Birthday Surprises

My birthday turned out better than I expected; I spent the day with my guy and my favorite person in Cocoa Beach, where I stopped by Knit & Stitch and invested in a little Noro and Juniper Moon yarns.

My guy gave me a set of lavender and vanilla relaxation products from Bath & Body Works (not pictured) which I'm already using and are amazing. My favorite person gave these gorgeous silver, abalone and koa wood earrings from Na Hoku.

I also stopped by Hello Again Books and splurged on a stack for reading during my vacation. We then went to an Asian buffet and ruined our diets. Honestly, being with my family and having fun in one of my favorite places in Florida made the day perfect. :)

I should also mention that my friend B gave me two more books for my birthday, so I have lots of reading to look forward to this month. Thanks, everyone.

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Make It Yourself

As we head into December, here are ten ideas for easy handmade gifts: Cookie Exchange: If you live close to your friends invite them over for a cookie exchange. Basically everyone bakes a set amount of their favorite cookies, and these are exchanged at the gathering by lottery, sharing a little from each batch with everyone, or however you want to do it. You can also exchange recipes, too. My neighbor did this once and it was wonderful. Favorite Recipe Cookbook : For my favorite person I found a copy of my favorite cookbook from a vintage bookseller (yes, I am that old) and went through it making notes on all the recipes I used, how I tweaked them, etc. Ornament: There are probably a million free tutorials on how to make your own holiday ornaments, so do some research online. I like to make hanging pomanders , which smell heavenly and are biodegradable after the holidays. Mug Rugs: If you sew, making up a set of mug rugs is simple and easy; I add these every year to my ...

Better than Fried

I cut some chives from the kitchen garden to make garlic-chive baked fries for dinner. This is a great side dish for veggie burgers. Click here for the recipe from Taste of Home.com.

Journal Find

This is a page from my 2010 poetry journal. My handwriting isn't the best, so I'll transcribe it: If my heart survives to tell all the secrets kept inside it will be an abalone shell in which the beauty did reside. But I think I will always be lost to the tides that rage in me . . . humbling and polishing . . . I don't write many self-portrait poems, but this one isn't too embarrassing. A bit overly dramatic, but the girl I was eleven years ago went through some tough times. I'm in a much more peaceful place today.

Rayen

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