blogging + Christmas music

Sometimes when I'm not quite sure what to blog about I find myself wandering through posts I started way back when. There are around 70 or so and some are over a year old. It's a little bit of nostalgia, and I like it. Sometimes I'm able to develop them into post, other times they are just a thought that does quite go where I expected.

Back in September 2010 it was about finding my blogging voice, whether that's sharing a bit of what's been going on in my life (that's not my life, obviously, but I found it inspiring) or making sure you see these fun videos! I thought to myself, just because I'm late to the {blogging} party doesn't mean I can't have a great time. And I am, I'm quite enjoying myself.

And without further ado... let's get some Christmas music up in here!

It's that time of year when the world falls in love, every song you hear seems to say Merry Christmas, may your new year's Dreams come true.


And this song of mine in three quater time wishes you and yours the same thing too.

deck the halls

soooo pretty.

such a mess!!!

Decorating for the holidays is such a delight with the boxes you get to open, the color on the tree, the decoration  - once they're in place. 

Of course there is the time inbetween when there are boxes all over the house and it's doesn't seem like it will end.

We're takling the tree one box at a time, one night at time. 

I can't wait to share the finished product. 

It will be a winter wonderland.

THANKFUL

As I {st}rolled through my reader this morning I enjoyed reliving many Thanksgiving celebrations and taking note of what others are thankful for. So before I start gushing about how excited I am for Christmas-time I decided to take a moment and share what I am thankful for. 

I'm thankful for my wonderful boyfriend Matt who bought me a glass blowingworking groupon, rode with me two hours to Dearborn, drove when I couldn't handle the lights anymore (bad reflective glasses?), was ready to just kill three hours waiting for me during the class, then drove us back home staying patient even when my shotty navigation kept taking us out our way. I'm truly thankful for all that he offers me and the love he brings into my life. 

Last year I did a bit of sharing what I was thankful for each day on blog posts in November. I'll bring that back next year for sures, because as I was trying to remember all that I am thankful for on Thursday it was hard to list everything.

   

Here is my list from last year. I am thankful for my cozy home. amazing, creative people like those who've made these videos. my orange boots. [not being afraid of color, wearing five different, solid blocks of color today. maybe too much of good thing.] hope. dreams. adventure. hope. this new beginning. a fresh start, the perk of a monday.  the sunshine streaming in. warming my heart and home! feeling whole and goal filled! having hair that i usually don't hate.

    

I did a quick search of my blog and found these things that I shared my thanks for, Lauren at the little things we do does a good job asking you to fill in the blank of what your thankful for the whole year through.

I am thankful for new love, family, the holiday season, a great meal, my wonderful home, sweet kitties, a good job, loud laughter, ridiculousness, friends, honesty, caring, silliness, happiness and seeing the beauty of everyday.

I am so thankful for the love and support I have in my life. The good health of [most] everyone I care for. I'm thankful that I'm strong on my own as well. 

The best things catch me by surprise and then I'm thankfully reminded how beautiful the world is.

Today I am thankful for an hour long chat with intelligent co-workers from a different workgroup.

This is my list from this past Thursday 2011:

Thankful for: Matt, family, kitties, friends, sleeping in, good food, my health, coffee, the Olympics, apple cider, the holiday season, laughter, family and friends x2, tights, color, travel, my job, football, dog shows ;), music, television, sunshine, snow, oranges, apples, hot showers, a roof over my head, the silly kitties, and once again Matt! That's a ton of stuff, and I'd come up with more but it's time to take a hot shower and put on some tights and spend the day with Matt and his lovely family celebrating all that we are thankful for!!

What I'm trying to say is, there is SO MUCH to be thankful for. 

Life is good.

Matt + Movember

I feel like it's grown even longer since this picture was taken Sunday.

My good sir has earned $220!

Traverse City // Mission Peninsula // November 5 & 6

Traverse City // Mission Peninsula // November 5 & 6


You know it's going to be a good weekend when your waiter says, "I don't normally say this, but you know you guys are ordering a lot of food, right?" Oh, we knew it and it was and it was so totally worth it.

This weekend was total decadence. As much as we loved the food there's no photographic evidence, but here it is in drinks and scenery.

2 lads winery

the views at 2 lads

A walk. The colors were STUNNING. 

Thankful for micro-climates!

We're adorbs. per ushe. ;)

The Jolly Pumpkin

Right Brain Brewery

Bowers Harbor

Finally, the view from our room at the Tesoro Inn a beautiful, contemporary bed and breakfast!

questions & senses & links

 link up with lauren

1.   A nervous habit I have is probably avoidance on annoyance. When I'm nervous I'll either avoid the situation or get annoyed that it hasn't been resolved. (If they'd just asked me...)

2.   Something that makes me sad is when other people are sad.

3.  Today I am thankful for a productive afternoon. We finally took care of our leaves, picked up my sewing machine, bought an iPhone, Heather's Restaurant for dinner, and Tim Horton's doughnuts for breakfast tomorrow! Now tv and veggin'. A Happy Saturday.

4. My favorite room in my house is the living room. It's where we fort, where we eat, where we snuggle, where we tv/movie/read/mac. That room gets a lot of love and we love it. I wonder what Matt's favorite room is and why... his answer: "My favorite room is the living room. That's where I can relax. If we were to get a comfier chair, it might be the library."

5.  I can't stand not knowing how best to respond to a situation or how I should act in the first place.

6.  If I had an extra $100 to spend on whatever I wanted today I would save it for our annual Christmas shopping trip that's just two weeks away!!!

7.  The last person I hung out with was, well if you don't count Matt...it was my bowling team, Split Happens, Thursday night. I was mediocre. It's all about the social wellness!
 

Craving: Apple Cider, crisp and refreshing.

Making: an advent calendar for December. I hope it comes out as I picture it.

Watching: Criminal Minds, backed up DVR.

Anticipating: the iPhone 4s making it's way to me.

Loving: the holiday season is here! don't you love that the holidays are there own season.

Feeling: ouchy, I have this sharp pain in my shoulder from a pulled muscle and there's no good way to soothe it.

Links

incredible map via hooray

Stop Motion Jelly Beans via Creature Comforts

Snuggling Kitties

Spreading Good Messages

Don't Miss Sweet Paul Holiday

some  really great and sweet things in gifted

Package Pals - What I Sent!

Is it a pile of stuff sitting on the living room table? 

(not that ever happens)

Is it a Christmas gift for someone over seas?
(subtle reminder to my Croatian readers)

NO! NO! Silly, it's...

brought to you by the sweet (and patient!) blogger Gentri Lee!

(how great is that name!)

 It was great to participate in package pals with such great bloggers!

"From Michigan to Idaho (the mitten to the potatoes!!) a goodie box full of great etsy finds, some sweet treats and a few more surprises made it's way to my package pal Karly! It was fun to break out the kraft paper and finger knitting and share a bit of myself with a new pal."

Here are a few more snaps of the package I sent off to Utah:

Ardent Sparrow ring / Colette Paperie coaster / Anista Designs envelope

the box was lined with different scrapbook papers & once contained a 4x6 frame and photo album I sent off the picture frame with the list of all the goodies in it!

plum disco beads / finger knitting via me! / isavirtue notebook

Lemon Heads / Red Hots / a disposable camera! / Jones soda lid with a secret message ;) / a note

All wrapped up and ready to head to Idaho!!! 

(hey-oh)

And off she went.
Isn't sending and receiving mail the best?!

my {semi} grown up Christmas list

I've got Christmas on the brain my friends! And why not...

I'm sure you're anxiously awaiting a holiday gift giving list from me, I guess you don't even have to buy these things for me!

Tattly Subscription

a fabulous 10x10 print from Alicia Block 

YOU SAY / CITRINE / STAR LIGHT

crazy elephants tee

MNKR 

 

nostalgia

I broke out my old Babar pillow case the other day.

Matt came home with his Transformers sheets soon after.

We're adorable.

elephant

opulent

Fill in the Blank Friday

 link up

1.   My favorite new blog of the moment is A Practical Wedding, it is a smart, modern community of women who share their thoughts on weddings and life. There's a new feature called Reclaiming Wife that's probably my favorite. {Thanks for the recommendation Iris.}

2.   Somethings I am thankful for {are} the seasons in Michigan, even when they end to soon or last too long. Yesterday we had a peak of snow, just a few flurries and I got excited for the coming winter. I'm really loving on fall this year so I don't want that to end just yet, but I do hope we have a lovely winter come mid-December-mid March. That'd be ideal, although impractical.

3.  Something that made me laugh this week was goofing off with Matt yesterday, my hands were pretty and cold and he was quite warm. I laughed hard. It felt good.

4. An item that is currently on my wish list is 

5.  I am excited about the coming holiday season. I love that Christmas/Thanksgiving is basically it's own season. Not fall anymore, but not quite winter. Being excited about this could have something to do with receiving my She & Him Christmas CD & Mittens!

 

6.  If I were a color I would {still} be orange because it's bright, bold - you get it.

7.  My favorite way to spend a chilly fall day is by snuggling up under the blankets with cozy sock and something warm to drink!

Craving: a restful nights sleep. 

Seeing: fall sunshine. I love sunshine.

Smelling: the memory of the smell of chocolate in the entry way of the Jolly Pumpkin.

Making: a hearty spaghetti for dinner tonight! mmm.

Watching:  All of the shows on our nearly full DVR. We knocked out the Good Wife last night. I'm thinking Walking Dead tonight.

Quoting: It's that time of year / When the world falls in love / Every song you hear / Seems to say
Merry Christmas / May your New Year dreams come true

And this song of mine / In three quarter time / Wishes you and yours / The same thing too

Anticipating: A relaxing yet productive weekend.

Loving: Matt. aw.

Feeling: headachey, that's no good. more coffee? yes please.

1,000 Ships - Rachel Platten

The sun is out now, shining bright, but today the first flakes of the coming winter season fell.

I saved sharing this video for that day. Doesn't the snow in the city look lovely?



Happy first snow friends.

they're here!

and they're better than these...

dazzling

a loVe story

Evey & V

“but you cannot kiss an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it… ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love… And it is not an idea that I miss, it is a man… A man that made me remember the Fifth of November. A man that I will never forget. ”

Valerie & V/Evey

“It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and apologized to no one. I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch, but one. An inch. It is small and it is fragile and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must NEVER let them take it from us. I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the worlds turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that, even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you, I love you. With all my heart, I love you. Valerie.” movie still.

Valerie & Ruth

“I met Ruth. The first time we kissed, I knew I never wanted to kiss any other lips but hers again. We moved to a small flat in London together. She grew Scarlet Carsons for me in our window box, and our place always smelled of roses. Those were there best years of my life.”

remember, remember

revolution.

"Remember, remember

The fifth of November

The gunpowder treason and plot.

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot."

Fill in the Blank Friday

Just blanks today my dear readers. I have a monthly goals post in the works but it's not quite ready. HAPPY FRIDAY! I'm happy, happy it's the weekend.

1.   My favorite thing about this week was/is this upcoming weekend and the surprises it holds for you dear readers and Matt and maybe myself as well.

2.   Colder weather makes me ache for warm beverages and blankets and happy for snuggly cats and Matt. <3

3.  Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are torturing Matt about this surprise weekend, planning the surprises, Matt himself.

4. If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, I'd choose Mary Jane's maybe, they're my go to shoe.

5.  My personality type is INFP, it suits me I think. My strengths are  learner, adaptability, maximizer, positivity, & input from the StrengthsFinder 2.0. Those definitely fit me.

6.  I have a serious problem resisting pretty much anything gluttonous right now. I'm insatiable. le sigh.

7.  My favorite color to wear is green or purple or orange or gray. :)

Blanks via the little things we do.

Matt + Movember

Matt will be growing a MOVEMBER mustache & I'm backing him as mo'sista {their term not mine}, pledging $10 a day until he shaves it or December 1.

I think he'll be working towards something like this...

but with a 'stache obv'.
It will be very piratey from what I've seen.

I've been following Uncrate since last Christmas time. They feature fancy cars and tech stuff and crazy cookbooks and other stuff  like fish hotels! I think we'll join their team since it's just us. It will be good to be part of a bigger something. Oh and here's Matt's mo space.

thankful for: my involved man

Movember

via Something's Hiding in Here

Are you participating? Is a man in your life? I'm curious to see if Matt will. He was kind of gung ho a few weeks ago, less so now that it's actually here.

Not quite sure what it is? Neither was I.

"During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men." -movember

Again via Something's Hiding in Here, "if you know someone who's looking for a faux stache to help support their mo-bro tell them to visit our shop - from now until november 30th we'll be donating 100% of the profits from our mustache on a stick to movember."

thankful for: the efforts for raising awareness for men's health