hostess gifts.

 

Hostess gifts rock.  Both to give and to receive.   It is just a sweet idea to bring a small gift to your hostess if you are invited for a meal - or for the weekend.  It says in a soft sweet way "I appreciate all the preparations you have made for us."

This past weekend we were blessed to have Abby bring some of her Minneapolis friends home to spend the weekend.   I was reminded of the sweetness of a hostess gift when I was gifted by our darling house guests.  Emily gifted me with her newest note cards, which she designed for Back In The Day Bakery - and a tea towel she designed for the same.  My favorite part is the label which reads "Emily Isabella Designs".  Lisa gifted me with her favorite gardening tool, which I am ecstatic about! A garden knife / scoop with a serrated edge that I can tell is sturdy as the day is long.

Giving a "favorite thing" or something you made is a great place to start.   For favorite thing - think "Oprah's Favorites".  Gift something that you would heartily recommend or do not feel you could live without.  The handmade or genuinely-love-this-myself gifts will give them a personal and loving flavor... and isn't that what gifts are about?

the switch witch.

 

These young boys are carefully going through their Halloween candy.  They are picking out 5 pieces to keep.  The rest are being set out tonight (the night after Halloween) for the Switch Witch. She comes to trade little boys (and girls) a present for their candy!

Word has it that these two darling boys, Reed and Weston Vanderhill of Dallas, Texas are excited to have their candy packed up - and ready and eager to see what the Switch Witch will bring in the morning!

I am wishing that I still had little ones at home to start with grand tradition.  Hoping all my grand kiddies get to do it.

A big thank you to Winsor Vanderhill for sharing her idea with Mother Rabbit!

a brief suggestion.

 

Yes, you are looking at a pair of my panties. (Mike just walked in and said "I hope this is on your blog...")  More specifically, you are looking at a pair of Target's Gilligan & O'Malley lace hipsters.  These are the #1 selling pantie --- and for good reason.  They are comfy, they don't ride up, and they are reasonably priced.  Plus you feel kind of fancy in them.

Daughter Abby took a brief sabbatical from designing Cherokee Toddler Girls clothing at Target headquarters in Minneapolis to do some design work in Women's Sleepwear & Intimates.  She is the one who turned me on to these.

So if you are in the market for some fancy pants, head to the Gilligan & O'Malley pantie bins at Target - third row down.  Please also check out the new Gilligan & O'Malley Bralettes as well.  Oh la la.

fill the frame.

Move in and fill the frame with whatever precious thing you are photographing.  It is a simple technique: GET CLOSER.  Find yourself some beautiful natural window light and fill the frame.

If you are looking for more tips to becoming an even better photographer, may I recommend Nick Kelsh's web site HowToPhotographYourLife.com.  Sign up for his daily photo tips.

If you are thinking that this post was an excuse for me to feature my enchanting granddaughters Charlotte and Eleanor... you would be absolutely right.

lawn scoops.

 

Get your eyes off my darling husband for a minute and check out the cool "lawn scoops" I found at a small town hardware store.  They look like a combination garbage can lid and fork - with handles that give them the power of a giant mitt.  I thought they looked ingenious when I saw them and Mike proved that they really work.  Raking leaves is one thing.  Transporting the raked leaves to the pickup or trash container is another thing.  I am thinking these might be the new rage.  You heard it here first.

the wonder toaster.

 

One of the benefits of moving is the opportunity clear out stuff that you no longer want to live with.  When we were packing up our kitchen this past summer, I picked up our old toaster and tossed it into the garbage can instead of into the moving box.  It still worked... but barely.  And it made a tingy-chinky sound every time you touched it and seemed to shout that it was the lowest budget toaster in the world.  I pronounced that this toaster was not nice enough for our beautiful new kitchen.

 

The problem was it was time consuming to make toast on the broiler setting of our range.   So I went on a search for the perfect toaster - and found it!  May I introduce and recommend the BREVILLE toaster.  It has bells and whistles that you didn't know you could live without!  I bought it at Williams Sonoma (but I am sure you can find it other places) and this was the 'lower end' model in the store.  'A Bit More' and 'Lift and Look' are two of my favorite buttons.

 

If you are interested in some serious toasting pleasure, check out the BREVILLE.  I give you permission to throw your toaster away even if you are not moving.

hair management.

Speaking of growing older, I am quite amazed by how much thought and energy it takes to keep hair in the right places.  We all know that a great haircut is a true treasure and worth traveling the world to find.  (I guess I should be embarrassed to mention that one of the reasons I love going to Dallas is to have Jean Philippe cut my hair as only he can.)

Girls, young & old alike, learn the benefits of lip and eyebrow waxing out of necessity.  And lucky girls of all ages know the wonders of a bikini wax.  I even had my underarms waxed once or twice which I considered a real luxury.  But did you know this? ---  You can have your nose hairs waxed.  Yes.  A couple weeks ago when I was getting my eyebrows waxed I mentioned to Angie my waxer that I would rush home and take care of the nose hairs that were certainly protruding. And then she said it --- "I can wax it for you." 

And may I say it is one of my new favorite things? It was quick and much less painful than the tweezers method.  And inexpensive.  She applies the warm wax just inside the nostril, one at a time. The result feels smooth and clean, and my nose seemed to even work better which might have been my imagination.  None the less, I will add this one to my waxing regimen.

And while you are grooming, don't forget to shave the hairs that show up on your toes. (Someone had to say it.)