i'm in the midst of planning a wedding reception with another friend, for a friend. (there must be an easier way to say that, but not when it's this time of day).
anyway, i am really enjoying it. they are having an evening wedding next month with a dance, dinner, cake - you name it. it's going to be great, and hopefully beautiful!

here's our inspiration photo.
found here.

not sure if you can see it very well in this picture, but the tables have roses in mason jars, along with white taper candles and burlap table runners.

book

Started reading "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder with the girls. It's already making us realize our winters really aren't so bad, especially with all the modern conveniences we have.
We definitely have so much to be thankful for.

right now...

right now i am:

::thinking how fun it will be for my little girl to be a flower girl in just 2 weeks.
::enjoying a new to me iphone. thanks to the new 4s coming out, i get his old one. i love it!, especially when compared to my dinosaur phone.
::enjoying the lights of our christmas tree. i love this time of year.
::preparing for a cookie exchange and norwex party at a friend's house tonight. (have you tried norwex? thoughts?)
::treasuring these days at home with my sweet family.
::thanking God for good health.
::listening to norah jones on pandora. what an amazing voice she has!
::thinking i should run today, but it's 32 degrees and windy. looks like a treadmill kind-of-day to me.

random update

• we're still loving all things pumpkin here. i made these last night for church, and they were a hit. highly recommend!

• looking forward to reading this book as a family every night for advent this year. i've heard so many good things about it!

• the tree isn't up yet, but i am slowly getting some things out. i think we're going to have a real tree for the first time this year. our 6 foot tree looked so funny in this house last year because of the high vaulted ceilings. it made our tree look like a little charlie brown tree. pretty funny. so, whatever tree we get will have to be pretty tall to fit the space.                                               
• i found this idea on pinterest last week. it was super easy. i just covered a plain bulletin board with a painter's drop cloth from lowe's (you could use any fabric), then used a staple gun to secure it, and added upholstery tacks. they aren't spaced perfectly, but i still like it. it's been a great place to keep some of the ever-changing art work from the kids.

i've been slacking on getting my runs in. i'm such a fair weather runner, but i wasn't always that way. in 1999, somehow i survived training for my first marathon in the winter. my friend kelly and i trained dec-may. we ran in all kinds of conditions, and we would often finish our runs with frozen eyelashes. i'm cold just thinking about it.
i'm a wimp now. it's time to break out the treadmill.
as much as i dislike that thing, i'm thankful to have one.

in other news, i caved and joined pinterest. i love it! i am amazed at the endless supply of ideas. some people are just so creative! i especially love getting ideas for recipes, decorating, and fun things to do with the kids. someday when we get to remodel our kitchen, i will be prepared with lots of ideas. you can follow me here, if you're interested.

i really want to put up the christmas tree! i love everything about christmas (well, except the crabby customers and extreme consumerism), but i'm making myself wait until after thanksgiving.
counting down the days until i get to see my sister. it's been a year, which is much.too.long!

wow. can you believe it's almost thanksgiving?!

i'm spending the evening cooking and baking tonight to prepare for a family thanksgiving tomorrow.
i'm making these rolls. i love this recipe! yeast rolls can be tricky, but this recipe is no-fail.

also making this pumpkin pie. it has become a tradition. it's not a typical pumpkin pie, which is probably why i like it so much. anything with cream cheese has to be good. right?!

today i am thankful for:

• my boy that turns 11 tomorrow. 
• a gloomy day spent inside a warm house doing school with my girls.
• honeycrisp apples - definitely my favorite! (i need to make apple crisp sometime)
• my sister and nephew coming back to visit for thanksgiving (can't wait!)

• the new kittens - so fun to see the kids so excited, especially after losing our dog Maggie this year.