Goodbye 2011!

If I wasn't in love with Joseph Gordon-Levitt before, I cerainly am now!  (But I will admit that as adorable as I think Zooey Deschanel is, I could take or leave her singing.)  I know I've been fairly quiet this week, but I just really needed a blog break.  Actually, I needed a break in general and I've really enjoyed myself.  And now, all of a sudden, we are at the end of 2011.  This year, like most, was a real mixed bag. 

Some really wonderful things happened, like these sweet babies coming into the world:

Amber and I were lucky enough to spend another wonderful road trip at the beach.  (I'm always missing the sand this time of year!)

I got to mark another concert I want to go to off my list (and it was SOOO worth it)!

And this whole thing happened, with every single moment of awesomeness!



But more than anything, 2011 was a year of change for me and for many of the people I love.  And change is hard, even when it's for the best.  It was a year of great happiness and many tears.  Even so, I don't know that I would change a thing.  I believe that each and every thing that happens has a purpose, whether it feels like it or not at the time.  That said, I am ready for a fresh start, a new year.  Auld Lang Syne, my friends.  See you in 2012.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 12/28

1. Share something you loved about your Christmas Day.

Something I loved about my Christmas Day, aside from the family time, was my new Rachael Ray lasagna pan and pots and pans!  I can't wait to start cooking!

2. You get to put five items in a time capsule to be opened in 100 years, what items would you choose and why?

I have absolutely no clue on this one!   I thought about some examples of technology (iPod, smart phone) because in 100 years they will be so obsolete and funny to look at.  Then, I thought about some pictures or something from my blog.  Basically, everything I pick just seems like something everyone else would pick and today I feel like being an original.  This is too hard for this early in the morning, Joyce!

3. What do you like on a cracker?

I like crackers.  Lately, I've been eating a lot of cheese balls on crackers.  But I am always up for marshmallows and peanut butter, too. 

4. Do you make resolutions at the start of a new year? How'd that work out for you this past year?

I don't really make resolutions, because I never keep them.  Instead, I try to focus on goals, asking what I would like to accomplish by the end of the next year, and do what it takes to make those goals.  Though one of those is always lose weight and I rarely make the kind of progress I want to make on that front.

5. What's a song or song lyric you'll associate with 2011?

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end..." -Semisonic.  Okay, so that's not a new song or anything, but thanks to the movie Friends With Benefits and the fact that this was a year of endings and new beginnings for just about everyone in my life, it fits. 

6. How will you ring in the new year?

I'm not 100% sure, but I am guaranteed dinner for my brother's birthday at my parents' and then I think I am going to hear a band play with Amber maybe.  My NYE is usually pretty low key, and that's perfectly fine with me.

7. What is something you look forward to in 2012?

Assuming she waits until 2012 (which at this point it looks like she will), the thing I am most looking forward to is meeting my niece, The Divine Miss M.  The doctor told my SIL that at this point, because of M's size, if she goes into labor they won't do anything to stop her, but either way she will be here before the end of January.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Today is my little sister's 21st birthday!  There will be a celebratory post to follow, but I just don't think I can mention it enough!  Happy Birthday, LuLu!

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas weekend!  (I did!)  Regularly scheduled programming resumes tomorrow!  But today, I am definitely spending today in my pajamas hanging out with my family eating leftovers!

Until then, my friends---

Crank Up The Christmas Music!

I'm one of those people who actually like Christmas music, but even I can't settle for the traditional.  I mean, the staples of Christmas are great, but I am always looking for fun covers or cute new songs and since I haven't done a music post in forever, and Christmas weekend is upon us, I thought I would list a few of my favorites, old and new. (In my usual "song" - artist - album format.)

• "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" - Sufjan Stevens - Songs For Christmas - Okay, this is technically not a Christmas song, but it is on a Christmas album and I would gladly listen to this version every single day all year long.
• "All Alone On Christmas" - Darlene Love - Underground Garage Presents: Christmas A Go-Go - I remember hearing this song from the Home Alone 2 and immediately loved it.  I think I even sang it in choir in high school one time. 
• "You're All I Want For Christmas" - Bing Crosby - The Voice of Christmas - Bing is known for his Christmas classics, but there's something wonderfully sweet about this lesser known cut.
• "Very Merry Christmas" - Dave Barnes - Very Merry Christmas - Love Dave Barnes.  This song feels like Christmas with the family and it is a new favorite.  (I think I downloaded it for free from iTunes last year, in fact!)
• "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" - Diana Krall - Christmas Songs - I love the Rosemary Clooney version from White Christmas, too, but there's something special about this version.  It sounds like a warm winter blanket feels.
• "Jingle Bells" and "Sleigh Ride" - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas - What's not to love about Ella and Christmas classics? 
• "Naughty Naughty Children (Better Start Actin' Nice) - Grace Potter - Christmas with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Just downloaded this song this week and it completely cracked me up!  Love Grace Potter all year long, but this song is just too much fun!
• Any song - James Taylor - At Christmas - I tried to pick, people, but this is my favorite Christmas album ever.  His version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is my absolute favorite, but they are all so good!  As far as less common covers, I like "Some Children See Him" and "Go Tell It On The Mountain."  And "Auld Lang Syne" makes me tear up every time.  Just go but this whole album and you will see what I mean!
• "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" - Jonny Lang - A Very Special Christmas, Volume 3 - Jonny Lang is underrated as an artist on the whole.  I have several of his tracks, but I really like this one.  It's him doing what he does best.
• "The Man With The Bag," "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" -Lee Ann Womack - The Season For Romance - Again, this whole album is great!  She's known as a country single, but does most of this album uses a more traditional Big Band sound, and I love it!  Listen to it every year!
• "Jesus Born On This Day" and "Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child" - Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas - These are not the most famous songs from the well-played Christmas album, but they are totally my favorites.  I think that Mariah is best singing with the full choir in the gospel style.  (Not going to catch me listening to much Mariah Carey otherwise!)
• "Peace" - Norah Jones - A Very Special Acoustic Christmas - This would be perfect for a cozy night in.
• "Snowed In With You" - Over The Rhine - Snow Angels - I found this on a recommendation from Jaime, who has guest blogged here before.  She's a big Over the Rhine fan, and this song doesn't disappoint. 
• "Covered In Snow" - William Fitzsimmons - Covered In Snow (Single) - I love the imagery in this song and there's something about his voice that is just so calming and sweet.
• "O Holy Night" - Glee Cast ft. Lea Michele - Glee: The Music - The Christmas Album - Say what you want about Glee, there are certainly talented singers on the show, none more so than Lea Michele.  I'm a sucker for enunciation and good diction and she manages to do this in a way that is not annoying, so even better.  You can tell she's a Broadway girl.
• "Christmas This Year" - TobyMac ft. Leigh Nash - Christmas This Year (Single) - Leigh Nash is not my favorite, but I do like her with TobyMac on this song.  This just kind of makes me want to dance around and sing along.
• "The Heart Of Christmas" - Matthew West - The Heart Of Christmas - Matthew West rarely disappoints, and this song certainly doesn't.  Through all the insanity let us not forget the real heart of Christmas, the birth of the Savior.
• "I Want a Hippotamus For Christmas" - Gayla Peevey - Vintage Children's Favourites - It's not Christmas until I have heard this song.  And I realize that's kind of crazy, but such is life.  I don't really want a hippo, though.  I'd rather have a giraffe!  :)

There you have the not-so short list of some of my favorites!  I probably won't post until next week, so Merry Christmas to each of you!  Can't wait to hear about your Christmas weekend adventures!

Done!

I finally feel like I am on Christmas break.  And to celebrate, I am going to do as little as possible today.  The last three days have been full of meetings and negotiations and signing things (so many things), but I am finally the proud owner of a new-to-me vehicle!  And I love it!  (Now, she just needs a name...)

It's gloomy outside here, making it the ideal day to just stay in and do laundry.  I need to make a WalMart run (or at least a grocery run) but I just haven't been able to make myself do it.  I think today has movies and pajamas and book reading written all over it!  In all the hussle and the craziness of the holidays, I hope you all find your pj and movie moments, too.  We all deserve a few!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 12/21

I'm still finalizing this whole car thing (though I have put my down payment on one), so I didn't get to blog yesterday.  But I couldn't miss the Hodgepodge!!

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are we having?

 

I think we have firmly established that I don't really cook independently.  However, I am trying to fix that.  I will not be fixing it via a major event, like Christmas, though.  For Christmas Eve, we all go to my mom's side of the family and have lots of finger foods and goodies (including my grandma's German potato salad), and there could be 30 to 35 people there.  We will have dinner with my dad's side Christmas Day at my parents' house and I will probably help Mom put some things together.  We are having a more traditional meal (turkey and all the fixings) then.

 

2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?

 

Russian Tea Cakes (some people call them Mexican Wedding Cakes).  But no matter what you call them, they are basically butter pecan cookie balls rolled in powdered sugar.  How could you have Christmas without that??

 

3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies. Do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim? almond? soy? full fat (Gasp!)

 

I am a skim or 1% kind of girl.  I don't care for soy or almond milk and thankfully don't have any issues with dairy, so I don't have to drink them! 

 

4. Time magazine recently named their 'Person of the Year' for 2011. This is the person the editors believe had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose 'The Protester'. Your thoughts? Who would you name Person of the Year for 2011?

 

This selection annoyed me.  I do believe that the protests in various countries (including our own) have had an impact, but is that impact really greater than that of someone like Steve Jobs?  I don't know.  It's really hard to tell.  I think my person of the year would have been Gabrielle Giffords.  Her story is about taking something that could have been completely earth-shattering and not letting that moment rob you of the rest of your life.  She is an inspiration, and I always prefer the positive to the negative.

 

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day... when was the last time you needed a flashlight and did you know right where to find one?

 

I have two flashlights stashed at my house and I do know exactly where they are.  The last time I needed one was last month when a sudden stormed knocked the power out for a couple of hours.

 

6. candy canes...yum or yuck?

 

Yum!  But it has to be a real peppermint kind and not one of the weird flavors.  (Those are totally yuck!)

 

7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?

 

I've been singing a lot of Christmas lyrics lately, so I had to really think about it.  I mean, obviously, the ones focusing on the birth of Christ would be the most signifcant to me, but I think the lyric that I think of the most is "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light..."   I love this because, to me, it's about the choice.  The holidays can be a hard or stressful time, but I don't think that's how it would be if we allowed our hearts to do the choosing.

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 

I will feel so much better when all this car stuff is over.  I am thrilled to have a car, but this whole thing has completely stressed me out and put a real dent in my Christmas break plans! 

The Streak Continues

Let's start with the good news.  My washer and dryer are working again!!  As it turns out, the unit, which is one of those stacked numbers, had been slowly coming unplugged.  So, as soon as Dad got it plugged in, it went back to working.  In addition, while "fixing" them, Dad realized that my dryer vent thingy needed to be replaced, so he did that, too.  And mopped my floor.  And fixed my vacuum.  (Seriously, Santa is going to be very, very good to him!)

Now, to the slightly less than great news.  This happened on Saturday night:

That, my people, is what happens when you hit a big buck (deer) on the interstate at 65 mph.  And I was very blessed, because it could have been so much worse.  The deer didn't fly up and hit my windshield and the airbag didn't deploy.  There weren't cars near me, so there wasn't a secondary crash.  I was able to drive almost ten miles to a safe place off the interstate.  The state police officer who happened by was a family friend who stayed with me until the wrecker and my parents got there.  So, guess who is going to check out new cars this week? 

Was your weekend as exciting?  I'm dying to hear all about it in the comments!