2012

I take a lot of photos. It's nice to be able to look back and remember all good times that I've had with friends and family. This year, there is a chunk of photos that have been saved to a disc and stored away, because they actually represent a painful part of my life now, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them...because some day it won't all be so painful.

From January 1st 2012 until today, so much has changed. And this past Thanksgiving had me thinking about all those changes and how thankful I am for the people I have in my life today. I wouldn't have made it through the past year without these people, and I hope they know everyday how thankful I am for them.

Since I tend to mark the passing of time with my camera, I decided to do a (really out of order!) photo timeline for the year. 

From January to April... the timeline is a little thin...

The kitten photo is Emily. She was my cat for the better part of two years, but unfortunately I didn't get to keep her when I moved. 

Two of the photos are from my mother's wedding in February. I was the wedding planner, Maid of Honor, and the photographer...so I was a busy girl (oh, and the whole thing was planned in two months!)

The last photo is from my birthday. Cam and I went down to Gainesville...the first of many trips I would be making to the middle part of the state this year :)

In May of 2012, my whole world flipped upside down, and I ended up moving in with some friends  temporarily.These are the people that make every day interesting, and I'm forever thankful to call them friends!

It was also in May that I met P....

and he was my reason for many, many trips to Gainesville and back. 

Even though we have since ended the relationship, he is still one of my best friends. He's been home for the holidays and it's been nice to spend time with him, his brother, J and all our friends. Family isn't just about blood...

In July, my great nephew Maclin was born...

In the past 6 months he has grown so much!

The last part of the year was a blur of road trips, zombies and holidays. 

I hope everyone has a fantastic new year, and that 2013 is all you hope it will be!

Happy New Year!

Happy Boxing Day!

That title has really nothing to do with today's post, but it is Boxing Day! I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas, full of family and friends. I, as usual, was insanely busy, and 4 days off from work just flew by, but it was still an amazing holiday. 

In our group of friends, we have a lot of December and April birthdays (we somehow managed to just have most everyone grouped into those few months), so while celebrating the holidays there were a lot of birthday celebrations going on as well. We went out to dinner for J's birthday first....

and then spent Saturday at the Georgia Aquarium at her request as well. 12 total car hours and 200 photos later.... 

Traffic was a little crazy since we were going on a holiday weekend, but none the less, it was fun. 

My favorite of all the photos.... P checking out the fish :) 

A had the next birthday... on Christmas, so we all went out Christmas Eve to celebrate. Here is A with his Adventure Time Cake..... (with the terrible lighting!)

 

and photo-bombed by his brother! 

And his gift.... 

Christmas day was the most uneventful. Lunch and gifts with my family, and then I finally got a day to relax! No cleaning, shopping, baking, running around in a frenzy; just my PJ's and Criminal Minds (I know, it's not Christmas-y, but I had a whole day of Christmas movies while watching this little munchkin.)

Sorry for the low quality iPad photo...she took this photo herself :)

How was your Christmas? I still have another one coming up, as my grandparents are coming to visit from Iowa. And there is still one lone present under my tree... and Mickey of course :) 

 Happy Holidays!

Wrapping it up!

I'm terrible at cutesy post titles...

This is the last weekend before Christmas, and hopefully you have all of your holiday shopping done and wrapped and under the tree. But if not, here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing when it comes to wrapping. I'm just a gift card away from being done...but a little behind on the wrapping!

When it comes to wrapping up all the gifts, some days I'm kinda dull, and just want to pop it in a bag and call it a day. And then my creative side strikes and it's bows galore!

Pinterest has quite a few bits of inspiration for those days when you want to liven up your wrapping a bit.

From pretty brown packages (some tied up with string...)

1,2,3

...to colorful creations!

1,2,3

There is also using nontraditional wrapping supplies, such as a tea towel to wrap a wine bottle or a cookbook.

In previous years, I've tried to steer clear of the red/green combo, but I've embraced it a little more this year (but my tree is color explosion!)

Baker's Twine is also a favorite of mine this year. I have a feeling it will be making it into more of my packages year around as well, and will become a staple in Etsy packages.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! I'll be taking a break from the holiday stuff to celebrate J's birthday tonight!

Counting down the days....

...til vacation :) Just a few days of relaxing with friends and family. Starting with a Saturday trip to Atlanta....

On another note, I've been promising and promising, and it's finally here! The studio update. .

The studio is still pretty much a disaster...but a slightly (more) functional disaster. The closet is scary and it still kinda echos near the bathroom. But the desk is more clear, the wall next to it has all kind of function, and even the space above the supply drawers is looking a little more put together.

This is where we left off.....

Freshly labels drawers....

The desk is still a bit of a mess, but only on one side ;)

Wall next to the desk. I think in the course of moving the rooms someone ate all my pens and pencils (seriously, its highlighters and sharpies...and nothing else!)

Above those supply drawers, some personal decor and my favorite storage and organizing books (I also own the new Young House Love.... but it gets special place :)

   

I have more books but they were stored when the studio space was this:

So I have yet to pull them back out.

That that wraps it up...I have a few more ideas for decor and storage needs. I have a small dresser in my bedroom that will move (to hold packaging supplies for my Etsy shop, and some of the shop's smaller stock), as it's not really getting much use except as 4 junk drawers. The drawers are too small for my clothing needs... so now the hunt is on for a new dresser... probably this from Ikea to match the bed frame I plan to get. I'm also on the hunt for a new desk chair (that I can sit in comfortably for long periods of time...)

Hopefully everyone is done with their holiday shopping (I am, but still have quite a bit of wrapping to do.)

Happy Holidays!

Announcement: 50% of any proceeds made from December 16th- December 22nd in my Etsy shop will be donated to the "United Way of Western Connecticut" -- the official relief fund for those affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. 

Holiday Cookie Tins

Every year since the end of college (except last year) I've make tins of cookies to send and give out to friends, typically the ones I don't get gifts for otherwise. I love to bake...but if I ate it all I'd be about 400 pounds....

The more tins I make the more stressful it seems to become (especially since I always seem to stay so busy) and so this year I limited myself to only two types of cookies....and a few other add-ins.

These must be made every year. It's not Christmas without them....even though there is nothing particularly Christmas-y about them.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients

approx 48 Hershey's Kisses 

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup Reese's brand creamy peanut butter

2 cups all-purpose biscuit baking mix

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup of sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 375F.  Unwrap chocolates. 

Beat sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in large bowl until smooth.  Add baking mix and vanilla; blend well.  Shape into 1-inch balls & roll in sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on un-greased cookie sheets

Bake 6-8 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven & immediately press chocolate kiss into the center of each ball.  Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire rack. 

Gingerbread is also a must. Instead of little men this year though, I went the reindeer route... 

I did cheat a little and use this mix for the cookies. You can find it at your local grocery store... I wouldn't recommend buying it from the link :) 

Some melted chocolate and a few red M&M's later... I had these :)

I originally had decided to go with chocolate dipped candy canes, which seemed simple and fun, but instead did a slight alteration to this recipe (I hope you enjoy them Jenn!) I may have also been seen wielding a hammer against a helpless bag of candy canes :)

No photo of mine.. you'll just have to be ok with the Peas and Crayons version. Can you tell there is a pattern on where I get recipes??

Those bring me to a side story: While looking for this post from Peas and Crayons (to save me a little time in the chocolate dipping process), I found all of these posts:. It pretty much made me want to make them all to put in the tin (which I promise Jenn wouldn't be all that big...) And it spawned this conversation.....

I did have a mental image of him pacing in front of their mailbox....

And here is the little package for that pacing marine and the lovely wife that puts up with him....

I'll be back late this afternoon with that long promised studio update (I know I know...I apparently am terrible at keeping promises... in my defense, the Clearwater trip got moved and then cancelled... it's all been a crazy week or so.)

Here is a photo of the little bundle of joy that I was hoping to see (along with his mama) when I went to Clearwater.

There also have been some updates to the Etsy shop (See the new widget below!) Today is the last day you can order with guaranteed holiday delivery, but feel free to shop around! 

Procrastination at it's best!

So I promised a post about cookies and a studio update...but I was super lazy over the weekend (it was much needed laziness) and didn't really do as much photo editing and baking as I thought I would. So tomorrow... studio update (I promise!) and Wednesday there will be cookies....

I did a little bit of a productive bug and wrapped the rest of the presents I had sitting around. Some of them have to be shipped to family members this week so I needed to get on that!.

I may have also washed a few dishes... :) My lazy weekend had three of us camped out in my apartment....and we at least used plates with our takeout ;)

And because of this, I got a little more organized for our adopted family, whose gifts get delivered to Christmas Connection tomorrow! The printable I used can be found on her blog today!

Tonight will consist of more photo editing, some painting, and probably a lot more of Dollhouse on Netflix....

Photo from Wikipedia

I need a vacation....

.... just a few days where I have absolutely nothing to do. Hopefully I'll find a few of those days this holiday season , but until then, I'll just be thankful for a full nights sleep :)

It's been a busy week and some... which is why it seems like forever since a post!

Let's see...what's been happening the last week and half? A little of everything.....

Christmas Shopping, Hanging out with I get just a moment, the 2012 Firefighter Calender Release party.....

That last one was the most recent of events that I have been running around to lately. All sales from the Bringin' the Heat calendar support the local firefighter unit and they help support several charities such as: Camp Amigo, Shop with a Firefighter, Relay for Life, MDA and much more.So while it might seem like a bunch of crazy girls (and some guys...there are a few women in the unit ;)) it was all for a good cause.

Shopping is done for our adopted holiday family, and I'm happy to say they got pretty much everything they requested (and def. have everything they needed.) Our Tree is running over with gifts....

As far as my personal shopping... I'm just about done. Tonight will include a possibly dangerous trip the the mall (only one trip a season!) and that should wrap it up ;) (yes, pun intended)

Next week I'll have a nice studio update post, and recipes! It's Holiday Cookie Tin time....I promised Jenn I wouldn't over do it ;)

Such a Dreary Day...

This is how it feels today :(

It's been kinda rainy the last few days, which makes me sleepy. And far less productive than I should be!

I did get a few things accomplished over the last day or so... including a bit of updating on the studio! I finally got the craft shelf back op on the wall in the closet (and stocked again :)) Oh the joys of more organized ribbon and being able to find the stamps! (oh, and I might just have a bit of a spray paint addiction ;) )

I also got most of the drawers labeled so that I can find supplies without opening every single drawer first. Next is to move the last of the stuff that is still hanging over the dining room table into the studio. 

Speaking of the dining room, I'm planning to leave the Lack shelf that I had above the desk up on the wall above the table, and adding a hanging pendant light from underneath. I've ordered this, and I have already have a shade I purchased from Ikea (almost a year ago!) that didn't end up working with the lamp I bought it for, but will be perfect for this project. Leaving the shelf will also give me some storage space for things like extra party supplies and some seasonal decor that I don't keep in the storage closet. Photos as soon as I'm done!

I also have a couple projects for the laundry room (to streamline the laundry as well as keep it much more organized. If any room in the apartment is insanely cluttered, it's this one! And it seems, even for one person, that laundry is never finished!

As far as non-studio/apartment related updates, I did get a few more gifts for family, got them wrapped and their under the tree. I did also do a bit more decorating, but I have a few more decor ideas, and I need to get this on J's door for her new place. I'm thinking a Hello. decal for my own door to replace it (like the ones found here in my shop!) 

I've also added a few things to the shop! (and there are still more to get photographed and uploaded!)

From Top Left, Across) 

1,2,3,4

At work, we got the Christmas tree up, and there are a few presents already under it for our adopted family. There should be some more early next week, after our volunteer shopper (aka me :) ) goes shopping with some monetary donations that were given.

Hope every one is having a great holiday season so far and the stress hasn't gotten to you yet :) I am a master at over doing it, so this year I'm trying to pace myself and not add too many things to my "to do" list

Happy Post -Thanksgiving!

It's back to work, but the holiday season is in full swing! I didn't get nearly as much accomplished on my few days off as I would have liked (so no studio updates :( ) but it was a pretty busy couple of days, filled with food, family, and friends (old and new!)

This is, sadly, the only photo I got of my Thanksgiving dinner(s). But isn't he cute!?!

I did do the crazy thing and go Black Friday shopping with my mom (after another dinner and a few drinks with friends.) Speaking of drinks... I swear by this stuff!

The Crisp Apple is also very good!

The lines were actually not all that crazy. We have done this enough years we have figured out which stores are really worth it for early deals, and which ones we can wait until a normal hour to shoot for. We hit Walmart for bikes (which I was picking up for the family that my office adopted for the holiday season) and Target had some great deals on things my Aunt and Uncle had put on their wish lists. 

And the nerd in me kinda wanted to go home with this guy!

I did manage to get a little holiday decorating done and a few presents wrapped. Those gifts even have the new holiday tags that are available in my Etsy Shop!

How was your Thanksgiving Holiday? Did you get any of your Christmas shopping or other preparations done?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Try not to eat too much! 

I'll be back Monday with hopefully a few photos of my meal(s) (Yes, there may be more than one!), some studio updates and a few more products for the Etsy shop!

Polka Dot Designs..and a Thanksgiving Round Up!

With Thanksgiving only two days away... my Pinterest feed has been filled with tons of recipes pinned for the feast! (and some for after the feast...)

I thought I'd do a little Recipe Round Up, of some of my favorite (and possibly soon to be favorite) recipes.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Oh, and don't forget this post, for a pumpkin filled dessert

And while you are gathering up your recipes, now would be a great time to pick up a few of these!

These are the newest addition to my Etsy Shop, Polka Dot Designs!

I started the shop after making this for J when she moved in with me (to make it feel a little more like "our" place instead of just some place she had a room)

I'll probably change it now that she has moved, but she has requested it for her door :)

You can find both the recipe cards and the decal in the shop, along with other decals, stationary, and home decor!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Studio/Office Space

About 6 months ago, I moved into a new apartment. Two bedrooms, all my own space! Well, for about 2 weeks. Then a few different circumstances led to a friend moving in with me, and the second bedroom that I had wanted for a studio/office space (one of my life goals is to be able to do photography full time) ended up being her bedroom. But only temporarily.

Now that she is settled and moved to her own place, I have my studio space back again! It's still a work in progress, but I went from a temporary space of this:

To this! I also have the storage space back that I have always been lacking in previous apartments. That brings a huge smile (and some clutter crazy relief!)

Have a whole room vs. a wall in the main living space is already making a huge difference (even if everything is a mess at the moment!)