Ahh... the holidays

This time of year combines two of my passions; ambitious crafting and thoughtful gift-giving.

I can't remember where I heard it said, (please insert your version of Dear Abby's voice now) "The perfect gift is one that you know the receiver will enjoy, but they would never buy for themselves"

I'd like to share a personal story now. Years ago, I received an Exotic Fruit-of-the-Month membership. The giver of this gift knew that I liked fruit and certainly knew that no human being on the face of the earth would ever buy them self a fruit membership. With the formula for a perfect gift in place, what could go wrong?

The membership enticed with promises of fresh fruits harvested at the height of their seasonal perfection. Shipped from the far corners of the globe (i always imagined on a tramp steamer), directly to your door. Forbidden fruits from foreign lands.

Often was the case that more exotic fruits would be unavailable in a particular month due to flood or drought. Such unfortunate events would occur and the slightly less-sexy Ruby Red Grapefruit would replace the exotic Mango.

Grapefruit? Seriously? This is it? 15 lbs. of grapefruit was the best you could do to replace perfectly ripe Comice pears? You couldn't dig up a Starfruit? Heck, I'd settle for a decent Kiwi.

To add insult to injury, I would arrive home to discover a delivery notice on my door. We attempted to deliver a parcel. blah blah blah. I'd drive to the post office with an eager pessimism. Maybe there would be Pomegranates? The double doors from the back room would swing open and the front end of a rolling cart would emerge. My heart would sink. 15 lbs. of Florida Grapefruit.

Let me say, it was by no fault of the giver, that the formula failed. If Mother Nature hadn't stepped in to direct this fruit folly, it may well have been a wonderful surprise.

That brings us to the moral of the story. There is only one "perfect gift". The one that comes from your heart and is given with kindness.

It's the First Night of Christmas, so I thought I'd leave you with this lovely little card. xoxo- jenni

Partridge in a Pear Shaped Tree by Avenue Handmade

Voting with the Applause-O-Meter

Good evening citizens of these United States. Today I voted. Today I struck a blow for hope. Today my friend K voted. She made her choice for a new leader. There were many people voting early today.

The lines were long but the election judges were determined to keep things moving. We took our ballots, we gave our name and number, we agreed not to switch places in line. In fact, we agreed not to move from our position in line for any reason. I assume emergencies and natural disaster were accounted for ahead of time. And with agreements in place and ballots in hand, I headed off to my semi-private voting box. Am I too young to remember the voting boxes you see in movies? They looked like photo booths or shower stalls, only less entertaining. They are a lot less entertaining now.

Ms. June Carter-Cash. Leader of Canines for Change.

I cast my vote for Obama. I know you're supposed to keep your vote a big secret but I don't see why. I'm proud of my vote. I'm excited about this new era of leadership and I see a better, more aware, more educated future ahead of us. I'm embracing the change whole-heartedly. It's my most sincere hope that McCain gets his hat handed to him.

In other exciting news, K and I saved a dog today! We were on our way to vote when we both spied this lovely little pup.

Her name is Coco and she is a very sweet German Shorthair Pointer. She was cowering in the tall grass along side a very busy road. We pulled off onto the side of the road and approached the dog slowly. I bent down and held my arm out toward her and she came right to me. She was scared, it was heart-breaking. Anyway, K started making phone calls to see if anyone had reported her missing and I made arrangements to take her to the vet and to have her scanned for a microchip. It never ended up getting that far. Within 45 minutes we were in touch with Coco's owner through the police and they were reeunited shortly after that.

Apparently, Coco stepped on the electric window button at the same time the woman turned the corner and Coco just fell right out. Ouch! She had some bruising on her chest and ribs and she was bleeding a bit here and there, but overall she was in really good shape. I knew she had a home somewhere near, but in the back of my heart, I was hoping she could stay here. At least for a little while. Ultimately I am happy and relived that she is back home safe and sound.

Today I voted and I saved a dog's life. That's a very good day. xoxo- jenni

As I was saying...

What is it about Fall that gets me all fired up? The colors go without saying right? The smell is a definite contender. The smell around here is especially nice. On the weekends, the air gets hazy and smells like burning leaves. It's just chilly enough to make you stamp your feet a bit around the fire pit.

Beer tastes different in the fall and summer. Does that sound odd? That beer can resonate differently depending on season? Right now I look forward to pumpkin beers, which I inevitably dislike, but continue to look forward to year after year. I'm also looking forward to the Chimay that Mister and I will be enjoying now that the holidays have arrived. I thought I was going to be writing about the splendors of Fall, but it turned into a tribute to Beer. I can live with that.

Firkin, Libertyville, IL

We'll be traveling for Thanksgiving this year and I'm really looking foward to the trip down south. The fall colors will be a bit later than ours and I'm hoping to get some great shots. This will be my first big holiday with my new camera since the 4th of July.

Speaking of photos... I thought I'd upload a few from some recent events for some of my special readers. Thanks guys!

Warhol Pete

Kids + Dogs

Evan + Poojan

Emily + the Hula Hoop

Pianta Pieces

Halloween is in 2 days. I bought a sad little supply of candy this year. I think I need a pumpkin. Maybe tomorrow I'll pick a couple up and Mister can carve his yearly masterpiece. g'nite. xoxo- jenni

Just Popping In...

I know I've been away for some time and I hope you will forgive me. I have been swamped with work these last few weeks and I am just beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Fall has arrived in all her seasonal beauty and I owe her a tribute. It's on my list of things to do. Here is a tiny nod to the splendor of this season.

taken from my reclined seat at the firepit in our backyard

In other exciting Fall news...Halloween is almost here! I will admit that I am a little lackluster this year as we approach, what has always been, one of my favorite holidays. So I ask you, what has happened to Halloween? More on that as well...

wonderful urban stoop jack-o-lanterns

Last but not least I would like to talk about this most important upcoming election. This is another topic that requires proper attention be paid. So for now, I leave you with this image from my recent trip to Wicker Park with good friend Kristin. (be sure to check out her recipe for creamy potato leek soup)

taken from the corner of north + milwaukee in chicago, il

So check back later this week for more updates and thoughts about this and that.

ps. i have added new items to my Etsy store. Stop by and take a look. I'll be adding Holiday cards and more yoga accessories soon! xoxox- jenni

This the BEST THING on the internets today!

So I have to give all of the credit to Mister on this one. He discovered this little gem and now we're both addicted. What we have here is FREE, open-source, public domain video of...well...everything!


Mostly vintage television, ads, cartoons, tv series, ect. It's amazing. Available for download with Quicktime at 2.3 MB, 533 KB and 238 KB, you can make DVD's of quirky ads and TV shows. A fun gift for a retro enthusiast or a great avant garde movie reel to play at parties (at least that's what I'm gonna do with mine)

Thanks Mister!

Click here to Visit Archive.org

xoxo- jenni

Powered by ScribeFire.

Different Strokes...

It would seem that there are some mixed reviews regarding our house on the AT tour and I think that's great!

I didn't expect that everyone would love our place. Nor did I expect Better Homes and Gardens to hand us any awards. I expected criticism. I invited criticism by opening our doors to the public at large.

The point of posting our home was to share a house you just don't see everyday. Good bad or ugly, it's a one of a kind.

That being said...I love our house. I LOVE our house. Every item, every detail, every corner of our, yes, I'll say it, HUGE house, makes me happy. Every weird object reminds me of a great day that Mister and I spent rummaging around in the heat and dirt and dust at a mid-september flea market. Every room holds memories, and not just ours, but the memories of the owners before us. Our collection of castoff family albums are as loved by us as they were by their first owners. I get giddy thinking about the trip we took to St. Louis where Jeff uncovered this little trophy.


Things like this a 100 other oddities make this our home and I wouldn't change a thing. As requested, I am attaching some pictures of the exterior a couple more interior shots. Thanks for reading, and thanks for sharing your opinions. It's been a great experience. xoxox- jenni

Front Exterior

Front Walkway with newly planted specimen garden and Johnny Cash

Backyard view of the Half-Circle

The square glass enclosure to the right of the tree trunk
is the sunroom complete with 1970's terra cotta orange hot tub

Carpet around the fireplace serves a functional purpose.

Johnny Cash and June Carter love it!

I call this the Natural History Museum. It's the landing on the
second floor and it's full of bad taxidermy, old photos and books.

Are We Famous Yet?

After nearly a year in the making, the BIG Day is finally here! As some of you may know, Mister and I have been eagerly awaiting the AT Home tour of our house to be published on the AT Home website. Well today is the day! Please take a tour of our lovely home at AT Home. Leave a comment, or not, that's ok too. We promise to return your calls and emails even after we become one of Oprah's Favorite Things!

xoxox- jenni

P.S. Vanity compels me to mention that the family photo at the end of the tour was taken the day I came down with a monster cold that morphed into pneumonia several weeks later. Hence my lack-luster pose and demeanor. Lucky for me I have such a handsome husband and lovely dogs.

view of the diningroom, livingroom, kitchen, fireplace....