So I haven't done one of these for a while, and I think that I should get back in the habit. Acknowledging the little things that make me happy incidentally makes me more content. Funny how that works, huh?

So I haven't posted a whole lot lately...sorry for that. But it's been a good month, and oh my gosh, Christmas is almost here!!! I love Christmas so much, the excitement and planning and baking and anticipation, and seeing my boys soak in the wonder. We haven't gotten our tree yet (I think we are tomorrow) but I've pulled out all the glitter-covered ornaments and decorations!

:: Girly days...my friend Christa from Publish came over yesterday and we spent the day drinking coffee and buttered apple cider, making macarons, and crafting snow globes and more things covered in glitter! Days like that are really amazing and relaxing and I've decided they should happen more often!

:: Christmas present shopping! So much fun and I've got a few more projects to finish but my shopping is done! Luke says he's not finished yet and I think he's going overboard again but he's like a kid in a candy store when buying Christmas presents.

:: Baking! I have a list a mile long of all the things I usually make or the boys requested, things like gingersnaps or chocolate chip cookies or chocolate almond truffles or my Mom Mom Nora's fudge. I'm going to be busy and my kitchen will have a hard time staying clean, but we will wind up with a fridge and counter full of delicious goodies for Christmas.

:: Coziness. It's actually been cold enough here to wear sweaters and warm socks and curl up in blankets reading all day. Hot chocolate, hot coffee, hot apple cider. Soups. I love cold weather.






Buttered Hot Apple Cider

Mix a stick of softened butter with 1/4 c. brown sugar, 1/2 t. each cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Roll into a log in a sheet of plastic wrap and chill until set. Makes 8 slices.

Add 8-12 ounces hot apple cider to a shot (1 ounce) bourbon (optional). Add a slice of the butter and stir. Enjoy! You can either use apple juice heated for a few hours with mulling spices, or apple cider.

::I'm writing again, other than a journal or an occasional email (or a Facebook status!) for the first time in a few years. In a moment of insanity, I signed up for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but you know what? It's been good for me. There are always a few hours a day that I don't really have anything to do (other than surf the internet) and I've filled it with creating something. I will probably never let anyone read my "novel" (the quotations are because it's not even remotely novel-shaped at the moment), but I know it's there, and it's 50,000 words that I put together, wove into something new.

::Peppermint Mocha Frappuccinos. They are back at Starbucks and I had my first one of the season yesterday. They are better than I remembered.

::Coffee in general. (Am I allowed to mention the same thing twice? Who cares, it's my blog, so yes, I am.) We've been making coffee almost every night; strong dark coffee, trying out new blends and coffee creamers. I'm slowing starting to be able to drink it at night again, which is my favorite time of day to drink coffee.

::The curiosity of my boys and what they pick up amazes me. We went to the pumpkin patch a few days ago and they were beyond thrilled. They asked questions about everything, they scoured the patch for their perfect pumpkin and had the best time decorating them. Jackson was upset when he realized we came home without a pumpkin for Daddy but asked him what kind of pumpkin he wanted next year. They ask about a zillion questions a day, which if I'm being honest, gets on my nerves a lot, but I'm getting more patient with them and I'm always amazed at the things that cross their little minds. Derik was telling someone about our beach trip recently, and said there were "two beaches." When we asked him what he meant, he said one beach had water, and the other had sand. What a unique way of looking at it. :)

::The best fall weather. Usually, this time of year in the desert is still pretty hot. But we must be getting a cold winter this year, because it's already started getting chilly at night, and even the daytime has the fall nip in the air. I'm loving every second of it. I've even worn a long-sleeved shirt during the day.


What are some of your Little Happy Things right now?

::It's a little cooler this week. It has been so hot lately that it's been almost impossible to sleep but last night it was in the 50s. Of course that doesn't stop it from being warm during the day but at least I am sleeping again!

::The response to Hey There. design has been so amazing! Thank you all for checking it out and sharing posts, etc. You guys are awesome!

::Finally finishing one of the bookshelves and getting our books out of the garage. Almost all our books fit on the single shelf...which means we have a lot more books to buy to fill our library. Which is ok with both of us. There has also been talk of a rolling library ladder...

::Feeling so inspired lately. I love that feeling...and I need to get to an art store for some supplies before the feeling passes, and get some new notebooks to fill with random scraps of writing.

We've been busy working on the bookshelves lately, and I'm finally about to start painting them! And I've been working on designing logos and packaging for a friend that I can't wait to share with you! For now, here are some happy things. :)


::In blog news, I got an email from an Elle Sweden DIY blogger about featuring my chalkboard jar lids on their blog! It's in Swedish but after running it through a translator it basically says "Like many others I have my spice jars standing in a kitchen drawer by the stove. It's clever, especially when you have to lift every jar to see what it is or, my personal favorite, overturn any order to see the contents ...
Or do you do as Jordan Boesch and paint with griffeltavelfärg [apparently "chalkboard paint" doesn't translate!] on the lids and write what kind of spice in the jar! Simplicity at its best." So fun!

::Both of the boys are pretty much completely potty trained! It took a long time and it's definitely not fun, but it's great not having to change diapers!!! And way cheaper!

::Getting to work on designing for a friend and being able to deliver exactly what she wanted!

::I'm working on getting my Etsy shop back up and running! It's going to take a little while to get it going again but I'm slowly listing items!

::We can now say "our house"!

::Planning which rooms to pain which color, and where to put our furniture. And organizing my new kitchen is going to be FUN!

::Finding a new mascara that lasts forever.

::Finally losing a pant size! It was so exciting to buy jeans a size down!

::Changing our address! I've always loved getting mail so I'm pretty excited to have a mailbox to walk out to!

Luke had a meeting sprung on him yesterday, so we took an impromptu trip down the hill. I had 7 hours to kill so I drove to Newport Beach. I haven't been to the beach in over 2 years but the beach really feels like home. The sound, the smell, the feel of salt water in the air. Then I killed more time at IKEA where my mom and I solved Christmas-present-to-grandchildren-across-country problems, and then Luke finally got done with his meeting and we hit up Disneyland one last time before Christmas. :)

::Salt water air.

::Doing whatever I wanted to for 7 hours. I explored Newport, drove on Highway 1 up to Huntington (which smells really weird, btw; I know because I was driving with my window down.), and found lots of places to explore in the future.

::Hole-in-the-wall places, like Alta Coffee in Newport. Also, they have a wall of mugs that frequent customers can bring and leave. I wanted to be a frequent guest.

::IKEA meatballs

::Walking around Disneyland without worrying about anything. Not even caring how long the lines are or what rides to go on next.

::Luke not minding me standing in the middle of Main St. at Disneyland to get a panorama.

::How something small like a wrapping paper tube can be the most exciting thing to a little boy. They became light sabers with the help of painter's tape. :)

::Presents arriving and getting wrapped and stowed under the tree.

::Little boys getting so excited about the present they're giving daddy, and showing me which present is mine at grandma & papa's house.

::Lights strung on top of my kitchen cabinets.