Happy Friday! After an exhausting week and coming down with a bad cold, I couldn’t be more ready for the weekend. How about you? Five things on my mind today…

1. I have been on the hunt for a gray suede pump, and couldn’t move fas enough when I saw this pair. I literally ordered the last pair, but they are still available in black here. I have them in the cobalt blue (above), and they are seriously the most comfortable pumps I’ve ever owned. I can’t wait until they arrive. Now I need a nude pair and a leopard pair, and I’ll be good to go – I’m loving the look (and price point) of these and these. 

2. Since I’m pregnant, and only get to enjoy one latte/day, I’ve been craving hot chocolate lately. I have been a little under the weather this week, so having something hot to sip on (I’m not a big tea person) is essential. Check out these 15 amazing hot chocolate recipes for winter – I can’t wait to try a few of them. 

3. We are in the process of redoing our fireplace, and it feels like it’s taking for-ev-errrrr. When we lived in California, renovations were extremely fast and far less expensive than in New York – double downer. We will be renovating our kitchen, and all bathrooms and I’m kind of dreading it given how long it has taken to get smaller projects done (going on 8 weeks for the fireplace, and the painters were here for 12 weeks – TWELVE!).  However, I’m still really excited and love seeing the spaces transform. Here are a few photos we used as inspiration for our fireplace, and what it currently looks like. Hope to have it completed within the next month – stay tuned. 

4. We’ve been pinning holiday decor like crazy this week, and it’s definitely getting us in the spirit. Follow all of our boards here. 

5. Speaking of… It’s so easy to get caught up in giving and receiving during the holiday season (it is definitely my favorite time of year), but it’s also important to remember there are so many people who are not as fortunate. Growing up, my family ‘adopted’ a local family each year, and we bought presents for them to be delivered on Christmas. It always amazed me how different our adopted family’s Christmas list was from our own, and I plan to continue that with my family in New York. There are so many ways to give back – donating to a charity, adopting a family, or even purchasing gifts that give. There is no such thing as “too little” when giving back. 

Have a happy weekend! xx