Golden Necklace

Eric bought me a beautiful necklace for Hanukkah/Christmas. There are 100 little golden beads spaced out along the chain, and each one represents a wish. That's good, because I love making wishes.

My first wish? I'm so not telling! (If you tell, they never come true. Don't you know that?)

Happy Friday + happy weekend. What are your plans?

*Valentines are now available in my Etsy shop!

Orange + Gold + Purple

While I was home for the holidays I got to visit my friend and mentor, Viola. Not only did she cook a delicious dinner for my mom and me, she also gave me me a beautiful gift.

Would you just look at this notebook? It's handmade, and I believe the paper (for the pages and the cover) is salvaged from scraps that were going to be thrown away. The binding is particularly nice; when the book is open it lays flat, no matter which page your on. Cool, huh?

And it's orange. She knows me so well. ★

7th Night Of Hanukkah

I've always liked lighting the menorah for Hanukkah. There's this picture of me as a little kid just looking at the candles in awe. I still feel that way. There's something magical about them.

When I was little I would sometimes get upset about getting smaller gifts than my friends or I'd be jealous of my sister's prizes. As a kid, it's hard to see past the presents during the holidays. But as I get older I understand why people are always talking about the spirit of the season. This year I haven't opened a gift each night of Hanukkah, but it's still been fabulous. Suddenly trinkets don't seem as important as they once did. Now I'm grateful for the life I'm living, the things I have, and the people who love me. I don't really want anything else for Hanukkah.

Christmas is a different story. I'm expecting mountains of gifts bright and early on the 25th! (Totally kidding, family. No I'm not. Yes, I really am.)

*Today's Lost in Thoughts is awesome, if I do say so myself. Plus, there's a special offer! Check it out right here.

Waking Up In Newport, RI

Friday night we went to Newport, RI to visit friends from college. It was great! They cooked a delicious meal for us, we lit the menorah for the first night of Hanukkah, and we talked and laughed late into the night. We brought pajamas and pillows and camped out on the surprisingly comfortable fold-out couch.

In the morning we all headed to breakfast and then went for a drive along the ocean.

Newport is really beautiful, and filled with history; we really need to spend more time there and really walk around and see the town.

Happy Hanukkah!