These are a few of my favorite things...

Five things I am diggin' on right now:

1)This wrap on sale at Nordstrom. My friend Mary was wearing one last week. It was super soft and sweatshirt-like and fleecy on the inside, and just plain awesome. I am ordering one as soon as I figure out what color I want...and at $39? Yes!

Bobeau wrap at Nordstom

2)These hand blown wine tumblers from Napastyle. Love the funky mismatched set of 6...we now have about 3 or 4 of these sets. My husband makes his blood orange margarita (see #3) in them all the time.

Venetian Wine Tumblers

3) Our friends introduced us this summer, to this amazing home made margarita that actually may be a little healthy as far as margaritas go. My husband Peter, always striving for the perfect margarita, has perfected it. What started with one squeezed orange, and one squeezed lime, has now morphed into a blood orange, and now.....watermelon. That's right. Oh, and....it's awesome.

Peter's Blood Orange and Watermelon Margarita:

Squeeze 1/4 cup of watermelon juice on a citrus press. Set aside. Squeeze two blood oranges, and two limes. Add juice to watermelon juice, and add to cocktail shaker. Add one shot good tequila, one shot triple sec or Grand Mariner, and a squeeze of agave syrup. Add a handful of ice. Shake and pour into glasses. Makes about 4 drinks.

4) Essie nail polish- Sand Tropez. Love the nude nail polish,. Unfortunately, I have super short nails, that despite my attempts to grow them in the past, I am the most "me" when they are super short and boylike. That's okay. This color is great on toes, and I try and keep mine cute and painted all year long to make up for my boy nails. Buy it here for 3 bucks!

Essie-Sand Tropez Nail Polish

5) Lana Del Rey. She is my new favorite singer, and yes, I know she bombed on Saturday Night Live, but I still think she is amazing. She is kind of a throwback from the sixties, and has a totally unique sound. Her videos are amazing, and I could listen to this song all day.

Lana Del Rey- Video Games

Happy 2012! Resolutions and other mom advice...

2012 is here....what the heck? Where does the time go? I apologize for the lapse in posting...it seems to be taking an extra long time to recover from Christmas this year! Maybe all of the parties, the massive amounts of food, the winter sangria? It's possible, all of it. My new years resolutions this year, I took from one of my favorite blogs, Cupcakes & Cashmere from last year. Emily, the fashion and home blogger over there, pretty much cloned my thoughts when she wrote her resolutions last year:

1) Live Fearlessly 2) Focus on the Present 3) Drink more Water

So this year, I adopted them as my own. Live fearlessly. Hmmm...something I have been needing to do for a long time. Since having children, I find myself gripped by fear on many occasions...the thought of getting on a plane, a bump on my child's head, going over tanker waves on a ferry....(that's the worst.) I have never considered myself a controlling person, but after contemplating my fears, they all come back to the same thing. Fear of losing control. Fear of something happening to my kids or myself that is beyond my control. When I realize the truth, we have no control, that is God's job, it is easier for me to let go and have fun. A glass of wine of the ferry doesn't hurt either. How will I ever teach my kids to enjoy life and throw caution to the wind, if I can't do it myself? A resolution, for sure.

Focus on the present....another resolution tailor made for me. I often find myself feeling nostalgia for other era's of my life...when my children were babies....when I was in my twenties....stressing at the age of 38 of how fast 40 is approaching. How did that happen? I swear I was just 29...where did the last decade go? Old home video's of days gone by...but what about today? Am I thoroughly enjoying 38? Am I cherishing the age's of 10, 8 and 4, or am I too consumed on how they aren't babies anymore? The one thing I don't want is to look back when I am 60 and wish I was 38 again....I need to enjoy the here and now, live every year with thankfulness and excitement for what the future holds. Definitely resolution #2.

Drink more water???? Dang. For sure. Pretty sure I am part lizard...never even remember to drink water until after 3pm. Just common sense, right?

Lastly, this is not really a resolution, but a piece of advice that sticks in my mind every time one of my kids asks to do something....A friend once told me, before the mom inspired automatic "NO" or "not right now" comes out of your mouth, try and ask yourself three things....a) What will it hurt? b) What will it help? and c) What will they remember? This has helped me say yes to many more fun projects and spur of the moment idea's my kids come up with. "Mom? Can we take all the couch cushions off and make a tent?" Let's see....I have just cleaned them up for what seems like the fiftieth time, and am about to reply with, "not right now...." but then I think, what will it hurt? Really? Is it that big of a deal to help them put the couch cushions back for the fifty first time? Will it really wreck my day on some level? Probably not. What will it help? It will boost creativity in my child, and keep them doing something fun, and off the Wii for awhile. What will they remember? Making cool forts in the TV room...mom getting out all the blankets to help, great memories focused around our home. Love it. "Go for it!" Here's to 2012...raise your glass of ferry wine to living fearlessy, embracing 38...or whatever super important year of your awesome life you are celebrating...living in the present, drinking tons of water (hopefully not while treading water and gasping for life after the ferry flipped over....) and saying YES! to little creative minds! Happy 2012! May all your resolutions come true!

Winter sangria...What choo talkin' bout Willis?

I'm just going to come out and say it. I like fruity drinks. That's right, the fruitier the better...and sangria? Love the stuff. Usually I make it in the summer, using all kinds of local seasonal summer fruit...but this winter I started a little search for something more winter-like, and Christmas tasting. I didn't have to search very far...a little Pinterest combing, and tada! Winter sangria! Made it for a Christmas party last week, and it didn't take long to disappear. The only problem? I didn't make enough! It's a little sweeter than wine, but not as sweet as the fruity drinks I love...right in the middle. In fact, I used a pinot grigio so it would be too sweet, because most people don't like their drinks as sweet as I do. A big punch bowl o' perfection! Merry Christmas everyone!

Winter Sangria with Limes and Pomegranate

Salted caramel sauce...heaven in a jar!

With the economy the way it is, there has never been a better time to stretch your crafty wings, and DIY your holiday gifts. I was talking to my mom this morning, reminiscing about Christmas a couple of years ago...the house cleaners would show up and scrub my house from top to bottom, and the teachers gift baskets were filled with Starbucks cards and gourmet goodies. These days, I'm the one scrubbing the house, and everything in the teacher baskets was crafted by me or the kids. These are just the times...everyone is scrimping by, spending a little less, shopping locally to save on shipping, and coming up with their own gift ideas. But really, is that such a bad thing? (yes on the house cleaners.....I miss you...come back to me...:(....) but as I looked at the kids teacher gifts, they were wrapped by the kids, with little handmade ornaments tucked in, peppermint bark from our own kitchen, stacks of coasters made by the kids, $1 mugs from Walmart, (that's right...I went to Walmart...times they are a changin',) and my newest treasure...homemade salted caramel sauce...and I actually had a thought...which is rare because who has time to think these days...but isn't that exactly what is at the heart of Christmas? Giving that takes effort, and love, and thought...not just some random thing bought off the internet? There is no better time to whip something up with love in your kitchen, and salted caramel is all the rage. I have to say, I see why. I love this stuff in every form. Salted caramel cupcakes, salted caramel frappucinos, salted caramel cake...I opted to make just salted caramel sauce, as you can really use it for anything. Dip some apples into it, pour it over ice cream, add it to your coffee, or just eat it with a spoon. Salty and sweet is my favorite combination, and this sauce gets it just right! I made up my own recipe, based on a couple of others I had found, then I doubled it , and poured it into mini canning jars, and the kids helped make labels. So festive!



Salted Caramel Sauce

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup butter
1/2 to 1 tsp course sea salt or fleur de sel

Pour water into a sauce pan, then pour sugar into the middle of the pan, DO NOT STIR. Let it simmer and cook for around 20 minutes or so, until sugar is completely dissolved, and the mixture starts to turn a little yellow. Add the cream, but watch out, it wants to bubble over quickly, so watch the heat. In another small sauce pan, melt butter and brown sugar. Stir into mixture and continue to cook for a few minutes until it gets a little thicker. Remove from heat. (mixture will thicken up as it cools.) Add sea salt to taste. I pour sauce into a big measuring cup so it's easier to pour into jars, which you should do while it's still pretty warm. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Heat in microwave or stove top before serving. As I said earlier, I doubled this recipe, and it made enough for about 5 plus small jelly jars. Enjoy, and Merry Merry Christmas!

Christmas stockings...so easy to make!

My dining room is a far different room than any of the other rooms in my house. Where I stayed light and airy in most of my living spaces, the dining room is a mix of dark wood, black, and animal print. It has dark reddish walls, and an orange ceiling. That's right. I said orange. Don't freak out. It's not all Snooky...I promise. It has a large stone fireplace, and I have been hanging the same old burgundy velvet stockings on there since the dawn of time. Every year, I say, "those don't match, we need new stockings...something funky..." and my husband says, "they're red, the walls are red, they match." Ummmm, we all know that all reds are not created equally. Burgundy, and red....they do not match. It's a common fact in this world. I have been on the look out for replacement stockings for years, never to find exactly what I was looking for. Then it dawned on me. I can make them. It can't be that hard. Right? Well, it wasn't! They took me an hour to make all three. I switched out the old ones, and I loooove the new ones! Exactly, what I was looking for, and $10 for all three!

You will need: 1/3 yard of fabric per stocking
Matching thread
Fur trim, (or any kind of trim for that matter) sold in fabric stores
decorative tassles or fringe (I hate that word)
an old stocking to trace (you would think it wouldn't be that hard to draw a stocking, but mine turned out super freaky
Knowledge of how to thread a sewing machine, and skills to sew a straight line.

First, flip fabric over the backside. Trace your stocking. Trace your stocking the opposite way for the front. Put sides together and sew, keeping it inside out. Do not sew the top together (obviously.) When you are finished, turn the stocking inside out. You can either hand sew the tassles to the fur trim, then hand sew them on to the stocking...or you can do this:

I added a strip of fringe under the fur, and over the stocking, then sewed a line across in matching thread with the machine. Then I turned it to the backside (no one sees that side anyway,) and hand sewed it across, and then down the side. Anyone who has taken a lesson on me about sewing beware....I am known for my 5 minute pillows, free hand crazy, not always in a straight line kind of sewing. I figure, if you have a little common sense, and good guessing skills, no one will study it THAT carefully, right? Quick and crazy is better. For some things. For most things. Anyway, go to the fabric store and find some fabric that inspires you! You still have almost 3 weeks! Happy sewing, and happy holidays!

Homemade peppermint bark, just like Williams-Sonoma!

I have vivid memories of helping my dad deliver plates of homemade cookies to all the neighbors on Christmas Eve. My mom was busy getting the house ready to host Christmas, and my dad would say, "come on Shayne," then give me explicit instructions on what do if some one's visit lasted more than five minutes. We would joke about using a "code word" or pretend I had to go to the bathroom, or the dog was sick, etc. But neither of us had it in us to actually pull out the code word, and we would be gone for a couple of hours. Part of me thinks this was my dad's way of getting him (and me, thanks dad) out of the fifty million other things my mom would have in store for us if we returned too early. Everyone in the neighborhood was always in a great mood, and we would laugh, and chat, and move on to the next house. It's weird how we inherit certain things from our parents, and our siblings inherit others. My sister acquired the love of volunteering at school, the PTA, and all things educational. My brother inherited my mom's work ethic, and I seem to have inherited the love of the holidays. I hand made each of my kids stockings, because that's what my mom did for us. I decorate the day after Thanksgiving. I bake all different holiday cookies...why? Because my mom always did, and her mom always did. I draw the line at home made butter balls, and shining silver, (although my mom comes down at does it for me :)) I also feel the need to deliver something to the neighbors at Christmas...or make my husband and kids do it while I get ready for Christmas. Cookies usually make the list, but a few years ago, I started making peppermint bark. I love the stuff, but realized it costs a crazy amount to buy, but is really easy and inexpensive to make. I have probably tried 5 different recipes over the years, and have settled on one that tastes the most like Williams and Sonoma (my fave bark). It is so good, I keep it in the fridge all holiday season, and long after. By lunchtime, I have usually consumed my weight in peppermint bark. It's addicting, I'm telling you. I have given out the recipe many times, as people seem to love it as much as I do. Make a batch a week, and my Christmas , you'll have enough for the teachers, neighbors, and yourself! I urge you to start your own holiday traditions. These are the things your kids will remember for years to come! Enjoy! Oh, and a little warning, do not, no matter how curious you are...do not, under any circumstances, taste the peppermint extract. You will end up with your mouth under the sink, and the mentholated burning may last for two days. It's minty. That's all I'm saying.

Awesome Peppermint Bark Recipe

Holiday signs...get your craft on this Christmas!

Coming up with craft ideas for the kids for the annual Christmas bazaar at the kids school proves difficult, year after year. Now, two out of my three kids want to have their own table to sell their own goods, so guess who gets to think of the ideas...shop for all the ideas...explain how to make the crafts...then finish the crafts as the kids burn out...then, with a little help...clean up the crafts. And crafting with the kids is fun, why? Exactly? Well, it actually does become worth it seeing their cute little handmade items they are so proud to sell, and then they take the money they make, and shop around the bazaar. They pick out cute little things for their siblings, and usually for me...and I love what they come up with. This year, I decided to help them make some cute wooden Christmas signs to add to all of their ornaments, hand sewn napkins, coasters (see here), and dog treats. But then something happened. I kind of took over the signs and I just kept going. Then, as the signs got cuter and cuter, I started looking for places around my house to hang them. Grace was like "um...mom, aren't we supposed to be selling those? Think of the money we could make..." I prefer to think of all the money we could save, if I just went ahead and kept them, you know...adding to my Christmas decorations for free! Actually, these signs cost around $30 to make all three, but are super sturdy, can be made to match your own decor, or can be given as gifts! They took me around two hours to make, and I am loving them! So, come on! Get crafty, just in time for the holidays!

You will need:

1 1"x6" board from Home Depot (about $5)
wooden letters (found mine at Walmart $1.98 each)
modge podge
Hot glue gun or strong wood glue
paint
picture hangers
primer or white spray paint
glittery or decorative craft paper







Start by laying out the words (I used peace, joy, and noel) on the board and draw lines with a pencil where you need to cut the board into three. Sweet talk your husband, unless you are crafty with the power tools, to make the cuts for you. If neither one of you are comfy with a handsaw or table saw, take it back to home depot, they will cut it for free. Spray primer on all the letters, and the boards, front and sides, (you don't have to spray the back.) After they are dry, paint the board any color you choose. Trace the wooden letters on the backs of decorative paper, and cut out. Play around with setting the paper on top of the letters to get a color combo you like. Paint the sides of the letter to correlate with what paper you are using...thin paper can be modge podged to the letter, and then a thin coat applied over the top. You can also paint the letters and decorate with sparkly glue, polka dots, etc. Heavy paper (I used mostly heavy paper) needs to get glued to the letter with a hot glue gun or wood glue. Then, hot glue your letters onto the board, then add a picture hanger to the back (Home depot $2.50 for three of them), and they are ready to hang! Go girl! Look what you just did!