Family Photos!

My new MOPS friend, Megan Roden, has just started her photography business and we were so happy to meet up with her and get these last minute family pictures!  She also helped us make our very first Christmas card as a family.  I can't believe I waited all these years to send Christmas cards.  It really wasn't as difficult as I expected and we just love the results!  Thanks Megan for being so awesome with our crazy red heads!! 

Here are a few of my favorite shots:

Maxwell is pointing at a plane flying by...LOVE the boy's faces and that Dexter is holding a stick.  Very much their personalities!

Everyone is smiling.  I don't think this happened in any other picture.

Wearing my favorite waterfall necklace and reflection earrings.  The bracelet is also Noonday, but discontinued.  But I love it so.

Cheese!

 

MWAH!

 

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First Picture with Santa

Dexter was THRILLED to meet Santa and had all kinds of questions for him like how does his sled fly and where will he be when.  Maxwell wasn't so sure.  Santa's expression and posture says it all.

 

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Sander and Whitney's Christmas Vacation!

We decided that this year was the year to cut down our own Christmas tree!  Dewberry Farms is outside of Houston and was well worth the trip.  The day we went was absolutely beautiful!  50 degrees, sunny, and we got there early enough that it wasn't too crowded.

On the hay ride about to head out to find a Christmas tree!

 

I just love their little faces!

We found our tree!  We went for a smaller one so it would sit on a table in the front room.  It just works better that way with little ones.

The boys cutting down the tree.

The tractor was a huge attraction for Maxwell...

And Dexter.

Merry Christmas Season all!

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Tree Farm, via Instagram

We headed to Dewberry Farms Saturday to cut our own tree. I took lots of "real" pictures which I will post soon, but here are a few of the Instagrams I took on my phone.

Sander with our cute, tabletop tree

Dexter operating the play diggers.  He loved it!  He said, "Mom, look, I am a construction worker!"

The kids' tree all set up and ready for them.

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Amazonia Necklace

Original Price: $125,
Sample Sale Price: $99

A combination of acai, jaboncillo and tagua discs in bright colors come together with a twist in this bold necklace in time for this summer's ethnic trend. 20" long.


This piece is handcrafted of sustainable seeds by artisans in Ecuador who provide employment opportunities for their community. The artisans are also shareholders in the company.

http://www.whitneyray.noondaycollection.com/

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Sseko Sandal Strap, Various

Please leave a comment with which strap(s) you would like.
Original Price: $10
Sample Sale Price: $7

Red
Brown
Blue and White Stripe
Black
Dot Print
Seriously? 50 sandals in one and we aren't exaggerating. Wrap them, strap them, flip flop them. Handmade by recent high school graduates in Uganda who use the money they earn from making the sandals to put them through university. Be as creative with these as your imagination will let you! Don't forget to the buy the base for your strap!

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Ties Scarf

Original Price: $55
Sample Sale Price: $43

Unworn, perfect condition!
This Noonday Collection favorite is hand knit in soft alpaca. The scarf loops through a hidden pocket. It can be worn wrapped two or three times around the neck.
This piece is handknitted of the softest alpaca by women in the Lima area of Peru. Every product is fully traceable including where we source, what are in the products, and who actually hand knits the items. All our designs are created as a collaborative effort. These women who work with us are able to integrate knitting into their daily lives, and thus supplement their incomes.

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Addis Earrings

Original Price: $48
Sample Sale Price: $38

These are my favorite earrings!!! 

Antique charms are replicated in these upcycled blend of metals that lend an ethnic flair to your accessories collection. Most of the artisans who created the pieces are HIV positive and receive healthcare and literacy training in addition to job training.

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Cascading Falls Necklace, Ivory

Originally $138, now $99

Cascades of acai and pambil seeds drape around and around to create this 36" statement necklace. This piece is handcrafted of sustainable seeds by artisans in Ecuador. It takes 3 months for the seed to become a bead. The artisans have been able to rise out of poverty and now employ other community members with the same vision for them!


http://www.whitneyray.noondaycollection.com/

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Sample Sale Rules: Nov 4 at 4pm

The Sample Sale Will Begin Nov. 4th at 4pm!

 

 

If you have been to one of my shows, you know I have a few too many items to display well.  After a painstaking process, I decided to go ahead and part with a few items, even though they are huge favorites and still selling well.  Most of these items are still available, full price, on the website!  Hope you enjoy them and they make a great gift for you or someone you love.

If you are looking for a certain item, you can click the label in the right hand column, a little ways down.  You can search by Noonday Sample Sale Bracelet, etc.

 

Here is a quick reminder of the "rules"

• Each item will be posted separately.
• Each item will be tagged as "necklace", "bracelet", etc. So if you are looking for a specific item, please click on the appropriate tag on the right.
• If you want to purchase an item, please leave a comment with your email address. If you want multiple items, leave a comment on each item.
• FIRST COMMENT "WINS"!
• If you see an item up that you want but it has an email address in the comments, go ahead and leave a comment with your email address as that will serve as a "waiting list" if the first person doesn't make their payment in the allotted time.
• After commenting I will email you a paypal receipt (probably around 10pm tonight).  This will enable you to pay for the item via credit card or paypal.
• You MUST pay for the item within 24 hours of receiving the invoice, or I will re-post the item for sale.
• I will leave all items up until payment has been received. I will remove an item once payment has been received.
• Let me know in your comment if you want to pick it up, meet up, or have me mail it. I will add $6.00 shipping to your invoice if you request to mail it.
• Email me at whitneyray AT noondaycollection.com if you have any questions or specific directions for me.

Good luck!!!

www.whitneyray.noondaycollection.com



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Trick or Treat!

This was the first year we went trick-or-treating and we had a great time seeing our neighbors! We went early and teamed up with our friends and back fence neighbors the Grahams. The boys had a great time racing to ring the doorbell and it was great to see our old Chatterton neighbors again.

The boys

Mommy and boys

Heading out

Dexter had lots of great things to say throughout the night.  And please note, none of these things were been said by us!  These are original Dexter-isms!: 
"These are delicious trick-or-treats!"
"We're here for the trick-or-treats"
"My treats are more delicious than your treats"
"I'm going to wear my costume again on Thanksgiving and ask for trick-or-treats"

And to top them all of, when we stopped to talk to a neighbor who had just had a death in the family, Dexter begins to walk away and yells at us:
"We're wasting our time!"

We loved seeing our former across the street neighbor and now reading time friend, Mrs. V!

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Happy Fall!

We ran into our local nursery yesterday to look for a Myer lemon tree. While they didn't have the tree, they did have awesome dry sheaves of corn for only $8.99.

I love it. I feel so festive and ready to celebrate the "cool" weather!

Happy fall!!

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Play Time!

I really can't believe how quickly M is growing up! He is walking everywhere and doing so many "big boy" things! D is even getting to where he doesn't want to go outside unless M comes too. He says, "I don't want to go without my brother! Who will play with me?"

 

He is totally into the "new" (meaning I brought it out of the secret stash closet) toy!  He is actually really coordinate with it, to my surprise.

This picture sums it up!  M looks up to D in EVERYTHING!

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#CadillacVIP

Last week I had the most incredible experience! I won a contest through Lynne Gabriel and Houston Area Cadillac Dealers which you can read all about here!

It was so much fun to even enter!  I put together 5 different outfits inspired by the 5 different models of Cadillac and had Sander drive me around taking pictures in the neighborhood.  The kids came along and listened to their tunes while Sander and I had fun pretending to be professionals!

Here is my winning look, inspired by the sculpted and versatile Cadillac SRX!

Wearing the Dulce Necklace, Tagua Seed bracelet, and Tubular earrings.

Wearing Cascading Falls necklace, Carved Cuff bracelet, and Tubular earrings...and my favorite mint skinny jeans from Free People!

 

I got to meet Lynne in person at a Houston Fashion Blogger event at the Galleria.  It was an awesome night at Henri Bendel and Lynne is beautiful, inside and out!

 

What I won as part of the contest was a week driving the Cadillac SRX AND attending the Fashion Now style show as a VIP.  From the moment I opened the box with the how-to to the moment the Cadillac pulled into my driveway, I was smitten!

Looks at home, doesn't it?

Appropriate music for the first drive!

Wearing Cascading Falls in salmon, Fusion bracelet, Addis earrings and the Rewind clutch!

 

Sander got to attend the Fashion Now Style Show as my guest....super fun night with Smilebooth, cocktails, ice bars and swag bags!  Loved being a VIP!

We got to sit FRONT row for the style show! It was an amazing experience to say the least!!

Wearing the Galapagos and the Stacked Arrows necklace, Ripples of Gold and the Escalera Block bracelet, and my new favorites, the Reflection earrings!

 

Here was my last big outing in the SRX -- a night out to the opening night of the Houston Symphony.  Sander bought be the tickets for my big 2-9 birthday and we had an awesome night!  One of the best parts was driving the zippy Cadillac down the freeway, music blaring, with the sun roof open.   

 

Thanks Houston Area Cadillac Dealers and Lynne Gabriel!!!  What a great week!

 

 All jewelry is available online or through trunk shows from Noonday Collection

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