A Visit with my Girls

Although my Aunt Susan lives in Chicago and we don't see her as often as we would like, she, my mom, sister and I have always been very close. When I got the phone call on Wednesday night that Aunt Susan quit her job, was starting a new job in LA (!!!!) on Monday, and needed a night in Philly with her girls, I couldn't be more excited. We planned an afternoon at the Philadelphia Craft Show to visit a friend and then a night of wine and dinner in our new kitchen.

My girls checkin out the crafts

My mom's very talented friend, Wendy Stevens, was participating in the show so it was great to see her and her beautiful collection of purses. Wendy is not only talented but a friend and mentor to my mom, so we loved seeing her in her element at the show.

If you are in need for a one of a kind Christmas present, make sure to check out Wendy's website. Not only are the purses are metal and absolutely stunning, but Wendy hand makes each of the purses. She really is an inspiration for my mom, sister, and I as we begin brainstorming how to jump start my mom's dog collar business again!

My favorite - it's leopard print!

The craft show was inspiration for the revamp of my mom's dog collar business, Collier Leeds. She started the company in 2008 and made really beautiful leather dog collars but the economy was terrible and it was the wrong product at the wrong time. Now that things are getting better, we are looking forward to launching the business again. Right now we are full of ideas and just need to get them on paper. More to come but here a preview of my  old favorites:

After the craft show we headed home for an early night of wine and fresh cheese from the Reading Terminal Market. After many glasses of of wine (and two pounds of cheese), we finally reinforced my aunt of how cool it is that she is moving to LA and made plans to visit! 

A night with some of my favorite people was exactly what I needed after a frustrating week at work. It was also so weird that we spent the night hanging out in MY (our) kitchen - I feel so grown up!

On Saturday morning we woke up early to head to the Italian Market to buy fresh fruits and veggies. We are really trying to continue eating healthy which, surprise!, is much more expensive than buying junk food. Since the Italian Market is just down the street, we wanted to check out prices - they are much cheaper!

On the way home we stopped at a small organic cafe, Down Dog Healing, I have always wanted to try. It definitely exceeded my expectations and the coffee was yummy!

Also on the way home we checked out the houses going up behind our house. A few months ago these lots were filled with rubble and scary, abandoned homes and today they are being prepared to sell for over $500k. Great news for our home value (we hope)!

On Saturday night we visited friends in Telford for a housewarming party. I was too busy catching up with friends and took no pictures, but I did receive one this week - me holding our friend's sweet baby! She loved my fur vest and fell asleep with her face buried in my chest. I'm a natural... :)

My last big weekend update was my very first fall while running. Luckily, I wasn't too hurt (saved my Lulu, not my pride) but it definitely shook me up! Only two more weeks until the marathon so I have to avoid any other injuries!

Ouch!