HOME 007

Our cats own everything in the house. They are kind enough to occasionally allow us to use the furniture.

Someone made that stained glass for me when I was very, very young. She also made one for my sister, and they both hung together in our dining room for years. It's sad that they're no longer together, but I love thinking about its mate hanging in her house.

All photos by Erica Midkiff. These photos (and more!) can be found on my Flickr page.
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Gift Guide Thoughts

I mentioned before Thanksgiving that I wanted to share some gift guides here. I absolutely love giving presents. I love thinking about them, buying them, wrapping them, and giving them. And I spent some time pulling together items that I would both love to give and receive.

But then, as I wrote, I went home for Thanksgiving. And it was hectic. And I realized that I need to slow down a little on certain things. And then I read Grace's post about gifts that are an experience you create for someone rather than something you purchased. And suddenly, putting more time into pulling images, linking to products, and spending more time in front of the computer felt tiring.

I wrote the following in Grace's comments, which I thought I would share here as well.

Recently, for an anniversary (a tight one financially), I made a scavenger hunt where the prize was an anniversary card. It was totally fun, totally free (minus the card), and a lot of fun on both ends! I’ve also sent friends and family lists of memories on their birthdays. So, for example, when my sister turned 18, I sent her 18 things I remembered about our childhood. It made me cry a little (with happiness) when I did it—I think those might be the best gifts of all!

I'm already finished with my holiday shopping (I'll share more about this soon) except for a few small things, so I'm hoping to spend this holiday season focusing more on experiences, friends, and relaxation than anything else! And, of course, checking out gift guides made by others. (Hey, I'm still me!)

All photos by Erica Midkiff. These photos (and more!) can be found on my Flickr page.
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Monticello

I had not been to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, since I went with my fourth grade class. In the fifth grade, we went to Jamestown and Yorktown. It took me years to realize that people who grew up in different parts of the country didn’t take the same field trips that I did.

M had never been, and I had been wanting to go back for some time. We piled into the car with some of my family members on a grey, rainy day, and off we went. When we got to Monticello, it was really foggy (as you can see), but that somehow made the experience even more wonderful.

I had to restrain myself from buying a guidebook (when I went to Europe a few years ago, I brought back books from museums and rocks that we found along the way), but they gave us a wonderful small book of information that I can’t wait to explore further. I love history, and I love visiting places that have serious historical significance.

After our visit, we went to UVA to see the Rotunda that was also designed by Thomas Jefferson—I’ll share pictures soon.

All photos by Erica Midkiff. These photos (and more!) can be found on my Flickr page.
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HOME 006

All photos by Erica Midkiff. These photos (and more!) can be found on my Flickr page.
Erica Midkiff   ::   Copy Editor   ::   Twitter    ::   Email

Home

We are home from Thanksgiving week in Virginia with my wonderful family. It was HECTIC, but it also gave me some much-needed time away from my desk. Holidays and vacations (no matter how busy) always make me reevaluate how I spend my time at home (and work). I often try to do too many things, which results in less time for myself that's truly valuable and relaxing. I have changed some of those habits in the past, and I vow to continue to change them as I go along. I'm very good at relaxing, but when I'm in my home (where my office is), I sometimes feel the pressure to just be DOING something, even when I don't want to (which makes me drag my feet and do those things slowly, which is ultimately a waste of time). I'm working on some concrete ideas for change.

However, on this grey, rainy, beautiful Monday morning, I'm really excited to dig into my (large but also manageable) list of things to do today. I'm ready to check all of the items and curl up for some reading this evening. We'll see how it goes!

All photos by Erica Midkiff. These photos (and more!) can be found on my Flickr page.
Erica Midkiff   ::   Copy Editor   ::   Twitter    ::   Email