thanksgiving definitely gets the short end of the stick. that said, i am ready to put up the christmas tree and cut out snowflakes for the windows. i love christmas! i designed this ornament that would make the perfect gift for a friend, co-worker, teacher or yourself! its reasonably priced at only $22. last day to order for christmas delivery is december 7th. you’ll find this little sweetie under ‘something EXTRA’.

i have a construction paper christmas tree with a polariod picture of me from preschool. i have a special ornament from the year steve & i got married and ornaments from the year each boy was born. do you have any meaningful ornaments?

both of the boys have colds so we’ve been taking it easy. well they’ve been taking it easy and i’ve been working in my pajamas–which is a nice change of pace.

yesterday i had to run a few errands. and we had to get out of the house for a bit. (i didn’t wear pajamas out of the house, but i was tempted!) we stopped at a nearby park to play in all the fallen leaves. they don’t look sick, do they?!

on saturday, chrissie and i stumbled onto erika carter’s studio overlooking state street. it is amazing space where she paints and shows other artists’ work. i felt so inspired by her art and her workspace i was giddy. seriously, i was.

what stirs you up and makes you so giddy you have to CREATE something??

Chrissie and I met in Santa Barbara on Saturday for some solid sister time. It.was.wonderful. We always park in the same spot so we can meet up quickly, grab a bench and talk. Then we’ll walk around and shop, grab some lunch and maybe even creme brulee for dessert. It would be fine if there were no Santa Barbara halfway between us. I’d would willingly spread a blanket in an empty parking lot and pull out a picnic lunch just to be with her and talk. But I’m not complaining. Santa Barbara is great. And the creme brulee rocks.

Taking Pictures.
I use a Nikon D40. It was my mother’s day gift last year and I love it! I do most of my editing in iphoto (for Mac) and do a lot of playing on picnik.com (amazing and addictive site!). I always use a vintage tone for my photos and lighten them a bit. Cropping can take a ‘so-so’ photo and make it amazing.

Hair Products.
I use the cheap stuff! ‘Totally twisted’ mousse by Herbal Essence and ‘ice shine’ hairspray by Pantene. I’m not afraid to use a lot of product LOL! And I use a diffuser to dry my hair.

How I Met My Sweetie.
Steve and I were both finished with our undergraduate degrees and living in Southern California. Our roommates were dating and we met thru them. They were taking a swing dance class and asked each of us to join–just for fun, not to set us up. Steve likes to say that he danced his way into my heart. Initially, I wasn’t attracted to him, but as I got to know him my feelings completely changed. My adivce is, if he’s a good man, give him a chance. I am so, so blessed to be married to Steve.

Shopping.
Most of my clothing comes from Target and Old Navy. I mean, they have GREAT stuff and it’s so reasonably priced. I buy more expensive pieces once in a while. I love Anthropology (I shop their sales) and we have a boutique near us called Poppy that is darling. Oh, and H&M rocks!!

Favorite Movies.
I like lighthearted movies. All the Jane Austen’s–new and old. Legally Blonde. Keeping the Faith (I love Ben Stiller, Andrew Norton & Jenna Elfman). Reality Bites. Can’t wait to see Twilight.

Where we Live.
I grew up in Southern California. We moved to San Luis Obispo for Steve’s job. We love it here and have no plans to leave soon. That said, I don’t know where life will take us!

Sharing the Journey.
i love it when you share your stories with me. I get emails and notes on orders all the time. It makes creating your jewelry so much more personal and fun. I made three necklaces for a young mom who was dying and wanted to leave a gift to each of her girls. That was very, very emotional for me.

My Faith.
The easy answer is I am a Christian. To elaborate a bit, I believe that I am broken and in need of fixing. It’s not something i can do myself. I need God. I need Jesus. When David was born I was completely devasted. I remember thinking there was no way I could pull myself up by my boot straps or have it all together. I couldn’t pretend to trust God. I had nothing. In that time I experience God’s grace and peace in a way I can’t explain. I believe my life is not about me–it’s about something much bigger.

Our Family.
We would love to have more kids and we’re trying! We’ve been trying for a while and so far, no luck. We are still hopeful and we’ll wait to see if we are blessed with more little ones.

this weekend seems like a good time to …
*catch up on laundry
*linger over coffee
*take some fun photos
*work on a post to answer all the questions you’ve asked
*shop for sweaters
*spend some time with chrissie (yay!!)

what do you have planned?

you guys totally ROCK! we raised $722 for stephanie & christian. which means we sold about 72 necklaces yesterday. DANG! thank you, thank you!!

let’s giveaway two lovebird necklaces!! leave us a comment and tell us about a romantic moment. i remember my first kiss with steve was so wonderful, i lost track of all time and space. i’m not kidding. it was very, very romantic.

from 12:00am to 11:59pm TODAY, 20% of all sales will go to benefit Stephanie & Christian. Seems like a good day to start your Christmas shopping!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, 11/4, we are holding a fundraiser for Stephanie & Christian Nielson. Most of you are familiar with their story, but if not, you can read about it HERE. 20% of the total sales for the entire day will go to Stephanie & Christian. Please spread the word, and feel free to drag the pic above if you want to tell your blog readers about it. Let’s get shopping!!

So much fun! so much candy! Hope your halloween was great.

On, Tuesday i am doing a fundraiser for Stephanie & Christian Neilson. Check back tomorrow for details!