It’s been the longest break I’ve taken between posts. For the last month, my husband and I have been busy at work, pushing through a sprint that should start to slow down soon. As with most things in life, bouts of high performance require high recovery. So as the holidays approach soon, we’re looking to take a breath, but also look back fondly at the little moments in between where we’ve made time for unwinding and fun:

• We found ourselves a mini Christmas tree and mini holiday wreath. Love the fresh scent of pine wafting through our home.

• Tried cooking a vegetarian version of Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe & Sausage using Better than Bouillon and Beyond Sausage. I’d high recommend!

• Our mini cheese grater finally broke (under the tireless efforts from my husband who grated some very sturdy Parmesan cheese one evening).

• Reading novels. Lots of them. Love the updated version of Goodreads and recommendations based on your reading choices.

• Curling up on the couch sipping meyer lemon honey tea and bundled under our new, ultra-soft flannel quilt from Parachute

• Looking up recipes to try on our first KitchenAid stand mixer. I’ve been following http://littlefatboy.com/ for some time now and I’m excited to finally try some of his dumpling & bun recipes.

• Planning another snowshoeing trip (or two…and maybe camping in the snow). Check out our snowshoeing trip from last year!

• Thinking about visiting friends in Germany next year. And/or a Nordic winter adventure with reindeer?

• Bundling up in cozy knits. Sezane has the best!

• I’ve been baking Japanese fluffy cheesecakes. So light and fluffy! I love our mini Breville oven, but my cheesecake continued to grow and grow in height until we were forced to take it out, resulting in decapitating its perfectly round, domed top.

• Found this cool self-watering planter from the MOMA. Check it out here.

• After lots of research, we finally decided to upgrade to a Sony a7 camera and new lens. We’re so excited!