{ Festive Weekend, Part Two }

Mike surprised me with an all-day date on Sunday. It began with breakfast from our favorite, delicious, two-minutes-from-home {and thus very dangerous} donut shop. The usual for Mike: An apple fritter. Plus an old-fashioned donut for good luck. {Or something.} The usual for Nikki: A maple bar. Divine!

Downtown Seattle, here we come!

Though a "Pineapple Express" was dumping torrential rains upon this lovely city, we were undeterred. We sloshed down puddle-filled sidewalks, pants soon soaked several inches up. We stopped to look at displays in department store windows. We grinned at the kids having their photos taken with Santa in the window at Nordstrom. My jaw dropped at the amazing display of hundreds of vintage sewing machines in the windows of All Saints Spitalfields, a new clothing store.


I've wanted to ride this carousel for years, but never have. It's only up at Christmastime, and

this morning there was no line, so we had our pick of brave steeds upon which to ride.

I love carousels {here's proof}. They make me think of Mary Poppins!

I think I giggled the whole time: A carousel playing Christmas music, with horses that really go up and down, a gingerbread latte in my hand, and Mike yelling "Yee-haw!" and pretending to slap his steed next to me.

And this was only our first stop!!

We browsed through Restoration Hardware, where I found many of my decorating dreams-come-true--and our budget entirely shattered. But it sure was fun to look and dream!

Is this chair not adorable? It's so Hobbit-y...English...or something I can't quite put my finger on. I l-o-v-e it!

Mike also found his new favorite chair. I could barely pry him out of it.

Every year, the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle hosts a Gingerbread Village to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Northwest Chapter. {Am I the only person who sees the irony in a candy village display to benefit diabetes research?} The Sheraton's chefs team up with several well-known Seattle architectural firms to design and create gingerbread houses {there's a different theme each year} which are then displayed in the Sheraton's lobby. You can view the display, vote for your favorite, and make a donation to the JDRF.

This houseboat was pretty sweet. I loved that you can look through the sugary windows and see little candy people doing all sorts of things inside.

Skittles + M&Ms + imagination = a seaplane!

It was really fun to recognize the different types of candies and other foods that were used so creatively in each house.

This Rice Krispy treehouse is probably my favorite. The theme this year was "Home for the Holidays," and each branch of the military was represented here.

The attention to detail in each project was amazing. It's harder to appreciate through a camera lens, but you get the idea.

Mike really liked this interior scene. Rudolph konked out on the rug in front of the fire is pretty funny!

This one even had a representation of the troll that lives under the Fremont Bridge! Awesome!

We went to The Cheesecake Factory for a delicious lunch before heading to church. The only thing Mike had planned that we didn't have time for was going on a carriage ride through downtown and Pike's Place Market. I've done the carriage ride with friends several times before, but he hasn't. We decided it gives us something new to look forward to adding to our downtown Christmas date next year!