Happy Holidays!

A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! Lots of best wishes for all the celebrations of this holiday season!

Swell Forever Hummingbird Winner Announced!

Thanks to all who entered our Swell Forever Hummingbird giveaway! I'm so excited to report that Swell Forever raised over $700 to donate to SIDS research with hummingbird purchases from the month of October.

In a good old fashioned random drawing that involved me asking Mr. P to choose a number between 1 and 6, he chose 4 and Abby of Abby's Roads has won!  Abby is a sweet friend from our Duke days and her blog is chock full of fun travel adventures from Perth to Dubai :)  Congratulations Abby!

 

Friday Finds - China to Outfit to Home

A piece of my heart was tapped into when I lived in North Carolina and that piece has been with my ever since. When I was about to lose a few hundred airline points, I knew exactly what I had to do to keep that part of me alive amidst all the hipsters, techies and kale eaters. I ordered a subscription to Southern Living.

This past Thanksgiving issue has been dog eared with several recipes I plan on trying this holiday season, but one particular page caught my eye. A common feature is turning a china pattern into an outfit. My first reaction was, "Oh, that's fugly." Then it grew on me. It was so fugly, it was cute. Then I thought, I bet I could turn that china pattern turned outfit into a home themed Friday Finds. So here we are. TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Target - Threshold Embroidered Floral Toss Pillow
Anthropologie - Terry Quilted Washcloths
Southern Living - Magazine Subscription (for tablets too!)
Kitchen Aid - Professional 600 Series Stand Mixer in Cobalt
February Lane - But First, Coffee Print in Aqua (and only $4.95 for the printable download!)

Entries for Hummingbird Giveaway Open til Friday!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway this week! Click here for the original post.

To celebrate the end of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and to acknowledge the miracle of hope that slowly starts to grow in the soils of grief, I'm giving away one of these lovely hummingbirds to a blog friend.

 

Brooke, over at Swell Forever, is donating $15 to SIDS research for every hummingbird ordered in the month of October. She's $100 away from her goal. You can win one here by entering in any or all of these ways:

 

1. Leave a comment here on the blog

2. Like the Palindrome at Home FB page

3. Like the Swell Forever FB page

4. Share the giveaway on Twitter

5. Share the giveaway on FB

 

If you choose entry ways 2-5, just leave a comment here that you've done it! Entries open til end of day of Friday and winner announced over the weekend!

Kitchen In Progress + Giveaway

My kitchen is the hub in our home for creating, nourishing and healing. I often feel clever, assembling ingredients into satisfying meals, or at peace as I put the kettle on to whistle while waiting for tea to brew. At times, I've also felt overwhelmed with stacks of dishes, shattered glass littering the floor and maggots crawling out the compost bin. That's why, as much as I can, I try to keep my little kitchen tidy, a blank canvas for whatever mood strikes. After a long season of feeling out of control in most areas of my life, I set the kitchen to order on a sunny day.

 

I love this cheerful set of prints that my mom gave me for my birthday several years ago. Practically year round, we leave the French doors open for Oliver to come and go as he pleases. Unfortunately for me, this leads to several itchy welts as mosquitoes also feel free to come and go.

My tea station above the range houses a canister set from England when I studied abroad, a tea set made in Portugal gifted to me on graduation, and Harry's recipe for Oatmeal Pie (his favorite healthy breakfast).

 

These amazing gold jungle magnets were a Joss & Main find and the only magnets Mr. P cares for on the front of the fridge. My guilty pleasure is covering the entire side of the fridge in magnets, cards, birth announcements and save the dates!



This little nook houses my measuring spoons handily beneath the spice cupboard along with a bowl of mostly faux fruit. The hanging planter of succulents was a little treat to myself on an excursion to Flora Grubb with a friend.



This measuring cup set was a wedding gift from a dear friend - Anthropologie I do believe - and I couldn't bear to have them languishing in a cupboard. So I repurposed the family of chicks into succulent planters on my sill overlooking Bernal Hill.

Speaking of the hill, you might remember this view from last year's Instagram 30 day photo essay. I have a new addition to the window, a handblown glass hummingbird gifted to me in remembrance of the bitty baby we lost. I see her every morning when I make the coffee, and in the afternoon, the sun catches through her delicate wings and cast luminescent shadows across the room.

To celebrate the end of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and to acknowledge the miracle of hope that slowly starts to grow in the soils of grief, I'm giving away one of these lovely hummingbirds to a blog friend.

 

Brooke, over at Swell Forever, is donating $15 to SIDS research for every hummingbird ordered in the month of October. She's $100 away from her goal. You can win one here by entering in any or all of these ways:

 

1. Leave a comment here on the blog

2. Like the Palindrome at Home FB page

3. Like the Swell Forever FB page

4. Share the giveaway on Twitter

5. Share the giveaway on FB

 

If you choose entry ways 2-5, just leave a comment here that you've done it!



Weekend Biking San Mateo

Just a quick drive by (bike by?) this week capturing one of the many reasons I love living in the Bay Area. We woke up last Saturday wondering what to do and after several rounds complete with Jungle Book impressions, we landed on taking the bikes out to the trails in San Mateo.

 

Seal Point Park literally has it all (dog park, beach access, kids play ground, running trails, bike trails, amazing views AND parking!). We couldn't believe how empty it was on a Saturday in October either. Plenty of parking was available and the dog parks had like 3 dogs total. What are you up to this weekend?

Friday Finds - Fox Hunt

I saw this fox print flipping through the Crate & Barrel catalog and just fell in love with the quick water color brushstrokes building out the fleet fox. And that nose. Well, I'm a sucker for most any cute animal noses. So the Friday Finds inspiration was born this week. It's everything you need for a modern day faux fox hunt including the bed for your hound.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Crate & Barrel - Fox Print
Bloomingdale's - Via Spiga Wool Double-breasted Coat
Lowe's - Carolina Pet Company Dog Bed in Hunter Green
lefaire - Horseshoe Necklace