FROM: STELLA

TO: LAURA

1. It’s been wonderful to be home in North Carolina for the holidays. Unfortunately I got a cold this week so I’ve been drinking lots of emergen-c and resting.
2. My family loves to cook and host dinner parties. I’ve got my eye on a few great kitchen gadgets that they have and I want to eventually buy for myself. My mom makes everything in her Instant Pot and it is a really incredible machine – rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker, and yogurt maker all in one!
3. We were super inspired during our trip to Italy for Thanksgiving and decided to make homemade pasta again for my mom for her birthday (photo is from our delicious dinner).  I’d love to get one of these pasta rolling kitchen aid attachments and a ravioli cutter. I probably also need to finally invest in a kitchen aid mixer so that I could use the attachment 🙂
4. Have you heard of stainless steel soap bars?? My sister got one for me for Christmas and I am already obsessed. It is just a piece of stainless steal in the shape of a soap bar that you keep at the sink and you “wash your hands” with it after you cut onions/garlic – it completely removes the smell from your fingers!
5. I am super excited about all of the engagements that always happen around the holidays! We’ve had a few friends get engaged and set wedding dates so it looks like our already crazy travel year is going to be even more jam packed. My favorite engagement present to get for friends is this diamond dazzle stick for cleaning your new ring!

FROM: LAURA

TO: STELLA

1. Maybe it’s the fact that my kitchen is still in shambles, maybe it’s because I’ve been working from home for the week because of the holidays, maybe it’s the chilly weather and the desire to curl up with a warm bowl of yum… whatever the case, I am in full. on. recipe-saving mode! So many delicious things are just begging to be made! Loving all of these french toast variations! These 16 vegetarian soups all look absolutely divine! So. Many. Pastas. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9].
2. I’ve been bingeing The Crown season 2 and find all of The Royals’ culture endlessly fascinating. Definitely wanting to read up on more history from across the pond so I’ve bookmarked some of these books as my upcoming to-reads: Elizabeth the Queen, The Royals, Young Elizabeth, Royal Sisters, and The Royal Line of Succession.
3. Did a bunch of work on my end-of-year donating strategies (and shared some of that work here!). I’m still endlessly grateful that tools like Personal Capital exist so I can know exactly what works for my budget!
4. It’s been cold (for Los Angeles) the last couple of weeks, so I’ve finally been getting use out of my favorite socks and sweatpants! Perfect cuddle weather 🙂
5. Happy New Year’s! Stella and I have celebrated quite a few NYEs together (2012, 2013, 2014, and others without proof 😉), can’t wait to see where 2018 takes us…