Dear Mary. . .

Sorry I've been MIA.  Nothing's really wrong, well, except for my absolute inability to complete a task these last couple of weeks.  As soon as I manage to finish some stuff, I'll have lots to share with you.

But I can't wait until then to share these little gems with you.  They're from Sapling Press.

And my personal favorite. . .

So if you just thought to yourself, "OMG!  Mandy's birthday is only two weeks away and I have yet to buy her a card and gift," then just get me one of these.  And maybe one of these.  And these.  And this.*

Well, shoot.  Now I'm being greedy. 

*Not really with the last one.  I'm terrified of needles.

Mitchouette

Brace yourself, because you're about to see something that rivals the porcelain roller skate for the title of greatest thing of all time.

Last week I posted about how obsessed I've become with Fire Hydrant Press on Etsy.  After communicating with the shopkeeper (Is that what you call people who have Etsy shops?  If not, it should be.) about American Dingo/Husky silhouettes, I realized that there didn't exist a stock photo that looked exactly like my little Mitchell, my dog dream come true, the E.T. to my Elliott.

[source]

Except that this would never happen because Mitch hates bicycles. 

So I decided to go the route of the custom silhouette, where I could send in a picture of Mitch that she would use to create the silhouette.

I sent in this picture (taken the day I found a special surprise on the picnic table).

And she made this.

And I love it with my heart and with my soul. 

What do you think?  Do you kind of want to steal this image and put it on a tshirt?  Or a tote bag? 

Christmas Booty

Shoot yeah, I really scored this Christmas!

Now, I actually got my big Christmas gift early.   You remember Whitey, righty?  By the way, Matt says that I should not name my camera Whitey because that's offensive.  I say that it's not offensive because I am also white.  He just shakes his head and rolls his eyes, basically defeated by my ability to argue.

But check out some of my other Christmas loot.

1.  Very cool owl drawing/painting thing.  This was a gift from our friend Collin, who bought it at a silent auction that was to benefit another friend.  It was very nice and thoughtful because I'd bid on it myself, but then been outbid, and decided I couldn't spend too much on it.  I'm really excited to have it.  It also kind of reminds me of the owl calendars that I made for a few of my friends using this amazing generator.

2.  Beautiful stationery.  This is from Cassie, and I'm a little bit crazy about it.  What makes it even cooler is that Emily Ley is a friend of hers from way back when.  This stuff makes me want to catch up on my correspondance (but really I'll probably just lie on the couch in my pajamas and drink Simply Grapefruit juice from a plastic goblet.)

3.  Awesome Martha Stewart kitchen tools.  These are from Matt's mom (who also gave us cash, which I know she hates to do because then she doesn't get to have as much fun shopping).  I love this stuff, and she even got it to match the kitchen!

4.  Pastry stand.  This one is from a friend at school, who left it in the carport wrapped up as a surprise.  I can't wait to fill it with tasty goods!

5.  Caitie made me this print using Wordle.  I love the bright colors and the way she managed to fit so much of what I love into one picture.  I also kind of like this spot for it.  What do you think?

6.  This apron that I bought for myself on the day after Christmas at World Market.  Maybe it'll keep me from wiping my hands all over my jeans.

7. Also bought myself The Perfect Scoop, which I've already mentioned here.  We bought it with a gift card, so it technically is a Christmas gift.  Expect to read about many a recipe from this one.

8.  Omigod I love this next gift.  This one is also from Cassie, and I'm pretty sure she got it from this Etsy shop.  It's a camera strap, and not only is it in some of my favorite colors, but it also has my initials on it.  I'm so excited about it! (Also, it's hard to take a picture of a camera strap when it's still on the camera.  I could've taken it off, but I'm lazy.)

9.  I don't know why I love this little juicer bowl that Matt's grandma gave me so much, but I do.  I love the color and I love the little pour spout and I think it's going to look gorgeous in the kitchen.

10.  The next thing is from Grandma Carol and Grandpa B., and it warms my heart.  Months and months ago I mentioned to her that I didn't know where to buy kitchen twine, and she filed that away.  She'd seen something like this at a store, but decided that it was overpriced.  Instead, she had Grandpa B. make it for me.  I love them, and I really, really love this gift.

11.  And, finally, I got this Whoville-style ornament from Tanya (she actually gave me two of these, but I only have a good picture of one of them). Tanya has some special ability to pick out the very best, most fun Christmas ornaments.  Most of my favorite Christmas ornaments have come from her, and they also make me smile.

Sooooo. . .I'm itchin' to know. . .

What'd you get?

This and That

A few things to get you through your Monday. (Mondays are my worst days; I have school and then a class--a dreadful class that sucks my soul from my body--and I don't get home until around 7:00. Boo hiss. The up side is that Matt usually has dinner ready for me when I return home, just like a 1950's housewife.)

• First, if you feel like you just can't find the perfect gift for that special someone, try the above rug. It's only 1K, and if you really want, you can have it autographed by Sarah Palin. (Okay, so that last part's a lie, and no polar bears died for the sake of this rug. It's from Etsy, and you can buy it here.)
• Speaking of Etsy, Matt ordered my "Bad Dingo" tote bag just in time. He got the very last one! I am REALLY excited about walking around carrying the bag. When he emailed the seller, he explained to her that our dogson is an American Dingo and had a tag that said that he's a baby eater. (We got him a different tag when he got bigger and more fierce looking. Now it calls him a professional snuggler.)
• Speaking of Matt, he is currently watching football and yelling and clapping. Mitch is lying by my feet under the desk, terrified of his manic father and loud noises.
• Speaking of football, did you see that Smash Williams won the Heisman? I saw that, and I even got to throw out some fake football knowledge during the show, all stuff I've heard Matt say. "You know, Tebow's game won't really transfer to the pros. He plays much more of a running game and he's not as accurate at passing. . .It's basically the difference between Matt Saracen and J.D. McCoy." Everything I know about football I know from listening to Matt talk to his friends and watching Friday Night Lights.
• Speaking of awesome television, 60 Minutes had both Obam' and Ricky Gervais on tonight. It warmed my soul. I think that Ricky Gervais is perhaps the funniest person alive today.
• Speaking of funny, isn't it weird that I've had two cute kid posts lately? Fear not--I do not have Baby Rabies (thanks for the term, Carly!). That shan't happen anytime soon, or ever.
• But speaking of things that shall happen soon, I've only got five glorious days of school until Mitchmas break. Friday the Savannah family is coming for Mitchmas dinner, and my friend Maureen and her husband are coming for New Year's. She's a vegetarian. Any good vegetarian recipes you'd like to share?
• Speaking of food, I feel like I eat enough on a daily basis to feed a small country, or at least an elementary school. It's disgusting and terrible, yet I won't stop. Matt's going to have to knock out walls in our house and invest in a horse trailer just to get me out of the house.

Happy Monday to you! Anything fun happening? What are your plans for Mitchmas?

Will You Buy Me This?

I think it'd look great in the kitchen. Here's the link.