Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful day full of family and food. Today I’m thankful for everything, as cliche as it sounds. My family, my home, my health, and all of the other good fortunes I’ve had. 2016 has been very rough on us and the world so I’m choosing to focus on all the positive things, no matter how small.

Even though I was laid off from my nonprofit job this month, Nick’s work is still going strong and we still have our warm and happy home to shelter us everyday. We also still have a silly little dog that continues to light up our lives and make us laugh regularly. We still have it all together despite the hardships and for that I am thankful.

My health is in tip-top shape and my pregnancy is progressing along beautifully. I haven’t endured much of the sickness or pains that can often come along with being pregnant. I’m happy and healthy and for that I am thankful.

We have the most wonderful friends and family a person could ask for. Throughout everything we’ve been through, especially in the past year, they’ve been there for us and offered their help in any way they could. My community is the best and for that I am thankful.

Last but not least, I am very thankful to those of you who read my blog! I know the internet is inundated with life and style blogs, but you entertain my little hobby by reading and commenting and participating and for that I am thankful.

The way I see it, things could be so much worse than they are right now. For all the good fortune I’ve had and for having the ability to put in the hard work to make it all possible is something for which I will be eternally thankful.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I’d like to take some time ahead of the holiday to reflect on the things in my life for which I am the most thankful. Thankful Thursday is a weekly series for the month of November.

With the holidays upon us and expecting a baby in the spring, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I grew up. Parenting styles and decisions are extremely personal but they often originate with what we know, which is our own experiences with how we were raised and the traditions of our families before us. Nick and I have created a couple of new, small traditions of our own since getting married, like purchasing a new ornament for our tree every Christmas, and now that we have a baby on the way, I’m really excited to establish our own family traditions. So this Thursday, I’m thankful for all of the wonderful traditions and practices I have to draw from as we start our family.

My family has always made a big deal out of birthdays and holidays, and I love it. We all come together, eat good food, and open gifts when the occasion calls for it. My aunt always bakes a cake or makes some kind of dessert. My uncle is almost always in charge of the gravy. My dad carves the turkey or operates the grill in the summertime. My grandmother makes coleslaw (we are from the south, afterall).

My brother and I would help my mom put up and decorate the Christmas tree. Sometimes we would go pick one out of a lot, sometimes it would come from our back yard (seriously, we lived in the woods), and one time we dug the tree up, roots and all, and then planted it after Christmas. It lived for so long after that! Due to crazy work schedules and dispersed families, we would celebrate Christmas Eve with the extended family by enjoying a feast and opening all of our presents, and then Christmas Day would be much more low key with just the four of us in my immediate family: mom, dad, brother, and me.

I’m not sure yet how we’ll navigate the holidays once the baby is born since our families live on opposite sides from the state from each other and we don’t want to deprive any grandparents of holiday time with the little one. Luckily we have some time to figure it out. But I know one thing for sure: I’m extremely thankful to be so close to my family and to have traditions that make the holidays so memorable.

We all know that Pinterest is great for inspiration, especially when it comes to putting together cute outfits, yummy new recipes, and DIY  projects to save you money. Sometimes the content you find seems too good to be true and, in my opinion, that’s usually because it is. However, there are a few Pinterest hacks that really do work, and they work so well that I use them on a regular basis. They’ve changed my life so much that of course I have to share them with you!  Click or use your arrow keys to read through the hacks I use.

Which hack do you think would make your life easier?

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I’d like to take some time ahead of the holiday to reflect on the things in my life for which I am the most thankful. Thankful Thursday is a weekly series for the month of November.

We had our pictures taken this past weekend for our annual Christmas cards. I get really excited about designing our cards every year because they always turn out so awesome, which leads to me giddily but impatiently waiting to receive everyone else’s holiday cards, photos, and letters. December is one of the best months because there’s a treat in the mailbox just about every day, and we just don’t get that anymore. So this Thursday, I’m thankful for any and all of the handwritten mail I receive all year long.

Photo source

When I was in undergrad, which was ages ago at this point, my aunt and uncle sent me a card in the mail every month. They would include family updates, news about my high school’s sports teams, and other little tidbits of information they thought I might like. I looked forward to those cards every month — and not just because they also included some cash in there 😉 Knowing that someone is thinking of me and taking time out of their busy lives to write me a letter, card, etc. is truly one of the greatest feelings in the world.

The other day I was reading an article about hobbies you could take up if you don’t have any hobbies and it listed “sending physical letters to people.” Um, why didn’t I already think of that? I love writing letters, I love getting letters, and I had several pen pals when I was kid so why not make someone else’s day by writing them a letter? I’ve been thinking about turning this into a hobby in the new year. We’ll see how I do.

Photo source

It seems like email, texting, and social media have made letters essentially obsolete, so the gift of real mail is one that I treasure and one for which I am truly thankful.

Feliz Día de los Muertos!

Today is Day of the Dead, a two-day holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and by people of Mexican ancestry, and it focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. On this day, people go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars with the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of their departed loved ones. These celebrations are meant to be happy and reverent instead of spooky or sad because they are, essentially, a celebration of life. I must admit I’m a little jealous of my colleagues in our Mexico office because they have today and tomorrow off from work!

Sugar skulls  Photo source

The items that families leave on their altars include sugar skulls (calaveras de azúcar), often with the person’s name inscribed on the top; pan de Muertos, a special bread that is made especially for the season; and cempasuchil (marigolds) which bloom at this time of year and lend a special fragrance to the celebration. I have a fond memory of taking a Spanish class in middle school where we made pan de muertos that we covered in cinnamon and sugar. Yum!

Decorated altar Photo source

Nick is of partial Mexican (and Haitian) descent but he didn’t grow up celebrating any Mexican customs. I’ve always had a love for Hispanic culture, as I studied it for several decades and always wanted to be a part of it. I would love for us to embrace that part of Nick’s heritage, especially after we have our baby and are starting our own traditions. It’s definitely something to think about!

If you’re interested in appreciating and celebrating Día de los Muertos, here are some sensitive ways to do so:
-Visit your family’s graves in the cemetery and take some time to honor their memory/spirit
-Visit a local museum or art exhibit that is honoring the holiday
-Decorate your home with marigolds
-Try baking some pan de muertos
-Wear some appropriately-themed jewelry. For example, today I’m wearing a sugar skull necklace.

However…

*The most critical thing to remember when celebrating another culture’s customs is the importance of understanding and respecting the significance of the symbols and actions you’re taking. Above all, consider context and be respectful*

Hasta luego,
Nikki <3