Happy, happy holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! Or perhaps you're more of a "Festivus" fan? Whatever you like to celebrate this month, I do hope you have a lovely time. My family celebrates Chanukah and Christmas, so we'll be extra busy on December 25 since this year both holidays happen then.

I have been in such a Christmasy mood this year! Last year I discovered a candle that I LOVE! It's by the company Illume, but it's sold exclusively at Barns & Nobles. The fragrance is "Cranberry Spice", it comes in a gold metal tin with a lovely red tartan design, and it smells SO good. It's not too sweet, nor too tart, but just right. I was thrilled when I saw it had returned this holiday season... so I purchased eight of them. Everyday, I bring my cup of Irish Breakfast into my studio, put on Christmas music, and light my favorite candle. It makes me feel so happy! Does anyone else have a scent that just makes them feel content and happy? I sure hope you all do, because this feeling is too good to have it be mine alone!

I've put together a Winter themed wallpaper for you to download. It's just a little reminder that "Today is a gift". It may sound cliche, but it's true. We never know what tomorrow will bring, so enjoy this day to the fullest. Wishing you and your loved ones a very sweet holiday season, and a happy, healthy New Year!

Click on the laptop above to access your downloadable image. Once downloaded, you can set it to your wallpaper on your computer. Feel free to share this post, but be kind, and link back to this original post. Thanks so much! Cheers!!

Hello friends! It's been a long time since I've touched base with you all. Much has happened over the past several months. Some sad and lots happy, all part of life. If you follow my Instagram and Twitter accounts you probably already know my sweet Aggie died of acute leukemia in late summer. It was a terribly painful time for me and my family. In all honesty, I'm still in the healing process. Aggie was an important part of my life as well as the lives of my husband and children. We gave her the best life possible and she was mostly comfortable and pain-free until her final day. Chemo was not too rough on her, but after only 5 weeks of treatment, it was no longer effective. Making the decision to call off treatment and put her down is the toughest thing I've had to do. It was the right thing for Aggie though, and I have peace in my heart knowing I didn't let her suffer just so I could enjoy her company a few more days.

Again, if you follow my social media feeds, you know we welcomed a new fur-baby into our family on September 22. Her name is Molly Mousse and she's a Black Whoodle (Soft Coat Wheaten Terrier / Poodle Mix) with more spunk and attitude than I've ever experienced! We're still in the thick of teaching her the rules of the house... mainly that she isn't actually the boss of everyone. Ha! Who am I kidding? She's totally the boss right now. We've nicknamed her "The Ninja Puppy" because she's so hard to catch, and she often sneak up on you if you're not paying attention! I've already fallen madly in love with her!

In October I celebrated a fairly large birthday (no need to go into details), and my husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. I feel incredibly blessed to have him in my life as my partner, best friend, love. It seems like only yesterday we were planning our wedding, and now here it is twenty years later! Time really does fly when you're having fun.

November brought our home a new powder room, and some sprucing up in the living room as well as a new dining room. Everything happened just in time to host a family gathering for Thanksgiving. I'll share photos in another post at a later time.

And here it is December! The grand holiday month for so many! In my home we celebrate Chanukah with our boys, and I personally celebrate a peaceful and spiritual Christmas on my own. In honor of Christmas, I've put together a fun (and free) downloadable wallpaper for your desktop or laptop! Instead of designing a 2016 calendar, this year I've decided to design monthly wallpapers for your computer. And what better time to start than now. Just follow the link below to grab your Christmas Checklist wallpaper by Easton Place!