Christmas Recap.

A little late but whew we are barely starting to catch up from all the Christmas craziness and our relaxing days off from work. It was amazing.

My family and I have always celebrated Christmas Eve with dinner and opening presents at night. We always did this when I was little! Christmas Day was always reserved to use and play with all of our new toys and I loved it. I have so many fond memories of those days that I always look back on around this time of the year every year. I remember they would send us to "hide" and they would  put out all our gifts then ring bells and say Santa had come. My sister and I (before my brother was born) would be so excited and run to wherever the presents were. Now, with Jack and I, we wanted to keep that tradition going along with his family tradition which is brunch and gift opening Christmas Day. We hosted dinner at our house Eve day and opened all of the presents we got for the kids and Jack's and mine. Elliot was already sleeping so we avoided him freaking out by all the yelling and screaming. We sent them upstairs while we put all the gifts under the tree then rang the bells and Santa was there! It was so much fun to see their little faces when they saw them and opened everything, it brought so much happiness and joy to my heart.

I was having so much fun and consequently, didn't take any pics of all the action. I took a few of the little stations I set up for the family.

We saved all of Button's gifts for the next day to be able to keep a little bit of both traditions and starting our own with our little family. After an eventful and fun night, we were up not so early the next day and headed to the living room where he opened up gifts, by that I mean us starting to tear the paper till he sort of got the hang of it himself, not really, we opened them for him which was so much fun! Haha.

This, THIS right here makes my heart melt. This is the morning I had been waiting for my whole life! And many more to come. I think Jack and I were more excited than Elliot to see what Santa had brought him but we were wrong, he was excited too!

How did all of this come from this tree mama? 

I guess they're all mine. That Santa sure is nice.

They are? Yay!

Now, which one's first.

Maybe this one.

Santa didn't forget my hubby and brought him a membership to the Dollar Shave Club (which I had no idea

about until I read Jessica Garvin's post a while back then again a couple of weeks ago!) I must say, best decision ever, Jack loved it! I'm even thinking about signing myself up ;) He also got a book by his

favorite author Stephen King and a watch case for all his watches he has laying around in the closet.

Needless to say, he was a happy camper.

Elliot loved his little motorcycle his aunt got him! He presses all the buttons and rocks back and forth when he's on it. So cute.

I hope that all of you had the best Christmas!! Although it makes me a little sad that the Holidays are over, we are ready for what's to come with the new year. We are so blessed and filled with happiness that our hearts are content. We are so looking forward to next Christmas already as we know that Elliot will be able to enjoy and know what's going on a lot more and I cannot wait for that!

Now let's get all those extra pounds from all the yummy food off! New Year's resolution for sure! :)

Christmas Blues.

Ha I know I know. This post is so ironic considering I've been so giddy and eager to decorate the shit out of my home and do all things Christmas. Behind it all, and maybe this is why I've been doing all this, is a part of me with a wandering mind. I've been thinking about a lot of things. Most of all, I've been thinking a lot about my dad. I've written a couple of posts on him, if you don't know what I'm referring to, you can read that story here. It may be the holidays and how this is supposed to be about family and love and just being together and enjoying one more year of great things. I miss my dad, I wish he could be here and then I don't. I wish he could be part of our lives, part of Elliot's life and then I don't. I think about everything he did, how much he hurt us and I don't want him here, I don't want him to be part of our lives. BUT, that is never ever going to make me not yearn for him, to wish we could undo everything, to wish he could undo everything he did. Family should stick together right? I know this is once a year and this should happen everyday but for some reason this year I can't help but think what if? What if he were here to be with us this Christmas?

I guess when you have a family and a baby you really realize what family is all about. It shouldn't be about the little bullshit things. Can't we look at the bigger picture and let go of the insignificant stuff? I guess it just doesn't work that way. We will always have people and obstacles in life that want to prevent us from being happy and enjoying our lives like we should. Sometimes distance is better to let the heart heal, to let happiness come through and show you what life is really about.

This year having a family of my own made me see the way things need to be. I used to let things get to me, people, bullshit, now they don't. My dad always will though. I will always miss him, his jokes, his Christmas cooking (he made the best turkey & a made-from-scratch fruit punch you wouldn't believe), his advice, everything. This will be Elliot's first Christmas and I really wish he could be here to experience that moment with him.

Sometimes I'll be looking into space with Elliot in my arms and Jack will ask me "what's wrong?" and I say nothing, well this is it, I'm thinking about all of this, then I think about how much I love our little family that will hopefully get to grow soon.

Anyway, I think it's also the fact that this year flew by and my little baby will be turning one next month. ONE. How did that happen? I will say that above all of this, I am really excited to be with my little family Christmas morning and watch Elliot open his gifts, throw his toys aside and play with the boxes. And maybe also all the depressing Christmas music? Have you listened to some of the songs? I'll stick to my malt shop classics & Mariah Carey. ;)

Let's really enjoy this season and let's not let anyone or anything get in the way of that. Let's be Merry!! ;)

My hubby & this baby make absolutely everything better.

Christmas Decor Part 2.

We are having the best time decorating the house for us and in preparation for having family over for Christmas & New Year's. I could decorate the closet if I could but then I would want to buy even more stuff and I think Jack is over my spending on everything Christmas. How fun is it though? I never thought I would love it this much. Jack and I always talked about it "When we have our house we will do this and that" and now we can! Guess who has been taking full advantage of that?

With that said, this weekend was full of shopping (oops!) for decorations and we even got some gifts out of the way. I love love love shopping for all the little ones in our family and would buy them the world if we could! Now we have a little of our very own and trust me, I would spend my whole pay check on him! Jack, close your eyes on this sentence. 

I am almost, aaalmost done and I couldn't be happier with how it's turning out. I made this garland (all while listening to Christmas music) with the silver glitter tape I got for one dollar at Target and some yarn to keep things in the theme. I taped them folding them over the yarn then cut them into different types of flags. Glitter tape, that's all I have to say.



I knew I wanted fresh spruce and went to Home Depot. I saw bundles for like fourteen bucks then saw a cart full of it outside of the tent where they sell the Christmas trees. Jack asked if they were selling the clippings and they told him they were free ninety-nine. Mama went to town and I'm still going back for more! You guys weren't lying. It smells amazing. It really makes the mantel pop.

I added this garland to the tree that I made with silver letters I got at Target for one dollar as well and used a needle and white thread to sew through them. 

Jack and I have been looking for.e.ver for a napkin holder for everyday use. I swear we have been to every store and never found one we liked or one at all. Who knew these things were not as common as I thought? Then on a trip to Target, we had the greatest idea to use this little wooden tray along with a clear plastic tumbler for straws and napkins to keep on the table including my cute salt & pepper shakers I got years ago and was never able to display them.  

The table I kept simple once again, I added two extra red candles and tons of spruce in clear glass jars and mason jars. I got the elf hat napkin idea from Pinterest and they were super simple to make. I still want to add a red cranberry at the top for a backwards Santa hat. I want little stockings as silverware holders, another Pinterest idea and I thought it looked so cool and cute and cozy.

This wreath is the same one I've used for all the holidays just added some spruce, the bow, candy canes and some white yarn of course ;) It might look a little wild and may require some taming but I like it!

As I said, spruce everywhere!

We are having some major cold weather over here and Button is ready for it. 

Stay warm everyone! 

Check back for part 3 of these series ;)

Our Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone had a great and happy Thanksgiving and that your tummies were/are as full and happy as ours! One holiday down two to go!

Were you as excited about yesterday as I was? I loved setting the table, preparing the turkey and all the other goodies we had. I loved the entire day of getting up early, prepping and even cleaning the house a little bit.

We woke up and I made some chocolate chip pancakes and some peppermint bark iced coffee to go with them. Call us crazy but we listened to Christmas music most of the morning. We love love love this CD. If you love Home Alone as much as we do this time of the year go get this one. It has the best of the best classic malt shop songs heard in the movie along with other great ones. We were singing and dancing and Button probably thought we were completely nuts.

I had marinated the turkey the night before and by ten-thirty the next morning it went in the oven to be ready by three.

We took most of the family pictures with a real camera and I don't have any of them! I did however, snap away at my tablescape with my phone. I kept it somewhat simple but pretty and comfortable enough to still be able to eat without having decorations in our way. We needed to be able to get to that food without interruptions ;)

I spent zero money on this since I had all of it already in existence. Well I lie, I did purchase two more of these really cool white candles at Target. So inexpensive but pretty!

I cut some twine I had left over from some other decorations and tied the silverware with it. Everything else was mostly purchased at the World Market including these beautiful napkins we have had for a while but never used! We decided to be fancy and use them in lieu of paper ones. They are fall-ish enough right? I couldn't believe how well my mini pumpkins held, not one of them has rotted!

The house felt so serene as if it were ready for all the festivities. It was such a beautiful day.

Remember those lit branches I got at Target? I went back for more to add as a centerpiece and light up at night. They looked so pretty.



Our family came over early to prepare everything with us and to be able to spend the whole day together. Our menu consisted of turkey (of course) which I marinated with orange juice, lots of garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper & olive oil. I also injected it with this marinade and it turned out so juicy and delicious! I also made a salad with a spring mix, strawberries, pecans, jicama & a raspberry vinaigrette. My sister and mom brought jalapeno cornbread, and they made chipotle mashed potatoes (the bomb), queso with the best homemade salsa, I made stuffing from a box, my mother in law brought yams & deviled eggs (the best) and for desert we had pumpkin pie, vanilla ice cream and a jello that my mom makes with a layer of lemon and condensed milk, which takes ordinary jello to a level I cannot even explain.

The food was set up on our kitchen island with a sheet of craft paper under all the food for presentation and easy clean up! And some fun writing on it.

Elliot couldn't wait for us to start digging in. He loved the turkey and steamed potatoes I took out before my sister added any spices for her chipotle mashed potatoes. He is a potato lover and now an official turkey boy! He asked me for seconds!

I had to dress him up for his first Thanksgiving and this is one of the very few shots I was able to get of him in it! It's getting harder and harder to catch this little one still. I got everything on sale at the Children's Place. He looked so handsome. :)



What is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? After all of the ruckus of the day, a slice of this goodness was the best way to end the night. I am so thankful to have the best family I could have asked for and the best husband and son in the world!! Elliot loved having all the family around! He had a great time and didn't even want to take any naps and went down hard at the end of the night. This day was all about family, enjoying a day full of laughter and fun and happy bellies. Couldn't have asked for more.

After cleaning up and putting all the leftovers away, Jack and I hugged and thanked God for such a wonderful day. Then high-fived each other for doing such a good job and having everything turn out exactly as we had planned or better. ;)

P.S. I had a major realization just yesterday, I took Elliot's ten month pic with Christmas lights & a Christmas hat. Did anyone care to tell me we are in November and not December? I laughed so hard yesterday at this total and major fail. To Do: retake Button's pic with Thanksgiving gear NOT Christmas. That's supposed to be his eleven month pic! I think I was so excited to put up the tree and decorations that I was so in the spirit and failed to think straight. Ha!!

Happy Friday! :)

Weekend Recap.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Jack is on Thanksgiving vacation (if there's such thing) and is off the entire week. I think that took pressure off of us and we had a great weekend. Thinking about the prepping and getting everything done early on Sunday night for the next week ahead is a little bit stressful and we had none of that!

We kicked off Friday with some Christmas decorating. Yes, Christmas, as in Christmas tree. We loved it! I had been buying ornaments and decorations for a while now and I can say that everything turned out pretty amazing. We are not done yet but I'm happy with where we are at so far. That gives me plenty of time to finish on time without rushing. Doing anything with a baby takes about twenty and a half days longer and I wasn't up for that. So early decorating it is. I still have the mantel and table along with other areas of the house left but those can wait until after Thanksgiving. At least I'm keeping a bit of the tradition going right?

I can say that Button was excited to be in the room with us helping and of course trying to get into everything he could. 

Yeah give mama a heart attack why don't you.

I had been eyeing these lit branches from Target for a while and finally got them on Saturday. I put them in a basket (they're battery operated- win!) with this owl and a cozy throw. It really makes the room look cozier. I'm thinking about getting some more to put around the house.

Jack even put these up on our bedroom door and I love them!



Saturday we made a yummy hot breakfast consisting of cheesy eggs and fries and Egg yolk, baked potato & cheese for this little one.



We also did our weekly grocery shopping and I squealed at the idea of putting Elliot in his coat and hat! Finally some winter gear worthy weather. Can you spot the bag of Doritos? ;)



It was time to take Elliot's ten month pictures and he was not having it. He hated the lights for some reason, I wanted him to hold them but he cried and cried when they were touching his feet or legs until I just put them around him, Jack made him laugh and I snapped away. This one was a fail.

If you follow me on Instagram (@shadiabrown) you saw that there was a win! 

Saturday night was spent drinking some beers with my brother and sister then came home to watch Home Alone 2. Fell asleep as soon as the Wet Bandits caught a glimpse of Kevin. Boo.

Sunday we stayed in all day long and the cold weather called for some chocolate muffins with coffee, movies and a yummy soup.

 I cannot wait for Thanksgiving and all the food I'm going to eat! And for more decorations!

Have a great week!

Love List.

I cannot tell you how happy I am that is Wednesday already. I am ready for Friday. This has been another one of those weeks and we are barely mid-week!

There are a lot of things I am loving right now, but especially, the fact that Jack and I will start decorating pretty soon. This Friday actually. I'm sure a lot of you think it's too soon and how dare I not wait until after Thanksgiving? I'm just so excited about all the decorations and the tree and ornaments that we can't help ourselves. My vision of knitted everything is coming to life perfectly. Target and Hobby Lobby have been my greatest allies in achieving my goal. I can't wait to be finished!

I am loving Christmas jammies. They are so cute and they get me in the spirit right away. I've loved looking at all my Instagram mama friends posts of their kiddos in Christmas jammies. They are so cuddly! Reading a book to Button at night in the covers snuggling up is the best. Dr. Seuss Nursery books are his favorite.

Christmas movies. I got the DVD's in the mail and we have already watched Home Alone a couple of times. I will never be bored of it. We also got Christmas Vacation which will be playing all day on Thanksgiving and Christmas. If that doesn't completely get you in the holiday spirit, I don't know what does.

Soups, hot pastas, anything wintry and delicious is on my list. I also, believe it or not, do not own a crock pot so I will be getting one to try my hand at some slow cooked delicious recipes that will save me ten thousand years from cooking after getting off of work. Total win. I made this one pan pasta I found on Pinterest and it was the shit. I will be making this a million times before the year is over. You can find the recipe on my Healthy Cooking board here.

Along with hot soups & pastas, hot coffee and tea are my go-to's. Even in the summer I drink hot coffee sometimes because I just like it better. I've been drinking this Korean tea for years thanks to my mother-in-law and it's my absolute favorite. It's sort of a jelly that you spoon into hot water and stir. It also has lemon peel in it and I take a sip then scoop some of the lemon peel from the bottom. So good. Especially on a cold day.

Last but definitely not least, Target Christmas section. I fell in love with it. Not all sections are my style but pieces from each are and I got ornaments from a couple of them. Hobby Lobby has also been great but I've been more careful there because some of the ornaments and decorations do tend to look too crafty sometimes.

I'm having lunch as I'm typing this and we grilled some steaks with baked potatoes and salad so I'm having leftovers and I realized I forgot my potato. Boo. Tuna salad & baked potato for dinner? I think so :)

Happy Hump Day!

Holiday Wear.

Since it's almost time for the actual holidays to begin, what's better than some cute attire to go with them? Of course along with all the movies, food, parties, family and coziness that come with them.

These are some of my favorite picks right now and along with planning Button's first birthday, I'm planning his outfits for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Call it what you want but it's my first holidays ever with a kid & house and I'm going all out, mama don't care!

Jack and I will for sure be rocking ugly Christmas sweaters this year along with a decked out babe and fully decorated house. Hell yes.

I love, love, love these little clothes and hats and little paw slippers and bear mittens. So so cute! They're so fun and I love all the colors. Especially that green reindeer onesie and pj's, I'm crazy about those footies too. Bring on the color! The warmness of a baby in Winter clothes kills me. These are all picks from Old Navy & Baby Gap, they really hit it out of the park. Go get them!

It's Thursday already? Yay! ;)