christmas-zilla

it may be that this is my first christmas as an only child (big sis is at in-laws, little sis in ireland with a friend) or that it's my last christmas being had during a month-long break (crossing fingers i'll have a job by may!), but my sentimentality has kicked in to high gear.

i've always been THE BIGGEST sucker for christmas as far as the anderson house goes. i think it all started with my moms incredible knack for decorating and the holidays, but somewhere between purchasing a christmas tree for my own room at age 9 and crying when we opened our new pajamas on december 23rd rather then the 24th eleven years later, i became christmas-zilla.

i reign queen so heavily during this -- what i think should be -- month long holiday, that while centering the garland and lights just perfecting above the front door i directed my ex-interior decoratoring mother towards the scissors in the kitchen only to hear her whisper "look at the monster i've created" into my dad's ear.

with a subject line of christmas-zilla and phrases like "i reign queen so heavily" you may be thinking i run around like a terror in a santa hat. honestly, i think ive just adopted that same knack and passion for design, christmas, and interior decorating that my mom has -- and cranked it up a few notches with the hope that my home can look half as good as hers one day. she makes driving the 8 minutes to get home from college feel like the 4 hour drive most of my friends take -- well worth it, homey, and ready for the family to settle down for White Christmas for the thousandth time or for a christmas puzzle.

thanks mom, i couldn't be happier with being home.

the key to your files

check out this adorable USB.

i've always found it extremely dorky to have a USB on a keyring, but where else are you to put such a tiny thing and have it close by when needed?

enter: the USB key.

a great stocking stuffer, i must say!

pre-fall navy blues

navy blue. my absolute favorite color.

i remember going shopping with my mom in junior high and she would forewarn me before making the 45 minute drive to a decent shopping mall that i wasn't allowed to buy any navy on this trip, after taking into account its domination of my wardrobe.

some things never change. after stalking style.com for hours and pulling looks from it, i noticed that a good amount had navy blue. below are a few of my favorite pre-fall collections featuring this nautical color.

philip lim 3.1

tory burch

rag & bone

enjoy more pre-fall collections here.

"hello from texas...suckas"

was the subject line of the email that Katie and i sent to kyra and grant from dinner tonight. how lucky i am that her family lives in Bryan and i get to see her over the holidays.

two hours of catching up at pei wei made me miss summer. two months until the summer 2010 crew reunites in the city!

leavin' on a jet plane

i have been missing the big apple so much that i bought a plane ticket and am heading back for a visit in february. skipping a weeks worth of class to visit friends and see NYC in the winter -- a first for me!

i can't wait to hit up some of my favorite spots.

towels

hello again. i'm going to keep ignoring the fact that i'm not very consistent with this thing anymore and pretend that i am.

whenever i miss new york, which is often, i often find myself googling anything to do with New York, looking at the menu of The Standard, looking up plane tickets, or finding things to buy that have to do with New York. tonight, i found these:

tea towels that etsy storeowner girlscantell designed. these are handprinted towels with her drawing of the brooklyn bridge that includes fun facts and details.

she also draws other diagrams -- like hamburgers, robots, and even a towel for beer lovers.

very good gift idea if i do say so myself.