New Year’s Eve will look different this year, but we do not have to. Put on your most festive outfit or loungewear!! And make the best of it. Here are some great examples of fun festive items to make you forget about 2020 and look forward to brighter days in 2021. They are all also great additions to your wardrobe for when we can celebrate together again.
Sequin Top, Hair Pins, Feather Heels, Sequin Sweatshirt, Leather Top, Ankle Boot, Sparkle Earrings, Sequin Pants, Taffeta Top, Pink Sequin Top, Skirt,
All year long I save covers of books in my photos that I want to read and recommend to my readers. Most of the time, I pick them for weekly Book Club posts but this year I had so many more. I decided to put them in one post in case you want to check them out, bookmark the pages or add them to your wishlists. I am hoping to go down this list within the next few months. They all have been described as cannot put down must reads.. I really cannot wait!!!!!!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
From the author of Daisy Jones & The Six—an entrancing novel “that speaks to the Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in us all” (Kirkus Reviews), in which a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. – Amazon.com
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two wildly different women—one a grifter, the other an heiress—are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear. – Amazon.com
The Book of Essie is the 2018 debut novel of American author Meghan MacLean Weir. It features a 17-year-old named Essie Hicks who is pregnant. To avoid embarrassing her conservative Christian family who are stars of a reality television show, Essie’s mother arranges for her to hastily marry an acquaintance of hers from school. – Wikipedia
The Hamilton Cookbook takes you into Hamilton’s home and to his table, with historical information, recipes, and tips on how you can prepare food and serve the food that our founding fathers enjoyed in their day. – Amazon.com
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect? – Amazon.com
When Astrid Strick witnesses a school bus accident in the center of town, it jostles loose a repressed memory from her young parenting days decades earlier. Suddenly, Astrid realizes she was not quite the parent she thought she’d been to her three, now-grown children. But to what consequence? – Amazon.com
In a historical debut evoking the style of The Crown, the daughter of an impoverished noble is swept into the fame and notoriety of the royal family and Princess Margaret’s fast-living friends when she is appointed as Margaret’s second Lady-in-Waiting. – Amazon
The iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but also the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire moments of transcendent grace – Good Reads
In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves – and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest. -Amazon.com
To My NS Lifestyles Community,
Merry Christmas!!! Although the holidays may look a little different this year, I hope you have a day filled with so much good cheer.
These past 12 months have not been easy for anyone. I am tremendously grateful for this wonderful community. The constant support and kind words from so many of you have kept me and my family going during this past year. I am thankful for all the time I have been able to spend with my family and the constant texts, messages and emails from all of you. All of your loyal support has meant so much to me, so much more than you will ever know.
So a huge THANK YOU for reading, clicking, cooking, and shopping with me. Through all of you, I have seen the good in this crazy world and I know together we can look forward to 2021 with so much excitement, optimism and hope.
Stay Safe and Wishing you many many blessings in the New Year….
XO
Nicole
Image: HN Illustration
Everyone loves to try a new recipe on Christmas morning. I usually make an egg casserole but this year I thought I would switch it up a bit and try a French Toast bake. Most recipes that I found you have to make them well in advance so they sit overnight. This recipe can be made in the morning and it is a cinch. I think I will serve it with an option of powdered sugar as well as the tradition maple syrup. Only 2 more days Fashionistas!!!
Adapted from Dinnerthandessert
- 1 loaf French bread
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into small squares
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, 1/2 and 1/2, sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, vanilla, 2 tablespoons cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Chop the bread into 1-inch cubes and put it in the bowl with the egg mixture and toss well until all the liquid is absorbed.
- In a small bowl or a food processor add the flour, remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and mix.
- Cut in the butter with a fork or pulse in the food processor for 5-10 seconds or until the butter and brown sugar mixture is crumbly.
- Pour the bread and egg mixture into the pan, cover evenly with the brown sugar-butter topping and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is crispy and the center cooked through.
If you still are not sure what to buy and are nervous that time is running out…here are some of the BEST gifts that you can give digitally. These are all completely unique and in most cases really once in a lifetime. Who can say no to that??!!!!!??? Here are some of our favs!!!
Give the gift of Magnolia Bakery. You can purchase a live cooking class in the new year, along with Magnolia Bakery to make their incredible Banana Pudding. For more information, click HERE.
Or for the Sushi Lover…..a Sushi DIY making kit to be delivered in the New Year from New York’s amazing Blue Ribbon Sushi. Click HERE for more information.
Have you always wanted to go to the Oscars? How about a Wolfgang Puck catered dinner instead. Choose the dinner and have it sent right to your home. Click HERE for more information.
This is my absolutely favorite….a complete cocktail party in a box for 8 people from celebrity chef Mary Giuliani…For more information, click HERE.
Another one of my favorites is a glamorous night of a festive and delicious collection of Polo Bar classics. There are two very special packages to choose from. This limited-time offer would be the ultimate gift….For more information, click HERE.
Do you have a Hallmark movie lover in your life? A subscription to Hallmark Movies Now is the perfect gift. You can give unlimited access to all Hallmark movies for as many months as you would like. For more information, click HERE.
I became obsessed with vintage Santa mugs a few years ago when I saw them being used for hot chocolate in a Christmas ad. Then I started to notice them all over during the holiday season. Each year I would search on Etsy or eBay for some of my own. So far I have found mugs, ice buckets, pitchers, creamers all with vintage Santa faces. They have become so popular that I now see them in so many Christmas vignettes all over Pinterest, Instagram, and online magazine spreads. I think Etsy has some of the best selection and in the best condition, see the current assortment HERE. In the meanwhile here is some of my inspiration for holiday decorating with vintage Santas.
