Farmhouse Christmas Inspiration

1. reindeer figurine  2. burlap ribbon  3. chenille throw blanket

4. birch LED candles  5. free lyric printable  6. stag head wall art

7. centerpiece box  8. stag throw pillow  9. flocked pine spray

Last week, I shared my vision for a calm and cozy farmhouse-inspired Christmas. Here are a few items currently on my wish list to help bring the look home. What are your inspirations this holiday season?

2016 moodboard.

Images, L-R: 1, 2, 3 | 4, 5, 6

This month, the theme for The Circle link-up at In Its Time was to create a moodboard for 2016. As I created my moodboard, I thought about how I want to 2016 to feel and what I want each day to look like. Here are some areas of my life I want to prioritize this year.

calm mornings

I've always been something of a night owl, but lately I've really been looking into how my sleep affects my overall health. My mornings are typically very rushed, and it doesn't help me start the day in a very nice mood. I'd like to be able to wake up earlier and spend some quiet time eating a "real" breakfast and actually enjoying my coffee, reading, doing a devotional, practicing yoga, writing in my journal, or setting goals for the day before I have to greet 30 teenagers!

nurturing my passions

• Teaching - I love, love, love my job. I definitely want to be involved with teaching and/or working with young people for the rest of my life. However, I've gotten a little complacent lately - I've gone from being the new teacher who was constantly reading professional development books, taking classes, and attending conferences to being the veteran who recycles lesson plans and goes home to watch Netflix. To try to rekindle that flame, I've applied to several programs for this spring and summer that should help get me back on track. I really want to be a teacher who is always innovating and trying new things.
• Writing - If someone had told me ten years ago that I wouldn't have published anything significant by the age of thirty, I probably would have gotten very depressed. My writing is another thing I think I've gotten complacent about - I use the busy-ness of my teaching job and personal writing, like blogging and Tumblr, to avoid writing for a purpose. Just like with exercise, if I don't make time to write creatively, it's not going to happen. What am I hiding from?

welcoming change

Change is scary to me, but my One Word for 2016 is horizon and when I look at the image of the girl facing the horizon, I see that she's facing the ocean and its ever-changing waves - one of my favorite places to be and one that I find incredibly calming. Change is a constant in life - in relationships, at work, and with our personal interests. I had to reevaluate some friendships in 2015, and gained a stronger sense of self (a little more about that here). Buying a house and being able to turn it into a place to welcome friends and family any time we want will be a big change. Moving to a new school for a semester will be a big change. I need to face the horizon rather than trying to run from it.

health and wellness

• I'm not exaggerating when I say that yoga has changed my life - I'm calmer, more patient, and more centered, and as a nice side effect my body is leaner. I want to keep practicing yoga regularly (at home in addition to the class I attend) and challenge myself to try more difficult poses.
• I've been working to improve my health and diet for almost four years now, since receiving my PCOS diagnosis, but nothing has been as helpful to me so far as the app that came with my Jawbone UP2 band (read more of my thoughts about the UP2 here) - the combination of tracking sleep, workouts, and food and positive reinforcement really seems to be working. I've tried various boot camps, diets, and cleanses, but none of them have really "stuck." Hopefully I'm on to something now!
• One of the things I'm most looking forward to when we do move out of our current townhouse is being able to have a garden and grow our own vegetables. I grew up in a rural area and sometimes I just need a little dirt therapy.

community

The time has come for me to break through my social anxiety and find a place to pray and worship (I wrote a little more about this here). Ever since reading Rachel Held Evans' book Searching for Sunday last year (my review is here), I've been yearning for the kind of transformative experience she writes about. I don't want to be yet another millennial who left the church and never returned - unlike some people I know who thrive on solitary spiritual paths, I am just no good at staying in the Word on my own. I have been making excuses for far too long, and this needs to be the year I find a church home, even if that means going alone. I miss the sense of belonging and understanding that I had in college with my fellowship, small group, and close-knit church. As I've said before, I know that there's no "perfect" church, but there must be one out there (hopefully not too far away) that I can help make wonderful.

#5FandomFriday - January 15th - 5 Ways I Am Going To Take Chances In 2016 

5 Fandom Friday is a weekly prompt challenge hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. This week's #5FandomFriday topic is 5 Ways I Am Going to Take Chances in 2015, and I've enjoyed reading the other girls' responses to this prompt so far. I was finally able to come up with my own list after lots of thought! I decided to focus on ways to take chances in different areas of my life.

work 

2016 is going to be a year of big changes at work! 8th grade English will be going from being a semester course to a year-long course (with the same 84 minute class periods) in order to better prepare our students for our very difficult state standardized test and their high school courses. I'm excited about having twice as much time with students - more than I've ever had before - because I'll be able to give them time for independent reading and we won't have to move on to new skills until they're ready. On the other hand, I'm very nervous about the change because it means I'll most likely be spending one semester on our other middle school campus, where I don't know very many people and which has a reputation for being very straight-laced. I've suggested an idea for a pilot program that would blend a high-level English class with one of our elective courses and several of the other English teachers really like it - we'll see what the rest of the faculty thinks when we meet this week.

wellness

I've been starting to really invest in my own health over the past few years, although I will be the first one to admit I'm bad at remembering to take care of me. I'm going to face my social anxiety by going to the gym more often for cardio, and I'm also considering signing up for a Couch to 5K program our local Parks and Rec department is offering - I have never liked running, so I would like to actually learn how to run properly.

faith

I would love to find a church community to participate in, but I've used my anxiety as an excuse to spend Sunday mornings at home. I think I am going to just put myself out there and see which of my friends, family members and co-workers will invite me to their churches. I know that I got unbelievably lucky when I lived in Charlottesville and found the perfect church for me via Google. I also know that I might not necessarily find a church that meets all my "perfect church" expectations (simple facility, won't make me work in the nursery, doesn't think women belong in the kitchen, doesn't see depression as a lack of faith, diverse and inclusive), but that I might have to work to "be the change" within that community.

family

Where are you, dream house?

Mr. Q and I will hopefully be buying a house in 2016! The idea of moving out of our townhouse gives me very mixed emotions - on the one hand, I'm totally psyched to get out of this temporary arrangement. On the other hand, I really do love our cozy townhouse; it's perfect for us right now and I've gotten very spoiled living so close to work. Moving on to the next phase of grown-up life is scary.

hobbies

I'd like to be able to stop referring to writing as a hobby and begin to truly pursue it as a career. I'm not very good at sticking to a writing schedule or being self-disciplined, and sometimes I worry that blog writing is actually taking me away from creative writing - you may see me taking a break from the blog for a while this year as I try to get more serious about my passion. My writing is kind of all over the place, but almost all of my stories have a fantasy element. I used to write poetry regularly and would like to get back into that as well. I don't know the first thing about submitting writing to magazines and such, so it's time to learn! My goal is to finish my portfolio and apply to the MFA program at Hollins College - even if I don't become a successful professional author, I think an MFA in creative writing will help me to be a better teacher of writing and a better mentor to new teachers.

sunday simplicity.

Melanie Gabrielle via Style Me Pretty

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and 

warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and 

for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”

― Edith Sitwell

sunday simplicity.

Kristyn Hogan via Elizabeth Anne Designs

“Home isn't where you're from, it's 
where you find light when all grows dark.”

― Pierce Brown

sunday simplicity.

Better Homes and Gardens

“Home was not the place where you were born 

but the place you created yourself, where you 

did not need to explain, where you finally 

became what you were.” - Dermot Bolger

My January {Fab} Favorites

Disclaimer:  Amazon links contain an affiliate code.  Thank you for supporting Beyond the Aisle!

1. Marc Jacobs Salty Pretzel Stud Earrings - These were my special Christmas gift from Mr. Q this year.  I'd had them on my Pinterest forever, but apparently they'd gotten really popular and he had to order from a store in London, England to get the rose gold - which, to me, makes them even more special.  I had a pretzel (and beer cheese, let's be honest) obsession in 2014 that I don't see stopping any time soon.  They're a great conversation piece - I wore them on a teacher workday and got a lot of "are your earrings pretzels?!?!"

2. Xhileration French Terry Lounge Pants - My mom got me these pajama pants for Christmas and they are the greatest - they are styled like jogging pants but made of super soft jersey.  I pretty much put these on every single day when I get home from work (sorry, Mr. Q.)

3. Orange Circle Studio 2015 Wall Calendar by Katie Daisy - I've seen several of Katie Daisy's lovely watercolors online (her Etsy shop is full of awesome), so when I saw a whole wall calendar of her work with nice big boxes for writing I knew it would be perfect for the new year.  It includes quotes from Shakespeare, Rumi, and Emerson among others and it's so cheerful!

4. Old Navy Fleece Dress - My love of sweatpants material really knows no bounds and this dress is my own personal heaven.  I wore it with tights, boots, and a cardigan to a baby shower and no one called me out on basically being in sweats.

5. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - Finally got around to the newest book in my favorite YA series.  This one's got a lot of material from Blue's point of view, as well as Adam's, which I appreciated because I missed his voice in The Dream Thieves.  I'm hoping that the fourth book will have more chapters from Gansey's perspective.  

6. Bath and Body Works Cinnamon Caramel Swirl 3-Wick Candle - Another Christmas gift from my mom, this candle is the current key to creating cozy in my house.  Be careful, though - with all three wicks lit, it doesn't take long for a whole room to smell like the inside of a cinnamon bun, and it can be a little overwhelmingly spicy.

My December Favorites

Here's what I'm loving this month... 

Disclaimer:  Amazon links contain an affiliate code.

1. Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus volumizing mousse 2. St Ives Even and Bright Scrub 3. 4-Way Nail Buffer from Amazon 4. December desktop calendar from Oana Befort 5. Christmas Welcome Yankee Candle 6. A Thousand Wishes Signature Collection from Bath and Body Works  7. Glee Cast Holiday station on Pandora

Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus volumizing mousse - I purchased this mousse to style my hair in curls for Breeze's wedding last year - I had seen a hairstyling tutorial by Kate from The Small Things and couldn't find Aquage lifting foam, but I used her technique and it worked great! I have been using it for special occasions and all-around good hair days ever since.

St. Ives Even and Bright Scrub - This is what I got when I put "St. Ives Scrub" on the grocery list and Mr. Quinn did the shopping - I meant the traditional apricot scrub and wasn't specific enough.  Well, I'm probably not going back to apricot now that I've discovered this pink lemon and mandarin orange goodness.  I love the smell (it helps me wake up in the morning) and the fact that St. Ives uses all-natural exfoliants rather than pollution-causing plastic microbeads.  This one is gentle enough for everyday use and helps keep my skin clear.

4-Way Nail Buffer - I got one of these babies from a mall kiosk years ago and it's an essential part of my weekly routine.  Each side is covered with a different grain of buffer, perfect for smoothing out ridges, shaping nails, and buffing them to a pretty shine just like the technicians at the salon.

Oana Befort desktop calendar - I'm addicted to desktop calendars and this one is so merry and bright for the holidays!  Oana Befort is such a talented artist; I love her slightly bohemian style.

Christmas Welcome Yankee Candle - My favorite Yankee Candle scent, Sugared Apple, gets an upgrade for Christmas by being swirled together with Red Apple Wreath.  My house will smell festive every evening!

A Thousand Wishes - This Bath and Body Works scent is perfect for the holidays.  The top note is champagne, complemented by some of my favorite scents including peonies, freesia, amber, and almond. 

Glee Cast Holiday station on Pandora - It starts with music from the Glee Christmas Album (I love Lea Michele's version of "Oh Holy Night") and builds from there, so you get some Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, and Michael Bublé thrown in too.  I also like the U2 and She + Him holiday stations, depending on the mood I'm in.

Linking Up:

home goals for 2014: a more efficient living room

We've lived in the Country Townhouse for two and a half years now and still haven't hit the lottery in an amount equal to a house down payment, so it looks like we'll be here for a while longer.  Even though I often find myself feeling a sense of discontent about the lack of privacy, sound control, yard/garden space, and freedom to paint, our townhouse is cute, safe, and VERY convenient to my school and Mr. Q's office.  In fact, I'm worried that I've gotten spoiled being able to leave the house with only a few minutes to spare in the morning, and able to dash home in an emergency if I've left something important.

We're here, and I need to embrace this townhouse as our home, not think of it constantly as a "temporary home" and treat it like a dormitory in terms of upkeep and decorating.  I've decided to follow along with Apartment Therapy's January Cure, and I'm finding the prompts really helpful.  My #1 goal is to make the spaces in our home more efficient.

When we took the Christmas tree down, it became clearer than ever that our living room is only super-efficient when it is time to put a large tree up.  Hey there, empty corner!

During the rest of the year, this empty corner is not a good thing for the flow of our lives.  It becomes a catch-all space for our gym bags and my school bags, stacks of magazines, and my laptop which just sits awkwardly on the carpet.

One day during the Christmas season, I was reading on the sofa and remarked about how happy the Christmas tree made me because it brightened up "my end" of the couch.  Mr. Q kind-of-snarkily replied, "You know what else would do that?  A lamp."

Obviously, we need some end tables and lamps, and I think the best solution for our living room is to center the couch underneath our large painting.  Here are three potential solutions that I whipped up using Polyvore:

Option 1:

That's our actual art and an approximation of what our couch looks like when slipcovered.  The open shelving is from Pier1 and those adorable Mason jar style lamps and linen shades are from World Market.  Mr. Q was skeptical the completely open shelving because he likes the idea of being able to "hide" some of the clutter we accumulate.  Mr. Q did like these lamps the best, and I like the idea of styling them like bookshelves and using baskets to deal with the clutter situation, so I decided to see what that would look like...





Option 2:


I have so many pictures of rooms with storage baskets on my Pinterest that it's kind of ridiculous, so I wanted to see what that would look like in our room.  The end tables (from Pier1) are a very similar wood and style to our entertainment console, so that would bring some continuity to the room.  I like the texture the baskets add to the space, and I chose a lamp from Target (paired with the same World Market shade as the first option) with a really low profile to balance things out.  I think this one is my second favorite because I could always remove the baskets and do something similar to the look above.

Option 3:

The most traditional design would be these end tables with drawers paired with mercury glass lamps.  I love mercury glass and the style of these tables is VERY similar to our entertainment console.  However, I'm not sure these tables would be versatile enough to hold our laptops as well as all of the other "stuff" we accumulate during our after-work couch lazytime.  I'm also worried that the drawers would become junk drawers!

Which of these looks is your favorite?  How do you manage clutter in your living area and keep the things you need available?

Thanksgiving Cocktail Party

I've shared some ideas for a modern family Thanksgiving dinner; our celebration this year is shaping up to be more of a "friendsgiving" with a light meal and drinks.  I love the idea of incorporating classy gold accents with a cheeky woodland animal theme.

How to Style:

View this set on Polyvore

1. Anthropologie linen napkin  2. Anthropologie animal cocktail napkins
3. Pier1 acorn vase filler  4. C. Wonder ikat dessert plate  5. Rondo gold flatware from Horne
6. Threshold brass wine stopper from Target (part of a set)  7. West Elm stemless wineglass

Keep reading for my dream Friendsgiving menu!

A Modern Thanksgiving

In just a few weeks, we'll be celebrating one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving!    For the past two years, Mr. Q and I have hosted Thanksgiving for our immediate family at our townhouse.  I've decorated with a pretty traditional orange, burgundy, and olive color scheme both years, but man, what a difference a year in the blog world makes!

Thanksgiving 2011                                       Thanksgiving 2012    

This year, Thanksgiving dinner will be a bit different because my mother and father in law will be taking a trip to Tennessee, and we've decided to stay at home.  I'm not quite sure what our holiday celebration will look like, but I'm considering a very different color scheme - something much less pilgrims and turkeys and much more geometric and cool.

How to Style:

Visit this set on Polyvore

1. Threshold server from Target 2. West Elm Hive vases  3. Pier1 chip and dip
4. West Elm dip bowls  5. World Market charger  6. Orla Kiely plates from Amara 
7. Threshold flatware from Target

I like the idea of pairing this modern tablescape with healthier takes on traditional Thanksgiving favorites.  Keep reading for some recipes that may be appearing on my Thanksgiving table.