honey

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The Beekeeper’s Daughter

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I don’t really know what a beekeeper’s daughter looks like in a picture formed in one’s head. Is there a crown of bees involved? Is there a white jumpsuit? A veil?

Well, whichever it is I am sure I do not usually look the part.

Except today.

Today I went full out with the theme.

But hopefully not in an over-the-top way.

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I just really love this Modcloth Twofer Honey Dress. I waited for this to hit sale and was ecstatic when it did.

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I decided to pair it with some booties. Close-toed shoes are a must in Imaginary Bee Land.

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The honeycomb crochet on this top is just really neat. I love the yellow color paired with the grey. I think it looks modernly bohemian. The complaints about this dress were the sides stick out underneath your arms. This does not bother me at all. I do not walk around with my arms above my head, but I wanted to show you what the reviews meant. You can see it in this picture.

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These honeycomb earrings are also from Modcloth. I own a very similar pair from Anthropologie last year. The two pairs of earrings are different because one has a slightly larger honeycomb weave than the other.

This is not important.

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Do you know I have only been stung twice by a bee? I find this kind of miraculous having grown up surrounded by them. It just proves that they really are peaceful creatures. That, and the fact that honeybees die when they sting you. : (

You should see my dad with a honeybee. It is like watching a bee whisperer. He lets them crawl on his huge rough hands and soothes them with his voice. Sometimes he will bring them to his mouth (don’t do this!) and breathe hot air on them if they are too cold to fly. It is amazing and something I never tire of seeing.

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This bee wrap bracelet is the coolest. I purchased mine for $10 from Nordstrom Rack a few months ago and I cannot find a similar one online. My grandma used to collect bee jewelry and ever since she passed away, I have felt a need to continue her tradition.

I also made waves in my hair using a wave iron I purchased last week (more on this soon. I do not want to link to it until I am absolutely sure I will recommend it. So far I love it, but I want to play with it some more to be certain). I used to wear waves in my hair all of the time a few years ago and then I lost my wave iron and my hair remained wave free for too long.

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In Imaginary Bee Land, beekeeper’s daughters always have wavy hair.

It is a fact.

Trust me.

I know.

I invented the place.

Do you ever make a theme for your clothes? Have a story in your head for a particular outfit? Please tell me I am not the only one.

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

*This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing an item from a link on this post will result in more fodder for Imaginary Bee Land a small commission for this site.

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Breaking Bread

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Gosh. I hope I didn’t really break the bread. I hope I just made a nice easy cut. Sawed it back and forth. Then ate it. Is that worse than simply breaking it? I am sure it didn’t feel a thing.

When I am feeling down, nothing makes me feel better than baking or cooking (and no, I do not think you have to be good at one or the either. That makes no sense at all). Just making something. Forming something from simple ingredients into a wondrous treat makes my whole heart heal.

And if nothing else, it gives me calories to burn while I cry. Or laugh. Or both.

And of all of the baked goods, bread absorbs tears the best. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.

My mother-in-law once taught me her secret to perfect bread. And now I’m telling you. And since she is unaware that this little blog exists, you won’t tell her.

See how that works.

Her secret is substituting whatever liquid the bread recipe calls for with apple juice.

Trust me. It is divine.

But with this recipe having honey, I did not want to do all apple juice and make it too sweet, so I simply substituted a cup of apple juice for the original recipe’s full 2 1/2 cups milk. I very slightly adapted this recipe from Taste of Home.

And I loved it.

It wasn’t broken.

The end.

Oh, wait, I still have to teach you how to make it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk
2 packets active dry yeast (1/4 oz. ea.)
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup melted salted butter
1 cup apple juice
7 cups flour + 1/2 cup to spread on counter
1/3 cup honey

Directions:

Pour milk and apple juice in a microwave proof container

Microwave on high one minute. Stir. If the liquid is still not warm to the touch microwave for thirty seconds more (it will depend on the depth of your cup. I just measured milk to 1 1/2 cups and then apple juice to the very top of a two cup measuring cup. You want your liquid warm and not hot. If it is too hot, it will kill your yeast. My mother-in-law uses a thermometer. I use my finger. Again, she’ll neve’ know. But if you like to be precise, the temperature should be 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Dump yeast into your mixer. And yes, dump. Not pour. Why? Because “dump” is much more fun to say.

Pour (we can’t get carried away with the other word. It is about to get serious) milk/apple juice mixture in. Stir gently a few times. Let yeast activate for a few minutes (I get impatient. This is usually three minutes for me).

Pour in remaining ingredients. Pour the butter in last because you do not want the hot butter to kill the yeast.

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Knead six minutes on your floured surface (or use your dough hook on your stand mixer if you have one. Ditzy me did not realize what that was for until my friend came over and asked me why I just didn’t just use that instead of kneading it by hand. Thankfully my husband did most of the work, because I am a kneady). Form into a large dough ball.

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Grease round mixing bowl with butter.

Lay ball of dough in the bowl and then flip the dough once so that all sides of the dough are greased.

Turn oven on to its lowest setting for just two minutes. Do not let it get to a high temperature. Turn oven off. Place a damp dish towel over bowl of dough and place the bowl in the oven for an hour.

Make sure you leave plenty of room above the bowl for the dough to rise in the oven.

Remove bowl from the oven.

Remove the towel.

Punch dough in the middle. (The kids LOVE doing this).

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Dough will deflate. Form dough into two loaves (I just rip mine in half, channeling my inner Hulk and just pat that baby into shape) and place into two, greased with butter, 9 X 5 loaf pans.

Place pans in oven to rise for thirty minutes (it will still be warm enough to do this).

Remove pans from oven. Turn oven to 375 degrees. Bake bread for 15 minutes. After fifteen minutes cover the tops of the bread with foil and cook for another eighteen minutes.

Remove loaves from oven. Turn oven off. Remove foil.

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Turn loaves upside down onto a cooling rack one at a time and turn over so they are right side up again.

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Let cool thirty minutes before eating.

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I made the kids and myself a cute little table setting to eat our fresh homemade bread at. We all loved it. It created minimal clean up. And it definitely made the homemade bread feel much more special.

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I would say that is not broken at all.

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Honey Vanilla Ice Cream

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The summers of my youth could be described in three flavors. Grape juice, cheddar cheese and homemade honey vanilla ice cream. Being from a long line of beekeepers meant that my family had learned to incorporate the very nectar of their labors into almost every food they ate.

I have mentioned that as a young child, a spoonful of honey was a snack. A few drops of pollen, a special treat.

But nothing compared to my grandma’s honey ice cream. And nothing ever will.

I have tried to replicate it the best I could. I also wanted to make it a bit less rich. I believe my grandmother used mostly cream. I decided to use half milk. Half cream.

If you have never had honey ice cream, well, I don’t know if you should try it now. You will never go back. It is that good.

Seriously knees-dropping-to-the-ground-as-you-pay-homage-to-a-passing-bee good.

The person who invented the saying “you’re the bee’s knees,” may or may not have been referring to this phenomenon after just having eaten honey ice cream.

I mean, that makes sense right?

Well, it makes more sense than comparing someone to bee’s knees. Which, while they are quite cute and fuzzy for knees, do not come close to comparing to this treat.

Let’s make some heaven!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup honey
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Caviar from one vanilla bean
5 egg yolks

Directions:

Pour your milk and cream into a large pot on the stove. Add your honey. Turn heat to medium-low.

While that is heating up, separate five egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks for two minutes continuously. Or bust out your stand mixer if you have one. And let it do the work for you on medium speed for two minutes.

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Add the caviar of a vanilla bean to the steeping milk mixture. Whisk. When milk mixture comes to a light boil, turn heat to low. Very slowly add a ladleful (about 1/2 a cup) to the egg yolks while you whisk them. Now add that mixture back into the hot milk mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir continuously until the mixture begins to thicken. This should be about three minutes.

Turn heat off. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Add vanilla extract. Stir.

Cover bowl and refrigerate at least two hours to overnight.

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Follow your ice cream maker’s churning instructions. For my machine, I simply dump in the chilled ingredients.

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Freeze your ice cream in a freezer-safe container. And then indulge the next day. I like mine covered in Trader Joe’s Fudge Sauce.

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I warn you. You will never look at vanilla ice cream the same way again.

Or a bee for that matter.

Now let’s get some padding for those knees.

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*I adapted the vanilla ice cream recipe that came with my Cuisinart Ice-100 (a super fancy name for a big ol’ ice cream maker. The link is an affiliate link) to incorporate honey. Seriously, next time your husband makes the brilliant mistake of not asking for anything for Christmas, you might want to get him one of those babies. I might love it more than David Beckham.

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The Winner of The Clinique Set and Items To Drool Over

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The winner of my 8th blog giveaway is Danielle! Congratulations! I hope you love it! Have a lovely weekend!

Warning: This post is LONG! You might not be able to read it on your phone. Sorry I was so wordy!:

I have been taking to posting items I am interested in on these posts in previous months. Here is the situation: I am kind of burnt out on shopping. And I have only been making extreme sale purchases. I am being boring. It is the holidays and I just find it hard to purchase for myself during this time.

I yearn to stay inside, put something in the oven to bake, and crawl under the covers to read a good book.

I will, however, show you some stuff I think is cool right now and share with you my best deal lately.

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Our book club book this month is “The Storyteller” by Jodi Piccoult. I usually do not read her books, but this one was very good. Maybe one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I have a book review coming up, but since we have not met for book club yet, I do not want to spoil it. If you have the chance to read it, we can discuss it in a few weeks. That would be fun!

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I got this sweater last week for $9.95 as a popback from Anthropologie. I was worried about the condition it would arrive in (because it was last year’s item) but it is perfect. It even has the original tags. It was called the Lace Cables Pullover. It retailed for $148. Score!

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Okay. I was set on buying this. I wanted it. Elsie looks incredibly lovely in this jacket on A Beautiful Mess. It is The Beckett Jacket from Shop Sosie. It was $66, which is perfect for my budget right now. I have a rule going on with myself that I will not consider any article of clothing right now unless: the item has to be full price for under $75 and at least 50% off on sale. It has actually been a fun little game. I have been able to stretch my budget and I have been enjoying my sale pieces immensely! Unfortunately, I debated too long (three hours) on what size to order and the jacket sold out. So sad!

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Look at what my sweet mom sent me in the mail last week (along with my nightly facial wipes).She is always sending me new mascaras to try. This Bobbi Brown one is so natural. I love it. Thank you, Mom! I love you!

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I desperately need a new pair of black boots, but I keep buying brown. Black just does not seem to make it to sale and there is no way I am paying full price. In a dream world, these Empire Boots would stay in stock in my size and I could snag them (this one’s for you, Kirsten) for 1/2 off. I want the red ones, too. Awww, to dream.

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And this Fern Forest Platter from Anthropologie. It is so beautiful. I am incredibly sad, because I waited and waited for the grey cake stand to go on sale. It did. I ordered it immediately. They cancelled the order a few days later. Since I will be waiting for this to go on sale, as well, I fear the same sad circumstance will occur. But, isn’t it pretty?

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I did purchase the Petalblush Sweater Dress yesterday during Anthropologie’s new sale. I have been patiently waiting for this. And I love this dress minus the pink fluff. But I am willing to overlook that with this new price. Fingers crossed it ships!

And that is it for my wants this month. I have scooped up some fantastic finds on sale: two of them being the Elise Army Jacket for $20 and the Wisened Pullover for $50 (love! Photo coming up on Monday’s Reader Outfits on Effortless Anthropologie).

All of your comments on the giveaway post were so sweet. I decided to respond to them all here, because I just loved them all. They made me happy thoughout the week. Thank you! And my goodness, a lot of you are giving me baby fever! I had many a tug in my heart from your stories of little ones and pregnancy. I am responding to them here, because it would be too confusing during the giveaway.:

Keiko: Thank you! You are so sweet! I loved your story! Your daughter is so cute! I love that she posed herself AND her doll. So adorable. She will be raiding your closet in no time.

Bronzi: I love your description of the little boy. I could picture it. It was so sweet. You are right. Kids bring the most smiles.

Brynne Poore: first, thank you. You are always so kind to me.

Wow! That is an amazing patient! Seriously, Brynne, much better than me! I wonder if her twin was as sweet and calm? I loved your share. It made me happy. And want to be braver at the dentist. ; )

Jennifer: Thank you! It was definitely not spam at all! I had a lovely laugh in the morning. A few days later my friend told me she shared your video with her husband. She loved it so much! Thank you for sharing! And for the laughter!

Noelle: Thank you! I love your story of your son. Twenty two??!! Wow! I think it is so sweet that that is what he wanted for his birthday. I agree boys never do grow up. : ). We have a didgeridoo here. Does he want to start a band?

Jackeline: thank you! My friends and I were just talking about hot yoga classes today. I heard they are really hard! And you did two?! Wow! Good job! That is definitely a smile moment!

Alicia F.: that is so darling! It makes me yearn for the age of three again! Savor it and enjoy this “comfy” time. That was my favorite age! So precious!

Sam: Another friend was talking about this today. She said it is amazing. Good for you! I have not had that feeling in a very long time. ; )

Terry: Thank you so much! You are so lovely! Thank you for your kind words. And your daughter, too. Wow! Thanks!

I also love your attitude. I love that you are enjoying the customers and the holiday spirit. So many people get overwhelmed. I love that you are embracing it. And soaking in the joy. That makes me so happy!

Sarah: How delightful! Hanging out with friends is the best! Thank you for following! I hope this weekend is equally perfect!

Kara: thank you! You are busy! I loved the first birthday. The cake (that they never can understand) and the joy. And when are you due? I love that they will be so close together. I think that makes very close siblings. You made me smile with your blessings. Thank you!

Loraine: Hi! Thank you so much! 50th birthday! How fun! Did you guys do anything exciting for it? Tell him “Happy Birthday!” for me. I heard that that is the birthday that you feel truly at peace with yourself.

Jenny: First, that is awful for your real birthday! Oh my goodness! How scary! But what a sweet husband you have. I love that he surprised you. The last time my husband surprised me I was pregnant with my son. He is ten now. Needless to say, I am very jealous of you! I hope your make up birthday was wonderful. And happy belated birthday!

Jasberrie: thank you! That is wonderful, incredible news! I am so very happy for you! That is definitely reason to smile! I hope you see him soon!

Sawan Tate: thank your for following! I love that story. Being stuck is quite possibly one of the worst things. And that the baby was giggling and not crying is wonderful and so sweet. I love that such a little thing brought so much joy and lightened the mood! Thank you for sharing! : )

Danielle: First, congratulations! And thank you for following! And I love surprise phone calls from friends! I am so glad you received one. And I am glad it made you smile!

Deborah: Awww. Thank you! And what a fantastic mother you are! I love that you took your kids to the beach. Isn’t that the best type of tired? The happy satiated kind. I am glad you had a wonderful time and the kids will have the memory of their awesome mommy taking them to the beach!

Gwen: Thank you! Oh my gosh you made me smile and cringe with that story. For some reason, the inside of dogs ears give me the heebee jeebees. The thought of that little girl sticking her finger in that poor dog’s ear. Aaaahhh! Chills! I am glad you corrected her. Oh my goodness!

Sarah: Thank you for following! Yum! I want soup for days! Your comment immediately had me craving every kind of soup I know how to make. And then I could not decide on which to make. So I made none. This is reminding me to make a decision! I hope your soup for days was delicious! Thanks for the inspiration!

Tam: Thank you! And congratulations! I am so happy for you! That sounds wonderful. And I love love love your description of “fuzzy” boys! It puts an instant jovial picture in my head. I hope you love your new job! What an exciting time in your life!

Maggie: thank you! Of course I remember! And third trimester? Oh my goodness! How exciting! When are you due? And I love that you are looking at the positives. I was sick every single day up until three day before I gave birth to my daughter (tell me how I gained over seventy pounds?). It was miserable, but feeling the baby kick was enchanting. I love that you feel the same way! Congratulations! Hang in there! What an exciting holiday season you are going to have! : )

Jean: Thank you so much! The redwoods! Oh! How amazing! We wanted to go there desperately next year with our children, but decided it might cost too much with gas. You are making me rethink that. Was it beautiful? I love that you took your son! Good mommy!

Amy G.: Wow! Thank you so much! I very much appreciate that. You made me blush and smile at once. Sarah was incredibly sweet and generous to add my link to her post. I am so glad to have met you! Your comments were very much appreciated. I hope your holiday season is peaceful and happy!

Robyn: Thank you! Oh! And your story was amazing! I can picture him writing his name for his family. I got happy chills. Thank you for sharing! You and your story are inspiring!

On a side note, we must talk Disneyland soon! I am a fanatic!

Thatdamngreendress: Hi Sarah! You are so sweet! Thank you! I was surprised and touched by all of the wonderful memories shared here. I am glad that they made your week as happy as they have made mine. I, too, read them and they brought me joy when I was sad. I am glad you feel the same way! And thank you for the compliment! : )

Amy: that is so wonderful! I loved your story. And I also just loved how enthusiastically happy you are for your friend. That must have been a true Friendsgiving. I am just so glad that there are friendships in the world like yours. You make me want to have my own Friendsgiving!

Katie: thank you! And I love that you were able to spend the weekend with your grandparents. Your story made me smile and tear up. And I just love that you appreciate the time you have with them. I wish I had more time. I agree with you. A full life. And just so very many stories to tell! Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed your comment.

Vanessa: Thank you for following! Oh my goodness! You had me rolling! I love the things kids say. And you know, the belly button makes sense. I can see where she is coming from. That is so cute! Thank you for the smile!

Holli: Thank you! I do not even know what disc golf is, but it sounds like so much fun. I love spontaneous outings. I love that you guys just “did it!” And it definitely has been the perfect weather for it! I am glad you got to spend time with your husband and children! What a lovely day! Thank you for sharing! And now I want to play disc golf. As long as it is not strenuous (like opening a door).

Christina Carhart: thank you so much! I want you to know that your comment has stayed with me all week. It just reinstated my belief in the goodness in people. Because, you, Christina, are a good person. You brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps raised on my arms. I loved your story. Thank you so much for sharing. It is the little things. And I hope it comes back ten fold to you. Sweet girl!

Cynthia: Thank you! You are always so nice! I love surprise run ins with people I love! It is so unexpected. Truly a gift. I am glad that that brought you so much joy that day. Today I heard from my best friend and that made me smile. I know the feeling.

Lyn: Thank you for following! Oh my goodness. Too often I see people walk right by the Salvation Army people. I love that you are teaching your daughter kindness at a young age. Taking your seventy year old neighbor shopping is so kind. I am giving you a virtual hug. Having a two year old is tough, and you are thinking of others at the same time. Wow! I like you! You are inspiring.

Jen: So sweet! Hug her tight! How old is she? I make it a point to hug and kiss my daughter good night every night. It is easy for me to forget. Love is so important! Thank you for sharing!

Whatjesslikes: fun! What did you end up selecting? I love kitchen tile! Especially backsplashes! I think it is the easiest way to make a kitchen pop! Good luck on your project!

Katie: Thank you so much! Your story of your daughter and her teddy bear gave me new wrinkles around my eyes, because I smiled so hard. ; ). That is so cute! In kindergarten, both of my children had to bring home the stuffed gingerbread baby. Every child in the class got one night with him. Then the kids had to write a story. It was hilarious to read how many baths gingerbread baby got! It was amazing how in tact he still was by the end of it. And how clean. Thank you for your story and for the memories!

Beth: Oh! Thank you so much! I very much appreciate it! I love that you enjoy your students! And I agree, sometimes it is the older kids who say the funniest things. I am sure you could write a book with all that you hear. And your dog! Yes, my dogs give me joy every day, too. I understand! And white chocolate covered oreos?! Yum! I have never had these, but you make me want to try them now! What happy times! Thank you for sharing!

Puppyloveprincess: thank you for following! I LOVED your conversation with your preschool student. What an amazing fun job! I bet you hear the greatest things all day! I can only imagine. And that student is right. They are weird to not have noses! ; )

I have never heard of the blue jam color. The name is intriguing. I must go look it up. For all the good it will do me now.

Lisa Sommers: Thank you so much Lisa! I am glad you found me! : ). I love that you foster kittens. That is so sweet. Cynthia of the blog Marcy Very Much also does this. I bet you would enjoy her blog. It centers around her funny cat. You can click on it on the right. I hope your kitten finds a wonderful home. You are a beautiful human being to do what you do.

Ellie Johnson: How fun! I love that you are excited for your older brother! You are a great little sister! Thank you for sharing! : )

Christinad: Thank you for following! I really appreciate it. Your story made me so happy. I love that your sister did that for you. That is really sweet. I have a younger sister and I love her to pieces. There is nothing like the bond between sisters. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely story. And I hope you are feeling better!

ckaren09: Thank you for following! What your nephew said made me laugh. That is so cute. And that is the ultimate compliment. Nobody compares to mommy! So he really must think you are pretty! I love it! My sister is much prettier than me so that is not something I will ever hear. Thank you for sharing and for my grin!

Biancarogoveanu: Thank you so much for following my blog! You are right. We all should be smiling now. There is so much to be grateful for. I often overlook the smell of oranges and I am glad you reminded me. It is one of my favorites and not one I often associate with the holidays. Thank you for that visual. This is my favorite time of the year!

Kindra: Thank you so so much! That is kind of you! Your story is so cool. It gave me goosebumps. I love that you randomly saw each other. What a wonderful occurrence. And what a beautiful new memory. And the part about the security guard was just the icing on the cake. Thank you for the smile today! I appreciate it! I hope you guys keep in touch!

I hope everybody has a beautiful weekend! After Patrick Rothfuss’ blog entry yesterday, I am thinking his is probably going to be the best. I just love that man! Congratulations to him!

And congratulations again to you, Danielle!

I had an amazing week. And I wanted to thank some people for that.:

Thank you to Linda for tweeting my post yesterday! That was so sweet of you. I have no idea how to reply to you on Twitter, so I am doing that here! Thank you!

And thank you to Sarah from the SHUbox for including me in her blog post on Sunday. I love your pregnancy posts! I appreciate your blog and the beautiful effort you put into it. Thank you so much!

Also, Young House Love was incredibly kind yesterday when they featured one of my forum posts in their “Forum Foursome.” Thank you so very, very much! I am incredibly grateful!

Without Roxy at Effortless Anthropologie, I would never have had the courage to start a blog. Thank you Roxy!

Thank you everyone who stops by and reads my little blog. It still astounds me that anyone is reading what I am writing. Thank you for filling my life with joy!

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Sorry for my rambling post! If you got to the end of this, you deserve a reward (not that this qualifies as one. But, hey! It’s all I’ve got! Maybe it will make you smile). Here is an incredibly unflattering, but funny picture of an outtake from yesterday’s Sean Astin post. May your weekend be filled with not making faces like this one!

Jenni

P.S. I have a batch of Anthropologie reviews going up tomorrow!