Happy New Year :)

Well, let's just say I'm real glad the holidays this year landed in a way that gave us Monday off of work. We spent today cleaning and being happy about our party on NYE. Lots of friends came over and it was a good time. We all walked to the park before midnight (a little stumbling parade of party hats and noise makers...joined by others who were on their way!) and watched the Space Needle fireworks.

Thankfully this cool person took a pretty good video - I was a little too focused on "wooooo"-ing to document:

Some pics from the beginning of the night:

For the early arrivals we had some Chambord Champagne - a great start!

The "tablescape" all ready to get some food on it.

Many thanks to Wendi for bringing over our NYE "flair" and helping make everything look spectacular.

I had fun making our chandelier 2012-i-fied...

I staged the End-of-the-Year-CDs on our coffee table, as well as some of "Annie's International Gifts and Treasures to share" (she was the unofficial Guest of Honor - Manilla was a long way to travel from - we were stoked to have her here!). And don't worry Michigan we received your CDs and I gathered up a batch to send your way!

I made these Peanut Butter Bon Bons (thanks again to Wendi for all the help) and I think they turned out pretty tasty. They were a bit labor intensive though so I'd need some strong encouragement if I was going to do that again...

Mom - the drink tower came in handy again. I didn't think we'd have any need for ANOTHER cocktail around but this thing is endlessly popular when there's water in it. What can I say, people like water. So we had two kinds.

I felt kindof indulgent when I bought this $10 ice bucket at Fred Meyer. But it's paid for itself since we've used it at just about every party since.

Riveting discussions, I'm sure :)

An end-of-the-night arty farty photo by Paula - I like how fancy this Chambord looks :)

Y'All it was a great time. I freakin' love this holiday. To 2012, and Sober January. CHEERS! Mwah!

It's That Time of Year

The New Year is one of my favorite holidays for many reasons (fireworks! food!) but I love it most of all because of the fresh start. It's a chance to wipe the slate clean, look back on a productive year and start over with endless possibilities in a new year.

Time for some goals.

My 2012 Resolutions:
* Lose 10 lbs. I know, I'm seriously over this goal. But just 10 more till the ultimate finish line and I think I can do it.
* Be present (hello, Wedding Day - I'm looking at you).
* Get organized. As in, purge all the junk we've collected over the years and organize our home.
* Do more stuff. I feel like I was so distracted in '11 that I didn't do hardly any of the travel/day trips, or seasonal fun things that I like to do.

How'd I do on those 2011 Resolutions?
* Lose 20 (*more, again!*) lbs. - Dude this is getting old. I did 10/20 of this, and am calling that good.
* Practice being grateful and appreciative of everything I have - am grateful as hell! But I could stand to do this more regularly.
* Strive for productivity more than perfection. - um yeah, a lot of stuff fell by the wayside, and that's a good thing.
* Get a job that is at least somewhat enjoyable or fullfilling. - WOAH! I didn't think this one would happen but it did!!! Again, grateful as hell.

So...what are YOUR 2012 Resolutions? Everyone ready for Sober January?

Champagne tower...achievable?

Betty and Don...supposedly coming back in 2012...why do I want them together? I mean, I don't, they're both awful. But I do? I'm so confused.

Nowhere I'd rather celebrate than Seattle...

My Dream New Years Eve

Let's pretend for a moment that all this could really materialize, and we pulled off the best New Years Eve party that ever happened...this is what it would be for me:

The Perfect Party Dress...
Let's keep pretending that every single one of these dresses is less than $100 and fits and flatters beautifully. *clicks heels*

Oh and obvs there has to be a great coat for watching Space Needle Fireworks...

Aw, what the hell, let's make it a ridiculous fur coat...

Ok, if you insist, it can be pink...

A beautiful tablescape of confections and luscious champagnes will appear as if by magic, sparkling and chilled and presented perfectly...

Got to have a disco ball to go with all the great mix of modern and classic music...

I will find copious amounts of free time to lovingly craft these tinsel wreaths to decorate our house...{via creature of comfort}

And more free time to craft these custom DIY Glitter Champagne Glasses {via Something Turquoise}

And last but not least we'll have the budget to buy a whole case of fancy prosecco or cava for everyone! Ok Universe, I put it out there, I'll see all this on NYE!!!

Holiday Treats

Time to start thinking about Holiday Sweets!

A classic, which I love, because my mom made them through the years and they are the best ever - Nanaimo Bars! Recipe via KingArthurFlour:

Punch Bowl Trifle via Taste of Home:

Santa Hat Brownies - brilliant (via Sweet Tooth):

A pretty Chocolate Peppermint Roll (via BakersRoyale):

Elegant Christmas Tree Meringues:

I also heard a rumor that my favorite neighborhood bakery, Le Rêve, is making Buche de Noel this year! I'm super tempted to get one...

Happy Baking!

Weekend/Week Wrap-Up:

My mom and sister made this beautiful apple pie for Thanksgiving:

Martha-worthy, right?! They are truly talented cooks and made yet another fantastic dinner for all of us - I felt so lucky and grateful for them. Thanksgiving is such a huge undertaking and yet they make it every year happily while the rest of us get away with merely eating and washing some dishes! I plan to do my part in the future by contributing to Christmas feasts but until then I owe them...big time. I have so much to be grateful for this year...where to begin. Stay tuned for the annual "Happy Moments" post where y'all can join in with what you're grateful for and your happiest moments of 2011 :)

Paper Elegance

How awesome is this and how fabulous would it be if you used glitter paper?! I'm thinking of so many different ways you could make one of these paper chandeliers: for a nursery, holiday, party, etc. I like the monochromatic look here the best - maybe you could do shades of cranberry for Christmas? And it doesn't require hardly any special materials other than jump rings, a circle punch, dowels, paper and glue. And maybe a good movie to watch while you're putting it all together :)

{from LilSproutCreations via Dooce}

Entertaining n' Stuff

A while back (before I had a job AND school on the agenda), I decided it would be brilliant to host a bachelorette party and then a ladies lunch the very next day. Hu-whaaa? Nawh, it actually all went smoothly and was a lot of fun.

Saturday night: hosting the starting line for the bachelorette party:

I made this Apple Cinnamon Sangria but without some of the fussiness (used more schnapps, didn't let it sit for 4 hours, skipped the "pisco" and honey). I tried to emulate this picture with my apples, but of course it doesn't look quite as perfect. Still cute though, I thought!

Of course we could not forget the obligatory laundry line of panties for the bride. We filed this entire line up with (mostly) impractical underwears :)

Good times were had by all. I know this, because I was a DD and have perfect memory of it all, which was delightful!

Sunday I hosted my first grown-up lunch for The Ladies. It was so much fun! I felt like a real grown-up lady. It was fun to give them all a tour of our house and catch up. It was also the perfect excuse for me to finally buy some of these French Macaroons from Le Rêve. They were a total hit...

I also got a Tuxedo Cake from Macrina and it was seriously good, You Guys. We have over half of it left so if you want to come over and have some please do so!!!

Sweet Toof

I don't know what's up with me lately but baked goods just look so AMAZING! Maybe it's the holidays coming?

Check out these awesome-looking goodies I want to bake:

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

{via MyRecipes}

Colorful Spiral Cookies

{via SprinkleBakes}

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

{via TheGirlWhoAteEverything}

Sour Cream Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

{via SavorySweetLife}

Chocolate Oreo Cream Cake

{via RealMomKitchen}

Grasshopper Brownie Bars

{via LoveAndOliveOil}

Candy Cane Cake

{via MyRecipes}

Hi Again

Wow so I guess I needed a little blog break! Hiatus = sometimes necessary. Lots of moving parts and pieces around our life lately, and I just really needed to step away from the internet and focus last week. A few things got accomplished that were on my to-do list forever!

1. Save-the-Dates are printed, and almost 100% addressed.
2. DJ has been booked.
3. Laundry, finally got done.
4. Scored some majorly overdue wardrobe staples just in time to get Macy's sale prices.
5. We found and bought some early Christmas gifts! (my goal is to be done by Thanksgiving - lofty, I know, it just makes December so much more enjoyable when that's done ahead of time).

Don't know about You Guys, but I'm really loving this time of year. I'm finding it hard not to get excited for Christmas too. Don't worry, I'll be over it by December and lusting for Summer by then. I'm just so good at living in the moment! (subtle sarcasm.) Anyway, how about some more fun Fall things?

How amazing does this Pull-Apart Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread look? {from Sunny-Side Up in SD}

I'm thinking about making this Honeycrisp Apple Sangria for my next shindig. {from Nutmeg Nanny}

Must make this Pumpkin Roll! {from Sprinkle Bakes - she has some amazing baking stuff on here}

Love this Apple Rose Pie. Utterly time-consuming, I'm sure. But what if you took each rosette and made little mini-pies instead? How adorable would that be?

You Guys, I LOVE acorns! They're a bit harder to find in the NW than they were on the East Coast, but if you start looking you can find acorn hot-spots :)

Check out how pretty this effect is - probably a bit messy, but great results! {via myblessedlife}

Later Dudes!