Hello, Old Friends

I've been far too absent from the blogging world as of late. A quick recap would include the deliciousness and fun and gratitude that accompanied Thanksgiving, the fact that for a few amazing days we enjoyed no tantrums and absolutely sweet children (proving to me that they are still in there, just hiding and reminding me of the joys that come in motherhood), some deep reflections on parenting and the plethora of ways I need to improve, serious amounts of time on my calling (who knew that the publicity would be a success and that now that we have 70+ people coming to the dinner Wednesday, I'm freaking out!?!), finally giving in to the hype and beginning the first book (I'm around page 350), more Christmas shopping and online deal scouring, and refocusing for this holiday season. Hopefully I'll get to expound on a few of the above once this dinner is done on Wednesday. In the mean time, I have some link love to share.

-My dear friend Candis has just launched her new store with much beauty to behold. Candis has more creative talent in her pinky toe than I contain as a whole. She's amazing. Her photo skills are fabulous, her cards and stationary are gorgeous (she's become my go to girl for these kinds of things) and if you look closely you just may find silhouettes of my own kids. Go visit HeirloomPaperie.com, her new site. And then go to her store. And then go to her blog. And then place an order because you can't believe all of the loveliness. And then add her button to your sidebar. And then appreciate the talents of people who create beautiful things.

-Hannah is at it again with giveaway love! I'm so excited to see all that she has to offer- something like 15 merchants in 12 days, or some crazy amount like that. Hannah is fantastic, her blog is just as great, and I'm in awe of her serious savvy in showcasing all of these businesses. Head on over to win!

-Speaking of winning, today I was as pleased as punch to see my own name as the winner of the Your Heart Out/Darlybird giveaway. If you haven't visited Darlybird yet, you should. A plethora of great gift ideas for everyone on your list- and a few things I've found to order for some of my favorite people. Use the code found on Your Heart Out for an extra 15% off through Wednesday. I love Your Heart Out. I love Darlybird. What a great way to start my day when I looked at my reader this morning!

I can't wait to get back to blogging later this week, and maybe I'll even find time to decorate my house for Christmas. Thanks to Carrie for this fantastic picture of Sam captured on Thanksgiving (I hope you don't mind my sharing). Notice the fists full of grass- the first thing he does when he arrives outside is to pull a few handfulls. And in my totally biased opinion, this is by far the best part of the post. ;)