mother's day in NYC

mother's day was quickly approaching.
i was trying to talk my mom into a 4 day trip to NYC to celebrate.
with a little nudging {& the fact that i had already booked our hotel} she agreed to go.

& what a blast we had.

bryant park {free yoga!? you new yorkers are so lucky!}
times square & a night bus tour
central park, the central park zoo & the central park conservatory.
the 9/11 memorial & rockefeller plaza.
jersey boys  {my mom's favorite part of the trip}.
chelsea market & the highline {my favorite part of the trip}.

tiny shops. the subway. the hustle & bustle.
outdoor dining complete with people watching.
pictures together.
glasses of wine & bakery cupcakes.
adventure.
celebrating my mom.

it was a great weekend.
happy mother's day mom!
thanks for making the trip. it was worth it.

{photo: my mom and i on the highline}

each day

it's hard to believe that labor day, the end of summer, is already here.
i am off to enjoy a fantastic weekend at the lake my mom lives on.
sipping on as many frozen fruity drinks as i can handle.
dipping my toes in the still warm water.
wearing my favorite white pants one last time.
enjoying sunsets watched from the pier.
taking our pup out on the speedboat & teaching him to swim.
enjoying the 2nd annual corn-off {who can eat the most ears of corn} w/ family.
and gleefully untying the ribbons of these last few days of summer.

photo of lake wawasee via a family friend.

pop, pour & flow

happy new year!
for the record, my four {favorite number} resolutions for this year are as follows:
shop at target no more than two times a week.
drink at last a glass of water a day.
take more pride in my appearance:
{new clothes, more manicures, wearing make up for errands, etc.}
text a friend a day.

fairly confident i can keep these resolutions.
the first one will be the hardest.
here's to 2011, what will hopefully be a year full of peace & personal growth.

merry christmas 2010

merry christmas one and all.
just a little snippet of our house decor this year.
stockings, garland lit and intertwined with berries & our reindeer.
i named them sticks & sparkles.
merry christmas to all!

Feast Interruptus

Our car is packed to the brim with fantastically wrapped presents
& we're off to the great white North (Indiana) for a few short days.
I am so excited that I might just throw a wreath on the front of the car.
Or one of those charming little reindeer contraptions.
The "fun & loving chaos of the holidays" {coined by TH as Feast Interruptus}
started with the craze to find & wrap the perfect present and continues with
travelling to multiple family feasts, nieces & nephews feverishly opening gifts,
flowing wine, ugly Christmas sweaters & lots of merriment & laughter.

I wouldn't have our holidays any other way.
Merry Feast Interrruptus to all.

photo of the Tommy Hilfiger Winter Ad Campaign via Invisible PR.

stockings

when i was in pre-school i had a crush and, upon his birthday,
i gifted him the bag of change my mom kept in our kitchen cabinet.
i was as giddy as a school girl the day that i took his (~$10) "gift" in.
his mom called my mom hours later and turned me in.
the inner birthday elf in me was scolded by my Mom.
however, the inner christmas elf in me still shines, to this day.
i still find joy in finding the smallest of stocking stuffers
& crossing a "wanted" item off the list.

tonight we open up gifts with my Mom.
the elf in me couldn't be more excited.
here's to hoping the inner elf us all continues to flourish.
merry christmas!

oh hey december

i know that i'm a little late, but happy december none the less.
earlier this month the husband and i set out to decorate our christmas tree.
we quickly realized that this tree was not one of our finer picks.
it has one trunk that splits into two - so it's crooked no matter how you look at it.
and whomever trimmed it must have been a novice. it's quite thin in parts.
how we didn't spot all of its flaws at the tree lot is beyond either of us.

we felt bad that our pretty ornaments had to go on such a sorry looking tree.
but after the lights went on it and more & more ornaments were added
the tree didn't look as bad. not as pretty as the one in the picture above,
but one might say that its {numerous} flaws give it a little character.

as the "christmas vacation" dvd was ending & the decorating was done
we sat on the couch together in front of the fire & admired our handiwork.
and at that moment, life was good. very good. crooked tree & all.

photo via secret of love

a lucky duck thanksgiving

my mom brought this bottle of lucky duck wine to thanksgiving, just for me.
it was one heck of a feast for this little lucky duck.
i have it on good authority that i had at least three helpings of mashed potatoes.

and although i am quite thankful for the fluffy goo that is mashed potatoes
there are many more things in life that i am happy to have around.
like family. healthy family.

already looking forward to next years mashed potato fest.
i mean, thanksgiving dinner.

happy thanksgiving

happy thanksgiving my dear readers & bloggity blog friends.
may your plate {& wheelbarrow} be filled with goodness today & everyday.

i'm spending thanksgiving at the lake this year w/ my little family.
i fully plan on stuffing myself with turkey & mashed potatoes.
i suggest you do the same.

on black friday we'll be shopping for a new mattress.
not exactly what i envisioned shopping for on black friday.
{especially since target doesn't sell mattresses}
but it's a necessity as my mom is gifting us a new {king} bedset for christmas.
happy thanksgiving indeed!

photo via jamie, the talented nyc photographer, of from me to you.
see more of her adorable pumpkin patch photos here

hello november

in the blink of an eye, summer turned to fall & fall lasted for five seconds.
3 weeks might be a better approximation, but it felt like five seconds.
& here we are. november.
the good news?
mashed potatoes + time with family + black friday shopping =
thanksgiving in just 21 days.

photo via bippity boppity boo.