Quick update on my whereabouts

So where in the name of Sam Hill have I been lately and what in the world have I been up to? Nothing too exciting, mind you, but I have been dabbling in some fun stuff.

Take this, for example: Sew Mama Sew is featuring Handmade Holidays with the whole month of November dedicated to handmade gifts. I've spotted more than several clever ideas over there.

And these new [to me] and beautiful blogs, which I can't help but visit almost every day, listed here in no particular order:
- Savory Sweet Life
- Bliss
- Sooner or Later
- Bonjour - now, be sure to check out their Hot Air Balloon Ride, please
- You are my Fave
- say YES! to hoboken

What else?

Well, I learned to can (as in preserve) and now have a cupboard full of cranberry sauce and pumpkin butter. If you stop by for a visit I might share. I also packaged up my yummy soaps for gifting. And let me tell you, I love the smell of lavender, rosemary, cinnamon, clove, and pine trees coming from the linen closet where we're storing the small bundles. Very satisfying. And speaking of SATISFYING, I saw New Moon last week. I laughed. I cried. I left fully satisfied, wanting to simultaneously watch the movie on a continuous repeat loop and go read the books again. Have I mentioned here before the Twilight books are my favorite stories OF ALL TIME? I mean it.

And in a nut shell, that's where I've been. Now I'm off to start celebrating Thanksgiving. We're keeping it ultra mellow, lounging around watching our favorite Thanksgiving movies and then heading out to Skamania Lodge, on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, for dinner. Must dash!

Thanksgiving 2009

Holy cannoli, Thanksgiving already!? It snuck up on me this year. I guess I was expecting snow. A leftover remnant from living in Boston.

But, snow or no, today is the day we are charged with acknowledging what we are grateful for. So here goes:

I am thankful for this fabulously rich time of year, the brief weeks between Halloween and New Years. There is much to celebrate right now, between Thanksgiving and Ryan's birthday and Christmas. Leaves are still changing here in the NW, and if I look out my window I can see remnants of brilliant orange and yellow and red.

I am grateful for my warm cozy home and a good job in a career I chose when I was seven or so. It has not disappointed once, but continues to get better and better. Libraries. Did you now I spend my days as an architect, working mostly on libraries? That's as good as it gets.

I am loving the small luxuries I indulge in every day, like my very full mug of hot apple cider, or the books I can't put down for a single second, or the delicious smelling candles I've placed throughout the house just because, or my beautiful rain boots that keep my feet ultra dry in our rainy climate, or the Andes mint chips and cinnamon chips we bought on a whim and keep in the freezer for late-night nibbling. And the music. Thank you, Kenna, for the mixes! We keep half in the house, playing constantly, and the other half in the car.

I am thankful for our family, literally spread across the four corners of the country, grounding us from so far away and providing ample opportunities for us to TRAVEL (my favorite word) for visits! And this amazing internet, which manages to keep us all connected on a daily basis! And for our friends, our stand-in family, who make the day-to-day fun.

Finally, I am most ultimately grateful to the Mr., who makes this great life grand.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Fishs Eddy

It's love at first sight, for sure. I stumbled across this store in the new online magazine LonnyMag and I think I want one of everything.

It's a shop brimming with wonderfully quirky kitchen ware, like carnival dishes and liberal & conservative politicians mugs. These folks even carry NYC skyline napkin rings and Happy Birthday platters and collectible glassware.

Is it too late to register for wedding gifts here?

Three 'firsts'

So yesterday we were very brave and tried three new things:

01 Whole day spent prepping for, driving to, and then attending the OSU/UCLA homecoming football game with coworkers. We'd never seen OSU play before but, interestingly, it was the second time we've watched UCLA live. Ended up being a pretty good game as well as a fun day spent with my cohorts.

02 Made cheese fondue for dinner. Simple recipe served with spicy sausage, cubed bread, and ginormous, delicious grapes.

03 Watched The Brothers Bloom. It took a bit to get into the style of the film but I was eventually won over. Maybe it was the beautiful costumes, people, cars, mansions, and travels that did it. Yes, I think it was that.

Successes, all of them.