A Mishmash of Thoughts

Its finally a little cooler! yay! I wore a jacket outside for the first time yesterday, granted it was just a hoodie but its better than tank top weather. I know it probably won't last but its a welcome change from the hot we've been having...
Case in point, beach this past sunday. sunny and hot.


Anyway, its in the 70's which might not sound like winter to mainlanders but I'll take what I can get. More cool weather please, please.

On a totally unrelated note, I just wanted to show my Edna Eicke prints (purchased via ebay)that I finally framed in some thrift shop finds and hung near the book reading area. I love the way they turned out, I have some more to frame so I'm on the hunt for more vintage frames.




Sorry the framed ones are so glare-y I should have taken the pics before it was framed.

And finally a a crazy huge 'thank you! thank you!' to Nonnahs for this Sarah M. 'Wintersong' CD, I love it and have been listening to it everynite since I got it! Just what the Christmas doctor ordered!

Trying to Stay Green

If you didn't catch Treehugger's Simran Sethi on Martha Stewart last month here's a clip she has info on recyled and bamboo materials. We just got a bamboo sheet set from Bath and Beyond and it was worth every penny(it was many pennies). You would never think bamboo could be that soft.

Also if you don't already read Danny Seo's Blog I highly recommend it. Very cool and inspiring ideas for every day and the Holidays.

This year I'm going to try to buy as many eco-friendly gifts as possible but it proves to be hard here since most of it has to be mail ordered, which in turn causes CO2 concerns as well. Hmmph. Anyway, I found some nice bamboo items from Crate and Barrel as well as from Vivaterra, maybe I will scope out the local wood vendors here too and see if anything turns up. I'll also be checking out the thrift shops, this is a good way to recycle as most of you know, there are a couple people on my list that would appreciate a really good vintage item (which I love, sometimes the fact that it has a history adds to the charm). Trust me, I am no green saint, so I will be getting what I think people want, I know my brother will never appreciate second hand items no matter how much I nag him!

When it comes to the kids though, I am sorry to say I will be getting the standard stuff, clothes and toys that will hopefully last and/or be handed down, I will try to wrap more consciously and maybe give itunes to the older ones. I am only human and I still want the kids to like to me...

Did you know that over 600 tons of CO2 will be generated in America on SHIPPING alone? More than Canada uses ANNUALLY. Something to think about. I believe those afar might be getting emailed gift cards this year. Just as well, not too many people appreciate recycled can top tote bags like I do...Nonnahs suggested this site, it would actually make a cool gift, the gift of no junk mail, who wouldn't like that?

Here's some other sobering Holiday facts from Treehugger:

1. 25: percent increase in the trash generated during the holiday season.

2. 86: percent of TreeHugger readers who say their kids have too much stuff.

3. 97: percent of restaurant gift certificate receivers who say they would like to receive a restaurant gift certificate again.

4. 83,000,000: square meters of gift wrap which winds up on the UK rubbish heaps after the holiday season.

5. 300 million: dollars spent in the USA on mass market women’s bath gift sets.

If anyone has any green shopping tips to share I would greatly appreciate them...

Now - lets go shopping!

More Christmas

A couple of Christmas favorites -

I found this at the thrift shop to add to my collection, it was still in its box, and for only $1.50-

This is one of my all time favorites, my great grandmothers Nativity scene. Its a bit chipped on account of her letting us play with it when we were little, the angels took a good beating (I think one has its head glued back on)and baby Jesus has a mean shiner, they were the most loved out of the bunch. Somehow no one wanted to be the animals or the Three Wise Men.

I have it up on top of my hutch, no way my kids could keep their paws away from that.

Obsession

I do this annoying thing whenever I see something I really like in a magazine. I imagine my house like that, then I obsess about changing things around to make it look like the picture. Its a doomed project from the get go, I know this but I can't seem to stop. My new obsession is in the new Mary Engelbreit Home Companion. Its a Illinois family that decorates in lots of creams, blues and whites and beautiful fabrics, very Dutch inspired. Okay, so I'm not Dutch. Not even close. I have as much Dutch as Jackie Chan. But its so pretty and I do have some Royal Copenhagen lace china so I figure, why not? Maybe 'cause I've redone my kitchen and living room colors about 20 times this year. And apparently blue and white is now what is really needed to make it all perfect. Until I see something else I like.

Anyway, W's friend comes over and says,
"How come every time I come over your house looks different?"
I think,
'Cause I'm Dutch now, duh'
I say,
"I like to move things around"

I really would like to leave things as they are, you know it takes a great deal of time to obsess about stuff that mean nothing to anyone but me but I can't get it out of my head. It also means that I have a lot of stuff I store in our limited closet space. I could be playing with my kids or reading a great novel.


But no. Maybe its a Dutch thing.

Thanksgiving Top Ten

My Top Ten Reasons to *Heart* Thanksgiving...

10. Mashed potatoes and stuffing, yum. Two favorite starches.

9. No work.

8. Macy's parade.

7. An official start to the Holidays. Yee-haw!

6. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin mochi, pumpkin bread, did I say pumpkin? Love it.

5. After Thanksgiving online sales...I usually work Friday people, online is almost as good without the grouchy, crazy 5 am lines.

4. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Popcorn for dinner, how fun was that?

3. After its over I get to play and hear Christmas music! And look for a tree...

2. Turkey, turkey and more turkey.

1. Being with the fams - you know I had to do that, but really thats what its all about. I'm a mushball when it comes to family.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Minty

I have been doing more furniture shopping. Bad, bad. Not supposed to be buying for me, its almost Christmas and I have done about 1/20 th of my shopping so far. Anyway, I bought this side table plus two matching big dressers with mirrors from my mom's friend, known as Lucy, 'the Sunnyside pie lady' in this neck of the woods. Her family's restaurant makes amazing pies that people from all over the island come to take out. Wahiawa is not known for much, but pies we got. Anyway, Lucy also is an avid collector of shabby cottage furniture and collectibles so she had an estate sale of furniture that she collected and refinished. She also has a little shop here, with really cute stuff in it.


I really wasn't sure of this color, hard to tell from the picture but its a really light mint green, kind of the same color as my kitchen, but its starting to grow on me.

So is this little one who just got a haircut...

Cookie Monsters

W left for Vegas last night for a 'conference'. Whatever. Anyway, its the first time I'm in charge of Oliver and frankly I don't think he's real jazzed about it. W works from home so theres usually company all day, so he's on his own for the next few days. Hopefully I won't go home to eaten baseboards or pee on his bed. That would be ew.

Anyway, we might make some chocolate chip cookies tonight. The dough is made by Wally Amos - the original Famous Amos. He had the company until he sold the rights, now he has a small store here on the Windward side, Chip and Cookie, that sells his cookies as well as dough that you can take home. He also has an area set aside for reading, as he is a big promoter of literacy nationally and in the islands. The cookies are awesome, packed with macadamia nuts and chips, and lowfat too...okay not lowfat but wouldn't that be great?

Low Threshold

I am a wimp for pain. Especially when it happens to my kids. I will absolutely attest to this. C-boy had a 'procedure' done to him and lets just say its in a delicate place. So last night after when we got home I tried to sponge bath him and get him into new clothes and put the medicine on the affected area as he screamed. So sad. Needless to say he didn't go to school today, when he walks it looks like he just got off a horse. It hurts me to see that. Anyway, of course I make things worse when I get emotional, as W has informed me. I know this in my heart but its hard not to show it. All I know is that in a couple of days he will be all better.

Anyway, on a happier note...

...okay I can't think of one. I tried really. Maybe I'll think of one tomorrow.

Marshmellow World

I've started Christmas-y things around the house. I can't wait, too bad it doesn't get cold here but no sense grumbling again. Anyway, I've put some stuff up outside.

The neighbors must be confused, since their little Thanksgiving decorations are out...

See someone peeking?

And in this corner...



I'm also so happy about the sb peppermint lattes being available again. Its the little things you know.

yay, for fuzzy snommen and peeking dogs!

Christmas Shopping

So yesterday we go out to breakfast with our friends and then shopping as they needed to buy some stuff. WE end up buying a whole set of furniture - ahem, there was a sale - and about 200.00 worth of other stuff that we probably didn't need. Whats that about? It was supposed to be pancakes then some harmless window shopping. Maybe its that we are getting older and I feel like I should spend if the mood strikes and live life in the moment. No, probably not. Good sales though.

Hey, isn't Christmas around the corner? Merry Christmas to me.

The next round is for gifts, I promise.

Fun Friday

Houston?? Another fine outfit courtesy of Costco.



Happiness is a warm pillow, er... puppy. Oliver gets a lot of attention around here, not that he enjoys all of it. But he's well loved.

Happy Friday!

OMG! no more cocktails in the morning... just kidding - HAPPY THURSDAY!

Play Day

C-girls friend came over yesterday to play. I truly enjoy those times when I get to see her in action with her friends, its like a whole different side to her. When her friend came they went straight to her room and tried to decide what they wanted to do first.

C-girl: "You want to play Barbie?" (very tentatively, not trying to sound enthusiastic)
friend: "No. I don't really play Barbie anymore."
C-girl: (laughing) "Oh, yeah. Me too."
Me: Huh? Little liar.
Me: "How about a craft project, we can make turkeys?"

Okay, I was 'that mom' and had a whole craft thing set up so they could make some turkeys with paper plates, feathers and construction paper. Shut up. It was fun. They even put rhinestone crowns and necklaces on the turkeys, so there.

After the craft stuff, and a long set of playdoh and puzzles they ended up playing with the Disney Cinderella Palace set which to me is just like Barbie but with different dolls so that made me feel better about the Barbie comment.

Anyway, whats up with the Barbie? I remember playing Barbie until I was like ten or eleven years old. And it was actually cool. My niece gave it up when she was about 6 or 7 too and gave all her dolls away. I was so confused. I think maybe girls at a younger age are feeling like they need to do stuff that older kids do, otherwise they feel embarrased and childish. So the Barbies and Tonkas are put away and the X-boxes and Ipods start much sooner. That makes me sad.

I think I'll go home today and play Barbies with her.