Thanksgiving Books and our Book Baskets

Thanksgiving is nearly here. Soon many of us will be baking and cooking and roasting — or traveling far and near to join family and friends. The air is crisp. The leaves are nearly gone. And we had a big snow on Sunday, though it is largely gone now. And the squirrels are enjoying the smorgasbord of pumpkins and gourds on our front porch.

I have a Thanksgiving treat for you today! This is our Book Basket…

Actually, we have two — one upstairs and one down. As the seasons change, I collect our seasonal books — Fall and Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Summer, etc. They go into the book baskets so they are easy to find for story time. This way we are sure to read them all at least once during the season. The Thanksgiving and Fall books are in the upstairs Book Basket right now, and yesterday I put the Christmas books downstairs. They will go upstairs after Thanksgiving.

But what is in our Book Basket right now? So glad you asked! I put together a list of our favorite Fall and Thanksgiving Books for your family to enjoy!

After Thanksgiving, I’ll give you a peek into our Christmas books, but I work really, really hard not to move from Halloween to Christmas. I love Autumn, and I’m luxuriating in these last few days.

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Follow me on Instagram to see what we will be doing for Thanksgiving — it is going to be soooooo fun! I can’t wait!

Ciao!
Angela

Armistice Day • 100 Years

Armistice Day • 100 Years 
I spent a few hours today meditating on the music and poetry of The War to End War. In some ways WWI seems so long ago, and yet 100 years is fleeting — a mere blink in time. And the deaths of 8.5 million soldiers (and an estimated 13 million civilians) can not be forgotten. Nearly 22 million people died in four years of brutal warfare.

So I spent time today listening to music of and about WWI, and I made poppies. The poppies are printed with the text of Britten’s War Requiem — poems woven together with the words of the mass for the dead. The poem written across the page is John McCrae’s brilliant “In Flanders Fields.” And this is all layered upon the pages of the gospel of Luke 2: 29-32, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.”

But it is the MaCrae’s call which keeps running through my head...

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

To read the entirety of “In Flanders Fields,” visit Poets.org.

Blessings!
A

From @MidModernMama on Instagram

Happy November!

The cool, crisp days are here to stay, and there’s snow in the forecast again for the weekend. But I’ve been snug in my office, working away!

The last few weeks have been sooooo busy! The Nice List arrived early — when does that ever happen? I had JUST posted a nice little round-up about our past renovation projects when cases and cases of books were plunked down and my focus shifted to packing and shipping and packing and shipping and more packing and more shipping. Phew!

All pre-orders for The Nice List have now been shipped out! Thank you to all of you who supported this project! I hope The Nice List is a help as the holiday season approaches.

I’ve put together a quick and dirty guide to using The Nice List including a step-by-step guide to budgeting for Christmas. Check them out!

And if you haven’t ordered The Nice List — or you need a few more copies — I have some still. They are going fast, and once they are gone, that’s it until next year. So order soon!

And as for that peek into our past renovations… here it is! More on that to come, but here’s a glimpse into the other two homes we have renovated over the years. Both were labors of love, and they represent a little of what we will do here in the coming years, too. Enjoy!

Stay warm!
XOXO
Angela

The Nice List Arrived!

Santa came early and delivered The Nice List ahead of schedule! I am absolutely delighted — the book is even more beautiful than I expected, and Holly and I can’t wait to share it with you!

I filmed a very quick flip through video so you can see exactly what’s inside — beautiful design and lots of room to do your Christmas planning.

I am so excited for you to receive your own copy of The Nice List. Thanks to all of you who already ordered. And if you didn’t order: it’s not too late! Click the link below and purchase your own copy. I’ll start shipping orders this weekend!

Cheers! And thank you!
Angela

Mid Modern Mama Shop

Renovating: It's What We Do

We are not new to renovating houses. This is our third project house. We always buy unusual homes that need a lot of work. But there’s something — some intangible quality about a house which inspires and captures us. We also have the imagination to look beyond the immediate disaster and to see the potential.

As we begin to remake our Atomic Ranch, updating it and making it more functional, I thought it would be fun to look back on the other two homes we have renovated: the 1980s Cabin in the City and our 1948 Subdivision Sweetheart.

Our 1980s Cabin in the City evolved over 8 years of work, and we did most of that work ourselves. That house was a laboratory — paint colors came and went, the bathroom had several iterations until we found the right combination. We learned a lot as we went, and we loved that snug little home. The 1948 Subdivision Sweetheart, on the other hand, needed too much work to live through — and we had a two year-old at the time. So, we took on a whole house renovation all at once.

I hope you enjoy this peek into our homes from the past. There are many ideas from these two homes which we will use again in one way or another. We fall deeply in love with our homes, and both of these renovations were labors of love.

Enjoy!
XOXO
Angela

Projects & Downloads

Happy Thursday! The snow is gone… but we know there will be more! That’s the joy of living here in Colorado — real seasons and lots of variety. Yesterday I spent an hour at the dentist, but the view of brilliant orange leaves out the window just washed away those reminders about regular flossing… Have I mentioned how much I love autumn?

Anyway… new this week on Mid Modern Mama — an idea and a download.

As winter set in last year, we found our dining room too dark for — well, anything, frankly. So we had to come up with a solution that was cheap, interesting, and easy. We did, and I absolutely LOVE our Aspen Branch Chandelier! It cost us a total of $15 and took an afternoon to make. And here’s the best part: we decorate it for holidays and seasons. You’ll see what Bambino created for Halloween in the post. It is an important part of our holiday decor all year round!

And exciting news! The PDF version of The Nice List is available now for instant download. If you already purchased it, an email came to you earlier this week about this. But if you are still thinking about purchasing The Nice List I have a few print copies available when they arrive SOON or you can purchase the PDF download. I put together some simple printing instructions, too.

Mid Modern Mama Shop

I hope you are enjoying a cozy autumn day wherever you are!

Cheers!
Angela

The Nice List Available for Download Today!

Hip! Hip! Hooray! The Nice List PDF can be downloaded today!

The PDF version of The Nice List is available for instant download as of today in my shop! Hooray! The pages are scalable if you already have a planner you love, and you can print the pages you want to use easily. I have put together some printing tips, too. So happy printing! I also have a limited supply of The Nice List coming that have not been sold. If you are interested, you can place that order in my shop, too.

If you are following me on Instagram, you know that we had sledding this weekend! But today it is warmer, the snow is melting, and it feels perfectly autumnal. Love!

I hope your Tuesday is off to a great start! Here’s to a wonderful week! Links for everything are below!

XOXO
Angela

Mid Modern Mama Shop

Awesome Halloween Costumes for Kids

It’s almost here! The day of dress-up and fun for everyone: Halloween! Seriously, even my 90-plus year-old grandmother dresses up each year.

We have been talking about Halloween for months with many, many costume ideas thrown about. We have a plan for this year, but I thought I’d share a few of our favorite costumes from years past just in case you are looking for ideas! Plus I’m sharing my secret weapon for great kids’ costumes! There’s one item that I always buy, because it makes the best foundation for all kinds of costumes and dress-up play — and it is under $30.

Bambino’s Super Hero costume

But if you are a mom, I also want to offer this: your child’s costume does not have to be a project that takes a month of your time or costs more than your mortgage or will win awards on Instagram. Let your child have fun! Let them help you — or even make their own. When Bambino was three, we went to hear the symphony play Fantasia at Halloween. All of the children were invited to come in costume, and this is what he pulled together himself. He was a Super Hero and chose every piece of his outfit himself. Clearly, Marvel has nothing on the madras pants and raccoon hat! Don’t sweat the Halloween costumes! Do something creative — or not! But don’t lose the fun!

I hope you’re having a lovely fall day! If you’re following me on Instagram, you’ll know we had SNOW this morning!

Cheers!
Angela

PS: don’t forget to make your Autumn bunting! You’ll find the free printable below.

Awesome Halloween Costumes for Kids

Free Autumn Printable

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