sheppard girls

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. 

(Custom family from Goosegrease.  Is is weird I am stressed that my little person looks like she has big hips?)

A long week

Is it possible for two sisters to work on a craft project without fighting?  Our school has all week off.  I suggested that they make little village houses like the vintage ones I have.  

The big one made one on her own.  The little one whined. 

I printed her some patterns and gave her scrapbook paper.  The big one whined. 

I printed more patterns.  The little one whined. 

I helped trace the patterns and taped the little one's house together.  The one big whined.

I got out the glitter and glue so it would look like snow.  There is temporary peace.  It is only 11 am.

A moment of slience please

Just last week I read that Home Companion is going out of publication and now, I've heard that Cottage Living is also ending.  My house is going to be decidedly less inspired.  

Big girl birthdays

The big one has a very sweet group of friends.  Many of whom have been friend since 1st grade (they are 9).  Traditionally I have had one standard birthday present for each year.  Beach stuff, books and personalized bookplates, hair stuff like headbands, barrettes and hair glitter.  I buy in bulk and on sale and each kid get the same present.  It saves a ton of time running around and because I plan ahead, the gifts can be special and still easy for me.  But as the big ones are getting bigger and because we know them so much better, we have started to get more personalized gifts.  I just ordered a guinea pig shirt on sale from Mini-boden for a March birthday because that birthday girl likes to pretend she is a guinea pig, which apparently, when you are nine, is hilarious.  This weekend's birthday girl was getting to redecorate her room for her birthday, so I bravely made a pillow for her new room. 

Handmade gifts are tough.  Will we seem cheap, or super creative?  We tucked a little book and an iTunes gift card in the box too, just to be safe.  I am happy to report when I picked up my big one from the slumber party the birthday girl gave me a hug and said, "I love my pillow!"  Whew.

The best kind of mail

MiniBoden!  Especially during the buy 3, get one for a $1 sale.  Especially when the bag everything comes in is this cute.

Jamie Oliver

Is any one else planning their dinners around the Today Show cooking segment from Jamie Oliver?  I love his cooking style.  He is pretty cute too.  Is his newest show still on Food Network?  I am not sure.  He also has headed an effort in England to improve school lunches, which I am all about.  French toast sticks in little sugar lined plastic pouches are not a lunch item!  And one of Jamie's daughters is named Poppy, which is just the best British name ever.  If I were cool enough to pull it off, I would have lobbied for that name for one of our girls.  Speaking of which, there is an incredible nursery over at Apartment Therapy by a local woman for her daughter of the same name.  She is from Minneapolis, I wonder if I could make her my friend?

Monday, Jamie cooked mushrooms.  Lucky for me, the dad has found himself with a few minutes to spare and came home from Costco with 5 whole fresh trout and 3 lbs of chanterelle mushrooms.  We had the mushroom saute with fresh pasta and this recipe for chicken thighs.  Mostly because I had chicken thigh defrosted in the frig.  Although I didn't use Chianti, or tomatoes and I baked the whole thing in the oven after browning.  But according to my meat eaters, a recipe with bacon AND spicy pork sausage is never going to be bad.

Tonight leeks!

More modern

me - do you like the new lamp?

the dad - it's a lamp

me- do you like any of the lamps we have?

the dad - I like the one in the corner (visible in the mirror above) but mostly because of the shade (which was a lovely pink and tan plaid silk with a little ruffle from Anthropologie)

me - yeah, I got rid of that shade

The beginning of my attempts to find more modern lighting for our family room.  This lamp has been everywhere, including on Making it Lovely, Apartment Therapy and the cover of Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine.  I found it on clearance, with another 30% off because there is a spot on the shade, which is perfect because I think I am going to re-cover it anyway.  On the wall is also my long-in-the-planning cluster of artwork, so far consisting of a mirror and the framed picture of the restaurant where the dad and I had our first date.  I am also thinking about framing this great old banner, which I bought because of the color.  Bethlehem is also the name of our church, so it kind of works, right?

Deals

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Shop & Stroll coming November 15th & 16th!‏

Extra 30% off sale + new sale styles added‏

Bodacious and Stunning...Perfect for the Holidays...‏ (that is my favorite one!)

Does anyone else find themself with three pages of unread emails because they are afraid they might miss a really good sale?

Strange litte decorating questions

I didn't buy the Amy Butler house book.  It was expensive and usually decorating books get outdated more quickly than cookbooks, of which I also have a looooong list I want, but more about those later.  I do spend a few minutes with it when I ever I get the chance at the bookstore, because it is just about the perfect example of the decorating I love.  I have also saved magazine pages each time I see them, including the most recent ones from Mary Engelbreit Home Companion (which I hear is only going to be in production through December unless they get a new publisher, which makes me sad.  I am also a little concerned about Country Home because it has been quite thin the last few issues).

 

Sooo pretty.  I have that same vintage blue Shiny Brite, so I like to think I am on the right track!  I am trying to finish up our family room pillows before it is time to move on to Christmas and I notice that the pillows on her couch made out of her fabric do not have any trim or piping.  Real life, or just for the photo shoot?  That would be a lot easier.  What do you think? 

Prayers

Hi friends, if you are praying folks, could you say a litte prayer for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law?  They have experienced a very sad loss.  Thanks.  Lisa