For Real Christmas List

So, here's my for real Christmas list.  It includes all the things I already have that I am so grateful for:

The best family in the world including:

The Cutest Niece That Ever Lived.

  Nora makes the best handmade birthday cards ever. They are so precious. She loves books, princesses, and pink and purple. She reminds us all of the innocence of childhood, she gives hugs, kisses, and jokes unselfishly. 

The Best Parents.

I can't even tell you all how amazing my parents are. I am 28 years old and have never seen them fight. they are what I hope my marriage is like; devoted, wonderful, giving, and sharing. They gave everything to my brother and me. They gave us the best childhood and after 35 years we can tell they are still just as in love as the day they met. 

My Grandparents

My Grandma Spornitz is 90 years old and still kicking. She and my Grandpa set the bar for the rest of us. My maternal Grandparents were not as fortunate to live such long lives, but they were an inspiration to us, they stayed together through thick and thin, sickness and health, and I was fortunate enough to spend time with Grandma McDole for the last years of her life. My Grandmothers especially were such strong women

They gave us the tools we needed to be the best we can be. I thank the universe for everyday my Grandma Spornitz can still share her wisdom, her generosity, and her compassion. she will always be my inspiration in life.

My cousins.

 How could I be the person I am without them? They inspired me to go to college, be the person I am, I will always be a better person because of my cousins!

My wonderful Fiancee

He always makes me laugh, makes me feel good about myself, encourages me when I feel ready to quit, helps me feel happy when I feel broken, is my partner in crime, and loves me even when I'm being an unequivocal crazy person.  And I know he'll make a great Dad!

Being Back in Kansas City
I've been back for almost 2 years and I'm so glad! (Even though no one here knows how to drive.)

My wonderful friends

some I've known for 25 years, some for 16, some for 10 or less. All the friends I've made, have been loyal and wonderful and amazing and there for me for everything. I wonder how I've deserved so many wonderful friends and I thank the universe for every one of them..

I also Love my cat. Ollie.

He snuggles on my lap on days that I feel people have failed me, he purrs on my lap when I feel like I've had the longest day ever. And he is the sweetest little snuggler  I have in my life. 

Thanks to everyone, all my family and friends who make my life so full. 

I am so grateful for everyone who is generous enough to share their time with me.

I have the best parents

I have the best brother and sister-in-law

I have the best niece

I have the best fiancee
I have the best mother and father -in -law to be

and I have the best cat

and that's all I need to be happy.

so thank you all for sharing your love with me

I am lucky to have such a wonderful group of people (and animals) to enrich my life.

you all keep me going, and I love you.

Merry Christmas!

Kid Movies

Some days you just need some comfort. Just like comfort foods, we all have comfort movies. Those flicks that restore our faith in the world. Most of mine are movies that I watched as a kid, like The Parent Trap. I used to watch this movie with my mom on lazy days around the house when were snowed in or sick. Now and Then came out when I was about twelve and it was so great, it really captured that little known undying friendship that you make when you're young and stays strong all your life.  A Little Princess was a magical movie for me. This little girl was so good no matter what life handed her, she was a blessing to every one around her, and never lost her imagination. And of course, Mary Poppins. Practically Perfect in Every Way. I hope to be Mary Poppins one day, complete with a carpet bag full of furniture and a magical umbrella.

DIY Costumes

 

Halloween is coming up, do you know what you're going to be? I love this Beehive costume that I found on Martha Stewart's website. She actually has some really great DIY projects that are cute, creative, easy, and elegant. Like this Rose Garden. How beautiful, not just for a little girl but any woman as well. I thought this Spider and Web costume was really sweet for mommy and baby. When I saw this little munchkin dressed up like a Turkey Dinner I laughed out loud and sent it to my friend, Nikki, begging her to dress up her new baby like this. Same with this sweet little Cupcake Girl. How funny! the sparkly shoes go perfect with it. If you need some inspiration, Martha's the place to go, check out her website for some awesome ideas! So what are you going to be?

I Love Lucy

Yesterday would have been Lucille Ball 's 99th birthday. I am lucky enough to have a mother who is obsessed, and I mean obsessed with I Love Lucy. She used to tape the re-runs off TV on our VCR and we ended up with nine or ten VHS tapes full of episodes. If we were bored and there was nothing good on TV, or during lunch time we'd pop in a tape and watch some Lucy. Thank god when the DVD sets started coming out cause those poor VHS tapes were getting worn out! Not only was Lucille Ball incredibley funny, she was also a television pioneer. She and Desi Arnaz were the first to use the 3 camera technique, filming scenes from different angles, which is now used in every TV show ever. She also came up with the concept of syndication (again, thank god) and she was the first woman to own her own film studio, Desilu which made such shows as The Dick Van Dyke Show, My Three Sons, The Untouchables, Make Room for Daddy, That Girl, and many many more. Lucille Ball was dubbed The Queen of Comedy, and rightfully so, 50 years after I Love Lucy, it is still played on TV and she still known by everyone everywhere. Some of my favorite episodes are Lucy Tells the Truth, Breaking the Lease, and Housewarming. The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour was also great with guest stars like Talulha Bankhead, Betty Grable and Harry James, and Danny Thomas. Happy Birthday Lucy, we're still watching!

The Unexpected Greatness of Iowa

I am lucky enough to have a family who built a cabin by Lake Okoboj i in northwestern Iowa. My Grandpa, uncles, and some friends of the family all put in a lot of time and muscle to build our well loved cabin. Although not all of us get up there as much as we'd like, anytime we're there we have the best time. For Grandma's birthday that's where we held the festivities. We went out on the boat, grilled out, and had all the fun you'd expect to have on the lake. Anyone who hasn't been there needs to go, the Lakes are all very clean, they have a great amusement park, Arnolds Park , which boasts The Legend, a wooden roller coaster built in 1927 which is still going strong, a super fun log ride, lots of shopping and you can take a ride on the Queen II, which tours the lakes and looks like an old time steam boat. There are also golf courses, mini-golf, tons of flea markets to scavenge on rainy days, and concerts in the park. If you live anywhere in the midwest, or really anywhere at all, you have to experience the wonder that is Okoboji. You'll want to try and figure out how you can stay all summer.

Anna Maria

Anna Marie Horner's blog has been so inspiring to me. I am hoping to buy a house this summer and I am constantly dreaming about ways to make my house feel like a home. These pictures from her blog give me that feeling of what I will be aspiring to. I hope to turn a bedroom into a sewing room, full of shelves with folded fabrics, I love this great chair by the window with a knitting basket full of yarn. What a lovely way to spend a rainy day (or any day really.) I also love this idea of using an old ladder as a way to display quilts. I would love to have a quilt for every rung. Ms. Horner has a couple of books out with patterns for sewing. She just came out with a new book, check it out! 

That's Anne with an "E"

Lucy Maud Montgomery is the woman behind Anne of Green Gables . She published these books in 1908, and although they were meant for younger readers, these books top my list of favorites even today.  I also watch the mini series, created for PBS in 1985 probably once a month, sometimes more. This story never seizes to inspire me. I get something from it every time I read the book or watch the movie. In short it's about a red-headed orphaned girl who is bounced from home to home to take care of bratty little kids until one day, she winds up at Green Gables on Prince Edward Island in Canada (by Providence.) Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a bachelor and spinster brother and sister, send for a young boy to help them with chores around their farm, Anne (with an E) is sent instead. While Anne proves to be a trouble maker, talking too much, smashing her slate over  a boy's head at school, she also proves to be remarkably smart. She gets the best grades in her class, recites "The Lady of Shallot" over and over, and is on a quest to find a "bosom friend." You cannot help but fall in love with this story. Anne is the underdog who rises from her sad past and makes the entire town proud to know her. This story is about love, family, and community. The relationships Anne creates with Matthew, Marilla, Diana, and the rest of the town are touching. Anne may be a supreme trouble maker, and overly dramatic, renaming Barry's Pond to "The Lake of Shinning Waters" and the avenue to "White Way of Delight" but she is genuinely endearing and wonderfully real. You will love this interpretation of Montgomery's story. Pick up the DVD and book and get in touch with your wholesome side!