The Holiday Season and Sunday Morning Coffee

Thanksgiving is in 32 days, our Christmas party is in 55 days, and Christmas is in 59 days. The holiday season is right around the corner. And I will be ready.
We have scheduled a last-minute vacation for this week and cannot wait. And because I started panicking, I got organized, and wow! This is all going to work out.

Season 4 Volume 42
Thanks for joining me for Sunday Morning Coffee. This is a place to share, learn, explain, dream, and have fun. Let’s get started!


About Me

Even though you won’t find a single Christmas decoration in our home, it is starting to feel like Christmas.
Wait, what?
I have chosen a new color palette for Christmas, and I love it.
The menu for our Christmas party is complete, and there are six new items. I don’t think that has happened in at least ten years. Maybe twenty years.

I have made huge progress with our holiday party invites.
I ordered my holiday wrapping paper.
The craft room has been busy with holiday projects, and I still have many more to complete!
So, yes, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.
The holiday season will soon be here.
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My Latest Project

I have been spending a lot of time preparing for the holiday season because I don’t want to get behind. We planned a last-minute vacation this week!
We leave for Cabo in four days. Yippee.
Believe it or not, I have already sent out our annual holiday party invites. For the first time, the invites went out two months before the party.
That is a new record by about a month.
Our party is December 21st this year, and since Thanksgiving is late this year, I need to get a jump on things. In about ten days, I will start making desserts, tart shells, and more goodies soon because I can freeze them.
If you aren’t familiar with our annual holiday party, we invite over 200 people for cocktails, appetizers, and desserts. There is enough food for dinner, and I cook it all—I do!
This year, we are hosting our 36th holiday party. (I didn’t count the one we had in 2020 for six people—just our family.)

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My Biggest Challenge This Week

I am in fix-it or-else mode. What’s that?
It’s taking care of all those nagging things in our home that need fixing.
And it’s not just things in our one hundred year old home—which is to be expected—but also problems in our newly remodeled beach house. Aargh.

What kind of items are on my list?
Things like the fireplace in Ventura, which stopped working in January, the leak in the instant hot under the beverage sink, and the drip in the faucet in our one hundred-year-old kitchen, which apparently can only be fixed by replacing the entire faucet. Since that faucet matches the other faucet in our kitchen, I have to replace two.
The list goes on, and I hope to get everything fixed before Thanksgiving.
Wish me luck.
And please tell me I am not the only one with a list like this!

- Make pumpkin sourdough loaves for friends.
- Pack for Cabo.
- Enjoy vacation.


I think this might be my favorite primary bathroom by Em Henderson. The floor plan is brilliant!

I love these Dried Grapefruit Slices, an easy natural holiday idea.

Jennifer Garner’s “Favorite” Fluffy Pancakes are the best!

This Pumpkin Bread is delicious!

Ina Garten’s “Out of This World” Coconut Cake looks delish!

And what a week it was!
- Christmas Decor in the Dining Room
There is always that funny in-between moment in early December when the house is decorated with Christmas decor, yet one room is still clinging to fall. This year, that room was the dining room. I decorated the rest of our home… - Christmas Clay Ornaments DIY
The holiday season is the perfect time to embrace creativity and make something special for your home or loved ones. I made Christmas clay ornaments with napkins and resin. I crafted Christmas clay ornaments using napkin transfers, a fun and simple… - Christmas Morning Breakfast in the Family Room
I am sharing one of my favorite decorated rooms for Christmas over the years. It was the best place to host a Christmas Morning Breakfast that reflected the season’s joy. My plan for this room was to blend traditional elements with… - The Best Christmas Gifts and Sunday Morning Coffee
One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is finding the perfect gifts for the people I love. Not the biggest gifts. Not the most expensive gifts. But the right gifts … the ones that feel thoughtful, personal, and meaningful…. - Christmas Wreath Decorated Cookies
I made these Christmas wreath decorated cookies with frosting and wreaths made from edible wafer paper cut with a hole-punch. I painted the paper with green icing gel and cut out the leaves with a leaf-shaped hole punch. These may sound… - Sweater Christmas Ornaments – A Handmade Christmas
This week’s A Handmade Christmas project, Sweater Christmas Ornaments, is absolutely adorable and very easy to make. These little clay sweaters combine everything I love about holiday crafting: simple materials, cozy textures, creativity without stress, and that special handmade touch that…


Have you heard of Dopamine Menus? They are trending this fall, and here is what Martha is sharing!

This is my last week featuring fall content, as November 1st is when I start sharing Christmas ideas. This week on the blog, you will find the most amazing Purple Sweet Potato Pie and a wonderful Pear and Cranberry tart. Plus, I am sharing fall craft ideas and an easy fall wreath. On Friday, I start my series, Twelve Days of Getting Ready for Christmas, which includes tips for choosing a holiday color palette and some great stocking stuffer ideas.







- The Wedding – S4 – V41
- Family Moments – S4/V40
- Holiday Shopping – S4/V39
- Getting Settled – S4/V38
- Grandma Tips – S4/V37
- Biking in France – S4/V36
- New York City – S4/V35
- Decorating for Fall – S4/V34
- Preparing For a Trip – S4/V33
- The Best Summer – S4/V32
- Sisters at the Beach – S4/V31
- Ready for Fall Decor – S4/V30
- Traveling with Girlfriends – S4/V29
- Summer Dinner on the Beach – S4/V28
- Amazon Prime Early Deals – S4/V27
- Family Time – S4/V26
- Prepping My Craft Room – S4/V25
- Summer Decor Ideas – S4/V24
- A Trip to France – S4/V24
- A Surprise Birthday Celebration – S4/V23
- A Big Birthday Week – S4/V22
- Summer is Here – S4/V21
- Family Week – S4/V20
- Lessons From My Mom – S4/V19
- The Willamette Valley Wineries – S4/V18
- A Week in Ventura Beach – S4/V17
- A Birthday Celebration – S4/V16
- Enjoying Spring – S4/V15
- Family Gatherings – S4/V14
- Ventura Beach – S4/V13
- Embracing Spring – S4/V12
- Vintage Shopping – S4/V11
- My Texas Trip – S4/V10
- Why I Love Gardening – S4/V9
- A Beach House Tour One Year Later – S4/V8
- Why I Gave Up Desserts 8 Years Ago – S4/V7
- Valentine’s Day Dinner at Home – S4/V6
- Home Projects – S4/V5
- Why I Love Serena and Lily – S4/V4
- Why I Love January – S4/V3
- Valentine’s Day Plans – S4/V2
- The New Year – S4/V1
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This Week’s Top Sellers
We shared many of our favorite home items this week, and here are the top sellers!

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I love to start early with my Christmas plans too and have already knit two Christmas sweaters, knit a few ornaments and am going to Target today and see what they have. Hearing about your Christmas plans has become an important part of my holiday preps, so thank you for planning ahead and sharing! As for house projects, we live in an 80plus year old home and it’s always one thing or another. I love lists too and it’s good to have a deadline. Good luck!
I am with you Kristen! I love that I am apart of your Christmas process ☺️ good luck to you too!