Addressing Communication…

Do we all just have "Grumpy Old Man Syndrome" ?!

for you.

Now that dinner napkins have been folding and the last spoonfuls of cranberry sauce saved for leftover sandwiches, some of you might be getting a jump-start on holiday shopping. In hopes of directing your hard-earned dollars toward some of the small businesses that have supported this site over the years, I’ve gathered together a few of the holiday promotions being put on by RMTL banner advertisers (those little guys who keep the sidebar looking so good). Happy Friday.

Barnacle Bags: 15% discount on Saturday, November 28 with the code MADEBYHAND

BillieBlooms: 20% discount off any purchase on Friday, November 27 with the code BBBLACK20

Brook There: 40% discount from November 27 through December 1 with the code HOLIDAY40 

Bridge and Burn: 20% discount with the code GREY20.

Everli Jewelry: Donating 20% of all proceeds to Feeding America and Doctors Without Borders. For any order over $75, shoppers can receive a pair of earrings as a thank you. (Details on the site.)

Herbivore Botanicals: 20% discount with the code BLACKFRI20 on Friday, November 27. (And additional promotions to be announced through their channels.)

Marble & Milkweed: 15% discount with the code GOODKARMA from Friday, November 27 – Monday, December 30; 10% of sales made during this time will be donated to the Butterfly Project NYC, which promotes planting and preservation of native plants in urban, public spaces in order to create and strengthen resources for native pollinators.*

Moop: 10% discount from November 27 through December 2 with the code RMTL+MOOP 

Olo Fragrance: 25% discount on Monday, December 30 with the code CYBEROLO2015

Portland Apothecary: Special sale on Ritual Misters from November 27 through the weekend; 10% of these sales will be donated to Growing Gardens, which promotes home-scale, organic food gardening to improve nutrition, health, and self-reliance while enhancing the quality of life and the environment for individuals and communities in Portland, Oregon.*

Rebecca Mir Grady: 20% discount through December 4 with the code RMTLHOLIDAY 

Wilson & Willy’s: 20% off through Saturday, November 28 with the code ONEYEAR (excludes sale items and items from grado labs)

*These shops are participating in the Good Karma Sale

PS. In case you need a little weekend project to work on: homemade vanilla extract! 

thanks.

Delicata squash with rosemary and thyme. Waiting for olive oil, a roasting pan, and a hot oven.

In case a bit of quiet-seeking finds you on the internet today, a word of gratitude for finding yourself in this space.

And a toast in the untraditional sense:

Geese appear high over us,
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds
them to their way, clear
in the ancient faith: what we need
is here. And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye,
clear. What we need is here.

– Wendell Berry

Happy Thanksgiving.

Giving Thanks this Holiday Season

For the Philly Floor Store, 2015 has been very different from years past. So a special thank-you message is in order this holiday season. Above all, we are thankful that no one from our team or the surrounding houses and buildings was hurt in the fire that razed our warehouse last May. We are also […]

The post Giving Thanks this Holiday Season appeared first on Philly Floor Blog.

a clutter-free advent calendar.

Growing up, my mom introduced an idea to our family that she called Advent Angels. The idea was a riff on Secret Santa, but it was more about actions than things. We’d draw names from a hat and for the month of December, we’d sneak around in the early mornings doing good deeds: making each other’s beds, laying out a special breakfast (a packet of instant oatmeal dumped into the bowl; a frozen waffle put into the toaster oven), and laying gifts of half-gone clementines on door jams. In the evenings we’d light candles by bedsides, and turn down covers, and press play on cassette players with cued-up carols. In a family of six, there were enough of us that there’d be at least a modicum of surprise when the day for revealing your angel came to pass (on Christmas eve, naturally).

It’s a tradition that I’d love to continue in my own family. There’s an opportunity, at this time of year especially, to feel buoyed by humanity, and kindness, and good cheer. And I want in on all that. I always want in on that.

Since we’re still a little small and young for advent angeling, this year, I made an advent calendar for our apartment. We’ll start on December 1—and we’ve got traveling (and eating) to do between now and then—but it’s nice to know that there’s a little something set up for us once we return home, travel weary, no doubt. And in case any of you want in on the magic, too, I thought better to share now than later.

I’ve fashioned the calendar out of business card-sized envelopes and cards, string, and washi tape, and because apparently I’m powerless in the face of miniature clothespins, 24 of those, too.I found miniature clothespins and baby envelopes and cards at the Paper Source near our house, but I imagine you might be able to gather similar things close to where you are. The washi tape I snagged from Of a Kind’s very special holiday stationery shop.I used my rubber stamp set to mark 24 envelopes with numbers to count down the days, but hand-lettering would work as well.While traditional advent calendars are a way to mark off the days left before Christmas with treats of candy or gifts, I like the idea of the calendar serving as a reminder to take out the time to do something festive and familial—or just plain indulgent.

Into the envelopes I’ve tucked vouchers for activities and kindnesses timed to fall on days that will make them actually achieveable.
For securing the calendar to the wall, I used some waxed string that I had on hand but most any string or ribbon or twine would work. Because nothing says wintry good cheer better than my sassy great great Aunt Ruth Josephine (Faye Josephine’s namesake and my personal heroine) tobogganing, I taped up this favorite family photo alongside a sprig of rosehips.A close-up of those tiny clothespins, just in case you needed one.After taking these shots, I decided to double-secure the strings with the old loop-back trick. You know the one? Where you pull the length of string out by an inch or so, then fold it back over the original piece of tape and secure with a second length tape placed directly over the first making it so that the string can’t slip out? Well, now you do. The finished product meets my criteria of not taking up too much room, not making me feel claustrophobic in a small space, and folding back into the small box where we keep the rest of our seasonal doo-dads. With any luck, I’ll be able to reuse the calendar year after year, subbing, likely, the surprises as best fits mood and age and general whereabouts. 

In case you need some inspiration for gifts to put in your advent calendar, I’ll share mine, but the fun part is making it fit the particulars of your family. No doubt some of the dates on our calendar might shift. And some of the kindnesses might pop up utterly unscheduled, but here are 24 ideas I tucked into my clutter-free advent calendar:

1. In-bed coffee service. Because admittedly I get treated to this service far more regularly than someone else in my family, so…here’s an added push to return the favor.
2. Family outing to a tree lighting. Because who doesn’t love exuberant folderol in the great outdoors? We’re going to try to head to Rockefeller Center. It’ll be a total madhouse. #YOLO. 
3. At-home facials. Because everybody loves ’em. Husbands especially. All you need is a washcloth, some cleanser or facial oil, and a willing partner to play at-home spa. 
4. Pot of mulled wine. Because kicking off the weekend with a pot of mulled wine on the stove feels like a perfect mix of cozy and festive. Bonus, we’ll have friends to play along.
5. Official decking of (tiny apartment) halls. Because even a tiny apartment needs a little extra holiday oompf.
6. Family trip to a favorite breakfast spot. Because sometimes an early morning outing is just what you need to kickstart a Sunday.
7. Specially packed lunch to take to work. Because something a little more fancy than leftover soup won’t go unnoticed.
8.  20-minute foot rub. Because 20 minutes is more generous than two.
9. Pancakes for dinner. Because they’re the perfect vehicle for a light dusting of powered sugar snow.
10. Surprise seasonal cocktail. Because if December’s not made for Irish Cream, I’m not sure what is.
11. Hour-long child-free roam in the neighborhood bookstore. Because it’s nice to remember there’s a room beyond the children’s section.
12. Family skating at local outdoor rink. Because we’re still not sure if we can pull this one off this year, but a trip to watch the skaters would be (almost) as much fun.
13. Family cookie baking. Because, cookie dough.
14. Weeknight walk to see the displays on Fifth Avenue. Because, animatronic reindeers and people in miniature.
15. Screening of a favorite holiday movie + popcorn. Because James has never seen A Child’s Christmas in Wales.
16. Rooftop hot chocolate date. Because, romance.
17. Before-work croissant run. Because, fancy.
18. 30-minute massage. Because, see number 8.
19. Group gift-making. Because a little forced family fun in the name of giving to others lightens everyone’s load.
20. A weekend adventure to see lights in a faraway neighborhood. Because some people get really into light displays. And it’s nice to applaud their efforts.
21. Homemade eggnog making. Because it’s so much better than the stuff in the carton.
22. Family gift-wrapping. Because see #19.
23. Paper snowflake gift tag making. Because, crafty.
24. Family reading of the Night Before Christmas. Because, the moon on the breast of the new fallen snow. 

What about you guys? Any favorite advent or otherwise traditions in your families?

 

travel made cozy with zady.

This post is sponsored by Zady, standard-bearers for ethical fashion.

Tomorrow we pack our bags, shuffle our way to Penn Station, and board a train that’s going to have us choo-choo-chooing all the way across the state of New York to visit James’s family. 

The best thing about train travel is that barring unexpected delays or frozen tracks, you just keep going. Even if there’s a toddler who gets hungry. Or a parent who needs to take a breather with a cup of terrible hot chocolate in the dining car. Or a fifth diaper change. The train keeps moving, ever forward. 

Then there’s the romance. As happens before any cold-weather train ride that I take, I’ve got visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. As far as I’m concerned, Rochester is kind of like the North Pole, and the Empire Service might as well be called the Polar Express. No matter that we’re not even in December yet. I’ve got high hopes that we might see a snowflake or two.
The train ride from the city is fairly long one: seven hours give or take. It’s a ride that necessitates a bit of settling in. A loosening of the shoelaces, a tying up of the ponytail, a fluffing of the jacket to serve as de facto pillow. It means toting books and games and various things for munching. Maybe most of all, and certainly for me, it’s a ride that demands the passengers to wear something cozy. So while I can’t bring myself to go full-on PDOP (public display of pajamas), I did plan on bringing along something I could snuggle into. 

And when Zady asked me to try their Chunky Knit sweater on for size, I knew just what that snuggly something would be. More of a cocoon than a sweater, the chunky knit exudes cozy in every oversized stitch. It seems made for snuggling up with in front of the fire, but it’s more than lovely enough to wear in public. Like everything in the Zady Essentials Collection, the chunky knit sweater takes transparency in manufacturing to a new level.I might be planning to take the Chunky Knit on a journey across New York, but Zady’s already sent the raw materials criss-crossing the country in search of the best folks in the business.

The brief biography of the Chunky Knit goes something like this: It was born of a collaboration between Zady and rancher, Jeanne Carver of Imperial Stock Ranch in Shaniko, Oregon. Shorn from sheep on the Carters’ sustainably managed ranch, the wool makes its way to Chargeurs Wool in Jamestown, South Carolina, where it is cleaned, carded, and combed. In the words of Zady, by working with Chargeurs, “they’re making sure that the wool isn’t getting clean by making everything else filthy.” Next stop, G.J. Littlewood & Sons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, the fifth-generation dye house uses reactive dyes that stay with the fiber instead of getting flushed into the water system. Once dyed, the wool heads to Kraemer Mills in Nazareth, Pennsylvania to get turned into yarn. Finally, all of that yarn goes to Commerce, California where the folks at Ball of Cotton turn it into the sweater you see here.

If it sounds labor-intensive, that’s because it is. Zady’s been working tirelessly to make sure that the clothes they produce pass their own rigorous tests and exceed industry standards as related to the environment, labor, and quality of goods. To learn more about Zady’s New Standard, head here. If you’ve got other sweaterly needs this winter, the Essential Collection that Zady announced this fall has you covered there, too. There’s the classic .01 The Sweater which they released last year, the new .06 Lightweight Alpaca Sweater, complete with pocket and beautiful crew neck, and the ever practical (and still stylish) .07 Alpaca Cardigan.Best of all, you’re in luck: This week only, Zady is offering RTML readers a 20% discount with the code simple. The offer expires Sunday, November 29 at 11:59 pm EST.

This post was sponsored by Zady. Thanks so much for supporting the brands that support Reading My Tea Leaves.

baby proof: bundling.

It’s (slowly) getting chilly. I know this partially because I am a human walking around outside and partially because I’ve gotten a flurry of emails related to cold-weather baby gear. 

It will surprise no one that everyone and her mother has an opinion about the ideal temperature of your baby. Bundle too much, and you’re suffocating her. Bundle too little, and you’re leaving her out to freeze. Allow a hat to droop over tiny eyelids and, well, that’s tantamount to neglect. I try to trust that I know my child’s preferences and my own gut. And of course, having done this a whopping one time, I’m no expert.

But since many of you have written asking for specifics about what worked for us, here’s my list, for what it’s worth:
JACKET: 

Last winter we found a Patagonia Down Sweater on sale and bought it for Faye. At six months old, the 6M baby sweater was quite a bit too large for her, which really worked out perfectly. With long sleeves, we could keep her tiny hands warm just by pulling the sleeves down over them. Even better, the jacket still fits this year. Done again, I might opt for a hooded version of the same coat for maximum cozyness (or even a plumper version like this or this), but we’ve been super pleased with Faye’s tiny red coat. (Here’s a shot of her in it from last winter.)

BOOTIES:

We also snagged a pair of Misha and Puff knee-high Day Hike Booties on sale last winter. They were the best, the best, the best purchase we made. We slipped them on over socks and then never had to worry about the little gap of skin that would inevitably get exposed when we put her into the carrier without them. She wore them on her daily subway treks from January through March and I never had to think twice about her being warm enough. 

HAT:

For a hat, we had a hand-knit cap from a dear friend. When she outgrew that, I bought a little pompom hat at a local shop. This year, we bought this Pointy Peak Hat that ties under Faye’s chin since she’s firmly in the chuck everything overboard stage of life. 

STROLLER MUFF:

For our stroller, we did a little bit of searching to find something that was made of natural materials that would be cozy for Faye. A stroller muff falls into the nice-to-have category for some folks, but as a city baby living in a cold climate, Faye spends a great deal of time getting strolled from place to place and it’s nice to know she’s warm and snuggly even when we aren’t. 

We found a Kaiser Stroller Footmuff in the 0-36 month size. (Before you die of sticker shock, trust that we didn’t pay nearly half of the price of many of these current listings.) Affordable options do exist, but sheepskin stroller muffs are admittedly not a dime a dozen in the US (and they do get some headturns). If trolling the internet for sales on elusive stroller sheepies is not your idea of a good time, 1) thank goodness and 2) a warm quilt tucked underneath tiny legs would also work just fine. Also, fair warning: having your child wrapped up in sheepkin will both make you incredibly jealous and make you feel a little bit like the humble servant pushing around the queen. (Which, well ….)

LAYERS:

We also, of course, had a selection of things for dressing Faye underneath all that outerwear. A larger roundup of baby clothes is here, but here’s a special shout out to some of our very favorites: these cozy leggings, these roomy pants (and last year, these ones), and this cheery sweater (and this one, currently only available in Europe). (We’ve also loved the little mustard bloomers that Faye’s wearing in these shots, but so far we’ve only got one pair of tights. In anyone knows a secret spot for great baby tights, I’d love to know it.)

We didn’t need a snowsuit, or snow boots, though we might have opted for those had Faye been more mobile last winter. (And we definitely didn’t need a heated stroller pad. Ha?) Since Faye spent all of the winter months last year in a pre-walking snuggly state, we kept her extra cozy by wearing her whenever possible and wrapping our own jackets around her. James did an embarrassing scarf-wrapped-around-her-legs thing whenever he felt like frostbite was imminent, which was often. Mostly we kept our wits about us. (Gratuitious shot of baby-wearing parents here and here.)

The jury’s still out on whether she’ll need little snow boots this year. (The boots in these photos are hand-me-downs from our Canadian cousins!) She’s so far boycotted her mittens, but we have them ready should she decide she’d rather not have purple hands.

One last note: When it comes to shopping for babies, I generally ignore the recommendations for gender and choose what I like instead. For Faye—and especially for her more expensive wintry items—I’ve opted for colors that feel like they won’t go out of style and will be wearable for any manner of future children (or cousins or friends.) 

More baby proof posts, RIGHT HERE.

One of the Music I Love!