the 2010 book list: roll call.

At the end of every year I look back and reflect on the books I've read and what I've learned from them. This isn't all of them, I know there are more but I simply can't remember them. And I suppose what does that say then, about those stories? 

At any rate, I always feel a bit let down by the number of books I've read. I so very much love to read and have since I was little. Life just seems to get in the way, I never have time for all the amazing stories that are waiting for me on my shelves. 

Here's to 2011 and all of the stories yet to be read!! 

 2010 Book List

(in no particular order)

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

La Bella Lingua by Diane Halles

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson 

Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

 One Day by David Nicholls

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson 

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan 

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Shiver by Maggie Steifvater

sunday*swoons: this adorable family

Love this family, they are too cute. 

And the flurries that appeared just in time, they may as well have been our very own Christmas miracle!

Just wanted to share on this cozy day after Christmas...it went way too fast. 

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!!! 

in the spirit!

my house is decorated. the presents are wrapped. 

and I have a few days of wonderful family time ahead. 

I am one happy girl. 

Merry Christmas Eve!!! 

dusting off the cobwebs....

or...why I haven't been around much lately. 

It's the holidays and well, we've been busy. I love this time of year SO much!
This past weekend was spent having fun only.
I didn't take as many pictures as I could have, but we did have a lot of good times and laughs.
That's what matters most.
We threw a little gathering for our friends on Friday evening....every one brought yummy cookies to share which was really nice! I love seeing what we all come up with. And find it funny that there are never any duplicates.
So many cookies.

Sleepover with my sister and a lot of Christmas movie watching followed. 

Happy to have my dad home from an almost month long business trip, we stopped to say hello as he recovered from serious jet lag....

Then a romantic date night with the husband.... a little shopping for an ornament for the tree, plus a few good books, cheesecake and one raspberry martini.

 Annnnnnd a stop at Anthropologie of course! 

Sunday was not to be outdone and ended up being filled with a lot of family time! 

We had a lovely lunch with two of our favorite out of towners and then a fun afternoon/evening with the husband's side of the family for the annual Christmas party. 

And I got to wear my thrifted red dress! Score! 

All in all, a pretty fabulous weekend. I can't say how much I love this time of year. So many reasons to be thankful for our loved ones, our family and our amazing group of friends. 

They make everything worthwhile! 

As always, thanks for reading!! 

oh if I could live anywhere....

it would be this magical land I know, called Anthropolgie. 

Their hoiday decor is simply perfect. All warm and cozy and knitted. 

I know I've preached this subject before, but really. No one does it better than the creative crew behind the scenes at Anthropologie. 

Thinking of making my own drinking straw trees.....

all photos taken with my Iphone from this past weekend's visit! 

i'm in love....

with these handwarmers, CUTE! 

(betcha thought I was going to say my husband, right?)

Anyway, I'm in love. Mostly because I am ALWAYS cold. Yesterday, in fact, I spent all day/evening wearing my earwarmers. Granted, they were pretty adorable and quite the fashion statement, but shouldn't really be necessary when I'm INSIDE my house. 

So thus, I think, I may in fact need a pair of these. And how cool- they are made from upcycled sweaters! Love it.

Visit Hillabalou's shop to see more of her amazing creations.

This is a quote from her store...

"~*~ My love of the sea and earth have lead me to my life-long purpose of taking what already is and has been abandoned to give life to treasures ready to be loved again! All of my items are made from repurposed clothing. No new materials allowed! ~*~"

How can you not love that?! 

Hey, It's Christmas!

In search of fun music for our Christmas party on Friday, I stumbled across this posted on a friend's blog and just had to share. 

If you're in need of a little change in Christmas music.....or are afraid that what's played over and over on the radio (don't get me wrong, I LOVE Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin) may get old before Christmas even gets here- try Hey, It's Christmas. 

It's a nice change for a bit until I'm ready to sing along with Bing, Frank and Dean again. 

giving back

I am so excited to be taking part in Bloggers Give Back.... which begins tomorrow! 

This year we are raising money to support Alan and Donna Gubler, two school teachers who were ready to retire until they recently lost their house and all of their possessions to an electrical fire that began in their attic. They made it out with only the clothes on their backs. Something as devastating as this is only more so during the holiday season and I think it is just so wonderful to see how many bloggers and artists have donated items to the auction. You can read the Gubler's story here. 

This story is especially heart wrenching to me because we live in an extremely old home and a few weeks ago our furnace broke as well. We had electric space heaters running until we could get it fixed, hoping for the best. And I also tripped the breaker, twice, while blow drying my hair. I simply cannot conceive where I would be right now if our story had ended as theirs did. 

Please take a second and check out the amazing bloggers who donated handmade items or services on the auction site. There are a lot of amazing finds. And bidding is really quite easy, simply post a comment with your bid on the item you'd like to purchase. 

View my item, number 72, up for bid here. 

Happy Bidding!!! 

reasons why I love the weekends....roll call

delicious raspberries with sugar while I read

and a yummy cookie from Panera

game nights with friends (and the sister) 

Yummy holiday drinks....oh my 

grocery trips with the sister

she remembered the cereal. i remembered to look like the cereal boxes.

traveling the world one aisle at a time

taking photos while/instead of making dinner

 and decorating our mom's magical tree

Can't wait for the next weekend to come around....

wanna take a trip with me?

This video makes me want to hop on a plane with my lovely little sister and start our Europe traveling NOW. I'm not sure I can wait five years. 

All my favorite spots in Italy, I relive in this video and if anything it only makes me more determined to bring a video camera along with me next time. 

The gorgeous Megan Smith created this for two of her friends after their trip to Italy. 

I love the whole thing, every last bit of it.  

I may have to hire her after my trip with the sister. She's so talented. 

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! 

I spent mine daydreaming of travel while running from photo shoot to photo shoot (four in one weekend!)

Looking forward to a fun filled week of holiday gatherings and good friends! 

Stay tuned for sneak peeks of a few amazing families I spent time with this weekend....

sunday*swoons: yummy holiday treats that can't be beat!

Getting ready for a fun holiday gathering and cookie exchange this Friday with friends means I have to step it up a notch from last years infamous Christmas Sweater Party. 

I have big plans for this year that work with a not so big budget (that's always my goal anyway, though I ultimately end up going over in throes of "but MARTHA would have this, I KNOW it!"-

ridiculous, isn't it?) 

Anyhoo, so I have been scouring the interwebs and cannot believe all the amazing finds I have found. 

I'm still planning on the hot chocolate bar, which was a big hit last year, but am changing it up a bit....and adding an ACTUAL bar to boot...for holiday themed drinks, oh yes. 

Can't. Wait. 

Bring on the holiday cheer, I am all set.

Smores on a Stick

Peppermint Meltaways

Red Velvet Hot Chocolate. There are no words.

Maple Butter Kiss=Divine

Emma's spiked apple pie....yum!

Mexicocoa you ask? Yes please! 

Happy Sunday!!! 

bringing back the fanny pack.

Now this. This is a fanny pack worth wearing. 

I mean, if you've gotta do it, do it with ruffles right?! 

Adorable. Right?! 

At least for the trip to Europe...because I don't want to be THAT tourist. 

And I think this may pass as a super cute, stylish accessory and not so much a tacky tourist stereotype.

Am I right?!?!

Plus you can carry it as a sling bag, just in case. 

I'm gonna be that girl and rock it, at least on the streets of Paris.  

Say Yes!

to carrots, that is! I just discovered this new line, Yes To (Carrots, Tomatoes, Baby Carrots, Cucumbers), at the ever wonderful Target. 

Love. 

This lip balm is AMAZING. And I just had to share. 

Their products use vegetables and fruits as opposed to chemicals. 

Annnnnnnnd a portion of every product sold goes toward the Yes to Seed Fund, a program dedicated to teaching kids about sustainable agriculture. 

Something I believe very strongly in. 

Bonus: It was affordable. 

Something else I strongly believe in. 

Well said Betty. Well said.

found here. 

wishing list*handmade and then some

Jumping on the bandwagon a bit here in blogland but I thought I would share a few of the items on my wish list this year. Or really all year long. I mean anytime anyone would like to get me a little gifty gift is quite alright with me.
Kidding.
I was going to stick with ten items but then I remembered number eleven.
Rockstar! Can't be passed up, it's gorgeous and I need it for just everyday wear around the house. Definitely.  

Husband are you reading this?!?!? 

Again, kidding. Maybe. 

1. Crosley portrable record player.
2. Darlingtonia handmade moccasins. Love. Especially the Hitchcock pair.
3. Dreaming Blue Diana camera.
4. Scratch off World Map. HELLO! Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
5. Vintage Replogle light up globe. Sold out but man oh man if I find another one....
6. Polaroid Coaster Set= Best Idea Ever.
7. Joan Pencil Necklace. For all those important office manager tasks I have....
8. In Touch Iphone case.
9. Follow the Sparrows print. Has been on my "to buy" list FORever. And ever.
10. Anthropologie Quirky Heirloom throw. Makes me want to turn it into a cape and wear it. SO cute.
11. Starlette Crown by Giant Dwarf. Rockin. 

a lovely D.I.Y. from me to you!

View my photographic step-by-step tutorial to learn how!

Thanks for looking

see more....

lovelies from France...

Les Marquise des Anges is a gorgeous little boutique on Etsy that I love. Her clothing designs are so unique and have such a romantic feel about them. And they come all the way from France. What could be more romantic than that?! 

 

a little Etsy shop update!

In both small and medium sizes, adorable cake stands made from vintage plates lovingly searched for and chosen with care. 

Visit my shop for pricing and availability. 

I am soooo in *love* with these and excited to finally share them with you! 

Thank you for looking!