Friday Link Love

TGIF. I can't believe December is upon us! It's crazy how fast this time of year goes. Tomorrow, Wesley and I are going find a Christmas tree. We are going to make cranberry and popcorn garland to decorate it. I can't wait, I love Christmas traditions. Sunday, we are headed down to Denver for the Broncos game. It's supposed to be cold, so I'll be bundled drinking plenty of hot cocoa to stay warm. I hope you have a lovely weekend too. Enjoy this week's Friday link love :)

I want these shoes (and they're on sale, ruh roh...).

Pets in America

I love this fair isle sweater, so perfect for the holidays!


Can I just be Sarah Vickers?

Disposable DIY dinner plates. Oh the Christmas ideas...

Black and blue perfection.

A post-it pinata. Awesome.

This bike-riding mom is amazing (also possibly crazy).

Androgynous done right.

The new french tip.

12 things to do in Denver this holiday season.

A great gift idea for friends this Christmas.


A tutorial on how to wear beanies the cool way.


P.S. I didn't mention it in my post yesterday, but it was also my friend Amy's birthday! So, here it is officially...Happy birthday lover face! xx


Image from here

Happy Birthday Wesley

Today is a very special day! It's Wesley's 28th birthday! I am so lucky to have him in my life and I can't wait to spend today with him. We're going skiing this morning and I'm planning on singing to him every time we get on the lift. Tonight, I'm taking him to dinner at his favorite, the Hearthstone! Then back home for presents and cake. Don't forget to wish him a happy birthday too. Love you Wes! xx

The Organics Game

Every time I go to the grocery store, I play a little game. It's called the organics game. It happens in the produce section, when I'm picking my apples. It happens in the dairy isle, when I'm choosing my eggs. It happens in the meat cooler, when I'm selecting my beef. You see, the game is whether or not I buy organic.

I want to buy organically because I want my food to be as farm-to-table as possible, without all the added hormones and preservatives. I want to eat produce that's in season and beef that's been grazing on grass. I don't enjoy eating added hormones that make my apples three times the size they should be or eating a cow that has been fed grain only his whole life for the sole purpose of making him fatter. However, I know I shouldn't, because it's so much more expensive.

I'm bringing this up because it's a constant struggle for me at the grocery store. I want to buy the best quality food, but buying organic food is expensive. It's definitely not in my budget. So what's a girl to do? Over the summer I took my food to an extreme, shopping almost exclusively at the natural food store, spending way to much of my income on my diet. Although I wish I could afford to shop that way all the time, I just can't. Recently, I have been purchasing organic food that is most important to me, like produce and eggs. That's more in my budget.

I'm curious to know your thoughts. Do you play the organics game too? Do you struggle with what to buy organic, if anything? Or am I just an over concerned weirdo? I don't know. Just thought I would throw it out there.


P.S. Have you read any of Michael Pollan's books? Or watched Food Inc.? They both changed the way I think about food.

P.P.S. I do understand that organic is just a word. Not everything that says organic is actually USDA certified organic. See more here.

Image via here

Details

The holidays are about spending time together with those you love. They are about sharing good food and great conversation. I believe setting the right ambiance absolutely sets the mood for an occasion; thus, I took it upon myself to set our Thanksgiving table.

As a gal on a budget, I wanted to make my own table setting pieces rather than purchase them. I think, in total, I spent about $30 creating our rustic Thanksgiving table. Several easy DIY details are what really pulled the look all together. It was definitely worth the cost and I can reuse most of the pieces I invested in.

Start with a white tablecloth (please excuse the folding chairs, a ghetto fabulous detail).

Add a piece of burlap (I bought mine at Walmart for $8). I foresee so many more uses...

Use a centerpiece with CANDLES! They really set the mood. I made this one using cardboard, leaves and candles, all things I had at home already. I bought the pumpkins on sale at Safeway for a quarter each!

Use place cards! A fun detail that when placed appropriately can really fuel conversation. 

I found all the pinecones outside, fo frwee. DIY tutorial here.

The {paper} napkins add a pop of color to the table. $4 at Safeway. 

Although I know my table setting is not as beautiful as the ones you see in magazines or other  blogs,  I was pleased with the results. It added an element to our Thanksgiving holiday that made it memorable. Ideas for our Christmas table setting are flowing like wine now. Stay tuned.

A Nontraditional, Traditional Thanksgiving

First, I would like to apologize for my blogging absence last week. Thursday was spent stuffing my face with 10 pounds of food. Friday was spent recovering from added weight gain. But, I'm baaaaack!

Thanksgiving was glorious. My family decided to go the nontraditional route because we are weird unique like that and made mussels and french fries in honor of our Belgian roots. God bless the Pilgrims, Indians and Belgians? We started with apps of stuffed mushrooms and salmon puffs. Then came the main course, mussels, french fries and salad. It was so good. To top things off,  we went for pumpkin pie tiramisu, just to keep things interesting. Again, my family is weird. And don't worry, I know you all want need these recipes. They shall come soon.

Just a little neck party fun for Thanksgiving

All photos from my Instagram! @ashapen