Saturday Shoes: Lounge Loafers

There are times when this shoes fast has been highly beneficial. For instance, my obsession with loafers that has been lingering from the '90s would be doing serious damage on my wallet this year. Oh goodness, I love loafers.  Here are my favorites right now:

Tod's Dee Pantofola Laccetto Loafer

the name alone is a bit intimidating

Charles Philip Shanghai Sylvie Suede Tassel Loafers

again the name...

There are times when I am grateful I am on a shoe fast. I am grateful for the shoe fast.

Friday Favorites: Warming the Soul

Christmas time is here.  More than any other time of year, this season is one for the senses.  The smell of pine trees and sweet sugary baking, the texture of pine needles and gift wrap, ribbons and bows, the sight of twinkeling lights and the soft glow of candles in windows.  And how can I forget the tastes like this scrumptious hot chocolate above?  Ah, it warms the soul.  Here are my ten favorite finds richly welcoming the season. Feast your eyes.



1. Gingerbread yoga men, for all of the health nuts in your life!  How cheekey are these?

2. Simple and understated diy christmas trees for your table decor. 

3. Simple red and whtie packaging.



4. Free printable 2012 calendar, as a little gift to you.

5. These diy clay lollipops look delicious enough to eat! 

6. A simple "joy to the world" over the map.  I am toying with this idea for our own map, as our decorations are lacking this year.

7. Festive cookies decorated in metalics.

8. Old fashioned candy canes seen here available here.  p.s. I was shocked when I saw where these were sold! 

9. This white donut tower could be the perfect low-cost/low-effort centerpiece for a holiday soiree.

10. This homemade granola would make the perfect gift for all of the aunts and uncles and cousins on my list.

hmmm...

this list ended up being a bit heavy on the edibles.  imagine that.

'tis the season, right?

I am linking up to E Tells Tales, woot woot!

Thankfulness

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but after a weekend of a feverish baby leading to rain, rain, more rain, and the forecast of slush in my lovely city {did I mention I commute by bike?} I need to take a moment and remind myself of all that I am thankful for.

...that we have had a beautifully warm fall.

...for they days we were able to get out and play.

...for the city park just a few blocks away.

...that Behr indulges us at the park.

...for my baby daddy who may actually have more fun at the park than Behr at this point!

...for days like this.

...and for being a family of three.

 Yes, I am thankful.

And in case you can't tell. Recently Behr has practicing some of his new faces. 

Translation: I couldn't get him to smile for the camera at the park.  

The face he was making slightly resembles blue steel. Name the movie!

Behr is wearing

Outfit: Janie and Jack

Socks: See Kai Run

Shoes: Puj Unos

I am linking up to Small Style.

Baby's First Christmas

I love traditions. It has been exciting to introduce traditions to Behr and also for Mark and I to finally begin to set some of our own.  But when it has come to baby's first Christmas, the internet has exploded and I feel overwhelmed. There are a million things to do and places to go, from getting a Christmas tree {we aren't} to visiting Santa {skipping that too} plus all of the regular stuff like baking cookies {not in this house} and decorating {ain't happening this year}. So when I saw a simple craft on pinterest via a sorta fairytale, I thought:

 "That's it! That is the tradition I can stick to and commemorate baby's first Christmas!"

I already had everything needed. Plus loads of spare time a few minutes to whip this together. So I set out to make sure this first Christmas wouldn't slip by unrecorded. 

Supplies:

a glass ornament ball

clear embossing ink

embossing powder or glitter

a q-tip or two for cleaning up smudges

and heat to seal the handprint, like an embossing tool

a ramekin to set to ornament down to cool. beware, the glass heats up quickly

exhibit a: squirmy baby hands gave me plenty to "touch up"

exhibit b: touched up, pre-heat.  now you can see the hand print more clearly.

exhibit c: I let it sit and cool before adding Behr's name and the year on the back in hopes of repeating this simple craft annually.

And then...

exhibit d: crash. 

Moral of the story:

It is so easy, you should make two!

p.s. I did, before breaking this, because I know myself scary well.

I am a complete klutz.

there has to be a better word for this!

remember when I said I needed to invest in band aid?

my sisters thought it was funny.

in fact, now when they refer to this blog as funny, they use that one example.

Fact: I was wearing three band aids prior to breaking this glass ornament.

And to cheer every body up, some of my favorite Christmas tunes: