31 December 2011

The Last Day of the Year

Today I'm...

* Writing a birthday card to my almost-6 (!) niece.

* Sorting through all the books I own, since I gave away my tall bookcase and they no longer have a home!  My new rule is: if the book is easily available at the local library, it doesn't need to be in my house.  Might as well let someone else store them, right?  This makes me a little sad, since I love the look and idea of shelves and shelves of books, but I don't have the storage to hold them, so it's just not practical for me anymore.

* Renewing my dedication to a paleo diet, including buying and making fun new foods for myself: coconut butter, a strawberry-cardamom green smoothie, a whole ham (I've never cooked ham before!), Thai garlic-chili brussels sprouts, and shrimp lo mein for dinner tonight (subbing green cabbage for the noodles, mmm.....).

* Flattening all the tissue I received in Christmas present packaging so I can reuse it. Yes, I'm one of those frugal girls.

*Waiting for my new cast iron cookware to arrive on Tuesday (Christmas gift from my parents)!

*Pondering the likelihood of there being enough snow to go snowshoeing on Monday.

*Listening to three of my favorite podcasts: Joy the Baker, Spilled Milk by Molly Wizenberg, and Boundless.

* Taking a break by "allowing" (do you know what I mean?) myself to stay home tonight on New Year's Eve, maybe watch a movie, and go to bed early if I feel like it. I'm excited to start a new year on the right foot.

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you are looking forward to a great year of blessing and growth.



29 December 2011

My 2011 Christmas ornament

A sweet (and sparkly) reminder of Paris. Thanks Mom!


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25 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 25

Coffee and chocolate, two of my favorite things.
Merry Christmas everyone!


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24 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 24

Another little birdie, to match the first!

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23 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 23

You just can't have enough chocolate.


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22 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 22

Today is the bottom half to match yesterday. A little jewelry box!

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Advent calendar, Day 21

A sparkly top half to something that will come later...


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Advent calendar, Day 20

Cheery cherry


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19 December 2011

Advent Calendar, Day 19



Charlie IS charming... especially in my favorite color!

I had heard about Charming Charlie jewelry from one of the blogs I read, but I didn't know they had actual storefronts.  I will definitely be visiting one with my mom next weekend.

17 December 2011

Advent Calendar, Day 17


A garland of cheese tags, because everything is better with a little cheese!

And I know someone who will really appreciate this post...

15 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 15

A bluebird of happiness! This little clip-on bird is similar to another one that I have attached to the top of a plant holder... Now they will be pals!


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13 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 13

Special baking labels that read: "From Marie's kitchen" in different fonts.


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12 December 2011

10 December 2011

New haircut!

It probably won't ever be this straight again in my life (or at least until the next time I go to the salon)!


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Christmas card display

My mom had a great idea when she used miniature clothespins to attach the advent calendar envelopes. I can use them after the envelope is gone to hang my Christmas cards! Sorry for the odd angle of today's picture; it's hard to get the right light when you have a bright window behind your subject!


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Advent calendar, Day 10

A little ornament for my little tree!


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09 December 2011

08 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 8

A big old button from my late grandmother's sewing stash.  It's the color of wood, but with an iridescent sheen.

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07 December 2011

Advent calendar, Day 7

Another favorite chocolate: dark with a mint filling, yum!


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Advent calendar, Day 6

Pretty paperclips! At first I thought they were bobby pins, but the hook on the back only extends about 1/4 of the way down, just long enough to hold a stack of bills, or uh... recipes is more like it!


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Advent calendar, Day 5

Three lifesaver candies, including one of those fun swirly cream flavors. The card says, "Daughters: Little girls are cuter than a sack full of puppies" and of course Mom's note is edited to say "PUG puppies". :-)

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Advent calendar, Day 4

A teensy little battery powered candle! This might be coming to work with me too, to make my boring cubicle a little more festive. I don't think the safety staff will have any problems with this flame.


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Advent calendar, Day 3

How did Mom know what my current favorite chocolate is?! Ghirardelli Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree (semi-sweet with sea salt and roasted almonds).


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Advent calendar, Day 2

Today's gift is a tiny, itty-bitty garland for my computer at work! Sharin' the Christmas love...


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Advent calendar, Day 1

The stickers inside today's envelope read: "Baked by Ri / Christmas goodies for you". Some of you may be seeing more of these! :-)


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All strung up!




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Advent Calendar

Look what my crafty mom made! Anybody who knows her knows that she is a very creative person. Last year, she started a tradition that I hope will continue, and this year it was confirmed. I got a handmade advent calendar in the mail today! I really appreciate having something Christmas-themed to enjoy because I live by myself, and therefore don't have many opportunities to celebrate the holidays.

Each day of December, I will post what that day's packet holds. Since today is the 7th, I got to open 7! Coming right up...


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