Cree's Aunt Paula let us come watch while they fed the cows...I've never been so close to cows in my whole life. The first photo makes me giggle. We had a little stare off...I won. Isn't Idaho beautiful? And isn't my little niece a doll in her vintage stripes? Cree said he used to wear those boots when he was a little boy. So adorable.

We're back from Idaho. Both a little sleepy this morning, but happy to be home safe and sound. We had such a fun time in Idaho...lots of family, lots of hugs, lots of food and lots of lazy time. Breaks always go much too fast. I haven't had time to upload any of our new photos, so for now...here are some pomegranates. We bought these a couple weeks ago because I'd never had one and because they were on sale. To be honest...we decided they are just too much work. We both felt a bit overwhelmed. They sure are pretty though.

Christmas highlights to come.

Oh my goodness. I'm finally finished with Christmas prep. All the Christmas cards are in the mail, packages are wrapped...I even made chocolate covered pretzels and had some herbal tea. My friend Alpha sent me the adorable tea set...I believe she even grew the lavendar, etc. herself. (Correct me if I'm wrong Alpha.) It was the perfect way to de-stress as we prepare for our trip to Idaho tomorrow. I've never spent Christmas anywhere but home, so it will be an adventure. :)

Also, my boss and his wife just gave me an ipad for Christmas. Um...awesome right?!?

This is why you should never try to take your own Christmas card photos. Needless to say, we reverted to the beautiful Bonnie and Clyde photos. I think we can all agree that we made the right decision.

Christmas is so soon!!! These are two of my favorite Christmas ornaments...they are recycled Plaza lights from Kansas City. Such a smart idea and I love smart ideas.


Two more days til Christmas break...we can't wait!

Cree and I love walking to the bank during our lunch on payday. It's become a bit of a tradition. It is always one of my favorites because we get to window shop on the way. Ann Arbor businesses seem to hire the same window painter every year at the holidays. He does all sorts of lovely little paintings....sometimes in very unexpected places. I've only seen him in action a couple times, and each time I was sans camera. Photos of his little creations will have to do him justice for the time being.


PS. I've been assembling our Christmas cards this weekend. I was starting to get frustrated that I even decided to send out Christmas cards this year when Cree said, "I feel like you are a bit tense today." To which I snapped, "I'm not tense!" Then we both burst out laughing, because my response was dripping in tense. My hair even looked tense. I'm glad I have Cree for forever. He always keeps me grounded and reminds me that it's not the end of the world if our Christmas cards turn into Valentines cards. 

During Thanksgiving break, we asked my mom to take some photos of us for a possible Christmas card option....we were going for a Bonnie and Clyde look...minus the edge. Isn't the prairie grass fun? It was surprisingly sharp. Wouldn't know to look at it would ya?

Here is the Michigan holly in action. Isn't it so cute you can hardly stand it? I think the holly might have to be a tradition. On a side note, ever since I was little, my family always used brown paper to wrap packages, so I've continued to carry on the tradition. It always reminds me of Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music.

I went to the Ann Arbor farmer's market this week and picked up little bunch of Michigan holly. I honestly didn't realize that the farmer's market was open year round...I went completely by accident. I saw people walking downtown with huge wreaths and garlands over their shoulders and decided to check it out. Thank goodness I did...not only did I find some lovely holly, I also ran into Cara and Carl the creators of Real Time Farms. We met last year at the craft fair in Ferndale and haven't seen each other since before the Philippines. I love spontaneous reunions. 


And for a mama update....she is HOME! Yipee! They sent her home last night. She was overjoyed and felt like a new woman. We are sad this whole thing happened, but so happy it didn't last any longer than four days. They think they have everything under control (fingers crossed) and know where to go from here. Thank you again for all your sweet comments, e-mails and notes again and again and again!

I started getting all my wrapping supplies out because I finished all my Christmas shopping on Saturday. Woohoo! Now it's the fun part! I love wrapping presents. Most of the ribbons I use are vintage...collected over the years. Some are gifts from my mom...we share a love of ribbon. I also joined the japanese tape band wagon this year. So far so good.

First of all, thank you for everyone's kind words concerning my mama. She sounds optimistic and perky on the phone, but when she asked the nurses if she could go home, they just laughed...in a nice way of course. She also says her nurse looks like Audrey Hepburn which I think tickles her. When I called last night after work, she was walking laps around the hospital wing. She has a master plan to show everyone how strong she is in hopes she can go home. :) She is such a doll.


Yesterday was a snow day in Ann Arbor. The public schools were cancelled, so seminary was too. Yipee! We got to wake up at 5:30 instead of 4:30! Cree's finals start today. He's been preparing all semester for them, so I have no doubt that he will do his very best.  We took a little break to have a treat by the Christmas tree. My mama gave me the mugs last year as a gift. They are perfect for hot chocolate.

On a melancholy note...my sweet mama is in the hospital. She feels like everything will be okay, but it still doesn't keep my heart from hurting. I wish so much I could give her a big hug. These are the downsides to being far from home. As you can see from the photos above, my mama is just about the sweetest, most genuine and fun loving woman I know. I love her with my whole heart, so if you wouldn't mind keeping her in your prayers these next couple of days...it would be most appreciated.

Happy Monday!  This past Saturday, I volunteered at the Tiny Expo. They asked me to be the door greeter...now if anyone really knows me, you'll realize that this is probably the worst possible job you could give me. My people skills aren't something I'm too proud of. :) I think I did ok though. Helen and Dylan were the creators of the event and since I was set up next to them at the DUCF last week, they asked if I'd help out. I'm so glad I did! I met so many great people and saw some pretty spectacular stuff. The top photos are from Simpli Jessi...I fell in LOVE with her dolls. I absolutely adore them. I kind of want to get ones that look like Cree and I. Is that weird? I think a little needle point mustache would be the cutest thing in the whole wide world. Jessi was a doll as well, not in the literal sense...in the cute hair, lovely personality sense. 


My table sat directly across from Soverscove Press. Their work is fascinating. They do offset printing for artists and the books they sold were certainly worth looking up. The lovely lady behind the table (pictured above) was a delight to be seated across from. Anytime there was a lull in the crowd we took the opportunity to chat which made my door greeter duties much more enjoyable. 


I also got a print from Peter Baker for Cree for Christmas, but then I realized that it put me over budget, so I just said it was a joint Christmas gift and gave it to him early. Ooops. :) Some of my other favs were the Pot & Box ornaments and the Ann Arbor Film Festival table. I love their branding. So much. All in all, a great event and I'm glad I got to be a part of it. I fall in love with Ann Arbor the longer I'm here.