a lifestyle, family and travel blog
![New Year, New Me! [Introducing: Kara Vallari]](https://karavallari.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/megelisephotography-46.jpg?w=720)
As I look forward to 2021, one of the things I want to refocus on is creating content for this blog! Initially, I started it as a way of recording my travels [Must Love Travel Blog > Jet Set Darlings] but as my life continues to evolve, I've expanded it to include other things I'm passionate about including, motherhood, reading, cooking/baking and fashion. Therefore, it only felt necessary to rebrand my blog to be more all inclusive and so, I'd like to introduce my new blog: Kara Vallari.
I haven't read an Emily Giffin book since Something Blue and Something Borrowed years ago and was a bit skeptical I had aged out of Giffin's demographic but I really enjoyed The Lies that Bind. Click through to read my full review of The Lines that Bind.
Once Palmer was born, it was really important to us to establish family traditions that we carry forward year over year. Yes, around the holidays, but also in general for our family. Most of our family traditions are still fairly new but others we've brought from our families growing up. This year our holiday traditions may look a little different due to COVID but we're more excited than ever to experience all of them with Palmer again now that she's a little bit older. Read on for more details or inspiration!
Sharing my go-to recipe for the most perfectly soft and delicious Sugar Cookie. I received this recipe from a friend years ago and while I'm sure it's not all that unique in the world of sugar cookie recipes, it's been my favorite time and time again. Click through for the full recipe!
Gift guides are a great source of inspiration but it's always helpful to hear what people actually buy as gifts. Kevin and I both have smaller size families so we currently buy for everyone and it can get expensive so we set our budget this year at $50/person. Click on through to see what we got everyone!
I devoured this trilogy and was ready to move to St. John by the time I finished. If I can, I love to wait until a book series is complete to start reading so I can read straight through and really immerse myself in the plot and characters, which is exactly what I did with these. By the end, I feel as if I know them all personally.
Brainstorming Christmas gifts for Palmer brings me so much joy. Even though she'll only be 18 months this year, I can't wait to see her face Christmas morning as she opens her presents. I just know she'll love everything and I envision all of the memories we'll make with each in their own way. We've taken a pretty frugal stance on toys in our home which makes Christmastime all the more special.
It's hard to believe that the holidays are among us! I don't know about you all but we're in full on holiday mode over here. The house is decorated, we've been listening to "Holiday Jazz at the Coffee Shop" via Spotify on repeat and I've started shopping for gifts. As I've mentioned before, "Gifts" is one of my love languages and I pride myself on giving thoughtful, functional, quality presents.
This was our October book club pick. Chosen specifically because we all wanted to read something spooky but not actually scary (LOL). In the end, this book was neither scary or spooky. It reads more of a mystery/suspense but I found most of the plot to be fairly predictable. For me, it started out pretty slow but I stayed engaged because I wanted to get to the heart of the mystery.
My love language is gifts. I have always enjoyed picking out thoughtful and creative gifts for holidays or just because. On the flip side, I've always expected a similar level of effort in return. However, despite all my best efforts and to my utter disappointment, Kevin is not a gift giver.
KARA VALLARI 