happy new year

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and now well it's the day after and you know what that means.  Time to shop!!!!! There is one gift that you can get for almost everyone on your list-Hunter Boots!!! I absolutely LOVE, LOVE my Hunters!  I can not even tell you how much I wear them.  Living where the weather is rainy one day and snowy the next these are soooo perfect all year long!  I have the black hunters which I love for their versatility but the colors ahhhh so many fun colors!!!!  So instead of going for black on this Friday after Thanksgiving go for a fun bright color.  Such a great gift idea for Christmas.  My daughter got a pair last year and she can't wear them enough and now that it's cold outside, pair them with a pair of hunter boot socks.  Hunters for everyone!   Grab your Hunter boots  here  at Nordstrom. Check out the cute boot socks at Nordstrom  here .

It's the season for travel.  Long trips in the car and cross country flights-ahh sounds dreamy!   For those of you who are off to grandma's for the holidays or anywhere for that matter I have some tricks that make traveling with little ones a breeze.  We travel quite a bit for a family of six and in order to make the trip go smoothly we pack lots of tricks and plenty of treats.   One of the tricks that works like a charm with toddlers is a snack box.  I use a clear plastic tool box and I fill each little compartment with small colorful snacks and treats. This snack box is great for plane rides because it will keep your child quite busy for a long period of time.  I use things like baby goldfish, small cereal, raisins or crasins, tiny pretzels, fruit snacks, m&ms, nuts, tiny cookies.  Any sort of small, finger treats.  I also think a key component to its success is the variety and newness of the treats.  Try to pick foods that your t...

Do you have big plans for Thanksgiving?   If you are hosting here is an easy, last minute table inspiration.  I used a neutral table runner from Pottery Barn.  A beautiful linen one is found  here .  Also, brown butcher paper works and looks great and the kids can decorate it to keep them busy during dinner-wink, wink! I collected gourds, pine cones and acorns from around the house that we used for Halloween decorating and placed them on a silver platter in the middle of the table. I used mercury glass votives as well as our china and crystal to add sparkle to the table. We used simple paper turkeys for place cards. I f you're hittin' the road check out our Thanksgiving Round Up for easy,  last minute recipes and ideas to bring along. Check out these links to the ideas above: Pumpkin Dip Pumpkin Bread Pumpkin Float Thankful Tree Rosemary Wreath

Not hosting this year. If you are wondering what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner bring this! Pumpkin Cake/Bread Recipe 2 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cloves 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 large eggs 1 cup of pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350.  Spray the pan with cooking spray.  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.   In the mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter and mix until fluffy.   Add the eggs, vanilla and pumpkin and mix well. With your mixer running, add the dry ingredients a bit at a time.   Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently to even the mix.   Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar. Easy Peasy!! Crazy around your house like it is at mine!? If you don't have the time or energy to make it from scratch then...

It's quickly approaching-The Holiday Season. -YIKES!!!! It's easy to forget to be thankful.  With all of the running around and busyness that life brings it's hard to remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving. So this year on Thanksgiving Day have each guest reflect and write one thankful thing  on a paper leaf and place it on your special tree. The kids and I cut a few branches from a bush outside and stuck them in an old urn from Pottery Barn . You could use something like this  or  this .  Place the bare branches into the urn using floral foam to keep them secure.  Have your guests attach the leaves to the branches using a hole punch and a bit of craft wire.  What kinds of things are you thankful for this year???