Sweet Hearts

{I Love New York - via IrenaS}

As a sentimentalist, I jump at pretty much any opportunity to get mushy, and February 14th is no exception. Chris and I have an ongoing tradition of cooking together at home on Valentine's Day. We surprise each other with new recipes each year - he's in charge of dinner, and I always take care of dessert. We've encountered lobster attacks, burnt fingers, and lots of rock-hard cookies over the past 6 years. Surprisingly, it's those simple and genuine moments that I cherish the most. Love doesn't have to be perfect. You just need to share it.

Do you have any good V-day stories to share? How do you define/celebrate romance?

Face Time

I love sipping coffee at my dressing table every morning (Chris grinds the beans at night and sets our coffee maker to brew at 6:30am) while I primp and preen. I put on some music and take my time, savoring the peaceful moments as I prepare for another day in the world.

I also sit at the same table every evening, sipping wine as I unwind from the day. I reflect and decompress while indulging in a bit of pre-bedtime pampering, and oftentimes find myself jotting thoughts, notes, and ideas into my journal.

While these rituals may seem frivolous to some, they are essential and sacred parts of my day. I am currently working on arranging a new corner vanity in our bedroom. A vanity speaks volumes about a woman's lifestyle and personality. It is an intimate space, and I am looking forward to creating one that is both elegant and functional. Do you own a vanity? What's your favorite part of each morning/evening?

{This is Glamorous, Town & Country, House & Garden, littlebitsoflovely, loveyouinthefall, Mary McDonald, Rue, Pinterest}

Let Heaven & Nature Sing

Hope you guys had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday! Chris and I were truly blessed and thankful for all the quality time spent with friends, family, and each other. Our friend from India, Sanjiv, joined us for the weekend, and we had such a blast setting up our Christmas tree together! We did not expect this tree to look so humongous in our apartment. I got chills when the lights came on :)

I mentioned a while back that I wanted to create a themed tree. Well, we finally decided on a "Nature" theme! We've split the tree into three tiers - Air, Land, and Sea - and are slowly collecting ornaments that represent various habitats. Here's a peek of what we have so far~

Air:

Land: This section has been the easiest to put together. Not sure which biome to classify the Sock Monkey under...

Sea: All we have right now is a lonely walrus. I picked up some dried starfish from Evolution to nestle in the branches and keep him company in the meantime. This section has been a bit harder to collect for, but that's part of the fun!