happy december

That time of year is here. Baby It's Cold Outside and Silent Night play in my apartment and a candle tries to make me believe that I have a tree in my living room. As I wish for peace on earth and goodwill to men, here are just a few things that I have come across in my daily footprint around the city that might just be the perfect gift for those special people in your life, including yourself. 

This iPad 2 case comes in 5 colors...people will think you are writing lengthy prose
 in your notebook instead of surfing J.Crew.com
J.Crew DODOcase for the iPad 2

If you are having difficulty reading this, then you need one of these for your new specs
(along with an appointment with your eye doctor)
Smathers & Branson Needlepoint Eyeglass Case

A little bling to add to the twinkling lights, these will make any outfit holiday ready
Asha by ADM Isis Earrings

For those friends & family with BIG ideas, a great stocking stuffer
Extra large sticky notes from Poppin

Donate, Shop or Dine through GoodSearch and they will donate to your favorite charity without any extra cost to you
Try GoodSearch & GoodShop this Christmas and give a whole lot more than your purchase

For the hostess with the mostest, this is a complete guide to entertaining
Martha's Entertaining

thanksgiving

I am thankful for the day, for the moment, for the now. May the blessings of love surround and keep you always. Happy Thanksgiving.

talk

Protests and occupying have my head spinning. The news is flooded with comments from every side, the streets are angry with signs bobbing and words shouting. I am still trying to figure out what is being accomplished, other than placing blame. I live each day with family and friends who support me, a home to keep me warm and the right to write this blog. But I wake up each morning with a choice: to be my own opportunity or my own enemy. If we believe in something, we are allowed to tell everyone from City Hall to the cat next door. But what is even more powerful is if we live our truth. Yelling a cause only makes noise and disruption only adds to the anger. We live in a turbulent time globally and nationally, economically and politically, with everyone pointing the finger at someone else. We need hope. Each one of us has the power to contribute. Enough talking. Let's leave the road blocks for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

"At the end of the day - whether you are a president, senator, mayor or on the steering committee of your local Occupy Wall Street- someone needs to meld those ideas into a vision of how to move forward, sculpt them into policies that can make difference in peoples' lives and then build a majority to deliver on them. Those are called leaders. And, today, across the globe and across all political systems, leader are in dangerously short supply." - Tom Friedman for The New York Times, read the full column here.

building blocks

I recently came across these blocks through a friend of my sisters who started the company. Walking by a toy store, I saw them in the window and I had to see for myself. Tegu is a different kind of building block. Old fashioned wood married with a magnetic core, the result yields towering castles or modest chalets  to come to life. And while you build yourself a house, you give children in Honduras the gift of education. Tegu inspires all of us to think outside of the box, building imagination with creative play. I think I might have to get myself some to put on my desk - just in case I need to be a kid for few minutes. 

fall in central park

11-11-11

Some say cursed. Some say lucky. I say 6 flags in a row, waving for our troops. Those who protected, those who protect and those who will protect, you are in our prayers and thoughts always. Thank you for your service.

remembering in person

I experienced the 9/11 Memorial last week. Past Occupy Wall Street, a pathetic vision comparatively, we made our way through the extensive maze of gates, checkpoints and construction with virtually no lines. The way they have designed the experience is brilliant, limiting crowds by requiring advanced ticket reservations. The effect allows for the eye to skim the horizon, to wander among the alley of trees and trace your finger over the names of the remembered. There is hope there. Hope for today. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for understanding. Hope for accepting each other as one.