – the heat and humidity is off the charts – but it’s something I’ll embrace because I deeply appreciate the massive slow down that summer has brought. A lot of [...]
{ }
June 21, 2026
I recently traveled to Big Bear Lake, California for the inaugural Big Bear Peaks + Pines three-day stage race hosted by TransRockies Running. This was my third TransRockies event in 12 months (see also Colorado + Moab) and I’m here to tell you that they can do no wrong when it comes to race organization [...]
{ }
May 30, 2026
Happy weekend! Another week in the books! I got three runs in (6.5 miles, 5.5 miles, 5.5 miles) and I have a trail run planned for tomorrow. Total weekly mileage will end up around 30-35 miles depending on if I go for 13 or 17 tomorrow! I’m 16 weeks out from the Golden Ultra so [...]
{ }
May 23, 2026
Happy Memorial Day Weekend. It’s a very rainy one here in Charlotte and while I am a little bummed not to be spending the weekend in Florida with the fam or by the pool at our swim club (just opened for the season!), I’m also welcoming a slower pace and time at home. It’s been [...]
{ }
May 3, 2026
Hi and happy May! As we roll into the first full week of a new month, I have almost a month’s worth of lunch ideas for you. It’s a great mix of sandwiches, bowls, salads and wraps. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration for your midday meal! Open-faced chickpea salad sandwich on toasted [...]
{ }