around the house

some scenes around the house. the girls had their nursery school christmas concert last night and i was laughing so hard. the baby jesus doll was nearly decapitated. the donkey had something in his mouth and was licking his hand to try to get it out for a good five minutes. and one of the three kings was krumping. forget watching saturday night live on hulu, just head to a nursery school holiday concert and you can get your fill of entertainment.

hope you don't have too much scurrying to do this weekend.  peace to you all.

and here's the recipe to the monster molasses cookies right here. 

used books

we went to a circus in a trunk skit with some friends this past weekend at our local library and i couldn't help stopping by the friends bookstore (used bookstore and the proceeds benefit the library). i'm always looking to feed my used book habit even if it is the week before christmas. i found these two books that were published in the 70's. love the graphics on their covers and had to share them with you.

coconut macaroons

i made this coconut macaroon recipe today while the girls were at school. and then added a step of drizzled chocolate on top. i wrapped them in cellophane bags and wrote out little notes for all their teachers. i love coconut and i hope they do too.

simple and natural holiday decorations

i like simple and natural decorations during the holiday season. i think it conjures a more meaningful and elegant feel. a bowl of clementines. fresh evergreen roping around a doorway. red berries. and lots of candles. i hope these images inspire you. have a lovely weekend, friends.

image sources:

1. photo from homemaker

2. photo via blackbird

3. photo by studio dreyer hensley for design sponge

4. photo via trendenser.se

5. photo by dana velden for the kitchn

6. photo by erin boyle for gardenista

clark's christmas tree farm

we went for the third straight year to clark's christmas tree farm in tiverton, rhode island to get our christmas tree. the girls love running in and out of the trees and playing hide and go seek. and i love taking deep breaths in to inhale the embodiment of the holiday season. there is nothing better than that fresh evergreen smell. oh, and the guy that loaded our tree on our car looked like tim riggins from friday night lights. you know who i'm talking about, right ladies? i quickly stopped breathing in and making my loud inhale sounds like the dork that i am when i saw mr. tim standing there. josh was laughing at me the entire time because i was all flustered talking to him. i tried to play it calm, cool, and collected but after 11 years of marriage and 4 years of motherhood it didn't really work. it has reaffirmed the fact that i am still a wife. mother. and complete geek.

earthscapes

hope you all had a lovely weekend. we ventured to an estate sale in little compton, rhode island on saturday. the story was that an heiress was downsizing. her name is daphne farago and it was like sifting through a museum warehouse. she had some beautiful pieces of art and almost every object she owned was sculptural and beautiful. we came home with a few finds from her pantry, but nothing too outrageous.

and then we went to our friend's boat (they live there year round-she has taught me a thing or two about living simply with three kids on board) for a dinner party. my friend, natasha is from costa rica so she cooked a typical costa rican meal with rice, beans, and slow cooked meat and it was delicious. 

on sunday we went to the redwood library (the oldest lending library in the country) holiday open house and heard children's stories read and christmas carols sung by a choir. the sweet shoppe in newport also had an open house so we walked there and the girls decorated gingerbread men. and then it was on to the playground with friends.

i love taking advantage of all the holiday festivities this area has to offer. speaking of holiday, i was getting our cards ready to mail out and was looking at the united states postal service website and found these earthscape stamps. i just put an order in for our holiday cards. i'm always on the look out for artful and meaningful stamps to adorn our letters and cards and these do just the trick.