Friday's Simply Smitten - Blush & Blooms

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“Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source – a Sower of Dreams – just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true.”

-Sarah Ban Breathnach

Happy Friday and Happy New Year! I am back in New York and ready to ring in 2023. I had the most wonderful few weeks with my family and was sad to see it end. But I am excited to be here and I am ready for whatever 2023 has in store for me.

Christmas was really lovely this year! For Christmas Eve we went to the early church service– also known as the kids service since the kids in our church’s program sing songs, read scripture, etc. They run the show basically. We went to the early service for my two nieces- who were not in the program (yet) but are too young for the evening service. Anyway, after church my parents and I went over to my sister’s house for dinner. Then the three of us went to my neighbor’s house for their annual Christmas Eve party. It was so much fun and I loved catching up with friends I haven’t seen in a long time.

Christmas morning we went back to my sister’s house to watch the girls open their presents. I absolutely love watching them get so excited for their new toys. I couldn’t care less about what I get as long as they are happy. But Santa did not forget me and I got a few things I wanted. Although my 5 year old niece is very upset that Santa did not bring me a boyfriend like she asked him… haha she is such a sweet little girl. Anyway, after presents we had a delicious brunch. Usually we have pancakes, but my sister decided on monkey bread, quiche, fruit, and bacon. We then parted ways until the evening when my parents hosted the family dinner. But before that my parents and I opened our gifts to each other at home. My dad really likes the book that he texted me and said “get me this”….

We all had a wonderful time at Christmas dinner! My niece got walkie talkie’s from Santa, so her and my uncle had a great time playing around with that. We usually do a gift wrapping contest, but we decided to cancel it this year due to my cousin getting married the previous week– no one had time to really prepare their creations. We still had our gift exchanged. My grandmother had me and she got me a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. We ended the evening, my parents and I, with our traditional watch of White Christmas.

The next day we went to see Devotion. It’s the true story of Jesse L. Brown who was an aviator in the U.S Navy during the Korean war. It’s such a great movie! We all enjoyed it. I am surprised I haven’t seen more buzz about it on socials– especially considering Joe Jonas and Glen Powell are in it and they have been promoting it for what seems like years. So I highly recommend going to see this movie! It deserves Oscar buzz in my opinion– especially Jonathan Majors who plays Jesse Brown.

Since being back in New York I have been trying to rest and to not do as much work. Being in social media as a career can sometimes feel as if you can not take a break. Especially the way Instagram’s algorithm is set up. But I want to recharge myself to be ready for the new year to tackle some up and coming projects I have. Instead I have been taking walks during the day, binge watching shows, reading, etc.

What I am watching: As background noise I put on Netflix’s Buying Beverly Hills. Their new real estate reality show featuring The Agency owned by Mauricio Umansky. Any RHOBH fan knows Kyle Richards husband and daughters, so I was curious about it. Especially after listening to Danny Pellegrino’s podcast saying he enjoyed watching the series. I have to say I really liked it! As mentioned I put the first episode on as background noise, but then got really into it and watched the entire season. I always enjoy the real estate reality shows; I love seeing the million dollar homes and watching the agents hustle. It always motivates me to work. I also enjoyed getting to know the Umansky girls more. Of course we all watched them grow up via RHOBH but having Alexia and Farrah be the main characters was enjoyable. Alexia sounds like Kyle and has a lot of her mannerisms. I am excited to season 2.

What I bought: I did not buy anything new this week but I thought I would share a little of what I got for Christmas. Most of my Christmas gifts were home decor stuff. I got these beautiful floral hand towels for my bathroom- in blue. These small size boxwood topiaries to put on my console. This tissue box cover, because I think it looks more put together. A book about Queen Elizabeth that I can’t wait to dive into. A new needlepoint canvas with new thread scissors that looks like a stork– very excited about this! And when I arrived back in NYC I was surprised with a gift from Cailini Coastal, these charcuterie boards that are currently on sale!

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This weekend is, of course, New Year’s Eve. I will be enjoying the ball drop from the comfort of my home. I am honestly excited about staying in; I am going to order sushi, drink champagne, watch NYE specials, and have myself a dance party. I’ve done all the hotel/bar New Year’s Eve stuff. And even though it can be fun (well sometimes), it’s no longer something that I feel I have to do on NYE. I much prefer to either stay in, attend a small gathering at a friend’s house, or go out to a nice restaurant. It will be a nice, peaceful evening.

Have a wonderful weekend and a safe and happy New Year xo

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