The End!

This month I decided to extend my love of 

Christmas to the blog and participate in Blogmas, daily posts on all of our holiday celebrations...recipes, ootds, gift guides. 

A Very Schneider Christmas: December in Review

Blogmas Day 31

There is a deep sadness in my heart as I write this post because my favorite time of the year is now over. And while I'm already looking forward to next year, I think it's going to be pretty hard to beat Christmas 2014...so here's a look back at a crazy event packed December with us Schneiders! 

>>>The Wicked Weed!

Blogmas Day 30 

"Hops are a wicked and pernicious weed"

                                                -Henry VIII

While in Asheville for Our Christmas Present, Tom and I decided to check out a local craft brewery that everyone in town seemed to recommend. Go where the locals go right? We definitely consider ourselves "beer snobs", (yes that's a thing) so it takes a bit to impress us, but we loved everything about The Wicked Weed Brewing Company. 


 It's concept is based on Henry VIII's declaration that hops would ruin beer. Regardless of this stance, some brewmasters still sought out to use hops with a "rebel integrity" in order to create a beer for the "untamed palate", something that The Wicked Weed Brewing Company still does today.

Husband and I actually ended up here twice during our short time in Asheville (yes twice), once on a Sunday night and again on a Tuesday afternoon. Not exactly what you would consider peak bar hours but both times, the two story building was packed with a crowd; young and old sharing stories and swigging beers. The vibe of this place just cannot be beat! 

Loved the wall art of Henry VIII and the green and metallic ornaments hanging from the ceiling...

We came for the beer, but while we were 

there we figured we would eat. Not your typical

 bar food people, it was actually much tastier than some 

of the food we had at Asheville's fancier restaurants. It was 

simply unparalleled. 

And if you ever happen to go I recommend the truffled cauliflower soup.

Cute Edison Bulb Lights! 
And loving that their taps are attached to beer barrels.

Tom loved their IPA's which is no surprise, but if you give him the chance he will rave on and on about the "Falconer's Flight" IPA. 

And I finally found a milk stout that I liked thanks to The Wicked Weed. I don't know if it counts though since this one was called "Milk & Cookies". It had cinnamon and oatmeal as some of it's ingredients so who wouldn't love that? 

We enjoyed it so much that we even picked up some growlers and other goodies to give as gifts and share.  

National Gingerbread Competition

Blogmas Day 29

When I requested that this year's Christmas present trip be filled with over the top Christmas magic, I had no idea that I would get everything I asked for and more. While in Asheville North Carolina, we discovered that it was the home of the National Gingerbread Competition so we of course had to go. Candy and artistry rolled into one, um count me in! And this guy below was one of my absolute favorites....I love all of the scrambling elves. 

Notes on the Yearly Clothing Budget: Best & Worst Purchases of 2014

Interrupting your regularly scheduled programming to bring you "Notes on the Yearly Clothing Budget". Don't worry though because Blogmas will resume, including a post later today. For now, let's talk about clothing budgets. This year I did things a little bit differently by having an annual budget instead of monthly. This allowed me a little more wiggle room from month to month without having to worry about going over budget. Now this was definitely a struggle, especially these last few months when funds started to run a little low. However, it definitely taught me to be more disciplined and I even had a couple of months this year where I didn't buy anything. I am definitely going to stick with the annual budget for 2015, I just have to decide on what the budgeted amount will be. As, I didn't make any purchases this month, I thought I'd share my best and worst purchases of 2014. 

Worst Purchases of 2014 

Double the Merriment: A Second Christmas

Blogmas Day 27 & 28

Hey folks, I'm combining yesterday and today into one post. I'm sick as a dog right now and spent a good bit of yesterday in bed, but I definitely wanted to share more of our Christmas celebrations. Having each set of parents live in different states has disadvantages, including having to alternate for the holidays, but on the plus side we do get two Christmases. And I do love Christmas. After spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my parents, we headed to hubby's parents house on the 26th. Here's a little bit of the fun... 

Love my cute little family! 

Snapshots from Christmas Day 2014!

Blogmas Day 26

'Twas the night before Christmas when 

all through the house, not a creature was 

stirring except this little mouse....

Because no matter how old I get I am always beyond 

excited about Christmas Day. As I've grown up, it hasn't lost 

its magic

 for me and I hope that it never does.