decking the halls.

first things first, i love christmas with all of my heart.

it is without a doubt the most wonderful time of year for me.

nothing makes be happier than the smell of pine, bing crosby, christmas trees, hot cocoa, fireplace snuggles and millions of family get-together. 

this week, to ring in christmas time in the city, mewy and i went and picked out our very first tree at our neighborhood tree lot. city christmas is way too perfect.she's the cutest little tree ever and our festive apartment makes the anticipation of christmas day even more real. we are giddy with holiday cheer here at 104 filbert. 

happy first week of december loves.

i hope all is merry and bright in your sweet homes.

have a great weekend!

twenty-four.

guess what, im twenty-four!

yesterday i celebrated another fabulous year in my life.

i have a strong feeling that this coming year, will be one for the books.

grad school graduation,

nursing license,

first 'big girl' job,

just to name a few and i'm thinking that there will be even more unexpected bliss.

to celebrate yesterday, my roomie and i held a little 'wine and cheese' party in our apartment with a bunch of girlfriends from school. 

they showered me with love and we chowed down on cheese pairings.

youm-yum-yum.

too much fun.

cheers to a brand new year emily ann palmer (thats me!). 

on the agenda.

home for easter weekend.

(easter egg dying ideas)

celebrating with an egg dying, chocolate eating double date with my b and (hopefully) future brother-and-sister in law;)

time with my seester.

hot tubbing.

homework, laundry, coffee on the couch, and family time.

easter brunch with all of the family.

happy easter my loves!

from us, to you.

happy new year from the palmer family!

coming a little late but i thought i should show off my family a bit on here.

hope your week is going well- one more day!

it's been a while.

without mentioning it to you my poor readers,

i took a little blog break to celebrate the holidays with my family and friends. 

i will officially be back on in full force come next monday.

until then,

have a happy new year!

..........

more on my resolutions, christmas, crafting, and happenings these past few weeks coming soon!

diy round-up.

heaven only knows that this week, little elf emily will be crafting, making, and baking up a storm.

here is a little round-up of some diy projects from around the web that i am loving.

organic holiday bouquet.

glitter votives.

hand-dipped wooden spoons.

infused vodka.

dark chocolate rosemary pecan bark.

citrus salt body scrub.

sparkling apple sangria.

holiday hair tutorials.

lemon lavender cake.

nature ornaments.

happy DIYing sweet readers!

on the agenda.

this weekend...

(via)

last minute christmas party with the walnuts- perfect.

double date- drinks and dancing at the madonna inn with B's brother and girlfriend (love them).

little bit of shopping and gift wrapping.

early morning beach walk with our dogs.

some secret christmas present making (mwahaha).

christmas tree gazing, hot chocolate drinking, classic christmas cartoon watching, candle lighting, cooking making.

aka 'have yourself a merry little christmas' weekend!

happy friday friends!

it's follow-me-friday people.

check out the right-hand sidebar on my blog to 'join this site' and 'follow me elsewhere'.

pretty please, i promise it will be really fun!

a weekend for the books.

san francisco.

the greatest walnut family italian dinner.

beach blanket babylon.

bar rounds with the whole walnut family crew.

christmas shopping.

union square festivities.

christmas time in the city with the boy.

perfection.

happy wednesday to you all!

hope you are celebrating the holiday season to the fullest- i know i certainly am!

nursing + crafting.

like every other nursing student, i have a little stress in my life.

one of the ways that i have found helpful for calming my (ridiculously crazy) nerves is a bedtime ritual.

i light my capri blue volcano candle, brew a cup of lavender chamomile or mint tea, spray my lavender spray, and chill out in my bed with the lights off while i do something non-school related.

it has become 'my thing' and i really like it.

in efforts to give some of my nursing friends a little bit of 'relaxation in a package', i conjured up a crafty and grad school budget idea to put together lavender nursing sachets, my favorite herbal teas, and a candle in a mug for their six week break enjoyment.

and here they are.

nothing says 'thank you for all of your support, poop jokes, study guides, pre-sunrise clinical carpooling, and friendship' like a little handmade, red cross, lavender sachet.

happy holidays to all my nursing friends- may you sleep a little better knowing that 4:30am alarms are still two months away!

wrap it up.

gosh, i just love the christmas season.

everything just seems better in red and green with hot chocolate, jingle bells, and good company.

in combination with mondays post on gift giving, i find it fitting to introduce you to some of my favorite and potential gift wrapping solutions for this years presents.

the crafty, paper lover in me likes for the outside of the present to be just as well put together and beautiful as the gift. super cute wrapping inspiration, right?

(via my holiday pinterest board)

so put on some 'bing crosby holiday' pandora music and get to wrapping my friends!

on my list.

dear santa,

i have been very good this year.

i need for nothing but want for a few little things.
any of these things would be super fun.

garden calendar.

the art of the bar.

the american nurse.

lulu swiftly tech long sleeve tee.

lulu wunder unders.

kindle.

aveda tonic, air control, and control force.

philosophy grace perfume set.

patagonia pull-over.

j. crew vest.

so basically anything with beautiful pictures, soft fabrics, artsy, or good smelling.
also notable... i love stripes and plaid, jewelry, pretty prints, and anything to do with juice or coffee
(aka a vitamix, juicer, or espresso machine).
i love surprises too!
what's on your list this year?

holiday gift guides.

gift giving is one of my absolute favorite things.

i love christmas shopping and our family has always been invested in giving personalized gifts.

i come from a family of incredibly thoughtful people that have taught me the value of giving all year, small or big, 

just to say thank you, i'm sorry, hello, thinking of you, or in celebration. 

a great deal of that comes from the closeness of our extended family (aka we know ever little, tiny detail about everyone) too close for comfort? sometimes.

in the spirit of giving, i have linked up a few of my favorite gift guides.

still wondering what to get your friends and family?

check them out.

darling magazine.

anthropologie.

creature comforts.

budget babe.

papersource.

as much as i love giving purchased gifts, i am also a sucker for making a portion of my gifts too.

check back later on this week for a few little handmade gifts that i'll be giving this year.

happy giving!

advent inspiration.

in our family, we love the christmas countdown. 

there are always quite a few advent calendars, countdown signs, and other measures of the closeness of christmas all around our house.

as we speak, i am working on a little-itty-bitty advent calendar for my apartment until i head home for the break.

hope you enjoy the advent calendar inspiration-

i must still be a child because the anticipation of christmas eve and day is almost too much for me.

simple love notes

red envelope wall

an ornament a day

clothespin packages

photo reveal

pop on over to one of these sites and make yourself a fun little one-

there are still a few days until the 1st.

happy advent crafting!

catch-up.

lots of happenings around here this past week.
fabulous thanksgiving week and a great kick-off to the christmas season.

a flights from sf to la to see the boy.

dine-in poor grad school dates with movies, snuggling, and yummy fall dessert.

a massive thanksgiving feast with all of the family.

a highly successful 'black friday' and my traditional first peppermint mocha of the season.

family night out at the new granada for some bubbly and birthday celebrations.

sunday morning avila beach family walk with coffee.

cousins crafting day to kick-off the holiday season.

how was your thanksgiving week? full of family and food? 

needing a detox? me too.

ringing in the season.

every year, after we finish our thanksgiving feast,

we clear all of the dishes, take a walk, a brief nap, and then...

christmas music!

we turn it on, wash dishes, play games, and sing along to ring in the christmas season!

after some singing and game playing,

we dive right back into the feast and have the greatest 'leftovers' dinner

while we watch a christmas movie on the big projector screen.

traditions, traditions, traditions.

the movie is usually one of the following.
and by usually, i mean it is always elf (duh).

included a few of my other all time favorite, must watch, never get old christmas movies too.

elf. the holiday. christmas vacation. the polar express.

officially... happy holidays!

may your day be merry and bright!

happy thanksgiving friends.

happy thanksgiving blogger friends!

hope you are enjoying a huge feast with your family or friends and remembering those things that you are most grateful for this year.

have a fabulous and filling day!

thirty days of thanks.

happy thanksgiving week!

in no particular order....

thirty things i am thankful for- one for each day of november.

(1) my dad

(2) my mom

(3) my sister

(4) my wonderful boyfriend, brandon

(5) the greatest girlfriends in the world

(6) good health

(7) the opportunity to be in nursing school

(8) my life in the city

(9) working at sfgh hospital

(10) being able to call slo 'my home'

(11) my supportive group of nursing girlfriends

(12) lattes and coffee shops

(13) my undergraduate experience

(14) weekend mornings

(15) san francisco adventures

(16) political freedoms and rights

(17) tube socks and warm feet

(18) having a close extended family

(19) our family garden

(20) summer backyard dinners

(21) nights out with my girls

(22) the holiday season at the palmer house

(23) forehead kisses from b

(24) home-cooked meals by the fireplace

(25) my craft supply stash and afternoon artsy times

(26) pedicures with magazines

(27) avila beach afternoons and morning walks

(28) my blog and you special readers

(29) nightly talks and weekend getaways with b

(30) and that in less than a year, i will be a nurse

what are you thankful for this thanksgiving season?

home + wine + birthday + run.

the weekend in pictures.

home again.

avila beach farmers market.

wine + cheese picnic.

my fave- baileyanna.

 lover boy.

the girls + me. love.

my awkward solo picture. posted.

 my little marathon stud. 3 hours 40 minutes. 88th out of 700 plus.

there you have it.

three days of birthday fun.

and one proud girlfriend.

thanks family and friends!!!

birthday wishes.

a few birthday wishes.

holy moly, twenty-three.

what's so cool about twenty-three?

we'll see!

1. northface vest  2. macbook pro 13' case  3. dkny pure verbena perfume

4. lululemon snap scarf  5. sam edelman nude sandals  6. gap striped dress

7. coffee gift cards  8. incase iPhone 4 case  9. white puma watch
and...

10. hugs and kisses from b  11. brunch with my girls 12. wine and cheese birthday dinner

there you have it.

permission.

today is march 25th.

and you know what that means?

i officially have permission to talk about my birthday,

because it is exactly one month before april 25th.

(family rule #4: you can only talk about your birthday one month before it occurs.

someone (me) forced the family to make this rule at an early age because of over-zealousness)

if you don't know me well, i love my birthday.

always have and probably always will.

happy almost 23rd (ouch) birthday to me!