he was pretty cute/pitiful in his hospital gown

Thanksgiving was nice this year.  Tyler was less than 24 hours out from surgery on his shoulder but felt up to making the 3 hour trip to my aunt’s house.  He’s a smart man, who can pass up 3 kinds of turkey?

somehow we managed to get the entire family in one photo, quite a feat with over 40 of us

Being the generous wife I am I only made Tyler put up 2 Christmas trees this year even though I bought a third one last year  He put them up before his surgery, I’m not mean enough to force my gimpy husband to do it in his sling.  The pugs like this tree in particular.  Toby likes to sleep under it and Betty likes to munch on the ornaments.

We had a fun date night the first weekend in December.  Dinner at Lidias (too dark to photograph the food, but it was amazing), however here are the fun light fixtures made of blown glass.

followed by the KC Symphony/choir performance of  The Messiah at the new Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts.

maybe next year we can go see the Nutcracker Ballet

and the pugs have been up to no good as usual.  Fighting, snuggling, noming, and sleeping.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

I really didn’t set out to read the whole series when I read Sorcerer’s Stone last month, but my interest was piqued, and I decided “just one more”.  And that turned into “one more I suppose.”  Well now I think I probably will read the whole series  Although I’m not in a rush to do so.  I don’t think there’s much to say about the HP series that hasn’t been said already.  They are great, and if you haven’t read them, do so soon.  We finished watching all the movies over the long holiday weekend and now I definitely can’t wait to read the rest of the books.  (I already knew the gist of the series and the big plot events before I read any of the books/watched any of the movies due to being 10 years behind the times on this series but don’t mind being spoiled.)

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells

I love a good memoir, and this one had been on my to-read list for a couple of years.  I read it on the flight back from D.C. and Tyler had to listen to my frustrated sighs and “WTFs” for 2 and a half hours.  This book is a very interesting look into the life of a child of an alcoholic and two very “unique” parents.  Some say unique, some say neglectful.  I kind of side with the latter.  While the author clearly turned out a successful and presumably happy adult,  the shit she had to go through to get there really horrified me.   I can’t say much more without spoiling the book, but I’d be curious to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.  I think my perspective as a social worker is a bit skewed towards the pessimistic.

Crossed by Ally Condie

Read this book on the flight to D.C.  It was awful.  Want to read a book where NOTHING HAPPENS?  This is the book for you.  Sad because the first book in the series, Matched, wasn’t terrible.  I will finish the series because I always do, but I will wait to get the book from the library.  I will not buy it for my Nook, this one was a complete waste of time and money.

yes my pugs had their own card for a pug card exchange!  don’t judge!

I love receiving photo cards.  They give you a glimpse into what’s going on with a family.  New kids, cute pets, silly or professional pics, they’re always fun to receive.  And they are great for decorating too, I use them to brighten up our pantry door.

This year they are giving away 25 free cards for blogging about your Shutterfly experience.   (they had a similar giveaway last year I also participated in) Probably my only “complaint” about Shutterfly is that there are so many options, it is almost impossible to decide.  I have started playing around with different designs for ours and have them narrowed down to about…10.  Still have more narrowing down to do obviously!  Here are some designs that caught my eye.

holiday cards

christmas cards

and the less expensive flat photo cards

I need to decide soon as I like to get my cards done over the long Thanksgiving weekend!  Off to consider my options!!

butternut squash hummus at Zaytinya 

fun and modern headboard in our room at the Hotel Palomar, we got a great deal on Priceline as usual

the reason for the trip, the lovely bride and groom!

brunch at Le Pain Quotidien, I now believe every restaurant should have free nutella in the center of the table.

fun Sunday with some of the best people (stole this photo from Gilly, mine was blurry)

before leaving D.C. we visited the new MLK Jr. Memorial.  It was wonderful, glad we made time for it.

It was one of a string of perfect fall days, a photo of the tidal basin.

We spent the rest of our weekend with my brother and his family in Purcellville, VA.  Including an outing to Great Country Farms for a picnic and lots of fun activities for the kiddos.  Wish we had a place like that near our home!

Tyler and I were overdue for a long weekend to relax and have fun.  Work has been stressful and our house has been a disaster zone as cleaning has not been top priority since Tyler dislocated his shoulder last month.  No clue when our next trip will be, but hopefully we can manage at least one weekend trip again next year.   We are foregoing any big trips to focus more of our funds on house improvements.    Now we just need Tyler to heal up after his surgery later this month so that we can actually do those projects we’ve been putting off!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

So I know I am a decade late on this one, but better late than never, right?  I needed to read a book by a British author for my book club, and this series has been on my to-read list for a long time.  I was holding out for them to be available on the Nook next year, but I saw my sister last weekend and she was kind enough to loan me the first 3 books of the series.  I was able to read this one in an afternoon, and it was much better than I was anticipating as it is really not my typical genre.  Pretty sure I will read the rest of the series, but not right away.  I’m renting the movie from the library to see how it compares!

Room by Emma Donoghue

Oh lord.  This book…I thought I would like it because I’d read Jaycee Dugard’s “A Stolen Life” recently and this novel is the story of a 5 year old born and raised in a room where his mother has been held captive, like Jaycee.  They have a tv so they have some access to the outside world that way, but the child really doesn’t believe that a world exists outside the room he lives in.  So during the first third you read all about his “room” and their daily life there.  [spoilers ahead] During the second third you read about their escape and the days after, and then the last part of the book is about their transition back into the “outside world”, rebuilding relationships, going through therapy, and letting go of the “room.”  Very interesting story, but sometimes the kid’s “voice” gets very irritating.  I was puzzled how the kid had such a good vocabulary yet spoke TERRIBLY despite conversing with his mom regularly (and she spoke properly) and watching lots of tv.  Also some stuff made me squeamish: the kid’s constant chatter about his love of breastfeeding (his mom practiced extended breastfeeding for the health benefits and as a comfort measure, best as I could tell), and a lot of talk of him sucking on his mom’s dead, rotted tooth.   The eff.  Leave that stuff out and I would have enjoyed this book more, lol.

Shine by Lauren Myracle

I learned about this book a couple of weeks ago when I read about the total cluster going on with the National Book Awards.  This is a young adult novel about a girl in a poverty stricken southern town that is searching for the perpitrator of a heinous hate crime against her gay friend.  This is an excellent book.  I was drawn in by her character descriptions and the fast pacing of the story.  A couple of times I thought I had the crime figured out but she surprised me!  Parts of the story reminded me of Winter’s Bone, although this book was not quite so dark.  Definitely recommend this one.  It was nice to read a YA novel that was not all about a teen romance.

Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

I was expecting to really have to force myself to read this one, but once I started I couldn’t put it down and I finished in about 2 hours. The chapters are short and the book is not terribly long.  I read the much hyped article in the WSJ that consisted of only the most eyebrow raising excerpts from this book.   That article really didn’t capture the spirit of the  book though, which is a combination of sarcasm, satire, and the highs and lows of a family. It’s not really a guide to how to raise your kids the Chinese way or why that’s the best way to raise a child.  I gave this one 4 stars.

DIY yarn wreath on the front door

DIY slutty pumpkins and a bouquet of wheat on an end table

the other end table with my new ceramic green lamp

centerpiece on the dining table, my mercury glass pumpkin

more slutty pumpkins, cute Halloween pug art via etsy, and orange Louisa May Alcott books I scored at Half Price Books during the Labor Day sale.  Mercury glass owl was a $5 Homegoods find.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

I needed a short book for the challenge and Tyler and were recently discussing this book (novella).  He hasn’t read it but is reading it now.  I was careful not to spoil it for him, we’ll see what he thinks.  I read this book in high school, American Lit I believe?  I remember writing a term paper comparing the female characters in the book.  This is a short read, would be perfect for a snowy winter day  I watched clips of the film on youtube after I re-read it, Liam Nielson and Patricia Arquette circa 1993.  It was weird to see it adapted to film.  I think I like this book because it reminds me of my great high school English classes, not because I like the story.

Prophet’s Prey by Sam Brower

My fascination with the FLDS continues.  This book was told from a different perspective than most, a member of the LDS church that works as a PI and spent years investigating the FLDS cult.  It gives a good overview of what the group was like (and still is like to some extent) under the leadership of Warren Jeffs, now serving a life in prison sentence.  The book is a detailed telling of Jeff’s many atrocities against his followers.  Rape, sodomy, rampant child abuse, tax evasion, heartless re-assigning of wives and children and excommunicating loyal followers.  So obviously this book is a real light read  This is not my favorite FLDS book.  I prefer the memoirs like Escape written from the perspective of former members of the group.  Sam Brower is eye-roll worthy at times, clearly very proud of his cowboy demeanor and the many ways he perceives that he helped bring down Jeffs.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

This book?  I could not put it down.  I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads despite the fact that I was pretty confused the entire time I was reading it, even more so after it was over.  Hoping much will be revealed n the sequel, due out next year (I hate waiting!)  I need to re-read it before then, as I zipped through it in about 3 hours, desperate to reach the end before bed.  Categorized under: “young adult paranormal” on Goodreads, it is not my typical genre (the paranormal part, obviously I like YA lit) but this isn’t a vampire story or a horror novel, it’s just spooky, and romantic, and both funny and terribly sad.  One of my favorite books this year, leaving me satisfied even though I have to wait a year to learn the rest of Mara Dyer’s story.  Also I like the cover

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

This book is rated very highly on Goodreads and I knew it would be helpful professionally to read it.  Still Alice is the story of a woman diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, told from her perspective.  It is sad, educational, emotionally draining at times, but ultimately a very good read.  I think most people know someone or have known someone with Alzheimer’s/dementia.  I have many patients dealing with it, some in the early stages, others so deep into it they cannot speak or swallow, and a great many that are on the borderline of being competent to make their own decisions, which often calls for the help of a social worker.  I cried during a significant portion of this book, it was painful but cathartic at the same time.  It helped remind me of the life and rich history of the individual behind the diagnosis.

I ended up ordering this fabric online (Richloom Favell in Lagoon) as I didn’t see  it in any local stores.  As soon as I saw it on this pillow on etsy I knew it was the fabric I was looking for.  Pops of green, teal, brown and taupe on a white/cream background.  I plan to use iron on hem tape to hem them and will hang them with drapery clips.  No sewing if I can get away with it!

I also plan to switch out the drapery rod we currently have for something a bit more basic/classic and I plan to hang it higher and wider than our current rod to help accentuate the size of the window.   And eliminate the tie back hooks, they are just not my style now that I’ve lived with them for a couple of years.

old living room setup when the couch was in front of the window

So today I got to do what I’ve been wanting to do FOREVER.  Yes I am a total dork but after watching every episode of Sarah’s House and Sarah 101 I was dying to shop with some fabric swatches  She is the queen when it comes to choosing beautiful and coordinating fabrics.  I hit up Joann’s today and plan to go to a couple more fabric stores soon.  Although I may order fabric online if I can as actual home decorating fabric can be found cheaper online most of the time.

some of the fabrics I was considering, they were all 50% off today at Joanns.  Tan swatch is the sofa fabric.

I just came home with this striped fabric though, it was $10.99/yd and I got it half off.   I plan to use it on throw pillows.

and that’s really all I’ve got right now, I am considering some of these fabrics, but we’ll see what I think once I have all the swatches together.  I want to make a couple different sizes/shapes of throw pillows and maybe have different patterns on each side so I can switch them up as the mood strikes.  This will be an actual sewing project though, so no guarantee these pillows will be symmetrical, lol.

from etsy seller swankyswell

from Calico Corners

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I had to practice great restraint with this one and not let myself start it until the weekend began, as I knew I’d be dumb and stay up all night to finish it if I didn’t!  As good as this book was, it didn’t have me quite as engrossed as her first novel, Anna and the French Kiss.  I did not realize until I started reading that Lola is a companion novel, and some of the characters from Anna make an appearance.  They don’t really have their own plot lines but they are there and it was cool to see “where they are now.”  Even though I really have nothing in common with the main character, Lola, I still found myself crushing on Cricket, as nerdy engineering guys are totally my type!

Matched by Ally Condie

Yeah I know, another dystopian young adult love story.  This genre continues to be all the rage.  However I only gave this one 2 stars on Goodreads.  Way too many aspects of the story are ripped right from Lois Lowery’s The Giver, and the love story completely failed to pull me in.  You don’t feel the emotions and dilemmas of the characters like you do in others of the same genre: Hunger Games, Delirium, and Divergent.  I will finish the series though, as I rarely start a series and fail to finish it.  Maybe the next 2 books will make me feel differently, but I have a feeling I will remain pretty ambivalent about this series.

and another dystopian novel I read recently (though NOT a YA book for once!) was Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

Great book, different writing style (stream of consciousness at times) with lots of things that will make you mad/think.  A great pick for a book club as I think it’s a book that needs to be discussed.  As a woman I found several scenes in the book very difficult.  What if we weren’t allowed to work anymore?  Couldn’t access our own bank accounts?  Were treated as nothing but a womb?  This is a feminist novel if ever there were one.  Very good read.