Oh, Deer

This post has been a long time coming, but I held off until I could give you the most bang for your buck (pun intended), so to speak. I noticed that Taylor Sterling was styling her home office/nursery with one of these precious ceramic deers (seen here and here), and didn't think much else of it. Until Christmas. 

My wonderful aunt, Mary Jane, had been paying attention to how much I loved Glitter Guide and Taylor, and she did her homework for a perfect Christmas gift: the coveted deer head. 

Now, the story goes that she "accidentally clicked the 'order' button twice" but either way, we all got deer heads for the holidays -- guys included. This seemed like it might be tricky, since not everyone was quite sure how to use theirs, but it turned out to be a lesson in creativity. A "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type thing. 

If you follow me on instagram, you might have noticed that my Aunt used hers as part of her Christmas decor, complete with Peabody the Elf perched atop its antlers for optimal "watching" capabilities.

I use mine to hold and display my jewelry, instead of leaving it in a giant mess on my counter. It's proven to be very handy and quite cute, in my opinion. 

JT has his standing guard atop his china cabinet to add a bit of modern/fun manliness to an otherwise semi-girly piece of furniture (in that it holds fine china, but one look at the bar cart full of whiskey and you know, without a doubt, it's a man's dining room). And Emily plans to use hers in a book shelf for Bebe T's nursery incorporating hues of blue, cream and white. Adorable!

I love these little things so much, I'm contemplating reasons/places I could put these fun friends (click here, here, here, here or here for the fun friends I'm talking about). And bonus, these cuties are on sale currently. So pick up one (or three) of these stellar stags and unleash your creativity of where and how you can use yours.

Festive Weekend Recap

As if I wasn't already excited about Christmas, this weekend sent me over the edge. Work holiday party, cocktails at the Peabody, family dinner at Majestic, Advent, and our annual family cookie bake all in one weekend? Couldn't have asked for a better way to usher in the holiday season. Here's a few snapshots of our festivities:

{JT and me in front of the massive Peabody Hotel Christmas tree.}

{There were no seats in the lobby, so my ever-resourceful boyfriend spotted a friendly couple who let us share a table with them. We ended up chatting with them for a few hours while we waited for our reservations, and plan to keep in touch. Pleasant twist on the evening.}

{the cookie baking gals. an art 

our family has perfected for generations}

{JT getting excited for his second annual cookie bake}

{my lovely sissy and bebe T's first cookie bake. 

can't wait for him to play in the icing and flour next year.}

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Happy Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday! There's so much to look forward to -- not only is Christmas time in full swing, but my weekend calendar is turning out to look pretty darn festive.

{Peabody Hotel Christmas tree lighting, 2012 via here}

For starters, the CMi company Christmas party is tonight complete with drinks and appetizers. Tomorrow (after my not-so-festive oil change in the morning) JT and I are going to the Peabody Hotel to grab a cocktail and enjoy the fabulous tree (Memphis' equivalent of the Rockafeller Center behemoth) and atmosphere of the lobby while we wait for our reservation at Majestic Grille on Main Street with my whole fam jam. I'm so excited my aunt put the family dinner together, a great reason for everyone to get together and enjoy a yummy meal downtown. Another bonus is that (for those that don't know) the Majestic used to be a movie theatre and kept it's charm by leaving a giant movie screen up on the far end of the restaurant. During the holidays, they play Christmas classics (without sound) to enjoy while you nosh on the deliciousness. As if all that wasn't festive enough, we're having our annual cookie baking session (2010 session seen here) on Sunday after church (3rd Sunday of Advent). Oh how I love this time of year!

{baking Christmas Cookies circa 2010}

Happy Friday, my little elves!

On the first day of..

Glitzmas, I gave to myself....

one. golden. manicure.

{sung in First Day of Christmas tune}

I seriously cannot believe there are only 12 days 'til Christmas (or Glitzmas, whichever you prefer). Technically, I think there are only 11 days since I count Christmas Eve as Christmas proper, but nevertheless... it's quickly approaching. 

As a reward for getting all of my Christmas shopping done (and nearly everything wrapped) I allowed myself to go all out for a festive Christmas mani. 

How are you prepping for the holidays?

Deck the Halls

 

This is how I like to imagine I look as I decorate... the reality is me in sweats and a top knot covered in ornament glitter and garland watching Christmas classics and dragging boxes down our pull-down attic stairs. Either way, I'll take it. It's decorating time, folks!

In honor of tomorrow's festivities (hanging tinsel on anything that stands still long enough), I painted my nails bright Christmas red. The jolly color is technically Essie's "Really Red," but hey, who am I to get caught up in technicalities. They'll no doubt be chipped and broken after lugging boxes and stringing lights outside, but I couldn't be more excited. 

In normal tradition, my family decks our halls the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but since Thanksgiving is late this year... we wanted ample time to enjoy the trimmings and trappings before 2014 forces us to take them down. 

This year, I even have two houses to decorate! My family's house, which Lulu and I try to make the North Pole, and JT's house, which will be just enough to make neighborhood kids not think he's a  Scrooge (he's been very generous and allowed me to do as I please, but I'm trying to limit myself to areas of the house including the mantle, a tree, and the front porch). I cannot wait. I'll share the finished product with y'all soon!

Is it tomorrow yet?!

Happy Friday

You made it; it's finally the weekend. I'm ready to sleep in and.. oh wait-- we're providing food for the Ole Miss tailgate tomorrow. Welp, I guess I'll sleep next weekend...?

Things that made me happy this week (besides my birthday festivities/surprises and all the well wishes):

 

{this banner over Beale St.}

I get that everyone's excited about the Justin Timberlake concert on Monday (me included!), but there was something super hilarious to me about pretending it was up for JT. I couldn't stop laughing. JT, on the other hand, didn't find it as amusing. 

I'm also excited for this movie. Don't judge me. Anyone have a bambino I can borrow to pretend I'm seeing it for them?

Then there's also Thanksgiving yumminess and Christmas decorations to look forward to... it's been a good week.

Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale

Personally, I don't feel this needs an explanation, but for those that simply don't see the importance of it: Go forth, and do your Christmas shopping sans crowds or full-priced items.

That said, this is what I have my eye on:
-this gorgeous green watch
-navy, silver and rose gold watch
-Nike running shoes
-Tory studs
-this down coat for if I lived in Chicago
-loving the idea of these for Christmas Eve
-perfect gift
-heard good things about this (cheaper version than La Mer) eye cream

Things I might actually splurge on/great stocking stuffers:
-NARS Lip pencil
-Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Color
-Waterproof eye liner set
-NARS Blush
-wrap scarf
-

under the tree

It's official. THE Inslee Haynes knows I exist. Okay, hypothetically it could be her assistant, but nevertheless, my life is now made. And, for that matter, the last gift I'm giving can now be wrapped and placed under the tree. 

Oh happy day indeed!

Twas the Tuesday before Christmas

and all through the house,

every creature was stirring, yes, even the mouse.

Christmas day is exactly one week away! Can't believe it. And even though I've been sick since Thanksgiving, I'm determined to usher in the festivities with the best of them.

So, while I'd rather be doing this...

 

I'm actually doing this....

 But, hey. At least all my shopping is officially done, right?

 

Let the merriment commence...

 

*illustrations, as per usual are from the Inslee blog

Very Merry Christmas, or Three

There's a first for everything, and this year (due to work schedules and the craziness that is life), the Cox family is having three Christmases. Yes, three. Now, as a reference point, we always have two: normally Christmas Eve night we snack on such goodies as party mix, appetizer, dips, and various candies that we make, and Christmas Day brunch with all the fixins from monkey bread and cinnamon rolls to egg casserole and apple cider. 

This year, we're having brunch and snacks on the 23rd and 24th respectively and then a "formal" Christmas dinner on the 25th.

As the designated cook/baker of my generation (Emily once informed me that whenever I get around to buying a house it better have a double oven because holidays will be cooked by me), I'm throwing together an assortment of menu items for the occasion. Here's a sneak peak into the festive foods:

We'll still have our favorites like homemade party mix and crock-pot meatballs (those at the Christmas soiree can attest to their taste), among other dips and desserts.

The big deal is the new big, fancy dinner which if I get my way will include the following items:

 {rolls from here or Sister Schubert rolls}

 {sweet potato casserole: 

still debating which topping as I'm a fan of both}

{ turkey, dressing and honey baked ham}

 {green bean casserole, among other casseroles}

 {last, but not least, some of the famous Christmas cookies we make every year like clockwork}

I'm even considering throwing punch into the mix:

 Ho Ho Ho Punch:

1 bottle champagne 

1 bottle ginger ale, chilled 

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries, partially thawed Directions: In a large punch bowl, combine champagne, ginger ale and strawberries. Gently stir and serve.

baby, it's cold outside

In honor of the cold front and the onset of actual winter weather here in the Bluff City, this post is dedicated to cozy winter happiness.

Now, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Happy Holidays

It's that time of year, ladies and gents--Christmas is finally on the way. Here's a little preview of what the Cox casa looks like (more pictures to come once we finish). In the next few weeks I'll be sharing some of my favorite gift guides from bloggers and websites and finally the Memphis Magazine gift guide (exciting, exciting, exciting).

My first gift guide is for those looking for the perfect holiday hostess gift or house-warming present, and it's from one of my favorite blogs (I've mentioned it before here and is under recommended sites here), Elements of Style.

{Click here for the Elements of Style post complete with links to each gift item}

Tis the Season