SweetGirlSmirk

With the holidays approaching, I wanted to throw a new movie poll out there. What are your three favorite holiday movies? It is much harder to answer than it looks, there are just so many great ones out there. Respond in the comments or on facebook at   https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyWallsArtAndDesign  or on  twitter @kimmayj ! I will post the results on Sunday Dec. 2nd.

I know it is said every year, but this year is flying by! December is quickly approaching, and there are so many things to be done. Holidays simply do not appear on their own (well, they do, but they are quite boring without a few embellishments) and the clock is ticking. Over the next few weeks I will posting staycation ideas, drinks (with and without alcohol), cookie recipes, holiday entertainment, celebrations, and ways to survive winter. I look forward to the approaching season, and hope you do as well. In the meantime, here is a quote to make you smile and get you through the quickly moving day. How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. Its December before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon? -Dr. Seuss Tip to survive the holiday season: Write it down! Write down everything that you may possibly need to do and organize in the order they must be done. But please, take the time to breathe. The joy is not the a...

My favorite part of Thanksgiving, besides a third helping of stuffing and sweet potatoes, is the parade. Every morning growing up we would have a brunch of cinnamon rolls, eggs and bacon, pickles, cheese and crackers and flip between the Macy's parade and Philadelphia parade on tv. It was not Thanksgiving without the balloons and Christmas could not start until Santa arrived. I still tear up when I first see the sleigh! The parades are an American tradition. We would not have had  Miracle on 34th Street  without the Macy's parade. The Rockettes dazzle, and everyone secretly hopes for a wayward balloon to come down and cause a few laughs. The first Thanksgiving parade was in 1920 in Philadelphia, PA and continues to go strong until this day. Being from the Philadelphia area, I could not imagine a Thanksgiving morning without Major Drumstick and the Art Museum steps. Even if we are not lucky enough to be in New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, or another town with this tradit...

November is the month to entertain. We all have Thanksgiving dinner, cocktail parties, and dinner gatherings to attend. This month, in honor of the kick-off of dinner party season, I offer the Gold Standard playlist. Those songs that will be loved by any crowd and provide a perfect backdrop to  crudités  and wine. The selected tunes are great for those nights where Christmas music isn't quite what you are looking for. Personally, I love to blast My Way in the car when I need a bit of self-empowerment. You can never go wrong with Frank. Some songs may be familiar, but they should never be forgotten, and are always appropriate. Frank Sinatra- Fly Me to the Moon Frank Sinatra- My Way Dean Martin- Ain't That a Kick in the Head Etta James- Stormy Weather Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong- Dream a Little Dream of Me Doris Day- Que Sera Sera Etta James- All I Could Do Was Cry Louis Armstrong- What a Wonderful World Frank Sinatra- As Time Goes By Bobby Darin- Mack th...

Thanksgiving week is upon us. We are busy getting the house perfect for the family that is coming to visit, stressing if the in-laws won't scoff at the turkey or the linens, running around every store in town for that elusive ingredient, or preparing how to passive aggressively tell Aunt Jane to stop asking when you will find the right one. Sometimes in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, we forget the true meaning of the day. It is not to quarrel with family or show off your gourmet skills, but hold hands and express why we are happy to have the ability to gather around the table. In the words of the great Ralph Waldo Emerson : For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. For the host: Family might be a bit overbearing, but they care. Your in-laws just love their child so  much that they want their partner to be perfect. Your food will be fine. Just cook it ...

Is it really time to stress Christmas cards? Yes. Yes, it is. Well, no, if you are going to go to the store, pick up some pre-fab thing, sign your name, and send them on their way. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Most people probably don't even look at what the card actually says, they are just happy that you didn't forget/ignore them this year. I may be neurotic, but I know when I don't get a card from someone, but other people do, I feel slighted. (Please let me know I am not crazy...) Okay, to stay on track- BUT, if you are trying to send cards that make someone think, "WOW!!!!" then you better get on it. With Thanksgiving looming, there are only a few good weeks left in order for your friends/relatives/people you play nice with to receive their card by the day after New Years. For the past several years I have opted with the photo card. It lets people who don't live nearby and don't have Facebook see my family's smiling faces. Just,...

Thanksgiving dinners take 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. -Erma Bombeck I, for one, think Thanksgiving is one of the best days of the year. My 11pm "second dinner" plate is most likely  bigger than my actual dinner plate, and I am not ashamed. With a week to go, preparations are in full swing. Menus are flying around google docs, vegetables are being hoarded, place cards are being designed. We are aflutter with musings of the parade floats and brunch. What are you doing to prepare for the holiday next week? Tip: for easy name "cards" that give a beautiful touch, your guests a flattering glow, and takes care of leftover mini pumpkins, take mini pumpkins (the ones that fit in your hand) and circle out the top so a small tealight fits inside. Then scrawl the guests name on the side with a glittery calligraphy pen, place next to their glass, and ta-da!

It seems as if mega-stores are taking over the world. A plethora products, bright lights, and low prices make it hard to compete. Yet, where is the soul? Where is the craft? Where is the customer service. November 24th is a day to celebrate the upstart, the ma and pop, the good ol' days. It is deemed by (ironically) American Express to be Small Business Saturday. The day after rummaging through big box stores on Black Friday, round out your shopping by spreading your dollars to the entrepreneur. The  Facebook page  gives a lot of information on this celebration of the way things once were. But, why wait for one day? Why not do this everyday? Instead of buying pieces everyone has, because well everyone goes to the same big store, go to small shops and find unique items? Buying small does not just bring business to local economies, but helps support craft. As an artist, I rely on sales at my Zazzle and my Etsy storefronts and personal buyers. So, think outsi...

During November I have two rules that I live by. 1)Calories- learn moderation so feeling satiated by pumpkin pie doesn't turn into needing a whole new (bigger) wardrobe for Christmas. 2) Absolutely no Christmas ANYTHING is to be seen, heard, or consumed until Santa climbs the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Yet, a little something caught my eye that has had me rethinking this game plan.   Yes, Hood makes pumpkin egg nog! This is too delicious for words. It is like drinking a pumpkin pie. At 180 calories per 4 ounces, it definitely challenges rule number 1. Yet, I find one 4 ounce serving per day is not going to kill my waist line, and just gives me a bigger appreciation for a salad for lunch. Now, egg nog is undeniably a Christmas treat. So, it is breaking rule 2. But, wait, pumpkin is a fall flavor! So, indulge and sleep soundly knowing that you have not bought into the commercial ideal that the day after Halloween is suddenly Christmas Eve.