decorating the Henbest place with Christmas cheer.

H is a good letter. from Anthropologie...given by dear Jo Jo.


Christmas merriment in mug form. frame from Urban Outfitters.
feather ornament made by dear Jo Jo...oh how you contribute to our house Jo! i love teapots.
canvas with vintage fabric squares and buttons also made by Jolleen...sheesh! love my Christmas plates...
just added a simple snowflake to add a little festive.ness (is that a word?). ha.
Rudolph and Clarice for life!
topped the tree with a pretty little bluebird from my wedding decor.
white tree. teal, blue, and silver ornaments, blue mirror.
we have decided to keep our decor up for a few more weeks...we just can't take Christmas down yet ok! hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

top ten albums of 2009...

firstly, Happy almost Christmas! i wrote a blog at the end of last year about what my top ten albums of the year were...so i thought i would continue the tradition. this year was a good year for good tunes. honestly, i could probably make a top 25 list, but i'll leave it at ten...

1. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches
2. The Civil Wars - Poison & Wine ep
3. Wilco - Wilco
4. Norah Jones - The Fall
5. A Fine Frenzy - Bomb in a Birdcage
6. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
7. Fanfarlo - Reservoir
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs! - It's Blitz!
9. Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg
10. Brandi Carlile - Give Up the Ghost

--with special mentions to NeedtoBreathe, The Foo Fighters, Anna Gilbert, Andrew Bird, and M. Ward. phew.

my week in pictures.

trying to stay warm in this crazy 2 degree weather.

drinking lots and lots and lots of hot tea.

teaching piano to my wonderful students.

getting ready for my kids Christmas program - "The World Says Merry Christmas."

listening to one of my favorite Christmas albums of all time.

wrapping presents in my Rudolph and Clarice wrapping paper.

darling weekends.

a dear friend said this to me today: rest your soul this weekend, i mean it. and now i pass on that wish to you.

Brighten.

some of the lyrics to one of my new songs, Brighten.

i could write a song and have to think about
a love that passed me by and on the way
i could write for miles and miles and miles on air
and the message would remain the same

(but) you have stolen the pages, my dear
you've stolen the pages

you brighten my day
everything fades when you're around me
we, have all our lives
to spend the time and then
we'll start all over again

an incredible reunion.

i have this cousin, Grant Weatherford, who i am extremely proud of. i mean, i'm proud of all of my cousins but i'm proud of Grant in a different way. Grant graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 2007. he is a genius really. he is married to an incredible woman named Jillian. she amazes me. Grant enlisted in the army after graduation and has been in Baghdad for the past 11 months. he had the priviledge of coming home for a few weeks when his precious baby girl was born, Maebry Elaine. all this to say, i am just so proud of these two incredible people. they are pure examples of love in it's finest form.

Grant came home from Baghdad last week. here is the sweetest reunion picture i have ever seen. I LOVE YOU GRANT, JILLIAN, AND MAEBRY!!!!!

Red Marionette.

just wanted to give credit where credit is due. the adorable yellow felt owl on my page is a product of the etsy shop Red Marionette. her wreaths and ornaments are soooo cute. here are a few pictures of her work...and a tree full of her ornaments! check it out!

www.etsy.com/shop/RedMarionette

some Christmas toones.

so of course Christmas is coming fast, as usual. and of course i've already been listening to Christmas music. so i've decided to make a list of my top 10 favorite Christmas albums...and i would love to hear a few of yours!!!

1. Mindy Smith - My Holiday -- this album will melt your heart like the snow.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas -- quirky, yes. some great arrangements, yes. some songs where people are just banging on things and singing kind of, yes. wonderful, oh yes.

3. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas -- one of my heroes. oh how i love Ella...one of my biggest inspirations.

4. Bing Crosby - Merry Christmas -- grew up listening to this crooner, who didn't really? wish he was still alive...i think we'd be great friends.

5. Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas -- this cd always brings back fond memories. it also reminds me of my dear friend Lance Nelson and his amazing impression of Charlie Brown singing "Christmas Time is Here." and also, vinyl wins on this one.

6. Sixpence None the Richer - The Dawn of Grace -- Leigh Nash's sweet melodies always pull me in. this lady knows how to pull on the strings of my heart.

7. Sarah McLachlan - Wintersong -- Sarah at her best. this album is not exactly the jolly, joyous, upbeat Christmas cd you would expect. some say it's a downer, i say it's a beautiful work of art. i love the ambient sound effects and distant echoes. sigh, give it a try.

8. Christmas with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra -- this cd is wonderful! i don't need to tell you about these 2 amazing men. what i love about this cd is there is a lot of back and forth banter between Bing and Frank in between songs. it reminds me of a living room show, and i sure do love those.

9. Compilation - Maybe This Christmas Tree -- funky is one word that comes to mind! a very eclectic mix of artists and tunes. a few of my favorite artists on this: Pedro the Lion, Death Cab for Cutie, Tom McCrae, Lisa Loeb, and others contribute to this wonderful mix of songs.

10. Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart -- ok, so i actually haven't bought this album yet but will very soon and i am pretty darn sure it will be an instant favorite. i just love him.

there you have it! i missed some favorites i am sure but these albums are what came instantly to mind. happy holidays my dear friends!!!

(and i just now remembered i forgot Burl Ives! how dare me.)

man-eating couch.

it's true. ask any of our lovely friends who have tried to conquer the man-eating couch. at first when you sit on it, it's legit and comfy....fast forward 20 minutes...and it starts to dominate, literally. most just end up on the floor really. as my dear friend Keila once said, "you win couch! you win!" all this to say, we bought a new couch yesterday! phew. no, it is not a top o' the line wonder-couch from some prestigious furniture place but, i am very happy with it. here are the pics...Target only had dark blue left so, dark blue it is.

come on over friends...sit and be merry!

The Cotswald Escape

i'm dreaming of traveling today. i can't even come close to thinking of a place to stay that is more lovely than this....Temple Guiting Manor: The Luxurious Cotswald Escape. isn't it heartbreakingly beautiful?? sigh. here is the website...come daydream with me.

www.templeguitingmanor.co.uk

my favorite little people.

these two have completely and utterly stolen my heart. i didn't know it was possible to love two children that aren't yours so incredibly much? i mean, they are my sister's kids and my sister and i have always been very close...so go figure. but i honestly can't describe how much i love them...and all you aunts understand completely. and a big shout out to their incredible mom - my sister and best friend! you amaze me sissy.

a few things i probably need for the fall. you know?

i found these via anthropologie.com, etsy.com, and modcloth.com. and what i want more than anything is a clawfoot tub. someday!

oh fall, you are so fun.

this week will be a good one no doubt. i am on fall break and thrilled to be! Derek and i are going fall/winter clothes shopping today so of course i'm excited about that. who doesn't love fall?! iced tea to hot tea. sandals to boots. cardigans to jackets and coats. i found these lovely pictures of fall in Canada and wanted to share a few. happy Monday to you my friends!

my sweet friend Jo.

so, i have this friend named Jo. she is wonderful, smart, crafty, laughy (new word?), beautiful, kind, loving....this is where i go on for days. i love having Jo in my life and often times wish she would be roomies with me and D.

today, i was sitting at my desk after my 7th graders had left, thinking about how wonderful it would be to have a hot cup of something that is not tea (being that i have had my fill of tea in the last 2 weeks). at that exact minute, in walks Jo! she brought me a drink from Rembrandts along with the most adorable eraser i've seen in my years....here is a picture of it....it says "hoot hoot."

thank you, dear Jo. you made my whole day.

Henbest happiness.

so i'm a little late on the Anniversary post. Derek and i celebrated our 1st anniversary on Sept. 19th!!!! people say it all the time but it's true, it has gone by so fast. we have had a wonderful first year! he is my best friend. we compliment each other. he is my ultimate happiness, and i am his. here are a few pictures to reflect on our wedding that happened one year ago....cheers to Josh Milne for taking these lovely photos!