Keepin’ It Real: November 2013

Unflattering pics
Recipe mishaps and slips
It’s just me, Jenni

November, where did you go? Please come back. I am not ready for December. No. No. No. I need more time to plan. To prepare. To enjoy. These holidays are going by too quickly.

Things I learned this month: I love all of my blog friends. You guys just give me warm fuzzies inside. You seriously make my life bigger. Thank you!

My favorite moment of the month was definitely Batkid. It had me sobbing and cheering at the same time. So neat that the city did such an amazing thing through Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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I had such a nice Thanksgiving. I will admit to a few tears, but for the most part, it was a peaceful sweet holiday. I got to hold my cousin’s baby girl. My stepmom made a great turkey that rivaled my dad’s smoked one. And my dad was so tickled when some cousins stopped by to visit. It was so nice to see him so happy. I loved seeing my aunts and uncle. And my mom! My daughter was so sweet when she said she was thankful for all I do for her. And my nephew cracked me up for being grateful for dinosaurs. I hope you had smiles and laughter yesterday, too.

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Afghanistan food! I tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Oh! The flavors! My favorite is Sambosa. A fried pastry stuffed with ground meat and potatoes. And cilantro sauce. So good!

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It was the fifteen year anniversary of my husband and my first date this month. It is one of the two dates we usually celebrate. We got engaged two weeks later, and married in March. We move fast. Well, I forgot it. And when I reminded my husband the next day, he said, “Oh, yeah.” Then he high-fived me. That is how romantic we are fifteen years later. I get a high-five. I am still deciding how I feel about this.

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Some lovely pictures for you.

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I tried to make that chicken dish again. Nope. Still not the one. This dish is going to be the one that haunts me. I must puzzle it out.

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I spied this coat?/sweater?/wrap? in a woman’s stroller at Disneyland. She said she got it at Anthropologie two years ago. I slyly took a picture of it. It appeared to have wooden toggle buttons. The fabric is gorgeous. Any ideas about what this was or was called?

Update: Thank you Deboo for identifying the sweater as the Echoing Argyles Cardigan! I will keep my eyes peeled! : )

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Today is “Black Friday.” I used to love this day, but I hate how early the stores open now. It makes me sad that consumerism has cut into a holiday centered around family. I feel sorry for the workers and for the customers who had to cut their Thanksgiving short. And honestly, nothing really stood out to me this year (except for that Nikon deal at Target. Wow!). I am bummed to miss it, but, oh, sleeping in never felt so good!

How was your day yesterday? I hope everyone had wonderful holidays that they celebrated. Are you shopping today, sleeping in or working? Did November pass by way too quickly for you, too?

Keepin’ It Real

I realize that I post everyday. And I have a backlog of posts that I need to publish. But I have decided that I am going to make this post a regular feature once a month. I read a lot of blogs. And I love them. But here is the thing…Sometimes I feel bad. Why can’t I weave a headdress of beads made from my children’s napkins that they have used every night? Why can’t I beautifully saunter down an empty road in heels?

Or wear heels?

Or have a place to wear heels to?

Let’s keep it real here. As I try to always do. But more so here. Because having a blog, well, it can be very narcissistic. I do not want it to be. But since this is my blog, it does end up a lot about, well, me. Ugh!

So, on the 29th of every month, I am going to “keep it real” here on this blog.

This means you will get to see pictures of recipe fails, outtakes of outfit pictures (gulp), messes, and pretty much anything and everything that makes me, well, me (more narcissism?). You will also get peeks into what made me happy that month and maybe pictures of clothes and recipes that will be posted later. Cause I love sharin’.

The good and the bad.

Here was October:

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The kids and I had three nights of chicken quesadillas. Yes, three nights. Mommy is cheap and I needed to use up the bag of uncooked tortillas and homemade salsa. But one night, I burnt my dinner (the kids’ quesadillas were still good). So, I had two little pieces. And ended up with having one giant glass of wine for dinner instead.

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I love coming up with new ways to wear things in my closet. Here is a look I plan on wearing this week. It is a Free People dress from Nordstrom Rack, mustard tights, fun earrings and boots (imagine I can take a full picture).

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My husband has a habit of taking pictures of me in the middle of me changing poses. Which ends with pictures of me that look like this. So pretty. Not.

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Our backyard looked like this for a month. Because we were all terrified to go out there with the brown widows. And then it rained. All over our mess. Good times!

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We live very close to a bakery. Nothing makes me happier than picking up fresh bread for the kids’ lunches. This loaf was too hot to bag. So, it stayed in the paper bag until it cooled down. My house smelled like yeast and winter when I left and came back two hours later. It was a happy smell.

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This is a project I am working on. It is almost complete! I cannot wait to share it. It is a hook rug! Now where the heck am I going to put it where no one can step on it? And if no one can step on it, why the heck did I make it? Good questions.

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I made up a scrumptious sauce for chicken in my head. I tried it out with a rotisserie chicken and ended up with what looked like dog food. Fail. It tasted good, but I definitely need to rework this.

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These are what are often hiding in my boots. I have three pair. They are from Modcloth. They make me happy.

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And I wore this outfit one day. Can you guess what is wrong with my outfit? Oh, yes. I wore my skirt sideways all day. Genius!

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I recently attended two Anthropologie Workshops. It was so fun learning new crafts and meeting new people. I have two posts going up in the next two weeks about the workshops I attended. However, I wanted to let you know now in case there are any near you still available. Check the Anthropologie website for your state information.

What has been your “doh!” moment this month? Or do you have a favorite memory you have made? Please share and “keep it real” here with me.