todays outfit.

Blouse: Nordstrom

Sweater: Zara

Jeans: J.Brand

Wedges: Nine West

Jacket: Quiksilver

Purse: Melie Bianco

There are some days you know you need to feel comfortable but still business appropriate at the same time.  I've been looking for a silk top to wear under sweaters for a little while now, and finally scored one last night.  I like the way sweaters fall over silk shirts much better than cotton (or anything similar) button downs.  After a busy day, I love nothing more than going on a little treat run with TT.  As much as we love just being home, we always enjoy going on a little joy rides around the city.

food.

(Asian Chicken Salad, in a teriyaki glaze with wontons and peppers)

If you follow me on Instagram (@thistinygem), you'll notice almost every other picture is of food.  I love to try new food.  I love to try new restaurants.  I love to attend cooking class, and just finished up a fall session of incredibly fun classes.  I love to create disasters in my own kitchen.  And while I must admit I have a better hand at baking, nothing is more satisfying than enjoying a tasty meal that was a little out of my comfort zone.

(ham and cheese and egg sandwich on sourdough bread)

For Christmas TT got me the two new pans I've been wanting.  I can't wait to use them this weekend and try something fun!

his pillow.

This is our bed.  These are our pillows.  The one we love the most is the one that looks like it doesn't belong.  TT has had this pillow for years, and the very first time we made our bed he added it as the finishing touch.  I must admit, I have a love/hate relationship with this pillow.   When it started falling apart I secretly was excited,   the seam was tattered and I was finding the batting scattered around our bedroom. That meant it was finally time to get rid of it right?  So, I told TT it was time to throw it away.  He looked at me and laughed...  The pillow clearly wasn't going anywhere.  

So, for Christmas I planned to "repair" it.  Definition of repair:  Take it to my mom, and have her work her magic.  She is after all the most talented quilter/sewer/seamstress I know.  She happily repaired this pillow, filling it with fresh batting, stitching up the original seam, and kindly returning it to me good as new.  On Christmas day, the pillow showed up in his stocking.  He was pleasantly surprised.

Afterall, he always says, if I get to put ten pillows on the bed, then he gets to at least put one on.   So there you have it... this is our bed.

pizza.

Today I met the family for a celebratory birthday lunch at one of our favorite spots in all of Salt Lake.  The twins are 23! 23!  And they requested their birthday lunch to take place at Cinegrill.  This place is home to the best salad, more specifically salad dressing.  Their pizza (pictured above) is worth the extra wait, the corn beef sandwiches are delicious, and the minestrone is one of my favorites. 

Happy birthday to two of my favorite people ever! Hope it was great!

25th birthday.

 @ my 25th Birthday Dinner Celebration

I'm going to be completely honest when I say, turning 25 feels strange.  I'm not trying to be dramatic, I realize it's not an old age*, but I must say I feel like age 25 catapults someone from the "early twenties" phase of life into the next phase... and I don't even know what that phase is called.  I feel like I maybe know what it includes.   a)College is complete (or very close) b)careers should be started c) babies if you don't already have them should be somewhere in the mix (for now they're all at my sister's house) and d( saving our hard earned money suddenly feels more important than it ever has before.  Am I growing up? This is weird.  More pictures from the day here.

Also, on the subject of birthdays, I must say I feel so blessed and loved from so many people, especially my family.  They're just the best people ever. The day started with a breakfast date at Rich's Bagels before work with my mom (aka bff).  We had a fun fast date over oatmeal and diet coke.  My kind of breakfast.  However, let me tell you something about Rich's Bagels.  They make an incredibly delicious asiago cheese bagel.  I rarely hardly ever get it, but regardless I always leave smelling like it (and so will you!).  I carried the cheesy smell all the way to work with me, which was kinda annoying.

My lunch hour began with cute EVC coming into work with my birthday present from my sister and her fam.  Evie not only decorated the bag hereself, but also had our favorite saying, "Oh yeahhhh", adorned on the wrap.  She's very detail oriented.  Out in the car were my dad and Ellie waiting to head over to Rio Grande.  Evie made me "birthday punch" while we waited for our food.  See below for recipe.  Needless to say, I really enjoyed my lunch dates.

Birthday Punch By Evie

Ice and Water

Salsa

Table Salt

Mix ingredients together until they look plain gross.  Dash a final dash of salt into the serving cup.  Try the punch, immediately give a look of discomfort.

Moving right along to dinner.  Dinner was a highlight.  I wore red lipstick, probably to help myself feel more mature, I mean I am 25.  When TT and I arrived at Mikado, the whole family was there, minus some very important members (Daniel, Stephen, Bry and Ellie Beebs).  We enjoyed appetizers, lots of sushi, and fabulous desserts.  Generous gifts and delicous food aside, I had a wonderful day, spent with the people I love the most.  Thank you for making my birthday so special! 

*my parents aren't even old, and they're old enough to have me!

So far this holiday season, some of our festive activities include:

Getting our Christmas tree picked out, lit, and decorated

A Christmas themed progressive dinner with the Turleys

Going to the movies to see New Years Eve

Crafting Christmas gifts with my mom and sister

Attending some holiday parties

Decorating cookies

Dinner outings

Frequent hot chocolate dates

Online shopping together

Baking

Going to Disneyland to see it decked out for the holidays

Listening to J Beebs Christmas album over and over again

We're looking forward to more December traditions, and I'm especially excited to give to the ones I love!

(photo taken at my parents home)

disney in december

We're all pretty big Disneyland lovers in this family.  My dad and the girls were able to sneak away to this week to kick off the holiday season Disney style.  We arrived to lots of lights, beautiful Christmas trees, characters adorned in holiday attire, fake snow, and reindeer! The trip also included lots of good food, a guided tour full of Disney Christmas trivia, Small World again and again, lots of princess talk with EVC, the Disney Christmas Processional, and a Christmas parade in ideal weather. 

Squinty Mc Squinterton

Fun fact: Disneyland plants 20,000 poinsettias every holiday season.

Always have time for a quick getaway with some of my favorite people!

i'm thankful for the best.

I know I may be a little late on the subject of gratitude and thankfulness.  Regardless, I surely know I have a lot to be thankful for,  and at the top of my list, is my man.  This guy always knows how to treat me right (and has for almost 10 years!).  I feel so blessed to have him for a husband and best friend. 

Roadtrip via Instagram

Last weekend, we took a little roadtrip to Vegas.  We arrived just in time for all the Black Friday madness and I did my best to encourage TT we needed to get it on all the shopping.  We went down to watch UNC play in the Orleans Invitational, and loved every minute of it.  We were so generously gifted tickets to Donny and Marie (truly a very good show!), we ate lots of great food including Maggianos, Holsteins, and some incredible pizza (can't remember the name of the restaurant).  It was so nice to just relax and hangout with each other for a whole weekend! 

My favorite part of the UNC game was standing next to Roy Williams!  He didn't know I was standing next to him, because his back was turned to me...but I have a picture to prove it.  Go Heels!

Lunchtime.

Salt Lake City has some pretty good cafes, delis, bakeries, specialty shops, and overall food joints.  These things I know.  Last week, I met my dad  downtown for lunch and he introduced me to Cannellas, a little Italian restaurant just kitty corner from the City Building.  Our food was delicious.  He tried the roasted red pepper soup (we pretty much shared it) and a chopped salad... I got the rigatoni with a beet salad.  It's such a fun little restaurant with great food. It's inspired me to try this recipe later this week to enjoy some homemade rigatoni, and a garden fresh salad.