I know it's not even Thanksgiving and the whole Christmas thing in November is ridiculous but I'm being bombarded with it in store emails and websites so it's hard to avoid. Because of this, ornaments in particular have been on my mind. When we moved out, my best friend and I started to give Christmas ornaments to each other for Christmas so we could each start building up our collection. My grandmother also made a point to give each of her grandchildren an ornament each year for the same reason--usually the ornaments came from wherever she had traveled that year so there was a great variety.

In any case, I've been obsessively looking at ornaments lately. I don't typically buy any until after Christmas when they're on sale but it's nice to look and dream. I especially like simple ornaments in whites and silvers. A variety of textures--felt, ceramic, pearl, wood, etc.--but I like them to be clean-looking and simple. I think this might be because my childhood tree was always a little too busy and too colorful so I'm trying to counteract that. I have fond memories of my childhood tree but I think it's ok that I want my own tree to be a little different. Sorry, Mom!

This is Griffin, my new kitten. He's a 6-month-old Manx with a little stubby tail. He was a stray and immediately went in to foster care with a bunch of other cats so he's kind of feral (not much human attention) but I'm hoping he grows out of all the crazy running around, eating my plants, clawing my feet in bed and waking me up at 7am (no matter what the day).

I love him, though, and he's gotten a lot more affectionate and is doing well. He's definitely quirky and is the strangest cat I've ever had but that's what I wanted in getting a Manx--they are sort of like having a dog-rabbit for a pet. At the moment he's the perfect size--not a kitten but still smaller than most cats. I hope he stays this size because he's so adorable!