once in a blue moon...

some folks would probably rather watch the ball drop in times square rather than stare out the window at the moon, but i really, really, really hate the ball drop. i just don't get all the hoopla. i mean, using a giant disco ball as a yo-yo? also, ryan seacrest sets my teeth on edge.

what i'm trying to say is that i'll be with boone and some dear friends tonight and will hope for a break in the fog and clouds so i can catch a glimpse of the sky. i don't know, but something tells me that a wish made on a nye blue moon is a wish that comes true! (ha! take that, times square ball drop!)

either way, i hope you do whatever makes you happiest tonight (ryan seacrest or not) and every day in 2010.

photo from googleimages

meditations on family...

well, friends... we're back from Appalachia where an ice storm shut down our power (and our heat, too!) on Christmas day.


it was still a special holiday because it was only my second white Christmas, we were with my wonderful in-laws, and still had homemade beignets that morning. boone liked his gift (woodworking lessons with this wonderful craftsman! hooray!) and i got a v. lovely bottle of perfume and a tshirt that supports women's education in Africa... all in all, our first Christmas as a family was wonderful!

but, really and truly, it was hard to be away from my own family. boone had to put up with my homesick tears. i honestly didn't think that being away from my folks would be so difficult, but i also knew that it was important to be generous with the time we give to each other's family.

boone, is, (of course) really great at this. it's definitely not because my family is better or easier than his (my side is a little more emotional that his) or because he's not as close to his family as i am. of course i really appreciate how generous he's been about the whole holiday time-sharing situation since my fam got double actual time spent (but his fam got the best holiday). i wonder if things will ever get easier.

you know, people tell young marrieds stuff like "you're your own family now, so make your decisions independent of your folks' and sisters' and nieces' choices. do what YOU want to do!" but even if this is easier, i think that's wrong... even if we think every single one of our family members is crazy, or boring, or mean, we're still tied together by a pretty serious bond. i think that knowing cousins and uncles and grandparents is something special. but how can you maintain a healthy balance between knowing and spending time with family and building your own family with a new spouse? any ideas?

snuggling up with a good book...

in the mountains for the christmas holiday and we're expecting lots and lots of ice and snow...
if you have some time during this long weekend, i suggest you do what we're going to do and snuggle up with some hot cocoa and one of the favorites from my holiday reading list!

i hope santa is good to each of you!

Merry Christmas to YOU!

we went shopping yesterday and did a little baking, and i think we've been able to check nearly everyone off our list! hooray!

speaking of gift-giving, i wanted to pass along a code for 50 free mp3s and 1 audiobook as a christmas happy to each of you.go to www.emusic.com/usb to start a 14 day trial and get free songs!*

and, let's be honest, you're going to be traveling this holiday season and may even need a little something more to listen to in the airport or the car. if you don't follow the This American Life podcast, then you may not know about the way to get a free audiobook from their sponsor audible.com's website. Now's your chance!

go to www.audible.com/american and get 1 free audiobook from their incredible selection.

and if you think about it, let me know what book/fav songs you get! Merry Christmas, friends! enjoy the freebies.

love, biz

the thing is, you DO have to give them your credit card information, but as long as you cancel before the trial period is over, they don't charge you. (great, right?) photo

whooo hooo!!

yippee! hooray! i finished my paper so school's out until january!
image here

what i wish i was doing this weekend...

oh i wish we were going to see the tim burton show at MOMA. he's clearly a visionary and my favorite of all filmmakers.

wrapping it up...

some people have OR.GAN.IZED drawers or those fancy containers for their gift wrap. this is not me...plus i move so frequently (8 times in 9 years) that i try not to keep extra clutter.
soooo... this is how i wrapped the gifts for my attendants and will be wrapping Christmas gifts this year. so easy, and so pretty.
but first i've got to get this paper finished so i can get busy making and finding the presents.

how do you giftwrap?

baby it's cold outside...

and rainy, too. but i'd eat ice cream anytime of the year out of these little guys.



thanks dailycandy for the heads up.

style envy...

last weekend was the museum gala in my hometown (read more about last year's here). we didn't go this year, but if we had i'd would have wanted to look this fab...


photos from mrsO

oh Christmas twig year 2...

christmas twig isp... we're going to have one this year. for serious.
i espesh. love that it's monochomatic. how do you decorate?
here's last year's post about them.

procrastination via christmas cards...

i'm s'posed to be working on my final paper and writing cover letters, but i took a break to work on our christmas postcards. here are the two finalists:




but we picked the second one. uuughhhh...i'm feeling a little bit of buyer's remorse.
oh well, at least we'll have cards to send since there's no way we'll have time to make chocolate bark. how are you keeping in touch with your nearest and dearest this holiday season?

btw, i don't know what the quality will be like, but PrintsMadeEasy gave us a GREAT deal (100 postcards for $20 and free shipping with code FREESHIP09) and says they'll be here by December 13th.

the perfect reading nook...

is this a snuggle worthy space or what? reading for my final papers would be incredible if this was in our living room...

cross your fingers... 20 pages in 5 days.

image from here?

upate: more gifts!

don't you just hate when you find something cooler to post AFTER you'd already posted? a few other gift ideas..

for the kiddos:

playshapes & esme the woodland creature

for boone:

root liquor (root beer with a punch)

and legos for grownups

for my mom:

onion goggles. these will change her life & and a book that may inspire her to make big bucks with her art.

for the gals:

cool handmade soaps

or an inspiring, lovely book by one of my fav artists

my dad:

a handturned wooden bowl for his new office for keys and change and whatnot.

want more? visit reformschoolrules, worldofgood, etsy, delight, gentsupply or art in the age

gift guide: my dad

i got this request from sweet anna today:
"Dearest Biz, What about gifts for the Dad would has everything!? Your guidance welcome..."
well, as you would have it, my dad HATES christmas gifts. as you can imagine he's a hard one to shop for but maybe one of these fun things will strike his fancy.

what about a book by his new favorite author that will make him want to wander the world?


my dad calls himself an "old folk singer" so maybe i'll get him this usb mic let's him record his tunes on something with a better sound quality that his crappy old tape recorder...

what man doesn't like scotch whiskey? so what about a membership to a tasting society? (fyi the uk branch of the society is cooler) it comes with whiskey and tasting lists. i know. probably too rich for my blood this year, but one day...

what about four or six fresh steaks of his favorite cut of meat from a local butcher? this way, he gets to eat his fav thing and spend time with me while we cook it.


or a space-age golf glove (it's cheap and really useful for golfer dads who live in balmy climates or like to play in the rain)


my dad told me recently that my crusade against plastic grocery bags had "ruined his life" (aka it was inconvenient to have to remember his own bag) but here's a tiny bag he can keep in his pocket that's proceeds go to GREAT cause. plus, their made out of men's ties, which seems pretty appropriate for a dad.


also, anything that i made/painted/wrote myself is usually a big hit. maybe i'll try to whip up some of these cool handmade guitar picks. he's also a big fan of mix cds, so maybe i'll make a cd case like this one and fill it with mixes. get your own ideas of what to make your dad here or here.

here comes santa claus...

well, i've been making gift guides for everyone else, and wouldn't you know that i ran across a few things that i wish santa would bring me. I don't actually expect to get any of these goodies, since we have many $2 to spent but they sure are fun to wish for!

this one's much better looking than our current plastic travel fan...


a new puffy vest... because my favorite thrift store one has seen better days.


some new(ish) music... because my ipod has been playing the same songs for months and is oh- so-tired of them.

this robe...because it's beautiful.

a singing bell...so we can practice prayer for real.


and books for little ones or a donation to a literacy program...because i was (am) a book worm and want other children to know the joy reading gives.

gift guide: for the gals

if i had lots and lots of cash, i'd send my pretty girlfriends all of these goodies for christmas (i'm thinking Oprah's favorite things, here..)

a gurgle pot... because they're funny and fun. (can't you see this at a dinner party?)


lovely poetry..because nothing's better.


a scarf made out of discarded tshirts... awesome right?


the cleverest tshirt where the proceeds go to support hygiene and education for women in kenya (since my gal pals are free-thinking smarty-pants)


a rad mix cd (or a bunch of radiolab episodes) in a handmade case, just because.


the new mcsweeney's iphone app...so they'll share the clever and delightful snippets they'll get once a day (or so) with me!



but the best gift (and the one we actually give to each other every year) is some quality time.