Merry Christmas – 2017

| The Bee Life

Before we all start running around and making our last minute trips to the grocery store, Target and anywhere in between, on behalf of B and myself, we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
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We hope to remember to take a moment and pause in all the hectic and reflect on the true meaning of this holiday, how fortunate we are (in our many different ways), and squeeze everyone a little tighter this year.

We are so excited to spend our first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. and continue to build our own traditions when we can and celebrate this most special day with our nearest and dearest.

Merry Christmas!

E+B

 

Photography Credit: Timothy Logan Photography

Latest Obsessions 12.17 – Holiday Fashion

| The Bee Life

Guys & Gals! This year’s holiday fashion trends have me heart-eyed emoji-ing and are my latest obsessions this month! I love looking for new pieces each holiday season to rock at holiday parties for work or with friends, Christmas Eve mass and into the midnight hours of NYE! Finding pieces that are versatile but also unique to stand out is all in the fun of putting together your holiday-ready look.
Latest Obsessions 12.17 - the bee life
Sparkles.  Always sparkles! Sparkles are especially perfect for a holiday party or to finish off your NYE look.  They’re festive and fun and make you feel pretty! Finding a statement top with sparkles is like the ultimate win-win.

Velvet. This is definitely a newer trend that has come out in full force this season and is filling stores.  This look is warm, fun and ads texture and style to any look for holiday festivities. Plus these trendy velvet tops are coming in all sorts of colors like maroon, light pink or blues, these translate into the later winter months!

Kimonos. Introducing the new, trendier poncho. These can help dress up any causal look with their intricate designs and use of fabrics.  You can go high-end on these or shop a bit more affordable options that can be switched out more! Either way, these are a must, and perfect for covering up a sexy tank.

Furs. Faux of course! Finding a fun faux fur to use as a cover-up or dressing up a plain sweater with a statement vest is perfect for a family or office party.  These can also add a layer (no pun intended) of fun to your look while keeping you warm in transit to and from!

It’s just another reason to love this time of the year – and excuse to wear an excessive amount of beautiful things that make you sparkle! Cheers to another year of creating memories and looking fabulous while doing it.

 

Image Sources linked above

Local Love – Chronicle Brewing Co.

| The Bee Life

Sharing some local love to a dear friend and one of the finishing touches for our wedding.  Our wedding favors were custom-home brewed beers that were completely created unique to us and our favorite beer tastes! This was especially cool because we got to walk through the whole process from start to finish with Chronicle Brewing Co.  Chronicle Brewing Co. is a home brewing company that has grown from a passion and creates custom brews for birthdays, weddings and other special holidays!
Local Love - CBC - the bee life
To kickoff our beer process; we first had a tasting with beers that we like or were in a similar category.  For B, we went with an IPA since that is his go-to, the goal was to create an IPA that wasn’t to hoppy, and finding that happy medium to appease our guests as well as B! For me, I was in between a porter or a stout, something light but still flavorful with hints of chocolate.  With the tasting, Mike the founder of Chronicle Brewing Co. was able to better pinpoint and start creating the recipes for our beers based off of what B and I liked!

For the IPA’s we were able to buy hops from my hometown and Mike used those through the brewing process – which we were also a part of, again being a part of this the entire way! It was also awesome having a hand in determining the ingredients and using parts that were unique to us.  After a few weeks; we were ready to go over and help with the bottling process: sterilizing the beer bottles, applying the labels, and then the actual bottling and sealing with our awesome custom bottle caps.

From there they just needed to sit a little longer, we picked them up just before our wedding, and finally got to taste our beers that were being worked on for months! Guests were greeted by a beer at their table setting ready for them to take home, we loved that we were able to create not only special labels and caps for our beers but having two completely custom beers made to represent B and I’s favorite beer flavors, not to mention they were so delicious!

 

Fitness Friday 12.17

| The Bee Life

Wow! I can’t believe it’s December and the last month of 2017. It’s been a life changing year, both physically and personally. I wanted to reflect on this year’s fitness journey and reading posts from each month’s Fitness Friday. I wasn’t in a good place physically or mentally at the start of the year, I wasn’t happy with my job and that was bleeding into my personal life, and how I took care of myself.  And I knew it was a problem, and I continued to make strides, get a new job and started taking care of myself. This time last year I was living in yoga pants and tights because my jeans wouldn’t fit – and now my jeans are loose!
Fitness Friday 12.17 - the bee life
Here is what I learned about myself this past year;

  • Don’t give up. I worked hard for 7-8 months with seeing limited results in inches and BMI, I still was the same number on the scale, but I was feeling better and I was determined even in the moments doubt.
  • Diet is just as important. As your workout routine, it wasn’t until I finally cut down – with the many thanks and help to B, on all the carbs and crap that the pounds flew off.  Beyond that, portions were limited and breakfast options were much improved and burgers were ordered without buns, subbing fries for side salad.  B and I made smarter choices, and held each other accountable and sometimes I did eat a cookie!
  • I am strong. And I can push myself. I started with only being able to do 10 or 15lbs weights depending on the exercise and now I am up to 20-25 in hand weights and 35lbs in kettle bells. I can do boy push-ups, and I can endure more than I thought, I’ve grown.
  • Don’t go back. This is the most important, and the easiest one to erase, because I was here and I went back – and I came out again.  And I don’t ever want to go back.
  • Make the investment. I got over the monetary cost it takes to help me achieve my goals, give me a place to challenge and push myself, and have my time to focus on me.
  • It’s a journey. Eleven months of a journey, and it doesn’t stop here. Just because I’m at my goal weight doesn’t mean I can stop or will. Life changes, schedules change and it’s constantly adjusting and continuing the journey to success.

I feel good. I am happy. I am focused. I achieved my goals, but I also need to maintain my goals, and I will. I’ve learned the balance and effort that needs to be made to be my best me, and that has been the best part of it all.

Cheers to a healthy 2017!

House Tour – Christmas Dining Room

| The Bee Life

One of my favorite rooms to decorate during the holidays and different seasons is our dining room.  We have a large custom table that is perfect for statement centerpieces and plenty of room for family and friends to gather around for a delicious meal, conversation and laughter.
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I love thinking of ways to transform this space each year and building upon pieces I already have or buying new… this year I kind of went the old/new route based off the color theme of gold and green, selfishly carrying our wedding color palette into the holiday season and our home!  I used some pieces from our wedding and ended up buying a new table runner and napkins to pull the look together for guests.

My goal this year was to keep the dining room intimate and cozy for a small group of six, candles mixed throughout with customized ornament place settings. I used glass ornaments, (I basically have plain glass bulbs stock-piled once the year end sales hit) and poured white paint inside of them to drizzle along the inside, so when I wrote names in gold on the outside they popped! Guests can take these home as a keepsake of the holiday memory to hang on their tree!
House Tour - Christmas Dining - the bee life (2)
The greens mixed in help bring that classic Christmas feel and were conveniently trimmed off our tree. I love entertaining and having friends and family in our home, celebrating, laughing and creating memories and with the perfect setting and people it makes it easy.

Cheers to new memories!

Holiday Hacks – Make A Statement

| The Bee Life

One of my favorite things about the holidays is presents! But no… probably not what your thinking – I love WRAPPING presents… seriously, it’s all about the presentation.  Although my wrapping game isn’t quite up to par with what I’d like it to be… I’m getting there. So if your like me, and like to make a statement with your presents, and include them as part of your decorations under the tree – here are some easy hacks to do just that!
Bee Holiday Hacks - Statement - the bee life
Pick a Theme or Color Palette. This can tie into the decor of your home if your planning to use these are decor under the tree. Often times I’m inspired by a specific ornament or even spotting some gift wrap in the store and working around that to pick my theme for the year!

Get Wrapping Paper for Each Person/Categories. I know; this is getting a little crazy but I like to wrap all of B’s presents in his very own wrapping paper – this leaves out the need for 20-different name tags.  This could be done by family (yours vs. his) or by person if you have enough variety in your paper selection.

Stock-up on Tags/Ribbon when you See a Good Deal.  And it doesn’t have to be Christmas! I stocked up on a bunch of tags after Valentines day, they were gold, and bright pinks – they’ve come in clutch throughout the year and I’m sure I’ll throw a few gold ones on gifts this year too.  Always be on the look out and stock-up especially if you see one of a kind options at Marshalls or TJ Maxx. Or better yet, print your own with these free printable Christmas tags! Don’t be afraid to keep it simple too and make a statement with ribbons, tags, or greenery.

Invest in some Good Tape. This is a fault of mine; because I scrapbook and go through a lot of tape, therefore I just stock-up at the Dollar Store – however I’ve come to find that this tape and some of the fancy, thicker wrapping paper I’ve picked up don’t go well together.

This is a fun way to spread some extra cheer and make a statement with family and friends.

Photo Source: Cosmopolitan

Travel: California Honeymoon

| The Bee Life

**This post was written before the recent turn of events with the California/LA Fires; my heart goes out to every single living creature directly and indirectly affected by these sad and destructive fires.  Donate to the Greater Los Angeles American Red Cross to help those affected.

In case you missed our Thanksgiving in Palm Desert, you can catch-up on it here.  Our #emnbhoneymoon was our first vacation that we took together – usually we are with family, so that in and of itself was fun, plus it was our first time in Cali!

We flew in and out of Burbank, which helped save us some money and was also super manageable for being right outside of LA. We had a quick 2-hour trip to the desert each way and were able to explore some more sites around the Hollywood area on our way back to the airport.
Travel - California - the bee life
While we were in Palm Desert, we stayed close to the resort, only heading out to random stores to pick up groceries for various meals.  The pool was right next to our condo and it was the perfect spot for us to soak up the sun, take a nap, and just detox from the world. Mornings started with the sunrise, and usually a long walk around the complex exploring the sites.  We went out to brunch and dinner a few times but the standouts besides Eight4Nine were Trio for dinner and Wilma and Frieda for brunch – WOW, both were so delicious.

Before our flight, we headed back early to the Burbank area so we could check out Venice Beach and both see the Pacific Ocean for the first time! It was neat to check out the area, grab some pictures, walk along the beach and stick our feet in the ocean.  From there we found the closest In and Out Burger, each ordered a double and soaked up some more sunshine as we indulged!  From there we headed to Beverly Hills and took a drive down Rodeo Drive – it was unlike anything we ever imagined and blew shops in NYC out of the water. It was stunning. We didn’t have as much time as we would’ve liked to explore the greater Los Angeles area but we were able to drive around in our mustang convertible and take in the Cali life and all the sunshine before heading back to reality.

It was so fun exploring California – although there are a lot more places we will need to check out since it’s a biigggg state, but our mini-moon was the perfect little getaway after all the wedding excitement.

Where should we visit the next time we are in Cali?! Leave a comment below.

Travel: Thanksgiving in Palm Desert

| The Bee Life

We were lucky enough to take our #emnbhoneymoon right after our wedding, meaning we spent our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife in sunshine, just the two of us!  We love our families, but it was nice to detox, soak up the sunshine and do something new and not rush around to three different dinners within 48-hours.

Since we were still on east coast time, we woke up fairly early and were ready to roll, enjoying the sunrise from our balcony.  We started our Thanksgiving off with a walk through our resort over to the main hotel to grab Starbucks and explore the extensive campus of the Marriott Desert Springs.  We got back to our condo and B cooked breakfast, we found Home Alone on TV and vegged out, made some calls back home and figured out where we could eat that night searching for a spot to make dinner reservations on Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving in Palm Desert - the bee life
By 10:30 we were suited up and at the pool, soaking up the sun as it warmed from 75-to 91-degrees.  The pool was fairly quite, we were able to nap, cool off and just soak up the sunshine while sipping some drinks. By early afternoon we headed back up to the room to get ready for our early dinner at 4pm. We headed to Palm Springs for our dinner reservation at Eight4Nine.

Luckily they had some Thanksgiving dinner reservations available and we snagged one up for their limited 4-course menu for the evening. This modern venue is sported in all white furniture, with pops of pink and fun art throughout and a stunning patio. Our “First Impressions” was a house-made ricotta with autumn root and shishito pepper giardiniera.  The “Second Course” we were able to select from 5-choices, I went with the Pear Salad while B had the Curried Cauliflower Bisque. For the “Main Event” there were 6-mouth watering options, one of which was your Traditional Roast Turkey – as tempted as I was, I went with the Marsala Pork Tenderloin; dried plum, roasted spiced yams, greens, candied bacon, and toast pine nuts.  B went with the Sourdough-Crusted Chilean Sea Bass with dungeness crab-stuffed piquillo pepper, saffron aioli, greens.  It was all so phenomenal, and we both ended withe the Bourbon Pumpkin Tart and some hot coffee to finish up our Thanksgiving meal.

It was nice being served an extravagant dinner while enjoying each others company after a day of sunshine and pool.  It was definitely a fun and a different Thanksgiving, but one for the books as Mr. & Mrs.

Holiday Decor Inspiration

| The Bee Life

Every year I get an itch to completely redo all of our Christmas decorations, but then there is a part of me that just loves what we’ve created over these last few years and how we’ve made our home a cozy Christmas wonderland.  So I mix things up on a smaller scale, our outdoor space we’ve been doing different lighting variations and and the dining room is always my play space to create a magical setting.

So although I am not completely redoing our decor this year, I love to share future inspiration for holiday decor around the house… enjoy!
Holiday Decor Inspiration - the bee life
Classic. I love keeping decor classic with white lights and pops of color, you can’t beat the feel good sentiments of Christmas and a nice lush evergreen.

Pops of Color. This centerpiece is what dreams are made of and reminds me of the vintage ornaments I’ve found over the years from my grandma and at antique stores – pinks and blues and golds are so fun to play around with!

Simple. I hope one day I can work up to simple, right now it’s a complete flip of decorations in the house; picture frames are put away and the house is completely transformed with greens, lights, multiple trees, candles and ornaments.

What are your favorite things about decorating for Christmas? What theme or color palette are you dying to do?

 

 

Photo sources are linked above.