Girls Night: November

This past week I hosted Girls Night at my house. We were excited to have back our missing member, A. ! A . and her husband moved across the country last spring and were home for the Thanksgiving holidays. As usual there was a lot of eating and laughing.

I decided on a craft idea inspired by some photos of table settings in the fall Pottery Barn catalogue.

The girls could decorate their glass candle holders (from the dollar store) with jute, brown ribbon, fresh cranberries, and hazlenuts or almonds.

I also bought rhinestones thinking that it would look stunning to use as an initial over the ribbon/ glass, but the girls were into the rustic look vs. the glam look, and I think their candle holders turned out great, don't you?

I didn't make one b/c I was on baby-holding duty. Somehow a baby and a glue gun just don't seem to go together, but maybe it's just me. A. was kind enough to give me her beautiful creations b/c she wasn't going to lug them back on the plane with her. The night was the perfect jumpstart to the holiday week.

***

I can't wait for our next Girls Night (even though we will be missing A.!); I'm hoping we continue with the Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange. I spend months training for this event. I toil for countless days in the field researching the best recipes. I talk for hours with other bakers about the appropriate cooking times for each cookie. I plan and list chilling times, baking times, cooling times. I work up a sweat doing short sprints between the refrigerator and the counter. I work on leg squats by the oven door, pulling out the cookie sheets and working my triceps and biceps all while the kitchen timer relentlessly ticks the seconds away. When all the prepwork is finished I'm finally ready for the big event. And although the cookies are swapped and supposed to be given to friends, family and neighbors as gifts, I usually have to try all the different kinds. Only to maintain quality control, of course. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if the cookies weren't up to the proper standards. So, if that means I have to eat a cookie or two--or twelve--so be it!