Happy Thanksgiving!

I woke up this morning at 6am! I don’t know why, but I seem to wake up earlier on my days off than on work days! Maybe it is because I’m so excited to have a day off. We started the day with a trip to the grocery store to pick up last minute, forgotten items, and of course the newspaper with all the Black Friday ads.

I went through all the ads before breakfast, and we decided on our game plan for Friday. Then we had Josh’s mom’s whole wheat pancakes with my fresh blackberry syrup -the byproduct from yesterday’s pie baking endeavor! Needless to say, breakfast was awesome, and we were full all the way into the early evening!

I spent the afternoon mostly lounging around, but it wasn’t completely unproductive. I did make a new clutch purse which I love!

I really need to get a real camera because my iphone doesn’t take pictures to well in the house after dark. (Not that I don’t normally love the camera on my phone!) Anyway, this evening we went out to dinner with my stepdad, and it was a great chance to test the clutch. It was perfect. It holds my money, phone, lip gloss, keys and the rest of the essentials comfortably. I will be carrying this around for a while, though tonight it will probably be going in my purse so I don’t have to worry about loosing it in the black friday rush!

Last but least, to round off our first major holiday spent together, Josh and I went to Old Navy after dinner.  I know, right! Old Navy was open on Thanksgiving! Its kind of crazy that they were busy, but it was good for us because we definitely won’t have time to stop there tomorrow. I am so glad we did stop because we found the cutest sweaters, and only $15 each (savings of about $30)! We each now have a gray argyle sweater to wear. I think they will look absolutely adorable to wear for having our pictures taken.

 

His

Her's

 

I was thinking that we would have our pictures taken in time for Christmas, but now that we have these sweaters I’m thinking that it would be so much cuter to wait until we move into the apartment. I imagine how cute we will be having our picture taken as we stand across the kitchen bar or something sweet like that. That is it for now. The day must come to an end because it is 8:40pm and we have to be up at 12:00am to start the Black Friday craziness.

Wednesday Wishlist – Girly Stuff

Today my wishlist consist of things girl cute things. They aren’t really practical, but not everything has to be right?

The first thing on my wishlist is this pair of Mary Janes.  They are super cute, but I will never buy them for myself because they make my feet look fat. So I suppose this is actually a double wish – cute shoes and smaller feet.

This next thing I would actually buy, but I’m not sure where to buy it. So if anyone can make this for me please let me know because it is so adorable!

Last, but not least, I suppose I would also buy this item too, but it would be a guilty indulgence which I try to avoid. I spend so much money on crafting items that I can’t justify spending money on jewelry too! (I did make and exception for my pearls, but that’s only because every girl should have set of pearls. -Or in my case, a set of glass pearls that look almost like the real thing, are just as pretty, and are a fraction of the price of real pearls!)

You can click on each picture to visit the site that the picture is taken from to learn more. Also, remember, if you are participating in Wednesday Wishlists then be sure to tag your post with “wednesday wishlist” so it will be easier to find.

Fail! and Win!

I have failed to stay on the ball with my Thanksgiving Days post. I’m thankful for lots of things, but writing a blog each day about a certain topic of thankfulness proved to be to much for me to handle. I’m not going to stress out about it though because I kept with it longer than I thought I would. Plus it was a good way to get this blog started. Maybe next year I will make it though. Meanwhile I have some tasty goodness to share!

Look at these pies I’ve been making for Thanksgiving!

One of Two Apple Pies

This is the pie crust recipe I used, but I didn’t quite follow directions because I melted my butter ever so slightly so it would mix better. When I say melt, I am talking about putting it in the microwave for about 20 seconds – just long enough so it is soft and creamy.

Blackberry pie completely from scratch.

The black berry pie filling recipe I found to use wasn’t all that great so I’m not posting it. It isn’t that it taste bad, it just had horrible instructions that required a lot of patching up.  It looks good the way it turn out though, and after straining all the blackberries out to put in the pie I had a quart of blackberry syrup left over, not including the syrup in the pie.  Josh has already tried the syrup on some waffles and it has gain approval so I’m freezing it for now. Later I may put it in little jam jars and give it as Christmas gifts, but I’m not sure yet.

I also made a loaf of zucchini-parmesan bread for our Thanksgiving dinner to be had on Friday. It looks pretty wonderful if I’m allowed to say so myself.

Okay so the picture isn’t great, but I think the bread will be! Are you making anything for Thanksgiving? If so, what is it?

Wednesday Wishlist – Black Friday

Since Josh and I are moving in together at the first of the year and we don’t have anything for the apartment I am really looking forward to Black Friday.  I’ve spent the last week scouring the internet for leaked ads, and I’ve found a site that allows you to save the things you want to shopping list.  These are few things on my list…

 

Pyrex 17-pc. set -Target -will be $19.99

I already purchased the 2 piece casserole dish set from K-mart for $11.99, but I will definitely be returning it. This is such a great deal, the only thing missing is the travel case, but that can wait.

 

Kitchen Aid 12pc set -Target -will be $24.99

And one thing that I would really love to had, but I’m not sure I’ll be getting quite yet is our cookware set. Just because I like Cuisinart doesn’t mean that it is necessary right now. However, at $100 off the set it sure is tempting.

 

Cuisinart 11-pc set -Sam's Club - will be $99

Are you going shopping on Black Friday? If so, what are you hoping to get your hands on?

Thanksgiving Days #16 – The Internet

Tuesday I was thankful for the internet. Even so long after the internet boom there are still sites popping up all the time that make me so glad I am part of this generation. (It is kind of ironic because most of the time I feel as if I was born into the wrong generation because of my ideas and hobbies.) On Tuesday, Kathryn introduced me to a website that made me particularly happy with the internet!

The site is Pinterest.com.  It is a site that allows you to “pin” pictures to boards you create with different categories. For instance, I have a board called “The Perfect Home-maker…”, and on this board I have different things like the perfect cocktail hostess dress, home accessories tutorials, and home organization ideas.

I also have my “Hope Chest” board that I keep ideas about things dealing with kids.

I have several boards that I’ve started adding things to, and I’m looking forward to finding other people who have similar taste as me. If you have time check out the site and start some boards of your own. Be sure to follow me so I can follow your boards as well. I love seeing neat things that people find across the internet!

P.S. Remember that its not to late to participate in Thanksgiving Days. Just write a short (or long) blog each day about something you are thankful for.  It is challenging some days, but it is still fun. If you decide to participate be sure to add “Thanksgiving days” to the tags section of your blog posts.

Thanksgiving Days #15 – Airport Security

On Monday I was thankful for airport security.

I woke up Monday morning and overheard the news playing downstairs in the kitchen. It said something about airport security which led me into a horrible day dream. Josh works at the airport so I was worried until I finally went down stairs and realized it was a segment of people complaining about the security measures.

I realize that all of the security checkpoints and requirements are inconvenient, however, I think it is a fair trade to keep the people I care about safe.

Thanksgiving Days #14 – Etsy

Today I’m thankful Etsy. If I’m ever lacking inspiration I can easily log into Etsy and see so many things I would love to make!

Skateboard Stool

I also see things I would like to make into something.

Japanese Cotton Linen blend

 

And some things I just can’t do myself so want to order!

Arm Warmers

If you haven’t checked Etsy ever or even lately be sure to because it is a great way to get unique items and gifts and support small business and handicrafts people.

Thanksgiving Days #13 – Carpe Diem

Today I’m thankful for shoe shopping with my mom! My mom and I purchased new Rocket Dog sneakers. Well, I’m not sure if they are sneakers or tennis shoes, but I do know they are cute!

Look at me becoming an adult and owning more than one pair of shoes! So maybe most adults don’t own two pairs of plaid shoes, but I’m going to play the “I’m a crafty sort of adult” card so it is now okay.

Mom and I trying on our shoes.

I hope these Rocket Dogs know they are still loved though a new set of Rocket Dogs have come into my wardrobe family.

One day I’m sure I’ll own a pair of nice business dress shoes, after all, I’ve had a pair of nice sandal heels before. However, that day is not this day.  Today, at the ripe age of 23, I’m going to seize my chance to wear plaid and/or funky shoes while I can, especially if they are on sale!

Thanksgiving Days #12 – Hope Chest Fabric

Today I’m thankful for hope chest fabric.  The fabric that I’m saving for anything baby related is what I consider hope chest fabric. I’m not using it, but it isn’t going to waste because I’ll use eventually -when the time is right.

Here are a few examples of what I have saved so far.

Westfalenstoffe (German company)

I have a super-sized fat quarter of this that will make a cute little diaper cover or something for a little girl sometime down the road.

Little Red Riding Hood

This is a Japanese cotton-linen blend. Because it is a heavier weight fabric it will stand more wear and tear, so maybe this will be a skirt or something. Who knows.

Snail Fabric

I have a yard of this fabric so I will definitely be making a pair of little boy shorts and probably a clip-on tie as well because it is so adorable!

And the latest addition to my “hope chest” fabric collection is this piece of flannel.

Pip Pip Car Flannel

The picture is dark, but this fabric is so cute. I will make a set of burp clothes out of it and probably use the scraps to trim cloth diapers.

It may be a little crazy to be collecting fabric for something so far in the future, but it is only a handful of years down the road. It never hurts to be prepared.

Thanksgiving Days #11 – Nice Weather

Today I’m thankful for nice fall weather. Tonight was the perfect weather for us to get a coffee and take a scroll around the neighborhood.  I had such a lazy day laying around and playing on the computer that it was a good idea for us to get out and get fresh air. Besides, it is a perfect time to get away from distractions and just focus on each other.  No computer games, no Facebook, no cell phones, just each other’s delightful company and exploration of our ideas and dreams.  I can’t think of a better “date” than that. Yeah, I consider it a date even if it does just last 30 or 45 minutes.

Yep, this was a short blog, but I’m thinking that I might post again later on a different topic.