There are just a few more hours left of 2011! I can't believe that I started this blog a year ago with a list of goals for 2011. I have loved participating in the blog community and I'm so thankful for each and every one of you that stop by to read what I've written; it really means so much to me! This space has been a creative outlet for me, especially since I don't always find that in my day job, and I have loved getting to know some of you through the comments that you share and by... Read more →

I hope you had a cozy Christmas! Highlights of our holidays so far include my birthday dinner with Chris at Cibo in Phoenix, peppermint hot fudge sundaes and Kinnect with friends the next day at our house, a quiet Christmas Eve with friends learning to play our new Settlers of Catan Seafarers game (!!), and a lovely Christmas day with family. Besides our Settler's of Catan Seafarer's game I was so excited to receive a Mac Book Air (a wonderful surprise from my parents!), Simple Sewing, and a framed print from the budanART Etsy shop which is my December art-a-month!... Read more →

It's my 28th birthday today! That's me up there, if you can believe it, although I've grown quite a bit taller and my hair has become marginally thicker. Even though I'm not one for big birthday celebrations I still get pretty excited for December 22. It's so fun to have a day that you can call your own, isn't it? When I talk to my parents on my birthday I love to ask them to tell me the story of my birth; it's fun to hear the details they remember about that day. My mom was 29 when she had... Read more →

Christmas in a week, I can't believe it! My holiday to-do list started to feel a bit daunting this weekend; packages need to get in the mail now. And will I have time to bake for the neighbors this year? Eek! If you can relate, may I suggest sipping a maple bourbon cider (or two)? Cheers! Read more →

A few Christmases ago, two of my best girl friends and I started doing a Christmas dishes exchange for our presents. It's the best! Here's how it works: in early December, as we each get out our Christmas decorations, we take stock of the dishes we have so far and let each other know what we still need in our collections. We each spend about $30 per person (so I spend about $60 total) to buy a few plates, bowls, or mugs. It'll take several years to build a full collection but that's the point! One of my friends is... Read more →

Some days you have grand plans of doing all the things. Things like finishing the Christmas shopping, washing and folding all the laundry, doing the grocery shopping and cooking for the week, putting up the Christmas lights, and getting a Christmas tree. You have a whole day to do all the things. And it will be glorious. When you find that your husband has locked the keys in the car at the mall it's inconvenient, but there's still plenty of time. And your dear in-laws are sweet enough to quickly rescue you. Still time to do all the things. But... Read more →

It's our first year to send Christmas cards; I feel like such an adult. Chris's sister was so sweet to snap a few pics of us the weekend after Thanksgiving. We're so lucky to have a talented photographer in the family; she was our wedding photographer too! But as talented as she is, it was so hard to get Drew to look into the camera. This is my favorite outtake, he looks like a vizsla statue! As I put together our address list I loved thinking of each person who will get a card. Many of them are family and... Read more →

As a follow up to this post I'm sharing lists of books that I've read about pregnancy, babies, and parenting. A couple weeks ago I shared books about pregnancy and today I have a list of books about babies and caring for infants. It seems a lot of debate centers around how to best establish a sleeping routine for newborns - or whether to even worry about establishing a routine! My approach will be to learn as much as I can and then adapt (hopefully gracefully!) to our unique situation. These are the books I've read so far on newborn... Read more →

I think November and December might be my favorite months. I'm starting to realize that the summer heat in Arizona can really get to me - it's so oppressive! I think the lingering heat of September and October plus feeling uncertain about my job had me feeling blah this fall. Now that the weather has turned cooler and our doors and windows are open most of the time I feel so much better. Plus I'm loving all the holiday hubub - the music (we're listening to the Indie Christmas station on Pandora nonstop over here), the Christmas lights that are... Read more →