by sandra.

a few weeks ago we took schmoo schmoo to the pumpkin maize on sauvie island. this was his first visit and he loved it! we went through the corn maze, walked through the pumpkin patch, and checked out the farm animals — but his favorite was going on a hay ride. he sat contently throughout the ride and loved looking around at the fields and trees. the pup joined me at another farm in vancouver for monica’s 21st birthday and again he loved the hay ride. who would’ve guessed?

you can watch a video of our first trip here.

this past weekend we walked schmoo down the street to “trick or treat” in his pumpkin costume. he received many compliments from adults and many children stopped to pet him. he would’ve been happy just to lick some faces or chew on his costume, though.

by sandra.

because of snow and therefore snow days i’ve had much more time lately for crafting.  more importantly, though, i’ve been in a crafting mood.

last saturday i hosted the first “crafting night” at my house.  during that time i tried freezer paper stenciling for the first time.  it is just as easy as everyone says and i’ll definitely be trying it again.  here’s a link to the directions i used, along with a link to the flickr group for project ideas.  you can use freezer paper to stencil canvas/fabric bags, aprons, napkins, towels, ties — almost anything!

next i constructed a “let it snow” banner out of cardstock, embellishments, glitter letters, and old christmas cards.  we have ours hanging in our dining room. (sorry about the low quality picture.)

now i’ve gotten excited about using wool felt for constructing.  these cardinal and dove ornaments are delightfully cute (and frank loves it when i fly them around the house).  i also plan on making some coffee cup sleeves for friends and family using directions and a template from somerandomdude.net and then some mitten clips to hang our christmas cards.

my first cardinal ornament on our tree

photo from marthastewart.com

by sandra.

as the holiday season approaches i wanted to let you know about some options available for buying handmade items for gifts.  i love buying handmade items (for myself and others) because they’re unique, well-made, and directly benefit the creator.

here in portland we’re lucky because our city is home to many small boutiques and the portland saturday market.  whether you live here or are a visitor i encourage you to visit (it’s open saturday AND sunday).  i recently learned that the market under and near the bridge is home only to vendors who handmake their goods.  on the side across the MAX tracks anything can be sold.

i’m excited to attend crafty wonderland’s super colossal holiday sale on sunday, december 14.  just like its name implies this sale will be super (all handmade) and colossal (it’s at the convention center).  i plan on purchasing many of my gifts there.

and finally one place that i LOVE to shop anytime of the year is online at etsy.com.  this website it home to handmade and antique items.  i browse there frequently to add things to my wishlist, for gift ideas (there’s almost everything there!), and for crafting ideas.

enjoy! and good luck with your holiday gift-giving.

by sandra.

one year ago today i woke up much too early after going to bed much too late.

one year ago today i was surrounded by family and close friends all day.

one year ago today i worried that i might trip or throw up while going down the aisle.

one year ago today i made plans in case frank fainted during the ceremony.

one year ago today we promised to stay by your side, love you without reservation, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

one year ago today i teared up as our friends and family toasted us.

one year ago today we danced the night away.

one year ago i married my best friend.

i love you baby!

posted by sandra.

normally i’m the no christmas music/decorations before thanksgiving kind of girl but this year i was ready to start blast elvis’ blue christmas as soon as starbucks’ red cups arrived. i’m not sure why, maybe because it’s our first christmas together or because i have a real house to decorate. i know it’s all marketing but the christmas decorations and music everywhere aren’t helping the urge to cover everything with glitter and garland. i’m restraining though and hoping to go for the old fashioned christmas look instead.

our christmas celebrations began with the richards’ annual christmas tree retrieval. we typically trek to the u-cut farm together to debate about which tree would be the best, even the year when it was pouring outside. this year we headed to the mountains to cut down our trees. the snow added to the christmas spirit and only caused one close call. there was much less debating too for we each got our own tree for our respective houses. oh, we really are growing up!

on the way back we the icecream cones at a nearby hamburger joint called our names — you can clearly see why.

posted by sandra.

frank and i carved our first pumpkin together tonight. after a brainstorming session we decided to copy the likeness of jack from the nightmare before christmas. can you tell? we’re going to see the movie in 3d tomorrow night.

we were excited about seeing it glowing on our porch until we relized i had locked us out of our house. but let’s not dwell on that.

happy halloween everyone!

instead of ringing in the new year with a party, frank and enjoyed a delicious meal together at pambiche, a cuban restaurant near his apartment. we passed the hours until midnight snuggling and watching lady in the water. just minutes before new year we turned on dick clark’s rockin’ new year’s eve and toasted with two bowls of cereal (we decided to save the champagne for another celebration). although not as eventful as years past, last night was a delicious and comforting way to start a new year together.