My Christmas Bucket List- 25 tasks in 25 days!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010


My head has already started spinning with the number of things I need to do to get ready for Christmas. This year, I've got my man back and my girls have their Dada  here for Christmas. Celebrating the holidays via Skype last year was a unique experience but it's something that I hope we never have to repeat. I'm trying to be organized and efficient throughout the first half of the month so that I can actually enjoy hosting BOTH sets of families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Without further ado, here is the massive list of things that I hope to accomplish. (I'll update with pics as I cross things off my list)


1. Design and order Christmas Cards
2. Design and print labels for Christmas cards
3. Line envelopes and address cards, get in the mail before December 5th
4. Research pricing on Christmas trees, thinking about going with lightly flocked tree? (tacky? can't decide)
5. Purchase a few new ornaments and goodies for the tree to tie in decor with living room
6. Decorate tree while watching elf and drinking hot cocoa
7. Finalize guest list for Christmas dinner
8. Plan menu for Christmas dinner and assign dishes to family (I'm finally learning to delegate :)
9. Print and cut out Paiges of Style holiday collection gift tags
10.Wrap presents as I purchase them (my goal is to avoid wrapping all gifts on Christmas Eve)
11. Make homemade gifts for friends and wrap in cute packaging
12. Take the girls to meet Santa, praying for happier children this year (see pics posted below from last years visit)
13. Hang exterior Christmas lights
14. Watch Elf anytime the holidays are getting stressful to remind myself it's supposed to be fun
15. Plan hubby's birthday party, his birthday is Christmas Eve, ahhh!
16. Design the holiday table and buy any necessary items
17. Gifts, gifts, gifts, must finish shopping BEFORE the mall turns into a total zoo
18. Help plan my mom's birthday party, yippee!!!
19. Spray paint pumpkins gold and silver to decorate under the tree
20. Decorate entryway, mantels and a few other spots throughout the house
21. Finish up any home projects in preparation for hosting Christmas
22. Ice skate on the oceanfront skating rink at Coronado
23.Put some money aside to buy discounted new holiday decor the day after Christmas
24. Buy some new Christmas books to read with the girls that teach the "real" meaning of CHRISTmas
25. Enjoy spending the holiday season with my family (the MOST important task of all!)

Wish me luck!







Best Damn Green Beans Ever!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

If you are anything like me, canned veggies kinda make you shutter a little bit. So, in honor of Thanksgiving, I am going to share my families very delicious and totally unhealthy recipe for the best damn green beans your holiday table has ever seen. It's nothing gourmet or fancy, but it hits the spot and marks the beginning of the holiday season for me. I sort of pride myself on being a foodie, but there are times that comfort trumps fanciness and this is exactly one of those times.

Drumroll please... May I present Swiss Beans!

Ingredients
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 Tbsp grated onion, use a cheese grater or you can finely chop it
2 cups sour cream
8 cups drained cooked green beans (make sure they are still a little crunchy)
1 lb swiss cheese, grated
4 cups corn flakes, crushed
4 Tbsp butter

1. Melt 4 Tbsp butter over medium heat and add flour, stir until it forms a paste.
2. Add salt, pepper, sugar and onion. Mix thoroughly.
3. Fold in sour cream and cook over medium low heat a few minutes until thickened.
4. Fold in cooked green beans.
5. Spray 9x13 pyrex with cooking spray. Spread half of the green bean/sour cream mixture on the bottom of the pyrex dish and top with half of the swiss cheese. Repeat the layers making sure to end with cheese on top.
6. Melt remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter and add crushed cornflakes.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and top with cornflakes only for the last 10 minutes

About Yours Truly

Monday, November 22, 2010

Hi and welcome to Paiges of Style! So, you're probably wondering why I'm starting this blog. Well, I decided  I needed to add another thing to my already full plate. Ha!

I am a wife to a wonderful and charming man and mama to two beautiful and sometimes sweet little girls. I own an interior design business named Paiges of Style Home (formerly PK Interiors, wasn't that boring?) and have recently launched a little etsy shoppe also named Paiges of Style where I sell paper goods and party printables.

I've always been the go to person among my friends for recipes, party planning advice, interiors questions and all things style related so here I am starting a blog, isn't that what everybody is doing these days? My hope is to stand out among the rest by showing both beautiful and inspiring things and also the behind the scenes stuff that makes this crazy life so wonderful and chaotic.

While my introduction basically makes me sound like superwoman, I am FAR from it. I am totally anal but completely disorganized. I know, it makes no sense. Here are some other random fun facts about me:

1. I am married to my high school sweetheart.
2. My two little girls are 16 months apart, what were we thinking?
3. I am a proud Navy wife who survived two deployments while pregnant.
4. I can NEVER find my keys when I need them.
5. We don't have a dishwasher in our house and I long for one every. single. day.
6.  I eat pretty much everything. I even ate squid liver as a kid on a trip to Japan.  And they convinced me the  plastic grass looking leaves that come with sushi were in fact edible. My dad still thinks that story is funny!
7. My favorite movie is "A Chorus Line"
8. I am California born and raised but living in the South was a blast and it changed me for the better. Fried turkey anyone?
9. I am ultra competitive. I hate to lose but am working on handling defeat with grace.
10. Hosting and planning parties makes me happy, even if it means I only get a couple hours of sleep.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Here are some pics of my little family. Shoot me a note, I'd love to learn a little bit about you too!