quotable...

there are no words...

i drove home to new york this weekend for my cousins wedding...about 1 1/2 hours before i got home my father called to tell me about what happened in newtown, a town just 30 miles north of where we live... a towns exit i pass by every time i come home...a town i probably barely paid any attention to until now... i snapped this photo from my car and i sobbed driving by it, hearing what had happened there literally just hours before...

thank you susan for positing this over the weekend...

There are some griefs so loud

They could bring down the sky,

And there are griefs so still

No one knows how deep they lie,

Endured, never expended.

There are old griefs so proud

They never speak a word

They never can be mended

And these nourish the will

And keep it iron-hard.

Of Grief - May Sartonx

i know that angels were there to greet those children and women as they entered through the gates into heaven...i hope those same angels are with the families of those lost to comfort their pain & sadness.

and i think about my sweet friends this morning who are teachers, as they enter their classrooms. i hope they are safe, i hope they have found the courage & words to comfort their own students, and i hope they know that the world now sees them in a different light- not just teachers of their children, but their daily protectors too. 

holiday tree for the furries...

the animal rescue league of boston lit up their first annual holiday tree for pets in the south end last weekend and it's wonderful, you can see the event photos here. if you're in the neighborhood take a stroll by the tree and check out all the beautiful pet ornaments. the staff and volunteers did such an amazing job, seriously, they are such an awesome crew...

i couldn't find hank & penny's ornaments (because there were so many!), but i found my parents dogs- zip & posey...

there's still time to make your holiday donation!

diy holiday sign...

i think i might have to copy a blissful nest's pottery barn noel sign knock off. check out the tutorial here...

christmas craft party...

the hostess with the mostess

on sunday my fellow crafty gal pal lindsey hosted a christmas craft party inspired by our favorite holiday pinterest crafts. i cannot begin to tell you how much fun the day was... 17 ladies, 2 babies, festive & yummy food, a beautifully decorated apartment, holiday music and an awesome crafting set up...

our first craft of the day was led by lindsey and we made these santa belly ornaments...

then my friend steph and i each led a holiday wreath craft. steph did the paper wreaths while i did the fabric wreath i blogged about here...

it was such a successful, fun event and we're already thinking about another one for spring! a big thank you goes to lindsey & steph who did such an awesome job organizing the day too, seriously, it was awesome.

happy holidays...

dear santa...

what's on your list to santa? here's my santa wish list...

kate spad gumdrop blue studs

canvas clutch

caitlyn tunic

lucia sweater

hometown gear

barn painting by kris converse

vintage ladder to hang my quilts

embossed return stamp

mercury glass star pendant

kitchenaid mixer in red

le creuset french trivet in white

glass jars with lids

new clark flatware from crate & barrel

gift certificate for a back massage here (i'm going in february)

here's penny & hanks wish list too...

new matching collars (which grandpa got them already!)

single dog bowl stand

hank wants a life vest for river swimming

penny just wants stuffed squeeky toys she can rip to shreds

hank's got a new nickname...

...q-tip, because he looks like a q-tip with his new hair cut (even though q-tips are white and he's not)...

currently reading...

i'm in the middle of reading a small hotel by robert olen butler, which was recommended to me by my mother. so far it's good, but i'm having a hard time following the constant flashbacks...maybe i should try reading when i'm not half asleep already?...

for our january book group book sweet tooth by ian mcewan, same author as atonement, was selected to read. anyone read this yet? looks good from its reviews...

christmas has arrived...

there is nothing better during the holidays than the smell of a balsam fir christmas tree. my dad was visiting this past weekend and helped me get my tree and put it up...ain't she 'purdy'?...

i also finished up the rest of the decorating around the house...

a friend picked up two of these little beauties at trader joe's for me too, they are perfect for the kitchen bunquette...

and this little gem is courtesy of my friend amanda...

penny says, 'bring it santa'...