And the fun begins...

I've waited all my life to take my child to see Santa Claus, and it was just as wonderful as I had imagined it. It is a little known fact that the best Santa in New York City (or maybe the world) hangs out at ABC Carpet and Home in December for all the children to visit. We saw him last year there and I just knew we had to take our little Pookie to visit Father Christmas. He was so dear and Winston just loved him and kept snuggling with him(note to Grandpas, I think it was the beard). This may have been one of my sweetest moments being a mom. I told Santa Winston has been a very good boy this year and that what he wanted most for Christmas was sugary binkies and stuff to chew on. We'll see if he gets lucky. 

The big parade

It's a pastime of many New Yorker's to go visit the balloons at the Museum of Natural History on the eve of the parade as all the preparations are being made for the big event. Of course Winston was asleep the whole time, but I got to see Buzz Lightyear, Spongebob and a host of others. I couldn't believe how big these were in real life. Just one of the things I love about New York.

this little guy is keeping me busy

nothing without the cranberry

In my opinion cranberry sauce can make or break Thanksgiving, which means it is absolutely crucial to have a knock your socks off recipe to ensure your Holiday doesn't fall short. You don't have such a recipe you say? Have no fear, I'm here to give it to you. For the past four years I have made the yummy recipe below courtesy of Barefoot Contessa and I've impressed myself every time. Perhaps it is my grandmaother in me, but I think it would be a form of torture to eat cranberry sauce from a can. I think my Gammy would be proud of this sauce, and the best part is the recipe is so easy it will make you feel like a really good cook and make your house smell amazing.

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) bag of fresh cranberries, cleaned
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 orange, zest grated and juiced
1 lemon, zest grated and juiced
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
* raisins and nuts optional (I'm a traditionalist so I skip them)

Directions
Cook the cranberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the skins pop open. Add the apple, zests, and juices and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the raisins and nuts. Let cool, and serve chilled.

free art

Last year for Christmas there was one present under the tree that was big and heavy and meant for me. It turned out to be a stack of about 300 New Yorker covers that Dan's dad had been collecting for years.  Since Dan and I are New Yorkers, he thought it would be appropriate to give them to us.  Needless to say we don't have the wall space for 300 but we did pick out a few of our favorites and have been rotating them through the year. This one above is one of my favorites. This just goes to show you, art doesn't have to cost much to look great. 

projects

I like projects. Unfortunately I like them so much that at any given time I have about 6 different things I am working on and lots of them never end up getting finished. One of these projects is my etsy shop, another Winston's Birth announcements. I'm trying to get a handle on both. I let you know it goes, but meanwhile I have all the supplies for Winston's announcements sitting neatly at my desk. My goal is before Christmas. We'll see how it goes. But hopefully the 100 yards of beautiful linen ribbon I bought for them will get me motivated. This is my favorite ribbon ever. Go buy some, your holiday packages will thank you.

us

Love this picture that Jill  took of us a couple of weeks ago up at Columbia.

yum

You probably didn't know that our friend Gwyneth is a huge foodie. In fact she spent three months touring spain with Mario Batali to film a cooking special with him. She's just launched a new website, GOOP that I am tickled pink over. Today I received in my inbox a vast collection of recipes for Gwyneth's Thanksgiving. Goodbye Williams-Sonoma and Martha, hello Gwyneth. This has got me excited. And best of all I love the pictures. I couldn't find the link to the recipes online, but if you sign up for the newsletter, I have a feeling you might get a little surprise in your inbox. I can't wait to see what Gwyneth Paltrow comes up with next. 

trivia

One of my aunts always brings trivia questions to holiday parties and offers a special prize to the one who can answer the most questions right. This would be a great gift for her and fun thing to pull out every year during the holidays. Be sure to check out all of the other great stocking stuffers at Restoration Hardware. I always seem to find to great little gifts there. And I am so wanting these.

chubby

                                          

This little man's cheeks (and the rest of his body) are growing deliciously plump. I think he must be sneaking protein shakes when I am not looking. If only you could see his chubby little wrists. They take the cake.

zoo

I think this 2D zoo fabric by Alexander Henry is adorable. It comes in a few different colors but the blue is my favorite. It sort of reminds of another pattern I love by Dwell Studio. Now to decide what to make.

One of my friends in SLC told me to check out Green Apple Photography. My computer was down all weekend and I kept reminding myself, green apple, green apple, green apple. I am sure glad I did. I love the style of Lindsey's photos, but what I love even more is her polaroid blog. I was especially digging the ferris wheel pictured above. This just made it to my list of daily reads. 

bluebird

I got the sweetest little bluebird blanket by Pixie Lily for Winston as a shower gift. It is one of my very favorite little baby things we have. The cotton is so soft and I think the bluebirds are the most precious thing. Well of course when I discovered these matching pajamas were on sale, I just had to buy them.   Hopefully these will help give him sweet dreams. 

comfort

These might just be the most comfortable pajama/lounge pants ever.
They are cozy and cute. And did I mention they are on sale?

Charley Harper

I popped into Old Navy the other day and spotted these fun funky toys by Charley Harper. I couldn't resist grabbing this puzzle for W for Christmas.

4 years and counting

I think the top of our wedding cake might actually still be in the freezer at my family's house in Utah. We ate a piece for our first anniversary but it didn't taste very good so we abandoned that tradition right then and then and there. There are days when I can't believe it has already been four years, and days that I can't remember what my life was like before Dan was a part of it. I'm going to avoid the gushing and outpouring of emotion, but I do have to say that Dan is wonderful and I am thankful every day to have him as my best friend and husband, and now to see his as a father. This year has brought us so much closer together in the new adventure of parenting and I can only imagine what the years will bring. Dan, thank you for being there every single day. Thank you for the long talks, the bedtimes kisses, family prayers, and lots of laughter.You are perfect for me. And Winston thinks you are wonderful too. Happy Anniversary.

Popular?

I've been thinking a lot lately. About life. About our country. About choices. About issues. And about the election. I ran for office in many a high school election. I won some, and I lost some, and at the end of the day you would always hear people agreeing that high school elections were just one big popularity contest. So now here I sit wondering if that ever really changes? I want to preface this by saying that I rarely write my thoughts about things like this on my blog because I sort of grimace at controversy, but I am anxious to hear what all of you out there in cyberspace think.

Throughout the past year as our country geared up for this historical election I am sure each of you had many conversations with many different people about the candidates. I know I did. And I wish I would have counted how many times I heard people say, " I don't like John McCain" or "Hillary Clinton just bugs me," or " I just really like Barack Obama". I am not trying to say what is right or wrong, but what I would like to say is that it shouldn't really matter whether or not whether we like one candidate or another, it should matter who shares our interests and causes. It matters who will stand up for what you or I hold dear and fight for us and our beliefs when the time comes. It matters who will a champion and advocate for those who have no voice. And we choose who this person is going to be.

Politicians are interesting creatures. They prey on our worries and concerns, our hopes and our fears and build entire careers upon getting their voters to like them, worship them even and perpetuate them to higher and higher levels of power. Their strategies are built upon approval ratings and projections for the popular vote. So I wonder, what has changed since high school? Are elections any less about popularity today than they were back then? Or do we all get sucked in by the charisma or eloquence of one candidate versus another?

chili

The other week for book club I made a heaping batch of chili. So heaping in fact that half of it is still in my freezer. Still, it is nice to know I have something yummy to defrost. I am always looking for good standby recipes for classic dishes and this one is a winner.

Chili
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 each red, yellow, and green peppers chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
3 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) tomatoes (diced preferred)
6 cups turkey or chicken (optional)
3 cans (15 1/2/ oz. each) cannellini beans (can sub or mix kidney beans and black beans)
Grated cheddar, cilantro, sour cream, and scallions for garnish

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and peppers. Cook 5-7 minutes, or until soft. Add spices, salt, and pepper. Stir. Add broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Stir in Turkey/chicken, beans, simmer 30 minutes.
Stir in balsamic.Garnish as desired. Yum!

One potato blue

When I was in Park City last month I stumbled into the most adorable children's boutique, Baby Nee Nee. I snagged a couple of adorable things for Winston there but there was one thing I had my eye on that they didn't have his size in, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since. I can't get these darling infant wrap shirts by onepotatoblue out of my mind. So simple, yet so sweet. I think I feel a craft project coming on.

Cinderella

If I were Cinderella, I would want these to be my glass slipppers

halloween withdrawals

Halloween is over. Boohoo. Oh well on to the season of holiday after holiday. But to give Halloween it's last bit of attention, here are some more pictures. It was fun to see all the kids at the park and throughout the neighborhood decked out in their costumes. Thanks for hosting such a spooky and fun party Jill.

Captain Hook and Tinkerbell were Winston's escorts for the evening.

Ruby, aka one of Winston's many girlfriends

Ruby is our friend. Ruby belongs to my friend Molly. Unfortunately we don't get to see her much because she lives all the way in Utah :( . This means when we go to Utah we like to hang out with her. We spent the day with Molly and Ruby in Park City last month and snapped some adorable shots of Ruby that I am in love. She is pretty cute girl, Winston you have my blessing. P.S. Molly a CD of pics will be on it's way this week!

Not Too Shabby

My friend Molly has a darling lifestyle blog called not too shabby that I just had to share. Molly has a great style and she is always finding great treasures. Go check her blog out.

one man's trash, another man's treasure

On our way back from Hyde Park we drove along the Hudson River Parkway which basically just connects all the little antiquing towns along the Hudson River. The leaves were amazing and we stopped and spent the afternoon in the cutest little town, Cold Spring. The main street in Cold Spring is basically one cute little antique shop after another. There were some hardcore scavengers there looking for treasures. It was the perfect way to spend a fall afternoon. If you are ever in the area of Cold Spring, I highly suggest you make the stop.