ten years ago today...

this sweet boy entered the world.

It's hard to believe that a decade has passed. I remember the moment he was born and the days and hours leading up to it. I remember driving home from the hospital, Kevin clenching the steering wheel at 10 and 2, while I hovered over the infant carrier in the backseat, both of us scared out of our minds. I remember those first few months of navigating parenthood--it was exhausting and amazing and humbling and life changing.

There are times when I think we're doing everything wrong when it comes to this parenting thing, but then I look at Jack and know that we have to be doing something right. He is smart, curious, funny and kind. (He's also opinionated and persistent, and can debate you on just about any topic.) As the biggest brother, he sets good examples and is loving and protective of Sam and Kate. And they adore him in return...

Happy birthday, Jack. Thanks for choosing us to be your mom and dad. We love you so very much.

while I was gone...(holiday edition)

Hello, my dear blog friends! I hope you're enjoying your holiday. We just returned from few days of rest and relaxation in CT with Kevin's parents. No cleaning, no laundry, no worries--it was JUST what I needed!

Some highlights:

1. Kevin and I took Kate on a special date to see this:

(Adorable--I loved it!)

2. We played this:

(It's similar to Scrabble but with shapes and colors--very fun!)

3. Kevin and I stole away to see this:

(Depressing.)

4. And then saw this right afterwards:

(I had to cover my eyes and ears for a few of the fight scenes, but otherwise 2 1/2 hours of complete entertainment.)

5. I finally pulled myself out of my reading slump with this:

(So far, so good.)

6. Watched this:

(Good--made me wish I had read the book first and that I had more patience for cooking.)

7. Ate at least half of my weight in sweets, including these Magic Cookie Bars:

(I omit the nuts and replace one cup of the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips--delicious!)

What about you? What have you been up to?

on the nightstand...

I took Nancy Pearl's advice and abandoned The Forgotten Garden after about 70 pages. I just couldn't get into it, and with reading time scarce around here, I couldn't justify spending another minute on it. That's not to say I won't pick it up again, but I've released it for now and I feel liberated!

I hope you find some time to read this week!

from my home to yours...

deck the halls...

Chipboard mini books in the $1 bin at Michael's + American Crafts patterned paper + satin ribbon = a quick and easy last minute decoration

outside my window...

And the added bonus? Despite my painfully sore muscles this morning, I burned at least 1000 calories shoveling the driveway this weekend. :)

Okay, naptime for Kate means wraptime for me.

I'll see you tomorrow...

how many have you read?

I'm a sucker for all the "Best Of" magazines that hit the shelves this time of year. I'm always particularly interested in the book selections. This one is from Entertainment Weekly:

click on the image for easier readability

How many books from the list have you read? I've only read one, The Help, and I concur with it's place on this list. I've had Await Your Reply and This is Where I Leave You on my "to read" list for awhile. And then I added Blame, Too Much Happiness and Sing Them Home this morning. I also added Lit, which they mentioned on their Best Non-fiction list.

I'm also curious to know if any of you have read Hunger Games? This doesn't seem like a book that I would enjoy, but I have to admit, I'm very intrigued by it. It's a Young Adult book which I generally don't like (ie Twilight), but from what I've heard, it's impossible to put down.

We're expecting a big snowstorm here in NJ today--I'd say it's the perfect day to cozy up with some hot cocoa and a good book!

Happy reading!

because I'm 500% certain my kids' teachers don't read my blog...

I'm the room mom for both of my boys' classes this year, which explains my lack of presence here. Let's just say that I'm up to my eyeballs in gingerbread houses, International Festival preparations and class parties, and leave it at that. Anyway, at our school it's customary for the families in each class to chip in and buy gift cards for their teachers. Of course the scrapbooker in me had to add a little extra something to each gift.





With a little prompting I asked the kids' (both kindergarten and fourth grade) to write little notes to their teachers. I then formated them into a simple text box, added some American Crafts Letterbox paper and embellies, and bound them all together with a simple ring and ribbon.

all supplies by American Crafts

Quick, easy and meaningful--just the way I like it!

we have a winner!

Wendy, whose favorite tune is All is Well, you are the winner of the Vintage Hip Christmas Crafts ebook from Ella Publishing! Email me your address at beth.proudfoot@earthlink.net, and I'll get that free code out to you!

And don't forget, if you didn't win, you can still receive this title at 25% off the list price by entering the code CRAFTY09 at checkout.

Thanks for playing!

it's an ella giveaway!

Are you in the Christmas Crafting spirit yet? If not, then Ella has just the book to get you started!

Here's what they have to say:

Whether you're trying to get crafty between batches of cookies or you've got a whole weekend to revel in your creativity, this book has the Christmas project for you! Crafting rockstar Margie Romney-Aslett and her daughters, Brooke and Megan, have pulled together nine totally glitter-tastic ideas in Ella Publishing Co.'s latest eBook, Vintage Hip Christmas Crafts: 9 step by step layouts, gifts, decor and more. Put on your favorite Christmas album, brew up a mug of cocoa, and pick your crafting poison.

Are you interested? If so, share with me your favorite Christmas tune sometime between now and Wednesday morning and I'll randomly pick one of you to receive a free copy of the book.

And don't fret! Even if you don't win, Ella is offering a 25% off coupon for this title only until Sunday, December 13th. All you have to do is enter the code CRAFTY09 at checkout.

Happy Crafting!

And PS, my favorite tune is O' Holy Night.

write.click.scrapbook.

Hi friends! Make sure to head on over to write.click.scrapbook this month, where you'll find lots of fun and totally doable holiday ideas, as well as a brand new gallery. This month's theme is Documenting December which provided the perfect opportunity to scrapbook one of my favorite holiday traditions:


all supplies by American Crafts

What holiday tradition do you still need to document? Take 15 minutes to scrapbook it this weekend!

See you Monday!

they make the perfect travel companions...

Kevin and I went into the city with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law last weekend while they were here visiting from Utah.

I told Leah to pick where she wanted to go for our meals. Lucky for me, she picked Shake Shack for lunch. I had never been, but I'd heard about it, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I had a single cheese Shakeburger (with lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions), fries, diet coke and a black and white shake. Delicious.

We then made our way to Rockefeller Plaza by way of Central Park. It was a long walk, but a good way to work off our lunch.

We checked out the Bergdorf Goodman windows along the way,

and stopped in the courtyard of the Palace Hotel (where they film parts of Gossip Girl) to snap some pics by the tree.

We then saw the tree in Rockefeller Plaza (not yet lit at the time),

and stopped in Anthropologie for some browsing. I love their displays, especially this one:

We then headed over to catch my all time favorite show.

After the show we enjoyed a delicious dinner here,

shopped a little more here,

before grabbing a yummy dessert here:

All in all, it was the perfect day with the perfect company.

if I leave NJ now...

to kindle or not to kindle...

I saw a Kindle in real life today (first time). Since its release, I've had mixed feelings. I love books. Not just reading them; but holding them, feeling them, collecting them, even smelling them (the brand new ones, that is). With the Kindle, I wouldn't experience all of those weird book quirks. On the other hand, I am a freak about clutter, and the idea of all my books being in one neat and rather sleek place is appealing to me. It would certainly make packing for a week at the beach easier and, well, lighter!

What about you? Do you have a Kindle? Are you interested in getting one? Please share.

sweet cakes

Look what my talented sister-in-law painted for me...

Scrumptious, right?!

I'll be linking her here as soon as she opens her etsy store!

Hope you're all having a happy hump day!

completely after the fact, but still...

Before I kick into Christmas, I want to share two Thanksgiving ideas that can be filed away for next year or adapted for the upcoming holiday!

First, an interactive place card that I designed for the American Crafts Studio. (You have to visit there to see it.)

And, second, the centerpiece that I created for Thanksgiving weekend. Inspired by Pottery Barn, I filled the bottom of three glass hurricanes with mixed nuts and added pillar candles. I then arranged five small votive holders within orange-berried branches and called it done! Not only was it simple and elegant, but you could actually see the people sitting across the table from you. :)

Okay, no more talk of Thanksgiving! I have some Christmas ideas swirling around in this head of mine, and as soon as they're brought to fruition, I'll post them right here. I hope you'll come back!