I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving this year! For the first time in a long while, nearly all of my father's family -- who live spread out all over the US -- will be gathering in one place to celebrate together. So much has happened since the last time we were all together and I can't wait to hug each one of...
Last Friday, our playgroup hosted a small Thanksgiving party, complete with turkey sandwiches, pumpkin muffins, and other seasonal goodies. As a part of it, we thought it would be fun for the kids to make a grateful chain, something I remember doing (and loving) several times when I was in elementary school. We cut strips of construction paper, asked all of the kids...
When we visited Rosewell Plantation this past summer, I brought home a little cookbook from the gift shop chock full of colonial-era recipes, including one for a tempting concoction called Marlborough Pudding, a uniquely American recipe that was a staple at the first Thanksgiving celebrations. It might surprise you to know that this isn't traditionally a pudding at all, but rather, a pie....
We have a crop of oak and maple trees lining the street in our new neighborhood, and they make the biggest, crunchiest leaves ever. A month or so ago, their leaves were all over the sidewalk in heaps of red and gold and orange, but by now, their colors have faded to a drab brown. Still, we thought they might have a little...
You might have noticed that last month's 12 in 12 didn't happen -- I was busy being a bridesmaid in my friend K.'s wedding and felt like I had enough to concentrate on without adding a blog project into it. This month we're glad to be back! Last Tuesday the 12th was a pretty ordinary day for us meaning: lots of painting, potty...
All year long, as my sewing skills matured, I've been pinning more and more elaborate DIY advent calendars that I planned to recreate. But of course procrastination got in the way, and here it is, mid-November, and I haven't started on one. Usually procrastination doesn't pay, but in this case, it did, because I'm in love with the advent calendar we ended up...
My sister brought me back a bag of lavender sugar from her trip to France last summer. It was so much fun to cook with -- it made my old tried and true recipes seem fresh and exciting again. We used it in as much as we could -- in lemonade, shortbreads, sugar cookies -- and even experimented with a lavender-sugar caramel. I...
I picked this adorable Japanese mid-century children's book at the thrift store recently during a Christmas-book buying binge. As soon as I saw the delicate water-colored cover, I knew I'd be taking it home. Yes, I totally judged the book by the cover without even a thought to what was inside. Luckily, as Anne and I soon found out, the story is just...
I'm writing a batch of thank-you notes this morning. I actually love writing thank-you notes -- I've never seen them as a chore, not even after James and I got married and had to write notes to each of our 200+ guests. It was kind of nice, actually, to sit down in the evening with a plate of leftover wedding cake and reconnect...
We had a busy weekend -- we had a yard sale, we met up with friends, and we finished a few projects around the house -- but yesterday we did take the time to observe Veterans Day with a trip to the Armed Forces Memorial at Town Point Park, in Downtown Norfolk. The memorial had been on my list of places to visit...
Last year, I made a vow that I was going to handmake each and every one of the presents I gave to my family and friends that holiday season. I imagined myself lovingly painting mason jars and embroidering initials on napkins by the fire all through December. In reality, I spent the weeks before Christmas in a frenzy, leading to a total meltdown...
