2011 - A Year in Pictures

Hi folks!

It's been a long time, but I have decided to give this another try for the new year.  2011 was quite a year and 2012 has a lot of potential ;-)

In 2011 I...

...was snowed in for three days in January. This was the first snow in this house, and it was so beautiful for the first day - then I got serious cabin fever!

...went on B's birthday trip to Gatlinburg and stayed in a cabin with friends for the weekend.  We cooked enough food for an army, played video games, watched the superbowl, and enjoyed the scenery.

...went on my birthday trip to Savannah with B - we did everything! We stayed at the Thunderbird Inn, walked on River Street, ate at Lady and Sons, walked through several museum houses, went on a Ghost Tour, and caught a Savannah Sand Gnats game on our way out of town!  It was a wonderful weekend.

...planted a garden!  We had so much fun growing our own squash, beans, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, and peppers.  The zucchini, okra and watermelon were disappointing, but we learned a lot about what to change for next year.

...added a member to our little family.  Killer is a Manchester Chihuahua, and the sweetest little doggie you will ever meet! He keeps us entertained with all his antics and is always ready to play with his toys or snuggle up on the sofa.

...went to Italy!!  This was my first trip abroad, and I cannot wait to go back.  We stayed in an apartment in Florence with my parents and a friend for a week, with an overnight trip to Rome and day trip to Pisa.  I might do a recap post with more pictures someday, or you can look at my facebook album

...last, but not least, on October 23rd, got engaged!  I can't wait to marry the love of my life in 2012 :-)

This post barely skims the highlights of a year that FLEW by.  We spent many happy hours with friends and family, worked on DIY projects around the house, welcomed new babies, celebrated weddings, and said goodbye to my dear Grandmother just before Christmas.  We have been blessed to have each other this year through good times and bad.  2012 here we come!!

~ Melissa

Friday...

Hmm...how about a wish list this week?

I wish for...

1) This couch from IKEA

2) A pink coat a la Lorelai Gilmore (of which there is not even a picture to be found...Google has failed me and I totally should have bought the Victoria's Secret one when they had it years ago)

3) My face to stop breaking out (thank you so much, hormones)

4) A neverending supply of really soft yarn so I can make things with it

5) Free Starbucks for a year

Friday!!

It's already been a week? Oops... Why I didn't blog on my two snow days is beyond me, I was too busy watching TV and cleaning my house I guess!! This week's five things, in pictures, are:

1) I <3 making baby hats :-)



(Available at Katia's Kloset in Stockbridge, if you're interested...I also do custom orders)

2) Amaryllis :-) I really hope this one blooms, I have high hopes since I haven't managed to kill it yet. I swear it grows an inch when I'm not looking, even when I was home with it for two days.



3) Snow people!! I am the one with lopsided arms, B doesn't have any arms. I mean, he does...just not his snowman. My arms aren't lopsided either, for the record. They kept falling off. The snowgirl's arms, not mine. And we're moving on...



4) I was little miss Martha Stewart while I was snowed in... I finally made the bedskirt for my bed and lowered my canopy (which I'm still on the fence about...too busy?)



5) I got to see my house in the snow!! Both of the other times it snowed this winter I have missed it - either it didn't stick or I wasn't home. I was super excited to see it firsthand this time, but I didn't expect to be stuck for two days. Most of this snow is actually still on my house and yard five days later. Is this really still Georgia?

Five Things Friday

Woo!! Friday fun time :-)

1) I love my electric blanket! It has been chilly in my house lately, and that top layer of toastiness makes it almost impossible to get out of bed in the mornings but I won't give it up.

2) Candy Cane Hershey Kisses are dangerous and highly addictive - consider yourself forewarned...

3) Coffee Mate Peppermint Mocha is now available all year round!!!! It's way cheaper than Starbucks and even QT (not that QT ever had peppermint).


4) I bought myself some boots with the fur from Target. I have always mocked boots with the fur (as I did Snuggies before I had one) but ohmygoodnessgracious they are warm and comfy and I LOVE THEM. I take it all back. I have worn them over skinny jeans and yoga pants, and under boot cut jeans. If I had leggings I would probably wear them with those too. Don't judge, it's really cold outside!!

5) At work we didn't order the boring business planners this year, so this week I gave my desk (and wall) some personality with my favorite Mary Englebreit calendars. The wall version from Barnes and Noble (50% off all calenders and planners during the month of January!) and the weekly desk planner from Amazon - free with my Swagbucks* Amazon credits.


*The Swagbucks link is a referral, so if you do decide to sign up please use the link! They aren't spammy, I promise, and if you work at it you can get some pretty neat stuff. Amazon links aren't affiliated, I just like Amazon. The End.

New Year, New Goals

So...let's see. Last year I refused to make a "resolution" since they are too much like rules. That seemed to work well so I think I will rinse, lather, repeat it this year. Last year's goal of maintaining a more positive outlook on life was quite a success, at least from my point of view. I learned to count my blessings first and my troubles second. I learned to be thankful for every moment rather than dwell on an uncertain future. I took chances because I believed that good would come of them, and it did - beyond even what I hoped or imagined. Some prayers were answered and some still remain unchanged. I just felt better about myself and the circumstances that I have been dealt.

So this year's goal is simply to do. No more waiting, putting off, forgetting, being late, piddling, substituting, or procrastinating. Just get things done. So far I have washed dishes every night, cooked multiple meals, scrubbed the bathroom floor, kept the piles of clothes put away in my room, painted my living room mantel, paid bills early, blogged twice (ha!) and bought planners for work and home. I am loving it, and I think my house is too. Here's to 2011: the year of do-ing!

2011!?!

Happy New Year!

2010 went by so quickly!! I feel like it was only a few months ago that I was reflecting on 2009. This year was fruitful for me personally, though work has been tough in this economy. Buying my own house was a dream come true and is probably at the top of my list of "you go girl!" moments. My heart is full of the many things and people that I've been reflecting on - my friends, family, and coworkers have been through so much this year and risen above the challenges that life has presented. I am so thankful for a job that I enjoy, a roof above my head, friends and family (and B!) that love me, and good health.

He got here as fast as he could...

Bryan probably didn't expect the reaction he got when he played me this song for the first time. Tears. And I don't mean a couple twinkling in my eyes, I'm talking big fat tears. Happy tears, but still...poor guy. He got a repeat performance when we heard Josh sing it live at the fair, it gets me EVERY TIME. In my defense, they were showing pictures of real life couples at their weddings, with kids, grandkids, etc. on the big screen. Also: eHarmony commercials make me tear up now. (that's how we met) Now excuse me while I go find a kleenex, I watched the video before I posted it.



(Please excuse the shaky live video, there isn't an official one on his youtube channel)

People Who Understand You? Priceless...

I LOVE this commercial!! Last night we were watching a movie with George Clinton in it, and it took me until this morning to place where I remembered this song from :-)

Monday Links

I may not do this all the time, because I don't love it when other people post nothing but a list of links...but here are a few posts that have gotten stars on my google reader lately:

Chatting at the Sky about Grace

Flower tutorials from Oopsey Daisy

Simple Mom's ideas for Fall Projects

A sweet post at (In)Courage that reminds me of my grandparents

Five Things Friday

I forgot how fun this is!

1) Baby Pig in Galoshes. Go on, click on it. You won't be sorry.

2) A $16.67 natural gas bill. So. Happy. !!!

3) Cooler weather! Fall is probably my favorite time of year, with spring as a close second.

4) Burger King Fridays. The Double Stacker is my fav.

5) An upcoming weekend of beautiful weather with no plans...just me and my sweetheart ;-)

"The greater part of our happiness depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances" ~ Martha Washington

Fall Cookies

Marie and I made some decorated sugar cookies this week for girls night: sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, candy corn, and orange sugar. Orange sugar, by the way, is my new favorite thing. Just zest one orange and mix it with about 1/4 cup of sugar. DELICIOUS.


I went the simple route with the cookies, just pillsbury slice and bake sugar cookie dough. Lazy was the name of the game for dinner this week - chili dogs that took about three minutes total to make and then these.

Here they are in the oven! We were impatiently waiting...and drooling...



And pan #1 out of the oven! The orange sugar ones were a success, and of course the ones with the sprinkles. The candy corn, on the other hand, did this...


The candy corn melted through the cookies and stuck to the pan...I have yet to try one, when they solidified again the candy corn stayed really sticky. On pan #2 I also tried combining the orange sugar and cinnamon, which was good even though I got heavy handed with the cinnamon. Next time they will be perfect :-)

Wow...Time Files!

So...

::crickets chirping::

...Anybody still here?


Life happens, huh. I missed blogging! I think my motivation to blog has changed while I was gone though. My "Five Things Friday" was me whistling in the dark at first, but now it is a nice reminder to count my blessings. I'm going to switch gears a little and make this more of a normal blog and less the "Happiness Project" that it started out as. I miss photoblogging too, so maybe I'll combine the two. I said maybe. That would involve taking pictures, which I forget to do. Ahem. Where were we?

So if you've given up on me, come back! And if you weren't reading before, welcome! I'll be writing about life, love, family, friends, house projects, crafty things, flowers, babies, food (can't forget the food!), movies, books, yarn, music, tv shows, other blogs, road trips, legos, football, the cats that won't leave my yard, QT Cappuccino, purses, sewing, painting, and who knows what else. Something for everyone ;-)

Anybody know how to publish from a Blackberry?

Very Good Advice

I am neither an Oprah or Judge Judy fan, but I do love the blog "It's Almost Naptime!!". This post made me laugh, mostly because I can hear Judge Judy's voice saying these things...can you?

Five Things Friday: Long Overdue

A month? Sorry guys and gals! Let's see...how about ten things this week!

1) Old friends :-)

2) Cable TV...I cannot describe how much I missed my TiVo...pathetic, no?

3) Blueberry pancakes

4) A good conversation

5) Turning the AC down really low and getting under a warm fluffy blanket

6) Watching Clean House and Hoarders ... "Mayhem and foolishness!!"

7) Drumsticks...the ice cream kind!!

8) Caramel icing

9) Fireworks and sparklers!

10) Bare Minerals Eyeshadow - Plum and City Lights

Five Things Friday

This week's five things:

1) ziplist.com is AMAZING. I love that I can text things to add to my list or have it send me my list by store...if I forget things, it is entirely my own fault now!!

2) Have I mentioned that I'm cheating on the Big Mac? Burger King's Doublestacker is just plain good...and since I pack my lunch for work and save money four days out of the week now, it's a nice treat on Fridays, especially with a frozen Coke!

3) Getting things done around the house makes me really happy. Except for the front room and hallways that we haven't touched, there is almost nothing left to do in the main living areas of the house! The electrician is coming next week to give us an estimate, after that I'll have it made :-)

4) My daddy cut my grass!! I hadn't even mentioned how it's been bugging me, once it got too high to cut in the back with my push mower I didn't know what to do. He brought his riding mower up while I was at work yesterday and surprised me when I got home! Now I just have to keep it maintained...half an acre of grass to cut...I need to plant some more flowers!!

5) Saving money is kinda fun. I've gotten into the coupon clipping and salepaper reading grocery game...we'll see how it goes! It really is a game, I look at it as a challenge to see how much I can save.

I used to think I was a list-oriented person. And then I read this post on Fiddle-Dee-Dee about a Wal*Mart remodel and I realized that I don't even come close to being a "list person". Not that I haven't had the same complaint about the Kroger remodel when I lived in Stockbridge, or the fact that stores don't have consistent layouts from location to location (don't even get me started on how my Kroger moved the PB&J from picnic supplies to the bread aisle and I had to ASK where the peanut butter was...). But that's not me. I can go to the grocery store with a list and STILL not come home with everything I need. Hi, my name is Melissa and I get distracted easily.

Don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. I Corinthians 7:17a (The Message)

Five Things Friday (late)

1) Chicken Fajita Soup at Six Feet Under

2) Rita's Italian Ice

3) Grilled hamburgers, barbecue potato chips, and toasted marshmallows

4) QT French Vanilla cappuccino (only $.95 with a QT refillable coffee mug!)

5) Brownies with caramel icing

(I'm hungry this morning...can you tell?)

Food for Thought

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections" ~Unknown

Five Things Friday

1) Raspberry Ginger Ale

2) Late night trips to the grocery store when it's quiet

3) Flip flop weather

4) Naps in the hammock

5) Finding money in my pockets!!