Isn't this a gift you would love to have show up on your doorstep?! I definitely would!! We created this for a young girl's birthday, and it was so fun! We included some activity books with markers, picture frames, candy, cookies, and the adorable stuffed lamb. This basket was very full of great treats! A sa-weet way to celebrate the day!

I just want to gobble up these adorable turkeys from Ganz. Yes, pun was intended, sometimes you just have to do it!! They look like delicious cupcakes, but they are actually little trinket boxes. A fun way to trade names on Thanksgiving for Christmas gift exchanges, a great addition to your Thanksgiving table, and precious for place holders. It would also make a perfect little container for holding small gratitudes that you could share during family time. So many options!

This weekend I decided to take a "down day." With so much running around lately and hectic schedules I was just feeling the need to take a really deep breath. So we spent the morning catching up around the house, doing way too many loads of laundry and all of those chores that just get pushed to the side when you have life breathing down your neck.

In the afternoon, I picked up my girlfriend and we went to a gift show. Wandering the aisles, stopping to look at everything, no time restraints, uninterrupted hours to talk. It was heavenly. We both have a lot of heavy feeling things going on right now, and it was a great time to just really process through things out loud. There is nothing better than that friend you know you can say anything and everything and not only will they not judge you, but they will actually understand exactly how you feel.

We've talked many times about how at this stage in our lives, when schedules are crazy and the kids are small, we feel like we have fewer girlfriends than at other points in our lives, but the friendships that are there are so precious. You know the ones. The ones that don't feel like work. The ones that the effort comes naturally and you don't even think about it being an effort, because it's just not. There's nothing better than that girlfriend. And those times when you get to spend an entire afternoon and evening together, nothing compares.

And so we shopped. And shopped some more. And ate together. And shared some cheesecake. And shared our hearts. I'm so refreshed. Because it's with those friends, especially, that you realize you really can do this thing called life. And you can do it well.

Do you have one of those girlfriends in your life?! If so, give her a call. Make a date. And treasure her, because she's just that special.

One of our regular corporate clients gave us the privilege if getting in on a personal celebration when she celebrated her cousin's fiftieth birthday with this amazing cookie basket! Filled with a bouquet of, you guessed it, fifty cookies, what a way to celebrate!! Five of the cookies shouted the Big "50," just to reinforce the message!!

I've been hearing about this infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte since the first hint of fall. At first I was not intrigued at all. I'm not a pumpkin girl. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever tasted pumpkin anything. Then I just kept hearing about it at every turn. It's so delish, it's to-die-for, it's the essence of fall . . . you get the idea.

So last night, I had some girl time with one of my most favorite friends, and we ended up at Starbucks. I still almost didn't give in, as I hated the thought of potentially spending $5 on a drink I didn't like. But I had to know what all the fuss was about. And oh my word of honor. The fuss is so not kidding. It absolutely was delish. In every way. I can't stop thinking about it. Trying to think when I can possibly wrangle my way into getting another. And why doesn't Dunedin have a Starbucks?!

The Kelly Rae Roberts collection from Demdaco is absolutely breathtaking. A very talented artist, Kelly Rae will inspire you with her precious designs. Perfect for pre-teen, teenage, and young adult women, these beautiful pictures with equally beautiful messages will bless your heart.

I think I've found where the wild things are. It's my house, my laundry room, my unopened stack of mail, my cluttered shop. But today I'm choosing to look past the mess that is so not the ideal of what I want things in my life to look like, and see the gifts behind the chaos.

I'm so thankful for a playroom with toys strewn from one end to the other, because it wasn't too many years ago that I didn't know if I would have a reason to have a playroom in my home. I'm thankful for a closet in my daughter's bedroom that you can't shut the doors on right now for the sleeping bags and pillows and blankets on the floor, because it's the perfect example of my crazy girl's fantastic personality, and her love of sleeping anywhere except in her bed on Friday nights (yes, this past Friday she did choose the closet).

I'm thankful for a stack of unopened mail on the counter, because it reminds me that I've been too busy living life with these people than simply opening mail from them. I'm thankful for candy wrappers on the counter, because it's a great reminder of a fun night trick or treating and having the luxury of just being together as a little family for a few hours.

I'm thankful for a cluttered back room and boxes stacked everywhere in my store, because it reminds me that my business is growing and thriving despite the economic times we're in. I'm thankful for the flexibility to lock the door on the shop to attend an appointment with a family member. And I'm thankful that when I re-open, my lovely customers will ask first about my family, and not even think about grumbling that I wasn't here when they were.

Yes, when I look close enough at the mess and chaos in my upturned life, I see these little sparkles peeking out, reminding me that if it weren't for the chaos, there wouldn't be a life. And oh how I love my life.

A big apology to all of my faithful friends and readers for this unannounced, unexplained, blog absense I've had recently. I can now officially say that I know what the end of my rope looks like and feels like! I told someone this morning that I wish I could keep a personal assistant in my back pocket just to keep me on track right now because I don't know if I'm coming or going most of the time!

Our family has been dealing with the death of my grandmother, as well as a very serious accident that another family member was in. Lots of emotion, lots of rearranging schedules and lots of putting things on hold. So please bear with me as I get caught back up and get back into the swing of things. My Hailey told me "Mommy, I just miss you," and I know just how she feels.

Things here at Kookie Krums have been moving right along, and we've done some very fun projects lately that I really am excited to show you and tell you about. Right now, though, I'm wondering where the year has gone. I need to finish packing up Halloween and unpacking Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I want to take a moment to say thank you, again, to my wonderful customers, most of whom have become very dear friends. You've offered to pick up orders early, rearrange your schedules, and even watch my children. You all are amazing, and I love you. This shop has become such a blessing, in so many ways. Now . . . back to those boxes!!