Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot

It's time to say

to 2010

and

to 2011!


It's time to dream big for 2011. The unknown is full of:

hope,
wonder,
and opportunity.


Wishing each of you a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy Holidays

This year the Holidays were a little different for our family...why? Because now we're celebrating with babies! Which, by the way, make Holidays SO much more fun!!

Here are a few shots from my Christmas this year...

White Christmas

Oz enjoying one of his presents




Hope your Holidays were Happy and full of laughs. Mine definitely were both!

Winter Necessities. Guest Blogging at D, etc

I don't think this post could come at a more perfect time considering millions of people are stuck in the middle of a snow drift!

Head on over to Daniela's blog: D, etc. to read about my ideas for Winter's must haves.

Everyone wants to stay warm, right? But do you want to look like this?


Didn't think so!

Vintage Holidays

This picture is from the 60's at the house my Mom grew up in.

That's my mom in the middle. She's so cute!!

I love the tree. Very Mad Men!

Via

I'll be taking some time off the good ol' blog to spend some time with my loved ones.

I hope each and every one of you has a fabulous Holiday with your family & friends.

Christmas Cookie Time!

Christmas = Cookies!

My Grandma H was a huge baker who used to bring over JCPenney boxes FULL of cookies and cakes. Honestly there were so many I can't even remember all of them! But when that box came through the front door it was like Heaven!

Since my Grandma is no longer with us, my Dad and I have continued the tradition and each year we spend a day making the cookies using her recipes. It's a great tradition and it's a day full of sugar and chocolate!



This year I decided to try two additional treats. Carrie's Peppermint Bark (which is SO good) and Chocolate Peppermint Crackle Cookies.

I followed this recipe for the CPC Cookies. They turned out great!!

What are your favorite Christmas Treats?

Wrap it Right

The Holidays are about family, traditions, being thankful, and PRESENTS! Woohoo! Everyone loves a good present, right?

Here are some quick tips to make your holiday gifts extra special this season.


Glue guns + Michael's Sparkly Pieces = Endless Possibilities!

Take a cute wine box and jazz it up with a glue gun and some sparkle!

Decorate brown shipper paper with a cute Christmas Stamp...like making your own wrapping paper!

I'm almost done Christmas shopping. Waiting for a couple of deliveries and then I just have to pick up a couple gift cards. It seems like it's never-ending!

Happy Friday

Was it just me or was this week unbearably long? TGIF, Friends!!

My weekend will consist of:

Holiday Parties

Via

30th Birthday Celebrations

Via

and Wrapping Christmas Presents


Via

Have a great weekend!!!

Why You Should ALWAYS Have a Camera On You

And the best part of these? I saw both within 5 minutes of each other. Now that's what I call FATE.

The decals didn't come with spell check, I guess.

Rat-tat-tat!


Happy Wednesday!

Gift Guide for your BFF under $30

If your friend is a bookworm...

Grab a Fingerprint Bookmark! The small book mark points to where you left off.

Via

For the friend who loves to cook...

A sweet and stylish apron from Anthropologie.

Via

For the friend who loves make-up and fun lip glosses.

MAC's 'A Tartan Tale' Lipglass Set

Via

For the friend who loves some glitz and glam

J.Crew's Ribbon-wrapped Crystal Bangle

Via



I always think shopping for my friends is relatively easy, I just wish I had an endless supply of money to spend on them!! What do you plan on buying your friends this Holiday season?

Freebie Friday #4 Winner!

And the winner is...

Allison from Smart and Sassy with Sprinkles!!


Here's to a year full of GLAMOUR!



Allison, send me an email at pursuitofllt@gmail.com and the glamour will be on it's way!

Holiday Traditions: The Walnut Room

Oooooh, Ahhhhh!

Holidays are a time for traditions and The Walnut Room is just that!

The Walnut Room is a dining room in Marshall Fields, umm I mean, Macy's.
Marshall Fields will always hold a special place in my heart!

Anyway, around the Holidays they bring in this HUGE tree and each year there's a different theme for the decorations. I'll still never forget when it was Harry Potter and I hadn't heard of it yet and my Mom and I were like umm owls? This isn't very Holiday-ish. Little did we know!

The room is full of tables that start around the tree and move outward in a huge circle. The room is always full of excitement and holiday cheer. I don't even care how corny that sounds. It really is wonderful.

The theme of the tree this year is The Believe Symphony. It's whimsical and glittery. The perfect combination for a Christmas Tree.

And now onto the food! I started with the Poinsettia which is a cute way to say champagne & cranberry juice :) I had the Chicken Pot Pie and my Mom had the Butternut Squash Tortellaci. We split the Frango Mint (which is only at Macy's, well was only at Field's...) ice cream pie.
Frango Mint Ice Cream Pie = YOWZAS!!

I've been going to The Walnut Room for lunch or dinner with my Mom for as long as I can remember. My Grandma used to come with us too. It's a fun girls day and we usually go Christmas shopping after we've enjoyed our meal. It's definitely a tradition I hope to carry on forever.

If you're ever in Chicago during the Holidays you should stop in The Walnut Room even if only to see the tree!

Freebie Friday #4

Guys, where have I been?! I haven't done a Freebie Friday in forever!! Time to change that around!

As the end of the year approaches it's time for me renew my magazine subscriptions. I have to say, I love magazines. Fashion, Gossip, Decor, you name it, I want it.

So here's the gist. I'm going to give one of YOU a subscription to one of THESE magazines!

Do you want a Health & Fitness magazine?

Cooking or Home magazine?

Travel Junkie?

Fashion with Brains?

Fashion and Shopping and Relationships Oh my!

THE LOW DOWN:
To enter you must
1) Follow Pursuit of Love, Laughter & Travels
AND
2) Leave a comment saying which magazine you'd like!!

Additional Entries:
1) 1 extra entry: Follow me on Twitter @PursuitofLLT
2) Tweet about the contest!
3) 3 extra entries: Blog about the contest and leave me a link

For additional entries, please leave a separate comment for each!

The giveaway will run until Monday, December 13th at 11:59 CST.

Good Luck!

What's in YOUR bag?

While this post isn't super original, the contents are always different.

Here's what you'd find in my bag today:

Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Classic Q Hillier' Tote

Marc by Marc Wallet. I love the sneaky pockets on the front (perfect for band-aids and bobby pins)

Small pop-up brush. A true lifesaver in the wind!

Canon Camera. Hey, you never know when you're going to see something great!

Kleenex. Freezing cold temps + overheated buildings = Cha-ching.

Altoids. Small but feisty!

iPod. My brother always makes fun of mine because it's 3 years old. Hater!

Blackberry. I had a droid until I went to Key West...mmhmm destroyed. So now I'm back to the bberry!

Notepad & Pen. I always need to write stuff down. Lists, #s, etc.

Sunglasses. Tom Ford 'Whitney'. Old but classic.

LeSportsac Pouch: You would not believe what's in this thing. Lip glosses, chapstick, make-up, band-aids, hair ties, emery boards, advil, perfume, Lolilla lotion,.

See! It all fits!!

Oh and don't worry, my purse isn't this clean. I threw out 4 lotto tickets (still no winner, ugh), countless gum wrappers, 3 Starbucks receipts, empty zip-lock bag with almond bits. Gotta stay classy!

What's in your purse?

Winter Comfort Food

When the weather gets colder it's time to turn up the heat in the kitchen. I'm talking stews, soups, casseroles, etc. The only problem with a lot of these dishes is that they're loaded with calories.

Here's a fool proof and low-cal way to get a tasty and warm pasta dish!

What you'll need:

-Whole Grain Penne
-2 small heads of Broccoli
-Artichoke Hearts (I used 1 can of artichoke hearts)
-Chicken
-6-8 cloves of Garlic
-3 T. Olive Oil
-Salt
-Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Chop the broccoli, place in pan and add 2 T. of olive oil and 6 cloves of garlic (+/- depending on your love for garlic)





3. Chop the artichoke hearts, place in dish and add 1 T. of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic



4. Roast the broccoli and artichoke hearts for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes flip them around in the dish.



5. While the B&A are cooking, boil water for the pasta.
6. Cook pasta as directed.
7. Save 1-2 cups of the boiled water for the pasta before draining.
8. Chop up chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken so I didn't have to prepare my own)
9. Mix the pasta, broccoli, artichoke hearts, and chicken together.
10. Add at least 1 cup of the reserved water to the pasta. Add more if you'd like.
11. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese

You can add more olive oil to the pasta but the broccoli and artichoke will be full of flavor!!

Enjoy!!

I'm going Christmas shopping with my mom tonight and we're grabbing dinner at the famous Walnut Room! Don't worry, I'll blog all about it!

Monogrammed Madness

I love my initial. I don't know why. And I buy almost anything if it has an 'E' on it. Do you know a crazy person like myself? If so, look no further for the perfect gift.

They're small.

They're sweet.

They're monogrammed!!!

Wire Initial Hook $9.95 on sale!
I love hooks. These are industrial looking yet still remain girly. How do you do it, Anthro?!

Monogrammed Mugs $6.00
Cheap. Cute. Personal. Who cares if they drink coffee or tea? Put your make-up brushes in here. Or pens on your desk. It's sweet.

Asymmetrical Mini Letter Necklace by Maya Brenner $188.00
I wear this daily. It's simple, fragile looking (but not! I've had it on for months/shower with it on, etc) and it's pretty. Need I say more?

Illume Monogrammed Votive on sale for $5.95!

Soy based. Feminine Initials on the front. :::swoon:::



Am I the only monogrammed junkie out there?