Monday, December 7, 2009

Bay Beautiful Bay

I've found myself another absolute favorite!

I've been hinting to the hubs to get this for me for my Christmas decorating.

I keep telling him it'll last forever and isn't just for Christmas. So far he is putting up a front that he isn't going to get it for me but we shall see.....

What is it you ask?

drum roll please....



It's a fresh Bay Leaf Wreath from William Sonoma!

Isn't it perfect for me....I'm mean really isn't it?

They come in two sizes


22"
AND


15"

I personally like the bigger one. Plus, get this, since they are fresh you can use them for your holiday cooking. Just pluck a leaf off of the wreath (from the back honey....) and it's ready for use. Fresh Bay for your soups or stews or what-have-you. Then as it dries out, you have dried Bay Leaves. Do you know how much Bay is at the store? Do you? Well, this much Bay would cost wayyyy more than 30-60 bucks. For sure....

And really the price is right, the 22" is $59.95 and the 15" is only $29.95.

I can see this hanging at my kitchen window from a beautiful ribbon.

Not only is it beautiful but so super useful! I mean who couldn't use a Bay Leaf Wreath, right?

Simply Bay's Place sure could use a fresh Bay Leaf Wreath.

A Marriage made in Heaven.....

Enjoy!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes....

It's a beautiful snowy day here in Colorado and I'm in love.

Not only am I in love with the wintry white gorgeousness that is happening right outside my window but I'm in love with this:



Origins Ginger Essence™


My wonderfully sweet sister remembered me oohing and ahhing over it when we were shopping last week and bought me not only the perfume but body butter, scrub,body wash and a roller ball perfume for my purse. Lucky me! (It was my birthday but she went all out and gave me the sweetest card~it made me cry...)

Now, I'm not much of a musky, rich, citrusy, heavy, scented girl.

I love me some light, flower-ish, breathy scents. I adore LOVELY by SJP!

But this sensuous skin scent (that's what Origins calls it- and they're right) is just plain perfect. Fresh, earthy, and light. Listen to their description, or I guess READ their description....sometimes it seems like I'm chatting and forget that you are reading ;)

Ancient Chinese tradition holds that where there's yin, there must be yang. And so the fragrant fire of spicy Ginger is balanced by the refreshing zeal of Bergamot, Lemon and Lime to create a sensuous synergy between warm and cool, energy and calm, tempest and tranquility. Skin is surrounded in an enticing aroma that's impossible to resist.

I love the scent. It makes me smile and puts some spring in my step but calms me at the same time! Yes, it is that wonderful.

So, speaking of favorites....were we speaking of favorites?

Oh yes, that's right I was headed there but only made it past the title....

I was singing some Christmas tunes the other day and found myself singing one of my all time favorite songs EVER, albeit not a Christmas tune.

My Favorite Things. You know, The Sound of Music. It's thundering outside and Julie Andrews sings of raindrops on roses and brown paper packages.

I started thinking of all the things she sings about.

All classic lovely little things.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with string

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudel
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into spring

Who would have known that all these things would make such an impression on my life. I was just a little girl spinning around in circles singing this song over and over.

Now I'm a woman who loves simple brown packages, copper kettles, sleigh bells, white horses, raindrops on any kind of flower, and well....schnitzel. I love me some schnitzel with spaetzel....But let's not go down that road.

Anyway....

I was thinking about simple lovely things and how wrapped up we can all get around Christmas time.

Christmas isn't about lists of what YOU want. It isn't about finding THE gift for the kiddos. It isn't even about gift giving and receiving.

It's about faith and hope and love.
It's about family and friends and neighbors.
And it's about helping people, giving of yourself, and listening to your heart.

Christmas in our house going to be a simple one.

Simple but lovely.

And that's o.k. Actually it's better than o.k. It's perfect. It's really the way it should be.

So, since I'm listening to my heart and I've seen some amazing stuff in the last couple of weeks. Each week of the month of December I'm going to share some of my favorite things.

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I will! Now go check out that perfume. I promise you won't be let down. Simple divine!