I had the most amazing meeting this week with the creative force behind the company Prismera--a jewelry, stationary and beyond collection that is both beautiful and original. 

The company's founder, Laura Su, designs everything she creates. So you know you're getting an original piece of art work...no copying or stock patterns here. Su graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration--and if you know anything about RISD, then you know it's one of the best art schools in the world with amazing alumni.

Su's vision:

"The word 'Prismera' comes from a combination of prism and chimera. This company was created so that I could carve a place for myself in the world. A place to design, to dream, and to do good. The motivating force that was behind the formation of Prismera Design may have been a bit grand but simply put, this girl just wants to create beautiful things.

The work that I create is traditionally influenced but crafted in a modern style. My design philosophy is based on versatility, comfort, and sustainability. I'm most often influenced by the natural world, the Craft Revolution, ancient ornamental and decorative arts and Art Nouveau.

I think her designs make the perfect gift for any occasion--and especially during the holiday season. Here are a few of my favorite items AND they all retail for $75 or under! 

Cereus earrings, $66

Kalinda Necklace, $75

Heart postcards, $3-$15 (single or 6)

AND....if you are looking for something EXTRA special. Su creates custom portraits! You simply send her a photo and she works her magic. Look at the example below...AMAZING! I have to get one!

Custom Portrait (11x14), $150

Happy Shopping/Gifting!

This year, I'm particularly thrilled because my entire (gigantic) extended family (on my mother's side) is going to be celebrating Thanksgiving together - dozens of aunts and uncles and cousins and even a few new babies that have arrived this year are all flying down to Florida, and my mother (being the saint that she is) is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for 40 people at my parents house. You heard me - 40 people. 

Clearly, Thanksgiving is going to be a bit different this year! We normally break out the "good china" and all gather around the dining table for a delicious homemade meal. I think the biggest it's ever gotten is 13 guests - and even then we needed a separate "kids table" to fit everyone. It's going to take over 5 dining tables to seat everyone this year - and about a hundred pounds of food - so we're going to mix it up. We'll have some (rented) tables set up outside in the backyard (I'm thankful for warm Florida weather!) and some tables inside. The food will be served buffet-style, and we'll skip the good china since we clearly don't have 40 place settings of that. We won't fret over place cards and elaborate centerpieces - though I'm sure we'll have fun with some autumnal flowers here and there. 

Even though my incredible mother is capable of cooking for 40 people (she actually used to have her own catering business), there's no way in heck any of us want her to have to do that for us and on a Holiday. This year, Thanksgiving is all about spending time with each other and enjoying this rare occasion when we'll all be in one place. So we're encouraging a semi-homemade Thanksgiving - and I think this is a concept to be embraced whether you're having 4 or 40 people to the house.

Two years ago I cooked my own Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in my adult life (see my very full plate pictured below - I was so proud). Stuck in a small NYC apartment and unable to travel home to be with family, my boyfriend and I did a fun little Turkey dinner for two. I "cheated" and got the Turkey ready-made from Whole Foods (a genius idea if you ask me - since the bird takes forever to cook!) and made my favorite 6 or 7 sides from scratch (the sides are my favorite anyways; I made WAY too much). The highlight was the stuffing - my mother's recipe, of course - and this year that's definitely staying on the No Cheating list. 

We've pretty much got it all mapped out at this point - and will start prepping and cooking things this weekend. I've been given the happy task of picking up all the wine (with help from the boyfriend, who is very good at choosing wine - again, something to be thankful for!). This is an important job - with 40 relatives all under one roof, running out of vino is simply not an option. 

The homemade cranberry chutney was made this week and put into jars, several of us will help with the stuffing the day before, and we'll make some of our favorite sides - roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole - the day of, with help from my aunts and cousins. The rest has been ordered from a local market that does catering - mashed potatoes, turkey, carrots, extra stuffing, and pies galore. I think this approach - mixing some homemade favorites (that we can't live without) with some go-to dishes in large portions via catering - is something we're all going to be thankful for. 

I've always been fascinated and amazed by the thought that on this one night, millions of Americans are sitting down to eat the exact same meal, all over the country. 

I'm curious - how do you plan to spend Thanksgiving? I hope you're able to be with family and/or loved ones, and I hope you'll enjoy a delicious meal - whether it's homemade, store-bought, or a combination of the two. 

Stay tuned for more updates from the trenches as I embark on this Family Reunion Thanksgiving bonanza...and do please let me know if you've survived a similarly large holiday gathering before!

In the meantime, check out some very helpful Thanksgiving guides here - they're sure to help get you through the Holiday without losing your mind. There are time-saving recipes, gorgeous table settings on a budget, and even tips on how to deal with difficult relatives. 

The other big plot event was the beginning of the custody battle with the Twins. I wasn’t surprised—it was obvious that’s what they were trying to do from the moment Eve’s sickness came to light. And I sensed that something with the cousin was going to come back to haunt Denny, but I can’t believe how far they took it. I do feel like Enzo gets a little lost in this section, because the story does need to move on, so I was missing his wit just a little bit. But there continued to be some great nuggets of wisdom. Do you agree?

The book’s metaphor for life as a race is explored more here. Enzo drives home the point that it’s the one that drives smart, not fast, who “wins” in the end. But what is winning? In this case, custody for Zoe. But is there always a prize at the end?

I loved the insight about loneliness vs. being alone, which came up when Denny was taken down to the station. Being alone doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re lonely—and I think that’s a common misconception people have. Personally speaking, this idea relieved some guilt I have about leaving my dog Lucy home alone. I do believe she knows she is not “alone” though she is certainly not happy when I leave for work in the morning...

The zebra reared its head again, but Enzo finally shut it down—I believe foreshadowing that he too is finally ready to move past his inner demons. What else stuck out to you from this section?

Finally, I have GREAT NEWS! Garth Stein has so graciously offered to answer all our questions about the book. Please add your questions in the comments field and we will send all your questions to him. Here’s mine: Was the relationship with Enzo and Denny autobiographical? Do you have an Enzo that inspired this book?

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner (and many of you have finished the book anyway) let’s read to the end by Wednesday, November 25. Happy reading!

I come from a family where our grandparents spent a lot of time telling us the importance of 'keeping the family together' and I think most of us take their directives seriously. So we delight in one another's company and simple things like sharing stories (and taking a whole lot of photographs). No we're not "The Waltons" but I just love this homespun, retro story.

I bring this up because the new economic realities are causing us to rethink just how we're going to approach the whole holiday season. And many of us become interested in creating more meaning in our lives than spending a whole of money we may not have the ritual becomes more important—ones you may have long celebrated and others you can start this year.

What I like about rituals is that they don't have to follow any specific rules, they should just represent something you want to do over and over again with those you love. It could be attending a football game, cooking together, feeding the homeless as a family or something simple like telling the family story. And this is not just something that is reserved for your relatives, if you're away from your family it is just as important to establish rituals with your friends. Don't wait for joy to find you, create some joy of your own!

 So tell me this: What are your family rituals? What rituals would you like to start with your family or friends?

The answer, of course, is that I'm going to be doing most (all?) of my shopping online. And while shopping from the comfort of my living room may be the greatest invention known to a time-starved mom, that doesn't mean it is without problems. Problems, that often can be resolved with the help of another great invention – live chat with a customer service representative.

The first time I tried live chat was while visiting the L.L. Bean web site. I had just placed an order when I remembered that I had several coupons which could have saved me a significant amount of money on my order. Thanks to the help of a friendly online rep, I was able to have the credits applied to my order, without ever picking up the phone.

Cruising through some of my favorite online retailers, I found that many still don't have Live Chat or Live Help available. Others, like Amazon.com, have a call me feature where you can request a call (now or within 5 minutes) from customer service. And some retailers, in a move that always makes me feel like "big brother is watching," will have a chat window pop up automatically asking if I need help.

I will say that, all things being equal, the retailer with some type of online help feature, beyond a FAQ, will definitely get my business. It just makes me feel better knowing that I'm going going to be stuck in voicemail limbo trying to get help if I need it.

How about you? Have you receive customer service help through live chat? What site had the best service?

I’ve recently been on a flower arranging kick and have really been wanting to learn some new techniques and tricks to take party & event centerpieces to the next level.  It’s amazing how much more creative and capable you feel in a certain area with a little bit of education, and just learning more about a few of the different types of flowers florist tools that are available has already helped so much!

Hands-on education is always the best, and one day when I have the extra time and money, I’d love to attend one or 2 of the sessions at the SoCal-based Phil Rulloda School of Floral Design, but in the meantime I settled for a flower-arranging-book shopping spree on Amazon, and wanted to share a little about one of my personal favorites here – a book written by Bob Shuman called Simply Elegant Flowers With Michael George. {list price: $30 / only $19.80 at Amazon - great holiday gift idea too!}

Reasons why I love this book in particular:

1. It includes LOTS of different arrangement ideas, as opposed to some floral design books that only feature a few. Most of the arrangements focus on just 1-3 types of blooms really are relatively simple, just as the title suggests, but there are also a decent amount of more involved designs, which gives the book a nice variety.

2. Eye candy is an understatement here! The gorgeous, full-color photos are enough to justify this as book as a great coffee table piece at the very least. Trust me, your guests will ooh and ahh over the glossy pages! Here's one of my favorite designs:

3. The writing is interesting, personable, and easy to follow. Clean fonts and generous line spacing actually make it easier on the eye and help to keep the reader from feeling overwhelmed by all the information.

4. Key points are briefly summarized and called out in blocks of information such as Concept, Prepare, Create, and Master Class.

5. Visual step-by-step tutorials are included for several of the arrangements, which is especially helpful with the more involved designs.

6. The book is sectioned by season, which is extremely helpful because you can flip right to the season that you want to create the arrangement for (whether current or the time of year when your party or wedding is scheduled) and immediately see a variety of flowers & styles that are actually available to you at that time. Notes on the types of seasonal flowers are included as well.

7. I said it once but it’s worth saying 3 more times: Eye candy. Eye candy. Eye candy! Here’s some more proof:

For details or to purchase Simply Elegant Flowers With Michael George, visit Amazon.com.

{Photo credit for images pictured above: Brie Williams, Lisa George, and Bill Miller. Cover photo by Brie Williams}

P.S. Book foreward by Martha Stewart!