happy thanksgiving

via martha stewart

today is thanksgiving for us which equals a busy day of cooking!

here is the menu:

brown sugar, mustard-glazed ham

green beans with hollandaise sauce

creamy garlic mashed potatoes with gravy 

stuffing with celery and onions

cranberry sauce (maybe if i have time...)

apple cider

no dessert this year! ill be whipping up pumpkin chocolate pie after our visit to ry's family for a non-traditional thanksgiving (indian food). im bummed that there will be no turkey to eat this year (turkeys are way to big for two people) so we decided to cook a ham instead with the traditional sides. ill be missing my mom's paella, turkey and cranberry salad. YUM. maybe she will freeze some leftovers for me :) a pregnant woman hopes. 

hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving weekend. enjoy your black friday too. will you be participating in some sales? i love cyber monday so much more than black friday- no crowds!

happy thanksgiving friends! hope you enjoy time with your loved ones. 

*and im sure most of you already know the gender of baby but im waiting to post pictures to "officially" reveal it here on ze blog ;) 

**check out martha stewart thanksgiving menus here (super helpful when planning!)

simple Christmas decor

here are lots of photos of my living room decked out in holiday fun

kept it pretty simple but i love it

enjoying a "fragile" Christmas

not worrying about little hands or feet tipping things over haha

today feels like Christmas for me and ry

we get to find out the gender of our little dumpling! 

super super excited

according to the votes on the poll

majority says "boy!" 

ill let you know sometime this week :) 

please excuse the dark/blurryish pictures

i didn't want to take pictures in full light because the tree looks so pretty when the main light stays off 

my camera does not do this room justice!

tree!

still need to make a skirt for it...

a sweet nativity set 

a gift from my friend R for our wedding

smells sooooo good

marshmallow fireside

highly recommend 

stockings handmade by my mother-in-law

super pretty

look at the intricate beading! 

ry has had this same stocking ever since he was a baby!

i love that tradition

fun glass ornaments in an apothecary jar

all mini ornaments decked out the small greenery

pinecones in nooks

im still working on my Christmas bow making

still need A LOT of practice

but i am happy with the one topping the tree

have a happy monday!

Review & Giveaway- I See Me Book

Allan, who is a graphic designer, and I developed the first book My Very Own Name as a team. Our goal was to produce an educational book that would teach young children how to recognize letters and spell their names. After I developed the concept and wrote the book, we brainstormed together to develop the characters in the book. Allan found and hired the illustrator, and designed the book, while I wrote the business plan.

Our mission is to increase self esteem in children through personalized books that celebrate the uniqueness of each child. The goal of our books is to show each child how absolutely unique and special he or she is, to teach the child how to spell his or her name, and to build vocabulary skills. ---Maia Haag, author and CEO of I See Me! Inc.

I love these books. I love everything about them- from the vibrant colors and pictures- to the charming story and use of a child's name. We received our first I See Me book as a gift from a friend when the twins were born- I had never heard of them before, and fell head over heels in love as soon as I took it out of the box. It is my absolute pleasure and delight to review their newest book, Very Merry Christmas,  for Cherry Blossoms!

About the book:

My Very Merry Christmas is an adorable personalized board book with forest animals that come together to put on a very merry Christmas for your child. This keepsake book has a hard cover and durable board pages with charming illustrations of Goose, Chipmunk and other furry friends who deliver a note about your child to Santa. At the end of this delightful story, the animals circle the tree that they have adorned with your child's name spelled out on the ornaments.

As an added personal touch, this beautifully illustrated book includes a personalized cover and a printed dedication from the sender. Made in the USA, this storybook is written by award-winning author Jennifer Dewing and illustrated by Mati Rose McDonough.

My Review:
Before anything else, go and check out the virtual tour of this book...So much fun! I absolutely adore the illustrations and the cute story that goes right along with it. I ended up making  this story to my oldest (at 2.5) from the twins (1 year) which about makes my heart melt when I think about him reading it years from now. It's unique and something that can become a tradition with  holiday reading each year.

I know that it is sometimes difficult to buy for that niece, nephew or grandchild- with a book like this, you are sure to have the perfect gift they are sure to love for years and years. I came close to tears the first time I saw my twins names on the cover of my first I See Me book- and am thrilled that I now have another one in the family. You absolutely cannot go wrong with any of the fabulous choices from I See Me- there are so many options to choose from, you might have found yourself that perfect go-to any occasion gift!

I also love how this is a self-made company born out of a desire to see a higher quality personalized book for their own child. Not too bad either that they have picked up over TEN awards along the way!

Connect: Connect with I See Me on Facebook and Twitter. They do have Facebook exclusives, so be sure to check it out.
Buy it: You can order your book directly from the website for $24.95. They have an easy to use drop menu that makes the personalization feature easy and foolproof. Watch the site for ordering cut off dates!

Win it! One super lucky reader will win their own PERSONALIZED copy of I See Me's Very Merry Christmas.

girly ornament wreath

a fun idea first spotted on better homes and gardens website as seen here on an older post

so glad i was able to make and finish it without getting sleepy or gagging

okay- i did have to take a few breaks to drink water and breathe but the point is- it got finished!

fun girly colors

i am not doing a "themed" Christmas this year so my decor is more mismatched right now

this year is an experimental year- trying to figure out what decor i love best and what works for the house

and im enjoying every fragile piece of decor i have- before kiddos :)

( a quick thank you and shout out to my friend S who gave me a wire hanger!)

please excuse my imperfect wreath bow

who knew velveteen ribbon was so hard to work with!?

wire ribbon is your friend

just so pretty

 pictures of the living room and tree to come!

here is a tutorial by domestic fashionista on how to make these wreaths

simple, affordable and chic

supplies needed:

- pliers

- a wire hanger

- lots of ornaments (im guessing around 50)

- bow (optional)

- hot glue gun (if you want to secure the top of the ornament to the ornament- i broke an ornament because it popped off accidentally when i tried rearranging it) 

random tips:

- once the wreath is arranged, quit playing with it! (less prone to breaking)

- make your bow before stringing your ornaments

- use inexpensive ornaments (dollar store anyone?)

- have a plan before making the wreath of where you plan on hanging it; set it up before making

- be careful! 

eleven-eleven-eleven

first off, happy veteran's day. i loved singing the song "tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree" when i was a little girl. yup karaoke was a pastime of mine since the age of 5.

so grateful for all the men and women who have served/are currently serving our nation.



since today is eleven-eleven-eleven i decided to make a list of eleven things i am grateful for in no particular order:

01. God & my testimony
02. ryan
03. babykins
04. family & friends
05. good health
06. our home
07. the miracle of forgiveness
08. people who are happy
09. the holiday season
10. trying/learning new things (an old dog can learn new tricks)
11. the opportunity to improve everyday

have a great weekend. one more week till we find out if baby is a boy or a girl! what is your guess?

What are we expecting?

make it a magical martha holiday

a few months ago luckily stumbled upon a free year subscription of martha stewart living magazine

yippeee!!!

magazines are not a need but a want so normally i have zero subscriptions

 (it helps keep the paper monster away from my house too)

i always look forward to the december issue

seriously the best

provides great inspiration for the holidays

a pretty cover page

let's glitter everything!

the glittered deer idea has been around forever but i never tire of it!

pretty silver

a star themed Christmas cookie party

ooh fabulous!

have you received/picked up the December Living issue yet? do you have any other magazines that have amazing Christmas issues too? id love to know about them

here is martha interviewing at google 

presenting her new entertaining book

watch out- she cursed! 

applesauce cinnamon ornaments

made some delicious smelling ornaments for my achievement day girls

i hope they love them

so easy and thrifty!

maybe ill whip up a batch for my Christmas tree too

Applesauce Christmas Ornaments 

3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup cinnamon
2 Tablespoon school glue (optional)
1 Tablespoon allspice (optional)

Makes (9) 3 inch ornaments

Combine all ingredients and knead until smooth dough forms. If dough is too sticky add more cinnamon. Roll dough on a cinnamon dusted surface to 1/4- inch thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters and make a hole with a straw for hanging with ribbon. Transfer to a sheet pan to dry for three to four days, turning once every day. For faster drying bake on a lined cookie sheet at 170 degrees for three to four hours. When dry, decorate with fabric or craft paint if desired and hang with ribbon. Store in airtight container for use year after year.


recipe from savvy shopper deals

late fall photos

really pretty pumpkins

the stems are so fun!

messy front yard

littered with perfect fall leaves

early Christmas gift

my mom bought us an early Christmas gift

our first Christmas tree!

so special

last saturday ry and i put up the tree

early i know, but no kiddos yet so i feel like we don't have any set traditions

isn't it lovely?

the size definitely surprised us

we knew our ceilings are 8 feet tall so a 7.5 foot tree would fit just fine

but we forgot about the width! haha- its on the fatter side

but we still love it

now i am a fan of pre-lit

no tangles- win!

Christmas trees on the brain

cotton candy pink Christmas tree

PERFECT. 

me want. 

would ry be okay with it? im sure he wouldn't mind 

more info here

tinkerbell silver Christmas tree

lovely and more versatile 

info

winter white Christmas tree

another perfect tree

sigh

info

are you more traditional or funky when it comes to Christmas trees?

i used to think i was super traditional (not with the real trees but the dark evergreen trees)

but these trees have got me rethinking everything!

have a great weekend! 

ry and i are looking forward to donating our couch that is too long for our house to charity and moving my craft room downstairs to make room for baby! i seriously cant wait to show you the nursery plans :) but a lot of that depends on the gender of baby so we will wait and see. 

shabby chic christmas

so girly

so very me

ry wouldn't be able to stand the clutter, but seriously look how amazing it all looks

very practical and pretty

i love the ornaments hanging off the chandelier

we hope to be putting up our chandelier soon

love the shots of hot pink throughout 

wakes up the pastels a bit more

this year is completely a toss-up with my Chirstmas decor

i have lots of different colors of ornaments slowly collected

but still not sure what direction i want to take

maybe ill just pile everything all on and see what looks good together

but a pastel Christmas would be just lovely don't you think?

aren't these photos just dreamy? 

they are from the lovely blog alkemie

my new favorite blog read

what are your Christmas decor plans?

pumpkin spice hot chocolate

via cookies and cups

i have had a very strong craving for pumpkin chocolate cookies, then i thought to myself what about pumpkin hot chocolate? ooooh. when i googled pumpkin hot chocolate i came across this recipe and a fun blog called cookies and cups. super cute name. can't wait to try this out! maybe i will make it as i wait for trick or treaters tonight.

a pet peeve i wanted to discuss: teenagers trick or treating without a costume. WHY?! if you are going to go trick or treating you should wear a good costume! thoughts on this? i wanted to hand out apples to those teens who failed to dress appropriately, but ry said we better not or else we might get egged or TPeed. fabulous.

update on morning sickness: it is getting better, but sometimes i still get quite sick with nausea. funny how the only thing that will make you feel better is food when food is what you want to run away from. i crave menchies frozen yogurt with strawberry crunches. wowie. ry and i went to menchies for the first time friday night and im in love.  its just super cute. my favorite flavor? peanut butter and the tart original. not that great together, but so good by themselves. ry and i don't eat a lot of sugar (besides with this pregnancy lol) so when we go out to frozen yogurt we share a cup and only put a bit of each flavor that appeals to us. maybe people think we are weird but i suppose its better for us and less expensive. win-win.

hope you try out this hot chocolate! im planning on it :)

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup hot cocoa mix (no marshmallows)
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• whipped cream or marshmallows optional

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium low heat whisk together your milk and hot cocoa mix.
2. Add your canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Heat until desired temperature is reached.
4. Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream and/or marshmallows and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Number of servings (yield): 3

candle issues solved

ever have this problem?

where your candle "tunnels" and doesn't burn evenly?

it bugs me like crazy

via

if burned properly a candle should look like the above photo

evenly burned all the way down

no tunneling= no wasted wax

the candle right before i threw it away

it could not be lit anymore

the label says it gives about 40-65 hours

and im pretty sure i got about 60ish hours out of this candle

(awesome!)

recently 

i opened up a new candle and started the "initial burn"

the initial burn means that you need to burn the candle 1 hour for every inch of diameter the candle is

example: if your candle measures 5 inches (across the top) then the initial burn should be 5 hours

after that initial burn you can burn the candle for smaller amounts of time and it should burn evenly from there

so back to my story,

i opened up acorn and fig  and started to burn it in the living room (away from drafts and flammable stuff)

unfortunately with my morning sickness i had to retreat for a nap upstairs

ry (not knowing about this initial burn) blew out the candle and made it "uneven" since it didn't burn all the way to the edge!

i was upset haha (blame the pregnancy hormones)

but luckily we found a solution to get the candle back on track

we had to waste a little wax upfront but its still a lot less wax than if i kept burning it and let the tunnel keep growing

do you see the uneven edging? the beginning of the tunnel?

1. get out a small knife. (i used a lemon zester) carve away the higher edges

2. continue to carve away until it is all even

3. ta-da! when this is done, burn the candle again as if this was the initial burn all over again

4. you might see some edges that do not melt and are higher 

5. when the candle is done with the time of the initial burn let it cool

6. carve the higher areas away with knife or zester

7. burn again and it should be even!

hope this helps!