Kind of a hokey title but the only other ones I could come up with were “Winter Wrapup” (bleh) & “New Year’s Organizational Massacre” (a bit dramatic, I admit. I was referring to my cleaning annihilation yesterday but was afraid the violence would overshadow my tips)
First off, how was your Christmas? It was really nice here. This is the first year we’ve spent it without any extended family. The first 30 years of my life I spent Christmas morning in Florida with my family. Last year we stayed home but had my in-laws come stay with us. This year however we were completely solo. I was kind of worried I’d find it depressing but to be honest, it was actually kind of awesome. Just the four of us, doing whatever the heck we felt like doing. No one to play host to & no traveling during the holidays. Just us. And Christmas. It was nice.
Sam & I made pumpkin bread. I resolved that even if it’s messier or takes longer or comes out crooked I’m going to let her help more. What fun is it to help your mom bake if all you’re allowed to do is stir for a few seconds?
There were snowflake peanut butter sandwiches. I need to warn you however, once you start making pb & j’s with a cookie cutter it’s hard to get them to go back to plan old squares. (thanks Nana)
Christmas Eve we made the new tradition of going out to a lovely mexican restaurant called “Rosa Mexicana” on the National Harbor. Unexpected bonus? Humongous Christmas tree with a light show every 30 minutes!
Then of course there’s Christmas morning…
For New Year’s Eve we had a date with our couch, a bottle of champagne, 2 little nutcases in footie pajamas & a table full of quick & easy appetizer type dishes for us to snack on all evening long.
There was tuna & avocado salad, brown sugar baked brie with apples, shrimp cocktail (tip- place shrimp in a bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water. It will keep them chilled without getting soggy), fish sticks, mini pizzas, baby quiches & my own little brainstorm (although I’m sure I’m not the first to think of it I’m still quite proud) of smoked salmon on onion crackers with a smudge of cream cheese & sprinkle of scallions.
It’s basically the appetizer version of P’s favorite breakfast dish, bagels & lox. (not rocket science, I know…but still)
Almost everything was pre-made with the exception of the salad & lox concoction. Easy peasy no stress, my favorite.
And yesterday, sighh, yesterday I’m quite proud of my friends. I don’t know why or how but I somehow got the New Year’s Day decluttering bug in a major way. I’m talking on the verge of possessed. At one point P asked me if I was pregnant & was nesting. (Bite your tongue!)
It was one of those things where I hate the clutter but didn’t have the time or energy to clean it so the junk drawers just grew & eventually got to that infuriating point of not even opening. Yesterday I had enough. If you were a tupperware without a lid in my house than you were my bitch.
Today 6 bags worth of randomness made their way to Salvation Army & IT FELT AMAZING.
Speaking of starting the new year off with a clean start (literally) let’s talk resolutions. What you got? I’m all about setting goals for myself that I can most likely meet. I’ve found that resolutions which are too vague or far-fetched are just setting myself up for failure. For the whole resolution equation to work you need to make it specific, attainable & to the point. Don’t just say “get in shape”, say “walk 3 times a week”. Or if it’s to “be a better dad” than how about think of a few ways you can specifically attain that goal. A change you can get going on immediately is best.
Here’s mine…
*plan a date with my husband at least once a month
*find physical activities with Sam that we can do a few times a week (if left to her own that kid is happy doing puzzles, tv, drawing or any other stationary activity 24/7. I need to find a way to get her active while being fun. Sophie on the other could stand a little downtime)
*Get back to running. Start with elliptical once a week & build up from there while it’s cold out with a goal of running outside at least bi-weekly once spring hits.
*Blog, blog, blog. I love Little Pink Monster & I want to nurture & grow her as well a new blog I’m starting for my husband’s show. It makes me happy.
So that’s it, out there for the whole world to see! Don’t leave me here all alone in the boat…what are you going to do in 2012??
all of your food looks amazing, and your girls are precious! i fully support the solo Christmas of staying home and just enjoying each for the holiday! too many people these days get so worked up over impressing friends/family and house-hopping for food.
Aw, your girls make me smile, looks like they interact a lot of the same ways that mine do. All looks like familiar scenes playing out. They could be twins aside from age, man oh man!
My hubby got bit by that same bug as you did, I went to bed early on new years eve because I felt sick and when I woke up he had cleaned off my ‘hotspots’ like on top of the fridge kindof places, mopped, rearranged like plants and decorations, etc. Plus mopped and dusted and wiped. (no, that’s not normal for him, not at all. We had literally just got back from vacation so I guess he had ants in his pants?) Was really nice to wake up to, albiet a bit frustrating today when I needed a few things I couldn’t find since he’d relocated them! 😉
My 2012 goals:
*floss daily… i totally slack off from flossing and i dont want to get that “look” from my dentist that says he knows im lying when he asks if ive been flossing
*master my new sewing machine and actually finish the quilt ive started
*keep up with my laundry and not let the pile of clothes get so out of control i have to battle my way into thr room!
….things i wanna do that i actually think i can stick to !
Your girls are absolutely adorable!
Your picturesof them are always amazing. I am kind of an amateur photographer, and I was wondering what kind of camera and editing software you use for your blog?
I always love your pictures!
I have been inspired by your new year’s resolutions! Started writing sone good ones for myself. =)
Hey Brittany! I am by no means a photographer. In fact my camera is almost always in the same mode. Lucky for me I have a really good camera (Canon Rebel) & use Picnik for photo editing which is amazing. (and free, and easy!)
Love those pink jammies! Don’t you just LOVE having two adorable daughters!
I made 3 resolutions this year:
1. Always have nicely painted toenails.
2. Walk with my daughter every day (weather and health permitting!).
3. Go on a minimum of 5 gym-dates with my hubbie each month. (5 times will even out the cost of our gym’s childcare!)
I think they’ll be pretty attainable. I wanted a crafty/sewing one too, but I’m still thinking about that.
So, HAPPY you came out of hybernation! I was starting to worry about you! Been checking the site everyday after Christmas to see how you and the fam’s Christmas was. Really HAPPY you all had a nice family Christmas. It is nice to know that my family and I are not the olny ones who have the tradition of going out to dinner for Christmas Eve. We have made Ruths Chris a family tradition for about 7 years now and it is not easy to get reservations which I made back in September. Anyways, look forward to the next entry and Happy New Year!!
Your Friend,
QuaShaunta
New Year’s Resolutions for 2012:
1) Try to eat at least one salad a week (not premade by a fast food chain.)
2) Decorate (paint and hang up pictures) and organize (get a new dresser and get rid of the changing table) my son’s room.
3) Make an effort to have more date nights with the hubby (especially on special occassions (anniversary, valentine’s day, etc.) since we are usually celebrating as a family.)
The rest are too vague and I need to come up with a way to quantify them. For example, loose weight. I have negative time/energy to go to the gym and I don’t want to set a goal for myself that I can’t accomplish without putting aside what’s best for our family…
Ok…organize the stink out of this house. I did it in 2010 and slacked off in 2011!
Get dressed early. I know this sounds stupid, but I am more productive if I am dressed and waiting until 10 or 11 am cramps my style. I just get into these ruts, am I alone??
Finish our tiling of the downstairs (that we started in 2009!!!). Ugh, this is a hard one to start.
Continue walking every single day…so far so good since last May and even into this winter… even with this crazy balls cold front here in NC!
GO TO SLEEP BY 10pm…this one is hard for some reason, but with rest I am a new person.
Now that I’ve written everything down I hope I feel more accountable (;
I plan on getting through all grueling 90 days of P90X… It is crazy hard, but I started before new years, and plan to keep going! I needed a push to get my butt in gear (I am going to Hawaii in May, and I refuse to even look at a bikini right now :)). Plus, it helps that I am doing it with a friend. We are keeping each other accountable!
Also, I plan to eat at least 3 servings of vegetables/fruit a day (trust me, this is huge to what I was doing before). I am getting there!
Great resolutions for you. I need to declutter my house!
I’ve been meaning to make your brown sugar brie for ages! It looks way too yummy. Also, love your mixer — what a great color!
I am loving Samantha’s purple fairy costume! Where did you get it or did you make it? It is sooo cute!
Nana found it for Sam & also one in Sophies size. Are they not the cutest thing ever? I believe she bought them in the gift shop at Cracker Barrel.
it is soooo cute!! I have been looking for something like this for my baby girl for the longest time!!
Hey, thanks for the post.Really thank you! Wonderful.