Snaps from T-Day 2011

Crazy how different things are from one year to the next. This time last year it was my immense privilege to spend Thanksgiving weekend in a beautiful home overlooking Lake Neuchâtel with the loveliest group of Swiss people. Sweet memories...thanks Julie!

This year, Thanksgiving was squished into what was nearly a 50 hour work week....blah. Fortunately, there was plenty of room in there for good times. Here are a few bits:

Two sweet faces mugging for the camera in borrowed sun glasses:

Pleasing but ridiculous tights and even more pleasing but ridiculous footwear:

Festive place settings:

Family in the kitchen:

Family at the table:

The loveliest plate of food you ever did see:

Followed by what some have called (ok, mostly me) the world's best turtle cheesecake:

A fire in the backyard:

And of course fuzzy slippers. Because it's not complete without fuzzy slippers.

And so we begin that strange season where the weather muddles between fall and winter and the holidays gallop past in a blur of warm food and contradictory colors. In the mean time, don't let the hustle stress you out...

Until next time!

Wordless Wednesday

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Details, or How to Throw the World's Greatest Bridal Shower Ever Maybe

 This past weekend was the bridal shower of my dear friend, fellow European traveler, and favorite Jerseyite. She is a daily source of inspiration and snark and can make a sandwich like you ain't never seen. 

the one where we were being straight thug in a cow pasture in Switzerland

She is getting married in a month (eeek!) and will be moving to Texas shortly after. I will weep bitter salty tears but this will be reason #3 to get myself to the land of "hey y'all!" and big hair as soon as humanly possible (reason #1 being my darling sister and reason #2 being my dearest H).

As co-MOH (maid of honor, for those of you not fluent in wedding-speak), it was my privilege to arrange the shower. Fortunately I had the help of the other MOH and the mother of the bride, and between the three of us we managed to throw what may or may not have been the world's best shower, in my humble opinion. In reality, were it not for the other two, we would have done nothing but play games and eat sad-looking cake pops.

this is what they were supposed to look like. FAIL.

Aside from the cake pops, there was nothing sad about it.
It was all in the details, like
initial-shaped candy dishes

Heartbreakingly-lovely monogramed cupcakes (painstakingly made by the bride's mother)

Carefully wrapped utensils that coordinated with the cupcakes:

A highly hilarious apron for the guests to sign:

White, silver, and mercury glass decorations:

Delicious food:

 Terribly amusing party games. I'd explain but it would take some of the fun out of the pictures, no?

Most importantly, three best friends spending together one of the remaining few Saturdays where we're all in the same time zone. Sniffle.

And that's all you really need to have the best bridal shower ever. 

Side note: can we take a moment and enjoy this sunset all over again? What a glorious way to end the weekend. 

Wordless Wednesday

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Snippets

Hello friends. Sorry for the blog silence...the last couple of weeks have been mad busy. Halloween weekend was spent in a glorious fashion in Pennsylvania with some of my nearest and dearest. I didn't even care that it snowed like crazy. Ok, I cared a little bit. It wasn't even November yet! And then last week was officially my longest work week ever...due to power outages from the snow storm, people flocked to the bakery like we were the only source of lights, coffee and free WiFi. Which we were, actually.

So needless to say, this past weekend passed in a blur of exhaustion and I emerge today, better rested but with a head cold. Thank my lucky stars for a day off.  Not that that means anything other than a major catchup day with laundry/cleaning/errands and figuring out what is wrong with my car. Boo responsibilities. Not to mention my brain decided 6:30 am was wide awake time. grumble.

Anyway, enough complaining, life could be worse. I wish I had time for an amusing story, but I'm afraid you'll have to settle for badly lit polaroid photos from my cell phone camera again.


Things that have pleased me lately:

:: Feeling inspired to paint something new. All you get is the before shot because I'm not super happy with the outcome but whatever.

:: A picture message from my mom of Darth Vader doing his homework. Have I mentioned lately how awesome my little brother is?

:: Design inspiration at Anthropologie. I could quite literally live in that store.

:: les bois dans le soir. tranquil!

:: Trying on super attractive hats and photographing it to remind myself why I don't wear them.

:: Constantly amazing myself with my ingenuity. Like how I left my snow brush in Indiana and used a casement trim installation tool to scrape the ice off my windshield at a quarter to six one morning, after a desperate search in my uncle's workshop for a spare brush. Fortunately, it works amazing and I'm keeping it. Sorry, Uncle Steve. 

:: My Halloween costume. Was I in an adult sized onesie that vaguely resembles a dinosaur? Yes. Was I the most comfortable person there? Also yes. Did I inspire other people to follow suit (hahaha pun intended)? Double yes.

::....see? I am clearly a pioneer of modern fashion. 

::Snow. Ok it was the first snow. You can't not enjoy the first snow. I may whine and flail about during every snowfall hereafter but it was nice to be inside carving pumpkins and drinking hot apple cider with friends on a snowy Saturday afternoon.

 :: Texting pictures of wildly inappropriate dresses to the bride to be, in a fake attempt to change her mind about the bridesmaid dresses we have already picked out (and paid for). I find this highly amusing. Whether she does or not is a different story...

:: Being stuck in traffic on Driving over the George Washington Bridge in NYC. Sadly, the closest I've ever been to visiting the city but one day I will actually take a trip there!

Happy November, kiddies. Stay warm! And come visit me at work because I've been told I make a mean hot caramel apple cider...