1. Giving Gifts: There is nothing I love more than giving gifts to people I care about. I love shopping for other people, and seeing their reactions to opening the gifts! 
2. Family Time: At Christmas time I get to see family members that don't have schedules that mesh with my own, and it is always nice to catch up
3. Food. There are delicious snacks and entrees at Christmas dinner. but..
4. Breakfast. Christmas breakfast is always my favorite (stay tuned for a new recipe!) 
5. Decorating. I can't be the only one who finds Christmas decorations seriously adorable?! 

Every year my family watches Ryan Seacrest ring in the New Year with multiple musical acts, and every year has a theme. This year they kept calling 2015 "The Year of Change", while I can only speak for myself, I felt like this was 100% true. There isn't one particular thing that I achieved, I can think of a list of things that changed. And who doesn't like a holiday themed list anyway?

1. I moved universities, and cities. 2015 brought in a big move for myself. After struggling in my last university, I was finally able to leave and I couldn't wait to get out. I'm still exploring this new surrounding, but I really enjoy the classes much better here and the people this term are much friendlier as well.

2.I cut back on sugar. While you mostly see the posts about me baking sweet treats, I have made a massive effort to not eat sugar as much. I feel so much better without it, but I won't pass up the occasionally sweet treat or chai tea that comes my way.

3. I got a roommate. This is a big change for me as I didn't have a roommate last semester and now I'm learning how to live in really close proximity with someone else. Someone not even from this country. (more on that here.) The whole language barrier is still a thing, and sometimes it's a struggle not to lash out in frustration.

4. I declared my major and minor. It's so nice that it's official now. I was always working toward a Communications degree with a creative writing minor, but now it's real and I've got all the classes I need to take in a list.

5. Work. While I've just started my third year of University, I'm starting to look and apply for internships, which means the job that I once loved is becoming more of a "well if I don't get this internship.." type of thing. It's changed a lot, now that most of my work friends are off to college and just isn't that enjoyable anymore.

This year has been good when I look back at it. There are so many things that I look forward to in the upcoming year and I can't wait to share them all with you! Thank you so much for reading, and leaving comments. I really love reading them!

What things have changed the most for you? I hope you're having a great week!

See you next time! (Tomorrow is Officially the real Christmas! I hope you all have a GREAT holiday!! :) )

Every holiday season seems to be centered around some main elements, and having sweet treats around is one of them. While the official title of this recipe in the cookbook is "Christmas Toffee Bars", and traditionally made in my household during the holiday season, you can really choose to make these at anytime of the year. My great-aunt gave us this recipe, and there's something special about reading a recipe in the handwriting of someone so loved years after they've passed on.

Every year I get asked to make my parents a Christmas list, and every year I find it more and more difficult to conjure one up. As I've gotten older, there isn't much that I desperately want or need, I mean I could put a trip to Europe or some tropical destination on there but I have a feeling they would never go for that. I feel really lucky not to need so much for Christmas, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to online shop and eventually whip up a list anyway! That's what this post is about. My Christmas wishlist. Maybe we have a few of the same things!

I like to split my lists into categories. Firstly there are Clothes. 


Though mostly filled with sweaters and cardigans at this time of year, it's always nice to get a giftcard to my favorite shops as well. Those include H&M, Forever 21, Target and Kohl's. Recently I stumbled upon this shop called Spoiled Rotton, and it's online, it has all the above clothing. How cute! I love watermelon, I think throwing on a dress in the summer would be perfect and you can never have enough summer dresses! As well as the pullovers, never can have enough of those in the cold Wisconsin winter months.
Here are the links:
 (Watermelon dress) (Elephant Sweater)
(Purple sweater)  (Black and White Sweater)

The second category I like to put in is Scents.
 I love changing smells throughout the seasons. This year, I recently purchased the Cup of Warmth from Bath and Body Works. It smells amazing, and makes me want to crawl into a warm blanket with a cup of tea or hot chocolate. A lot of my favorite scents come in the car type since I've got a bunch of candles already!

While my first semester of my junior year of college appears in the horizon, I broke out from under the pile of essays and projects that are all due at various times throughout this week and decided to go Christmas shopping.
 There is just something nice about shopping for someone and watching them wonder what it is you could have gotten them! I love it. The day was beautiful, (a bit out of the ordinary for December). The sun was shining, and there still hasn't been snow. It's fantastic. I bought so many gifts, my wallet has never felt thinner.

1. DIY gifts are great. If you can find something around your house, or something for under $10 at the craft store, then you are on it. I did something simple last year for Christmas, and being away from home I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't get to put something together. But I have!
2. Dollar sections should be your first stop. I had to walk past a whole slew of really great looking gifts on shelves, until I came to the dollar section in my local Target. They're holiday themed, and a lot of the things can be add-ons for those co-workers or friends or even family members
3. Remind yourself. While in Target, there were also small children in the dollar section who were grabbing gifts they wanted to play with. The mother spoke up saying "We're buying for others, not ourselves." I thought this was a good reminder, and I walked away from the nice stickers. 
4. Bring a friend. If you're as indecisive as I am, it's probably a really good idea to bring a pal that can give you some good ideas for gifts and remind you what you have yet to shop for and what you already have. 

This is the first year I'm away from home for a Christmas holiday, which means it's the first year I get to decorate my very own small space! Like many of you, I love this time of year. Maybe it's the excitement of the upcoming month-long break from classes and spending time watching Christmas films in the living room with my mom and baking Christmas cookies, but decorating is always the number one step in getting into the holiday mood.

2. Small Details are better than no details. Even though I was really limited on space, I still made room for my little wooden Santa and my stuffed snowman to sit upon my futon. Once these guys were out, I started feeling a bit more festive. The red blanket was just a bonus, that's always out! And using small decorations really helps you make use of otherwise plan, boring walls or shelves!
I hope you all are having a great time counting down to Christmas! What do you do to decorate your places? What is your favorite holiday decoration? Any favorite ornaments on the tree?