Fresh starts

It's cold outside!  Oh right, it's winter, and finally feeling that way.  With no snow and temperatures fluctuating between summer and fall on a daily basis, it was easy to forget that it was December, which is probably why the holiday season basically slipped past me before I had a chance to prepare.  Now that it's January, and many of the projects and responsibilities consuming my time before the New Year are over with, I've been enjoying more time on my couch, hiding under piles of warm blankets, making plans for the year ahead and soaking up a little bit of this certainly short-lived calm.  

Things I'm obsessed with:: week one of 2012:
...pinterest
...voluspa candles
...making coffee in the morning before i go to work (groundbreaking idea!)
...my (mostly) clean apartment
...mindy kaling's book
...the moccasin slippers anthony gave me for my birthday and i have worn every day since


A few resolutions for the new year:

...make more time for creativity.  Photo-taking, craft-making, blogging, painting, decorating and more. 

...drink more water and mix up my work out plan.  Doesn't everyone's New Year Resolution list contain some sort of fitness goal?  Though they may be oft-neglected, I still think it's worthwhile to include plans for your health in your fresh start each new year.  My goals for 2012 include a little more yoga and maybe some strength training.

...keep working on becoming a correspondence queen.  I love receiving mail, and I love prettying up a card or package to send off to someone else.  Each year I get just a pinch better at sending birthday and thank you cards, and getting gifts in the mail on time; I consider this one a lifelong goal.

...work harder than ever, get into grad school and start acting on those career goals. 

Happy 2011!

Glitter Day

I don't know about you, but for me, the post-holiday lull is always a little bit of a bummer. Still, I'm always caught off-guard by this lonely bit of boredom. Every year, every big holiday break, I get myself thinking that all I want is some time to relax and just do nothing, but I think I've finally realized that what's most enjoyable is doing nothing with everyone else. Sitting around, eating delicious foods, drinking tasty wine, and just chatting or sitting on the couch. Now that I've figured this out, I'm looking forward to more of that this Christmastime. Now, to complete the pre-Christmas to do list before the actual break rolls around... The countdown begins.

Christmastime in the City...

Yesterday we made our annual trek to the city.  It included all the usual stops - Macy's (to see the windows, decor, and to pick up an ornament), the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree (of COURSE), a yummy trip to Chipotle (we switched things up this year and went for lunch with my lovely Best Gal Jess), and some shopping at Anthropologie. 

Macy's at Christmastime

 

'Miracle on 34th Street' themed window displays at Macy's

The tree!

We went to the NBC Experience store, too.  I'm newly obsessed with the Today Show, especially Al Roker, so I wanted to look for goodies, but we were very quickly distracted by the 'Office' memorabilia, and so I totally forgot to look for Today Show stuff!  Anthony bought me an "I <3 Jim" t-shirt.  It's awesome.  I put it on over my turtleneck on the train ride home.   

It was a little bittersweet, knowing that we probably won't be visiting NYC again next December, but I know we'll be finding new traditions and probably visiting a city tree wherever we are.  Someday I want to ice skate again around the holidays!  I can't even remember the last time I went, and I'm pretty sure I'll be awful at it the next time I try, but nonetheless...

Did I tell you that I watched Prancer on TV on Friday?  It was just like the old days.

December notes: picking out the tree

Someday we'll go all out and cut down our own tree, but for now, the outdoor expedition of purchasing one from our local grocery/nursery/coffee/gourmet/everything store will have to suffice.  This year there was even a little outdoor fire to warm your hands!  My only qualification this time around was that the tree be fragrant and fill our apartment with that piney holiday scent.

The first one was the best one.  Sheared balsam.  Smells scruptious.

Home and fully decorated.  I went with a woodland theme again this year, there's even a little gnome in the mantle decor :)  My favorite tree ornament this season is below.

December notes: craftyness

December has officially arrived, and even though the snow isn't here yet - which I am getting pretty impatient about - it's becoming more and more visible everywhere else you look.  Of course, with December comes prime crafty season, and just as much as I love making decorations and handmade gifts myself, I love to see what everyone else out there comes up with.  This lovely blogosphere is the perfect place to start.  Here's a short list of my favorites from around the blog world tonight:

Teensy terrariums, which are actually ornaments, via Cup of Jo (via Unruly Things).  Terrariums are all the rage these days, I tell you.

Gold leaf placecards.  These are technically a Thanksgiving craft, but I enjoy them nonetheless.  Via A Field Journal.

Cheerful printable gift tags over at Creature Comforts (one of my daily must-reads).  I love a good gifttag...thinking of trying these out with my 2-inch scalloped circle punch.

AND I saw this Jen Corace calendar on Design*Sponge today!  In case you don't recognize her artwork, she's the illustrator of Little Pea, Little Hoot and Little Oink, among many other wonderful books and publications.  I love her work, and I love that this calendar has a peek at some different mediums - a little pencil and some lighter watercolor, too. See more here.