5 GREAT HOLIDAY COOKIES

I have to confess... I'm a total sellout. Thanksgiving is two days away,  Evergreen garlands hang perfectly tied with bows to the stair rail, my buffet is decorated with greenery and pinecones that are befitting of this years "clean and green" Christmas theme and a wreath hangs from the front door.

Another confession? we're celebrating "cancelled Thanksgiving" this year. Truth be told, its my birthday, and I just wanted to have fun getting ready for the holidays with them - its one of the best times of the year, amiright?

One of my favorite ways to get into the holiday spirit is to bake a whole bunch of cookies and bring them to friends and neighbors. Here are a few classic cookies and a few maybe new to you that are too yummy to pass up.

1. Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies:  these are the.best.ever.

2. Perfect Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs: This recipe claims to be moist, tender and keep the shape of the cutouts.

3. Oatmeal Creme Pie Cookies: These cookies look SO good. If they're anything even similar to the oatmeal creme pies of childhood days - yes please :)

4. Chocolate Crinkles: SO, so yummy. If you love chocolate - these are a must.

5. Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies: The gingerbread's we make always turn out the slightest bit crispy, I'm excited to give this recipe a go this year.

My family's favorites include wreaths, peanut butter kisses and sugar cookies - what are your family's favorites?

sugar cookie image, gingerbread image, crinkle cookies image

LAST MINUTE HOSTESS GIFTS

Mid-week holidays always have a way of creeping up amongst the hustle of the holiday season, and if you haven't gotten around to stocking a few things to bring to your favorite hosts this Thanksgiving - here are a few items you can find at shops in your neighborhood [hopefully ;)]

click to shop:

BLACK IN THE BEDROOM

If you haven't ever followed the One Room Challenge, I highly recommend it. In a short 6 weeks designers and bloggers transform a space and the results are amazing. While there were so many truly transformed and incredible spaces this round - I can't get the bedroom that Jessie Miller over at Design Daredevil created for her client. It. Is. Gorgeous.

While I feel myself gravitating towards even more white in my home than we already have, the cozy, sexy, enveloping feel of this bedroom certainly gave me [and the color white?] reason to pause.

go visit Design Daredevil - you won't believe the before photos!

The clean white bedding against the dark walls in these next two bedrooms I particularly like. Symmetry is a design element that I deeply appreciate and the balance of light and dark simply works here: