All I Want for Christmas is Rebecca Ray

She's at it again - that creative, Ohio-based entrepreneur is hitting it on all cylinders and just in time for Santa.  If you have not shopped at Rebecca Ray please treat yourself. Her quality is impeccable (it's hard to do that today) and I love her "vintage is best but brand-new" style.  And does her black horse not look just like Alfie?  Guess what's in my cart?  And her products are all American-made. What's not to love about this brand that seems to get better with age?  I purchased my first bag from her many years ago at a horse show in Chagrin Falls and have never looked back. Support this great small business!

The perfect holiday napkin for the horse lover in your world:

 

The Alfie napkin:

The Alfie place mat:

You can shop her site here.  Love her products and cannot wait for my Alfie napkins to arrive. Stay safe, it is getting bad out there again. Enjoy your Saturday!

Friday Finds

 It's been a long week so glad to see Mr. (or Mrs.) Friday. Here are some fun finds this final day of the work week!

Love these mid-century Hazel Atlas shot glasses:

I love these candles (they smell so good) and love the colors here.  These make the best gifts.

This sweater is a bit pricey for my budget but so very cute for winter. And since I cannot ski this would make me feel like I could, or did at one time....

I can't decide how much I love this fun horsey sweater from Anthro.....

Love this vintage scarf:

I would love a set of these Ginori plates, always on my china wish list (which is quite large I might add) but this pattern is a classic and it comes in so many colors.  How to choose?

Love this vintage set from the 1940's!

Fleeced

Cozy, warm, functional fleece - who doesn't love lounging and living in fleece? If so, we've got you covered.

This Vineyard Vines fleece is perfect for holiday wear:

Love this one too, also from Vineyard Vines:

Plaid is back. this is another cozy one from Talbots:

Love this holiday fleece. It also comes in black (which I prefer):

This fleece from Vineyard Vines is detailed in ultrasuede if you are old enough to know what that is. I think I would have preferred this one if they left off the front pockets.

I have this Patagonia vest in gray and love it but don't wear it to the barn. Everything it touches it collects - hay, shavings - but it is very warm and comfortable. The white one could never live with me but love this nonetheless.

Here is the same fleece in a quarter-zip version.  Love this!

Love this holiday, snowflake fleece from Talbots:

Happy hump day!

The Sunday List - November Version

Happy Sunday!  Sorry for being so slow with recreating this list, again. But here it goes....

1) Current Read - Going There by Katie Couric

I am enjoying this book.  It's an easy read and surprisingly not incredibly well-written for a journalist but the story is good. She's had an incredible life.

2) Currently Stitching - Love this Bonnie Alexander canvas which I will frame. I customized mine a bit - date, horse names, etc. but it is a keeper.

3) Netflix or Apple TV Recommendation - The Morning Show on AppleTV.  I have not watched television all summer and fall other than for tennis and horse racing. Now that we no longer have DST I am watching again.  We are slow to catch up with all the great shows out there but I am loving The Morning Show.  Can I please have keys to Alex Levy's apartments?

4) Equine Product Recommendation - Thermatex Rugs.  This is one of my favorite horse products.  They are made in the UK and I use it for shipping, for cooling out after a ride, as a cooler at horse shows in colder weather.  I bought mine at Horse Country in Warrenton, VA.  Fabulous!

5) Cookbook or Recipe Recommendation - The Fox's Kitchen - I don't have this cookbook but it's on my wish list.

6) Whatever Else - This quilted skirt from Madewell is just, well let's say original.  Wish it came in more colors but this could be styled so many ways. 

Friday Finds

Some fun Friday finds this morning just in time for the holidays or for gift giving.

Love these plates from Anthro (on sale) and pair them with white dinner plates and autumn colored napkins for a festive fall table.

Love these holiday napkins from Pottery Barn.

This is my new favorite brand of candle.  I love Lafco and Nest but these smell so good!  On sale too!

If you don't have holiday china this is a good place to start - add these Juliska salad plates to your china cabinet.  They are at the Outlet!

Add these tartan dinner plates (also at the Outlet) if you don't have holiday plates. I'd pair these with the salad plates above. Love this combination!

Mid-Century set of flatware perfect for the holidays:

Love this wreath!

TGIF

How to Survive the Holiday Supply Chain Issues

Last year I bought everything online.  Everything. This year that plan is not working so well.  Things are on back order.  UPS and even FedEx can be unreliable and do not get me started on using the USPS.  Just avoid them like the plague.  Sadly, very few holiday cards will be sent this year after I was still receiving them in March. Yes, March.  

So what's the plan for 2021?

Shop local.  Local companies need the business badly after 2020 and you can handpick your gifts and either hand deliver or ship them yourself and hope for the best. This ladies' Smartwool base layer is a great gift from a local vendor.  Their clothes are so warm.

Shop vintage. I love these Tiffin satin candlesticks from Etsy.  They are even more stunning in real life.

Order Flowers.  I plan to order flowers for my mother (she has everything she needs) and have them delivered every few months.  This is something she will enjoy after the holidays as well and avoids the holiday rush.  

Books sent directly from Amazon. Someone on my list will receive Christopher Spitzmiller's fabulous book. This is one of my favorite books (and I have a lot of books).  Perfect for anyone who gardens, decorates, cooks, or loves the country life. 

Order very early and hope for the best. That's what most will be doing unfortunately.  Happy Wednesday!

It's Breeders' Cup Classic Day

 I wait for this day all year and today's Classic race should not disappoint.  The juvenilles raced yesterday and the star of the show, again, was a filly, Echo Zulu who handily won the fillies' dirt race, remains undefeated, and ran the race faster than the boys.  She is out of Gunrunner's first crop and is the real deal.

But today, tune your television to Del Mar after an early dinner and watch the boys. Post time is 8:40 pm EDT.  The two grays are the ones to watch.  They have a lot in common - Knicks Go and Essential Quality.  Both are gray. Both are trained by Brad Cox. Both have stellar records (Essential Quality has lost only one race, the Kentucky Derby).  Both are in post positions in the center of the track. Both have Hall of Fame quality jockeys.  But they have different running styles.  Knicks Go is blazingly fast and could go to the lead very quickly.  Essential Quality is a stalker and wins only by margins that he needs to win.  Either could win.

But don't even count out a Baffert horse and Baffert won the colt juvenille's race yesterday with an undefeated colt, Corniche.  Medina Spirit knows the Del Mar track (a big plus) and has been winning graded stakes since the Derby.  He is no fluke. 

And don't discount Hot Rod Charlie who almost won the Belmont wire-to-wire in likely the fastest pace since Secretariat.  He has the talent to win this race too.

Love this large Breeders' Cup tote from Rebecca Ray, a perfect holiday gift for the horse race lover on your list.

 Tune in this evening for the best day in racing!