friday fun finds: the power of the written word.....and a fabulous card

i received a beautiful card in the mail from a dear friend the other day and it made my day. the supportive, loving words that were written were exactly what i needed to hear. and then i got to thinking.....when was the last time i sent a card to someone? i honestly can't remember the last time. i would like to believe that i am a good friend. i often try to reach out by sending an email or a text to someone to let them know i am thinking about them.....but a card? nope. i can't even remember the last time i bought a stamp for pete's sake! truly. so, i am devoting this friday fun finds to the power of the written word and and a beautiful card to contain it. in fact, i am going to challenge myself to send more cards. care to join me? 

here are some of my favorites:

adorable handmade"friend" card from one of my very favorite etsy shops (you should see their cupcake toppers too) -- $3.95

origami dress thank you card -- $4.25

friends are god's way of taking care of us -- $3.00

bestie -- $4.00

golden girls -- $4.00

'tis the season

there's no denying it. the holiday season is upon us. as soon as halloween wrapped up, the country seemed to shift gears instantly and holiday mayhem was upon us. i, myself, prefer a more organized, systematic approach to the holiday season...there's less shock to the system that way. still, the other day, i was thrown into the "fun" of the holiday season like a child taught how to swim by being dumped in the deep end of a pool.

i had to go to the large, upscale mall with two of my children. this adventure alone i wouldn't recommend. there are certain malls that are made for moms and dads...the kinds with playgrounds, mcdonald's in the food court, strollers for rent. this mall is decidedly the opposite. nordstroms sits next to louis vuitton, which is next to tiffany's, which eventually brings you back around to neiman marcus and so on. there is nothing about this place that invites children. still, i trudged on with my four and six year old and hoped for the best.

besides the frequent looks of contempt from shoppers passing us by, the trip was uneventful...until we got to our car. holiday parking is one of my least favorite things about the season. driving a large mom-mobile makes this prospect even less enjoyable. as i was working to get my kids snapped in their car seats around their large winter wear, a man in a pricey, two-seat car pulled up next to me and honked at me several times to get my attention. i thought my head was going to explode. as i pulled my pregnant self out of the third row seats to go and talk to the man, i'm pretty sure he had no idea what was coming.

one of my close girlfriends says that every now and then "hurricane nellie" starts a brewing and when it does, everyone should get out of it's path. somewhere between the comments, "in what world has honking at someone become socially acceptable" and "i'm pretty sure your mother didn't raise you to be rude and disrespectful to others," the well dressed, easily 250 pound man switched from asking if i was leaving or staying to, "yes, ma'am" and "no, ma'am." i'm sure a pregnant lady in her seventh month and wearing yoga pants had never been more scary. after a thorough apology, i eventually turned and walked off with some comment about him perhaps using his manners next time. he may have just thought i was completely crazy...which there may have been a good argument for. i think i saw him trying to stifle a grin at some point in the conversation but i'm pretty sure he'll think before he honks at someone in a parking lot again.

i was officially inaugurated into the holiday season. somewhere in this time of peace on earth and good will toward men, we've lost our ability to extend common courtesy. during this season, i have to explain to my kids why people cut in line, rip things out of one another's hands, steal parking spaces, argue extensively with sales representatives and generally throw all manners out of the window. just wait until black friday rolls around. if you ever questioned whether or not the book "lord of the flies" is realistic, observe black friday rituals.

maybe we should come back to the meaning behind the season. we've become so wrapped up in the shopping for the season that we have managed to miss the message of it entirely. maybe i overreacted to the man in the parking lot. maybe i just saw the writing on the Christmas wall. regardless, i'm going to try to take this season a little slower. i'm going to try to smile more and hold doors open more often...even if that means standing in line five minutes longer. i'm going to say, "merry Christmas," and mean it. most of all, i'm going to try to show my kids that this season isn't just about how much stuff we can buy, but about how much joy we can spread.

needlepoint--not just for grandmas

i don't know what it is, but for some reason needlepoint just conjures up the image of grey haired granny's in rockers. while shopping online i came across these *fabulous* needlepoint pillows by jonathan adler and i have changed my tune. at $98 - $178 a pop they seem a little pricey, but oh so worth drooling over. what do you think? would *you* pay that much for a pillow? maybe i need to take up needlepointing myself.......

cheating on my boyfriend

i'm not normally a walmart shopper. it is not because i have anything against the store, i'm just pretty faithful to my boyfriend, target. i always feel like i'm cheating on him if i step foot into the endless aisles of his competitor. in addition to that, my boyfriend is a super target, complete with starbucks and a complete grocery store. really, why would i go anywhere else?

still, there are days when i do venture into giant walmart store with its rollbacks and discounted prices. there is something to be said for the place. truly, where else in the world can you buy live crickets, ammunition, spray paint, potting soil, tampons, cream cheese, fake flowers, and kitchen table all in one place while getting your nails done, having lunch and cashing a check? there's just nowhere like it. plus, there is the added bonus of the cardio workout i get walking from one end of the store to the other. it really is a win-win.

so, against my boyfriend, target's wishes, i occasionally enter through the doors, carefully sanitize my cart and congratulate myself on my savvy shopping. it was after one of my trips that i was introduced to "the people of walmart" pictures on the internet. if you haven't seen any yet, don't worry, you'll get your fill before the day is over. at first i couldn't believe that the pictures were real. then i started to keep my eyes open as i wandered through the vast aisles and began to realize that the photos told a true and grim story. not only that, to my horror, i was now one of the people of walmart.

don't get me wrong, i'm not like any of the people in the pictures but i do have to say that my own standards for personal appearance are much lower when entering the mega-store. i'm not going to show up in pajamas or my halloween costume but showering and applying make-up are sadly optional when shopping there. perhaps it's because, no matter how bad i look, i still look pretty darn good walking in that store. if nothing else, it's a huge self-esteem booster to walk proudly through the store. so, in the spirit of making everyone feel better about themselves, here are "the people of walmart." this group did an amazing job of putting the pictures to song and i find it all the more entertaining. if this doesn't make you feel amazingly hot and put together, i don't know what will.

friday fun finds: peacock madness

i have a slight obsession for everything peacock this week....and who knew that there were so many fabulous things to chose from? who else loves this fine-feathered friend?

belt + buckle with vintage peacock image from a 1960's children's encyclopedia--$38

fingerless gloves with peacock feathers in aqua felted cashmere $42

orchid + orange peacock feather linen pillow--$60

peacock print--$22

set of 2--peacock feather screen-printed dishtowels- $12

teal blue + white peacock feather coin purse--$22

the counting peacock - 5 x 5 numbers print-- $13