Currently: Charlie Brown Christmas

John and I have been lamenting the face that our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree somehow got left behind in Atlanta. Today after work, he surprised me with a tall, thin tree with sparkly lights to make up for it. It's so pretty! We're ready for December. :-)

I love gift-giving. 

I want to make popcorn garlands for our tree. 

Mulled wine would be really nice right now.

xo,

Lauren

Almost December

Thanksgiving weekend was so relaxing. It was, however, very exciting to come home; this time, it's really ours, and we're here to stay. John and I did more cake tasting and in the midst of wedding planning, squeezed in a mid-afternoon date. We realized it's been a while since we've actually been on one of those, so that was nice, too. Coffee with homemade whipped creme and a generous shot of Whiskey never hurt anybody! And as you'll see below, Herbie is serious about hugs and serious about sleep. Just like Mom.

A Very Sunny Thanksgiving

I know I grew up in South Carolina, but no one ever told me how gorgeous it was! Leaving for a few years made me so grateful for this bright blue sky and gratuitous sunshine. Or maybe it was Cleveland's Lake Effect Clouds. Either way, I was in awe of today's beautiful weather - spent celebrating life with my wonderful parents, brothers, fiance, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandfather.

I was always the tall big sister, but look at how tiny I look next to my baby brothers!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. If you're reading this, chances are I'm pretty grateful for you, too.

xo

This Week

Dropped on my desk by a brave high school boy.

First cake tasting!

Don't wake me up faces from Herbie.

Everyone's saying it

via oh joy!

But it's true: I'm so very, very thankful.

John and I are homeowners! We can hardly believe it. We continually marvel at the space we have, and those of you who saw the Cleveland apartment will understand why. Herbie likes having stairs inside! He's also been making beds in the weirdest places, i.e. any box with soft things in it that hasn't been unpacked. It's adorable.

This is the time of year when I think of the Butterball Hotline and the Ping-Pong Table. You should, too.

xo

Lauren

Lauren Loves Llama Love

I love this sweater so much. I just can't help it.

Lucky Girl

R to the i c e

I love brown rice. It's so nutty and delicious. It's also healthy. Win.

I was happy to see this article in The Times over the weekend - a good little project to try in our new condo. Speaking of which, we close tomorrow!

Borecole! (Dutch for Farmer's Cabbage)

Remember when you were a kid and everyone asked what your favorite food was?

This is mine.

These ten ideas have me drooling over this delightful cabbage. I've already tried some of them, and you should, too. Real Simple's recipes are always elegant and healthy and easy to squeeze into a busy day. Kale is John's favorite as well, so this works out. We talk about Kale Chips like they're illegal.

xo,

Lauren

Engagement Photos!

I get to marry John in 150 days. I think I've made this clear, but we are so excited. Not a day goes by that I don't marvel at our relationship. He is such a gift.

Initially John and I wanted a wedding photographer with a journalistic, natural style that would remain sophisticated. We wanted hip without overly trendy editing. Graham from Once Like a Spark Photography did a gorgeous job of capturing the way we feel about each other in these photos. OLAS has been wonderful to work with, and we are really looking forward to having them at our wedding. Graham was like our really fun third wheel who took us to all the cool places. Just perfect.

This day was special to us, because it was the first chance had to celebrate our relationship after a really hard summer. What a beautiful reminder of the things to come.

Update: You can also see our engagement photos here on Style Me Pretty.