oh christmas tree

on saturday we went and bought a christmas tree. our family tradition is to make a trip out to this small village that has a bunch of families selling the trees right out of their garages, driveways or barns. 

it's so much fun hunting for the tree that's just right while drinking hot wine, eating waffles and freezing our toes off. once that tree is found it's of course time for more food! 

i'm pretty sure logan could eat all day long anyway. he also loved riding on his brand new tricycle (yes, it says puky, i know, husband laughed pretty hard) and playing with my brother's girlfriend's phone. it's amazing how easily he can unlock that iphone and open different apps. kinda scary actually... 

so what are your christmas tree buying traditions? 

recipe: chicken tikka masala

Ok friends, this is definitely a recipe you need to try out asap! I fell in love with chicken tikka masala a few months back and since I didn't have all the ingredients needed for a recipe I found online, my own version was quickly born. It's super easy to make and the spicyness can definitely be adjusted to your liking. 

You'll need:

a large can of diced tomatoes (16oz)

a few fresh tomatoes if you'd like, diced

1-1 1/2 cups of chopped mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic or 1-2 fresh cloves

1 bay leaf

1 clove

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp yellow curry powder, or more depending on your taste

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp sugar 

salt and pepper 

1 1/2 cups half and half or heavy whipping cream

2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks and seared in a pan

chop the onion and sautee it in some oil or butter. add in the garlic, chopped mushrooms and fresh tomatoes. let cook for a couple of minutes. 

add the entire can of diced tomatoes, sugar, all the spices (except for the bay leaf and clove) and stir well. 

add the half and half (or whipping cream). stir again. 

this is how I prevent losing the bay leaf and especially the clove in the sauce: carefully stick one clove in the middle of a large bay leaf and add it into the sauce. make sure not to stir too much now. 

let the sauce simmer for about 5-10 minutes. 

now remove the bay leaf and clove. taste your sauce and add more curry powder if you'd like. also add salt and pepper to taste. finally, add the chicken. 

i love to make this amazing trader joe's havest blend mix of quinoa, pearl cous cous and orzo. it's delicious. you can of course also make plain rice or a different side. 

dig in and enjoy! it's soooooo good :) 

holiday style for less

inspiration picture source

vest from ruche

skirt from h&m

turtleneck from target

shoes from pac sun

inspiration picture source

sweater from target

black pants from asos

boots from nine west

shirt from old navy

trench coat from target

With the holidays pretty much right around the corner I've been trying to recreate a few lovely, high-end looks but with a much lower price tag. Holidays are the perfect reason to dress up a little bit while staying comfortable and warm (depending on what climate you live in). 

Most importantly, I strongly believe in always incorporating pieces from my existing wardrobe into new looks. These two looks are so easily put together and you'll most likely have most of the pieces in your closet already. What a money saver!

Have you planned out your holiday outfits already? Do you like to stay comfy and cozy or do you step up your game and go for the glitz and glam? 

funny stuff

i needed a little cheering up after all the craziness of the past week and this made me laugh so hard ;)
love the duck part, bahaha! do you fellow instagrammers see yourself??

oh! baby

this past week/weekend was a rough one. logan got sick while jason was on a work trip and I totally lost all my extra points for the mom of the year award. things were not pretty let me tell you, including lots of cries on both sides and the realization that my perfect and sweet little boy turns into a tantrum throwing, screaming, scratching, kicking and biting little monster when he gets sick. 

on top of everything, i am also trying to get us travel ready for our trip to germany. 

sooooo, I am sorry i've been kinda lazy around these parts but something's gotta give right?  it may be a little more quiet here while we try to adjust to a 6 hour time difference with a toddler and spend some much anticipated oma and opa time :) 

they have a ton of snow, folks!!! 

enjoy this most wonderful time of the year and I will pop in to say hi as much as I can.

xx

the best boots you'll ever wear and free ad space

sweater: urban outfitters, shirt: cotton on, scarf: h&m, leggings: ae, boots: sorel

ok, first up: this is not a sponsored post. just a little honest promotion for a company that has really surprised me this season. the sorel conquest carly boots I am wearing here, are seriously my most favorite pair of boots to date! not only are they comfy (if you order a size up!) and keep my toes toasty but they also look amazing :) i absolutely love the lace up detail and the contrast of the leather with the rubber shoe. 

ever since they arrived at my house I've been pretty much wearing them nonstop. i'm pretty sure they will come to germany with me as well. don't you hate traveling in the winter when you want to pack all of your heavy coats and boots only to end up with a bag that's way too heavy?

sorel has really surprised me with their selection of crazy fashionable yet useful footwear this season. 

i wish I could afford a few more pairs such as these, these and these. 

something else that is completely off topic: did you notice a few new faces over there to your right in the sidebar? please go check out a few of these wonderful blogs and say hi!

i decided to swap all of my december ads and there are definitely still a few more spots open. so if you think we would be a good match, send me an email (askforge@gmail.com) and let's talk about a swap :) you can also find my sponsor page right here. 

the two top spots (200x300px) are available to businesses only, contact me for more info on that. 

and lastly, I've added a ton of clothing to my @theforgeshop instagram account. check it out and follow along because I'll be adding more. 

salt dough ornaments

a few weeks ago right before thanksgiving, logan and I cut out some salt dough ornaments together. he's still pretty young for most crafts but this was a fun tactile experience for him and he loved playing with the dough. you can find lots of easy salt dough recipes by simply googling or searching on pinterest. i added cinnamon to my dough for the scent and brown color. we cut out some christmas and thanksgiving shapes to hang from gifts, a bag of freshly baked cookies and to stick into a some of my planters.