2012-12-31

Can you believe I actually missed the last picture of the year? This is what I kept thinking I needed to take a picture of: the box of tissue I almost completely consumed at work on New Year's Eve. I left work nearly an hour early because I was just feeling so bad, and I was driving myself since DH was off (doing fun things like taking the cats to the vet). I barely made it to 10 PM. I did remember after I'd already gotten in bed that I hadn't taken a picture, but it was just not worth getting up at that point. I missed the NYC ball drop for the first time in probably 25 years. I sure hope this is a case of "get the worst part of the year over with first" and not a warning of how the whole year will be shaping up. Wishing you a wonderful 2013! Keep coming back for more pictures, as I plan to continue Project 365 into the new year. Thank you for joining me on this journey!

2012-12-30

Settling in to watch the extended edition of Lord of the Rings. The plan is to watch Fellowship tonight, then Two Towers to ring in the new year, then Return of the King on New Year's Day (well, night, after Luke goes to bed). That is assuming I don't get sick; my body seems to be trying quite hard to squeeze in one last cold for the year!

2012-12-29

Love my current manicure! This is Orly Miss Conduct, a beautiful raspberry color with gorgeous holographic glitter. It may very well be my new most favorite polish ever.

2012-12-28

Our first Cracker Barrel fire of this winter. Makes me feel warm just looking at it.

2012-12-27

It was below freezing this morning when I left home, so I wore my beautiful new pashmina from my parents. It is amazing that something so fine and thin can be so warm! And it looks fabulous with my charcoal gray wool coat.

2012-12-26

And I'm back at work today. I met DH for lunch and snapped a picture of this church decked out for the holidays on my way by. Simple greens and red ribbons, but so pretty.

2012-12-25

Merry Christmas!!

2012-12-24

I promised I would eventually get back to my "unfinished" Christmas lights. I made these bows myself from wired ribbon from the Dollar Store. I think they look wonderful, if I do say so myself.

2012-12-23

When I saw this idea for Christmas donuts on Pinterest, I absolutely HAD to try it. The reindeer were easier and faster. Trying to get the mini chips placed and "to stick" on the powdered donuts proved more difficult than I anticipated. I still think they look adorable, though, and everyone loved them.

2012-12-22

Guess what we did tonight?  :-) Yet another amazing window at our theater that my cell phone photo simply does not do justice. You can barely see Smaug up in the top right corner, and Gollum is off to the right out of frame. The map on the back wall is just beautifully done!  My full review of the film is here.

2012-12-21

My holiday manicure: All is Glam, All is Bright from Nicole by OPI. It is a super fine silver glitter with slightly larger (but still smaller than "normal") red glitter thrown in. The red is slightly more noticeable in person. I absolutely LOVE it!!

2012-12-20

This year's tree. Funny, looks pretty much just like last year's tree (especially since it was never undecorated).

2012-12-19

And this is what happens when you take the dozen or so leftover praline cookies to work. Took less than 2 hours, and mainly because half the office is off this week.

2012-12-18

This was one of my new cookie recipes for the year: Praline Cookies by Plain Chicken (originally from Pampered Chef). Super easy, super fast, and quite good. I'd make a few modifications next time, but a very good start, and they will be great for the Cub Scout cookie party tomorrow.

2012-12-17

It's that time of year... when I get to wear my second most favorite bracelet ever, and it was made by my mom. (My #1 favorite bracelet is the one that's all clear and silver and AB crystals. So pretty, so shiny, so sparkly!!)

2012-12-16

More Coke Box art at Kroger. I figured out the fire place while I was there. I didn't even "see" the candy canes on the sides until I was looking at the picture after I got home!

2012-12-15

I'm on the hunt for letter pins for our stockings. I've found two of the six I need. I have one other Target to try that is within easy reach, and my parents will look at the two Targets near them to see if we can scrounge them up before Christmas. I sent this picture to my Dad so he would know what they were looking for.

2012-12-14

I'm sure there is a rule in photography that a truly good picture should not require context. Sadly, this one does. The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place today. Seeing these socks that my son left in my bathroom this evening just made me start bawling, so grateful that he was home to leave them there, and so very sorry for the families whose children will never again leave dirty socks where they shouldn't. You can read more of my thoughts on Sandy Hook here on my regular blog.

2012-12-13

Our first time putting (more than a lone(ly) strand of) lights on the house! They look a little like they're missing something, though. I have an idea. Let's see if I can execute it on what's left of my decorating budget. Time will tell!

2012-12-12

My December cube decorations. I have had at least three people come by since I put them up to tell me how much they enjoy walking by and seeing them.

2012-12-11

This is how you (well, I) plan a Christmas menu. Small yellow rectangles say the meals/items to be cooked, pink things need to be prepped on that day (like thawing or marinating) in order to be ready for later, and orange things need to be actually cooked in advance (like bake cookies or browning meat to be used later in the crock pot).

2012-12-10

These just make me happy! I bought some new frames over Thanksgiving. I've had the silver one in the middle since before Luke was born, I think, but it looked awfully lonely up on my shelf at work, so I bought it a couple of companions at Big Lots. Not the most expensive frames, but they will do.

2012-12-09

Look at all the sparklies! Fun with sequins (and pins) today.

2012-12-08

We took Luke to see Rise of the Guardians today. He certainly liked it. I still love seeing these windows at our move theater, made by hand by someone local (not using premade items from the studio). I wish there was a way to get a good shot of these windows without all the glare from inside the theater! You can't see Tooth at all (She's a little above and to the right of Jack's head), and you can barely see Pitch on the far left and North on the right.

2012-12-07

Ah, a much better shot of the Fox Theater holiday decorations, since I had to go back to purchase our Blue Man Group tickets for January. Never seen them before, and we're taking Luke, so it should be quite an experience!

2012-12-06

A beautiful sunset tonight, more golden than the usual rose tones, but still lovely.

2012-12-05

A brief glimpse of our front lights through one of the decorative windows on either side of our front door.

2012-12-04

Not a great picture, since I didn't have a "real" camera with me, just my phone. This is one of the lights in the open covered area in front of the Fox Theater, all decked out for Christmas. I passed by it on my way back to work from lunch with my contracting company representative. I'm hoping to take Luke to the Fox for the first time (well, with us, he's been with the school) sometime in the new year.

2012-12-03

Since I have some new lights to put up on the front of the house (pictures later, I'm sure), I moved our lone garland strand from the front door to the back door. It makes me smile when I come home!

2012-12-02

My Thanksgiving gifts from Mom, and a few of my own purchases (still trying to find a replacement eyeliner for the perfect one I have that is no longer being made). I should be all set for make up and polish for a while!

2012-12-01

We all tried a new to us restaurant today: Guthrie's Chicken Fingers. We've passed it for several years now on our way to get Luke's hair cut at the Forum Shops, so we finally decided to try it. I meant to take a picture of our food, but we were so hungry, we ate it all before I remembered! Still, can't have been too bad if we ate every single one, right? Reminds me a bit of Zaxby's. Quite good!