Have a fun weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We're going out for pasta tonight (I already decided on this) and tomorrow my friend is having a baby shower. I'm excited to share the rest of the 2012 gift guide, coming up next week! Have a good one, and if you're in a blog-reading mood, here are 15 fun links from around the web...

Woody Allen answers 12 unusual questions.

Why you should tell your children you're beautiful.

Cool tape.

New York in a nutshell.

Cupboards: Don't forget the inside!

What a pretty skirt.

Blueberry breakfast cake.

An airplane school? Toby would flip.

Let's bring back the dinner party.

Would you wear reflexology sandals?

10 blog posts every new mom should read. (Thank you, Stroller Traffic.)

This guy's a cutie.

An inspiring 103-year-old grandmother.

A cute snowflake diaper for the holidays.

After I wrote about being happy to see your children, one reader pointed out that your eyes should light up for everyone you love, which was a great point. Sometimes when Alex gets home, I'm harried and toss a quick hello over my shoulder. I'm going to change that asap!

Also, after the enthusiastic response to COATT morse code jewelry, the designer is offering 20% off to Cup of Jo readers until December 7th. Just email her at info@coattonline.com with CUP OF JO in the subject line.

Girls Season 2: Trailer

Yes! Can't wait until January 13th. (Also, I have the biggest girl crush on Marnie.)

Thursday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is a big one! The jewelry studio COATT makes beautiful Morse Code necklaces and bracelets. They spell words like "friend," "mom," "love" or "kiss me," or you can get them personalized with your name. I love how they feel like secret messages.

Today one lucky reader will win a 14K gold necklace or bracelet with the name of her choice (worth $400). Whose name would you get?

For a chance to win, please visit COATT and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: Ashley M. is our winner. Thanks for playing.

Gift Guide Part #1: Your Beautiful Mom Who Adopts Your Slang and Still Writes Handwritten Letters.

Ticking apron for baking chocolate-chip cookies together, $27.

Finnish-style ornaments, $25. (This mobile, $67, is also beautiful.)

Monogrammed pajamas! Because how chic is that? $78.

Paper flowers to brighten up her desk all year long. $29 to $40.

A stack of your favorite 2012 cookbooks: Smitten Kitchen, What Katie Ate and Dinner: A Love Story. $20-ish each.

Freudian mug, because it all comes back to your mama, $16.


Gilded stationery, $20.

Wax seals for her most important notes, $16.

100% cotton robe to make her feel pretty every morning, $100.

Raspberry bush that grows in a container. (Perfect for even the tiniest patio!) $31.95.

Rodin perfume, an intoxicating mix of jasmine and neroni. For women, not girls. $220.

A calendar ($24.99) or notepad ($12.99) featuring her favorite little dude.
Sapphire earrings to match her eyes, $168.

Cheesecake!!! These lemon-ricotta beauties are delivered in Manhattan and Brooklyn, $55. (You can also order a classic New York cheesecake here.)

French locket to keep her loved ones close to her heart, where they belong. $90.

P.S. More gifts for moms.

(Raspberry bush via Abbey)

The Cup-of-Jo 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

Are you looking forward to the holidays this year? I can't believe they're already here! Today, I'm excited to kick off the 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. As always, I've tried to find things for every budget and personality, and really hope you enjoy it.

You can look through past gift guides here: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007.

Ok, let's do this thing! (I'll post one every day or two, along with regular posts.) xoxo

(Photo by Petra Warrass)

Toby, 2.5 years old

Toby is now two and a half (how time flies!), and it's awesome to watch him develop his own little personality. I figured I'd share a few photos, if you'll indulge me:) Above, he's riding on Alex's shoulders to brunch...
Strolling around the neighborhood with a Happy Birthday balloon (note: it was not his birthday).
Cuddling with his girlfriend. No big deal.
In toddler heaven at the Brooklyn Transit Museum.
Painting during an art class.
Feeling sheep at the Central Park Zoo.
Drinking shirtless while watching TV like a dude.
Zonked!

Toby, I love being your mama.

In other news, we're starting potty training this week! Wish us luck:)

How to wear a beanie

I look terrible in hats. I have a big head (always have), and hats just make it look bigger. But my friend Kendra has a simple trick for making winter hats look cool...
Read More >

The Best Salted Caramel Brownies You'll Ever Have

When exactly did the world realize that sea salt makes every dessert 1,000 better? Ever since that lightbulb moment, sweet-and-salty desserts have reached a whole new level. Lucky for us, Victoria from A Subtle Revelry has agreed to share her salted caramel brownies recipe that will blow your mind (and make you the star of the show during the holidays)...Read More >

Homeland

Have you guys been watching Homeland? Alex and I are obsessed. The show follows a bipolar CIA agent (Claire Danes), who suspects that a rescued prisoner of war (Damian Lewis), who has just returned to the United States, has actually become a terrorist. It is SO TENSE. You're on the edge of your seat for the whole show.

We got the first season on DVD and have been glued to it every night for the past week. It’s funny when you have the dvds and can watch all the shows in a row, because it gets in your head. Usually when we go to bed, we talk about Toby or life or whatever, but now we get in bed and we’re like, "Oh my gosh! What do you think her deal is?!!! Who do you think was on the call?!!"

P.S. Claire Dane's cryface.

Hair tutorials

For holiday parties and dinners (and even the flight home), feel free to look back through Caroline's hair tutorials. Wouldn't it be pretty to wear three twisted buns with a sparkly dress, or a mermaid braid with a wool sweater? You can find all fifteen tutorials here...

Braids:
* Mermaid tail braid
* Half-up braided crown
* Braided top bun
* Four-strand braid
* Braided crown
* Pretzel braid

Ponytails:
* Messy side ponytail
* Ponytail twist
* Sleek parted ponytail

Buns:
* Three twisted buns
* Top knot
* Rope bun
* Gibson roll
* Chestnut bun
* Messy French bun

P.S. Also, this year's holiday gift guide will kick off this Thursday, I hope you like it:)

(Photos by Jamie Beck for Cup of Jo)

New little darlings

My friend's son's nursery is filled with these baby animal photographs, and apparently her little boy says "good night" to each one every evening. How cute is that? Today photographer Sharon Montrose just launched two new little darlings—a baby camel and a baby zebra. What little faces...
And this video broke my heart...(P.S. Here's their holiday sale.)

(Animal wallpaper by Anthropologie)

Do or Don't: Kids sharing a bedroom

While househunting in Brooklyn, we've been seeing both two- and three-bedroom places. Needless to say, the two-bedroom spots are much more affordable. But since we're hoping to have two children, if we get a two-bedroom apartment, they'd have to share a room.

What do you think? My sister and I shared a room for a while, and I liked it; but Alex shared a room with his much older brother for a decade and was always dying for his own space. Should each child have a room to call their own, or is it fun to share? Did you share a room growing up? I'd be so grateful for any advice...

P.S. Smart way to divide a room, and nursery in a closet.

(Photo by Meghan McEwan)

Motherhood Mondays: Do your eyes light up when you see your child?

Whenever I see or call my mom, she always acts ecstatic. Even though I'm usually regaling her with something super boring ("I’m ordering Mexican for dinner tonight,” "I’m kind of sleepy today,” “Did you see that it snowed?”), she’s always thrilled to hear every detail. And although I’m 33 years old, it feels reassuring to have someone who is so reliably happy that I exist.

Learning from my mother, now that I have a child of my own, I try to never hide how happy I am to see Toby. Even when I'm buried in emails or writing a post, I always look up with a huge grin and eyes twinkling when Toby walks in the door. Even when I'm sick, busy, tired or stressed, I want him to always know, 100%, that I'm glad he's there.

Author Toni Morrison shared a similar sentiment on Oprah years ago: "When my children used to walk in the room...I looked at them to see if they had buckled their trousers or if their hair was combed or if their socks were up. You think your affection and your deep love is on display because you're caring for them. It's not. When they see you, they see the critical face." Does your face light up when your child comes into the room? she asked. Because they notice.

Toby, for one, has definitely noticed. He'll sometimes even come through the door and announce, "Ta da!!!" It makes my heart sing that he believes he's worthy of such fanfare.

What about you? Have you ever thought about this? Maybe every mother does! It's one of those little things that feels really important.

P.S. The first time my eyes lit up.

(I wrote a shortened version of this post for SFGirlbyBay; thanks, Victoria)

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you traveling or staying home? We're heading to Brooklyn to have dinner with friends, and I'm psyched to sit around their fireplace. Hope you have a delicious day with lots of pumpkin pie and loose pants. Meanwhile, here are some fun posts from around the web...

A song for your weekend.

Can't wait for this movie.

10 leftover turkey recipes.

Pretty colorblock dress.

How to get a North Pole postmark.

A ski lodge in NYC? But that's impossible!

David Letterman kissed Amy Poehler (on the lips).

Five tiny NYC apartments.

This moving gift guide is insane!

I'll be wearing these guys all weekend.

Ira Glass, I love you.

Red suede shoes.

This new book looks intriguing.

And thank you again for all the heartfelt comments on the post about people deciding not to have kids. It was a fascinating discussion.

(Photos of us from last summer)

Wednesday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Jenny N. Design, a beautiful bag shop based in Pittsburgh. She mades her bags by hand with supple leather or cotton canvas, and they're the kinds of beautiful shapes that you'd wear every day for years. Jenny is letting one winner pick out her favorite bag. Which would you choose? (I'd go for this one.)

For a chance to win, please visit Jenny N. Design, and leave a comment below telling us your favorite bag. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: Nikita S. is our winner. Thanks for playing.

Bonus for all readers: Get 15% off through Monday with the code CUPOFJO.

Yada, yada, yada

Our friend Nora stopped by last night, and Toby fell madly in love with her. They both wore plastic red fire hats, naturally, and Nora also pretended to fall down, which is always a hit around here. But the piece de résistance was when Nora was telling me a story and said, "Yada, yada, yada." Toby burst into hysterical laughter. What wit! What timing! What funny sounding words! He couldn't get over it.

The whole scene reminded me of this classic Seinfeld clip:)

The Best Apple Crisp You'll Ever Have

In honor of Thanksgiving, we have another best recipe today—apple crisp! The lovely Monique from Ambitious Kitchen shares her incredible version, including a secret ingredient...
Read More >

The Best (Cheesy!) Mashed Potatoes You'll Ever Have

What kind of mashed potatoes do you like? My new favorite might be aligot, a traditional mashed potato dish in France, whipped up with tons of cheese and garlic. (Cheese lovers, get psyched!) Here, food blogger Mimi, who lives in the French countryside, agrees to share her recipe...Read More >

Paris elopement

Karl and Leslie eloped to Paris, and their friend Duncan Wolfe captured it on film. Love the groom's flirty dancing at the end.

P.S. Three elopements, and a Swedish wedding dress.

A very easy holiday party

When it comes to holiday parties, my theory is: the simpler, the better. Relaxed parties take two seconds to pull together and make your friends feel at ease; they're always the kind where everyone ends up hanging out late into the night.

Here are my five go-to steps for a party: 1. Forget stamps; just email invitations. 2. Wear comfy flats or wear a favorite dress with cute bare feet. (The Barefoot Contessa even wears slippers to her dinner parties; good call.)
3. Serve a signature drink. Above is a delicious Nutella-inspired hot chocolate, made by mixing a third cup of Baileys Hazelnut Flavor with a cup of hot chocolate, and topping it off with a dollop of whipped cream. (Alex was also psyched by the idea of a Baileys martini.)
4. Serve simple, yummy foods, like a mix of chocolate cookies. (I also love just plain old potato chips, as well as the pigs-in-blankets from Trader Joe's.)
5. And string up fairy lights (around windows, on the back of the sofa) to magically transform your living room. That's it!
Where do you fall on the scale of simple to elaborate parties? Any other entertaining tips to share? Especially for easy snacks?

This post is sponsored by Baileys Irish Cream. Join us at creamwithspirit.com and help us celebrate women who live their lives #withspirit.