lighting up downtown. and some links.

Last night we bundled up for our yearly trip downtown for the Lighting of Downtown. In keeping with the tradition, we began our night at Benders with a casual dinner with my parents and Jon's sister Jenny. Afterwards we walked the streets, watched the crowds and enjoyed the fireworks. While there were plenty of activities going on, we decided to head back to the restaurant to end our night with a round of hot chocolates.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. A time when I can rest, play with the kids and catch up on oh so many chores. We'll also be crafting away. We have decided to make a craft every day up until Christmas. Some days they are small, a bookmark or a colored ornament, and other days they are more elaborate. I'll share some of these projects with you soon :)

I'm hoping to list more of my pieces on my Yellow Finch Designs etsy site. I've also decided to list some great sale pieces on my instagram account. Follow shopyellowfinch for these great sales!

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And now, a few links for your weekend:

Today I'm over on my friend Amanda's blog, Making Nice in the Midwest, sharing a holiday cocktail. What better way to start off the weekend?

You can also see my first post over on Babiekins Magazine Blog here. Encourage your little ones to pick up a pen and get creative! You can even send me your submissions, I would love to read them.

Speaking of writing, I love Gina's short story about her memories as a child and those special times of trimming the tree.

My friend Marissa and her boyfriend are doing the "12 Dates of Christmas" and I am slightly jealous over here. I love this idea. Perhaps Jon and I should try the 12 dates of January, since I pretty much don't see him in December.

I am thankful for meeting new amazing women through this adventure of blogging. I'm looking forward to reading Kelle's book, Bloom, and passing it's message on to friends and family.

Andrew Lapham Fersch, who shared his book with me and I spoke about here, is printing his second book and I couldn't be happier. The artwork looks amazing and I am looking forward to reading his beautiful words unwind across the pages.

Amanda and Jayme, creators behind Miskabelle Vintage, have a great blog and etsy shop. I love the collaboration between the two. Stop by and say hello to these lovely ladies!

And lastly, some blogs I've been enjoying:

Diapers and Skinny Jeans, Lune, Nat the Fat Rat, Abigail and the Future and this brown wren

Don't forget to enter my Boom Boom Prints giveaway for a chance to win a CUSTOM canvas print!! Enter here.

Happy Weekend Friends!