Christmas

                                       Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving... Not just good food, but amazing friends too! There is a new baby in our periferal world, and the kids just LOVE  him!!!  

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well!

                                       Cheers!

                                                        Marica

P.S.

 From a post a few years ago, this is my go to cranberry sauce:

Quite tart, but super tasty, this is the cranberry sauce I made for tonight's feast.

Combine in a pot and simmer over medium heat until

cranberries are soft (about 10-12 minutes).

24 oz fresh cranberries washed and picked over

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brandy

1/4 cup marmalade

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

November colors

A real November day. 

I wish I could do justice to all the golden orange leaves! 

 I made butter cakes for the kids school's annual craft fair. 

 With a lemon sugar glaze.

 Its been cold enough that our uncarved pumpkins are still sitting pretty.

Happy Autumn EVERYONE!!!

Birthday Dinner!

We enjoyed a fancy dinner for my birthday! We went out to Jake's Famous Crawfish restaurant. It was super fun, over priced, very stuffy and yet perfect for the occasion.

The kids left lovely artwork in addition to a very nice tip!

                                                         Cheers~

                                                                    Marica

The BIRTHDAY BOOK IS DONE!!!

At long last I am actually writing this post. I have dreamed about this for almost as many years as I have been authoring this blog. It is with great satisfaction I can finally say–and mean it–The birthday book is done! 

I have told my husband and the kids so many times "the birthday book is done" that it started to loose meaning. Draft after draft, after frustrating small-tweaks-here-and-there draft, it is really truly completely, no-more-to-do done. I invite you to to pop some champagne for me... no not really, I can do that myself, but geez luize, it is good to put this one on the shelf and say fini! 

It was a project my good friend Robin and I started back when the kids were little. We traveled through so many stages of our lives and I have lived in five houses since we started. I guess I like to move! Or it has just taken a long time and finding the place that is home takes a long time too. 

But anyway, enough about that, here are some of my favorite images from the book:

Filled to the brim with step-by-step instructions for making original gifts, favors, cakes, wrapping, decorations and games, BIRTHDAYS: HANDMADE, HOMEMADE is interwoven with stories, photographs, illustrations and anecdotes. We invite readers to pull up a chair, pour a cup of tea and spend the afternoon making and creating. Our goal is to offer inspiration on how to make a birthday handmade, homemade and your very own.

Readers will love the creative ideas that make this book so personal and tangible. Projects range from fast and easy . . . Dinosaurs in real eggshells, to more timely and in depth . . . Dining table forts. Young parents and do-it-yourself enthusiasts will find endless help onhow to prepare and execute a homemade birthday party.

At a time when it seems like families are trying to take back just a bit of their own and blogs hum with self-reliant know-how, this book is a great jumping-off point for those aiming to leave commercialism behind and bring it all back to the ones they love. 

Birthdays: Handmade, Homemade is available online. 

Hope everyone is enjoying summer!
                                   

                                              Cheers~
                                                         Marica


P.S. I have one copy to give away, so if you live in the United States and would like to enter for a chance to win, leave a comment below. I'll pick a name at random and post a winner Sunday July 23rd.

Eggs and feasting...

A few Easter pictures...

                                             Cheers ~ 

                                                             Marica