I'm going to try to update this post in the morning with captions and an Amerisleep mattress review video, just in time a little late for Amerisleep's Black Friday mattress sale. (The video is currently uploading...just like it was an hour ago. Is there a faster way to upload videos to websites that I don't know about?) There's an Amerisleep promo code at the bottom of this post which will save you $250 on any size Amerisleep mattress, BTW.

Our first time hosting Thanksgiving was a success! I am stuffed and exhausted. Goodnight, fabulous blog readers.

Sexy Nerd built each of these 8 Moravian star lights himself. He still needs to add the points on the bottom of each pendant and get the artwork attached to the wall, but you get the idea. It's all coming together.
These lights were installed at the last moment before guests arrived and were not intended to be permanent. I think I like them though. With the outdoor bench (a housewarming present from my parents), bark-…

We have no furniture, no bathroom mirrors, and no common sense - we're hosting Thanksgiving this year! Despite a To Do list ten miles long, I'm pretty certain this is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever.

Okay, I briefly wavered on this earlier, when my Martha Stewart-ish mom lectured me about all the things that could (will) go wrong and how I'll surely ruin the holiday for everyone and "you are going to regret it for the rest of your life" (her exact words!), but time has passed and I'm back to feeling confident. Best. Thanksgiving. Ever.

Plus, I'm now determined to knock her judgemental socks off.


We're going to have the cutest table decor in the history of Thanksgiving. Even better? It's so easy and you surely have everything you need to make it right this very second.

DIY Thanksgiving Centerpiece and Fall Decor

Step 1:

Gather a glass or two or a dozen. Matching is fine. Mixed is fine.

The Martha Stewart gene skips a generation.

We received …

This is a repost because I'm crazy busy getting our new house set up to host Thanksgiving for a million people. We're so busy, we even have 2 brand-new Amerisleep mattresses sitting in their boxes while we sleep on the floor! We don't have anywhere to sit, even for only the 2 of us, and that's apparently not going to change anytime soon, as SN insists he's going to build all of the furniture himself, sofas and all. Yes, he is insane. There is a checklist of "must do" items before everyone comes over next week and I'm told none of them are going to happen. A place to sit? There's simply no time for that. Setting up a big sink and a pegboard wall in the garage? Top priority...though admittedly one that does not affect our soon-to-arrive guests in any way.

Gee, the ramblings above could have become their very own blog post.

*****
We've all had harmless fun teasing the ridiculous things Sexy Nerd says on this blog. (Extra emphasis on harmless, les…

What's the best park in London?

Of all the parks I visited during our May trip to London (and since I was paying a ridiculous $45 or so per day to travel to and from Reading, you can bet I crammed in as many parks as possible!), my favorite was Golders Hill Park in Hampstead Heath. For me, it beat my visit to Central Park in New York, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and all of the parks I've been to in Australia, Seychelles, Paris, Canada, and Mexico. Basically, Golders Hill Park is the best park IN THE WORLD!

There's a free zoo, homemade ice cream, bridges to run across, a pond where you can feed the ducks, grassy hills, a stumpery (yes, a stumpery!), statues, trails for hiking, deer, and all sorts of other outdoor awesomeness.

While I was photographing all the flowers, a little old man came up to me. He seemed very excited and said, in a cute little old man voice, "Isn't nature beautiful? I've got one here in my hand." Truth be told, I was a bit app…