{12 Days of Christmas} Boat Parade 2014

Jellyfish!

This year, I attended the Santa Cruz Harbor's boat parade for the second year in a row. This time I went with a large group of friends (my Santa Cruz family!) and had a lot of fun. It was very chilly down at the harbor. There weren't as many boats this year, and many were the same as last year, so that was kind of disappointing, but going to a boat parade at Christmas has been a tradition for me my whole life. 

I really liked the jelly fish boat (pictured above) and my favorite from last year was back: Rudolph the Red-Nose Rein-boat! See this post for the picture. 

They even lit up the lighthouse! 

Overall, it was a lot of fun to enjoy the boat parade tradition with new and old friends, who have become my family.

Have you seen a boat parade this Christmas? If so, where was it? 

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Family Trip: {Yosemite, part one}

El Capitan

Over Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to stay with my grandfather in his house outside of Mariposa, a small town near the entrance of Yosemite. So, on Black Friday, I took my brand new camera, my family, and drove up the mountains into Yosemite National Park.
Our first stop was El Capitan, a beautiful granite rock formation. It was so tall! It was also quite chilly, seeing as it was late November. There was even a little bit of snow on the ground. 

Yosemite Chapel - frost on the ground!

It was a wonderful experience - I can't wait to go back and explore some more, when it's a little bit warmer. I think snow is gorgeous but I much prefer it when I'm curled up (wearing fuzzy socks) next to a warm fire with a good book.

I have some pictures of the historic Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite to come!
Have you ever been in Yosemite?
xoxo

Giving Thanks {my home}

Sometimes, when you're running around to fifty thousand things and feeling completely stressed out, it is hard to remember what you are grateful for, but it is important to stop and take the time to be grateful and gracious. 

I am thankful for so many things, and people, and events in my life.

I am very blessed. 

My new home, Santa Cruz, has been a tough transition, but I am so, so glad to live here. The beach is so close to my house, so I get to go there all the time. I have the opportunity to see wildlife (like my favorite animals- otters!!!) and collect shells. Whenever I need a break, to calm down, to clear my head... The beach is where I go. It has become a tremendous part of my daily life, and I am so grateful to live where I do.

What are you thankful for?

xoxo

An extremely belated {Halloween Costume} post!

This year, I decided to dress up as my favorite Disney character - Minnie Mouse! 

It was a relatively cheap costume because I already had all of the accessories; I found the dress and knew I could throw together my costume in a snap. 

Where to buy:

Dress - Forever 21, $14.80

Shoes, Modcloth - similar: Cube Your Enthusiasm Heel in Mustard - $69.99
Minnie Ears, Disneyland
Pearls, inherited

This was a simple but fun costume to put together that everyone loved! Especially me:

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween! 
Tell me what you dressed up as in the comments.
xoxo

**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

{Give, Laugh, Love}: Modcloth Holidays

**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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Their vast collection of utterly unique gifts is the perfect place to find something to wow your favorite gal (or guy)! Plus there is always something fun on sale, be sure to check back often - http://www.modcloth.com/shop/sale.

Be sure to check it out! 

xoxo

Caramel Apples and {Butterbeer} - Recipe!

Butterbeer!

Ever since reading Harry Potter, and then watching the movies, and then enviously looking at all those wonderful Instagram photos of Butterbeer from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I have wanted to try a butterbeer. I love butterscotch, foamy drinks, and wishing I was a wizard (alas, I am only a muggle). It has been my dream to either go to Florida and try it for myself, or to make it at home. Since Florida is currently out of the budget, I looked for lots of recipes on Pinterest, and I'm sure to try others in the future, but this one was the easiest!

Butterbeer Recipe 

Froth: 

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon Butterscotch-flavored Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix

*The original recipe also calls for 1/4 cup powdered sugar but I'm trying to reduce my sugar intake so I didn't include it and it still tasted wonderful!

Directions: With an electric mixer (or whisk), mix all the ingredients until it resembles whipped cream, then set aside.

Cold Butterbeer:

cream soda (chilled)
1-2 teaspoons butterscotch-flavored sundae syrup (per mug)
prepared Froth (recipe above)

Directions: Pour the chilled cream soda into your glass, leaving an inch or so at the top for froth. 

Add in 1-2 teaspoonfuls of the butterscotch syrup and stir well. 

Top off your glass with the prepared froth and give it a few minutes to settle.

Enjoy! 

*adapted from The Disney Diner

We also decided to make caramel apples that day, and it was a very autumnal.

We had so much fun!

We bought some Granny Smith Apples and Kraft caramel bits, popped the caramel bits onto the stove for a little while and then dipped our cut apples into it - delicious!

How have you been enjoying these autumn days?

Tell me in a comment below!

xoxo 

Nautical {Pumpkins}

My anchor pumpkin and my housemate's lighthouse pumpkin

We went to the pumpkin patch the other day, and then carved them and it was so much fun! I will warn you all though, carving pumpkins with an extremely food-motivated dog becomes a very difficult task. There was a dog in my face, my arms were elbow-deep in pumpkin guts, and the Nightmare Before Christmas was playing loudly in the background. 

It was hectic but wonderful. 

I really love how my pumpkin turned out! I wanted to carve nautical pumpkins last year when I moved to Santa Cruz, but I ended up with a super cute white fairy tale pumpkin that I just didn't have it in me to carve. Now, I am so excited to say that I have had my nautical pumpkin carving experience! 

 I love love love my anchor pumpkin!

xoxo