Category Archives: Wishing_True

The Best Part of Christmas

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The look of joy on children’s faces when they see what Santa brought them?

No.

The general feeling of hope and good will experienced in even the most mundane daily activities?

Nope.

Um, JESUS?

Sorry, no.

The best part of Christmas is THE TREE of course. There is nothing in the world like a lit up Christmas tree. And I decorate mine every year as if this is the best one yet.





I’m not kidding. I love Christmas trees. Well – my Christmas trees, that is.

While I don’t do a lot of theme decorating for holidays, I put a lot of effort into the tree. Tons of lights, bow tied ornaments and as much breakable glass as possible. The more fragile the better.

And yes – I have three children. And yes – they have their own tree. I may allow cookies for breakfast every now and again. But I have some SERIOUS rules about touching my Christmas tree.

This year I left off the gold bows I usually include because for the past couple of years I’ve thought they looked odd. Deciding that it’s the kind of tree my husband has been bringing home (previously, we always had Douglas firs – no idea what this variety is called), I didn’t take them out of the box. While It looks much better now, I have a lot more space and few ornaments to fill it. Maybe it’s time to invest in some more?

These lovelies from Artful Home would be perfect:











And with that, I’ll wish you all a Happy Holidays. See you in the new year!

Lilly Pulitzer for Garnet Hill

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As a self professed lover of all things pretty, I would be a terrible liar to claim disdain for the ubiquitous beach side styles of Lilly Pulitzer. I’ll admit it – PRETTY!! Watch me rub those precious prints against my cheek and giggle with delight. But don’t you dare tell anyone!

Seriously though – it is kind of a preppy soccer mom fashion choice that often makes one think, “mutton dressed as lamb.” At least in my neck of the U.S. woods. But you can’t deny the colorful loveliness of Lilly.

So I must confess my admiration. And if I don’t think I can pull off the punchy print dresses, another option would be to dress up my bed (okay – this is fantasy land right? – since Chris would never go for it).

And Garnet Hill’s bed and bath collection for Lilly Pulitzer has some lovely options:









With Christmas just a few days away, I thought I’d also mention that anyone doing last minute shopping for me might want to consider these pretties:




For more print images and info on what’s new with Lilly, check out their Colorful Blog. It’s adorable and now added to my reader. Don’t be surprised to see more Lilly love here in the future. Hey – if I’m going to come out of the closet on this one, I’m doing it in technicolor.

Am I The Only One Who Finds this a Little, Um…

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I saw this in House Beautiful (a full page dedicated to it no less) and well…there really aren’t any words…


Couldn’t find anything about it online other than gushing fan reviews on Amazon. I’m not questioning taste or expertise (I’ve only seen the three pictures in HB), but I do find the cover rather, um…again – I’m at a loss.

The book title isn’t great either. I think a more accurate one would be “Fun With Decorating on a Multi-Billion Dollar Budget.”

Is that mean? Or just painfully uniformed about this obscure facet to a mega star’s many talents? Either way – I’m still speechless.

2 Monkees Belt Buckles

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My husband has a thing for belt buckles and has put together something of a collection over the years. A few are really very nice and others are really pretty awful – but he loves all of them.

It’s been a long time since I’ve paid much attention to belts (possibly the three years of pregnancy?), but if I was going to invest in something right now it would definitely be one of these gems from 2 Monkees:










Throw a pretty textile into the mix and you’ve already got my attention. I think these are unique, fun and would look great with jeans and cowboy boots.

For the lady who’s not much into jewelry but does like to personalize her look with accessories, this could be a nice gift option.

Needful Things: Gadabout Note Cards

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Months ago, I put the Gadabout link in my “check it out” list and I’m only just, well, checking it out.

In one of those “finally – someone who gets me” moments, I found myself pouring over every lovely illustration on the site (didn’t let myself click on the blog tab for fear of losing all sense of time).

I have often talked about my love of treasured things reflected in art form, and the Gadabout stationery line wholly embodies this predilection. Each illustration is a little gem of rich detail conveyed through simple elegance. I wouldn’t even know which one to choose… But here are a few of my favorites:











Okay – so that was more than a few. But seriously – how can you possibly just pick one!? Add this to the wish list…as well as the list of reasons that I should have worked harder on my penmanship back in grade school…

Everyone’s Favorite Cookies!

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I posted this on The Big Piece of Cake yesterday. It’s a re-post from previous years that I always bring back around the holidays. These cookies have become somewhat legendary in my tiny corner of the world and I’m more than happy to share the magic. Make sure to see below for a update.

A long time ago, my friend Nancy and I offered to make desserts for a holiday party we were attending. She suggested that we use a cookie recipe she got from the Italian grandmother of one of her childhood friends.

We made the cookies, and then life as I knew it changed forever (as far as cookies go, that is).

We continued to make these cookies every holiday season after that. Even now that we’ve lived in different states for many years (and for a while on different coasts), we still maintain this holiday cookie baking tradition. As far as we know, the cookies don’t even have an official name. We call them Italian Christmas Cookies – but that’s not really accurate. They are not supposed to be holiday specific – we just choose to reserve them for holiday baking.

The cookies have become famous among people that know us and know of us (and are usually referred to as “the cookies”). And the coveted recipe has been gladly provided to anyone who requests it. We are also famous for our generosity.

I mentioned these cookies recently in one of my posts and wasn’t surprised to receive requests for the recipe. Instead of e-mailing it out upon request, I thought I’d just post it on my blog. So in honor of the season of giving, I’m giving you…the gift…of Italian Christmas cookies. I know! Last week it was Redneck Neighbor, this week it’s cookies, every week it’s December giveaways… What can I say? I’m a giver.

But back to those cookies…

Italian Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the following in a bowl (in order):

1 stick (8 tbs) and 1 tbs butter
*Note: Cream butter before adding other ingredients.

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda


Arrange tsp size drops on cookie sheets (space 2 inches apart)


Bake for about 10 minutes
*Notes: The original recipe states 15 minutes. But it came from an old Italian lady who was probably working with a 1950s oven, so I doubt more than 10 minutes is necessary. I’ve found that my cookies are done in 6-8 minutes. They can burn easily so make sure to check them early. Since all ovens are different, I suggest doing a test batch of a few cookies the first time you try the recipe. They should remain pale on top but will be firmer to the touch when done. If you notice them browning a little – they are definitely done.

Makes approximately 48 2-inch cookies


Icing (optional – but HIGHLY recommended)

Warm 1 tbs and 1 tsp of skim milk in a sauce pan

Add 1 cup of confectioners sugar and ¼ tsp vanilla



Once the mixture has thinned (should be thin enough to drizzle over cookies), it is ready to use.


*Notes on icing: This icing dries very quickly, so you have to use it immediately. I’ve had the best results when I’ve kept the saucepan over a very low heat and held cookies over the pan to ice them.


Just watch your fingers. Molten sugar can give you a nasty burn. Also try to be exact about the measurements – whenever I add a little extra milk, the results are disastrous. If it’s too thin it won’t dry. Finally – I usually make a double batch of icing for each single batch of cookies. I’ve never been able to stretch the original icing recipe enough to ice all 48 cookies.



Enjoy!

UPDATE: I attempted to make these on Sunday and something went horribly wrong. They were flat-ish and tasted a little salty. Not bad necessarily – but definitely not right! Since I followed the directions carefully, I knew I didn’t confuse ingredients or amounts. But then I remembered that I had a similar experience with some buttermilk biscuits I tried to make a couple of weeks ago (disclaimer: this all makes me sound like some expert baker – but the biscuits are super easy to make – I should blog about them…) With a little deduction through comparing common ingredients, I’ve decided that I need new baking soda (apparently it doesn’t last for fifty years – who knew!?) So if you have anything like this happen while attempting the recipe above, check your baking soda expiration date!

Wrapped Around Your Finger…or Wrist

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See something interesting about these bracelets?


How about now?


No? Now?


If anyone is still clueless, I think this pretty much spells it out:


How cool is that? Custom bangles from Cameo by Rux cost $350, but if you have the money they’d make for a fun personalized gift (for a wife – one of each of the couple’s profiles…for a mother – one of each of her children…for a narcissist – one of just herself?)

Another option is a customized gold or platinum ring (starting at $1,700).



Wedding rings would be pretty special – a seemingly simple gold ring featuring the profile of your spouse.

The bangles are a little more my style though (my wedding ring needs some sparkle).


Which color (or colors) would you choose?


The Definition of Moggit

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According to the bloggers behind this hilarious site (discovered via Rue Magazine) “Moggit” is “blogging in magazine form. And yes, we totally made it up.”

And what is the mission of Moggit? They say, “Not much. We just think the decorating world is taking itself waaaay too seriously.” Amen to that!

Here are a few of my favorite recent posts:

Title: En Garde!


Source: ffffound

Caption: Taxidermy never fails to surprise us.


Title: Would You Believe…


Source: fastcompany

Caption: It’s a crib?

Title: We Have One Thing to Say-


Source: designboom

Caption: Good luck finding sheets.

Short and sweet. Biting and brilliant. I’m a fan. Tune in daily for laughs.