much to be thankful for...

i've returned home from another wonderful trip down to nashville for thanksgiving. mom and i accomplished A LOT of things on our 'to do list' over the last 4 days. to counteract missing my own pooches i played with their dogs, zip & posey. they got a little taste of my puppy-paparazziness...


after spending a few hours clearing out the dining room out from under mom's 'sewing/craft room' supplies (don't ask) we kicked the weekend off by stuffing our faces on a super delicious thanksgiving dinner prepared by my step-dad, who happens to be a superior chef. mom of course had the table decorated in style for the event...


speaking of decorated...can i just tell you how many awesome things mom has in their house. like this lovely display case which I begged and pleaded for her to gift to me someday (soon i hope!)...


or these cute candy egg molds she hung with her egg wreath...


or pretty much this entire vignette around the fireplace...



my mom is a serious sewer too, she has an entire room over the garage dedicated to her craft. And she often collects vintage sewing items that she decorates the room with...


we did a few sewing projects while i was there this time around. first she took me to sally's in madison to practice on an elissimo embroidery machine at the store before i used hers, where i made a little ornament for my tree this year. when we got home i worked on embroidering our names onto christmas stockings i bought a few weeks ago. i took a little cell phone footage of the machine in progress, it made me laugh so hard watching it go to work...




they turned out great, don't you think?...


mom and i also made our way to the tennessee state fairgrounds for the fleamarket. we started early and did 2 laps just so we didn't miss anything...


i managed to find a vintage metal milk carrier with a wooden handle (almost identical to this one)...



i also found a few old blue mason jars (for $1.00 a piece) to fill it with...

and of course i picked up a darling little pair of hens for my salt & pepper shaker collection...


the entire point of this trip was to spend time with both of my grandparents, which i did. i'd be lying to you if i told you it was an easy trip, not that mom & my step-dad didn't make my time there wonderful as could be, but seeing both my aging grandparents is very difficult for me.

my grandfather is in better health than my grandmother. and while he needs a walker to get around these days he's still as mentally sharp as a tack. i had a great time talking to him about the projects i'm currently involved in at work, showing him photographs of various projects, blabbing about what me & the rest of my cousins are up to these days, and listening to him tell stories about his working days. he even took mom & i out to lunch the afternoon i was leaving town...

me & grandpa (2006)

my grandmother is in advanced stages of alzheimer's disease. and although she was in remarkably good spirits and very alert it's still sad to not see any recognition of me in her eyes. i'm the oldest of all of my cousins and was very close to my grandmother subsequently, what breaks my heart is that a few of the younger ones will never really remember her for the woman she was...the woman who used to wash our feet at the edge of the tub and then pat them in baby powder before bed time calling them sleepy feet. the woman who used to let us eat yodels for breakfast. the woman who we used to gossip about new love interests with. the woman who we could call when we had a huge blow up fight with our parents.

i miss my grandma very much and the only thing that made me feel a little better was when i said "i love you grandma" as I was leaving the nursing home on sunday to fly back to boston she said "oh,i love you too honey"... a brief moment of clarity in her unclear mind...

me & grandma (2006)

this dixie chicks song, 'silent house', has the perfect lyrics for remembering someone who has alzheimers.

i have to commend my mom for taking such good care of both of them. it takes a great deal of patience, a virtue neither my mother nor i possess very much of, to deal with her aging parents. they are very lucky to have her, as are my moms brothers & sisters. i only hope i can do the same for her someday...

mom & grandma, virginia (fall 2005)

the young family, lake george (summer 2006)

this year i am most definitely thankful that i got to spend another thanksgiving with my grandparents.

quotable...

with thanksgiving right around the corner i thought this quote on with love & such was perfect...

i'm gonna walk all over you...

i need to buy a house asap so i can install this handsome flooring in EVERY room...

images courtesy of dinesen

here come the bridesmaids...

i'm loving what other bloggers are posting right now, can you tell?

snippet & ink, which happens to be my favorite wedding inspiration site, posted this lovely laid back texas wedding and i couldn't take my eyes off the bridesmaid dresses...

bring your lunch to work...

i've made more of an effort this year than any other year i've been working in an office to bring my lunch to work instead of buying it everyday. my efforts have been lack luster to say the least. but maybe if i had one of these stainless steel lunchboxes i saw on hip hostess i'd be more inspired. they certainly go with the theme of my work in construction...

lunch box from planetbox

welcome dillon grace...

the sweetest little (6lbs.) baby girl entered the world yesterday, we've been awaiting her arrival...dillon grace was born to my sister's brother & sister-in-law yesterday afternoon and i couldn't be more thrilled!

dillon grace
11/16/09

congratulations kate & pete, you're going to be wonderful parents without a doubt! can't wait to meet your little sweetpea over the holidays...

thank you long island for the perfect flight bag...

i typically over pack for almost any occasion, even if it's just for an overnight. so when i saw these wonderful little flight bags from wm. j. mills & co. (in stormy grey of course) that housemartin blogged about today i thought maybe, just maybe, if i had one i could learn to stick with one perfect sized bag as my carry on...wishful thinking....



on a related note, wm. j. mills is located in greenport, ny which happens to be one of my favorite north fork of long island towns. my aunt & uncle took my cousin & i there a few summers ago on their boat and i fell in love...

i really, reall want one of these...

since the cat has come to live in the apartment i've had to part with my beloved house plants. but i think i've found a compromise so we can both have our ways...the plant terrarium from grandin road. these would look super cute in the apartment, HINT HINT...

my heart sings country music...

did ya'll catch the CMA awards last night? i loved lady antebellums performance of need you now...

Lady Antebellum More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos

happy veterans day...

as an officially inducted member of D.A.R. (daughters of the american revolution, white plains chapter) i want to sincerely wish all veteran's & currently serving men & women of the armed forces a happy veteran's day. thank you for all that you do to allow us to be safe & protected.

couldn't have said it better...

you MUST go read '5 ways to know if you should quit your day job & become a designer' on maria's blog today...it's spot on!

an art affair...

i went home to new york over the weekend (to my fathers house). on saturday night we had a father/daughter dinner & a movie date. we ate at one of my favorite spots in nearby bedford, the meeting house, where they often showcase local artists. this night was no different, and i fell in love with the artwork of jeffrey terreson. i kept trying to drop hints to my father, i don't think he was picking up what i was throwing down though...


after dinner we saw Amelia. i didn't really love the movie, in fact, i thought it was a bit slow, but it was nice to have date night with my dad nonetheless, they are few & far between these days...

it's that time of year again...

in case you haven't already noticed, i'm a mega-nerd. so yes, it should come as no surprise to you that i make homemade valentine's day & christmas cards each year. this year instead of your traditional card i thought it would be fun to make keepsake photo ornament cards instead. all my supplies typically come from paper source or a.c. moore craft stores. a little secret...you should buy your holiday card making supplies at the end of each season for the next year, you can save up to 75% on the cost. here's a little taste of what's to come...





usually the pets are the theme of my holiday cards, go figure...

mackenzie, christmas 2002

penny, christmas 2008