Lately I've Been...

What I've been doing lately - at least, on this blog - is writing recaps on my recent trip to Italy, but having finally finished those up on Sunday - I thought I'd shared some pictures and anecdotes from the past few weeks and weekends. 

The Christmas season is in full swing and all things red, green, cheery and wonderful are everywhere to be found! I'm spending my spare time wrapping gifts...and I'd normally be watching Christmas movies but I've gotten distracted by Mr. Robot, ha-ha! I've had some hits and misses with Christmas themed food items over the past few weeks...

Peppermint Stick Ice Cream topped with chocolate shell? It's divine!

Juniper Latte? It definitely tastes like drinking coffee with Pine Sol for creamer. *gag* 

I'm convinced that Starbucks head honchos sat around their brainstorming table and took a bet on how many brainwashed Starbucks clients would buy a latte flavored with juniper and sage...and I am one of the idiots that did. *sigh* Seriously - don't buy it. It tastes AWFUL. You've been warned.

Vivid mid-week rainbow at the office...

My sweet little pup in his favorite spot - curled up by the fire!

The first week of December was a movie weekend for me - seriously. After work on Friday night, my friend Danielle and I went to see Bohemian Rhapsody (my second time) for a girl's night. We had fried dill pickles, peppermint milkshakes and I specifically asked for the Killer Queen cocktail and what do you know...they were able to make it for me, even though it wasn't on the menu! Whether it be alcoholic beverages or deep life questions - you never know what you'll find out if you just ask!

Freddie being fabulous...and my fabulous Killer Queen cocktail. 

Saturday afternoon naps under the Christmas tree...

Saturday afternoon I went to see The Grinch - and I went on my own, which is something that has never really bothered me. Once a movie starts, you don't usually talk to the people you're with anyway...so I've never seen the big deal. However, the woman I was seated next to loudly exclaimed "you're here to see the movie ALONE - you're sitting in that seat BY YOURSELF?!?" Talk about making a person want to crawl in a hole! In spite of her rudeness, the movie was an absolute delight and I enjoyed sipping my Earl Gray with Lavender and watching the antics of the Grinch - I'd highly recommend it, especially if you have kiddos!

Tongues out for rude people, ha-ha!

"Better" Beer & Canary Creams for watching Fantastic Beasts!

Sunday afternoon my Mom and I went to see Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and we decided to get some canary creams and better beers from the themed menu! The canary creams were lemon sugar cookies and they were divine...but the better beers (no doubt inspired by Butter Beer) were only okay - it was apple cider, brown sugar and cream - but it was cold instead of hot and so it was a little odd. My Mom thought it was a lot odd and didn't touch hers after the first sip...but I finished mine! The movie was delightful and was a perfect round-up to my weekend of movies!

Sparkling trees & a dusting of snow...

It snowed just a wee bit the middle of last week - nothing really stuck at the office but once I came home, there was a gentle dusting covering everything that stuck around overnight and left everything looking crystalline in the morning light. We attended my church's Bethlehem Experience live nativity on Thursday night and I didn't snap any pictures but I did pet two donkey and was very tempted to steal a teeny pink and black speckled piglet, ha-ha! We set out after I got off work on Friday for Charlottesville to spend a little time over the weekend...

The ceiling of the Yurt - do y'all know what a yurt is?

This seems perfectly idyllic!

Such an epic sign!

We stayed in a yurt that had canvas walls and a roof but was heated and had a tile shower, kitchen and everything you'd find in a modern home - it was pretty cool - and it was really cool when we woke up on Saturday morning due to the drop in temperature through the night! Eek! We had breakfast at nearby Krecek Kakes, a little bakery we'd found on a previous visit to the area and then made our way to the Charlottesville Walking Mall to peruse the shops and eventually have delicious lunch at a little cafe called Revolutionary Soup! Once our stomachs were filled, we made our way up the mountain to Monticello for a Behind the Scenes Tour - which was quite neat!

Monticello - Home of Thomas Jefferson.

I can't resist a good photo bomb opportunity!

Cheese! 

Can you see the ice on the fish pond? It was COLD!

Mulberry Row @ Monticello

Peeking around the door of the tower... watch post... I'm not sure what it was...

Selfie in the dome of Monticello!

Jefferson's granddaughters created a hideaway off the dome of the house...

The dome of Monticello reminded me of...the Pantheon in Rome!

Just chilling with TJ!

The tour lasted a full two hours and covered all three floors of the house - the staircases were seriously tiny and winding, but I couldn't take pictures of those! We were able to snap photos while we were in the dome of the house and our guide even opened some doors to show us the spot where Jefferson's granddaughters had made a spot to hide out and play, which was neat. I'm not sure how I feel about ol TJ though... based on what our guide told us, he seemed to be only okay at a lot of things but thought quite a lot of himself. Who knows though, right? History - still something of a mystery.

Pimento Cheese Fritters * Grilled Chicken with Macaroni & Cheese & Root Vegetable Gratin!

The twinkling lights of Gordonsville, VA!

So big & twinkly! *sigh*

Don't you just love all the Christmas sparkle?

Seriously committed to that holiday twinkle!

We had a delicious dinner at a find on Yelp - a place called Maya that was southern cuisine and absolutely delicious! I split some Pimento Cheese Fritters topped with Pepper Jam with my Momma and then for my meal I had Grilled Chicken with homemade ham gravy, macaroni and cheese and a yummy root vegetable gratin made up of carrots, sweet potatoes and Yukon potatoes! We perused a nearby Barnes and Noble and checked out some Christmas lights before heading back to the yurt on Saturday evening. 

The weather forecast for Sunday in the Charlottesville area was snow - and a lot of it! We'd planned to get up, maybe have brunch somewhere and then head home but when we all woke up around 7:00, the radar showed the weather bearing down on us - so we hopped in the car, stopped at the Burger King on the way out of town and ended up back home in time to head to church and hear the Watoto Children's Choir - which was spectacular!

The Watoto Children's Choir!

Dancing & singing & praising Jesus!

The Watoto Children's Choir is based in Uganda and they provide schooling for children, teach women to run small businesses so to be self sustaining and rescue abandoned children and give them a chance at a prosperous life, living their dreams. The choir was such a joy to listen to and the whole experience just filled my heart with warmth. We made our way to Olive Garden to have lunch and then headed home, to be joyfully greeted by my sweet pup!

Just taking a Sunday afternoon nap in the chair...

I passed the rest of Sunday afternoon cleaning up my room, rearranging my furniture, wrapping some Christmas gifts, watching the season one finale of Mr. Robot, loving on my puppy dog and just generally enjoying the afternoon and evening. My Mom and I watched the most recent episode of Outlander and then I happily crawled into my bed to read, peruse the internet a bit and get some sleep.

The new layout...

So - that's what I've been up to for the past few weeks! I can't believe there are only fourteen days until Christmas, can you? I've got to finish up my shopping this weekend, get everything wrapped and then sit back and enjoy the rest of the season!