...the anthropologist

Anthropology just launched a brand new site that is just so pretty and simple, called The Anthropologist. I have wasted a good amount of time clicking around and am in love.
Check it out HERE.

Spent a bit of time discovering the followers gadget on my sidebar today. It led me to some fabulous blogs and I learned how to "follow" them. I know. I am behind the "following" times.

Used my weekend to learn knitting. Quite the task for a visual learner. I need to see things in action before grasping how to do them. Found some great knitting resources that I will share with you soon. If I can learn on my own, you can too!

Also, please excuse my recent absence. We had a little bit of a crazy weekend here in our home. Postings may still be a little sparse this upcoming week while I try to catch up on the pile of designs waiting for me. We are also having unusually warm weather for Utah in November. Must spend some time outside with my two cuties while I still can.

...an early birthday gift for myself

Purchased these cute little birdies for myself today with some birthday money! Can't wait to wear them...

...accessory love

Found a new shop on Etsy and have fallen in love. Stash is packed full of vintage-styled goodness. Plaid lovers beware and have your wallets ready. There is a plethora of pretties over there.

Loving This and This and This and This .

...thankful

He is a wise man who
does not grieve for the things
which he has not,
but rejoices for those
which he has.
-Epictetus

I love November. This month is still magical. The anticipation of the BIG holidays is upon us. (Not to mention my birthday, which is also celebrated this month.) Now that I have Halloween out of the way, I am ready to start my holiday planning. I already have my Thanksgiving trip planned, Christmas giving-to list made, and homemade cookie dough in the freezer, ready to be baked and delivered to neighbors. I chose the pie I want to make for Thanksgiving and the recipes printed for my family's Christmas Around the World party. I am ready.

Christmas also marks the day this bouncing baby in my belly becomes full term. From that day on, we will be ready to welcome the darling babe into this world. Yes, the holidays will be happy this year.

But, let us not forget Thanksgiving: the holiday of good food and family. The holiday where we remember the abundance in our life. And, I do have plenty of things to be grateful for. Today, I am thinking about the loved ones in my life:

01. My sweet husband. How could I not think of him first? J is the ultimate. He is so kind. A magnificent father, and a caring friend and son, and a sweet & gentle husband. He is perfect, or at least very, very close.
02. My adorable son who always is wearing that silly grin and making us laugh with his teasing ways.
03. My sensitive, loving daughter who takes after her father in so many ways. She teaches me to think of others and to love unconditionally.
04. My sisters/best friends: Sarah for being such an elegant example. She is always dressed to the hilt and cooking the gourmet. Ready for a party at all times and suppling nursing advise generously. Missy for loving my kids and being so generous in every way. Jenny for making sure our kids are the best of buds and for all the phone calls and chats. Hilary for being so kind and fun. For the long talks about our pregnancies and work.
05. My parents for their support and concern. Dad for knowing all the answers and loving my kids. Mom for being my favorite person to talk to and always making me laugh.
06. My new pup. We are still getting to know each other, but the whole family has fallen head-over-heels for the havanese cutie.
I have so many others I could list: my brothers, my teachers, my friends. I have such a wonderful support system in my life. So many great people. My heart is truly full thinking about everyone.

And that is what this month is about for me. Carrying a heart full of gratitude with me always. Seeing how good I really have it.

...halloween review

I have to join in on the blogging fun and show off the cuties in my life all dressed up. My fairy and elephant were totally into Halloween this year. It finally clicked for the fairy this year. She ran from house to house and got frustrated when her jumbo-hipped elephant brother and basketball-belly toting mother couldn't quite keep up. We were joined this year by our favorite little ladybug cousin who was as cute and happy as can be.
We had some deliciously creepy eats. Worms (black noodles) with pumpkin (uh...butternut squash) and slime (white sauce.) Sarah, my gourmet sister, made dragon scale salad (a green salad), witches brew (delicious orange-colored punch with dry ice), and maple spider webs (a delicious variation of funnel cake) for dessert.
We live in trick-or-treaters central. (My neighbors go all-out with their decor. Check out my the house below that is kiddie-corner from my own. It is also a safe neighborhood with tons of houses and no busy roads.) I bought $30 worth of candy and ran out before 8:00. (Check out the back-side of that cute elephant. Way. Too. Funny!)
Hope you had a wonderful Halloween. I'm quickly taking down all the Halloween decor and bringing out my pilgrims. Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday and November one of my favorite months.

...throwing a halloween party

The Halloween party was a great success. It was fairly low key. I told my almost 5-year-old that she could pick 5 friends to invite. (That's my rule to keep my social-bug daughter from throwing an enormous bash. A 5-year-old gets 5 friends; an 8-year-old gets to invite 8 friends. It was also all that my can-no-longer-bend-over-pregnant-belly self could handle.)

We had plenty of activities and the kids were adorable in their costumes. We had a fairy, a cat, a fighter-jet pilot, an astronaut, and a spider. Oh...and my youngest came as a nudist because he refused to wear his elephant costume to the party. (The joys of having an independent minded 2-year-old.) We ate plenty of sweets, thanks to my daughter who insisted on having cookies AND cupcakes at her party. The kids didn't seem to mind...

THE EVENTS:
01. Monster Posters: Each of the children were given a set of markers to keep and a monster poster to color while we waited for all the guests to arrive. I didn't realize that this would be the favorite event of the party, or I would have allotted more time towards it.
02. Pass the Pumpkin: Similar to hot potato. Daughter chose to play to the tune of "Monster Mash." Each child won a stuffed monster.
03. Monster Walking: Basically Red Light, Green Light, but with monster movement rules.
04. Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Decorating: Each child received a pre-frosted sugar cookie made by yours truly and a baggie full of goulish treats to decorate with. (Halloween colored M&Ms, Candy Eyes, Candy Bones, Candy Bats.)
05. Ghost Hunting: Think Easter Egg Hunting but with a Halloween twist. The kids ran off their stored energy outside while looking for "ghosts." (Lollipops wrapped in white tissue paper and colored-on eyes.)
06. Licorice Eating Contest: Ate licorice from a string without using their hands. A real feat for a 4-5 year old.
07. Cupcakes: The kids finished off the party by devouring a cupcake while waiting for their mothers to pick them up.

We gave each child a little favor bag to take home with a Frankenstein notepad, monster stamp and stamp-pad, pencil, glow-in-the-dark bracelets and pumpkin bubbles.

Thanks for coming, cute kiddos! We had a blast.

...we're having a boo bash

Daughter wanted to host a Halloween Party. I agreed and the day is upon us. Her little cute friends will be rolling in this afternoon and we have a lot of fun planned. Ghost hunts, pumpkin passing, cookie decorating. It might just be the 4-year-old event of the year. Daughter helped plan the whole thing and is super stoked. Pictures to come later.

Other items of note:
01. Gourmet sister and I have been planning the menu for our annual Halloween feast. Should be delish: black spaghetti with butternut squash and maybe a little witches brew. Mmm! Still trying to find a spooky veggie to serve. We believe in a balanced meal, even on Halloween. (ha!)
02. House Cleaning Booklets will be made available next week. I'm finishing up the final designing and sending them to the printer.
03. We are going to be dog owners tomorrow! Adopting sister-in-law's parent's havanese pup and are super excited. My husband jokingly said that our family feels "complete" now that we have a dog. hehe.

...29 weeks

This is a horrible scan of the sweet little profile, but you can still tell he is a cutie. Check out his handsome profile! He looks like his daddy.

Had an ultrasound today to confirm that my baby's brain problems had fixed themselves. He had some sort of hole in his brain from a cyst. My husband and I were so relieved when they gave him a clean bill of health.

The ultrasound tech told me through a smile that I had a "dancer" in my belly and that he was "not cooperating with the measurements because he was too hyper." Didn't surprise me. This little guy doesn't sleep. I can always feel him squirming around. She also told me he looked like he was jumping on a trampoline. She kept saying, "Holy Cow!! Are you feeling that??" I looked at her like she was crazy. OF COURSE I can feel this crazy babe in my belly!

Can't believe I am 29 weeks. The due date is swiftly approaching and the nesting instincts are raging. I'm off to knit a baby blanket...

...crafting books

The fact that I love to craft is old news. I love making things. Turning nothing into something. Making things pretty. I get a high from it.

I've added a few crafting books to my birthday/Christmas wish list. Nothing makes me happier than browsing a pretty book.

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts: Martha, oh you! The crafting goddess. How could I not want this book? Flipped through it in the book section of Costco a few weeks ago and my head started spinning with excitement.

Bookcraft: Bookbinding: my new hobby. I love it. This book offers great step-by-step projects for the newbie like myself.

Re-Bound: Another bookbinder's paradise. Creating books from recycled and refurbished materials. Swoon.

Pattern and Palette Sourcebook 3: This isn't exactly a crafting book, but almost. Design is a craft. This book offers great insights into pattern and fabulous color schemes. Will come in handy.

...recently starred

Tons of good blogging lately! My google reader is jam-packed full of starred posts.
Here are some goodies:

Vintage-look button earrings via Grosgrain Fabulous
Recycled vases via P.S. I Made This
Wood clock via Mufn Inc (pictured above)
Creepy Halloween Treats via Armelle Blog
Thrifty Thursday Clock via my friend Kami
Candy Gram via Inchmark
DIY Grosgrain Ribbon Wreath via iDIY
Housewarming via One more Moore
Spinach and Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese and Tart Cherry Vinaigrette via Love and Olive Oil

What posts have you starred lately?

...daddy rarr

Have I ever introduced you to "Daddy Rarr"? He is a very important member of our family. Tragically, he went missing on Saturday. My daughter was distraught. They have been inseparable for 4 years. (Can you tell? He is a little mangled...) We did a full search of the house, yard, vehicles, and the park to see if we left him there on Saturday. Nothing.

This is embarrassing to admit, but I actually cried a little over this missing bear. He is straggly and old and dirty...but i think it gives him a charm. That childhood magic. My baby girl loved him and she still does. When I see her with him, I can still picture my pretty little one-year-old babe. I am not ready for her to move on.

UPDATE: After a DAYS of searching and many phone calls, Daddy Rarr is back home! Phew! My not-so-baby girl is cuddling with him right now.

...we've been "boo"ed

Last night, some sweet person "boo"ed us, leaving the most delicious fall cookies ever on our doorstep. I wish I knew who it was. I'd be hounding them for the recipe. The perfect, crispy on the outside/chewy on the inside, spice cookie ever. If you have a recipe for this and would like to pass it along, I'd be eternally grateful.

Still sick around here. Is it possible that I am actually worse after 6 days? I feel like it. Slept for 2 whole hours last night because of coughing. It really stinks. I'll try to squeeze in a nap today. The rest of my family seems to be on the mend. My pregnant body just doesn't seem to be able to fight off this darn flu. Tylenol, Robitussin and Halls have become my constant companions.

I'm going to take a weekend hiatus from blogging and try to recover from this nasty bug. We plan on watching a little college football, lounging around, drinking cider and eating soup. Hope you all enjoy yourselves!

...i don't condone guns

Guns scare me. I didn't grow up in a gun-packing family, but I certainly married into one. J gets great pride every time he can talk me into shooting.

On Saturday morning, we were visiting the in-laws in Idaho. I wandered upstairs after a sick and semi-restless nights sleep to find my little family, in their pjs, shooting a bb gun outside. My heart stopped for a second and quotes from The Christmas Story started flooding my head. I asked my hubby, "What are you doing? I don't want my babies shooting a gun!" But, I also coldn't bare to tear them away. They were getting such a thrill, as was their proud father.

I ended up joining in on the game. It is true. No making fun of my form. I have held a gun a total of 3 times. And I was scared. And I am sporting a mammoth belly. I did pretty well, if I say so myself. Shot the milk carton 10 out of 10 times. J chose a harder target for me: a small metal pole in the garden about 1/2 acre away. Got it on my second try. Beginners luck. I had my eyes closed.

28 weeks pregnant in that picture. Belly is amazingly large with baby #3. Baby Bean jumped with joy after every kick of the gun. I think he takes after his daddy...they'll be hunting buddies one day.

...chicken noodle soup

Success! I was able to get my 2-year-old - with a temperature of 102.8 - to eat. (Very little, but he still ate.) The reason for such success? Homemade chicken noodle soup. It came close to killing me, standing for that long over a hot stove, but it was worth it seeing every single family member gobble some of this down. (My 4-year-old hasn't eaten in 4 days, so this was a serious thrill.)

SUPER-EASY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (must be easy if you are to make it when sick...)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 cans chicken broth (I prefer using 2 boxes of the freerange chicken broth from Costco. Way yummier...)
1 can vegetable broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups egg noodles
1 cup sliced carrots (Best when fresh from in-law's garden!)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

How To:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

...sickness craving

We are all sick, sporting high fevers and coughs. Please excuse me if there is a bout of silence here. I'm probably sleeping...or cuddling my sweet, sick kids. Not sure what is ailing us, but we've lost our appetites. The only thing we can bare to put in our tummies is Autumn Punch: a marvelous, sweet-yet-tangy drink.

AUTUMN PUNCH
2 oranges
8 whole cloves
6 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/4 cups pineapple juice
How To:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stud the whole oranges with cloves, and bake for 30 minutes.
In a large saucepan, combine the apple juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the nutmeg, honey, lemon juice, and pineapple juice.
Serve hot in a punch bowl with the 2 clove-studded baked oranges floating on top.