it feels a bit like cheating

...but it felt so good.
this evening i broke down and ordered my groceries online from our local market. it is amazing how guilty and indulgent i felt placing the order. what with all of the holiday tasks that need to take place around here the last thing i wanted to do was walk into another store. so this evening i sat down and planned out two holiday menus, wrote up a grocerie list and then placed the order online. it is all done with and all i need to do now is pick the order up on friday afternoon in time for our first big meal on saturday. i guess i should not feel so bad. i love planing meals and cooking them but going to the store is always a bit of a pain. it just seems that it is always such a production to get everyone out the door while remembering the list, bags, drawing pad and toys for miss. A. so i guess when i look at it this way i feel great about what i just did and may start doing this with all orders. we will see.

on other fronts things are coming along but it seems as if time is slipping away faster then the energy put forth. there are still holiday cards to finish and send out but i keep reminding myself that the holidays last until new years, right...




i have been finishing a few little drawstring totes for gifts and a pair of knitted socks for Miss. A. other gifts are coming along but i am finding it hard to get things done during nap time these days. for some reason Miss. A has decided that now is a good time to get molars and so her nap is all over the board. i guess it does not help that i have been dealing with a headache for the past few days so anytime she goes down all i want to do is rest. but now that the holiday meals are planned and out of the way i am ready to get down to business:: tomorrow. for now i am going to bed. take care

{thursday} thrifted finds

part of me would love to devote thursdays post to my thrifted finds. just tuesday evening i was thinking about all the Vera scarves, napkins, table clothes and more that i have sitting around that i need to document. well wednesday morning Blair wrote about her Vera find and again i was inspired to document. my hope is that i will use thursdays as a day to talk about some finds i have made over the years. a chance to rediscover what i have already found. for now i will talk about this weeks find.

i always get quite excited when i see things that match another find from weeks or months earlier. yesterday while looking around i found a few more mugs to match two i got a few weeks ago.



i found three more pairs of mugs. they are all stamped Japan on the bottom and have such character. my favorite thing about them is that they stack and so when Daniel tries to say that there is no more room in the cupboard i have a good excuse. plus they are only out for a short time of the year.



also sitting there was a tumbler glass that goes with this one. it is amazing because i am now thinking that the glasses are a set of the seasons. it looks like i now have what may be spring and winter. when trying to look up the maker on line i was not very successful. one of the glasses says Houze 1979 and the other just Houze. i love the tree design and would be interested in seeing some of their other work.

one of the things i love about the thrift finds is finding out the history of an object. i hope that by posting about these items i will learn both from my own research and other peoples knowledge.

{a fun little fact}
start time::3:22pm
end time::4:32pm

living better:better living

like many others i have been enjoying the pearls of wisdom fond in the pages of both Luhrs and Chumberbatch's books. a friend of mine has recently shown me another wonderful book to add to this set. the first two have not only inspired me but also forced me to rethink anew the way we live. Cumberbatch looks at ways to simplify the space you live in and make it one that is intentional and functional while remaining aesthetically pleasing. Luhrs meets people where they are and asks what means we can live within and gives ways in which we can meet those goals.



the third and most recent book to add to this wonderful collection is Better Basics for the Home. this book is amazing that like the cover states gives 'simple solutions for less toxic living. there are recipes from laundry detergent to milk paint, floor cleaner to basic soft scrubs and more. it is a great guide to doing your own home chemistry in order to use less toxic goods. the website associated with the books is a great resource to get even more ideas.

finished

finished
Originally uploaded by devinemom.

it feels good do be done with the calendar project. the whole process was a lot of fun and i truly enjoyed working with so many amazing woman. each day is exciting as i get a new package in the mail of work from someone. each month is different and unique to the artist that did them.

thank you marianne for putting this whole thing together. this was a wonderful way to meet some great woman around the world.

i am now quite busy with working on Christmas gifts. many exciting things are brewing around here and i am excited to work on many of them once the holidays are over. until then i am trying to balance all of the many things that happen during the holidays.

indulgent

so just now as i was getting ready to shut down the computer and go to bed i saw something i just had to check out. the wonderful miss Martha over at Uniform Studio just opened up her Etsy shop. her work is amazing. she has a wonderful eye for color and texture. one can tell from just looking at her photos that she is meticulous about everything she makes.

i am quite excited about my purchase and look forward to giving some rave reviews once it arrives. go check her shop out.

such great sorrow

the news of James Kim hit me like little earthquakes of emotion throughout the day yesterday. a great husband, father, friend and son was lost doing such a heroic act. may there be comfort and peace for those so deeply effected by this misfortune.

work

work
Originally uploaded by devinemom.

we have been quite busy around this house the past few days. the weekend lent itself to many hours of getting things done. it is funny to me that when projects are getting done everything in the house goes by the wayside. the dishes need to be done and rooms need to be cleaned but we were productive. i guess if anyone figures out how to balance everything they would make millions.

my calendar pages are almost done. i just need to finish packaging them and then off the the post they go. my other big task that got finished was the Advent calendar. we have been enjoying quite a few things these past few days because of that. last night we made a fort and played around in it. we have also gone for a walk and hung christmas lights on the house. all of this can be viewed here

we seem to be wanting to stay close and focus on one another since hearing the news of the Kim family. please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to search for James.

WIP friday

i am truly looking forward to a long weekend in here. looking at our family calendar i am excited that there will be a lot of time to get things done around the house. the only thing we have planned is to do whatever activity we pull from the advent calendar and today it is to go for a family walk, Miss. A loves looking at the Christmas lights in the neighborhood.