Now that Thanksgiving is over and there is 10+ inches of snow outside my window, I no longer feel guilty about premature excitement for the upcoming Christmas Holiday. Enjoy.

(Click on pictures for proper links)

Happy Thanksgiving.

1. Candy Canes

2. Rifle Paper Co. St. Nick Card

3. Victoria Sponge Illustration

4. Porcelain Pine Cones

5. Egg Nog

6. Ginger Snaps

7. Heidi Burton Snow Glob Illustration

About two weeks ago I received an email from a fellow Etsy seller Katie King asking my permission to use the image of Mr. Polar Bear for a one woman pop-up show she was doing at the New Orleans Fringe Festival. Not only did she ask my permission, but also offered to compensate me. It's really amazing when you come across strangers who show you that there are still good, honest people who exist in this crazy Internet age. I was so flattered by the request, and even more so when I saw what a fantastic photographer she is. I somewhat gingerly asked if she's be willing to do a trade, and I was thrilled when she agreed.

Above are a few of my favorites.

Are you excited yet?

Yes, Christmas is coming. My favorite time of year.

1. Silver sparkles Christmas Tree

2. Advent Calendar

3. Candy Cane Bowls

4. Red Sequined Stocking

5. Glittery Gold Bow Clutch

6. Grey Deer Needlepoint Pillow

Our schedules have been incredibly intense for the last few weeks, school, work, dental work, papers, dental work, tests, dental work...

The light at the end of the tunnel has finally appeared. Thanksgiving is next week, and our school work has tapered off, I get a 5 day break off from work, and my root canal is behind me. Giant sigh.

So yes, I'm alive (barely), and I'm semi-ready to begin writing on my blog again.

And on that note, I give you this.

Me: Close the bedroom door!

Trent: But I like it when Spook sleeps with us. He needs a curfew.

Me: Just like you. You'd play video games and stay up all night if you could. I don't know where you'd be without a girlfriend.

Trent: I'd be a happy camper.

Me: [With pained look on my face] So I'm the only thing keeping you from the happy camp site?

I read this interview on NYmag.com and I couldn't stop nodding my head. I Love, love, LOVE that in Mindy Kalin's interview, she talks about the genius that is You've Got Mail. For as long as I can remember, I've loved movies. My dad was an enormous movie watcher when I was a kid, and so I grew up on classics like Sleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump, Groundhog Day, It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, and Holiday Inn. To this day, I connect with my dad through films. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't spend even a quarter of the same amount of time that I do watching movies.

My poor boyfriend, bless his heart, has had to sit through this movie countless times because I can't fall asleep most nights without a movie on.

Mindy Kaling, if you don't know, is the actress who plays Kelly in the Office, and I think she's totally brilliant. She goes on to describe how You've Got Mail totally captures this romantic side of New York, how perfect Meg Ryan's wardrobe is, and how the soundtrack makes you want to cry. Woody Allen, Parker Posey, When Harry Met Sally, Nancy Meyers' sets, Meg Ryan's hair, Pride and Prejudice, it's all in there.

Mindy, you're my hero.

If I ever find a moment to catch my breath from schoolwork and working full time, I'm going to attempt this darling Martha Stewart tutorial. And I know we just had Halloween, but Christmas is going to be here before you know it. In the meantime, I'm definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for some glass cloches at the thrift store for some potential holiday decor. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. My birthday also falls in December, so I get double the celebration. Great for me-- not so great for my loved ones.

Click on photos for the website and tutorial.

This home has me rethinking my entire decorating approach. All that color! All that clutter! And it works! I haven't seen a home that bright, beautiful and real for a long time. All of a sudden I'm scheming about how to display all of my colorful kitchenware outside of my cabinets.

Original AT post found here.

The lovely South African home from here.

Tah-Dah! And here they are. I ruined Trent's Sunday night a couple weeks ago by making him install the three shelves while I stood by to help (read: make marks on the walls and hold them steady while he pounded nails).

I spent the following two weeks agonizing over the displays and FINALLY put something together that is appealing to my eyeballs from the couch's vantage point.

Here is a room shot of our living room as of today:

As you can see, it's a teeny tiny apartment, but I'll be damned if we didn't make it work. The large wall space to the right of the shelves where our front door is (not shown due to embarrassment), is big, beige, and empty, and I'm not really sure what to do with it yet. Until then, what you see is what you get.

Also, it just occurred to me that I never took any pictures until now of our Ikea Mandal dresser-turned-entertainment stand. I love the change. The one we had previously was just way too big and dark for our space, and I'm a white n' bright kind of a girl.

And one last thing I had to share-- I didn't make it to the thrift stores this past weekend, but the week before I found this little guy, and I couldn't resist.

I'm pretty stoked to plant a little something in his egg shell come spring time.