Hey, Everyone! It’s a fancy seeing you here. If you’re only a blog reader and do not follow me on social media than you’ve probably been wondering where I’ve been. It’s not like me to leave the blog blank most of the week. Well, I’ve been over on YouTube participating in Vlogmas every day! Can we talk about Vlogmas for a second? Wow! Before I committed to Vlogmas, I thought creating a video each day would be a breeze, but holy cow is it a lot of work. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. I’ve been having so much fun, and it’s cool to try something new out now and then. I know a lot of you have been watching my videos daily, and the feedback has been so kind and supportive, which I appreciate to the fullest. Even though most of my time is being put into those videos this month, I promised always to get my recap posts out, so here I am! This week was extra Christmasy and overly cozy! Grab your coffee, and let’s get started!
After getting my blog work done on Monday morning, I headed out on a holiday bedroom decor hunt. I thought it would be fun to do a holiday room tour on Vlogmas and share the whole shopping experience. I never used to decorate my room for the holidays, but I think it’s a complete game-changer. I love watching a Christmas movie before bed and having my room decorated for Christmas puts me in the holiday spirit even more.
You can get all the room details on my Vlogmas Day 4 video!
I was so hungry after running around all day and decorating. For dinner, I had leftover homemade chicken nuggets, sweet green beans, butternut squash, and quinoa. I spend most of the evenings editing my videos while watching Christmas movies.
I finally got rid of my Halloween doormat and replaced it with this cute “Oh What Fun!” mat! I just love it. It was only $12.99! Details here.
I had my protein oats almost every single morning this week. When it’s cold outside, they are my go-to! Plus, it’s quick, delicious, and filling. I cook my oats with water, mix in one scoop of protein powder, and top it with paleo-style muesli and peanut butter. I always cook the oats with extra water because the protein powder will absorb it.
For lunch, I had a protein bowl for lunch. It had macadamia nuts, strawberries, matcha powder, spirulina, protein powder, coconut flakes, banana, coconut water, and ice! All of the details are on Vlogmas Day 5!
I took Leo to the vet for his follow up after finding out his white blood cell count was high. We had to get work done before he could go in for his surgery, so that was also pushed back. He’ll now be going under on Thursday. When I got home, I made my gluten & dairy free oreo balls for my video. I’ve had so many of you requesting the recipe, so I thought it would be perfect for a video. That’s also on Vlogmas day 5!
For dinner, I made a cheese Daiya pizza (my fave) and a side salad with butter lettuce, crab smart, sweet salad peppers, and balsamic dressing.
I made a decaf Cappuccino to enjoy while watching the Christmas Chronicles on Netflix and editing my videos. Netflix has been crushing it with Christmas movies lately.
I decided to build an at-home self-care basket after having a pretty hectic morning. On Vlogmas Day 6, I shared what I added to the basket, and how to make your at-home spa night come to life!
I tried out the Ginger Fire Chai Stash tea during my spa night and was shocked at how amazing it was! It was spicy and sweet, which made it the perfect tea blend to warm up to in the winter.
Nothing better than this dreamy bath ❤️
For dinner, I had my leftover green beans with gluten & dairy free crab cake that I picked up at Earthfare! I was over the moon when I saw them there. Crabcakes are my favorite, but it’s hard to find gluten free ones. This has inspired me to search for a good recipe and make soon. If you have any excellent crab cake recipes, please send them my way! I spent the night editing and catching up on some of my fave T.V. shows.
I was looking forward to Thursday all week! I had a hair appointment for another trim and conditioning treatment. I’ve been keeping up with my cuts and conditions every month for the past five months, so I’m pretty proud of myself! If you’re looking for a good hair stylist in the Charlotte area, I highly recommend going to see Savannah at Dolce Lusso in the Park Road Plaza. She’s amazing! My hair is not the easiest to work with, but she always makes it look so good!
After my hair appointment, I headed to Leo’s vet to pick up some of his medication. Leo picked up an infection, which would explain the high white blood cell count and him being sick. He’s doing much better now, so we are feeling very grateful.
Leo’s vet is right next to one of my favorite coffee shops, Queen City Grounds. I stopped in there to grab an almond milk cappuccino as an afternoon pick-me-up. It was amazing!
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do for Vlogmas day 7, so I came up with the idea to turn trash into masterpiece ornaments for my Christmas tree!
I forgot how long crafts take to do 😆 I’m way too impatient when it comes to paint drying. You’ll have to check out my videos to see what I made!
These were from the Starbucks puppuccino cups! I bought enough crab cakes to last all week!
I put them all the in the freezer so I could have whenever I wanted. For dinner, I had my crab cake with roasted potatoes and a kale salad. My salad had chopped kale, garlic tahini, mango, coconut aminos, and red onions!
On Friday, I had my coffee and spent the morning editing videos and getting caught up on emails.
I’m absolutely obsessed with this new mug I ordered from Etsy! I wasn’t expecting it to turn out THIS incredible. You get to choose the colors, and almost all the customization! I wanted to share the link HERE just in case you want one.
On Friday afternoon, I headed to my parent’s house because my dad agreed to film a Dairy-Free Eggnog taste test for Vlogmas Day 8 with me!! Make sure to check that out 😃
On Friday evening, I had my homemade cappuccino and then got ready for our night out with some friends.
We walked the Christmas village in Uptown Charlotte before heading to our dinner reservation.
We had reservations at Halcyon, Flavors from the Earth. Kyle and I had dinner here a couple of years ago and loved it. The food is seasonal and incredibly fresh.
I took you guys along with me during Vlogmas Day 8! I love filming videos because it brings the night to life.
After spending the morning editing and working, I headed an hour out of town to meet up with Becca! It’s so sad that we live so far apart now, but we make it work. 😉We had BIG plans for the day! We wanted to film a MUKBANG for Vlogmas day 9. We were so excited about it because we had wanted to do something like this for a while now.
We decided to start the day with some coffee (LIKE WE ALWAYS DO!) We wanted to try out Cafe Moka coffee shop before picking up the food for our video. Coffee? DELISH. Atmosphere? AMAZING! We are adding this to our favorite coffee spots. We’ve been thinking about filming a video of our favorite coffee spots in the Charlotte area.
We were so busy filming that I forgot to take photos of our food, but good thing it’s all on Vlogmas Day 9!!! If you’re wondering what a Mukbang is, it’s where we sit in from of the camera with a ton of food and just talk! We decided to turn it into a Q&A and answer a lot of your questions. We discussed relationships, weight loss, how we met, and so much more!
We’ve had some crazy winter weather this weekend! Mostly ice, snow, and rain!
Kyle and I headed out to run some errands yesterday, and it was gorgeous to see the neighborhood look like a winter wonderland (well for the South anyways)
The roads were just straight up ICE! Luckily, I had my Backcountry boots to keep me from sliding all over the place.
Last night, I worked on Vlogmas Day 10, which will be posted this afternoon on Youtube! I made my Grandpa’s gumdrop cookies, and I’ll be sharing that recipe and showing you guys how I made them.
Oh, hey Grumps! We all know what he was staring at…
For dinner, I had some leftover vegetables from the MUKBANG and a crab cake. So far, Vlogmas is going great, and I’ve been having SO MUCH dang fun!!! ♥️ I hope you guys are enjoying them!!
Questions for you!
- Have you been watching Vlogmas?
- What shall I film next?
- Do you decorate your bedroom for the Holidays?
Aggy says
Ahh now my Monday is complete, your posts are so uplifting and it’s nice to see fall colors since it’s currently rainy and gloomy here in Orlando, FL. So happy for Becca on her engagement, also loving your Vlogmas’ on YouTube, thank you for taking the time to do those.
Hope you have an awesome week girl!
Ps. I tried clicking the link to the mug but it’s not working. Just wanted to give you a heads up. 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
Aww thank you!!! 😊 thanks for letting me know!! i’ll fix the mug link!!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
What a beautiful festive post! You’ve got me in the Christmas mood now, Taralynn! I can’t wait, two weeks ’till the 25th! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks so much, Charmaine!!!
BriAnna Dehdasht says
Thanks for the healthy food inspiration 🙂 I work from home- so always look to your blog for new at home inspiration. 🙂
Two of my fav holidays movies: Family Stone and The Family Man… grab tissues though….
Merry Christmas
Taralynn McNitt says
You’re welcome, Brianna! 💜
Ohhh yes, Family Stone is so good!! I forgot about that one!
Lisa says
Can you do a post on how you organize your day in your planner?
Taralynn McNitt says
Yes! 🙂
Jenna says
Yes your vlogmas videos are my favorite! I’m trying to catch up!
Maybe you trying different Christmas foods? Idk! LOL.
I don’t decorate my room for Christmas, I don’t spend a lot of time in there…
Taralynn McNitt says
Hope you enjoy catching up on them!! That could be a fun video!
Heather @ Polyglot Jot says
That mug is so cute…maybe I’ll have to order myself one too! I LOVE mugs that are oversized and cozy. Now you’ve got me craving crabcakes! I’m gluten free and haven’t found any lately that I can have…will have to see if I can get my hands on that brand you mentioned.
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks, Heather!! Ommmmg if you have an Earthfare by you, you must check them out!! They’re so good!!
Erin says
I have been watching vlogmas!! Weird question but how often do you get recognized in public from your blog?! Does it ever happen in other states? That must be so cool for you 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
Woooo!! Thanks for watching, Erin!!! Haha I do get recognized but only a few times a month or so. I just love getting to meet readers!!
Emily says
I’ve been keeping up with all of your videos during Vlogmas…love them! I have a few scrap things I am going to try and make Into ornaments!
How is The Christmas Chronicles? I plan to watch it sometime this week! 😊🎄
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you so much!!! I LOVED it!!
Katie Meshko says
Awwww SOOO fun & festive girl!!! I love all of your vlogs!! So glad you got some snow!!
XOXO, Katie | http://www.meshkomoments.com/christmas-cards-with-basic-invite/
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you, Katie!!!
Amy says
You are killing Vlogmas!
Taralynn McNitt says
awwwww thanks, Amy!!
Megan says
That white pom beanie is SO CUTE. Where did you get it??
Taralynn McNitt says
H&M! ♥️
Anonymous says
Do you have a real or fake tree?
Taralynn McNitt says
Team fake tree!
Natalija says
Thank you so much for this colourful and such festive post! I hope poor Leo feels better soon! I can imagine how worried you were.The handmade Christmas tree decorations were so cute,especially the Starbucks cups. And-super awesome vlogmas videos!
Taralynn McNitt says
Leo is feeling much better! That was one of the most fun videos!! ♥️
Lisa Wilson says
Loving Vlogmas so much! so nice to see the fun, weirdo side of you haha Merry Christmas x
Taralynn McNitt says
Hahaha, Thanks, Lisa!!
Leanne says
I absolutely love your vlogs and posts! They are so uplifting and cheerful. Thank you for sharing with us.
Taralynn McNitt says
Awww, thanks, Leanne!!!
Leanne says
I absolutely love all your vlogs and posts, they are so creative and cheerful! You inspire me Taralynn.
Taralynn McNitt says
♥️ thank you, Leanne!!
Anonymous says
Hi Taralynn! Love your blog and Vlogmas, excited to hear about the new podcast 🙂 can you share the dishes you order at restaurants like Halcyon? Would be interested to hear what you and Kyle picked and if it was good! Thanks and have a great week 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
I ordered their brussel sprout cast iron salad and it had cranberries with sweet potato and I ordered it without blue cheese. I also had their in-season fresh caught fish. It was a Dorado with an aioli sauce, tomatoes, and fingerling potatoes. They change their menu weekly and sometimes daily depending on what’s coming into the restaurant 🙂
Harriet says
Such a festive recap 🎄also loving your vlogmas! Yes to decorating the bedroom, especially for Christmas Day it gives you all the warm fuzzy feelings when waking up. Hope you have a great week!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thank you, Harriet!!!
Sharron says
The amount of effort you’re putting into Vlgomas is great!
Taralynn McNitt says
So sweet of you! xo xo
Lauren says
I have been LIVING for your Vlogs-I feel like I know you and we are friends! haha!
Question-in a lot of your vlogs you have a super cute scrunchie type thing, where is that from??
Taralynn McNitt says
AWWWW thanks, Lauren!!!! It’s from American Eagle!!
Shaun says
i LOVED watching the Mugtaba! I cant wait for your podcast please share once it starts!!
Taralynn McNitt says
Will do!!!!!