Happy Thanksgiving

So my apple pie turned out to be a bit of a disaster last night, but I still have a chance to redeem myself with the stuffing. Cross your fingers that I don't siglehandedly ruin Thanksgiving with my stuffing. According to Williams' Family tradition, there's a lot riding on the stuffing. As I'm told, the entire quality of our Thanksgiving as a whole depends on this stuffing. No pressure.

{Since my pie is a little on the burned side, I had to borrow this photo from Tastespotting.}

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and I really hope your pie turns out better than mine!

Gourd Placecards

If you're still scrambling for a Thanksgiving placecard idea, here's a cute one from Paper Source. I all ready have cute place cards I won from littlebrownpen, so I think I may use these little gourds as child-friendly table decorations. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

littlebrownpen

You can bet I'm going to be buying a bunch of stuff from littlebrownpen for the holidays. I think this calendar would make such a cute gift for teachers, neighbors and other playgroup moms. All of their printable stationery is so cute...I just can't pick a favorite. And the rainy day recipes are absolutely brilliant. Their designs are so cute, and I love the idea of printing it out at home. Thanks to littlebrownpen, my gift-giving just got a whole lot easier.

In addition to having the cutest etsy shop around and being a genuinely nice person, Nichole's blog is fantastic too. Definitely give it a read.

UPDATE: I just checked out her blog tonight, and she's got the cutest video ever! Check it out here.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

{Forest Reflection, by Vaeltaja}

When I look at my schedule for the next month, I am reminded of the last two lines of the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost:

And miles to go before I sleep.

And miles to go before I sleep.

{yes, I know I'm a literature geek}

The next few weeks are looking pretty hectic, but hopefully I'll have some fun things to share in the near future. And I do have miles to go before I sleep. With this poem as my inspiration, here are some of my favorite snowy photos from Flickr. Enjoy.

{Minimal Winter, by mark.os}

{Travels Through a Snowglobe, by Chris Andersen Photography}

{Black or White, by denis collette}

Have a Happy Monday!

Congratulations

And the winner is...idyll hands. (Comment #18, via Random.org)

Congratulations! I will contact you to get your information.

Thanks, Everyone for entering the drawing.

I'll be having more drawings soon...so stay tuned. Have a great weekend!

Gift Guide: Here's one for the Kids

To get you in the gift-giving spirit of the season, I'll be sharing some gift ideas throughout the days and weeks to come.

This first idea is the one I'm the most excited about. I've been planning this for months. All the kids on my list are getting craft kits. The one above, from Land of Nod, is what gave me the idea. I'm going to re-create their art jar for my niece and nephews. {I wish I had come up with the idea myself, but I'm not that inventive.}

It's going to be filled with pom poms, pipe cleaners, clay, foam sheets, buttons, giltter, glue, scissors, tape, popsicle sticks, construction paper, foam shapes, googly eyes, watercolors, fingerpaints, and all those other things that make craft time so much fun. And of course, I'll include a cute craft apron. I never have all the craft supplies I need when we need to make, say, pinecone creatures. And the last thing Hudson wants to do is hop in the car for a google-eye run. So by putting it all in one place, craft time just became infinitely easier. Plus one of my sisters-in-law just moved to Russia, so this gift will hopefully spare her the ordeal of searching for pipe cleaners at the market.

{photos from here and here}

P.S. To Amy & Hilary: sorry to spoil the surprise of what your kids are getting for Christmas, but I'm too excited about it. And I'm horrible at keeping secrets. ;)

Seeing Spots

I love the texture of these vases:

White Dotted Vase, from Marymee Studio

Pebble Cup in Green, from Kim Westad

Sweet Pea in Orange, from Kim Westad

Dotted Vase & Bowl Set, from Marymee Studio

Pearls on My Neck Vase, from New Moon Studio

Now it's off to an exciting morning at the DMV, then home to snuggle with a sick little boy. Here's hoping that your day is more adventurous than mine! :)

Dear Hudson

My Little One, I am just now learning exactly what a miracle you are in my life. When you were tiny I would stare at you, in awe of your dimpled little fingers, your sweet chubby cheeks, and your innocent little face. I knew all babies were miracles of some sort. But now that I'm learning more about myself, I'm finally seeing you as the miracle that you truly are. You will be a wonderful big brother someday. I just don't know when that day will be.

You came to us so easily; and in the craziest of times. Your character and intensity have kept me on my toes; and have taken me, on occasion, to my wits' end. And then your laughter melts my heart. Just yesterday, you put your hands on my cheeks and said, "Mommy, you make my heart feel happy." Well, My Dear, I can't say it any better. You make my heart feel happy. I will feel forever blessed to have you in my life. You are my little charismatic, mischevious miracle. I adore you. I promise to always try to make your heart feel happy. I love you, Buddy.

Thanks, Martha

I look forward to the December issue of Martha Stewart Living every year. Mine came yesterday, and I sat turning page after beautiful page for way too long. But Martha came through for me in a big way this year with so many fantastic handmade gift ideas. {It's looking as though everyone on my list will get a handmade gift this year. Yay!} She's also got tons of beautiful Holiday Cookie recipes, and some really cute wrapping ideas. If you haven't seen the December issue: Run. Get it now.

Thanks, Martha!

{P.S. I hope my gifts look as pretty as these.}

{All photos from Martha Stewart}

Top: Bath Snowballs :: Center: Bath Fizzies :: Bottom: Body Scrub

Creative Space

Truth be told, I'm a bit obsessed with looking at other people's creative spaces. Thank goodness Flickr can help feed my craft room voyeuristic tendencies. It's so fun to see where people work and how they organize everything. Here are some delightful crafty spaces:

Simple, colorful, and tidy

{from not quite vintage}

Perky and absolutely perfect.

Seriously, there are so many brilliant ideas here.

Check out her photostream for more information!

{from Crafty Intentions}

So clean and cute. I love how it's coordinated, but not too matchy-matchy.
{from -syko-}

Sleek and Modern

{from liquid paper}

We all know how fabulous Heather Bailey is, so it's only natural that her studio be equally fabulous.

I love all the small details and the way she uses color.
{from Heather Bailey}

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Have a great day.

Holiday Giveaways

It's time for another giveaway. This one is part of a large group of giveaways from EtsyGreetings. Check out all the participating shops here, or click on the fancy logo on my sidebar. All of the winners will be announced on the EtsyGreetings Blog on Saturday. {Just in case you forget which drawings you entered} :)

Mitten Tags

Holiday Tree Cards

Holiday Mini Cards

I'm giving away all of the items above to one lucky winner. To enter my drawing, simply leave a comment here. And please make sure I have some way to contact you if you're the winner. The winner will be selected by random number generator and announced here on Saturday. Don't forget to visit all the participating shops, and good luck!

Thankful

Photo: {pretentious bokeh, by fstop22}

I've been doing an experiment the last couple weeks. I spend a few minutes before bed writing down the small things that made me happy during the day. But this list is specifically for simple pleasures, and the small things that normally go unnoticed. Since I started doing this, I've noticed that I'm more positive, and I'm more able to recognize the little things I often take for granted. Here are a few snippits from my list this week:

1. I'm thankful that Bryce whispers, "I love you" every morning before he leaves--even though he thinks I'm asleep.
2. I'm thankful that I keep a first-aid kit in my car. Because when you need a bandaid, you need a bandaid.
3. I'm thankful for Curious George. He's the only reason I get a decent shower every morning.
4. I'm thankful for date nights spent eating really good Southern food.
5. I'm thankful for my new pillow.
6. I'm thankful for cold treats. {Michelle: you were right.}
7. I'm thankful for those sweet moments when I get to watch Hudson sleep.
8. I'm thankful for my birthday, and all the people who made me feel so special.
9. I'm thankful that I won this giveaway on Nichole's blog. And she said nice things about me, too. It doesn't get much better than that.
10. I'm thankful for dear friends who remind me that I'm not alone. Thank you.

All in all, it's been a spectacular week. My cute brother came to visit, and we had a great time. I'm working on two of the most fantastic weddings I could imagine {I'll post pictures soon}. My birthday was so much fun that I don't mind getting older--at least not this year. Don't get me wrong, we had plenty of problems this week too: car troubles, a freezer-related ordeal, meals gone wrong, neglected cleaning and laundry, etc. But keeping this little thankful list has helped me see the good things more clearly, and not dwell on the negative. I'm definitely going to continue to enjoy the little things. And keep track of them in a tidy litte list.

Have a nice weekend.

Another Year

So, today's my birthday. Another year older. Probably not wiser; but older, nonetheless. :) As you probably guessed, I'm going to be enjoying a few cupcakes today. To share the festivities with you, here's a gallery of my favorite cupcake photographs:

Cupcake, from Sitting In a Tree

White with Sprinkles, by blissful images

{P.S. Not only does she take lovely photogaphs, but Mrs. French also has a delightful blog}

Deer and Cupcake, by e.soule

Now that you've seen my favorite photo-cupcakes, here are my real-life favorites:

{Top: Teacake} {Bottom: Kara's}

Hope you all have a great day, and I'll be back with more fun tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Crafts

I've been searching for the best Thanksgiving Crafts to keep us busy indoors when the weather is icky. These crafts may also come in handy when you're trying to keep little bodies out of the kitchen on Thanksgiving day. Set up a craft table, and let them work while you cook. Here are two simple and fun ideas to keep those little fingers busy. And what craft time would be complete without a snack? So I'm including one of those, too.

Turkey Hat
We just watched a Curious George episode where George makes a hat. So Hudson is all about making hats lately. And this is another way you can re-purpose your brown paper shopping bags.

Thankful Tree
This little number can serve as entertainment, and decor for your Thanksgiving Table. If you don't love the tree idea, then make the leaves and string them up as a banner. A great way to get you in the thankful spirit of the season.

Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats
Here's a tasty little treat to make when craft time is over.

Happy Crafting!

{All photos from Family Fun Magazine}

Favorite Things

Here are some of my faves for this week. Enjoy!

Bakery Box Ornament

Reese Gift Wrap

Peacoat


Four Seasons Cups

Have a great Tuesday.

Cynthia Burkhardt Photography

Over the weekend, I found the work of Florida-based photographer Cynthia Burkhardt, and I can't stop thinking about it. Her photography is simply stunning. I especially love her seascapes, and her hand-colored collection. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do.

Treasure Coast Early Morning II

Even though "my" beach is on the other coast, this photo reminds me of many days spent lazing around at the beach and making sand castles with my boy.

Pink Wild Flowers
It's hard to choose, but I think this one has to be my favorite of all her work. I imagine myself laying in a field of wildflowers, daydreaming as I gaze into the sky.

Beached Boat

Wouldn't it be fun to go here on a little island picnic with your sweetheart?

See more of Cynthia Burkhardt's gallery here.
{all photos from Cynthia Burkhardt}

Have a Nice Weekend

I'm cutting out a bit early today, so I can hang out with my brother. Yay!
Have a great weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday!

{photo from here}

A Few Favorites

Today's kind of a crazy day around here, so I'll just leave you with a few of my most recent favorites.

These earrings are perfect.

This clutch looks so soft, and easy to wear with anything

These boots are both comfy and cute.

Wear this top casual, or dress it up.

Cuddle up with this cozy pillow on the couch.

Have a great Thursday!