Valentine and Ray LaMontagne

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Nora

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wishing all my friends, readers, family and loved ones a day full of cheer, smiles and knowing that you are incredibly loved by this girl and I hope you’ll be my valentine!

In the spirit of the day and love and considering I’m a hopeless romantic at heart, I’m sharing today one of my favorite songs ever: You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne. This song will be making an appearance at our wedding as the song that Knight and I walk down the aisle to as husband and wife after the ceremony. (I think we’ll be starting around the 50 second mark.)

Photo Credit

Christmas Cheer

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Nora

I found my Christmas Cheer this past weekend. I mean, I’ve had it for awhile but I’m really there now. Sometimes it’s a little bit hard to be full-on all about Christmas when you’re experiencing new traditions and locations, will still pining a little bit for days of yesteryear (and yes, I just said that).

Here’s what’s helped me to get into the spirit of the season:

Something about opening presents with Belle and Jolie is contagious. (If you want to read more about a sample day as a Bonus Mom, check it out here today!)
And seeing Santa and his live reindeer on Main Street in our little town.
Strangers wishing each other Merry Christmas as they come and go from the shops, nestled on streets lined with a dusting of snow. {Photo Credit}

Seeing a Live Nativity scene, sitting on a hay bale warm and cozy, feeling kind like of we lived in the 1950s going to something like this in our little town. Getting lost in the words and the story, watching Belle and Jolie take it all in.

Wearing my jingle bell ring. Happening upon my collection of Christmas shirts.

The glow of the Christmas tree in our living room every night.

Making donations to the food pantry and other local charities. Explaining to the girls what Christmas is all about and how there are others out there who are not as forutnate as they are which led to a massive donation pile of toys and clothes the girls no longer want.

Forecasts of snow. Marveling at the kindness of people I encounter when Christmas shopping. Reconnecting with friends through Christmas cards and phone calls that last a few hours. Christmas dinner with friends full of laughter and cheer and intelligent conversation.

Discovering Christmas packages on our front porch, along with oodles and oodles of Christmas cards.

Counting down the days until Knight and I head to STL for a few days to celebrate with my family and a few members of our wedding.

Checking out Christmas lights near us, which constantly fascinate me: how even though there can be sadness and a less than perfect live for many people, we still have hope. We still put up Christmas lights. We still celebrate, keep Christmas merry, look forward to the future, the unknown, the beyond.

Where are you finding Christmas cheer this year?

Aprons and Cookies and Blenders, Oh my!

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Nora

This past Sunday, Knight and I headed into the Windy City to hang out with Nilsa, Sweets and Gavin… and to bake a ton of holiday goodies that are still tempting us each time we open the fridge or glance at the counter. (Nilsa posted her recap yesterday which I highly recommend you check out if you haven’t already!)

On the list of things to make:

*Peppermint Fudge (Nilsa is right; super secret recipe but divine, I promise)
* Oatmeal Carmelitas (which I will use only homemade caramel sauce going forward since Nilsa and I accomplished making it from scratch on Sunday. Check out the link for the recipe I posted last year.)
* Chocolate Covered Pretzels (semi-sweet and white) , which are pretty much the easiest thing to make but still taste so decadent
* Salted Caramel Cookies

Sweets and Knight hung out in the kitchen watching football, sipping beer, anxioiusly awaiting tasting or trying any of the goodies once they were done, and occasionally laughing at the way Nilsa and I were reading the recipes. Gavin, who is one of the most adorable and hilarious toddlers ever chilled with us throughout the day, introduced me to his own language (I love it when kids are learning to talk. Just too cute) and melted my heart when he indicated he wanted me to hold him (which I gladly did). We made a mess of dirty dishes, oohed and aahed over the homemade caramel sauce (it was so cool to watch it happen) and discussed future baking plans and events.

We wore aprons (that’s me above, sporting a new one that Knight’s sister gave me. It’s an odd shape and a little big but I love it anyway!). Talked about everything from blogging to baking (duh!), parenting to holidays and everything in between. It was an all around lovely day that had me on a heap on the couch as soon as we got home from sore feet and a full belly. We left with two tupperwares and one tin full of sugar, caramel-y deliciousness and we are trying are hardest to not eat it all so that Belle and Jolie can enjoy some when they are with us.

It was a wonderful way to end the weekend and start the week… with a house full of treats!

What’s your favorite Christmas cookie to make or enjoy? Are you an apron wearer?

On Being Thankful

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Nora

It’s tomorrow!

Thanksgiving. The kick-off to the holidays. The time to share with friends and family. The time to reflect, to be thankful for the bounty in our lives. {Photo Credit}

This Thanksgiving is a bit different for me: starting new traditions with my new family, spending time with the future nieces, nephews and in-laws, and putting the entire Thanksgiving meal on myself. I’m excited for this new page in the holiday book but also missing my STL family this time of year. But you know what? I’m thankful that I have to choose between which family we are going to see, that we have family who cares. I’m thankful that Knight and I have a roof over our heads and the ability to provide a lovely meal for Belle and Jolie tomorrow. I’m thankful that we have a humble abode that we can open up to family this weekend.

I’m thankful for Knight, for a million reasons- some I can articulate, others I can’t. I’m thankful for my parents and my brother who support me from miles and miles away, which also means I’m thankful for text messages and Skyping to help keep us in touch. I’m thankful for Jack, my favorite and best dog ever. I’m thankful for Belle and Jolie: for them allowing me into their lives, keeping me young and always making me laugh, and melting my heart on a regular basis.

I’m thankful for… my job. For being able to work remotely. For being able to express myself creatively and through this blog. For my amazing group of friends both near and wide, I’d definitely be lost without them. As shallow as it is, my iPhone. For not needing or wanting for anything. For my ability to see the positive side in almost every situation. For being able to get through tough, adult situations and make decisions accordingly. For the ability to open myself up to love. For the ability to be true to myself in every situation. For my heritage and my culture. For cheese and pasta. For cookbooks that have made my time in the kitchen much more fun. For libraries and books and journaling. For this life, my life, with all of its twists and turns, all that has happened and all that is ahead of me.

I’m sure you have answered this on a bunch of different blogs, but feel free to share what you are thankful for. To my US blogger buddies, Happy Thanskgiving. To everyone else, I’ll see you next week.

The (Holiday) Fever

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Nora

It’s no secret that I love the holidays and all they stand for: Family. Love. Giving. Closeness. Being thankful. Decorating. Secrets that go along with giving presents. Sending cards and holiday cheer via snail mail to family and friends far and wide. Christmas trees and lights. The countdown to Christmas that happens on the radio and on tv (I love cheesy holiday movies!). Big feasts that have more food than necessary and enough wine to go around. Helping out local charities with donations. I love it all.

Now that November is here I can kind of start planning Christmas decorations and presents and plans for the holidays. This year is a first for many things: the first season I get to spend with Knight opposed to just a few hours here and there like last year. The first time I’m making Thanksgiving dinner all by lonesome (I mean, Knight will be around but the kitchen is not his forte). The first time in my 28 years I won’t be with my parents and brother and grandmother on Thanksgiving day, or the weekend after (hold me now, I’m sad about it! Thank goodness for Skype!). The first time that I get to celebrate Christmas more than once: firstly with Knight’s family a few days after Thanksgiving as we are hosting an early holiday brunch; then with the girls the week prior to Christmas and then finally with my parents, brother and Gram in STL on the actual holiday itself. {photo credit}

There is much to look forward to in terms of planning and purchasing and scheduling! I already have a bunch of ideas on how to do our Christmas lights and where to put our Christmas tree. I’m thinking we’ll do a photo Christmas card this year to send to friends and family to change things up a bit. I’m hoping we can find time to take the girls to visit Santa and write letters to him as well. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll take Jack to get his photo with Santa too (I know, I know, I’m a corny dog momma). I’m hoping to start traditions with Knight that combine what he knows and what I know from growing up: watching a Christmas movie every Sunday night after dinner. Driving around with hot chocolate in thermoses and warm chocolate chip cookies to look at Christmas lights. Buying holiday PJs for the entire family the day after Thanksgiving (something my mother and I do every year). Stringing our Christmas cards up around the house so that we may be reminded of all of those who are with us in spirit during this holiday season. Donating to a charity in the form of food and clothes if possible (and taking the girls with us so they can understand the joy of giving this early on). Basking in the glow of Christmas lights on the tree. Watching the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting ceremony on tv. Reading “The Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens every year and then watching as many different versions of the movie as possible.

So while it’s only November 2nd and I’m certainly not wishing the holidays away or that they go by too fast, I’m a bundle of excitement this time of year for all that the next few months hold. I think I’ll even be reprising Holiday Week this year to keep track of my new holiday journey this fall/winter. I’m vowing now to take it all in, to enjoy every moment of it, to embrace my family both near and far as much as possible and maybe in the process somehow wind up with a house that looks fit to be in a Martha Stewart Home magazine.

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? Do you get into the holidays early or does it take you awhile?

Self-Portrait Before 28

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Nora

Tomorrow I turn 28.

If you looked in my closet you’d find that I’m kind of in love with Ann Taylor Loft as 75% of my wardrobe is from their store. I’m also very much into stripes, particuarly of the navy and off-white variety; evidently I dig the nautical theme. I also have way too many hoodies and pairs of jeans, but I will keep buying them anyway. {photo credit}

If you look at my hands, you’ll notice I only wear two rings: my engagement ring and then a ring on my right middle finger, one that I had handmade right in front of my eyes at a craft fair several years ago. Both rings are unique, each symbolizing different things. One, love’s promise and future and the other my individuality.

If you ask about my family I’ll tell you that I have two of the most amazing parents who double as my best friends, confidantes and cheerleaders and an awesome, creative younger brother who never ceases to both inspire me and make me proud. And then I’ll tell you about Knight, the man I met almost a year ago (!), the man I moved in with four months ago, the man who has made me a Bonus Mom, has taught me more about myself than I thought possible, and the man I can’t envision my life without. The man I look forward to calling my husband in a little over year. I’ll go on and on about Jack, my furbaby, who has been with me every single step of my adventures post-college and gives more unconditional love on a daily basis than I think some people can give in a lifetime. And finally I’ll talk about my Bonus kids who captured my heart the first day I met them, knowing I wanted to share books and movies, shopping and baking and other adventures with them as their lives progress.

If you were to ask about my life outside of blogging and my family I’d tell you that I love emailing and talking to my friends, nearly all who live far away, as much as possible. And that even though there is distance these best friends understand me better than I understand myself at times, that I couldn’t get through life without them. I’d tell you that I love to exercise; I thrive on the endorphines and feeling confident and loving my body more with each workout. I’m not stick thin and I never will be. As I get “older’ I’m learning to accept and respect my body and that’s a nice change from previous, younger years. I’ll invite you to join me in the kitchen while I try a new recipe or bake a fresh batch of cookies. There will be wine and magazines to flip through, I promise. You’ll find a few books on my nightstand, both of them half read, at any given time; a glass of water next to my bed every single night; and my iPhone there, just in case someone calls with an emergency. I journal which means I have lots of pens and unfilled notebooks, waiting for inspiration and words to fill the pages. I read a lot and thusly my bookshelf is overflowing with books yet to be read. I have lots of cards to send to friends and family just because, or for specific reasons. When possible I love getting together with friends to shop, cook, hang out, celebrate, and catch-up; it’s essential to who I am and rejuvenates me every single time.

You might ask about my five year plan and right now, I can’t answer that. There are likely big changes on the horizon for me (and Knight) but it’s all in the planning stage so until then, I know this much. I want to be smiling. I want to be just as much in love with Knight as I am on this very day. I want to still be best friends with the amazing women I have in my life on this day. I want to be blogging still and truth be told, I’d love to write a book on my experience, advice and observations as a Bonus Mom. I want to be able to travel to visit my friends and family both far and wide. I want to be able to say I visited Paris and Italy before I turned 30 with scrapbooks and pictures to prove it. I want to have a library in my den, two leather chairs and a fireplace. I want to continue to live my life with no regrets, no what-ifs. I want to still be taking Jack and the girls on family walks every evening, curling up with a good book after the girls go to bed, with Knight nearby reading or gazing upon whatever sports have captured his attention for the moment. The rest will unfold, the road meandering and wandering in front of me, and I’ll embrace it because this is my life journey and sometimes the joy is in not knowing what’s going to happen next.

And tomorrow? I’ll celebrate my birthday via Skype with my parents; enjoy pizza and cookie cake with Knight and the girls and be thankful for all that has happened in the last year and all that has yet to come.

Lessons Learned: The Love Edition

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Nora

Lessons Learned thanks to love…

* Sometimes love makes absolutely no sense at all: who you fall in love with, what makes it work, why it ends, what makes you yearn for it. No sense at all.

* Love really can be inconvenient but I’ve decided that the “inconvenient” kind is the best kind. It is challenging, rewarding, amazing and 150% worth it.

* If love ends, there’s a reason for it. It stings, it hurts, it’s incredibly painful. You’ll come out stronger on the other side, lessons learned in your head and heart and ready to move on.

* As cliched as it may sound love really does show up when you least expect it.

* I’ve learned to appreciate rap music, known countless sports statistics, how to make risotto, things about farming, how amazing Chipotle can be, all thanks to the various relationships I’ve had over the years.

* Dogs will always love unconditionally and be there to greet you with tail wags and kisses every single day. It’s pretty damn amazing how they love with all their hearts.

* I’ve learned compromise. Patience. Understanding. How to really listen to someone. How to be a best friend, a confidante. How to trust.

* I don’t hate Valentine’s Day as much when I’m truly, 100% in love with someone… even if I can’t be with him today.

* Friendship love is one of my favorite kinds; I have so many amazing “girlfriends” in my life and I know I’d be lost without them.

* That sometimes what you thought you wanted in a relationship or a man is totally not what you wanted at all.

* Romantic comedies and Disney Princess movies seem unrealistic but there are aspects to them that are real. The butterflies. The smiles. The hope. The intensity. The fireworks. It can all be present in love and it’s lovely when it is.

* Love is worth the fall.

What have you learned from love?

Lessons Learned…

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Nora

… over my Christmas vacation.

* Making gingerbread houses, even the pre-made ones, isn’t as easy as it looks. You also may or may not have your hands covered in red, green and white icing.

* Additionally, even though you are 27 some parts of the houses will come out looking like a two year old did them.

* There is nothing sweeter than spending four hours in the kitchen churning out baked goods to get the family through the holiday season. Bonus: the way Knight’s eyes light up when he enjoys some of the confections I make.

* If the weathermen say it is really going to snow, believe them. It will happen. And may attempt to interfere with all of your plans even if it is just a few inches.

* Some men really know how to shop and give Christmas presents. Knight is included in this list (as is my brother and dad).

* Getting up before everyone else on Christmas Day gives you time to prepare not only the cheesy potatoes that everyone relies on you for, but also time to enjoy quiet time by the tree and reflecting on all the joy in your life.

* Don’t be surprised if for some strange reason, the day that you’re supposed to meet Knight’s extended family you wake up covered from head-to-toe in unexplicable, painful, terrible hives. (And when they refuse to go away after 48 hours, thus landing you on a week’s worth of steroids.)

* Do be a trooper, take Benadryl, drink lots of water, put on a strategically placed scarf and sweater, and forge on to meet the aforementioned extended family.

* There are some men who will still tell you’re beautiful even if you look like a Red Monster thanks to the hives. This means Knight. This means he is super awesome. This also means you can have pictures of him now….

* There is nothing good on daytime tv. Ever.

* It gets a lot harder to sleep in as you get older so make the most of the early daytime hours and allow yourself a nap in the afternoon.

* Be ok with the fact that you’re not a New Year’s resolution person, but instead resolve to live with one simple intention throughout 2011.

* Silly family photo shoots in front of the Christmas Tree? A must.

* Your family is still the best. Never forget this.

This Christmas…

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Nora

Three days until Christmas. I think the Christmas spirit is finally hitting me; I mean, how could it not after doing the final grocery shopping for the holiday, listening to Glee and Harry Connick Jr Christmas music, and lots of chats with friends and family in the last few days!? Not to mention all the “Christmas secrets” I know which is just super fun.

While I’m taking a bloggy break until after the New Year (when I’ll return with new features and giveaways and much more!), I’ll be pretty busy…

* This Christmas I’m looking forward to drinking wine and making Gingerbread houses with my brother. We laugh a lot, take goofy pictures and actually take the Gingerbread house decorating seriously.

* I can’t wait to wrap presents with my dad while we watch The Santa Clause, a long-standing tradition of ours. He lets me in on some Christmas secrets and we have a good time every year, without fail.

* I’m super excited to put on my awesome fleece-y Christmas PJs that I bought at Old Navy (I may or may not have bought two pairs and some really comfortable socks to go with them. A girl has to have options!)

* I’m ready to be delighted this Sunday when the whole family heads to the Cirque de Soleil Holidaze show.

* I still have a handful of Christmas movies I have to watch so I’m hoping to have my own mini wrapathon this week and enjoy some of my favorites at the same time (hello, Love Actually and The Holiday!)

* This year I think I’m going to a Candlelight Church Service and I couldn’t be more excited (weather permitting as we are supposed to get dumped on with snow apparently). Bonus: it’s also the traditional carol service!

* I have lots of fun dinner dates planned with friends, lunches with out of-towners and some much needed pampering me time.

* NO work. For TEN Days. Be still my heart.

* Above all of this, I think I’m most excited to just be with my family and The Boyfriend (who seriously needs a nickname. I’m thinking Knight will be it…) over Christmas this year! I can’t wait to see the looks of surprise and joy on my family’s face when they open their presents, I’m super stoked about what I bought Knight (we are exchanging presents on Christmas Eve) and I’m just ready to revel in the holiday joy.

What are you most looking forward to in the next 10 days?

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, much love, joy and hugs throughout the holiday season!

Here and Now

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Nora

Christmas is in five days. FIVE DAYS. I’m at work for only a few days this week and my mind is abuzz with all the things I still have yet to do… rechecking Christmas lists and the baking schedule for the week, trying to squeeze in meet-ups and hang outs with friends and bloggy friends in town (a lovely problem to have), working on carving out some very much needed me time, getting super excited to share the holiday with The Boyfriend and meeting more of his family after Christmas is over. I have so much to look forward to in the next two weeks but sometimes the big picture can be a tad bit intimidating.

Moments like this I try to ground myself. Remember what the season is all about in every sense of the word. It’s about sacrifice, giving, caring, putting others above yourself, unconditional love, family, friends, joy, hope and peace. Sometimes I just need to slow myself down, so that’s what I’m working towards today.

I’m ignoring the lists I’ve made, the blogs I want to write, the phone calls that need to be returned. I’m doing only what is necessary and the rest of the time I’m going to refocus on enjoying the here. The now. I’ll enjoy each moment and each day as it comes over the next two weeks because sometimes that’s all a person can do.

Anyone else get a little stressed out during the holidays? What are your methods of coping?