Photo Friday 89

Best Friends in New Jersey

A Vintage Christmas in Pennsylvania

SPARKLE

There's been a lot of chatter lately about how early everyone is decorating for Christmas.  Truth be told, I just took down my Halloween decorations this past weekend.  At the same time, Mike was outside stringing up white lights (everywhere).   If we get the fresh cut Christmas tree this weekend, there is a good chance it won't make it until the big day.  That sentiment has been echoed as well.  If the tree doesn't make it, we are not buying another one.  That would be classic.

This year I'm staying with a sparkly, vintage look.  I just paged thru the Better Homes and Gardens magazine and found some simple inspiration to get me started.  Multiple jars filled with holiday candy.  A nice touch to add some color. I bumped into the perfect candy jars at my local grocery store.  Mental note to buy them tomorrow.  And I think I am taking my boxwood wreaths and wrapping them with festive ribbon.

Let the decorating begin!

Tracy

Home Sick

Instead of "hitting the ground running" at the start of this holiday season, I am hitting the sofa with a cough and a cold. (insert a few coughs) To make matters worse, Emma is home from school with the same cough and cold. (insert her coughs) Ugh. I had big plans involving a long list and rows of stores on a bright Monday. Alas, Emma is playing with her Beanie Boos and I am doing a tiny bit of shopping online. Sigh. On the bright side, William tells me I am on the nice list this year. (he seems to have a connection at the North Pole ~ who knew?)

tricia

FESTIVE

What a great Thanksgiving.  It started off with a mini-turkey trot.  Me and Kate. I trotted and she biked.  The boys enjoyed the traditional football game.  We had an amazing meal (thanks to mom) and then settled in to watch some movies.

Ok, we did some shopping ... late night shopping on Thanksgiving (crazy) and then enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Black Friday.  Why is it that I always end up buying stuff for myself?

Mike decked the halls and the outside of our house is nice and festive.  White lights strung everywhere.  Quite the sight to see.  Rumor has it we will be cutting down a Christmas tree next weekend.

We are getting in the holiday spirit and loving the cold weather.  Brrr.

Tracy

SHOP small

It's Small Business Saturday..

Don't forget to shop small today.

If you know the t's,

small businesses are always our favorites.

From flea markets and the shops in Lambertville,

to the creative artisans in Brooklyn

(think Brooklyn Flea Market)

and, of course,

all of the creative folks on Etsy.

It is easy to shop small.

happy shopping!

tricia

some of our favorite small businesses in Lambertville, NJ

Happy Thanksgiving

God has two dwellings;

One in heaven,

And the other

In a meek & thankful heart.

~ Izaak Walton

GO

Ready, set, go .... let the holidays begin.  A couple of observations:  A local radio station is already playing Christmas music.  Hmm.  Tried to check out a new store that sells vintage goods (situated in a rustic barn) --- my advice to retailers is you need to be "open" in order to sell goods.  Perplexing.  Feeling ready to eat, eat, eat.  Exercise, exercise, exercise???  Shopping on Black Friday --- the jury is still out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tracy

as seen in

ZINC HOME & GARDEN

Lambertville, NJ

How Children Succeed

Funny, when browsing the bookshelves for something new to read ~ the first book I picked up for further inspection was one being presented by the author at my daughter's school in a few days. Spooky bones!! How does that happen? Out of all  the books on the shelves.. It makes me wonder.

Here we go.. Paul Tough's new book How Children Succeed is making waves with educators and parents alike. He argues that traits like grit, curiosity, perseverance, and optimism impact how children succeed more than IQs and test scores do. Basically, children need to learn how to navigate failure and overcome challenges in order to succeed. Additionally, the good news is this...although intelligence is somewhat fixed ~ character traits can be shaped and improved. Whew.

And, to end, I think when anyone with the last name Tough writes a book about grit, it is worth a read.

tricia

Photo Friday 88

House in New Jersey

(photo by William age 5)

Soccer in Pennsylvania

PAGES

Here's  what a certain someone in our house is reading right now:

I bought this book a few years ago.  Kate recently discovered it on the bookshelf and can't put it down.  For those who don't know, there are no words in Pancakes for Breakfast.  It is up to the reader to create a  story based on the pictures. What a great way to flex your imagination.

Tracy

The Things That Matter

Remember the book theme? Well, the night we grabbed coffee together,  I also grabbed two books I wanted to read. One was Gretchen Rubin's Happier at Home and the other was Nate Berkus' The Things That Matter. Upon further inspection, I realized in one swoop, I had two books dealing with homes and the things in our homes that matter to us. A bit of serendipity if you ask me!

The release of Nate Berkus' The Things That Matter seemed to coincide with the launch of his product line at Target. (sidebar: bought not one, but two trays and two rugs from his line at Target ~ adore them all! ;) I expected more of a "coffee table" book to browse through and enjoy the beautiful spaces he has created. It ended up being much more than that and I loved it from beginning to end.

Here are some quotes from Nate himself to give you an idea of what makes his book so special..

"I've always believed your home should tell your story...  Each object tells a story and each story connects us to one another and to the world. The truth is, things matter. They have to. They're what we live with and touch each and every day. They represent what we've seen, who we've loved, and where we hope to go next. They remind us of the good times and the rough patches, and everything in between that's made us who we are." ~ Nate Berkus

Honestly, I could go on and on about this book, but you truly have to read it and find out for yourself. This is one book you don't want to miss. The end.

Tricia

SONG

Have you listened to it and studied it?  By "it" I mean the new T. Swift album RED.  The day after it was released I bought two copies of the CD ... one for me and one for Mike.  We only bought one copy of her last CD and had to split it ... one of us had the regular CD and the other had the bonus CD ... big mistake.  

It always takes several times listening thru until you learn the songs and they stick.  Once in awhile a song automatically grabs you like Our Song, Fifteen, Back to December, Mean and WANEEGBT.  Even the six and seven year olds know those lyrics by heart.

I don't know what it is about T. Swift but everyone loves her.  No matter your age, sex, etc.  Well actually we were driving up to the mountain a couple of years ago and we had a snowboard punk in the car with us.  We always play T. Swift on the way to the mountain and once the tunes started this kid put his headphones on - what!  Find another ride dude!  I didn't really say that but I wanted to.

I just got done watching Taylor on VH1 Storytellers.  Well done.  And we heard that she released her summer tour dates.  Yeah!  Excitement is in the air. 

Tracy

Swifties

Happier at Home

 I just picked up Gretchen Rubin's new book Happier at Home. Do you remember her first book, The Happiness Project? Being a self-proclaimed "homebody" myself, I was curious to hear what she had to say about being happy at home. The premise is this..Gretchen takes a new school year to embark on a journey where she focuses on themes such as marriage, parenthood and possessions. Her goal was "making her home a place of greater simplicity, comfort, and love."

Honestly, I just purchased the book during a run to the bookstore after the storm. I am barely into chapter one. So far, I like what I see.  As a collector of quotes I will leave you with a few quotes Ms. Rubin included in Happier at Home.

"To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition,

the end to which every enterprise and labour tends."

- Samuel Johnson

"Safe, safe, safe," the heart of the house beats proudly.

- Virginia Woolf

"The true secret of happiness lies in the taking

a genuine interest in all the details of daily life."

- William Morris

Tricia

PS
pay attention reader ~
this t has a little book-related theme going.
Stay tuned..

Photo Friday 87

Snow in New Jersey

Sleeping in Pennsylvania

BLOOP

Hurricane Sandy did not skip over Pennsylvania.  In fact, the eye of the storm hit Atlantic City and proceeded due west toward Philadelphia.  We sit just north of Philly and got it too.  

Blooper #1 --- It seems everyone lost power except for me.  Sigh.  Not only did my house remain energized but so did my office.  Sigh again.  My entire family was fat and happy at home.  I worked like a dog.  

You and I got together for some stress relief --- we shopped and ate at a "chain".

Blooper #2 --- Does the JCrew clerk really need to double check a sales price. We gave her good information. Do we look dishonest?  

Blooper #3 --- Does Pottery Barn really have to remove from a frame a piece of paper with a copy of a hand sketched pumpkin before selling it to a customer? Copyright?  Weird.

Blooper #4 --- Who was in charge of the leftover "Bam Bam Shrimp" and left it on the perfume shelf in Sephora?  A mystery smell and some mystery meat for the salesclerks.

Overall, we made it thru the storm and had some really good laughs.  And thanks for treating me to a grande salted caramel latte --- I really enjoyed those 1,000 calories at 9:00 pm.

Tracy  

with a little help from my friends

In the midst of disaster, the best of humanity manages to shine above the floods, rubble and despair. I am always impressed by the kindness of friends and neighbors and amazed by the care of strangers. In just a few days, we have begun to rally for those in need after Hurricane Sandy.

The marathoners, facing a cancelled race after months of training, ran through New York to help those in need. My nephew's school sent home a flyer, "Reach the Beach",  requesting clothing, food and supplies to be delivered to the Jersey shore this weekend. Folks in my own neighborhood are gathering a list of items for those desperate for basic necessities on Staten Island. I could go on and on.

Once power returns to my house and I get back on track, I want to be part of the shining example of the best of humanity. Hopefully, my children will pitch in too. There are so many ways to help.

Tricia

Happy Election Day

Don't forget to vote..

"Now, let me be clear. The path I lay out is not one paved 

with ever increasing government checks and cradle to grave assurance

that government will always be the solution. If this election

is a bidding war for who can promise the most goodies

and the most benefits, I'm not your president.

You have that president today."

~Mitt Romney

"In the end, that's what this election is about.

Do we participate in a politics of cynicism

or a politics of hope?"

~Barack Obama

Tracy & Tricia

So Long Sandy

What a week. In NJ, this t lost power the night of the storm. In the morning, we discovered a large tree had fallen on the fence and patio furniture. Other than that, we are (thankfully) safe and sound. The news we were able to hear on our tiny battery-powered radio didn't convey the devastation we finally saw on television. Still without power, schools closed and gas rations, we are hoping for our situation to improve as each day goes by. Here are a few photos from this past week..

Tricia

 a missing section of fence

from a tree that fell during the storm

power trucks from Texas (!) headed

to NJ to help restore power

empty shelves at grocery store

William's Halloween was

"16 Candles" this year..

he pretended to trick-or-treat

CHICAGO

I had the opportunity to visit the Windy City last week --- CHICAGO!  Lots of reference to wind lately.  It was a business trip but I was with a bunch of dynamic women.  

We stayed at the Hilton on Michigan Avenue and here is a snapshot of what we saw in the few moments to spare:

Walked to the new Millennium Park and saw 

the super cool and unique bean sculpture

Saw the river that flows thru the city.  Did research while walking 

and we believe it is called the Chicago River ~ what a unique name!

Walking around great architecture and great buildings

Thought of you sister as we cruised past the Tory Burch store!

(note Jack Spade store to the left)

Ate at a small, local restaurant in some neighborhood.  It was packed and great.

Loved the menu.  Pizza, grinders, antipasto, etc.  

But not any old pizza ~ Pizza Pot Pie only.  Yum!

I would love to go back again and explore some more.  

Tracy