Christmas Gifts!

Encouraged by Kristen to post photos of some of my bounties (one of the dictionary definitions for this word is: a generous gift..and that's exactly what they were). I couldn't post them all, but I wanted to share a few and thank everyone for their generosity. I felt so blessed this Christmas by both family and friends.

FYI, these photos were taken from a camera phone (not my best work).

Above: A fun desk organizer from Jeff, he got it for my craft room! Aren't I lucky to be marrying a man who supports my hobbies. I can't wait for his roommate to move out so I can start converting his room. And from Rebekah, a lovely book with inspirational vintage fabric ideas. Visions of organization and creativity are dancing in my head. Thank you both!

Above: A pillow, handcrafted, by Kristen. Kristen- I'm more and more impressed with your sewing abilities and looking forward to our next craft "date."

Above: A "spicy" gift from my Cousin-in-law Brian. We do a Christmas gift exchange on my Mom's side of the family and this year Brian and I got each other. The only difference is, he sent my present and I still have to put his in the mail ;). Sorry, but I really appreciate my timely gift...an in-drawer spice rack to organize my favorite spices Morton & Bassett.

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Yesterday was little Simon's 6 month birthday and I couldn't resist posting this adorable picture. Isn't it a cute hoodie? And the shirt he is wearing was hand made. It's a turkey with a football under it's wing, in honor of Simon's first Turkey Bowl. Won't be long until this little one makes his way onto the field.

Tree Farms

The Saturday after Thanksgiving (I'm catching up, give me a break ;)) Jeff and I went with our friends Jason and Latecia (and Family) to cut our very own Christmas tree. Though we're not married yet, I'm hoping this will become a family tradition. It's so fun to have the tree up early! At my parents house (where I live) we're not even going to have one! Too bad Costco sold out of their artificial trees early, I think my Mom is going to make the switch. And though this isn't my first choice it's certainly better than going without one at all.

Here are some photos from our adventure...our tree is very special (you'll find out why in a moment).

I didn't actually do any of the cutting. Jeff was a hero!



Apparently we can't get enough of the angry face
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Jason and Latecia have been going to this tree farm for years, it's out towards Maple Valley and offers free cider and candy canes. They also had a section of "Charlie Brown" Christmas trees which they were giving away for free. Don't worry, Jeff and I managed to snag one and it has found a home on a side table in his living room. Here are Jason and Latecia, they have a son, William (not pictured) and a daughter due in April! Congratulations guys!

What makes our tree so special? Jeff and I searched and searched...this one's too big, this ones to small...I even stepped in dog vommit, but we managed to find THE ONE. Two trees growing from one trunk. How perfect for a couple soon to be married in March! I had to have this tree and after much heavy manual labor (there was a big knot where the tree seperated) Jeff set the tree free. My hope was to find a bride topper and a groom topper and make this a wedding tree! But here's the bad news..when Jeff brought it through the front door it broke! Good thing I don't believe in bad omens, so we stuck both trees into the same stand and called it good. We don't have many ornaments but I have no doubt that many will accumulate over the years. We have our WHOLE life together to look forward to! Here's a couple of pictures of Wedding Tree 2006;)



I used a slower shutter speed to make the lights sparkle....



And lastly, I was inspired by Rebekah who was apparently inspired by "Little Birds" blog to create a SOFT tree farm. I'm planning on giving these as favors for Jeff's Holiday work dinner this Friday. This week is going to be packed with cleaning and cooking and general preparation for the festivities. I actually love hosting events so I'm rather looking forward to it now that I've finished all 22 trees (not all of them pictured).



Happy Holidays!

My Attempt at Thanksgiving

...I know, I'm a little late ;)

This year, unlike any other year (my family isn't huge on Thanksgiving so I've never prepared anything for the meal) I decided to be overly ambitious and cook two NEW items from scratch for the Thanksgiving meal. This year I spent Thanksgiving with Jeff's family as my family was at our cabin on Hood Canal and knowing I had to work the following day (that's retail for you) I opted out of being stuck in traffic all day.

I had a wonderful time...spending the night before, waiting up for Chris, Rebekah, and Simon to arrive so Rebekah and I could give ornaments to each sibling. Rebekah and I realized our families share a tradition - "the pickle" ornament. Does anyone else do this? It's a German tradition. "The pickle" is the last ornament placed on the tree...it's hidden by the parents and the first child to find it receives an extra gift. The Gough's have officially been "pickled." Mine's hidden, is yours?

But I digress...below is my attempt at Thanksgiving: My 1st Pumpkin pie. I made it in the dish I bought the weekend of my engagement. I used the excuse that I needed something to remind me of my "Fall Engagement" to purchase this Emille Henry pie dish from Williams Sonoma along with the fun fall cookie cutters which I used to decorate the pie. I will say that for pumpkin pie it was quite tasty. In fact, Jeff's Grandpa Hayes said it was the best he's ever had and that was BEFORE he knew I made it. (Don't worry Hayes, I won't tell Velma ;)).



I also made Butternut Squash Risotto..but neglected to take a picture :(. It turned out a bit mushy because I made it the night before. Do you have any fun fall recipes you'd like to share?

As I'm writing this post it dawned on me how rarely I've had a traditional Thanksgiving with my family. We've spent a handful of times in Mexico for Thanksgiving, in college I spent 3 Thanksgivings with my best friend Jane's family and 1 studying abroad in Europe, and one memorable Thanksgiving was spent eating at a Chinese Buffet with my extended family called "Foody Goody". Funny! This time of year is often spent in familiar places sharing the company of your family...I'm THANKFUL that my family is so untraditional and I'm also THANKFUL for becoming a part of a family that have so many traditions. I get the best of both worlds. Love you Penaranda and Gough Families!

Here were some things other people were THANKFUL for this year: