The best Christmas gift I got this year was from my sister Katherine. She is one of the most thoughtful and talented people I know. She put together this amazing and very sweet work of art for all of her siblings which I am lucky enough to be one of. It's an ode to our childhood and growing up together, that I will cherish forever. Thank You Sister, I love you too!
My family is too darn big to buy gifts for the whole crowd, so a few years ago we came up with a gift exchange. Everyone brings one gift based on a theme and then draws a number to decide the order of choosing and opening a gift. There is stealing involved and it's pretty fun. This years theme was "plastic" and after getting my original gift of saw blades (in a plastic case), stolen (I was not unhappy!) I got this great book. It's covered in a plastic sleeve, and record albums (for those who remember them) are made of vinyl which is a form of plastic, right? It's filled with both iconic and obscure album cover art, that brings to mind visions of my sisters and I driving over to Music Millennium to roam the stacks. Those great memories are really the best gift!
A few years ago I saw an adorable knitted advent calender in a Garnet Hill catalog. Being an avid knitter at the time with a large stash of scrap yarn and a lot of time on my hands, I did what any good do-it-yourself-er does. I said those 4 magic little words that can sometimes (often) lead to trouble...."I could make that." And I did. I had no pattern so I just made it up as I went along. In about a week I made 12 little mittens and 12 tiny hats and stitched numbers on them all. I fill them each year with small trinkets or candy and for the month of December at least, it gets my curious kids out of bed on time! 
My sweet little girl is turning 11 today. It's so strange and wonderful to see a better version of yourself, a new and improved model. She is so much like I was at that age, glasses and all, but with so much more beauty and confidence. She is smart and artistic. She plays the piano beautifully and I never have to ask her to practice. She is a fearless and responsible rock climber. She is funny and a good, kind friend. Her 2 brothers would say that she is a sweet and patient sister (most of the time!). She has her own style and isn't going to let anyone, including me, change it. She is at that magical age where she's watching "Cartoon Network"and riding her scooter one minute and wants a "Juicy Couture" charm braclet and a pedicure the next. I love her more then I could ever express here, and I am proud every day to be her Mom. Most importantly, my sweet big girl is herself, her true wonderful self and that is the best thing a mother could want.
I have been a stay at home mom since right before my daughter Clare was born almost 11 years ago. I have been lucky enough, thanks to my very supportive husband to be there for every major and minor milestone in my 3 wonderful kids lives. I have loved every minute of it. Now that I have seen my big kid off to college and my 2 little ones are at school all day and have started to develop their own independence, it has become time to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I am trained as a hairdresser and have worked in a few very nice salons, I have also worked out of my apartment, dunking my clients in the kitchen sink. Recently I have been cutting hair in my very comfortable home salon. I have felt lately that I want to make a change. I knew that the sky was the limit and that I could reinvent my self if I wanted to. After a lot of thought I knew that hair is where I still wanted to be. I truly love my clients, some of whom I have known for close to 25 years! I found a great little 3 station salon in my community that felt just right when I walked in. The other 2 women that already work there are close to my age, and are nice and seem drama free. I start January 1st and I am scared and excited at the same time. Wish me luck and hope I don't need it!
Its been a while, I know! I have been in a whirl wind of Christmas shopping and decorating, last minute clients before the holidays and a very wonderful spur of the moment trip to Arizona with my husband. The holidays always sneak up on me and kick me in the......but I love them! I want to share this wonderful birthday present I got from my 2 great sisters and 1 fabulous brother. I guess it's time to say Goodby Kitty!!
I drove my son back to College on Sunday after a great Thanksgiving visit.
Today is my Birthday. I am an unashamed 48 years old. That is 2 short years away from 50...and that is ok with me. Being at a really great place in my life, and having people who love and care about me, makes all the difference. Thanks to my dear husband, thank you my 3 wonderful kids, eternal gratitude to the unconditional love of my Mom and Dad and 4 great sisters & brothers. Thank you loyal friends who take me as I am, thank you world for all the kindness you show me and Happy Birthday and thanks to me, for being true to myself, or trying to, every day.
My very generous husband
Another proud moment for me!!
I am slowly working my way through this excellent book about the life of John Cheever. I read an article about him in "Vanity Fair" that included a review of this book by Blake Baily. The superb writing and in depth stories in "Vanity Fair" have a way of making you care deeply about obscure topics and people that you would never have given a thought to before. That's the way it was with John Cheever. After reading this article I was fascinated by the man even though I haven't read a word he has written. When I finally reach the end of this very detailed and intelligently written biography, I am going to dive into "The Stories of John Cheever" and try to get to know the man from his own writing and stories. If he is half as talented and tortured as Blake Bailey makes him out to be it should be excellent!
OK, that last one is mine! I saw this in the latest ELLE Decor, and thought that those pretty pink chairs had a familiar look. Its called The Pink Wishbone Project and the proceeds of these auctioned off chairs go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. A worthy cause, for sure, but they totally stole my pink chair idea! 
I am not a baker and I am clearly not a food stylist, but I do love a good scone and tis the season for pumpkin! I found this recipe for Starbucks Pumpkin Scones online and they turned out so great! Next time I will add chocolate chips because lets face it everything is better with chocolate chips!
I received the latest FLOR catalogue in the mail yesterday and right away fell in love with this new pattern! My dining room could use a little updating for the holidays and this would do the trick! I want this bad!
I am often asked which Goodwill I shop at, and my response is always the same: All of them! I am lucky enough to have 13 Goodwills within a 10 mile radius of my house. I haven't visited them all (yet) but it excites me to know they are out there! My approach to a Goodwill shopping trip is the same regardless of which location: furniture first, I'm always on the hunt for old chairs or dressers to paint. Next I head over to framed art, where I have discovered some of my most interesting and valuable bargains. From there I look at bedding, I have found brand new, still in the package, Pottery Barn and Ralph Lauren bedding there. If time allows I look for jeans, designer jeans get donated to Goodwill all the time. But rarely do I walk down the isles with the wicker basket collections, the endless rows of vases or the little porcelain statues but on occasion I do, which is where I found these lovely deco brass bookends. I think they are so graceful and elegant and I love that they are not just pretty but have a job to do.
I never met a chair I didn't want, love, or want to love!
I'm not much of a baker but after tuning into "Top Chef : Just Desserts" for the last few weeks I got inspired and decided to break out an old cookie recipe for Halloween. I found this one on the Internet ages ago but its been so long since I've made them and I don't know why, they are so much fun!
Black Cat Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup of water
2 eggs
1 package chocolate cake mix
plain M&M's
Red Hots
Beat together peanut butter, eggs and water. Gradually add cake mix. Mix well. Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Pinch out 2 ears at the top of the cookie. Add M&M eyes, and a Red Hot nose. Press a fork into the dough to form the whiskers. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
These cookies are fun to make and were so easy my kids could make them on there own!
Enjoy!!
Another Goodwill transformation! My daughter has a tiny bedroom, just enough space for a bed and a desk and that's about it! She was stacking up books on her nightstand which quickly became cluttered with all the things that 10 year old girls clutter things up with. (I was once a 10 year old girl who collected clutter, so I know this all too well!) When I spotted this tall, narrow shelf at Goodwill the wheels in my head started to spin. For $4.99 I could make this into a book shelf that would fit in to a tiny corner of her bedroom and organize the clutter at least for a while. I sanded it down and primed it and after much consideration and conversation with my daughter, decided to keep it simple and paint it white! To make it a bit more interesting though, I painted the inside grey, the same grey as the wall color, I think it adds depth and a more modern touch. We'll see how long it stays uncluttered, but if she is any thing like I was it won't be long!
I got this tiny Foo Dog at Goodwill for $4.99 and with some leftover silver spray paint gave him a new and more dramatic life! I came up with some super clever titles for this post: Everybody was Kung-Foo Fighting, I Pity the Foo, Foo Man Chu.....ugh...I know! Instead I wanted to once again exalt the wonderful transformative virtues of Spray Paint! I heart it so much!! 
