1. And just like that, it’s all over… I love Christmas, but I could definitely do without the lull that comes after. There’s so much excitement leading up to the big day, and then poof — it’s over in the blink of an eye 😥 What’s say we have a second round?!? 😀
2. Actually, I’m not sure I could handle a second round… Thank goodness for stretchy pants is all I can say.
3. Besides, today is anything but lull-y up here in Canadaland — it’s Boxing Day. That’s basically the Canadian equivalent of Black Friday, which means that I’ll be holing up at home to avoid the boxing match madness that is the mall. Actually, I may venture out for a little while if I start feeling brave, but I’m thinking that a date on the couch with these guys is much more likely to happen…
4. … especially since Santa was pretty good to me this year. A few favourites?
It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow.
Arm candy.
Beats by Dre studio headphones.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.
Magic Bullet (I beat my last one into the ground).
5. … aaaaaand…
It took almost 3 weeks, but my Naked3 palette finally found its way to my door — just in time for Christmas. I’ve only managed to use it once so far, but it was definitely love at first swatch.
6. I made a gingerbread house yesterday! Well… sort of. Can I still call it a gingerbread house if it doesn’t contain a single piece of gingerbread? Mine is made from foam and glitter and it’s absolutely fabulous 
7. Also fabulous? The fact that my Advent calendar goes all the way up to New Year’s Day. Six more days of [ridiculously small] chocolates for me!
8. Speaking of New Year’s… can you believe it’s the last Thursday of 2013? It’ll be 2014 by this time next week, and you wanna know one of my favourite parts about the start of a new year? The start of a new planner 😉 I was one of those people who would always write down every single assignment, exam, essay, meeting, etc. in my planner at the beginning of a new school year, and the habit hasn’t died despite the fact that I’ve already graduated. What can I say? I’m obsessed with lists.
9. Also [still] obsessed with kabocha. Confession: I found one sitting on the counter when I was over at my parents’ house yesterday, and I may or may not have ninja roasted it despite the fact that there was already tonnes of other food to eat. No shame.
10. Aaaaaaaand now it’s your turn! I expect things to be a little quiet today since it’s the holidays and all, but the show party must go on!
A second round? I’m in! Or at least two or three more days.
Planners! I got mine months back though I knew I didn’t need one anymore at that time and even now I hardly use it but hopefully will soon. I’m a little specific about my requirements here -needing- a full page for every day because those way too small columns some planners have never offered enough space for everything I wanted to write down. Why yes, it’s normal to [almost] turn your planner into a mini diary, right?!
Maybe not stretchy pants but one of the most awesome gifts I got are really cute PJ pants hand-sewn by my mum. Not to brag – don’t we all think our mums are the best? – but she’s quite good at that so they rival store-bought ones :).
Yeah- ok I’m gonna come out and say it- I do not like Gwenyth Paltrow ;)! At all- and I find it creepy you got her cookbook but whatever floats your boat. She just seems very inflated and self congratulatory, not to mention spoilt (but maybe you relate to that more than me?) anyway- Have a nice day enjoying movies Amanda- and try not to end up like Gwenyth lol 😉
I don’t pay much attention to celeb life so I admit that I don’t know much about Gwyneth, but I don’t think I’m in danger of turning into her — I lack the funds and fame 😉
Starting a new planner is one of the most exciting things about every new year, in my opinion! I could literally spend hours perusing office-supply stores in search of the perfect notebook or planner…#nerdsunite
It sounds like your Christmas was filled with family, delicious food, and well-deserved gifts…as it should be. (:
I love It’s All Good! So many good recipes!
Where do you buy you Kabocha? I can not find it anywhere!
Only buttercup
I just get it in my local grocery store — Save On Foods. But kabocha and buttercup are really similar — some stores even use the name interchangeably.
Oh! Have you ever used buttercup in ifs place? Or, rather, is the consistency similar?
Also I love despicable me
Caitlyn
I have, yup! They’re similar enough in texture that you can’t really tell a difference, especially because kabochas can vary so much in texture depending on how ripe they are.
I’ve seen that book by Gwyneth and when I flipped through it it looked pretty good! Also, I love how we can always find something good at our parents’ house and not feel bad for eating them or taking them, haha. It’s that comfortable relationship we have with them that makes it okay, right? Also, love your bracelets and the magic bullet! I’m still using my bullet but it’s making its way to its demise…I can hear it. 0_0 Have a beautiful day, and thanks for hosting Amanda!
I can’t even believe how much I love my Bullet. I have a Vitamix, but I honestly use the Bullet way more — just so much more convenient and easy to use. I wish they were a little more durable, though… I’m already on my third one!
Looks like you had an awesome Christmas! I think staying home with Despicable Me is a much better idea than dealing with the chaos at the mall right now.
I’m kind of bummed I didn’t get any cookbooks. I’m curious to see what’s inside the one you got!
I just bought “its all good” on Chapters today (From the comfort of my own home because boxing day is to crazy for me)! Im so excited to give it a try.
Christmas always just flies right by – I can’t believe it’s over! I definitely couldn’t handle another day of it though… my stomach needs a chance to recover from the insane amount of food I’ve shoved into it in the past 48 hours haha.
I was thinking about checking out the Boxing Day sales though, but ultimately I decided battling it out for a parking spot at the mall just isn’t worth it. Maybe later on in the week once the craziness dies down!
I LOVE planners! I can not live without mine. My friends all schedule their stuff in their phone, but this is just not working for me.
So many cool presents! Love the bracelets and the headphones!
Talking about stretchy pants – I am just passed out on the bed: banana coma. After three days of Christmas feasting (in Germany we have Christmas Eve, first day of Christmas and second day of Christmas) all I craved were some nanas for dinner. I might have overdone it a bit though 😉 I love your new linkup, lady. Cannot wait to join in myself as soon as the moving craze is over.
My family is Polish, so we celebrate all 3 days as well — definitely feeling you on the food coma, lady. Hugs to you! And Merry Christmas <3
PLANNERS! I am totally obsessed with using a planner and making lists! I’ve recently made a mega planner notebook that is planner + blog ideas + grocery lists + lots of pretty stickers. 🙂 My favorite thing to do is write a list with a couple things I’ve already done on it so I can check some things off and feel more productive 😉
Happy Thursday!
😆 I do the same exact thing when I make lists — write down stuff I’ve already done, or that’s really easy to do. Get out of bed. CHECK. Brush teeth. CHECH. Talk about being productive 😉
We.Are.So.Alike.
I’m the same way regarding holidays. Once Christmas roles around, it seems like everything and all the time and preparation that went into this holiday is done…it’s actually kind of sad once you think about! I’m glad Santa was so good to you. It seems like a lot of fun!
I just got home from the mall (I wanted to use my lulu giftcard and take advantage of deals) and…..wow. That was insane! It took me a good 15 minutes just to find a parking spot. I don’t usually do Boxing Day shopping, and now I know why….shudder.
And as much as I adore Christmas, it’s a good thing that this is my final round today. Definitely needing the stretchy pants, and all the sugar is making my skin go haywire. I’ll still make sure to enjoy today though 😉
Annnnd the gingerbread house is gorgeous, regardless of actual gingerbread or not!
You’re a brave soul! I drove past a couple of malls while running some other errands earlier this morning, and any thought I had of braving them was immediacy squashed — they were PACKED at 10 AM. Scary.
So glad you had a great Christmas! I suffer the post Christmas “lull” too, which is actually slight dread of what I need to clean out in my house to get ready for the new year. As an organizing freak myself, I live by my planner and doing twice a year cleanouts- one in the late summer, and another in the early new year.
Enjoy the cookbook- I’ve read it, and it’s a great read, even without the food:) I know you’ll make use of that Magic Bullet well too:) Glad you had a great Christmas!
My jaw dropped when I saw your “gingerbread house” and I was awed until I saw the caption 😉 If Boxing Day is anything like Black Friday, watching Despicable Me 2 is a much safer (not to mention more entertaining!) way to spend the day. It’s hilarious, by the way 😀
Oh it look like you were spoiled this year! I love disposable me, I still haven’t seen 2 yet though, I need to get on that. I hope you have a fun day with movies and maybe a brave shopping trip.
I think I liked the first one better, but the second one is definitely still worth seeing — can’t ever get enough minion action 😀
you have been a good girl this year eh? I am back at work and its not the same excitement, I think its going to blah until the next year now..loved all of your gifts esp that ninja bullet and urban decay :
)
Im the same with the day after Christmas…its just such a let down for me! Cant it be Christmas time forever?! Although I am grateful that the crowds should die down…
And I got Despicable Me 2 as well!! And the Last Unicorn…oh gosh I die. LOVED that book.
And Im pretty sure Im going to be rocking the stretchy pants the entire vacation from work…Im not much of a pants fan anyway 😉
What a great Christmas you had! We are hosting a New Years party this year which will be fun but a lot of work. Especially since we just hosted Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Well worth it though 🙂
Yay for finally getting your Naked palette! I haven’t worn eye shadow (at least the type with a bit of color and sparkle) in so long so I’m easy my way back into it 🙂 And I totally feel you on the stretchy pants – no jeans until the first 😉
I go through phases with eyeshadows… I don’t wear it on a daily basis because I get a little lazy, but it’s nice to glam up a little more every now and then. And if you’re trying to ease back into it, I definitely recommend any of the Naked palettes — they’re pretty much all you need to do any kind of look.
That kabocha looks pretty gooood. I wish here in the U.S. Black Friday could be called Boxing Day. That sounds os much cooler. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy time spent alone with those special minions!
It looks like you had a great Christmas, lady! I have been wondering if that book was worth all the hype- glad it is! I definitely could not handle more than one Christmas, but I do wish there was some sort of transition day, maybe detox day? 🙂
Oh dang those are some awesome gifts! Especially the Naked 3 palette— I’m gonna have to go swatch-happy the next time I visit Sephora 🙂
I’m definitely feeling the Christmas blues too, but at least there’s still New Year’s! It’s crazy that this is the last Thursday of 2013. Holy smokes!
I wish I used a planner more efficiently. I always start to use a calendar or planner, but then I slowly fall off track and just use my phone to jot down events. But planners are so much more classy and fun!
Have a wonderful day, Amanda!
I am SUPER sad that Christmas is over too!! 🙁 Maybe Christmas should occur about every 3 months? 😉
Holy smokes, SO JEALOUS of your Naked 3 palette! One of my housemmates has the 2nd edition, and I swear you can work magic with it. I saw the newest palette in Macy’s and took a sneak peak. Love the colors!
Glad to see you had a great Christmas!
I get a little sad after Christmas too. But magically, we woke up to snow on the ground this morning! No one even knew it was supposed to snow… so that was a surprise. Hey, I had a magic bullet a long time ago! I loved it!
I will have to check out Paltrow’s cooking book!
I’m with you that Christmas is over way too quickly… I always say that I could celebrate Christmas all year, but in reality, I think I would hate that because then it wouldn’t be so special! I always tell myself that with how quickly days fly by these days, next year’s Christmas will be here before I know it!
I love your gingerbread house! And because it isn’t made of food, you could keep it until next year! Though I do have a confession… last Christmas my mom and I made a gingerbread house complete with all the frosting and candy and everything and we never threw it away so we STILL have it! It looks exactly the same though (except for a bit of dust…) so we decided to just recycle it and bam! Just like that we have a gingerbread house this year too 😉
Only 364 more days to go 😀 And believe it or not, I think we actually ended up recycling one of our real gingerbread houses as well… It worked great until someone dropped it 😕
ohhh santa was very nice to you. But then again, i am not surprised! I think i need to come hang with you and check out Gwyneth’s new cook book . There’s gotta be kabocha recipes in there, yes?
hugs!
There isn’t 😥 Just for sweet potato, whiiiiich is easy enough to sub out.
I’ve been seeing that cookbook everywhere and now I am curious. Hmmmmmm. And I totally agree–so much anticipation and then Christmas is over in a blink. Though I did eat so much I don’t know if I could handle Christmas being any longer (only I have another Christmas party to attend today so I guess I’ll have to manage somehow ;)) Glad to see Santa was good to you this year!! Hey, we’re still kids, right?
😆 There’s definitely something to be said of being able to return to regular old eating habits. Christmas is lovely, but I’ve definitely been needing a little more ginger tea and kombucha than normal.
What a wonderful Christmas! The Beats by Dre seem to be a big thing for a lot of people I know; those studio ones look awesome! =) Glad to hear you enjoyed your Christmas. I’m also super excited to start using my planner for 2014 – love planners and fresh starts!
I COMPLETELY agree with you on all the hype leading up to Christmas… & then it’s just over like that. Disappointing to say the least. I agree, let’s arrange a do-over, shall we? 😉
Looks like you got some great gifts!! Don’t blame you for avoiding the stores & hanging out at home… that’s exactly what I did when it was Black Friday. Not. Worth. It.
Ahhh despicable me 2!! I didn’t end up getting it BUT I did get two gift cards which can be used to purchase it sooo it will be here by the weekend 😀 I am definitely with you on feeling let down that it’s over but not being sure I could handle another round…the past two days were lovely, but I’m exhausted. Hopefully the boys are content to play with toys at home today and want to go no further than the library!
I feel ya on the stretchy pants, woof! I am looking forward to getting back into serious gym mode. It actually helps re-motivate me.
Looks like you got some great goodies!! I would so love the beats by dre headphones!
It looks like you had a great Christmas Amanda! The Naked 3 Palette looks awesome! I also received the Gwyneth Cookbook yesterday. I’ve had my eye on it for months and cannot wait to have a chance to really look through it and pick out some recipes to try! Also starting a planner is one of my favorite things about the new year. I am a list person as well and I like to write them down, Jim thinks I should utilize the calendar on the computer and make lists there as well but nope I need to write them down and be able to cross things off. 🙂
Computer calendars definitely don’t come close! I love the good old fashioned route. And I’m curious to see what recipes you make in that book and what you think of them! I’ll be sure and let you know if I come across any winners.
I’ll definitely let you know if I try anything good! 🙂
#1- looks like you had an amazing Christmas with terrific presents! #2- I would have done the same with the squash, for sure #3, your “gingerbread house came out a lot better than our attempt at the edible kind, I think I need to go the foam route next year #4 – I thought I was the only one left using a pen and planner -bought my new pages a few weeks ago!
….No joke I had to double take when I saw this pop up in my bloglovin at an Australian appropriate time.
You are one smart cookie if you intend on staying home- I nearly got stiletto’d walking PAST a ladies shoe shop. Seriously, it was like an Olympic sport. Boxing Day Sales = nightmare. But I go anyway to try and score a deal. 😛 I may find the concept of getting a brand new diary more exciting that the NYE celebrations in itself…and 2 weeks later I forget about it. Fail. TLU book= legendary.
Well you WERE the one who suggested I put the link up posts up at an earlier time 😛 And I’m pretty sure I’m sitting this Boxing Day out — I drove past a couple of malls this morning on my way to run some errands, and the places were PACKED at 10 AM.