It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas!

i must say jason & i are enjoying the cold, brisk air that awaits us each morning! it feels so festive & a treat for us california kids.

we had such a treat a few weeks ago when kristen's family was in NYC. we had two great BBQ dinners with them & did some shopping at the new AE store in time square!
this is our picture, up in the middle of time square...

do you see what our message says?
"home of the punk!"

we had to make sure everyone knew where they were shopping!

costco recently opened in manhattan. many thought, "why would they do that?" we personally thought, "why wouldn't they do that?" especially after you have seen the prices of things in the market. you just make room for the oversized jar of jelly & peanut butter.

obviously...we are partial to costco. but, come on people how could you not LOVE costco.

i'm sure i know what ALL of you are thinking. they don't have a car. true. and then you are thinking how would they get a basket full of stuff home. we wondered the same thing but figured...we'll figure it out.

what did i say before? how can you NOT LOVE costco. we didn't have to figure it out, they did ALL the work for us. a car service is there waiting to take you & your stuff home. they even load it into the car for you!

EXCELLENT!

then our doorlady helped us load in on the luggage cart...then up the elevator and in the apartment we went. piece of cake! and the money we have saved. priceless.

i told you we were feeling festive and trying to suck in the holidays. so this weekend we ventured out to check out some VERY new york christmas items.

the tree in Rockefeller Center. it was SO crowded, i had to get out of there. but, before we left we did catch the snowflake performance on the building directly behind the tree (technically, the tree looks at them).

they turn on and off to a christmas song. fun. festive. crowded.

ah. we had a little inspiration & decided to get our own tree this weekend. christmas tree "lots" are really just trees thrown against a store in your neighborhood.

jason & the pups picking out the perfect tree. he went BIG. over 7.5' tall. our angel is inches from kissing the ceiling. HEAVEN.

time to carry it home. ah. how things have changed. last year we brought it home with the top down. this year jason gets the honor of carrying it three blocks on a damp winter night!

and the before. this really doesn't do our tree justice. you kinda need to be in our apartment to really understand how large it is in the living room. i love it.

we've got lights & an angel!

which ornaments made the tree...well you will just have to wait & see. jason says you actually have to COME and see. but, we won't be that mean. i will be back with the finished tree. it is done, done, done...just haven't had time to snap pictures.do you know what happens in 4 short days? OH, boy...OH boy!!

the boyle's are coming to town! the boyle's are coming to town!

the boyle's are CO-ming to tooowwwwnnn!

THINK: "santa claus is coming to town"

And they are followed by my family. yep. the whole gang (minus sofie & keico). eek! can't wait!

P.S. i really HATE when blogger decides to format by blog however it wants to! xoxo

Festive Friday - Part II

and...we're back with Part II of festive friday. so to make up for not making the first festive friday (say that 10 times fast) recipe i am back with one that i have made & LOVE. it is so tasty, easy and you will get lots of compliments. even if they are just from yourself.

up this week...

love them silly lemon bars

(yes, i made that up)

Ingredients
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, 1/3 cup of confectioners' sugar, and butter until butter is in very small crumbs. Press into the bottom of a 11x7 inch pan.

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and lightly browned. While the crust is baking, whisk together the eggs, 2/3 cup of confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Just before the crust is done, stir in the baking powder. Pour over the crust while it is hot, and return to the oven.

Bake for another 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until set. Dust with remaining confectioners' sugar when cool.

yum! enjoy!

The Knot Southern California

if you are in the Southern California area keep your eyes peeled for the newest issue of The Knot Southern California. why you ask? well, you just might recognize a couple of people in there! Jason & I are a featured wedding. you can see photos of our big day & read a little more about our story.

i know what you are thinking & i would never leave you out. we know all of you don't live in southern california. i mean hello?! we don't even live in SoCal anymore. below is the front cover of the mag & our four page spread! Eek...so exciting. it is so fun to think that brides will be flipping through the pages of a magazine and just might see something that they LOVE from our wedding. it really is such a compliment to what jason & i created for our BIG day.

Enjoy!

Festive Friday

what is it about this time of the year that just makes you want to bake? i always have amazing intentions to bake up some goodies for my honey. ahem...let's be honest for me too. it usually doesn't happen for one reason or another. but, really, i want to.

this year, i am determined to try at least one new treat recipe. do you hear me? determined. wish me luck and cross your fingers! in an effort to encourage myself and spread some holiday treat cheer, friday will be my day to bring a fun new recipe to YOU and me. the goal? try the recipe over the weekend and report how it went. Hence, festive friday!

first up...

Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

mmmm...my mouth has been watering since i found this recipe.

Makes about 3 dozen

use a ripe banana, which has more concentrated flavor than an unripe one

Whatcha need:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.

2. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for about 5 minutes. (always the hard part for me) Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. (uh, really hard for me!) Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.

time to hit the market!

Enjoy!