Giving Thanks.

I always love helping my mom get ready for Thanksgiving. I've been making a new dish every year to go along with our traditional dishes. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays--yes, there's preparation when it comes to food, but really the rest of the day is about hanging out with family, relaxing and watching football. No gifts, not much traveling, just the chance to enjoy good food and your company.

Thanks to Pinterest, I've been spending hours looking at table scapes, side dishes, and other decorations. Here are some of the things I'm loving:

Go Red for Women

I posted a couple weeks ago about the Go Red for Women Fashion Show coming up on Wednesday, November 16 at the Wyndham Grand in downtown Pittsburgh--well, my local newspaper did a story on myself, another volunteer, and the Director of Go Red for Women for our involvement with the cause and for being from Plum! It's a great article and you can see how this cause affects so many people in many different ways. You can read the full article here. Also, be sure to visit the Go Red for Women Facebook page!

For more info on the fashion show, or to purchase tickets, call Judy Grady at 412.208.3605.

Leigh Ann Weiss, myself and Wendy McCabe

Farm Aid 2012

The Venue - Hershey Park Stadium.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

Gah did I love Farm Aid. This was my first time going and I can't wait to go again. The day was long, super hot, then cold, beer and food lines were long--seriously like the wait was way over an hour, but in the end it was all worth it. The music was amazing and the atmosphere was perfect.

We drove out to Lancaster on Friday morning and spent the night at my friend Kaitlyn's house. We had a great dinner at the Lancaster Brewing Company and went to a couple local bars. The next morning we drove the short drive to Hershey Park. There was this "Homegrown Village" right at the entrance--this had local food, farmers, various farmers organizations, and other fun activities and workshops. Kev and I both thought it would be a bit bigger than it was, but it was still a good way to pass the time before the concert. There was food and beer inside the venue, but not enough.

The day started with some smaller bands I've never heard of, then Lucas Nelson played (son of Willie), Pati Young (wife of Neil), Jamey Johnson, Grace Potter, Jack Johnson, Kenny Chesney, then the four men of Farm Aid, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson. They were all amazing in different ways. I've never seen Dave play solo before and just with Tim Reynolds--talk about a guitar god. John Mellencamp's voice was raspy, so he didn't sound the best, but when he played 'Pink Houses' no one seemed to care. Neil Young was so surprisingly with it--not that I was expecting some old man to be up there, but he looked and sounded unreal. He did his own thing and must have said "I want to love you" into the mic at least 32 times, but come on, it's Neil Young. Willie was a little off while he was onstage with the others, but when it was his time, he rocked it. He played all his signature songs and an old gospel hymn as the finale.

All-in-all, I'd go again. Kev and I talked throughout the day on what we would do differently next time; like tailgate, not go in as early, bring a backpack with essentials, and try to get a big group to go--not that we didn't have a great time with the two of us, but a group would be fun!

Go Red for Women Fashion Show

Like fashion and have a passion for helping and promoting an important cause? Then you can’t miss this year’s Go Red for Women Fashion Show. Everyone knows the American Heart Association, but not as many know about the Go Red campaign. This component of the AHA focuses on promoting heart health and lifestyle changes in women.

I started as a volunteer with Go Red a little over a year ago. My grandmother has suffered from heart problems for quite a few years. Thankfully, she’s been in pretty good shape heart-wise—woo hoo. But because of her, this campaign has become such a strong passion of mine.

Go Red has many fundraisers throughout the year, however my focus is the fashion show. Last year we had almost 500 people attend our “Picture Perfect Health” show at the Wyndham Grand in downtown Pittsburgh, and this year we are expecting even more at our “Driven to be Heart Healthy” show than last year! It’s really pretty awesome. The clothes are from Macy’s and all of our models have a relation to either some sort of heart disease or they've made a healthy lifestyle change. We have an amazing “Chinese” auction and a live auction for some of our larger items, PLUS there are a ton of cool local vendors who come and sell their stuff.

My mom, grandma and aunt came last year and we had so much fun. It’s so inspiring to see the models up there and hear their story. So walk, drive, pedal or swim—whatever, just get there!

PS: Here's the post of the Plum Advance Leader article on us volunteers from Plum!

Pittsburgh's North Shore

There is no denying my love for Pittsburgh. I was so lucky to have the chance to travel the country after graduation, and although I loved every minute of it, it completely reassured me of how much I love this great city. I read recently that Hermoine, I mean Emma Watson, said that she was dreading having to live and work here while filming The Perks of Being A Wallflower, and at the end it turned out being one of her favorite places in the world. Crazy, huh? You'd never think that a little Brit like her would end up loving this city.

Anyway, I can ramble on for hours about all the great restaurants, shops, scenery, and hidden gems of Pittsburgh, but I'm going to make the rest of this simple. The North Shore is amazing. How can it not be? It's home to the Steelers and the Pirates, some great sports bars, a beautiful view of the city, The Warhol and other great museums and much more. Every single time I get through the city and start going across the bridge I get butterflies. The view of the stadiums, especially when there's a game that day, just takes my breath away. Cheesy, I know, but I can't help it.

I took a little walk to other day--one of those days at work--and found myself in where else, the North Shore. Check it out.

The Dark Side of the Moon

Free People recently opened a new store in Pittsburgh in the Bakery Square complex in East Liberty. Bakery Square quickly became an up-and-coming area in the city. The I Made It! Market is a frequent visitor and the shops and restaurants include Anthropologie, Boxwood, Learning Express, Panera Bread and is home to Pittsburgh’s Google office.

I love Free People’s new line inspired by various models and musicians including Stevie Nicks and Florence Welch.

Be sure to check out all of Free People’s current collections—Caravan Dreams is another 

one I’m lusting over. 

Terrain

Have you ever visited Terrain? I stumbled across it the other day and since then I can't stop going back. I haven't purchased anything yet but I have my eye on a few things. I love the simplicity, yet unique and beautiful colors of many of the items. Gardening has always had a special place in my heart and there are some amazing outdoor items on the site. Here are a few of my favorites:

Engraved Vines Copper Cocotte

Floating Wall Terrarium

Starburst Mirror

Jadeite Cake Stand

Patchouli Powder Box Candle

United States Chalkboard Map

Lyric Chrysoprase Necklace

Be sure to check out their blog, The Bulletin, for ideas, inspiration and easy DIY projects.