Busy, busy bookends

It's been a crazy month. A month so jam packed with adventures and celebrations and very little time to reflect on the fun. Our lovely weekends.... sweet little bookends which flank the hustle and bustle of the work week have been so full . So..I apologize for the absence. There is so much I wish to share lately and no time to do it. Adventures to reflect upon, recipes to share, crafty ideas to relay, holiday decorating thoughts and much more. Not even sure where to begin but I guess I'll start with what's been keeping me so darn busy.

A mom and daughter weekend in Sonoma

I am blessed with a mom who loves traditions. Last year we inadvertently created a new one. My mom had booked a weekend in Sonoma for she and my dad but at the last minute my dad was unable to go. So..she called me up and before she could even get the words out I was volunteering to take his place. She really only had to say one word..Sonoma. I was sold. We had so much fun that we decided this should most definitely be a yearly tradition. So, off we went for our 2nd annual Sonoma trip. Stayed at the most adorable bed and breakfast. Check it out here. If you're thinking of making a trip to wine country and like to cook this is definitely your

place.

We took a pumpkin Harvest cooking class this time and this pumpkin loving girl was quite happy. All of the recipes incorporated pumpkin in one way or another. Pureed pumpkin, sauteed pumpkin, baked pumpkin.. etc. We were assigned to the pumpkin cookie team. "It's really hard to mess up cookies," we said as we began mixing our ingredients together. Well..apparently it's not that hard. The chef wasn't too happy when she saw the slightly burnt, overly crispy cookies being pulled from the oven. She also didn't seem too pleased to see us hunched over the oven laughing uncontrollably because only we could somehow manage to mess up cookies. ( promise to share some of the recipes soon.)

We ate at Michael Chiarello's (from the food network) restaurant and were surprised to see that he was actually there! My mom was slightly starstruck and her weekend was complete when he signed her cookbook!!

We polished off the weekend with some bubbly at Gloria Ferrer and toasted to a wonderful weekend and of course our new found tradition.

And I made sure to take in this moment because I realize that it's moments like these that I will look back on 20 years from now and smile. Precious moments spent with not only my mom but my best friend. Thank you mom for being you and for laughing with me over burnt cookies. :)

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This past weekend had us in North Carolina for my dear friend Brin's wedding. I was so honored to be a bridesmaid. Brin and her new hubby were married in a gorgeous little cathedral in downtown Raleigh. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a beautiful friend. One of those rare gems who is just as beautiful on the inside as she appears on the outside. Congrats miss Brinny! Wishing you and Brent all of the happiness in the world.

She made an incredibly beautiful bride!

Well.. Thanksgiving preparations await. Attempting my first homemade pie crust today. Wish me luck!

xo