'Tis the Season

The tree is up and trimmed, presents are wrapped, and there is even a little mistletoe. I'm unapologetic about my enthusiasm for the holidays. I must be insufferable with my Maria Carey Christmas blaring, our dining room table bursting with Holiday crafts, and the constant chatter of what to get whom. I don't care.

Maybe it has something to do with Ohio winters and needing to cling to every good thing we have once winter hits. That could also be why I have never been able to hate Valentines Day.

Thanksgiving

Yesterday concluded with yet another amazing dinner by Mark and a table of friends to help eat it. The dinners have been consistent over the past several months. Sometimes they are at others houses and sometimes it's just us two while other times it's 20. No matter the setting though it's always wonderful to sit down with people you care about and polish off a roast.

Sometimes in the quiet of the meal, when our mouths are too full for conversation, I think about how lucky I am. How did I get this lucky? Despite the dim economy and our own struggles with finding sustainable jobs we have a thriving community.

Cracks

There were cracks in the clouds the whole way to West Chester for dinner with Mark's family. The sky was a pillow of gray except for a few beautiful sheets of light that pierced through. I couldn't stop staring.

A rusty, Thanksgiving inspired bouquet also managed to happen over the weekend. You can see more photo's of it on Cotton & Brass.

To plan a wedding

My job is to convince brides that an all inclusive package where "we" take care of everything (i.e. the linens, the set-up, the food, the bar, the lighting, the tear down) is the bee's knees. You even get an event coordinator to walk you through everything. And it's easy for me to sell because I really believe that it's the best way to go.

And then there is my wedding. It could not be more opposite. I had to talk myself off the Do-Your-Own-Catering Cliff, but besides that we are really doing pretty much everything. In the beginning I felt like a bride-champion quickly knocking out the major elements without a second thought (inspired by Evie). But now it's getting down to the details. What exactly do we want our invitations to say? How am I going to actually alter my dress? Where do we really want our guests to stay?

I was once among the niave brides that actually spewed the words "laid back, diy wedding" together. It only took a couple of my dearest friends and their DIY weddings to bring me out of that denial coma. DIY weddings are laborious, mind-numbing, undertakings. But I honestly can not imagine doing it any other way. And so I spent my weekend tediously drawing out blades of grass on my Wacom tablet for our save-the-dates.

It turned out beautiful and is exactly what we wanted.

some things have happened

•I finally visited Columbus Commons, our newest park (it has a carousel!)
•Evie stole me away for a secret mission.
•Ed & Sue came to visit
•the power went out
•we went to Franklin Park Conservatory,
•we visited Nanny and Poppy and met some cute puppies as well,
•and my parents dropped in.
•Evie and Nick had their joint switch-your-gender-sing-kareoke-and-confuse-Bourbon-Streets-swell-patrons Bachelor/Bachelorette party. It was amazing.
•Tasha birthday was celebrated at Camelot Cellars.
•The Country Living Fair continued to live up to the hype.
•Bouquet's were arranged,
•and friends were married.

•••

• introducing our new friend, Miss Fish
• twenty dollars well spent at the farmers market
• kitten print! on a cute dress! yes!
• kitten kisses
• lay on the couch and what do I see? a tree!

Camp 2011

Another highly successful family gathering filled with laughter, memory-making, intriguing conversations, and lots of very full bellies.

Anything for pizza

Do you think Kate Middleton assembled her invitations with her besties? ...I hope so.

We gathered around pizza boxes and paper cutters and set to work on Evie's invitations. Creating a DIY Wedding is so much easier with a posse.

Oma and Enkel

In an instant, with the birth of her grandson, my mothers world turned on it's side. It's heart aching to watch the love that flows between these two very independent personalities. My nephew is already very much his own person. The chaos of his four older cousins doting over him doesn't even phase him. And if his doesn't want to do something he just aggressively shakes his head no and that is that.

And my mother has always been my role model as an independent no-nonsense women.

But when these two get together, which is quite often despite the distance, they are like childhood best friends.

Peach hand pies and google

I whipped up these AMAZING peach hand pies for Evie's shower. They are to. die. for. I can't stop dreaming about the pie dough, so buttery and flaky and shockingly resilient.

Where did the recipe come from?

Well it's very simple, I googled "peach hand pies" and not surprisingly the fabulous smitten kitchen blog topped the list. So go steal her recipe (www.smittenkitchen.com) and while you are there scroll around because you are sure to find a bagillion other recipes. Just don't blame me when your social life goes to phooey (kids read this blog) because you haven't left the kitchen in a week.