Snowflakes, bookcases, & 15 smiley links
Also in here: seeking help in the sweatshirt department
Hi hi hi. How are you? I’m reminding myself: try to enjoy each day of December as much as 12/25. If you’re gift shopping, here are some meaningful presents for kids, guys, and your very own self.
This weekend we’re taking the girls to see the SugarPlum Fairies and we have our church Christmas program. I’m playing a duet, yikes! Extremely nervous but my counterpart is a very sweet fifth grader who is so talented she’ll hopefully outshine any of my mistakes. If you’re local, come! 501 N. Rowell Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA. 9:30 am this Sunday.
Lots of fun stuff in here today, starting with the painting I made for my brother’s birthday…
painting
Finished this weeks ago and I’ve been eager to share! I originally shot this photo on film at the Lazy B Ranch on our spring visit, then painted the print with acrylic. That’s my brother and his wife, this was their first time riding horses together.
today’s bouquet
‘Tis cookie season around here! We always begin with peppernuts. Check out Nate’s grandma’s recipe and photos of the kids making them this post, if you’d like.
Bravely I have decided to take another stab a cookie at which I have previously failed thrice: chocolate crinkle cookies. After reading every word of the Pancake Princess’s deep dive, I landed on this recipe. (via my sister Sarah)
Makes me smile every. single. time.
My friend Elissa knitted a spectacular Christmas sweater! The talent!
Tearing up at this photo of all 2,000 people who helped rebuild Notre Dame.
Do you recognize these iconic backgrounds without the characters?
Crossing my fingers this Kacey Musgraves puzzle makes its way under my tree! I chose a cardinal for this year’s ornament (per our tradition of one ornament per family member) because Deeper Well has been the soundtrack of my year.
Charlie is extremely into snowflakes at the moment. He reads his snowflake field guide daily and silently admired these snowflake closeups for several minutes. Today we’re cutting some paper ones, and next week I’ll show you the grocery bag snow scenes we’re working on, inspired by Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day.”
“once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower”
—Nikki Giovanni (via)
Waiting on these probably-too-cool-for-me jeans to arrive, will let you know if they turn out great or hate.
My friend Kaia texted me a link to these lace-edged sneakers and I actually squealed. Can we all start wearing matching sneakers with our friends??
If a Jennifer Behr pearl bow barrette is outside your budget, this Target one isn’t an exact dupe, but it’s a similar size and very pretty irl.
My friend Kat was wearing a romantic red gingham dress at church. She told me it’s Damson Madder and sadly is sold out, but this one is just as lovely!
Wouldn’t it be fun to gift toile packing cubes with plans for a weekend trip?
Regretting that it’s probably weird to have a pinecone wreath up year-round.
PLS HELP: I’m one of those annoying people who is Always Cold, so I wear crewneck sweatshirts basically every day of my life. Is there anything I can do about this (besides wear actually cute crewneck sweatshirts)? Are there any cardigans/ sweaters/ jumpers out there that truly keep you as warm as a sweatshirt?
presenting: tidied bookshelves
Excited to share that our family bookcases are no longer a great big disaster! We added two more big shelves from Ikea and sorted the books into categories like Mick’s favorites (at a low level he can pull from), kids’ information books, books with no words, church books, pop up books, magazines, and a couple rainbow shelves for fun. Now reading time is much less of a negotiation with my less-inclined readers, because they can spot everything. (Including me! Most of the books on the right are mine!)
My upcoming project is to create a TV cover for when television is off limits. Though there’s a part of me that would love to get rid of the TV, that will never happen because we love watching sports and movies as a family, and Nate works in television. We also live in a small house with just one common area, so these shelves are a major part of my life, you guys! :-) I’m on the lookout for some fun pulls for the drawers under the TV, like these blossoms or butterflies or gumballs.
“Never forget how alone we are not. The moss, the mountains, the redwood tree, the marigold, the mourning dove calling for her love’s return—are our allies. Every natural thing in this world is invested in the peace of this world. All that is good and gracious whispers, ‘We are with you.’”
—Andrea Gibson
last thing
Most popular link from last week: the perfect gift I found for my mom
Readers today: 1,832
Grateful for you.
H&M sells several lady jackets with gold buttons made of sweatshirt material if you’re just looking for a theoretical change! I like the French girl move of a cardigan tucked into jeans with nothing underneath but I can’t actually bear it unless it’s either cotton or the super soft Neiman Marcus cashmere. For the truly cold, Uniqlo’s heattech line is as good as they say (I’ve had some pieces 15 years!) but I prefer the smooth layering fabric of their t-shirts to the textured fleecy knit they use in sweaters and leggings. I have a black boatneck tee that is super warm and makes me feel like a ballerina
Awwww! thank you! you are the reason I unexpectedly had a few new followers! Thank you. :) Also, speaking of cookies, my cookie press broke and I am not on the hunt for a new/or antique one. I love spritz cookies!!