Hello everyone! I'm officially back from holiday, while I soaked in as much vitamin D as I could, I let this blog take a back seat. I honestly loved being off the internet, it was freeing not to have it with me and just have my nice camera, not to worry about if my phone was left behind and not checking what was happening every 15 minutes on social media. 

So, where was I? May 31st through June 14th I was gone, and I stayed near Charleston South Carolina on Kiawah Island. Near the end of our trip, we ended up getting into a bit of car trouble, extending our holiday and downsizing our wallets. While waiting for news on our vehicle that would take us home (Charleston is 17 hours from Wisconsin), we had no choice but to make Lemonade from our Lemons. And we did. I made up a list about Pros and Cons of being "stuck" in a vacation that will seemingly never end. 

Pros:

Eating out at restaurants you said "We'll eat there next time" to
Seeing sights you would have had to come back to
Having more time off of work and school
Being in the sun longer
Finding new things to do


Cons:

Not knowing when the vehicle will be done (we waited a long time around the shop)
Spending more money than you thought you would
Running out of Data for your phone 
Getting behind on classes and work
Having to go back to Charleston and get the car and drive it back
Not starting the drive back at a reasonable time 

We eventually left Charleston on Monday at 6pm Eastern, drove about 6 hours and 15 minutes and then an entire 11 hours on Tuesday. Which is why there wasn't a post Tuesday. 
Even though we ran into some trouble, I really enjoyed being in the south, having more time to eat shrimp and grits, see the sights and spend time with my family. It may have been an unfortunate situation but I definitely feel like we all helped each other make lemonade from our lemons! We survived and made it home at last! 

I cannot wait to share all of the photos from the trip with you guys! It might take a while but I hope you'll love it! I hope you're all having a great month. Has there ever been a time where you have had to make a bad situation good? Have you ever been stuck on vacation? 
Can't wait to hear from you in the comments! 
x Kenzie

1. "I'm finally home and away from my roommate!"
  This is how I felt leaving the dorm room:

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 This is how I felt when I walked into my house:

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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?

I hope you all are getting excited for Christmas as well!!
What is your favorite thing to bake?