Quick Takes • The Calm before the Christmas Storm Edition

A heck of a long week. Very glad for a quiet Friday. This Friday's seven quick takes, not long enough for a whole post, but not short enough to tweet...

1. I love Netflix's Instant Movie Viewer.
   I've been working like a crazy woman the last few weeks, and I just pull up a movie on the right screen and edit away on my left screen. Though our Netflix gives us 2 movies at a time, I can catch up on old shows (seasons at a time) or movies that I've wanted to watch but haven't come up in the queue yet. Best time saver? The movie viewer keeps track of where you are, even if you shut off the computer so you can load it again later.
2. On the hunt for stocking stuffers.
   Put up a request on Facebook, had a ton of good ideas for husbands + wee ones. Yea!
3. Getting as much done as I can right now.
   Not knowing when/if we will need to make quick flight plans back to Iowa, I've been working late and getting up around 5 to get caught up. Working through Thomas's naps as well. Almost done with the photo shoots (posts will come after everyone's cards are in the mail!) and making great headway on finishing up corporate projects that I've been working on. Finian Road's done a good deal of corporate design projects this fall - so loving this new avenue!
4. My husband is awesome.
   He just called to offer to bring home Apollos (just like Spiro's, but in Olympia) for me, since I'll be cooking up a storm tomorrow. That way, we can relax for a mini date night with movies tonight.
5. Looking forward to dinner tomorrow night.
   Really looking forward to leftovers. So looking forward to time with the fam. Very glad there's no snow this year, as is the complete opposite from last year. Makes it easier on the drive out here. :)
6. A cool story from Gary Cosby's 20 Moments.
   Gary is a fantastic photographer. He lost his son, Reece, earlier this year. Reece had Down Syndrome. Reading his stories about Reece + seeing the photos of him invite you into his journey. He is pulling his 20 favorite images from the year, and this was the first. A great reflection. Hope you enjoy.
7. Wanted some cool little centerpieces for the house over Christmas.
   I didn't want to pay crazy prices, so I decided to create some simple + handmade arrangements. I pulled out an old silver bucket from a centerpiece last year and some crystal vases from our china hutch. Picked up a big bouquet of roses from Costco for $15. Thomas and I headed into the fields and cut some noble fir boughs. With some fresh cut cedar, I pulled everything together. A big centerpiece in the bucket, two mini arrangements in crystal, and one simple big vase of roses for the table. To share a few photos...

The boughs from the nobles