2010: A Blessed Year of Blogging

Just popping in to say hello and happy (almost) new year to my readers!  I'm currently vacationing with limited internet access, so I've had to keep up with blog reading via iphone only.

Earlier tonight was the petite meetup, which came together thanks to Kelly and the Alterations Needed forum. It was quite fun meeting this group of fellow bloggers and readers. The height comparisons, Theory blazer swaps, and loud chatter of small bra sizes and going commando may have drawn some attention to our table. Thank you Kelly for organizing and thank you ladies for coming! Especially Jess, who braved the 2 hr drive. Check out Kelly's post here and Jess's post here for more photos!

Christina/ChibiChic, Grace, Kelly/AlterationsNeeded, Me, AubreyOhDang the honest commenter, and Jess/Stylepint

And a candid...

Photo courtesy of Jess (Stylepint)

Earlier this week I also grabbed drinks with Kelly and another one of my favorite bloggers, Liane of Petite XXS! In person, Kelly is gregarious and witty and Liane is softspoken and sweet. Both are tiny! It was a treat to spend time with them, and I almost got to see Elle too who was stuck in LA on a layover.

(Liane, Me, Kelly) - Photo courtesy of Kelly's iphone (none of us brought a camera!)

On a separate note, Jessy of The Little Dust Princess kindly organized the 2010 petite secret Santa exchange on the Alterations Needed forum, open to any ladies around the world who were interested. For my recipient I was excited to draw PetiteXXS, and the cute and little Kileen turned out to be my Santa! Please visit Jessy's post for links to all the participants. I was thrilled to receive:

Electronic lash curler, Essie "Hot Coco" polish (seen here), and Shisem lashes! Thank you Kileen!!

More surprises from bloggy friends:

Fun stationary and makeup from DSK Steph, very pretty R&R lip gloss from Petite Little Girl, a handmade glasses case from PetiteXXS for the sunnies I won from Vicky's Daily Fashion, and NYX goodies from Sophia. I also received a very unique photo frame from Nelah!

I was also surprised to receive two packages from non-blogger friends. I briefly mentioned in old comments that I could not find the popular "Airy Fairy" Rimmel lipstick at local drugstores, and lo and behold...

I now have two thanks to my dear readers DoubleZeroP and Jennifer from Canada! I couldn't help jumping up and down as these were such unexpected and thoughtul surprises. Jennifer also sent a wonderfully soft olive pashmina and a coral F21 ring.

Whether it's an email, comment, or (unnecessary but greatly appreciated) gift, the kindness of my readers and fellow bloggers is overwhelming to me. Thank you ladies again for your friendship and support throughout 2010, and I look forward to getting to know more of you in the new year. *Hugs!*

2010 in Review

Can you believe today is the last day of 2010?

This year flew by.

Here are some highlights of this awesome year!

January

We were in Boston to ring in the New Year!

February

I was living in Cary, NC with Danny's family.

We bought a car. Celebrated Valentines Day at CiCi's Pizza (classy!)

And I went back to Boston to finish planning our wedding!

March

I had an awesome Bridal Shower and Bachellorete Party!

    

We were married on March 13, 2010!

You can read all the wedding posts here! 

After living with Katie for a little bit we were finally able to move into our first apartment!

April

We celebrated our first Easter together.

I got another (hippie) tattoo.

We brought a super cute puppy home!

May

We discovered our favorite restaurant, The Chelsea.

I took some tests for Danny. 

Miley went to the beach for the first time!

 

 Lindsey came to visit! And we saw a comedy show in Wilmington with Breanna.

Miley was spayed....and we went to Ohio!

June

Kaleb visited for two weeks!

We went to Boston for my Uncle's wedding!

And I complained about Call of Duty.

  July

 I complained about my neighbors.

We watched an airshow on the 4th of July in New Bern.

Miley discovered the bathtub.

I hungout with bloggy loves Reina and Jordan!

And the best part of July? My sister came to visit and we saw Paul McCartney in concert! We got tattoos. And we went to Myrtle Beach!

  August

I met three bloggy loves...Amber, Carmen and Allie!

 I bitched about homecomings. 

Me and Danny went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.

We went to Myrtle Beach..AKA The Vacation from Hell.

 September

 Danny turned 28...and I made him lobster.

I cut all my hair off and trashed my wedding dress!

My Mom and Nana visited while Danny went to Pennsylvania to "work."

 

And we went to the Wine Festival!

October

I had a couple Girls Night Outs and met bloggy loves Rachel, Jacque and Jennifer!

My parents came down for a visit!

We went to Beerfest with Carmen and Mike!

We had Katie's Bridal Shower!

  And we went to a Halloween party at Jennifer and Dustin's!

 

November

 An Xbox fell on my head.

We went to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in Myrtle Beach!

Danny was on TV!

I went to Boston for my Grandparent's 50th Wedding Anniversary!

We went to Ohio for Thanksgiving.

December

I turned the big 2-5!

And we spent 10 awesome days in Massachusetts for the holiday!

 

That was a little longer than I intended...

but I loved looking at all the pictures!

And I'm crossing my fingers that 2011 is as amazing as 2010 was!

On Fire For Handmade Feature Artist: Walk in the Woods, LLC

This weeks Featured Artisan is Walk in the Woods, LLC. Beautiful creations

that bring you "Back to Nature" ! You can find Walk in the Woods at:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Artfire

Zibbet

Tact.

Definition:

1.A keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations.

2. A keen sense of what is appropriate, tasteful, or aesthetically pleasing; taste; discrimination. 

Example:

My husband lacks tact when breaking news to me.

I was so excited that Danny would be getting home early from work today. I cleaned the house, showered, got dressed, and waited for him to get home. He didn't know it yet...but we were going to go shopping. When he came home, he asked what I wanted to do...I said shopping!

So, I'm putting on my boots and Danny looks at me says "SO, you have three months to get your license." Long pause. "I'm  going to Yuma for two months!" He said it with such joy and excitement....and I was angry.

I was not angry that he will be gone for two months. I was mad because of the way he told me. Seriously, when/if he deploys he better not have a smile on his face while telling me. I know it's why he signed up but atleast have my concerns/emotions/feelings in mind when you tell me. Don't be jumping for joy while my mind is stuck on "Damn, now I need to get my license."  (If you don't know my driving issue read it HERE.)

But here's the thing, ten minutes before I wrote out my blog about my New Year goals (to be published this weekend!)...and driving is on the list. Yet the thought of someone telling me I have to get it freaks me out. So, what do I do? I text my sister and start making a plan for the next few months. And while it might seem totally ridiculous to most some people...it's what will work for me. 

1) I will get my permit here and practice, practice, practice.

2) I'll go home for X-amount of months. Something I always said I wouldn't do, but hey...I'm allowed to change my mind.

3) Practice driving. And work at the restaurant I used to work at...and make some money!

4) Come back to NC and get my license. 

Am I happy about the plan. Some of it. 

And just a reminder to Danny. Tact is your friend when breaking news like this to your wife. 

Thursday Five

What an exciting week this has been!

Holiday, traveling...oh I love it all!

And now, the best part of it...

Time to grab the button and list the five things that have made you

Happy
Delighted
Grateful
Totally Stoked
Thankful

I'm so happy to be back in my own bed! Not only is my back feeling better...but I'm not freezing to death either!

Miley has been such a good girl lately, we went out and bought her a ton of new toys. I'm delighted that she hasn't destroyed them yet!

I'm grateful that we were able to use Danny's mom's car for our roadtrip...it was nice not having to put the miles on our car!

How totally stoked was I when the Kennedy Center Awards were on the other night? Paul McCartney AND Oprah? I was in heaven!

I am so thankful that I was home when I was feeling sick the other day. Mom made me Lipton Noodle Soup (twice!) and gave me lots of meds. She's the best!

And BONUS! We got a ton of Christmas cards! When we left for Boston we had 7..now it covers a much bigger area!

 

Things I Love...

Aren't these succulents amazing? I had the pleasure of visiting a little succulent farm while I was back in the frosty north... photo heaven! I thought I might just need to start sharing some of my favorite things and new finds so here we go! These knockout lampwork beads from Radiant Mind remind me of the succulents...but I'm only keeping a loose theme here!Is this not the happiest face you've ever seen? Dog Art Studio has tons of different breeds to choose from (even felines for the cat lovers out there)... of course I'm partial to the pupper lookalikes. I love this apron kit from Everyday Chic, you can purchase just the PDF instructions or a kit where they will send you precut fabric and thread in the pattern you select so you can whip one up without even needing a trip to the fabric store!Since I'm a sucker for succulents I think this is the prettiest scarf from garbella...This print makes me smile every time I see it...I just wish that dazeychic would make it as a t-shirt!Of course this Copper River painting by Studio Zen had me hooked with the gorgeous blues and greens...What have you fallen in love with lately?

Wordless Wednesday: Driving in a Blizzard Edition

Told Ya Santa Was Good to Me!

In case you were wondering, we made it safely back to North Carolina. But believe me, there were a few bumps along the way! That will be tomorrows story, but for today...Christmas presents!

Santa was really really reallly good to me this year! Besides all this great stuff, me and Danny also got gift certificates to Disney and The Little Dipper in Wilmington. And I got a Shutterfly gift card! There are also a few things that I couldn't find pictures of...like the coat tree I'm waiting to get in the mail from my hubby and ALL the cute clothes that I can't wait to wear!

What did Santa bring you this year?

Home!

I have returned from the frosty North! Note the bone chilling white ground cover (and the $35 amazing steal Kenneth Cole wool coat I stumbled upon at the most random of stores while there). This is the front of my sister's house...temporary stairs in place until the thaw. A Christmas miracle...my sister actually allowed me to take a photo of her with my nephew... a) yes, we do have the same parents b) she's a photographer and I don't know if I've ever been able to get her in a photo with a smile c) as far as I know she doesn't read my blog so she won't get mad at me for sharing the photo d) yes, her hair is naturally that curly and that color. Naturally when in a deep freeze climate one seeks out gelato... Honey Ginger was the flavor I finally settled on but this only shows about half of the options! Unfortunately the glare on the glass got in the way but they were presented so gorgeously I had to try. Just enough of a layover in Minneapolis on the way home for hubster to pose with a moose... Although it's nice to have snow for Christmas, it was also nice to be home in my own warm bed by Christmas morning. Since returning home I managed to post a few lingering items that came out of the kiln before the trip. These handpainted Zinnia charms... Some stoneware beads... and a funky chunky pendant molded from an ocean stone...
And just for Cindy...the recipe for the amazing white chocolate gingerbread biscotti from my holiday baking spree! (adapted from All Day I Dream About Food) They were definitely a hit and although I primarily made them because of my biscotti loving neighbor friend L, I had to keep my fare share which disappeared promptly!

Gingerbread White Chocolate Biscotti

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp dark molasses
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped dried or candied ginger (I used Trader Joe's version which isn't coated in sugar but a sugared candied ginger would work as well)
1/2 cup slivered almonds

(you could also have extra melted white chocolate if you want to dip your biscotti...I just add the chips to the dough so I can skip a step!)

Preheat oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or my favorite kitchen item ever, a Silpat: DeMarle 2406 Silpat 11-3/4-by-8-1/4-Inch Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices and salt. In a larger bowl, beat butter and sugar together until combined. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla and molasses.

Beat in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in white chocolate chips, chopped ginger and almonds. Dough will be stiff and sticky.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch log and transfer to prepared baking pan about 3 inches apart. Flatten each log into a 3-inch wide loaf.

Bake until loafs are almost firm to the touch, 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes, but maintain oven temperature.

Carefully transfer one loaf at a time to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, gently saw back and forth to cut loaf crosswise into 3/4 inch slices. Place slices, cut-side down, back onto lined baking sheet. Bake until firm and golden, 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Once cooled you could dip one end in extra melted white chocolate and allow to dry on the lined baking sheet.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner was fabulous! Usually we have a bunch of people over, but my Uncle and his family decided to host dinner at their new house too. So, it was just Mom, Dad, Michelle, Danny, my great-grandmother and me. Small....and a lot of food.

For starters I made kibbeh. It is a Lebanese dish that I tried at Danny's grandmothers on Thanksgiving. It is so simple to make and really yummy! We also had shrimp cocktail and some other finger foods.

Then it was time for dinner..and I was already stuffed. We had a huge breakfast at 9 and had dinner at 2. So so so full! Mom made prime rib, turkey....and haddock. For six people..but enough for an army! There was also Mom's awesome stuff, squash, mashed potatoes, cabbage, green beans....and I'm sure I'm leaving something out.

There was so much food leftover...we didn't even remember that Mom made a triffle for dessert! Needless to say, Sunday was a day of picking on leftovers and eating lots of desserts. This vacation has definitely expanded my waistline. UGH!

As you all read this..me, Danny and Miley are trekking through the winter blizzard. I'm crossing my fingers that this 12 hour trip doesn't become a 20 hour trip..because I'm seriously missing my bed!