Goodness

This holiday weekend was filled with goodness. I went home to visit with my family, eat lots of delicious food, and relax! Our Thanksgiving celebration was fabulous.

Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving by watching the parade, eating Monkey Bread, and then feasting on one huge meal in the afternoon. That night we attempted some midnight madness at the local outlets, but turned around when we saw the insane amount of traffic (if I only had photos!). We returned home to a midnight snack of ham biscuits!

Friday morning was the perfect time for a walk/run at the beach with Auntie A, Em, and the dog. Friday afternoon we had a freak storm - hail, snow, and lots of rain - so we napped and spent time with the grandparents. Em got me hooked on Glee, which we watched on Hulu. Loved it!

Saturday the weather was beautiful. Em and I went back out to the outlets and checked everything off our list in 2 hours. Watched more Glee, ate more leftovers, and spent time with Michael's family. In the evening we celebrated Auntie A's birthday and ate more delicious food.

Sunday it was time to pack up and get ready to go back home. We tried out my parents new coffee pot in the morning. I'm so glad they decided to go with this model. No more worrying about the burner on or that gross taste of burnt coffee.

I could not have asked for a better weekend. Thanks for hosting all of us, Mom and Dad! We had a great time! Now off to bake gingerbread cookies. Loving this holiday season!

Glam Lighting

Loving these light fixtures. They are oh so L.Alden. I can see each really making your room sparkle and giving your space a warm feeling; perfect for cozy evenings reading by the fire, entertaining in the dining room, or dimly lit console tables.

Thinking about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, as its all about food, family, and friends. There are few expectations about presents (unlike Christmas), and everyone is in the mood to make a delicious treat to bring to the host's home for dinner. Pumpkin pies, roasted root vegetables and stuffing are some of my favorites. Mmmmm...

While searching for some new Thanksgiving recipes, I saw this video on Food Network. It makes me want to spend Thanksgiving with Ina (okay, or every day! I can't imagine ever eating boring leftovers at her house). What a delicious party she hosts! And her home... If I were there I'd be inspecting all the details of her lovely kitchen. I'm sure you saw that her kitchen was House Beautiful's 2009 Kitchen of the Year. What a wonderful food and interior inspiration for the upcoming holiday!

Etsy Shop Updated

I have updated the shop! Look to your right and you'll see a link. Actually, I basically just set it up tonight. For now, there's only one pillow listed, so you all will have to fight over it. Don't worry, I have more here in my "inventory," I just haven't had a chance to upload the photos. In the meantime, if you have any Etsy selling advice, I'd love to hear it. I'm new to Etsy and will take all the advice I can get. Thanks!

I Mean Seriously...

Could this little guy get any cuter? He's Max from "Where the Wild Things Are." Props to the Mom who put this costume together! She did a great job. Aren't you inspired to make a creative Halloween costume?

Happy Halloween Weekend!

New Autumnal Pillows

I made these dog silhouette pillows over the past two weekends. The autumnal look of the plaid is really what drove the inspiration. I thought the dogs were so happy and the contrast between corduroy and plaid/houndstooth print fabric was fun as well. We already have a favorite here... can you guess? Its the beagle. The dachshund (pronounced "dash-hound" in my family) comes in a close second.

Depending on how the work week goes, I'm hoping to put some on my Etsy site in the next few days. These would be great gifts for the dog lovers in your life! In the meantime, let me know if you'd like more info.

Party Planning?

Planning a party anytime soon? Check out The Party Dress. Its a website full of cute party ideas! Totally scrumptious ideas that are perfect for the girly girl in you!

White Flower Farmhouse

Garden Urns
Large $18, Small $9

I'm such a computer head! Just one more post for you readers tonight. You people must think I'm some crazy consumer... this is partially true... I do like to spend some money on cool stuff. I mean really though, who doesn't??? Bills suck. Wouldn't you rather have tons of fun spending money to buy everything you ever dreamed of? Thanks to the internet barrier ( i.e. I'm impatient and hate to pay for shipping... basically means I don't order much online) and my budget, I find a lot of cool items that go unpurchased. That being said, I still feel like they need their proper reveal online, so I'll share them with you readers! Without further adieu... behold White Flower Farmhouse. Vintage-y goodness that's all cleaned up and affordable! Yippee. Enjoy these finds. :)

Topiaries
$32 (large), $26 (small)

Vintage Terra Cotta Seed Pots
$7

Aqua Whale
$39

Aqua Swimgirl
$65

Farm Table
$359

Note: I really do have more to do with my life than shop online (work, gym, cook, hang out with friends and family, etc). I am just amazed at how many cool things people make and find, and I have to share these with you! One day soon I'll post some homemade stuff.

October Art

In honor of the upcoming spoooooky holiday, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Autumnal prints from contemporary folk artist, Nancy Thomas. She has set her roots in Yorktown, Virginia and has galleries both in Yorktown and Williamsburg. Some of Nancy's most favorite motifs are Santa, Angels, and Chefs. Our family favorites are the Seasons and the Chefs. Many of her prints have metal "accessories" incorporated in their frames. As you can see above and below, the metal bat, pumpkin, and garlic clove (I think thats what it is???) are cute additions to the prints.

Be sure to visit Nancy's website for more art (she paints more than just Halloween inspired work!!!), monthly specials and to learn a little more about her. Oh, and she has a blog! Happy October!





Note: Love her work? Be sure to stop by the studios in Yorktown and Williamsburg for her annual Holiday Show. This year the show is set for December 5th and 6th!

Autumn is Here

Its Thursday evening and I'm ready for the weekend. I spent some time this evening relaxing and catching up on blogs, plus some brainstorming. I made a mental checklist of the things I want to do this weekend. The weather should be nice, so I'm hoping to go to the downtown farmer's market on Saturday morning, and a country drive later in the day.

I also need to go pick some apples at Carter's Mountain so I can make applesauce (my Mom's applesauce mill has been sitting unused on my kitchen countertop too long!), but I don't want to have to battle the weekend apple picking crowds. Too many people for me! I might go early or right before they close.

I picked up some molasses chew cookies made by Mission Home Bakeshop today when I was at the grocery. They were the perfect addition to my chicken salad sandwich lunch. The cookies were definitely were an impulse buy thanks to the crisp cool weather we've been so lucky to have. Go pick some up and celebrate Autumn. Its here!


I'm hoping to do a little cooking this weekend as well. Last weekend I made Barefoot Contessa's Lentil Sausage Soup. Delicious. I give the recipe 5 stars! Go make it yourself if you want a great afternoon activity that will leave your home smelling scrumptious all day! This weekend I'm looking forward to trying L'Etoile's Pumpkin Soup recipe that they sampled at the Farmer's Market last weekend. Served with some crusty bread, a fresh salad, and a glass of wine... perfect Saturday evening dinner.

While Fall is fresh on the mind, be sure to take a look at this lovely guest bedroom from The Newlywed Diaries. The colors are beautiful and the simplicity of the space is just what a guest is looking for. Someplace to feel welcome and cozy, but without the clutter of their own home. Wouldn't you love to be a guest in their guestroom?

Driving tunes

The first time I heard Regina Spektor's song "Fidelity" was one Friday afternoon late last fall on my way to Charlottesville. The radio had just released her song and I was in love. The song could not have been more perfect for the drive, not so much a focus on the lyrics, but on the way her voice ups and downs like the hills. Kind of like the anticipation of seeing Michael, her voice made me a happy driver. Just like every visit, I couldn't wait to see him... and listen to the song just one more time. Every time my ipod shuffles to this song, I smile.