It's Heeere!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." (insert happy little holiday dance here) The glittery pumpkins have been put away, the fall wreath is off the front door and the twinkly lights are fired up. Everybody stand back cuz momma's getting her Holiday on! It can't be helped, i grew up with the Queen of Christmas. If it wasn't nailed down, it got decorated. If two trees were good then ten would be better! I have a lot of the 'i can decorate that' gene in me. However...we need to slow down and take a deep cleansing breath here, ready for it?...i don't decorate for Christmas! (audible gasp)! I know, are you O.K.? It's really not that bad. Really. Twenty-some years ago i met and fell madly in love with my sweet Jewish man. From that point on i knew i had to make a choice as to which side of the menorah i was standing on, and ,well, you guessed it ...it's the 'Festival of Lights' Gaia style! I still need to get my fill of Christmas finery, so we take our annual light tour through other peoples neighborhoods and i get my fill. I've been collecting snowpeople for years so this is the perfect time to break them out and decorate for the season. So many Hanukkah decorations are themed with blue and white, so i expand on that a bit with silver, turquoise and LOTS of glitter! Lucky girl that i am i have a very understanding sweet man. Every few days i'll share with you a different part of my collection. Bring on the twinkle lights! Let the festival begin!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving friends! Hope you enjoy this day filled with good company, good food, good memories and most importantly...PIE!

Lil' Get Away

Chicago skyline

Window at Tiffany's
Those yummy waffles. MMMMM
Giordano's deep dish pizza

Last week sweet man mentioned that he had a meeting in Chicago and would i like to come along for a long weekend. The words were barely out of his mouth and my bag was packed. My niece so sweetly came to stay with the girls and pups, and we were off! Not only is Chicago one of my favorite shopping destinations but also a great place to gain an easy 10 pounds (great idea right before Thanksgiving, right?) We stayed at the beautiful Peninsula Hotel, right off Michigan Ave. A hop and a skip to all fine shopping. Been there, shopped that. O.K, let's talk food. I'll only drone on about my top three meals. Breakfast at the Peninsula was dreamy. I was torn between the banana's foster french toast or the waffles and the waffles won. Three belgium rounds, one with cranberry chutney, one with orange zest mascarpone and the third with candied walnuts. Amazing! Our favorite lunch has to be pizza at Giordanio's. Chicago is known for their deep dish pizza and i think this one has to be our favorite. Deep and cheesy with a bready crust, but barely greasy at all. Yes, you do feel like you've eaten a football when you're done, but worth it. And finally dinner. For ultimate atmosphere and romance the winner is...RL. Oprah loves this place too. It's something like walking into the library of a country house...fire place, paneled walls and ceiling, books and paintings galore. If you go, reserve a corner booth. It gives you a great people watching advantage and you can snuggle with your hunny in those cooshie Ralph Lauren pillows! Oh yeah, the foods great too! Best place to put your weary shopping feet up and have a cocktail would be the Bar in the Peninsula. Grab a couch in front of the fire, order the chips and dip (really) and enjoy one of their signature martini's. We were two of a million people who caught the "Festival of Lights" parade down Michigan Ave. Mickey was the grand marshal and 'lit' all the trees along the street. The weather was beautiful, the company divine and it was great to get away with my sweet man.

Temptation

Does someone at the Dove factory know me??? Oh i gave in,believe me, i gave in!

Gaia Friday(even though it's Tuesday)

I'm feeling just a step behind this week. I meant to post this on Friday and here Tuesday has snuck up on me. I've been nursing a sore tooth that turns out, after a trip to the dentist, needs a root canal. Oh, the words 'dental work' fill me with pure terror. Let's not talk about it...any hoo, i hit a great estate sale on Friday. The weather was beautiful and the prices amazing. It really gets to me when the people running these garage and estate sales get all jiggy with their pricing. We're talking used stuff. Not museum quality collectables nor ebay where prices are driven by demand.(O.K. getting off my soap box) I've been looking for a small laundry basket to keep in the laundry room and i fell in lust with an industrial looking one i spotted in Martha's magazine. When i went on line it was $77 plus $22 to ship it! Yikes! So when i saw this basket for $10 at the sale, i knew it was meant to be. I did the 'woo hoo, i just snagged a deal' dance (yes, i have a dance for everything) plus i added to my button obsession and found a darlin' mirror. Oh, and let us not forget the awesome tray or this amazing moth pin (i do like my bugs) Thank you lovely estate sale lady : ) How was your day?

New Kicks

Nothing puts me a my happy place quicker than new shoes. Just look at these babies! They're shiny, they're leopard print and they make me TALL! Take a moment to join me in a little number called, "Happy New Shoe Dance" (doing the dance) Wasn't that fun? How was your day?

Just Hanging

This is what we do when we think no one is watching us: We sit on the furniture we're not suppose to, we make plans for what to do with the hole we're digging under the lilac, we take naps in the sun spots, we devise plans for all the missing socks we've been hoarding under the bed and we BLOG! It's good to be the dog : ) How was your day?

On The Nightstand( next to the chap stick)

I could spend countless hours at our public library, they give you books for free! (you're expected to give them back at some point, but still!) I always walk out with more books than i can carry or have time to read. Cook books, craft books, gardening books, always something in historical fiction. The mouldering old librarian there has given me the bad eye more than once when she see's me come in with my Whole Foods grocery bags to carry my books home. I just finished another Kate Morton book, "The House At Riverton". She has a beautiful way of painting a story in your mind, full of mystery, secrets and people you wish you knew. By the end of the story you feel as if you were parting with dear friends. I think this one of two books she's written-i hope she keeps them commin'. Whats on your night stand?

Doodle Gets a Doo

Our Labradoodle fur baby Rylee, who is 5 months old, was beginning to look a little like Chewbakka from Star Wars. As cute as she was it was time for her first big dog grooming. I've tackled the dog grooming thing before when we had an Airedale (he looked more like the 'Alf' character) and didn't do too bad, but i didn't know where to begin with all this puppy fluff. So off she went to the local groomer and three nervous dog mom hours later (she's just a baby!) she emerged from her make-over looking so grown up! Rylee has the most amazing glam eyelashes! They must be 2 inches long. We're suppose to trim them but i can't bring myself to do it! She's such a Doodle bug!

Funky Armoire goes Glam

That funky little number that i picked up last week makes her debut after her make-over! After sanding her all down to get the gloss off (lets not talk about the red paint dust i blew out of my nose...ew) i gave it a heavy coat of Kilz. Then a coat of semi-gloss white, polished up the mirrors and replaced the knobs. I really wanted vintage looking glass knobs, but with 8 knobs at 4.99 a piece...thats half the price of the armoire! So, off to Target for a pack of 10 for 9.99. Let's say it together, "value pack". I stamped 5 of the knobs with Staz On in jet black(great for stamping on almost any surface and smells yummy) and glued big 'ol buttons to the other 3 and...ta-da! Cutiful storage. Can't wait to load it up with junk! How was your funky day?