and we are off to...

i fully stocked up my ipod with christmas music

& we are headed for the sunny west coast.

be back in 10 days. 

& for pics from our travels 

follow me on instagram: LAbabnis

*san fran image is via Ork Posters. to purchase this & lots of other cities visit here.

giving thanks...

photo credit: kris orlowski

i am thankful for:
- my husband. we learn more & more about each other every day & our love has grown even stronger (if that's possible!) in just the first year of our marriage.  i am so thankful for his patience, support, & kindness. i am so lucky to spend all my years by his side.

- my family. the best parents & three brothers in the world. not to mention some pretty kick ass cousins and IN LAWS!

- my girlfriends. most i've known since we were babies. they mean the world to me & always keep this girl smiling.

- my two kittens. who never fail to make me smile & confirm the fact that i am a true cat lady through and through.

- the men & women working hard in our military and all they do for our country.

- & i am thankful for all the silly little things that make life enjoyable. holidays, storypeople, chunky peanut butter, snowcap chocolates, fireplaces, coffee with good friends, bumble bees, sales at west elm, downton abbey, walks with my mom, a good bottle of wine, that feeling climbing into bed with freshly washed sheets, football season, game of thrones, the kids section in ikea, rainy mornings with rain boots, christmas morning, singing in the car, striped shirts, the vermont country store, the list goes on and on...

i hope you all had a fabulous thanksgiving with good food & fabulous company. 
what are you thankful for?

san francisco, drink it in.

photo credit: Sweet Kiera blog

it always goes down smooth.

would you check out this cake?!!!!! with our trip to the west coast fast approaching i have been bitten with the california bug & can't wait to get out to san carlos to visit my in laws. my father in law's birthday falls right around when we will be out there & i am totally going to attempt to make this cake for him. not with fondant because lets be realistic... but twizzlers? check.

the cake was found via Pinterest from the amazing Sweet Kiera blog. to check out the inspiration for the cake along with more pictures of this sweet sugary goodness click here.

p.s.

i changed up the blog just a smidge. because there is nothing better than watching sunday night football & working on the blog. the bottom line was i wanted more of my favorite color, so i chose a strip of a picture from the church we got married in. one of the THE most gorgeous churches i have ever been in. & then i got this idea in my head to put a little quote of inspiration. i think i will change it every month or so, a little saying to brighten your day. because i love other people's words & the way you connect with some of them & it is way better than seeing "sound to the bay" everyday. so enjoy the words of wisdom from roald dahl for the rest of november. i hope you like the changes (as small as they may be, it took me about 4 hours to do them, don't laugh) & if i totally screwed up the layout or it looks funny on your iphones please let me know! 
xox have a fabulous tomorrow! 

over the past week...

 pete and i celebrated our "first date" anniversary

this picture is from that night 3 years ago!

Stark figured out how to get into my brother's car

speaking of cars... paparazzi shot by husband

i spent a night out with some pretty girls

 all smiles 

 i made my famous chocolate chip rainbow sprinkle cookies

 and drank gingerbread (!) coffee

pete sent me a pic of this baby owl that was perched 

on what is remaining at the coast guard base

 this is the wood that was dumped in our driveway to stock up for winter... boom!

and we split, we chopped, & hauled it for hours. 

didn't even make a dent!

 but we all enjoyed cat naps from our hard work by the fire

and began what will be an epic mario kart battle of the ages.

thank you to those who serve

 to my cousin in the navy,

 my brother in the coast guard,

(photo from his boot camp graduation two years ago)

and husband in the coast guard. 

happy veterans day (two days later!) thank you to all those who have served our great country & those presently serving. your contributions & sacrifices do not go unnoticed. 

over the past week...

minna sent me her amazing photos from our roomie's wedding

& i was blown away

i found a picture that absolutely never fails to crack me up

"if sharks didn't have sharp teeth" image via reddit

top right kills me.

i rocked the vote. GO 'MERICA!

 i bought this adorable wrapping paper for presents this coming Christmas

it reminds me of a gingerbread house, so festive!

 pete and i spent quality time in our newly painted & redone bedroom

the electric fireplace is the greatest purchase ever (from home depot)

 i finally busted out my diana camera

i chose the Edelweiss version as a nod to the song i danced to with my dad at our wedding

husband & the coast guard braced for another storm...

& therefore many appearances were made by the rain boots

 the fun bun was the go to hairdo of the week

i had a girls night with some of my oldest friends

& the week was rounded out with one of my favorite movies by the fire.

when i first met him,

i knew in a moment i would have to spend the next few days re-arranging my mind so there'd be room for him to stay. 

-brian andreas via storypeople

image by kris orlowski

wardrobe: sweater + rain boots

RAIN BOOTS: HUNTER in violet

LEGGINGS: victoria's secret

GREY T-SHIRT: nordstrom

SWEATER: AE

SCARF: h&m

PURSE: michael kors

it has been cloudy & cold after the little snowstorm we got two days ago... thanks, athena! so i put on my trusty hunter boots (i honestly would wear them everyday if i could), threw on some leggings i used to wear all day when i was coaching, & comfortably ran errands with pete along with a much needed visit to the chiropractor. 

*i have been going to the chiropractor since high school & it is the only thing that allowed me to compete gymnastics in college. if anyone has a bad back, neck, etc... i highly recommend Gonstead chiropractors. they take x-rays of your spine & only adjust where needed. i leave there feeling refreshed every time & already feel better after three visits this week. 

happy friday everyone & here's to a great weekend!!

wish list

 little helper container via burkedecor + anthropologie pom pom wrapping paper

 metsa sculptural "paper" bags + you're a fox cards via catbird

hedgehog measuring cups via anthropologie + genius packaging by pietro gala pasta

the prettiest etsy mittens + faceted magnets from pigeon toe 

projects: crocheting

i have jumped head first into learning how to crochet. my mom makes little bears out of yarn & it sparked my interest. i have started with a basic pattern & have made it half way through a chunky grey scarf shown below. i have to say, i LOVE it. the fact that i get to wrap this around my neck when it is done & have the satisfaction of creating it myself is so exciting!

 the half done scarf i am currently making with this chunky grey WOOL EASE yarn

& the yarn i spent hours selecting at the store. i wanted to get the perfect woodsy, natural, rustic colors & settled on these:

1. NATURE'S CHOICE organic cotton yarn in "mustard"

2. WOOL EASE thick & quick yarn in "grey marble"

3. VANNA'S CHOICE lion brand yarn in "pea green"

finished product of the scarf & mittens on their way!

favorite things: whippy cake

if you are ever looking for hairpieces that are simply divine... enter Whippy Cake. i found this website a year ago here and literally fell in love. they have endless handmade hair accessories that look like desserts, you just want to eat them all up. below are the two that i purchased last year. i wore each at my two bridal showers & received a million & one compliments on how adorable they are. click their names to see more of each.

 special sauce                  sweeney

cry baby              double dare

 for more, stop by their website here & check out their scrumptious blog here. enjoy!