Why Knot: November 2011

Thanksgiving Crafts!

Just when you thought the Thanksgiving posts were over,

BAM I come back to show you more! ;)

I did some little art projects while I was home for Thanksgiving!

It was so fun to finally try out some of the beautiful things I've

seen on Pinterest. Here are some of my projects:

Candy turkey. Everybody thought he was fake

but I quickly told them that he was completely

edible and quite delicious... so eat up!

I cut the middle out of those adorable mini pumpkins

you see all around during Halloween and we put a votive

candle inside. They were stunning when they were lit. We also

used the pumpkins as place settings for everyone.

I love these hurricane vases we have at home and once I saw

a picture of this popcorn kernel, red beans, and split peas

combination I knew we had to try it! So we went to

Winco and stocked up and wa-la! So Fall-y!

What crafts did you do to prepare for your Thanksgiving feast?

Disney

I know I've said this probably a bajillion times before, but I just adore

anything Disney. I can't even accurately put into words how much I love

everything that has anything to do with Disney or Disneyland. It kind of

feels like the child-like feeling you'd get on Christmas Eve or when you

know something really special is about to happen. (Which, let's be real, I

still get that feeling on Christmas Eve too) Like my heart is so full that

it could just burst. I think it has something to do with the fact that

Disney has always given me hope. And I believe there is nothing as powerful

as hope or love.

Then this show comes along and just steals my heart. It's

everything I've ever wanted in a show. Once Upon a Time

leaves me enchanted each week. And plus, I think Ginnifer Goodwin

and I are meant to be friends because we both adore Disney. I mean,

look at her and Josh Dallas (Prince Charming) on the Dumbo ride

in Disneyland! (Which I totally think they should get together in real life

but who am I to butt in like that? ;) ) I just literally spent 2 hours

looking up spoilers or anything on the show because I'm that obsessed.

Does Disney give you that same feeling? If not, what does?

Thanksgiving to me is the beginning of the Christmas season and makes us all pause and reflect upon what we are thankful for before the business of Christmas comes. (So it kind of annoys me when people say I'm overlooking T-giving by listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies-no, no I'm not overlooking T-giving. Thank you) Being back home with my family was exactly what I needed. And being back at school isn't too bad since I'll be heading home in less than 3 weeks.

The pictures above are the highlights of my week.

1. Sisters in Half Moon Bay with dad's side of the family

2. Twirling in my Thanksgiving dress.

3. Picking up the best friend at her college!

4. Photoshoot with the little sistor next to the gorgeous trees.

5. Me and my new buddy- Mr. Pumpkin Head man. We got along great.

Hope your weekend was joyous and loving!

This Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, I am so thankful.

Thankful for beautiful people in my life like my crazy

family (pictured above). These people light up my life and

without them, boy would I be lost!

After dinner, we all decided the best way to work off

a big turkey meal was to run outside with the camera,

take jumping pictures (all of them didn't really come out)

and toss around a football in the pitch black.

It's good to be home.

Thanksgiving

i knew this break was needed but i guess i didn't know how much.

being at home, currently watching Love Actually with my mom and sister, and prepping the house for Thanksgiving, makes me realize how blessed i am. which i guess is the point of thanksgiving. most of the time i overlook this holiday and just think about the food (oh! the food!) when that's not what it's about at all. to me, it's about sharing that delicious food with the people you absolutely love and can't live without. :)

i've been doing a lot of thinking and i've discovered that i may not know where i'll be in 2 years and i may be ok with that. may be. the planner in me is hyperventilating a little bit but i figure it'll all be alright. i have my family behind me, friends next to me, and a future in front of me.

what more can a girl be thankful for this thanksgiving?

photo taken at Sonoma State by moi. The trees in California are unreal right now.

Home is Where the Heart Is

One thing I miss the most about being home is all the fresh fruit.

My dad always had fresh fruit out on the counter ready for us

to munch on in the mornings. So what did I ask for when he asked what

I wanted for breakfast? Well fruit of course! So he made me a delicious

fruit salad. :)

Being back at home, sitting on my new bed in my new room

(I got moved out of "my room" and put into my sisters old

room) brings back so many wonderful memories. And all this

food in the house and hot cider on my beck and call is too good

to be true. I am one happy girl. Today we are going to Apple Hill

and I'll definitely be taking some pictures. And later in the week

we are going furniture shopping for my new room!!!

I also got a TOMS magazine in the mail! I had never received one before

and loved looking at all the TOMS I wish I could have. :)

Also, my sister is the fairy godmother in my old high school's

production of Cinderella and I get to see her perform tonight!

So giddy!!!

I hope you have a blessed weekend! What plans do you have?

A Quote a Day...

Photo: here

"She tells me she wants to be a raindrop.

She doesn't mind falling,

as long as she's not alone."

-unknown

(if you do know who this is from,

please tell me! I found it off of tumblr.)

Inspiration

As you may well know, or maybe not, I am on the 7-8 year

journey of becoming a Speech Pathologist. (And that's if everything

goes smoothly!) It can seem daunting because I'm a wee little freshman

and have so much ahead of me, but then I gain some inspiration.

Last year it was because of The King's Speech that I reconfirmed my

need to continue this journey and then today, this re-confirmation

happened again when I watched the Gabby Giffords story on ABC.

If you don't know who Gabby Giffords is, she is the congresswomen

who was shot on January 8th at a Safeway in Tucson. (Yep, right where I

now live.) Since then, she has fought tirelessly to regain strength,

the ability to talk, walk, and breathe on her own. She is a signal

of inspiration for all, especially here in Tucson. It's no surprise to see a

"We Love Gabby" sign up on a random billboard.

After watching her story, and wiping away a few tears,

I was enamored. I was also struck by how brave her husband

(astronaut Mark Kelly) and Gabby were. If you haven't watched

the special, it's online at abc.com and I would definitely recommend it.

Because Gabby is an Arizona congresswomen and has lived in Tucson

all her life, the UA is a strong supporter of her and her family.

On December 6th, Mark Kelly is coming to give a talk at the UA

and I got tickets! I am so excited to hear his talk and to gain

even more insight into her wonderful and beautiful story.

For Your Entertainment

I love finding great voices. Those kind of voices

that make you stop and go,"Wow! God gave them an

amazing gift." I thought I'd share these voices with you.

So sit back, grab something unhealthy, and enjoy!

This here is Hunter Hayes and his voice makes me weak at the knees.

He should make it far. Or else I may throw a fit. :)

Then there's this boy. Ronan Parke.

My Lord this boy has talent coming out of his ears!

With a voice like that... well I don't even know.

What are some voices you're loving lately?

As Monday Rolls Around

Happy Monday!

I am finally going home on Friday and so

this week I am determined to be happy and uplifting!

I got a lot of homework completed over this long weekend

so it shouldn't be too hard. :)
These next two images have been on my desktop for sometime

and they just make me SO happy.
.

a) I love Friends. I especially love Joey. So this littlescene capture right here is just perfect. Plus it's adorable

b) Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I love him. I love his acting,his persona, and he seems like he would be pretty nifty in person as well. He just has that cool factor ya know? And then there's this picture... just too good. :)

marry me?

Have a wonderful day!

New Blog Header!

Hey errybody!

Happy Saturday to you, and you, and you.

I have a lovely day of essay writing ahead of me

with some Target travels as well (we are taking the bus

so fingers crossed we get there safely ;) ). I just thought I'd

drop by and announce

my new blog header!

thanks to the lovely Lula over at Lollapalooza for

making it for me. :)

What do you think?

Do you ever feel...

photo: tumblr

do you ever feel like your heart is so full?

so full that you almost feel as if you can't breathe.

but it's not a concerning feeling, it's freeing.

you walk around just beaming because you don't know any better.

this happiness surrounds you and your heart almost can't take it.

that's how i feel.

A letter for Tuesday

Dear Tuesday,

I wore these shoes today to brighten and sparkle this crazy day that was coming up. Normally, you are wonderful to me. I get off at noon and the rest of the day is ours. But today, not so much. All I've wanted to do is cuddle into bed and ignore the craziness of today and this week. But that's unrealistic. I guess I'll have to face you either way. Between classes, meetings, shots, last time to meet up with a friend, studying and a small group dinner tonight, I don't know how I'll manage. Maybe next week we can cool it down a bit?

But if not, I'll still wear my sparkly TOMS again to brighten you up.

Sincerely,

Allie

Blessed

Yesterday, I came home to a lovely surprise...

Someone had put this little note in my mailbox! I was dying to

know who this mystery person and started asking around.

Come to find out, it was one of my roommates! How sweet

right?

She knew I was feeling a little down about grades (the smart

comment) and needed some encouragement so she chose a surprise

note. It immediately made me feel uplifted and I was so grateful!

Friends like these are hard to come by. Every day I thank God for

the beautiful people He put in my life. I know the whole roommate

situation could have gone in a completely different situation. :)

I hope you have people in your life that build you up as well!

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was pretty wonderful. So I thought I would

share some tidbits with you. :)

On Friday:

roasted smores for the first time in Arizona.

Plus, it was blustery and cold outside for the first time

this fall!

Drank hot cocoa with a candy cane out of a mug and it

reminded me of home. Oh home, I miss you.

Some more fire pit action. I love how this one looks like

twinkly lights.

On Saturday:

went to the homecoming football game with my roommates.

We lost (surprise, surprise) but it was still a blast. Afterwards,

I went and saw Friends with Benefits with some other friends.

Sunday:

I had two masses to go to, some yoga, and Once Upon a Time

was on. That day was swell as well. :) See what I did there?

I rhymed.

How was your weekend?

I have found

photo: here

that oftentimes sadness creeps in.

and usually we allow it to.

we allow this dark creature into our brains

into our hearts without a fight.

but i've also found that if we try,

sadness can be pushed back.

it can be taken by surprise

and transported far far away.

all that's required is the company

of friends to remind us to smile,

a book that's a favorite, or simply

stepping outside.

smell the air and watch the trees dance

and show sadness it's not needed here.

it's truly as simple as that.

It's Those Little Things

"When we're together, every day is a snow day."

Love it.

I know I probably say it a lot, but those little moments are the best.

The fact that I got my first Christmas cup of the season put a huge

smile on my face today. Oh, and I went on Facebook for the first time

since Sunday and you know what, I realized I don't need it. I can breathe

just fine without it. I was on for maybe 5 minutes, realized I was bored, and

went back off.

I'm feeling good my friends. November has been good thus far. :)

How have the first 3 days of November been treating you?

Hello November

i'm a big fan of november, december and january. these next three months bring a sparkle to my eye and make me happy just thinking about them. the beginning of november brings so much promise that i can't help but be happy. plus, i'm going home this month. (this is where i am jumping for joy and screaming like buddy the elf when he sees santa.)

it's something about those colder days and holidays. about the crunch of a leaf and having a month where you are reminded to be thankful. about Starbucks christmas cups and hot cocoa around the fire. i love it all.