i can see clearly now...

i have made a decision. the decision is, that as of right now, this very moment. my winter funk is over. why? just because i can't stand it anymore, and really there is a whole lot to be happy about.
here are just a few of the reasons why i'm (forcing) a smile today...

1. this picture of mr. frederickson: it will make me smile today and i have a feeling, for the rest of my life.

2. patent leather shoes: especially when they are tiffany blue and cost $19.99. hurry - head to your local tjmaxx! they have zillions of these talbot's ballet flats in all sorts of punchy colors that are sure to add a little hop to your step.

3. flowers: on my to do list this weekend is to puruse blog land for some floral inspiration. it's off to a pretty lovely start thanks to these beauties.

4. daylight savings time: turning your clocks back one hour might mean we loose an hour of sleep, but it also means we gain an hour of evening daylight. heaven.

5. our wedding photographer: she was just featured in the new issue of wellwed (sister publication to vt vows) and her images are just stunning. i am so honored she is going to be part of our day!

6. the weekend: and one with mr. frederickson all to myself. it also helps that we are going here for breakfast and just made a snowshoeing date with some of our fave friends!

...and there, just like that, the funk is over...so what about you? what are some of your favorite things these days?

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have a great {earthquake free} weekend!

is anyone else out there soooooo ready for the weekend? cause i sure am. i have to admit, this was a no good, very bad week. well, i should say it started out that way. but sometime on thursday things started to turn around a bit. the sun came out, and the mercury rose just enough so that going outside once again became a possibility, and the details of life just started coming together. and it was definitely one of those weeks where paying attention to the little things was paramount. little things, like these..

• quotes (thank you, eeyore)
• seb, one of my faves, is back in action!
• thank you notes for thank you notes
• emerson made: the spring collection, anthropologie: the bridal collection
• the blanket
• all of the awesome determiNation runners here in vermont (training starts tuesday!)
• the launch of matchbook mag (i want to be a matchbook girl!)
• the warm your soul soups at city market, healthy living, chef's corner & stone soup
• sunny, snowy days

and to make sure that smile stays put, my to do list for this weekend...

• 1/2 price mani/pedis at mirror mirror? yes, please!
• cozying up at the parlor at farmhouse tap & grill
• getting our registry on at simon pearce
• making valentine's plans for mr. f & i ...
• checking out a winter fest (or 2 or 3) in shelburne, stowe, or bennington
• laundry

hope you all have a terrific and earthquake free weekend!

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happy {hockey} weekend!

it's a big weekend up here in vermont - well, for my mr and i anyway! we have friends coming from near and far not just to see us, but to be part of hockey history. the middlebury panthers are celebrating the anniversary of the 1960-61 team (which was pretty impressive by even mr. frederickson's standards) and they are doing it up right! so we will be bundling up and cheering on the 2011 team and celebrating at our favorite spots (here & here) with many of our favorite people. it's a good weekend in our world...

{image via}

i hope your weekends are full of all of your favorite things as well! stay warm (-:

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the most wonderful time of the year...

happy friday! and what a festive week it has been - i am almost sad to see it come to an end. but i am floating on cloud 9 (more on that later) and can't wait to cozy up with someone special tonight and celebrate this magical time of year! i hope this weekend brings you all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings as well.

i'll be back in full force next week with lots of holiday cheer and a little bit of news....

until then....make it a great one!

XOXO

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happy thanksgiving!

happy thanksgiving to you all! i for one could not be more excited for a weekend full of yummy food, turkey trotting, bubbly champagne, and most of all spending time with family and some long lost friends (HHS Class of 2000!!)

however, i have to admit, my favorite part of the holiday is looking forward to december and all the great holiday excitement that is just around the corner! nothing makes me more excited than some good oldfashioned anticipation and that's what this time of year is all about!

now, just a couple faves to share with you from around the web. i have to say, cyber land is especially inspiring this time of year, don't you think?!

• once again, emerson made is spot on. how perfect is this table runner?
• super cozy slippers...and i know just the crafter who can make these come to life!
• holy ambiance! loving this tablescape for the holidays
• matchbook mag - add this to the list of things i am looking forward to in january!
• it's time to start thinking about advent calendars! how cute is this one?
• mr. frederickson gave me the go ahead to send holiday cards this year, so far i have found inspiration here, here and here! so much stationery, so little time...
• the perfect winter morning.
• and some words of wisdom...."Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie

wishing you all the safest and happiest holiday! xoxo

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happy {romance} weekend.

mr. frederickson and i are headed south today, 30 miles south to be exact, to stowe, vt for a quick little getaway. this weekend - full of long hikes and wine tasting and afternoon naps - will be just what the doctor ordered. the weekend celebrates the very brief interlude between two crazy seasons and i could not be more excited. it doesn't hurt that on our weekend agenda is a visit to the trapp family lodge and after seeing the sound of music 45 annniversary special today i have visions of an edelweiss sing-a-long in my head. (side note: mr. f loves a good show tune)

so...just a little sneak peak of what i hope our weekend looks like...with a little virtual fantasy shopping spree added just for fun (-:

1. trapp family lodge 2. cozy throw by terrain (my new fave site) 3. my fingers are crossed that i will need these ray bans 4. boots from madewell 5. patagonia fleece vest 6. tis the season to get out my ugg slippers 7. you know i have a soft spot for a good scarf like this one from toast 8. the original sound of music 9. kate spade's new fragrance - twirl 10. vintage issue of vermont life (i may or may not have a series of these framed in my living room just waiting to be hung up!) 11. wrap sweater (heaven) ae outfitters 12. duffle bag

so, i hope you all have fantasy in mind for the weekend and i hope it comes true! make it a great one...and promise me you will celebrate with some pumpkins, even if it's only with the image below. be still my fall loving heart.

{image via 2007 life is good pumpkin festival}

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have a dreamy weekend!

i need pretty things in my life today. the wind is howling outside and the rain is pounding at the windows. thus, all i want to do is curl up in my sweats with a steamy cup of hot chocolate and look at pretty things. lucky for us, it was an exceptionally beautiful and romantic week in cyberland so there is lots to help keep my dreamy eyes open...even this pumpkin looks so simple and stunning, don't you think?

this doilie wreath took my breath away - and then to learn that this beauty was a do-it-yourself project, simply heavenly. how much more romantic would life be with something like this hanging in your bedroom?

i've been researching cooking classes lately (and thanks to my twitter friends have found some great ones!) and in that search i discovered this recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies from the brilliant folks at king arthur flour. i will be signing up for that class immediately.

lox papers (aka my most recent blog crush) makes the prettiest to do lists i have ever seen! never has a rainy day or a hay bail looked so good!

the daily emails from etsy always make my day - but today the talented shoppers over there must have known i needed some extra love, as it featured three of my favorite things - bunting, birch bark and mason jars. thanks ladies...off to etsy shopping land i go! i have a feeling my virtual shopping cart will be full in no time!

and you know i have a thing for wedding photos, and this one captured on church street (my current home turf) is just breathtaking. so, is all else fails, this image of the happy couple enjoying their moment while the rest of the world rushes by will fulfill my dreamy needs on this gloomy afternoon...

so, on that note, i am off! i hope you all have a dreamy and relaxing weekend! xoxo

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a make up post & some weekend wishes

{cider mill, essex, vt via yankee magazine}

i didn't get to post much this week (ugh, life how i hate when you get in the way of blogging) so i have lots to share with you on this fantastically foliage-y friday (it's pretty perfectly peak up here in vermont) and from the bottom of my little heart i hope these tidbits from around the web bring you as much joy as they did me.

this time of year i have the urge to get back in the kitchen and start baking up a storm, unfortunately for my waistline, this hobby stays with me until long after the snow melts. but i think i will start with this unfussy apple cake from 101 cookbooks.

i need. yes, need. this scarf/neckwarmer thing. reason being, october is known by some as the month my neck disappears, only to be seen again in the spring....ok, fine...summer. so this piece of knit wear has my name all over it.

if you hadn't yet figured it out, i have a soft spot in my soul for wedding photos - especially ones that look this ethereal and were taken in vermont by the talented folks at landwherle photography. to see more of their magical day in stowe, check out this lovely blog.
this weekend is the ibex tent sale in quechee, vermont. go, please, for me. brave the crowds. it's amazing. trust me.

also noteworthy, the long awaited new restaurant church & main - located at, yup, you guessed it, the corner of church st and main st - opens on monday. mr. frederickson, i see a date night in our future. cider donut breadpudding - are you kidding me?!

there is just so much good stuff happening on the web and in real life this time of year...i almost can't stand it!

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yipppeee!

yippeee has been the most overused word in my vocabulary this week. so, to those of you who are getting sick of it, too bad! it's a darn good word and i am going to continue to overuse it as long as i darn well please. and guess what? today is no exception. yippeee! i couldn't be more excited for this weekend - and hope to spend it in my cutoff shorts and with as much skip in my step as this lovely lady!

and yippeee! the web has, as usual, been a source of much delight for me as of late...and before i skip off into the steamy sunshine for the next few days, i leave you with a few of my recent faves.

• yum. i think this will be part of our sunday brunch.
• this is pure pornography for map lovers.
• this post was all i needed to inspire me to make a much overdue pilgrimage this island vineyard.
• i know mainely home is going to die over these crafty de-lights.
• silver lining of an earlier sunset, is that it's the perfect time of year to head here. any movie suggestions?!
• my new favorite etsy shop. how cute are would this look filled with your favorite vermont microbrews? he also makes these UP! inspired tags...you know i love those.
• congrats to all the daysie winners!! check them all out here.
• who knew christmas in august could be so charming and stylish!?
• she's getting married next week and i can't wait!!!

c'mon everyone, one more....yippee!! happy weekend!

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lots to love this weekend.

{via}

life feels pretty lovely these days. and for that i have to thank the the sunny weather, the return of mr. frederickson, and the promise of a great weekend. so there is without a doubt an extra spring in my step today and the countdown to the weekend is on! but in the meantime, a few favorites from here in vermont and around the web:

• can't wait to go to the ansel adams exhibit at shelburne museum
• i am sucker for anything with the word rustic - so you know i heart these ladders
• as if we weren't excited enough for sunday - check out this mashup video. so inappropriate and so wonderful all at the same time
• simply dying over these mason jar lanterns

{via lady grey}

• a must try: the brand new made in vermont dwarf goat cheese (huh?! exactly.)
• i love trucks too. especially the kind that show up at parties with dessert.
• state fair season has begun! and these images from vermont photographer extraordinaire daria bishop tell quite the story.

{via daria bishop}

• so proud to be one of her cousins!
• can you even imagine how lovely this must smell!?
• i have been dreaming about a weekend here.
• there is a soft spot in my heart for brandi carlile and this song. looking forward to the concert in vermont next week!
  

make it a great one! see you monday! XOXO

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happy weekend!

i am just loving this photo by stephen mease on this busy friday. and i am hoping for a weekend filled with lots more clouds that look just like these! check out more of his great vermont work here.

enjoy the sunshine/clouds/rain or whatever the sky brings you this weekend!

XOXO

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crossing my crossables...

{leap of faith via weheartit}

the sun is just beginning to shine up here in vermont and i am crossing all my crossables that it stays out all weekend! so, i am taking a leap of faith that the weather might cooperate and that i will be able to cross a few (just a few) things off my summer to do list, including the following:

• take advantage of vermont days and enjoy a free visit to one of the 52 of state parks
• make these yummy treats for saturday's barbeque, or if time gets away from me, i might just bring ice cream sandwiches from this magical little spot.
• pick some strawberries. 'tis the season (-:
• pretend i am a music buff and listen to some jazz at the closing night of the discover burlington jazz festival.
• drive around looking for some curbside treasures like the vintage ladder this lucky lady found.
• drag mr. frederickson to the waitsfield farmer's market. my pitch will go a little something like this: c'mon, honey, it will be fun. i even promise to buy something and not just waste time looking at all the tasty treats and perfectly ripe vegetables. and then i will take you to an even tastier brunch at red hen bakery before we head home to for beers and world cup soccer watching...ppllleeeaasssee! what do you think? will it work?

so here's to making the best of what we get this weekend! i hope yours is all you wish it to be.

XOXO

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weekend conundrum.

{image via love trains}

there are no words to describe how excited i am for this weekend. the reason being that it is one of the very few this summer where we have absolutely nothing on the books (ok, that's a lie - we do have an afternoon bbq on saturday - a celebration with some of my favorite fellow runners of this year's vcm about which i am very excited!)

there is just so much i want to do and i feel like i need to cram my entire summer to do list (yes, i have one) into two short days. aka - i am finding the lack of plans and abundance of free time a bit overwhelming. so, i think i need your help! what are you doing this weekend? if you had 48 hours of free time, how would you spend it? for you fellow vermonters - is there an event this weekend that we simply should not miss or a restaurant we must try?

help me. i'm a desperate woman and mr. frederickson thinks i am nuts. (can you blame him?!)

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have a sinful weekend!

i am off to nantucket this weekend (a very close 2nd place to my favorite place on earth) and am bringing along some of the best girls around - affectionately called the a-team. we are having a bachelorette extravaganza to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of the most fabulous members. the weekend promises to be full of girls in white dresses, cheap champagne, yummy snacks, and some sinful pleasures...

but since i have been a slight scatter brain this week (see marathon coma) i thought i would share with you some of my favorites from around the web...

• the invites that simple design created for this fabulous event.
• i want to go on this picnic.
• these are ballet flat perfection.
• so mad that i missed this holiday, but will make up for it by drinking these!
• seb's summer to do list is right up my alley!
• loving this color combination.
• wishing i was in vt this weekend and could go see the cows on main street!

hope you all have a simply sinful weekend! XOXO

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happy weekend, happy summer!

according to margot harrison, associate editor of seven days, "memorial day weekend is a time to honor fallen soldiers, throw burgers on the barbie and vow to run the marathon next year."

so true. so very true. plus, if you live in new england, it is also the official start of summer - and there is nothing more promising and hopeful than that.

so whether you are running, grilling, honoring or all of the above - i wish you all a wonderful holiday weekend! and a great big cheers to all the summery days ahead. enjoy!

XOXO

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weekend theme song.

thanks to you all for the fantastic musical suggestions. my ipod and i appreciate it very much. and one of my discoveries this morning was the song perfect day by lady a. and i have since pronounced it my weekend theme song. done and done. you've gotta love a good theme song.

it was the perfect day
what i'd give if i could find a way to stay
lost in this moment now
ain't worried about tomorrow when you're busy living,
feels like dreaming, slowy drifting
through this perfect day.

{image via dress design decor}

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have a ____ weekend!

yippee! the weekend is almost here and i couldn't be happier because my weekend is jam packed with all of my favorite things - friends and farmers markets, brunches and bonfires, a saturday morning run and a sunday afternoon drive...it's the kind of weekend my dreams are made of.

so, i hope your weekend is all that you dream it to be as well ...whether that means it's adventurous, calm, playful, romantic, lazy, active, gluttonous, relaxing, productive, lively, or just plain indulgent...just enjoy every second of it, wherever you are and however you chose to spend it.

{image via weheartit}

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hello, weekend!

it's the perfect friday afternoon....the sun is shining, the grass is (finally) green and the tables are out on chuch street! which means it's officially spring here in vermont and as my dad would say, "it doesn't get any better than this!"

and on my to do list this weekend, is, well, nothing! except for a pesty 18 mile run and a party in a barn, i have 2 whole days to soak life up and celebrate this very welcomed change of season.

the collage above is just a little taste of what i am hoping the weekend will look like - complete with homemade pizza, flip flops, sunsets, mr. frederickson, quiet dirt roads, patio drinking and maybe a little day trip to lake dunmore - one of my favorite secret vermont destinations.

*i couldnt resist including the photo of my lovely mother and kevin, the best waiter in all of jamaica, as i will certainly be giggling about that moment all weekend and wishing (just a litle bit) that there was still an umbrella in my drink...

happy weekend and happy spring!

make it a great one. xoxo

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