I Love the Perfect Weekend

We have had such a great weekend. And it's not even over yet! Friday night after work we did a little Christmas shopping, and I got the cutest jeans for less than half-price at Macy's. Is there a better way to start the weekend?

Yesterday we went downtown to Kathryn Albertson Park to have pictures taken. It was kind of windy and not very warm. Add to that the fact that Valerie ran around like a wild child, and you get wind-blown hair, rosy cheeks, and runny noses. Nevertheless, I'm hoping we got some great ones. The photographer sent me this one to tide me over until he's finished with the rest.


After pictures, we went to Bajio for lunch. Yummy! Then, we came home and took a nap. I'm not much of a naptaker, but it was great. I got most of my housework done last night while listening to Christmas music (I just couldn't hold out). A few snowflakes fell, and a thick fog came in and seems to have decided to stay a while - which I love.

For breakfast this morning, we made ebelskivers, one of my absolute favorites. We tried a recipe from Williams Sonoma that is truly to die for: Cinnamon-Bun Filled Pancakes. You can get the recipe here. Seriously, they are soooooooooooooooooo good.

The rest of the day will be filled with church, visits with friends, and dinner at Grandma's. Who could ask for a better weekend? I hope you all had a great one as well.

I Love Girligami

I've never been great at origami. I'm not sure I ever got one of those little folded jumping frogs to jump right. But after seeing Girligami on Hostess With the Mostess, I will have to devote some time to mastering this art. Look how cute!!!

Valerie's First Haircut

Last weekend while we were in Salt Lake, Suzie was kind enough to give Valerie her first haircut. Though Valerie made it quite difficult, Suzie's work was amazing, as usual. Thanks Aunt Suzie! Valerie told everyone at daycare that Suuuuuuuzie cut her hair. She was so proud of her new look.

As you can see, I sort of forgot to take a photo after it was styled. I'll work on that.

Construction Zone

I've been having SERIOUS technical difficulties with the blog this week. As a result, my link list and everything else has been disappearaing and reappearing. Leave me a comment if I forgot to re-list your blog!!

Help. I've taken a wrong click and can't get back.

Am I the only one that feels like she could get lost in Blogland never to return again? Seriously, there are way too many amazing and creative people out there. It's inspiring.... and more than a little humbling. It seems like everytime I have an idea, someone out there has already done it. And they've done it better than me. It's great for the mind, not so much for the ego.

Anyway..... I'm really here to write about Thanksgiving. I have to admit that it really isn't my favorite holiday. I love pumpkin pie as much as the next girl, but I really prefer Christmas, Halloween, and the 4th of July. Danny and I are lucky enough to have our families in the same town, so we usually get to spend time with both families for the holidays. But as we're getting older and our families are growing, we've had to start switching back and forth for the main events on each day. This year is my family's turn for Thanksgiving, so I'm trying to get really excited about it and find more ways to enjoy the day.

Now for the tie in.... I found the greatest Thanksgiving ideas in Blogland and online. I'm so excited to try some of them out. I've posted some of my favorites below. Also, I've found the cutest turkey and fall cupcakes. I'll be posting one every day on my Cupcake Blog.

Now, maybe I should go get some practice in and bake a pumpkin pie. :)

The most adorable Fall party from http://joyfulweddingsandevents.blogspot.com/









And this amazingly cute invitation from Tiny Prints:


A cakelet pan from Williams Sonoma:


Dishes from Pottery Barn, of course:


Thanksgiving Table Top Questions from Plum Party:


Chocolate placesetting turkeys from Lake Champlain Chocolates:


I'm sure there will probably be more to come, but for now, I must start trying to find the trail of breadcrumbs back home from Blogland.

Merry Christmas Tutu You!

Okay, so I know it seems like I just barely posted about Hannah's Tutus, but they're having a giveaway, and I want to win!!!! Besides, they just posted all their holiday tutus, and I think I'm in love. I want them all.
Do you think Valerie would mind if she just got one giant box of fluff for Christmas?

Today I'd Love a New Coat (or Three)....

Fall is definitely here. After the warmest Halloween of my entire life, the rain began. And it hasn't stopped for any significant amount of time since. Since my coat from last year almost wraps around me twice, I'm searching for a new one. And the contenders are:

I'm not a huge Will Ferrell fan, but......

This is pretty dang funny:

Carroll, Ferrell Pull Off Halloween Gag

As the door flew open on a camera tower high above the ground just outside Howard Jones Field, all eyes turned to a man inside screaming and waving his arms.As he hurled to the ground, players winced in horror. Fullback Stanley Havili ran toward the door, but before he could get there, he received good news."He caught him," a woman yelled.

With the man cradled in his arms, a masked superhero strolled into Howard Jones Field. Sure enough, "Captain Compete" turned out to be comedian Will Ferrell.After speaking to the team for a couple of minutes, Captain Compete got another chance to save a life, when a man engulfed in flames emerged from behind the goalposts.After the man was extinguished, Ferrell tried to help, launching a Gatorade cooler at the man ? not on the man."What a sense of timing that guy has," USC coach Pete Carroll said.The Halloween gag had most of the Trojans fooled."It felt awful," Havili said. "My stomach just dropped."Freshman defensive tackle Armond Armstead saw the man fall and thought tragedy struck."Seriously," he said, "I thought we just watched a dude die."The prank lightened the mood after the team finalized its week of practice "It was just a little something in the Halloween spirits," Carroll said. "I just thought we'd have a little fun."

Article by Dan Woike at USC Football

Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma

I think I just threw up a little...
"Ever want to ditch the rat race? Burn your diploma and take a vow of simplicity?
If you thought about it, but could never quite muster the courage to strike a match, you can live vicariously through "Jack," a Washington, D.C., a 30-something lawyer who announced on his blog in June that he is giving up his $300,000-plus annual salary and opting for a simpler life.
In Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity, Jack blogs about his excesses and exit strategies. Then on Oct. 27, he took a key symbolic step in that direction. He burned his Harvard law diploma and posted a video on YouTube for all the world to bear witness....."

Article from ABA Journal Online

I told you chocolate was the devil...

Horror-S'morer by Bent Objects

I'm hungry now. Does that make me a bad person?