who what where when why wednesday.

q:

what have you been doing this week?

{someone tell me your week has been as non-stop as mine...}

a:

crafting!

putting the final touches on the holiday gift swap treats.

they go in the mail tomorrow!

... and then five presents come to me. can't wait for THAT.

i started with a few randoms before landing on "be good."

like "love life" - which i happened to find ascribed on the bottom of a box of chocolates my friend ryan gave me for my birthday. it's a theme in my life, apparently. 

i also free-handed a "ain't no thang" which miiiiiight be my favorite. might not make it to the mailbox.

more of the design*sponge book signing.

scrolling through my google reader and bam! there's our crew!

if that book isn't on your christmas list, it ought to be.

a post in which i highlight my female ignorance.

this text conversation:

g:  did you call me?

a:  yeah, as i was driving home. my car was acting up.

g: what's wrong?

a: when i brake, the car shakes a little and my rpm-ometer needle bounces between 0 and 1 for like the first five seconds when i come to a stop. 

how else was i supposed to explain it?

busy weekend ahead

thankfully tomorrow is thursday.  i think this week has gone by fast actually. 
but this weekend, is going to be a BUSY one!  here's the to do list so far....

• friday morning trip to avenues to buy a secret santa present, lindsay's bday present, and hopefully something warm.
• friday afternoon, tutoring - it' exam time and the tutoring is on full tilt!
• friday night, christmas dinner at shelly's!!
• saturday - possibly more tutoring, and LOTS of work on my course.  it's almost finished and i have two major projects to do that i've been neglecting.  boo.

as for tonight, i should start that course work and book a hotel in italy and order some uggs....but glee is calling my name....whatever shall i do.....

who would have believed...

it was only 7 degrees here this morning!!!!  of course it warmed up a bit during the day but only to like 14 degrees.  not much better!!  i am cold ALL the time!  i need more winter clothes.  stat!

a sappy post.

it's been 7 years since i was in college and ten days since i my birthday party guests left my house.


i live hundreds of miles away from some of my best friends in the whole wide world - like, say andi - but if we go too many days without creating a plan for Our Next Great Adventure, my skin starts to itch. 


it's totally rad to have friends who make it tip top priority to keep a friendship alive. and not like the minimum maintenance to keep it alive, but a vested interest. the 400 mile trek once a month/book a cheap flight for the weekend/g chat/text/email/updates on our daily lives friends.


i'm lucky everyday and i know it.


i hope i do justice to my friendships + keep up my end of the bargain because i so appreciate the caliber of people in my life.

pin.

of course i like this because it pegs engineers, but for real, i like it.

pin.

from mighty girl:

“you are what you learn. if all you know is how to be a gang member, that’s what you’ll be, at least until you learn something else. if you go to law school, you’ll see the world as a competition. if you study engineering, you’ll start to see the world as a complicated machine that needs tweaking. a person changes at a fundamental level as he or she merges with a particular field of knowledge. if you don’t like who you are, you have the option of learning until you become someone else. there’s almost nothing you can’t learn your way out of. life is like a jail with an unlocked, heavy door. you’re free the minute you realize the door will open if you simply lean into it.”

- scott adams {dilbert.com}

for some reason...

 ... i considered it so necessary to buy 1,740 yards  of bakers twine this weekend. that's almost a mile, people. 5,220 feet.

it all started with a friday morning phone call from a friend... asking me to swing by the restaurant supply store and grab a spool of red + white baker's twine.

... the same kind of twine that survived the great wedding of 2010.

and a handful of baby showers.

and every birthday present wrapping and christmas treat packaging and gift giving opportunity in the last two years.

so i bought it.

and was promptly re-paid. 

good planning, it seemed, as we stare straight ahead at a month of gift giving and package wrapping. 

but then we got looking.... 

$13.99 for string {it's STRING!} is beyond ridiculous... but totally the going rate for colored STRING these days.

until the magic fingers found this etsy site - where string is half as much as anyone else's STRING.

we especially like this deal.. the deal for the girl{s} who can't decide and have to have it all.

brown. light brown. green. light green. blue. dark blue. black. red. pink. yellow. orange.

i think that will do, don't you?

but wait.

then we found this other site.... with solid color STRING.

solid!

anyone can get their hands on striped STRING.... but who has solid colored STRING?

in all of these awesome colors!

for $1.35 a piece?!

irresistible.

and then some. there are 32 colors.  all of them equally delicious.

so i had her create me a custom listing for all of it.

two of them! one for me, one for my string lover's anonymous friend.

and by the end of the week, i had over $100 worth of STRING in my cart. 

very reminiscent of my days as a ribbon-gone-wild girl.

excess, anyone?

learning every day.

after two hours of tutoring, one hour of english and math, and one hour of science, my head hurts.  but i learned something.  grade 6 science is hard, and  it's a good thing i'm an english teacher!!  thank goodness for science teachers like lindsay!

brrr....

have i mentioned that it's FREEZING here?!  today was SO cold!!  someone told me it was 10 degrees.  i can't be sure.  but what i do know is that i wore two shirts and two sweaters all day long!  and i wished i had some uggs or other warm boots because it was SO cold!  i know you think i am a wimp, and that's fine because i am.  but i'm also sticking with my guns and saying that it's a "different kind of cold" here.  this might also be a good time to mention that yes, i know i am from canada, and yes, it is cold in canada, but it's ALSO COLD HERE!  so many people today were like, "you shouldn't be cold, you're from canada".  but i haven't been in a cold country in a really long time people!!  and my last two years were spent in 365 days of summer!  i need to call the man who turns the heat on in my building.  asap.  and buy an area rug.  and find those boots....

i love my BB

the traffic was horrible today on the way home from tutoring but thankfully i had my trusty blackberry with me!  on the way home i was able to look up hotels at the cairo airport (for my layover on my way back from italy) AND catch up on thepearlcurriculum.  what a productive ride home!!  and thank goodness for my BB!

weekend-ness.

wouldn't it be great if this weekend lasted forever? and we kept getting paid for our forever holiday by the employer we never saw because we were forever holiday-ing? 

sounds nice to me.

the long weekend was heaven. 

a perfect mix of family and friends and fun and food and netflix catch up and crossing things off my to-do list and being productive. 

i'm certain i would make an excellent stay-at-home woman.

i thanksgiving'd with the bennions at my uncle dave's house up emigration canyon.

i am so glad for the snow-less years when the mighty trek up the canyon is dry.

it's always a welcome sight when i know i've arrived without white nuckles or panic in my soul.

hallelujah thanksgiving 2011!

small group this year.  just 16 of us around the dinner table... with a few more cousins just in time for dessert.

i ate one plate. no seconds.

and shared a sampler of desserts with my sweet cousin weston.

that boy - that 15 year old punk high school hoodlum - melts my heart, speaks kindly, still hugs tights hugs, and holds my hand like he's 5 years old. i would gladly trade each of you for that boy. he's my favorite.

by the time i got home, i didn't have a lick of leftovers to my name. i wished for another spoonful of sweet potatoes and some of my grandma's lemon-y green beans.

it's not thanksgiving without leftovers.

while the mobsters attacked walmart and kohl's and all those places i choose not to shop, i cleaned.

and re-invented a little all over the house.

i've been looking for a neutral duvet for months.

instead, i got smart and turned my covers over - to the plain jane cream side. 

a birthday rug from andi sits at the foot of my bed, some new art replaced some out-dated photos on the collage wall, there was a great pillow swap all over the house, and the slc temple made its way to the front and center of my living room.

and finally - finally, finally, finally - the guest bedroom is complete. 

maybe a house tour soon?

i made my bed for three days straight. this is major. funny how small, new tweaks make everything more exciting... and clean.

also funny how a well made bed makes me want nothing more than to throw all the pillows to the side, climb inside, and rough it up a bit to find my cozy place.

is there a more welcoming sight than a clean bed at bedtime? no way.

the birthday latte bowls from anthropologie made their way into the cupboard. 

makes me want to run downstairs and sneak a midnight bowl of life cereal.

aren't they just asking for it?

saturday was another day of complete productivity.

christmas happened in the house.

and i kept getting crafty.

it's really going to be a homemade christmas, people. get excited.

... but then it got dark and i cashed it all in for the warmest wool socks and leggings and long sleeves and put a dent in season two of parenthood while dipping mint joe-joe's in hot chocolate.

i'm sure that if my future husband showed up and my door he'd have turned and walked away at the sight of my ugly-cozy tv watching attire i was sporting. there are some things, though, that are worth sacrificing beauty for. i think a warm saturday night home alone with parenthood's braverman family qualifies as one of them.

... and i did it all by the light of the christmas branch.

threaten, lecture, or harass... but the lights are on and won't be turned off until christmas is behind us.

they'll stay on all day and all night long.

so, there.

and today, i baked cookies.

The Only Chocolate Chip Cookie I Will Ever Need To Know How To Make For The Rest Of My Life.

except, i didn't make them with dark chocolate chips. i used an overpriced bag of chocolate pieces i couldn't say no to at see's candies.

it was a really big bag, but that's not excuse. i assure you, it was worth every bit of that $5.50 i paid for that bag of chocolate.

if you don't believe me, ask my co-workers in the morning.

they'll be gone by 8:15.

and to remind you that i have at least an ounce of substance to my life beyond all this silliness - 

i've had a thought from church rolling around in my head all day. 

we were taught from a talk by robert d. hales in october's general conference about the lord's timing. certainly things run on the master's time... not mine. not yours. and thank goodness for that. what a silly world it would be if the lord gave me the things i thought i needed when i was 18... or 19... or even 28.  he's the master, his time rules. 

but. even still. someone else in the class rattled off a {very general} list of her trials. some of hers sounded like some of mine. and then, clear as day, i heard a voice in my head say "you're not the only one who has to deal with hard things" -- like, equal parts "buck up" and "you can do this" kick in the pants. 

my life is not hard. not in the least. it has sharp edges sometimes, but it's also got a lot of cushion and padding and people and friends that keep me far from the painful parts. but most of all, i have a relationship with my savior. what better help can i ask for?

back to reality. 

ready!

i don't want to!

i don't feel like doing homework.  and i don't feel like doing course work.  what i want to do is lounge around in my pj's with a tea and a blanky and watch these:

moving on.

i've been so bah-hum-bug about christmas for the last few years... for fear of drowning in corny christmas music + tacky tinsel decorations.

there's just so much bad christmas out there, i feel like have to boycott the whole thing in order to stand for something... or something like that.

but this year i caaaaan't help it.

i'm decorating the house.

just a little bit.

i lit the branch... so it's officially a christmas branch.

with one ornament.

i brought out the hand-painted metal nativity set i bought from a mexican street vendor for a dollar. 

and i've been listening to mindy gledhill christmas.

christmas is on, folks.

maybe it's because i'm going home to san diego this year, unlike the last {two}{years}.

christmas is real this year because i'm going home... to spend time with MY family... the immediate one.  not the extended one and not the adopted one and not the best friend one.  MY mom and dad and MY brothers and MY nephews.

whatever it is, i've given myself permission to celebrate all the way.

the permission i subconsciously denied myself all these years as an act of self preservation and superficial holiday joy.

bring it on, yo.

29 days til christmas!

things i bought on black friday.

target: 

two strands of white christmas lights

face wash

shampoo + conditioner

toilet paper

{a day off of work is a day for errands in my land. even when everyone else is buying xbox's and $1 dvds and i have to stand behind all of them at the check out stand.}

deseret book:

mindy gledhill's winter moon.

what i did not buy: the lower lights holiday album.  where ARE you, cd? 

see's candies:

a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips - big ones.

they'll make really delicious chocolate chip cookies this afternoon.

hip + humble:

the purse i've been fixated on for the last week.

merry christmas, aubry, on november 25.

i slept in my bed until 9, i shopped at 1 p.m., finished up by 5 p.m., went to dinner at 7 p.m. 

heaven forbid i ruin this wonderful, enjoyable thing called shopping by doing so in the cold, or the dark, or sharing my personal bubble with walmart-lovin' strangers. 

i did, though, hit anthropologie on wednesday {before the tricky 50% off sale that was bigger than its bite} and cashed in on the birthday coupon + gift card and bought the most amazing pair of denim i've ever put on my bod - pilcro, yo. 

$98 marked down to $49

25% off

with another 25% off because of an unidentified smudge mark on the pocket

15% off birthday coupon

$20 gift card

...

i paid like $3 for those blessed jeans

i may never take them off.

giving thanks.

with this weekend being american thanksgiving, many of my american friend were feeling thankful but missing home.  so to them, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! 

but here's the thing.  i get that this is a huge weekend in the states but there are some things that i just don't understand.

1. why ANYONE would want to go out shopping on this weekend.
2. why ANYONE would want to watch that much football.
3. why we must cancel ALL other tv shows this week.

i love my 'merican friends, but i just don't get it!!!  sigh....maybe someday i will understand....

indulgence

today was a day full of indulgence.  it went like this:

• shelly and joann picked my up early to start our day of fun.  we headed straight to a christmas bazaar which was lovely because it wasn't too crowded and there were lots of nice goodies!  i bought a scarf, a charm for a necklace, and two paintings.  let the indulgence begin.  
• we then had lunch at johnny rockets.  i am trying to eat better so i opted for an egg sandwich on RYE (YUM!) and a side salad.  full and happy, we continued our shopping.
• we looked for a pair of boots that i want but couldn't find them big enough to fit me.  that led us to a couple other stores including bath and body works where most everything was "buy 1 get 1 free".  here i indulged in a lovely candle and candle holder for myself as well as some hand soaps and one christmas gift.
• next up, true value.  i had never been before but it's great!  i bought some supplies to make a christmas gift craft, two loaf pans and two tupperwear containers, a christmas gift, a weight scale, and a few other odds and ends.  
• then we drove around trying to find a store that we had been to earlier (a different branch) to find a jacket that i wanted.  we looked and looked to no avail.  this place is CONFUSING!
• after our little sightseeing tour, we went for dinner at a wonderful restaurant that is owned by the parents of one of my students.  it was a WONDERFUL meal where i indulged WAY too much - appetizers, main course and even dessert.  it was SO good!!  
• we needed a little walk after that so we went through a super duper fancy mall where stores like chanel and fendi are the norm.  we indulged in our dreams at this stop!
• on our way home, guess what we found?!  that shop that we were looking for earlier!  it's in a strange little area and on the top floor of a local grocery store but we found it!  and i bought a jacket.  it's a black pea coat with toggle buttons and a hood.  it's really nice!  i just have to get the little man across the street to take the arms down a bit and i'll be good to go for italy!  

it was a great day filled with indulgence but a girl needs that every now and again right?!
as for tomorrow - we have a long weekend YAY!  and i need to be productive!  i have lesson plans to finish for this week, course work to complete and christmas decorations to put up!! 

We're All Mad Here

I love theme parties. My favourite part (besides dressing up!) is dressing up the table. It sets the mood for the party and the process of brainstorming and putting it all together is sooooo fun. Here are some past parties we've done and particular table / party settings I'm most fond of. We'll begin with...

1950's Boardgame Night

Unfortunately this is the only photo I could find. This was a fun idea. We dressed up the table in the classic Coca Cola red and served finger foods like chicken nuggets and mini pizza bites. Everyone came dressed up in soda pop girl costumes and cats eye glasses, and we played boardgames all night.

Hillbilly Party

The lovely Danyelle in her gingham reds and denim blues. The menu consisted of chips, pretzels, BBQ hotdogs and beer, of-course. The perfect summer backyard setting.

Halloween Parties

And my personal all-time fav...

Harajuku Girls Mad Tea Party

I of-course used Alice in Wonderland's Mad Tea Party as my inspiration...

Which is endless on ideas and ideas, overflowing -- till my tea cup runneth over. Bah.

This was by far my most favourite party to put together. I had such a blast preparing for the party; researching ideas, and shopping for props. I would even love to do this idea again, only next time I think it would be cute to make it a true tea party -- where we actually drink, TEA..!! It would be fun to get together in the early afternoon, drink tea, and eat (mainly cookies and cupcakes) to our hearts delight.

And what if this time we dressed up as the characters..?? haha, okay, I might be pushing it.  ;)

Aren't these table settings soooooo wonderfully sweet?! Want to see more of these tea cups and cake stands?!! You can view them here at Cake Stand Heaven.

Also, isn't this Mad Hatter tea cup set so cute??  :)

Endless on the ideas -- ENDLESS!! If I had a backyard I'd love to do this tea party outside too...

Now, the thing that sparked this idea again was last months Better Homes and Gardens Special Halloween issue.

Inside they had a special spread on throwing a halloween party with the theme of Alice in Wonderland's Mad Tea Party.

With ideas on the invitations...

Table settings and costumes...

Food and recipes...

Drinks...

And decorations...

I love this idea on the flowers!! The very thing I've been creating with my hair accessories...

Umm, check out this girls manicure... Eeeeee!!!!

And this snowglobe...

I also LOVE the A Mad Tea Party snowglobe...

Drink Me snowglobe...

Alice with her Mad Friends. I bought this one at Disneyland last year  :)

Anyways, like usual I'm getting sidetracked here. I'm going to go now and try and convince my friends to buy Alice in Wonderland costumes for another Tea Party...