New Year, New Goals

I always feel kind of silly posting my goals for the year, because I always seem to make the same goals, and in turn, not reach them.

I must say, for 2009, I did ok. I read more, I cooked more, I loved more, and I did lose weight. I will focus on the positives there instead of the "I didn't lose enough weight"s and "I didn't read enough"s. Is it ever really enough, anyways?

With many exciting things to look forward to this year, I am setting goals that I believe to be attainable and beneficial to my future beyond 2010, and the life I want with my soon-to-be-husband and future family.

1. Get married. It sounds silly, of course I am going to get married, but I have a lot to do in the next 2 weeks in order to leave and fully enjoy the wedding day and honeymoon without worrying about something I forgot to finish at work. So really, the goal is to get through the next 2 weeks.

2. Pay off credit cards and make good financial decisions. It's no secret that many people our age live beyond their means, by their own fault or just lack of knowloedge transitioning from college student with little financial burden to a functioning adult who has bills and rent and loans to pay. I know I'm not the only person who made the mistake of opening credit cards to get through the first couple months of being out of school, and I know I'm not the last. But making better financial decisions going forward will help fix what's damaged and keep me firmly on my feet.

3. Save up for and purchase a really good camera. What constitutes "really good". Ideally, a dslr that is advanced enough that I will not desire to replace it in 2 years with something bigger and better. One with versatility for shooting people, places and events.

4. To be healthy in mind, body and spirit. To rid my life of toxic behaviors, thoughts and people. To expand my cooking and eating palate and try new things. Go on adventures. Make new friends. And enjoy every minute.

Cheers to 2010!

Hamster in a Wok

Just in case your 2010 hasn't been to exciting yet...

Here's to 2010

"Do what you love. And do it well. And with those you love. Here's to 2010."

-As seen on Twitter this evening.

Amen to that. Have a glorious New Year's, all!

Target Women

Sean gave me this link to watch these videos by the glorious Sarah Haskins of Target Women. I wish I could sum it all up as eloquently as Miss Haskins, but...you just have to watch.

Back2School!

Broadview Security!

Disney Princesses!

Birth Control!

I will post more later, but here's a final one, dedicated to my soon to be husband (by his request):

DOOFY HUSBANDS!

"So what are you going to do...

...after the wedding?"

Yeah, I get that a lot. Well, first, I'm going to continue to be awesome. Next, I'm going to keep working 40 hours a week and doing pretty much everything I have been doing! In short, that's what I'm going to do after the wedding. I would love to stay home and drink cocktails and wear pearls, but that's what the weekends are for! Seriously though, there are some things that we have been holding off on until "after the wedding", and once they happen, I'll be pretty stoked.

We have talked about adopting a dog. We got very close at certain points. We saw a little cutie pie face or visited a shelter and our hearts just yearn to take a little pup home to love and feed and play with. This requires time and money and a lot of work, though, which meant "after the wedding". So hopefully sometime in the near future I'll have a little bundle of joy to share with you!

Also, I have been researching and fawning over DSLR cameras and will be rewarding myself for all my hard work to get where I am today by taking my glorious United States tax return to put towards a shiny, beautiful piece of joy. There are quite a few events coming up in the next year, including a trip to Greece, that I yearn to capture and learn and share with you! But again, "after the wedding".

I will probably go through a bit of wedding planning withdrawal, like many brides do, depending on their level of immersion in the planning process. But I have a 12-Step Recovery Manual ready for the day I come back from the honeymoon. Just kidding.....kind of....

There are more weddings to attend, time to spend with family and friends, and of course, enjoying time with my new hubby (once I can call him "hubby", of course). So in case you're wondering, that's what I'm going to do after the wedding.

New Header!

So, I find that as a designer, I am never happy with my own header designs. I think I love something, and a few days, weeks, or months later, I look at it and think, "Really? That's the best I can come up with? Let's try this again..."

Combine that with the fact that my entire life, I have redecorated and rearranged various rooms every 6 months or so, and since we have moved in a year and a half ago, I haven't moved anything around (with the exception of the temporary living room adjustments to fit our Christmas tree). So I guess this is the place that I can redecorate and rearrange without Sean coming home and going "What did you do?!"

Which leads me to this afternoon, posting my previous post, and really looking at my blog for what felt like the first time in the past few months....It was so boring. So plain. So....blech. So here's a new look. And be prepared to see some new stuff in the coming months because Santa Sean gifted me with a pen tablet, so I will be mastering that in the next few months. I can't wait to draw all over the interwebs!

Also, tomorrow we're in the teens in our wedding countdown and I just might puke with excitement!

DIY - Pearl & Ribbon Necklaces

I haven't posted much in the way of wedding details and projects because I know some readers are coming to the wedding, and I want some overall "look" things to be a surprise. I do want to post this project however, for any bride or awesome lady looking for an easy gift to make for bridesmaids, friends, or herself! The picture to the left is the inspiration of what I wanted to create...

Some details of note...My bridesmaids range in age by nearly 10 years, so I wanted something classic-looking and elegant, but not your typical wedding jewelry; something they could hopefully wear again with an LBD; and something that I could make especially for them by myself.

Materials:

Beadalon Satin Silver .012 in jewelry string

10mm white pearls - 18 pearls per necklace

Accent finishing beads

18mm ribbon clamp (gold)

Champagne ribbon - 2 1ft. pieces per necklace

Tools: Scissors and pliers

Step 1. Cut an 12-14 inch piece of thread. Tie off one end of the thread to one ribbon clamp. I used a simple square knot, leaving about 2 inches of thread loose with the knot to tuck into the beads. String on a seed bead and a finishing bead, if you choose to use them.

Step 2. Feed the shorter, loose end of thread through the beads, and string pearls on, feeding thread through each pearl until it's completely hidden. Once done stringing pearls and finishing beads, tie the other ribbon clamp as closely to the beads as possible.

Step 3. Fold the edge of the ribbon so the unfinished edge is tucked into the clamp. The clamps have little "teeth" so you don't have to worry about the ribbon sliding out. Give the clamps a good squeeze with the pliers until they can't clamp anymore.

Step 4. You're done!

Merry Christmas!

I wish you and your loved ones, wherever you may be, a very merry Christmas! This has been quite a year. Some wonderful new friends, some oldies but goodies, some who I have never met but I keep close in my heart....You make my life rich in treasures that can't be measured here on earth. You bring me such joy, such laughter, and am blessed to know you, even if it's just glimpses through the interwebs. You all make me want to better myself with each day. Keep on writing, blogging, tweeting, sharing, and loving. I love you all and wish you a joyous holiday season and a peace-filled new year!

Cheers!

Hear Me Roar

I feel like I am conquering the world.

After a surprisingly pleasant week at work that involved some good things, I was ready to tackle this weekend with projects. And tackle it, I did! I managed to get a lot done yesterday before the snowpocalypse, including a Christmas shopping trip, and like most years, ended up buying myself a few new things. Nothing too exciting, but I love hitting Kohl's and Old Navy this time of year and refreshing my sweater collection. I wear sweaters every day in the winter, and I wear them to pieces, so I'm always happy to get some new ones.

My friend Jenn came over yesterday and we cut menu cards together and had a bit of an estrogenfest. She is such a good person and I love her dearly. I'm so happy that she came into my life. I know I don't always love my job, but at the core, it has connected me with some really amazing people. I also gave my unity candle a makeover (the one I originally did looked like an 8th grader art project), and made necklaces for my bridesmaids. That was a fun project, I haven't made jewelry in a long time. The hardest part was finding all the materials!

I am excited for so many things. I finished Sean's Christmas present and can't wait to give it to him. I hope he loves it! I have also been working on restoring my grandparents' and my parents wedding photos, and they look wonderful!

Besides being crazy busy, I've just been trying to pause and take everything in around me. I am a very lucky person, lucky to have the friends and family in my life that I do. Everyone is so supportive and loving, and I'm so grateful to know them. I don't know how I would have gotten through this year without everyone in my life.

This Christmas will be very different. It's my first year not going home. It makes me sad, but also hopeful for the future. Now is the time for Sean and I to begin our life together and make our own traditions. It means letting go of some of our traditions we grew up with, which is hard, but we have very fond memories. We're entering a new phase of our lives, as a new family. He is my person. It's so exciting!

1 month to go!

Christmas: 10 days

Wedding: 1 month

This week has been an interesting one already. For starters, my boss quit, after 3 months of maternity leave. I'll be interested to see how things develop over the next few months at work. The only guarantee is that it will be busy. I have a lot to do in the next 3 weeks to prep for Christmas 2010 sales meetings to be able to leave for the wedding confident that things won't fall apart. I guess it's a strange blessing in disguise that I won't be traveling home for the holiday and will have the opportunity to get a lot of work done while most people take year-end vacation days.

We had an adventure last week applying for our marriage license. We thought we were screwed at one point because the town clerk's office we went to on Tuesday was closed for the special election for the MA Senate seat. Luckily the next town over was not closed - that was after standing in the town selectman's office bawling my eyes out thinking we were screwed. I had taken my last 2 vacation days and Sean's limited days off to travel for this marriage license. The next time we'll both be up is 2 days before the wedding. But we were successful in the end, and that's all that matters.

We had a whole weekend of partying and socializing, and I am looking forward to a peaceful next 10 days.

Just checking in!

I created a badge for World Aids Day 2009 for anyone who'd like to add it to their sidebar, Facebook page, Twitter, etc. Share the message, Respect & Protect!

Life has been bustling along, so I apologize for the sparseness of posts. We had an absolutely lovely Thanksgiving, I had a very nice visit at home with family and friends, and holiday happenings are starting up as of tonight. I am looking forward to this month. We're in a good place with the wedding planning, just waiting for the rest of the RSVPs to come in, and then it's just finalizing and paying up! So I am looking forward to Advent celebrations at church, our Tacky Sweater Christmas Party, watching lots of corny Christmas specials with a mug of hot cocoa, and spending Christmas for the first time away from my family. Since Sean has to work we will both stay down here and have the holiday together. As much as it makes me a bit sad to not be going home and waking up Christmas morning at my parents house, we're moving into a new phase of our life together and he is my family now. It's important to start our own traditions together now!

We got rained out of getting our Christmas tree last night, so we'll be getting it next week instead. I can't wait to have that beautiful glowing, divine smelling thing hanging out in the corner of my living room. It makes the house seem so warm in the coldest of cold months.

I wish you all a blessed December. Stay warm, stay cheerful, and keep in mind those who go without many of life's necessities, those who are ill, those seeking jobs...It's a tough time for many. Let's not take our blessings for granted.

Clay and Water

Last night I realized that I have something going on every weekend until the wedding. On top of that, working 40 hours a week, other commitments through church, babysitting and trying to do some of my own work in the evenings, life seems to be going in fast forward. It's so important to me to not take days for granted. It's easy to wish away the week in anticipation of the weekend.

Life doesn't stop though. It doesn't even pause. It's up to me to catch my breath and allow myself to change and move with what goes on around me. I have a lot of changes happening in my life and while it seems overwhelming, natural progression can be a beautiful thing. I feel like the people who fight change and always want things to stay the same are the ones who end up disappointed.

There's a song that I always turn to when I start feeling like life is going through a bit of a loop-dee-loop. It's called "Clay and Water" by Margaret Becker...

I'm back!

I had a whole post written about recent wedding accomplishments, and couldn't bring myself to post, because frankly, it's not all that exciting unless you are me or my mother. So here's a fun video that Sean sent me yesterday morning to bring some cheer to my week:

Creative Endeavors

I recently began some freelance design work, a very enjoyable collaboration with a new friend, "Miss Rosy". She came to me with the idea for a couple wedding-related blogs, as she's a newlywed (she had a gorgeous Martha's Vineyard wedding last October) and has valuable tips for the bride-to-be and young newlywed. She has begun featuring Boston area weddings at Rosy Love, as well as the project she has enlisted my creative work for, The Rosy Report.

The Rosy Report takes more of a "dish" angle, with fun pop colors and a whole lotta attitude. I have been having a lot of fun contributing to various posts with my illustration, as it has given me a chance to work a creative outlet that I don't normally get to explore in my day to day work. And given the frequency of blog posts, it has given me a challenge to really make the time for myself to illustrate, as well as build my personal portfolio.

I encourage you to take a look. Even if "wedding dish" isn't your thing, it's fun to see what creative things Boston brides are doing (check out this Halloween wedding - I saw some pro-pictures from this past wedding, this girl worked her BUTT off and it was a beautiful wedding!).

Chicken Soup for the Kickass Soul

Tonight I was on my own for dinner, and wanted to try to use some leftovers to create something tasty. Fortunately, I had half a leftover baked chicken breast and some veggies. I didn't expect any other than a hearty chicken soup, but this stuff has a bit of a punch to it, and I am going to toot my own horn here...this might be the best chicken soup I've ever tasted. It didn't even occur to me to take a picture until I was halfway done eating - oops! Hopefully I can recreate it!

This recipe is for one serving, multiply as needed! Also, I apologize for my poor measurement specifications. I don't usually whip out the spoons and cups unless I'm baking. I also don't include nutrition facts because you can usually tell if something's going to be on the leaner or meaner side of things.

Kickass Chicken Soup

3 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
2 large carrot, chopped
1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
1/2 chicken breast (pre-cooked), cut into small pieces
2 cups of gluten free, low fat chicken broth
sea salt and pepper to taste (I use about 5 twists to the grinder on each)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 dashes of sage
1 dash of cumin
2 dashes of ground paprika
1 dash of ground cayenne pepper

Directions: In a deep frying pan, melt butter over low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and mushroom, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft. Add chicken broth, chicken and other herbs and spices. Stir and then let simmer over medium heat for 35-40 minutes. Serve hot.

The little touch of cayenne gives this soup a kick like none other you've tasted, I promise. It's so good for a cold night, it's chock full of vegetables and protein, and it really tastes flavorful and satisfying. I am a soup person at heart (nothing makes me happier than a big bowl of clam chowder, any day of the year), so I was very surprised by the crazy delicious flavors making their way from my bowl to my mouth. I wish I had made more than one serving so I could bring more for lunch tomorrow!

This could easily be made as a crock pot stew, add a little rice to bulk it up, and you'll have a great, hearty fall meal to serve your family. Or to, you know, horde to yourself. I don't judge.