Notes

OK. Let me just start this whole thing off by saying that I know I don't really get into fashion all that often, but I do love it. I mean, ever since I started sewing at around 8 or 9, and then got into theatre at 13, I've been a fashion lurker. I check in on my favorite labels, I clandestinely follow bloggers that make the trip(s) to the various fashion weeks, and, occasionally, I splurge and get myself something nice. (Usually Marc Jacobs sunglasses, Michael Kors purses, or anything Elizabeth & James or The Row, although a Balenciaga purse is definitely happening sometime this next year.)

Anyway, that brings me to my point. I love love LOVE Alexander Wang. His work is amazing, and I would drop the $$ in a heartbeat if I could commit to one thing. But I can't. So when the announcement came that he would be the new head at Balenciaga, I swear, I almost collapsed. I am ecstatic to see what comes of this.

Moving on...

I didn't really do much this weekend. I mean, I made a couple of little girl dresses for Bella, my almost niece, and made a stop at restore where I stocked up on sweaters, but I didn't get to Lowe's, so I haven't purchased any of the supplies to start working on my new/old kitchen table.

I (we) also haven't put up Christmas lights. Not along the edge of the roof, anyway. Last year we were one box short, and this year we decided instead of putting them up and wasting money on our electricity bill, or buying new lights (since we couldn't find a match for ours), we would just forgo the lights entirely and spend the money on getting nice gifts for the people that matter. :) We've already bought them for my family, all of whom will be here sometime this weekend. (My parents are arriving Thursday, and my brother, his girlfriend, and her kids should be here on Saturday.) Anyway, giving is my favorite part of Christmas (I prefer to GET on my birthday ;P) so I'm insanely excited to see how everyone likes the things I made them. (Everyone is getting something bought and something made.)

As for Joshs family, we're hoping to spend actual Christmas with them, although whether it's here or there has not yet been decided...

 Anyway. I don't have a story, or a point, so I'll just leave you with a few pictures that I've been meaning to post but haven't had a good reason to.


Here's one of the chairs that goes with my new/old table. You can see some of the carving detail, which is the reason I fell in love with it.

Here's some more detail on the edge of the table.

And here is a shot of the decorations on my front door. A wreath I made last year, complimented by some garland, ornaments, and a bow! I think it looks nice, I really like the color scheme I went with. :)

Finished shot of the shirt I made my mom. Burlap tree with (fake) pearl ornaments.

And this last one is a shot of Josh and Orion in the park yesterday. Such a nice, unseasonably warm day for walking in the park.

Anyway. I'm going to be finishing up getting the house in order the next few days (my parents arrive on Thursday evening, and we have plans for EVERY WAKING MINUTE that they'll be here) so forgive me if I'm a bit slow on the posting, but you know how it is. :)

Thanksgiving.

Since I'm sitting here at the computer and putting off cleaning and organizing anyway, I figure I might as well talk a bit about Thanksgiving; won't have time tomorrow, I'm going to have to be in OMGGETSTUFFDONENOW mode all day if I expect the house to be ready for company by Thursday morning!

First of all, let me give you a bit of a (personal) history lesson...

Growing up we (my parents, older brother, and I) lived in South Texas, while most of my extended family (on my dads side, anyway) lived in the general Houston area. We'd made the trip up there approximately once every two or three months. I can remember a few times that we made it for Thanksgiving, but it just wasn't a top priority. My dad worked the kind of job that can't exactly shut down for a holiday, no matter how spectacular; he was a prison guard. And he was never the kind to try and get holidays off. I remember how irritated he'd get at other people, right around the time the holiday schedule would come out; he'd call them names and say how ignorant and childish it was to be fighting over something like that. And so, over the years, it was just accepted that we celebrated life itself, when we could, and where we could. We made the trip for weddings, quinceañeras, and funerals, but holidays typically took a backseat to the stuff that really mattered.

As a result, I am not the kind to go crazy over holidays. I like Halloween because it's the time of year that I can find my favorite kinds of macabre decor a lot easier than usual, and I like Christmas because...well, it's Christmas! It is the only holiday that we really had any traditions for. Midnight mass was my favorite growing up! But, I digress, this is supposed to be about Thanksgiving, and I've already gone off on like 17 tangents.

Anyway, what I am trying to get at is that since it wasn't all that big of a deal, there wasn't any kind of 'everyone gather in the kitchen while mom cooks' kind of tradition, and as a result, my having to facilitate Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on me.

Our first year in Austin, my friend Sarah came up. I don't remember all the details, but I'm assuming that having company helped to remind me that preparations were necessary. A turkey was purchased, along with lingonberry AND cranberry sauce, potatoes, a can of green beans, and a pie from Marie Callendars. We drank sparkling grape juice that we workers got for free at Ikea when an entire pallet of them arrived with the labels half-scratched off. The next morning we woke up to find that Jefferson Marlowe, our Maine Coon at the time, had helped himself to the remainder of the turkey. Somehow that cat had pulled the whole tray off the stove onto the floor and hadn't spilled a drop!

The next year we went to Joshs aunts house, where he got wasted and took a bunch of pictures with Kenny Chesney.

Since then our Thanksgivings have taken place in various places between Texas and Arkansas, but they're always packed with adventure. I'm still working on getting the hang of having to bake more than usual, and hosting, in general, but it's gotten considerably better over the past 6 years.

And in conclusion, the point is that I am really bad at getting to the point. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, whether it's spent surrounded by family eating a huge meal, or with just your significant other eating frozen turkey dinners off of TV trays. Remember to make the most of every day, don't wait for a holiday to come around just to cook good food and spend time with loved ones and be thankful for what you have...and last but not least don't act too crazy if you go out on black Friday. The end.