The Siberian American: Friday Favorites: Hello, December

Friday, December 4, 2015

Friday Favorites: Hello, December

Happy Friday, friends! This week was one of those weeks where every little thing went wrong, so I am super glad it’s over. On Wednesday, I had one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, and honestly, I am still too mortified to write about it. Chris thinks it’s hilarious and that I should share it, so we will see. That aside, here are my favorites this week:

Favorite time of the year: 
Christmas in Chicago is just as magical as I imagined. I can’t wait to share all the fun Christmas activities we have done so far. Now my goal is to get Chris to decorate the tree with me. He doesn’t want me to do it alone, but he hasn’t had time to do it after work (he has to study for a big exam he has in a few weeks). I have it all set up—it just needs ornaments. We don’t even have that many ornaments here, so it wouldn’t take long. When my in-laws were in town, they got us a tree with some ornaments since we left everything back in Texas. It was so sweet of them, and I know they would love to see it decorated!

Favorite dog:
I haven’t posted a photo of Skyler in a while, and I just love this one I took this week because it shows how long she is. She is only 18 pounds but very capable of taking up the entire couch.


Favorite purchase: 
I look forward to Cyber Monday every year because it’s such a great way to buy Christmas presents. I am completely finished with presents and bought most of them online! I can’t wait for all the gifts to get here.

Favorite snack: 
Natural Balance Foods sent us their Eat Nākd Sampler Pack, and we are obsessed! I am a big snacker and have been really trying to reach for healthier snacks, so these were perfect for me. Eat Nākd fruit and nut bars contain 100 percent natural ingredients, which means no added sugar or syrups.

The bars are wheat free, dairy free, and gluten free, and I loved their soft and chewy texture. My favorite bar was the berry delight because I love dried fruit. Chris, of course, loved the pecan pie bar. We both loved the protein crunch bars. He really liked the apple crunch, and my favorite was the strawberry crunch. Right now the Eat Nākd Sampler Pack is only $9.99 (with free delivery), less than $1 per bar. Chris loves taking these bars with him to the hospital, so I will be buying more in the future.


I received an Eat Nākd Sampler Pack to review, but all opinions are my own.

Favorite book: 
I am now 11 books away from my new goal of 100 books this year, so I have been reading as much as I can. I recently finished The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris (c/o NetGalley), and it was one of the best books I read this year.

The story begins with a hook from the end of the book: a cold, foggy night at Alcatraz in 1937, and a prison guard's only daughter has gone missing. You don't return to this part of the story for some time, but the story of Shan and the love, loss, and second chances he experienced was beautiful.


Linking up with AmandaKarli, and the High Five for Friday girls.

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!

16 comments:

  1. Oh man, those embarrassing moments, I have had a few of those, it takes me awhile but eventually I always find them funny, well usually :) Christmas is such a magical time I just love it!

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    1. Haha, it is definitely like that! It;s going to take me a little while to get over it...and I might just have to walk around with a paper bag over my head. ;)

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  2. I love the Nakd bars. They are so good. The apple crunch is so yummie.

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  3. That's unbelievably sweet of your in-laws to buy you two a tree and some ornaments so you could still have the traditions and feelings of home while you're away.

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  4. I can't wait to hear all about the Christmas stuff you guys are doing up there!

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  5. Aww your dog is so cute! And I can't wait to hear the embarrassing moment. I have lots of those!!

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  6. I'm so sorry you had such an embarrassing moment!! I don't think I've ever seen a picture of Skyler...I actually might not have known you had a dog! She is seriously too cute!

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  7. Id love to see what kind of holiday things you do in Chicago. If you have a chance you should check out the Christkindlmarket!

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  8. Such a sweet pic of the pupper! Have fun decorating the tree, love that your in-laws got you what you needed this year <3

    Green Fashionista

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  9. Ooh this is our first Christmas in Chicago area too and this weekend will be the first we're in full exploring mode. But - its gotten so cold, so we'll be trying to tough it out and still enjoy things. I'm especially looking forward to the Santa run this weekend.

    Tanya Patrice
    Girlxoxo.com

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    1. Hi Tanya! I love chatting with others new to Chicago! Where did you move from? I've actually been really thankful for the weather this year so far! My friends here have told me we are having a really mild winter so far, and usually it is much colder at this point! I hope it stays mild all winter! :)

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  10. That books looks really interesting! I bet Christmas in Chicago is magical and I am totally jealous. Christmas in Texas is wonderful, but the warmer weather and lack of snow just make it miss something, ya know? Have a really great weekend!

    Alexis @ www.chemistrycachet.com

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  11. The best part comes after Cyber Monday, when all the packages start rolling in. I get super impatient waiting for all the goodies to come in. Also, you guys in Chicago haven't gotten snow yet, have you? I'm over here in Boston wondering if there will be a white Christmas.

    Beauty V. Brains | Enter to win a Naked 3 palette!

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    1. We got snow the weekend before Thanksgiving! It was about seven inches, so quite a bit for a first snowfall! Since then, it has warmed up though, and we are pretty much in the 40s and 50s.

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  12. Skylar looks so adorable in that picture! I'm in the same boat as you and got most of my shopping done online and everything has started to arrive! I finally went through boxes yesterday and I've got a lot of wrapping to do! That book sounds so interesting! I love historical fiction, and San Francisco is one of my favorite cities, so this sounds perfect for me!

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  13. I think I got an email about that sampler pack and never responded...but reading this makes me want to go back and sign up, haha. Are there any "catches" to the deal?

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