happy new year!!!

Cory isn't feeling very well today, so we decided to have dinner & celebrate the new year at home. It is fun to eat a fancy meal in your pajamas :) Reminds me of the decadent feeling of ordering room service at a hotel. Welcome 2010!!! our menu this evening:

• Italian marinated filet mignon kebabs
• with blue cheese creme fraische,
• baked russet potato
• sauteed bell pepper rings
• garlic buttered baguette
• caramel lava cake
• champagne!

nature...

This psycho squirrel has been taunting the girls for months. I can hear him chirping at them, provoking them. He's pretty bold and aggressive...scary. I am half-tempted to try taking him out with Cory's slingshot :)

ouch!!

Not the best way to start my vacation...but I will say this, the damage could have been sooo much worse and at least my car is still drive-able. And the police officer and the other lady were both really really nice.

to do...

I saw the most beautiful birds, including some very bright red cardinals, at my parents house on Sunday. They were so stunning against the bare branches of the trees and the white fluffy snow. The cardinal above is one of Charlie Harper's...love it :) I have lots to do this week but as of Tuesday afternoon I am on vacation until next Monday!! Here's the list:

• take down & put away Christmas decorations
• make & put up some "winter-y" decorations
• meal plan & go grocery shopping
• have a slumber party with my sister & watch 500 Days of Summer
• babysit my niece Addie, who has been really sick but is still sweet as pie
  
• clean & do laundry
  
• finish & photograph my December daily journal
• do a painting & a craft project
• start a new book
• go see a movie at the theater
  

funny stuff...

This had us absolutely crackin up today!! Auto tune is wicked funny :)

highlights...

1. my family on Christmas morning, I love this shot Cory got of the scene!
2. my niece Addie's first Christmas, she is the sweetest girl you'll ever meet!
3. BINGO - a holiday tradition in my family for over 30 years, your privilege to play arrives with your 13th birthday.
4. some gifts have been around since the early years...including these glasses I got; Cory got a rubber chicken :)
5. the infamous owls - what started as a re-gift in like 1975 from my mom (the lime green one in the top left corner), grew into a family over time and now the recipient has to bring it back the following year & write a clever poem to go along with it. It is the gift that we all try to avoid (the poem is a lot of pressure), and joke about lovingly all throughout the bingo game.
   

Merry Christmas!!

from not martha - click photo for link

good tidings to all..

source

wishing peace, light & love to everyone this holiday season!

it's almost here!

Trying to tie up all the loose holiday ends tonight...

• bake 3 pecan pies
• decorate 3 dozen sugar cookies with royal icing
• dip pretzel rods in melted white chocolate w/sprinkles
• last minute load of laundry
• dye my hair
• squeeze in a few pages of my December journal (I may end up working on this more next week...the calm after the storm + I have a few days off work to relax :)
  
• watch White Christmas & the Grinch (totally just realized I haven't watched hardly any of my favorite holiday movies yet this year?! oh well, I can watch them next week too, right?
• not excited to work until 5pm tomorrow or on the 26th (only til noon) but again, I have next week to look forward to!
  

decor...

click the photo for a link to the how-to
gorgeous twine snowmen from David Stark on apt therapy

are you ready?

if not, check out these handmade gift ideas...all from Martha

I *love* all of the styling & photography on anything & everything Martha Stewart. I found amazing cookie boxes of hers at Michael's - complete with coordinating ribbons & tags. I meant to photograph them but time was running out...we had delivered all but one (that I was saving to photograph). We came home the other night and found that Lulu & Bella had gotten the last one off of the kitchen counter & destroyed it. So disappointing. We are making another round of sugar cookies so hopefully I'll get more photos of those.

family...

Nick, Molly, ME, Erin, Michael
on Christmas a few years ago
having a big family can be hard sometimes
but it sure makes the holidays fun!!

eye candy...

from Kat Gruender

from Beth Retro

from bakerella

warm & fuzzy

It is such a magical time of year!!
Beauty is always in the simplest of things.

more journal...

I worked on my December daily journal today. I also worked on Christmas cards and a few more gifts. I was hoping to do a great illustration for a card or something, but in the end, I ran out of time and bought some simple store bought cards. I printed a small photo of the girls in their Halloween costumes to put inside each one. It was a pretty productive yet relaxing day...but I hate that dread that comes with Sunday night and knowing the weekend is over.

s-a-t-u-r-d-a-y....NIGHT!

Today my niece and I made finger-knitted garlands from this tutorial I saw on Elsie's blog. It was so easy & fun...pretty addicting, too. We watched the Grinch while making garlands and mini-scarves for her dolls and little sister :)
Then we decorated these gingerbread sleighs from a kit my mom had and went to the first family holiday dinner of the season. It has started raining ice - good thing everyone is home & cozy now! We're planning to watch a movie & have some hot cocoa.

birdie...

I added a little birdie to the wreath :)

my wreath...

I finished this wreath today...it is another project from the RVA autumn class. I was thinking of making a little red felt cardinal to hang down in the middle, but I'm not sure yet. I burned the crap out of my thumb with the hot glue gun and got reprimanded for letting the glue drip on the kitchen counter...it couldn't be helped :)

inspirations...

*click photos for credit*
I am loving all things about snow globes today. Which is kind of ironic because I have been thinking lots lately about how snow & bad weather make my day job really tough. But these snow globes are beautiful nonetheless. :)

holiday mood

I did some holiday gift-making tonight - super cute zipper pouches from the RVA Autumn class. I am trying to do a totally handmade holiday, as much as possible anyway. We may give gift certificates for a few on our list who are just impossible to figure out. The second photo is of one of my favorite ornaments - from UO few years ago. She's so tiny :)

daily journal...

These are a few of my favorite finished pages from my December daily journal. You can see more on my flickr.

cozy home..

After the cleaning & decorating, I couldn't help but take a photo :) Lulu and Bella are posing so nicely, aren't they? We have a pretty small house...but I prefer to think of it as cozy!

sweet sunday...

We had ourselves such a nice little Sunday :)
We picked up our Christmas tree after a breakfast of blueberry cornbread pancakes & bacon...I wish I'd have taken a photo; but once it was done *it was so heavenly* that we had to eat it straight away! We have decided this will be a new tradition every year on the day we get the tree. Then we made a big batch of beef barley soup...oh so good for what ails you. It seems I've been consistently under the weather lately - so a big hearty bowl of soup can only do good things. Later we decorated the tree and now I'm crafting & watching movies...waiting on some soup. I did finish our fairy door (see above) but we haven't finalized a spot for it just yet.

b-day raincheck...

Feeling much, much better today!! Hooray! :)

I had a gift certificate for a massage that I used this morning...it was awesome. I spent 20 minutes in a hydrotherapy tub filled with bubbles followed by a great 60 minute Swedish massage with essential oils for aromatherapy...very relaxing. We spent the rest of the day running random errands - grocery shopping & picking up supplies for some holiday projects. Then we had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant followed by a trip to the movie theater to see Fantastic Mr. Fox - it was....FANTASTIC!! We both really liked it & I think I have to have the soundtrack. Happy Weekend To All!!

the plan...

+

+
1. drink tea
2. watch this movie

3. go to bed early {credit}
4. feel awesome tomorrow!!

again?

yes, again. under the weather...
i have been feeling awful for the past few days.
cinnamon toast & tea are the only comfort today.
hope to be back in better shape tomorrow

decorating...

I got out the holiday decorations today.
I keep things pretty simple....a few touches here & there.
I found this extra string of twinkle lights...
and combined them with my existing decor!

my december daily...

from enjoy design
it is lovely :)

finished!

sew grateful journal
november 29, 2009

kit from evalicious