Once Upon a December

I have been super busy with the holiday season! It's finally time for a recap of everything that has been going on the past couple of weeks!

Thanksgiving holiday was awesome! My parents were in town, and we all had a wonderful time. :) Our time spent together was filled with food and games! A couple of our favorite games to play are Phase 10 and Wizard.

Now it is December! December is exciting for many reasons, including one of them being it is my Birthday month! This year Nathan took me to Asheville and we spent the day together at the Biltmore Estate!! I love history, and I love the show Downton Abbey (which reminds me a little of the Biltmore), so needless to say, it was a wonderful time!
This time of year, however, the gardens aren't spectacular, but the Christmas decorations are absolutely gorgeous! The greenhouse, or conservatory, was full of spectacular plants and flowers. I was amazed at the variety of gorgeous flowers!

Now our Christmas decorations are up and Christmas music is constantly playing! :)

Riley is happy that the tree is back...

I decided to make a peppermint sugar scrub, thanks to Pinterest! It was extremely simple to make, and it turned out great. I've been using it and love how soft my skin feels! Maybe next year I'll make a bigger batch to give out as handmade Christmas gifts. :)

I also decided to get my nails done, and chose a beautiful glittery blue. The nail polish is O.P.I. and the name is called "Give Me Space." It's a gorgeous color, and perfect for the holidays!

After getting my nails done, I stopped over at one of my favorite local boutiques - Bradley's. They have the best homemade chocolates here in Knoxville! Besides chocolates, they have other cute decor, gifts, etc. I had to take a picture of their window display because it was so pretty!

Earlier on this month, I went to another favorite local store - The Southern Market. I find new and interesting items whenever I go in. I love that the Southern Market sells items from local vendors. The New Eve jewelry caught my eye! I would have bought something but I told myself no buying anything for myself until after Christmas.

Aren't these cookies adorable?? They are too pretty to eat!

I did, however, purchase fudge creams by Sugar Mama's Bakery. I'm not a sweet tooth type of person, but wow, these are seriously delicious! I'm actually craving them already, so I may have to go back and get some more soon. ;) 

Anyway, I hope this month doesn't fly by too fast. I love December, and want to savor all the Christmas activities for as long as I can!  :)