All Things Loved - December Edition

I cannot believe December has come and gone, and 2010 for that matter. This year seemed to go by faster then any other year, it seems. As we close out this month and year, here is a look at some of the things I loved this month:

FRAME:
My parents got us this frame as a Christmas present and we love it! It's so unique, different and personal, and it didn't hurt they used one of our favorite wedding pictures either.

LOTION:
I found this lotion from another blog I follow. I had to stop at a few stores before I could find it, but let me tell you, it was totally worth it! This lotion smells amazing, is creamy and rich without being greasy and is a great lotion for dry skin / winter time. (Johnson & Johnson's baby creamy oil - aloe and vitamin E)

MAKEUP:

I used to be a huge fan of NARS blush. However, the last time I bought some, it had a lot more "illuminating specs" (aka glitter) that got everywhere (all over my face, hands and on other people who came in contact with my face or hands). So I went back to Mirror Mirror, a local makeup store, and asked for a blush that was similar, but without the "illuminating specs" and they had me try one by Trish McEvoy and I love it. It's the perfect color, stays on all day and doesn't have the dreaded glitter! And it comes in this cute case which makes it super easy to stash anywhere (purse, clutch, makeup bag ect).



NECKLACE:

I had debated for the last few weeks on whether I wanted a Pandora bracelet. I finally settled on the fact that I probably wouldn't wear it as much as other bracelets I already have, and they can get pretty expensive. I had also been looking for some sort of bracelet or necklace to represent the two major cancers in our families right now, pink and orange. When I was browsing the Pandora charm website, I found two pretty glass beads, one in pink and one in orange. I bought the two charms and put them on a plain gold chain and wear them to represent my Nana, Derek's Aunt J and Derek's Mom M.



MOTIVATION:

This one isn't entirely tangible or something you can see. At the end of November my sister-in-law R and I were talking about working out, finding the motivation to do it, staying consistent among other aspects. Through out the month of December I have found motivation. With the exception of this past week, because of a stomach bug, I've worked out 4 - 5 times a week all month and don't dread it as much. Last night I was reading some running magazines, Runners World and Running Times as well as reading the blog Skinny Runner, and found ways to keep my motivation going. It's got me looking forward to running again, how to improve my running and how to keep it fun and not make it a chore. I'm entering the half marathon lottery for the Burlington City Marathon tomorrow and up until last night I was on the fence about how I felt. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to get picked, but I wasn't 100% sure I didn't want to NOT get picked. Now I know, I 100% WANT to get picked. (I'll be sure to update on this after I find out.)

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas filled with friends, family and love. Here are a few pictures from our first Christmas as husband and wife.

Books

THIS AINT YO MAMA’S BOOK #54 – Start a book exchange with my sister-in-laws.

My sister-in-law’s (SIL) and I all love to read and we each have quite an impressive personal library. We were talking over the summer and came up with the idea to start a book exchange between the three of us. But then G had little P early and B started school so we put it on hold until they each had a little more free time to read.

I have been talking to my SIL B about a quartet of books by Nora Roberts and she was excited to read them. I got the 4^th book in and finished it so I’m sending the whole series to her now that she’s graduated and will have some free time!

The Bride Quartet Nora Roberts
Set in the fun, fabulous and sometimes hectic world of wedding planning, follow the story of four friends and their struggles with life, love and family as they build their wedding planning company, VOWS.

Vision In White
Wedding photographer Mackensie "Mac" Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be's brother...an encounter that has them both seeing stars.

Bed of Roses
As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do" moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream day come true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyful moments captured on film, Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet shares each woman's emotionally magical journey to romance.

Savor the Moment
Wedding baker Laurel McBane is surrounded by romance working at VOWS wedding planning company with her best friends Parker, Emma, and Mac. But she's too low-key to appreciate all the luxuries that their clients seem to long for. What she does appreciate is a strong, intelligent man, a man just like Parker's older brother Delaney, on whom she's had a mega-crush since childhood.

Happy Ever After
As the public face of Vows wedding planning company, Parker Brown has an uncanny knack for fulfilling every bride's vision. She just can't see where her own life is headed. Mechanic Malcomb Kavanaugh loves figuring out how things work, and Parker is no exception. Both know that moving from minor flirtation to major hook-up is a serious step. Parker's business risks have always paid off, but now she'll have to take the chance of a lifetime with her heart.

Music and Dust

SUCH RANDOMNESS THERE IS NO CATEGORY – #95 & #96

#95 Transfer itunes from desktop to the laptop

When my brother came home for Thanksgiving he helped me with my computer! He has an external hard drive and was able to transfer the songs I had in itunes on the desktop and transfer them to the itunes on the laptop. He also transferred all his music, some of which is from my dad’s awesome collection, and I now have over 3,000 songs in itunes!!!

# 96 Do something with desktop computer.

He also helped me clean it (it got pretty dusty in there from sitting so close to the floor for so long. So now I can give the desktop to my sister and brother-in-law. Apparently they can now get internet at their house and their desktop is old, slow and doesn’t work all that well; or fast. So when I go home for Christmas, I’ll bring my desktop and give it to them.

Food

FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD #94 - Make something from scratch

The past weekend I made a co-workers corn chowder recipe and after a little fumbling at first, it ended up coming out pretty good! And it was relatively easy to make (I took major short cuts and used canned carrots and potatoes) and took about 15 minutes to prep.

Here's the recipe:

**Disclaimer - following this recipe exactly will make enough to fill an entire crock pot so if you don't want that much, I'd adjust the recipe.**

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cutter
4 small onions (chopped)
6 cups cream style corn
2 cups boiling water
4 cups potatoes (chopped)
2 cups celery (chopped)
4 tps parsley
4 cups half n half
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Cook butter, onion and carrots on medium - high heat until onions are tender. (This is a good time to get 2 the 2 cups of water going.)
2. Add potatoes, boiling water (to cook potatoes) and celery. Cook until potatoes are tender.
3. Add corn, half n half, parsley, salt and pepper.
4. Heat everything until its boiling, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

The longer you let everything simmer, the thicker the chowder will get. Its also a good idea to continue stirring everything so it doesn't burn/stick to the bottom of the pan.

Toys for Tots - Or something close

FOR GOODNESS SAKE: #87 Participate in Toys for Tots

This year my work ‘adopted’ two families from the Lund Family Center (www.lundfamilycenter.org) for Christmas. The women provided a list of things they needed and wanted for themselves and their child(ren). One of the things on one of the women’s list was toys and crafts for her 3 month old daughter.

I pulled that tag and went to Toys R Us and had a lot of fun picking out toys. I could have bought so many, but tried to keep myself in check. I went to the store thinking about the toys I remember my brother playing with or the toys my niece enjoyed or the toys my nephews are playing with. I knew just what I wanted to get, but once I got to the store, I was kind of disappointed by the selection and wasn’t able to get a few of the things I really wanted. But I was able to find a few toys that were similar to what I wanted to get and some other great toys that I didn’t think of or that she can grow into.

(I know this isn’t technically Toys for Tots, but since I bought toys for a baby, I figured I could count it.)

 

Charity Update

Number 66 on my list is to donate to charity at least once a year. However, since I am a sucker for a good cause and especially one I truly believe in, I raised almost $500 for the Breast Cancer walk in October, purchased the "I love boobies" bracelets from http://www.zummies.com,i/ where part of the proceeds go to Breast Cancer research as well as donated to the American Cancer Society in honor my Mother-in-law. And if I amselected as a runner for the marathon in May 2011, I plan to ask for donations for the American Cancer Society.