Threads for Thought sale

Don't usually bother passing along sale information, but this one is seriously worth it. Remember those tanks that Kristina recommended and I subsequently fell in love with? Threads for Thought is having a 30% off sale through December 1st (tomorrow). Persevere through the terrible website (it deleted my entire cart again), ignore the lackluster photos and use coupon code "Holidays30Off". My favorite tank is here, but I'm also quite fond of the v-neck tee.

I actually bagged up all of my other tanks and sent them to the thrift store after I discovered these. They're that much better. And no, the company doesn't give me anything and they don't even know I'm obsessed with them. So far I've managed to dissuade myself from writing them a love letter.

DIY Blinds!

Remember the post from awhile ago, where I found out how to make your own Roman Blinds for cheap {thanks to the Little Green Notebook blog}? So, Lynn Bloomer and I tried it out on my new house! I ordered some beauty fabric from Tonic Living, purchased two pairs of cheapo $3 blinds from Walmart. Total cost for 2 blinds = $56 (but I think I ordered too much fabric...so will make a table cloth out of that!). We definitely made some dumbo mistakes along the way, but it was so much fun and my new blinds look marvy. What do you think?

Step 1: Buy the crappy Walmart Blinds.

Step 2: Measure measure measure, cut cut cut (definitely open to dumbo errors)

Step 3: Uh oh what do we do next?! I don't get it!! Good thing Lynn Bloomer is an architect.

Step 4: Ohhh we have to cut out all the ladder-like strings

Step 5: Rrrriiip

Step 6: Oh my, I have glue stick envy

Step 7: Glue them together with the enviable glue stick!

Step 8: Put 'em up...ta da!!

The long, engaged weekend

Um, you guys are amazing. I'm incredibly overwhelmed and touched by your comments yesterday. Thank you all so much for sharing in the excitement, truly.

I honestly wasn't sure where to start with this - we didn't have a super traditional engagement situation and it was a little complicated. Do I start with that? Or with a schlocky story about us and how we met? Plus, do I want to take up prime crafting post time during the holiday season to babble about myself? Tough decisions.

But then I started my usual process of pulling photos from the weekend and found myself writing a little bit more than usual. So here is the story of the weekend, organically. Good enough for now.

The weekend was a bit of a blur. Shocking, I know.

I was lucky enough to be able to take Wednesday off and I spent the entire day cooking in my kitchen, quietly. It was wonderful, soul renewing, especially because it felt like the calm before the storm, a day alone before this big life change (spoiler alert - I already knew we were going to make the official announcement on Thanksgiving, so it wasn't a surprise). Also, I got my hair cut and realized I'd forgotten how very good an expensive hair cut can make you feel. I had to run to the store for garlic and wait in a long day-before-Thanksgiving line and I was all smile-y, chatting it up with other customers instead of groaning audibly. I allowed the roving wine expert to talk me into another bottle of champagne, flipping my hair ever so slightly. Note to self, haircuts are totally worth the expense.

{thanksgiving kitchen}

On Thanksgiving, we strapped the giant door to our car and drove, slowly, slowly, slowly down to Orange, afraid we might take flight if we went over the speed limit. Having never actually driven the speed limit on the 405, we were somewhat curious about how long it would take. Answer - not too terribly long, especially if you have a ring nestled in your bag and feel so anxious/excited that time is alternately speeding way up and then slowing way down. Disorienting, to say the least.

{thanksgiving apps}

At my parents' house, D set to work making the door into a table. I flurried around the kitchen, determined to get the meal on the table on time, to make everything perfect. I snapped at my mom, but just once and then I made myself some strong tea and told myself to get it together. We set out plates of appetizers, large garden roses, plopped into a vase because we ran out of time to arrange them. People began to arrive. I tried to chat through the lump in my throat. We set the table, heirloom lace and linens overlapping to cover the giant door, now table. Silver and grandma's china. Linen napkins. Mismatched chairs for twelve.

{beautiful turkey}

The turkey emerged early, eager to get started. My mom used Alton Brown's Good Eats method and I'm pretty sure that we'll never go hunting for another recipe again. Fast, beautiful, perfect. I had been terrified that the (23 lb) turkey might be late, holding up the whole show. I couldn't explain to her why I was worried, so she probably thought I was crazy, but she was nice about it, getting the turkey in the oven right on my time table.

People filled their plates. Champagne and cider were poured. Immediately before we raised our forks, D stood and made the announcement. (I slipped my ring on under the table as he spoke) Our mothers cried. I turned bright red, mostly unable to speak, people hugged us. Glasses were raised, the ring was examined, congratulations were given. Wanting everyone to know on the same day, we drove over to my stepsister's house for dessert, made the announcement to the family, all hung out on the couch for a few hours, recovering. We emerged into a perfect night - cold and crisp and absolutely clear, filled with stars.

And there is this - I was overwhelmed. I was supposed to be happy and excited, but it was all hidden beneath a layer of stress from having such a big day, from having what had previously been so private suddenly become so public. I needed to decompress, badly. I got a little teary, and not in a good way. I felt a little bit like a failure at being engaged, already. We went home and collapsed.

The next day, we woke up late and ate leftover sandwiches with a side of cranberry orange relish.

{thanksgiving friday}

I re-read Harry Potter, just for fun, while eating pie in bed. D didn't complain even though I probably left crumbs.

{pie, book}

We went to a really hard yoga class and sweated a lot (I wore my ring and it was fine). We drove up to the vineyard to pick up our wine club shipment. We tasted several cabernets and pretended to be wine experts. We ate cheese and crackers and it finally hit me - I was so happy, so excited, so calm.

{wine tasting, feet}

We sat in the chilly air for a long time, feeling like kids. Except better, because we were a little tipsy. We took lots of pictures, including the fist pump shared yesterday. And some less exciting ones, like this.

{engaged!}

We drove home and spent the rest of the weekend just the two of us, which is exactly what I needed. A little reminder that even though this is all public, it's still just us. We ate lots of leftovers and washed lots of dishes and felt different, somehow.

{glass, china}

It was lovely.

About the ring - it was my grandmother's, who gave me my middle name and who died shortly after I was born. It is from the 1930s and it is a little bit art deco and sparkly and worn nearly paper thin in the back because she wore it her entire adult life. D and I both agree that we couldn't have picked something better, and I'm honored to have it. We had it painstakingly repaired but held off on replacing the band because I couldn't bear to do it right away. I love it.

About the wedding - I am really excited about being married, but a little freaked out by the whole wedding planning thing. This will probably pop up here and there on the blog, but I'm not planning on turning this entire blog into wedding planning central. We'll see how it goes. You'll probably also have to put up with some of my musings on how I came to the point where I wanted to get married, after having been in love with the same person for most of my life and feeling no desire to formalize it. Good thing you guys are patient.

Drumline Live!

Band is Cool.

Good Tuesday morning everyone. Rob here.

Drumline Live! is an explosive show created by the music team behind the hit movie "Drumline. Bruce Davis loves this movie BTW. It transports the African American marching band tradition from the playing field to the stage. The show features high energy performers in the show style marching band tradition of America's top Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This versatile group of musicians, dancers and vocalists is bringing their show to Cincinnati tonight at the Aronoff Center. The music includes the sounds of Africa, Motown, Gospel, Swing and Hip Hop. However the star of the show is the drumline. The showdown of rhythm and speed between the "lines" will amaze audience with its pulsing force. Tickets cost anywhere from $25 to $42. They're still available. Tickets are half price for students. For more information call (513) 621-ARTS.

Music Monday : The Narcoleptic Dancers

I hope that you had a lovely weekend and to those in the states a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here are the Narcoleptic Dancers for Music Monday! Enjoy.

*Me and the girls have a really bad case of the sniffles, I hope to be back with some great posts tomorrow.

Biggie

Kids, we're doing this thing ...

{engaged!}

Also, I got a really awesome new haircut.

Still processing everything, back tomorrow ...

Sleepy??

Good Morning and Happy FRIDAY.

Dan Wells writing, I'm going to guess unless a microwave dinner was your Thanksgiving feast, you probably have had firsthand experience with the after-dinner fatigue that sets in after the meal.

But did you ever wonder why you wanted to take a nap?

To escape the dishes?

Perhaps, but the meal itself plays a big part in the way you feel.

The turkey is often cited as the culprit in afterdinner lethargy, but the truth is that you could omit the bird altogether and still feel the effects of the feast.

According to medical experts....turkey does contain L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid with a documented sleep inducing effect. L-tryptophan is used in the body to produce the B-vitamin, niacin. Tryptophan also can be metabolized into serotonin and melatonin, neurotransmitters that exert a calming effect and regulates sleep.

However, L-tryptophan needs to be taken on an empty stomach and without any other amino acids or protein in order to make you drowsy. There's lots of protein in a serving of turkey and it's probably not the only food on the table.

It's worth noting that other foods contain as much or more tryptophan than turkey (0.333 g of tryptophan per 100 gram edible portion), including chicken (0.292 g of tryptophan per 100 gram edible portion), pork, and cheese.

As everybody knows...It takes a great deal of energy to digest a large meal. When your stomach is full, blood is directed away from other organ systems, including your nervous system.

The result?

You will feel the need to snooze after any big meal, particularly if it is high in fats and carbohydrates.

So, why are you sleepy after a big turkey dinner? It's a combination of the type of food, amount of food, and celebratory atmosphere.

Happy Thanksgiving! Dan Wells FOX 19 NEWS

painting interior doors

Original inspiration for painting our interior doors comes from Nate Berkus' apartment, which I will never cease to love (from Oprah.com):

I posted this one before, from Remodelista. This one's more of a subtle colour:

Fun fun fun, I want at least one fun door in my house:

Black is neat too:

Here's some red and yellow for Shayna Bloomer:

Can't tell if this dark blue or black, but i love it nonetheless:

{pics 6 -9 from Little Green Notebook}

This post is for my Craigger. You see, I have my heart on painting the interior doors of our house a funky colour, and I want to show him how cool it looks before I do it (lucky for me that he's always open to my crazy ideas)! I'm having a bit of trouble picking the colours though. I know I want the front door to be a nice funky yellow, but I think having ALL the doors that colour is waaayyy too much. So, maybe I should keep all others white?! But that does not adhere to my need to de-suburbanize, so the thought of white doors really does upset me. So, I'm thinking that maybe I could do them a complimenting shade of yellow that is very, very light. Or maybe a light grey? I don't know! Any suggestions, Bloomers?

I Am Thankful

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." -- Mother Teresa

Hi, it's Sheila.
Today I am thankful. Thankful that I live in America, thankful that I have a career I love, friends who support me, and thankful for a place to live and food to eat. But most of all, I am thankful for my faith and my family.

Today we will travel to see part of my husband Ric's family in Morehead, Kentucky, where his mother grew up, and where Ric spent summers during his childhood with his grandparents. Tomorrow, we'll head up to Sidney, Ohio to see my parents and my brothers, Jeff and Jim and their families. It's not possible to be with all of our family members, who are spread from Illinois to Texas to Connecticut, but I am grateful to have such a big family. It means lots and lots of love in my life and in my children's lives.

Many years ago, my father-in-law Robbie was visiting for Thanksgiving, and he supervised while I made Ric's grandmother's Sage Stuffing for the first time. Alice and Albert William Frederic Robinson, Senior owned a restaurant in Naugatuck, Connecticut, and it was passed down to Robbie and my mother-in-law, Pat. Robbie joined the Army Air Corps during World War Two and tested some of America's first jets, but when his superiors learned how talented he was in the kitchen, they also put him to work feeding his fellow service members. Ric spent a lot of time in the restaurant when he was a kid, and this stuffing, first made my his grandmother and then his mother, is one of his favorites.

I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you have a blessed, wonderful, warm Thanksgiving.

Grandmother Robinson's Sage Stuffing
2 celery stalks finely chopped
2 sweet onions chopped
3 small apples (gala) peeled and sliced (I use 2 if they're big)
1 lb. Sage sausage

Brown sausage with heaping amount of black pepper, salt and more sage, plus a pinch of nutmeg.

Add other ingredients and simmer until apples are soft. Let cool.

Add this mixture to a package of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing, made according to directions on bag.
Cook in turkey or for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Signing off for the week and wishing you all in the states a Happy Thanksgiving!

I couldn't resist sharing this gorgeous food photography from the inspirational blog, What Katie Ate. Katie's work is inspiring to the moon, you've got to see all of her food and photos creations. Her sensibility and style of photography whisks me away into feelings of the utmost foodie admiration.

I hope you get to have some great memory-making moments with your family or friends this weekend. What special recipes will you be making?



*Also, I decided to add a secret giveaway for you dear readers -- check out this post for all the details.

(all photos by Katie Quinn Davies)

Ginger & Liz

Since many of you were loving the modern french tips post and asking more... I thought I would let you in on tip. Today is the first time I've heard of Ginger and Liz nail polish (as it is on Hautelook today) and the colors look down right fantastic. I am having such a hard time picking colors, I want them all! Do you have any color selecting advice? See all of the awesome colors over here. What would you choose?

In the past I have been widely turned off by nail polish in general because all of the toxic chemicals you are essentially putting on your nails that seep into your system, but when I find brands like Ginger and Liz that are toxic-free I am on board. Do you worry about toxins and stuff like that? I'm kinda nerdy that way and actually look up cosmetic chemicals and their side-effects while shopping in the store, I've been embarrassingly caught a few times by friends wondering what I was doing, now you know... haha.

Dreamy Kitchen

There are so many things about this kitchen that I am enchanted by. It pretty much has my favorite elements all put together -- the dark hardwood floors, white marble countertops, farm sink, a window to look out of while doing dishes, nice colored backsplash and more. I'm putting this one on the tippity top of my favorite kitchen lists fo' sure. It is fun to daydream...

It is by Fiorella Design via A Pina Colada.

Thankful

Little paper leaves that I printed on neutral cardstock. I traced over the gray outlines with metallic paint pen, for subtle shimmer. Punched a little hole in each one and then cut a slit so they can be slipped on and off a string.

{thankful leaves}

The idea is to hang them on the mantle and people can choose to write down little things they are thankful for on the back. Over the top cheesefest? Maybe. We have a tradition that we go around the table and share something we're grateful for before we start eating, so it isn't completely unexpected for us. They'll be decorative even if they are left blank.

{thankful leaves}

Here is the file I used, if you'd like it. I didn't draw the leaves myself, so don't get impressed with my art skills. They are traced and slightly modified from a coloring book page (found here).

{thankful leaves}

More quick paper projects:
Punched out paper napkin rings (Thanksgiving 2009)
Super simple printed paper napkin rings (Thanksgiving 2010)

Things Organized Neatly

I am incredibly drawn to things that are beautiful and organized, sometimes I wake up dreaming about everything having its own place in our home. It is something I am continually working on. When I saw that Abbey from Design Scouting found a site called Things Organized Neatly I was instantly hooked, and I have joined with her in having it become my new favorite blog obsession.



I am further charmed by the cool Defender ad above because is one of my dream cars (sigh). Do you like to look at organized pretty things too? Are you a neat-nick? What types of things do you do to keep your life in order?

Goodbye

Farewell, FOX19 viewers!

It’s not without some sadness that I find myself writing my final blog for FOX19. Hi, it's Meghan. :)

Wow. It's hard to believe this is my last day. It went by so fast. I guess that's a sign I enjoyed my five years here at FOX19.

It was a little more than five years ago that I signed on as a WXIX reporter, coming from Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I was so thrilled to be able to come to Cincinnati and live in a big city. Living and working here has been all that I hoped it would be and more. That may sound cheesy but it's true. I have met so many great people and formed lasting friendships.

Me with my new co-anchor, Pete Scalia

Reporting for FOX19 allowed me to cover an important breaking news story one day and hang on a trapeze to showcase a circus in town the next. It's a job that's hard to leave. But being a morning anchor was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I am excited to join the ABC22/FOX45 team in Dayton where I’ll co-anchor alongside Pete Scalia.

I want to thank everyone so much for watching my colleagues and me at FOX19 the past several years. Live TV can certainly be an adventure, but we enjoy what we do and work hard to deliver a quality product every day. I hope it shows.

Top 10 things I’ll miss (and a few I won’t – you’ll have to guess which are which):

1. My close friends on the show and my main photographer Dale.
2. The camaraderie behind the scenes, like chatting with Sheila while we put finishing touches on our makeup.
3. Rob’s cornucopia of strange morning foods like beef jerky, watermelon, Greek yogurt, and popcorn.
4. Frank’s annoyingly chipper attitude at 3:30 AM.
5. Live shots at GABP when Reds fans camp out for Opening Day Tickets, and Opening Day itself.
6. Getting out of the warm FOX19 truck to do a live hit in the cold – 8 times per morning!
7. Setting up at our four favorite live locations: the courthouse, CVG, the police station and… the salt pile.
8. Watching countless salt trucks get refilled during bad weather at the aforementioned salt pile.
9. Dressing up in a German Dirndl for the start of Oktoberfest.
10. All the viewers who got up with us each morning and especially those who were so nice when I saw them around town.

Thanks everyone. I will really miss being on the air here in Cincy. I really appreciate your support. Remember I'm not too far away. You could buy a really strong antenna to watch me in Dayton!  :)  Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Day for kids...

Love these simple kraft ideas for a kid's table at Thanksgiving. See these and a few more ideas over here.

Christian Tagliavini - 1503

I am moved by the lighting, costumes and more in this visionary Renaissance photo project called '1503' by Swiss/Italian photographer Christian Tagliavini. At first I couldn't tell if these were paintings or photographs, they are spectacular!

(via feature shoot)

Modern Baby Gear

When it comes to baby gear, I like to find pieces that are extremely functional, modern, and simple. Here are our top ten favorite modern baby gear that we adore.

1. Puj Tub : This portable tub is incredible -- it folds into a kitchen sink fitting tub with ease and when you are finished it and can be stored nearly anywhere! I am amazed at its convenience and smart design. If you are unfamiliar with this, learn more about it here.
2. Boon Drying Rack : I love the shorter profile of this grass inspired drying rack and it is easy to dry a variety of things all at once.
3. Aden + Anais Wraps : These cozy muslin swaddlers are perfect to snuggle the baby up tight so they will sleep better. I look forward to trying the sleep sacks too, although I've never tried them, have you?
4. Skip Hop Bag : We got this bag when we had our first daughter and love the quick ability to snap it to the stroller and the pockets are incredibly handy. Bonus, my husband doesn't mind carrying it at all.
5. Sophie the Giraffe : I picked up this classic while in France and it is a family favorite. It is easily found in many places, and I have seen it become a baby shower gift of choice.
6. Lifefactory Glass Baby Bottle : I really like how these are made of glass because they have an old-school yet also very fresh and modern feel, they are super gorgeous and I can't wait to use them more.
7.BABYBJÖRN : We have loved this carrier with both of our girls, it is super easy to get in and out of, and is one of our staples. I've also found this easier to have the husband wear, instead of a wrap.
8. Bloom Coco Stylewood Baby Bouncer : This bouncer is amazing and seriously looks like a work of art!
9. MaryJane Socks : Although not necessarily gear -- I have found it difficult to find newborn shoes that stay on, so sock-shoes are the perfect alternative. We get compliments on these type of socks constantly.
10. Bugaboo Stroller : We received this as a gift with our first daughter and it has been outstanding -- it has multiple uses, and the bassinet can be used instead of a pack-n-play (when they are small) while traveling, which we recently used. We have never needed another stroller.

What about you? What are your favorite baby gear must-haves?