HOLIDAY HOSTESS GIFTS

i've been a little under the weather the past few days... hence the not-so-personal blog. and my not-so-personal i just mean not pictures i've taken myself. 

however, i do love me some champagne - and all things cocktails, even on a monday are ok with me. 

and today i thought we could get a head start on holiday shopping.. shall we?!

let's start with something small you can give to the hostess to one the holiday parties your fabulous self will be invited to this year! you know you don't want to show up empty handed, right?!

here are a few favorite and simple, but still girly gifts that are guaranteed to make the hostess know you appreciate the hard work that went into planning the party!

1. tea towels || studiopatro 

2. gold lip mug || gramercy & co 

3. fresh flowers that will last through the season

4. pink champagne || verve clicquot 

5. wine tote || kate spade 

6. greek coasters || southern belle monograms

7. metallic glassware || west elm 

8. gold cheese knives || west elm 

CHAMPAGNE IS THE ANSWER!

Champagne

is the answer!

with the holidays creeping up on us, its time to think holiday parties and family get-togethers! which for most of us means stocking up on your favorite beverages!

mine is champagne. 

if i had to pick my all time favorite champagne drink, it would just be straight bubbles, super chilled in a pretty glass. second would be a glass of bubbles with a splash of st. germain. it adds just a little hint of sweet and girly!

browsing pinterest recently i came across some fun holiday champagne drinks!

each of them look like they deserve a taste test- shall we!?!

spiced apple-cider champagne cocktail || raspberry pomegranate champagne cocktail

cranberry-ginger champagne cocktail || pomegranate champagne punch

and lastly this beauty!

a society sparkler or: a white peach & cardamom bellini

who wouldn't want to have pretty edible gold stars on their rim at your holiday party this year?!

do you have a signature drink?

or even better- what holiday drink are you serving this year?!

FALL TO-DO || RECAP

remember the fall-to-do post i did a few weeks back?!
well today i have a recap for you on how many things i actually crossed of the list!
a  winter-do-do or maybe a holiday-to-do list will be on the blog soon!!
setting little goals is a fun way to try new things, and checking off the list is even more fun;)


 COOK MORE MEALS AT HOME

i made this classic meal
tried this new chicken dish
and i gave my baking skills a try with this pumpkin bread

CARVE  PUMPKINS

sp and i carved pumpkins together at the ranch this year and i forgot to take pics - oops!
but we have a carve-off at the mamma lanes house: here is the outcome from that night of fun:

KEEP FRESH FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE

fresh flowers to bring fall colors into the home:)

TRY A NEW RESTAURANT

hg supply co was a date night fav

SNAIL MAIL

i sent out two letters to two new friends this month.. my mail box is eagerly awaiting pretty envelops in return!

WEEKLY WALKS

we managed to continue our weekly walk! might have skipped a week, but even with the cooler weather blowing in, we still kept our goal of at least one weekly walk together!

TRY A NEW COFFEE SHOP

source
this was a fail. i didnt make it to a new coffee shop ...
i have a bad tendency to just keep going back for my favorite coffee in town:
laguna coffee + tea
if you have not been- you should try them this weekend. its on lovers lane (next to cafe express)
and you should order the iced honey vanilla latte (one pump vanilla and skim milk) - 
trust me, its amazing! 

IN MY BAG

w a l l e t || michael kors

i p h o n e 

w a t e r  b o t t le || camelback

s u n g l a s s e s || ray bans

k e y   r i n g  || tiffany's

t o t e  || mz wallace

b a b y   l i p s || maybelline 

on the daily my bag is more crowded than the few items listed above 

but these are the staples that i never take out of my bag! 

additionally i almost always have a koozie with me (camo of course).  a yoga teaching script and a bottle of essential oil (normally lavender). its great to dab on your wrist when you need a clam moment and i like using it at the end of a yoga class when i give the students a nice shoulder massage. 

whats in your bag? 

do you have something you can't leave the house without?!

MUSTANGS AND BLOG UPDATES

there is just something about these wild mustangs i cannot get enough of. 

when i am at the ranch, i always look forward to riding along in the truck and heading out to feed and count the wild mustangs, at least once during a visit. 

even if it means opening and closing the gates along the way!

driving into a pasture and watching these beautiful mustangs run in from all corners is fascinating. 

once they see or hear the truck, its like the dinner bell goes off and they come running as fast as they can to get their first! now, from some of the pictures your might be able to see some of the mustangs have their ears back... they are full of energy with a little side of mean-ness. reminder, therese mustangs are completely wild, not an ounce of tame in their body! so they will 'fight', kick, bite and stomp to make it to the feed first. 

hope you enjoy these pictures- they make me smile just looking back at them!

on another note... 

have you seen the pretty new changes on the blog, in particular the side bar?!

thanks to the beautiful work of aubrey from the kinch life design there are now pretty social media buttons , categories and even a grab button up for grabs to share your love for the life of the lane blog!!

please give a warm welcome to all the lovely ladies on my sidebar! 

i have built a sweet 'blog friend' relationship with each of these darling girls, so excited to share my love for them and their blogs on my blog!

t h e r e s a || from foothills to fog

a m a n d a || the lady okie

b r i t t a n y || happy is a choice

b r i t t a n i || linen & lace

l a u r a || happily ever parker

let me know what you think of the new button!

happy monday and november -- wait, its november already? i.e.: holiday season?!

where did this year go?

x o x o