Like any year 2012 had its ups as well as its downs, but all in all when the tidbits are added up it was a great year.  As the year draws to a close I started thinking of how fast this year has gone by.  I’m not sure if I am just getting older or if life has just been so busy, but in a blink of an eye we went from January to December.

In no particular order tidbits that stand out are as follows:

Trip to Mexico to celebrate our 30th birthdays.  Being only 11 days apart and having Valentine’s Day smack in the middle makes for a very busy February.  Sipping piña coladas on the beach, reading and relaxing was the perfect way to begin our thirties.


Buying a condo was a HUGE highlight. I cannot believe we are home owners!

My first rodeo!  And I think the highlight of the rodeo was the mutton busting.

Passing the PMP exam.  This test had been on the to-do list for years.  It was nice to not only check it off the list, but to have passed the first time taking the exam … Plus my dad will finally stop bugging me about when I am going to take the test!! :)

Thanksgiving – As my favorite holiday it is no surprise that Thanksgiving is one of the highlights from this year.  Like every year the week/end was jam packed with food, wine, family, friends and laughter.

First Christmas Eve alone with my husband in our new place.  I’ve always spent Xmas Eve with my friends/family or with the in-laws.  This year we flew out to Kansas City on Christmas Day.  We went back and forth about sending the evening with friends, but in the end decided to keep it low key.  I loved staying home and celebrating just the three of us (the husband, me and of course Sophi).

2012 was a very fun year!  But now there is much to look forward to in 2013 and it isn’t even here yet!

So far there are a few fun things on the docket for 2013 …

  • My sister is coming to visit for a few days. I am even taking a day off so we can have a sister day!  It isn’t often we get time just the two of us anymore so I’m super excited for her visit.
  • Throwing a baby shower for my girlfriend and then arrival of her son!
  • A trip to Seattle to see my friend (HOPEFULLY)

And then of course there is … Surprises!  No matter how much of a planner I am life always throws in big and little surprises.

What were your favorite parts of 2012?  Any exciting plans for 2013?

Happy New Year!!

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I had been struggling to decide if I should stick with Instagram after they changed their terms of service.  As luck would have it though it seems as though they are reverting back to the old terms of service due to the feedback from their customers!!  Therefore I am going to continue posting on Instagram!  Soooooo please follow me on Instagram!

As I looked through the pictures I’ve shared on Instagram it was clear, I am obsessed with my dog.  90% of the pictures are of her.  Ummm hello?  Nicole it is time to take pictures of other things!  My favorite non-Sophi picture was taken in Boston of a willow tree.  My oldest friend and I met for lunch over the Thanksgiving holiday and since it wasn’t too terribly cold so we took a little stroll through Boston Commons first.  The lighting seemed perfect the way it was coming through the leaves.

Although I really do love this picture I wonder if part of why I love this picture is because it reminds me of spending time with my friend.  Either way … Happy Friday!

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Happy Christmas to you and yours!!  This morning the husband and I hopped on a flight to the Midwest to spend Christmas with his family.  Since we were arriving Xmas day instead of Xmas Eve day this year I decided to make the Santa’s Whiskers cookies at home this year.  My cousin introduced me to this recipe and was kind enough to email me the recipe.  I searched the web for Santa’s Whiskers recipes and they are all pretty much the same.  I do follow the recipe my cousin provided as I know it is a keeper!  Although I am not a fan of candied cherries, I do really enjoy them in these cookies!  The cookies are super easy to make and I would think they are kid baking friendly as well.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup (2 sticks) Butter
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tbls Milk (or cream)
  • 2 ½ Cups of All Purpose Flour
  • ¾ Cup Red and Green Cherries
  • ½ Cup Chopped Pecans
  • ¾ Cup Coconut Flakes

Blend together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Mix in vanilla extract and milk.  Add the flour slowly into the mix until it is fully combined.  Add in the candied cherries as well as the pecans and mix well.  Split the batter in half and make about 10 inch logs.  Roll the logs in the coconut flakes and wrap in plastic.  Place in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375*.  Cut the cookies about ¼ an inch wide and place on a non-greased pan.  Cook for 12-15 minutes until the edges are a golden brown.  Allow the cookies to cool.  Serve and ENJOY!!

What is your favorite type of Christmas Cookie?

Happy Christmas!

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Today we turn 1!!!  Happy Blog-iversary to Life’s Tidbits!  The first year of blogging seems to have flown by.  I’ve learned a lot along the way and hopefully the second year for sharing tidbits will be even better than the first.

Goals for Year 2:

  1. Blog more regularly – Sometimes life gets in the way and blogging gets put to the side. But that’s not really a good excuse sooooo … new goal is to post 2-3 times a week.
  2. Comments – Figure out how to get YOU more engaged by sharing your tidbits within the comments section
  3. Guest Bloggers – Collaborate with other bloggers and/or friends and have a monthly guest blog post.  I think this will increase the types of tidbits shared!

With Life’s Tidbits turning one today I thought it would be fun to do the best of the best / superlatives post.  In case you were curious just what superlatives means here’s a definition for you: “Grammar Of, relating to, or being the extreme degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb, as in best or brightest.” reference

Most Frequented Post – DIY Wedding Envelopes with Calligraphy

Considering this is the most popular blog post I’m absolutely shocked how each week this post gets hit and yet no one has EVER left a single comment.

Most PersonalPurchasing Our First Home

This was one of the highlights of 2012, but also one of the scariest times.  Buying a home is a huge financial investment and such an adult thing to do :)

Most Surprising ShareChoosing a Wedding Dress

Although it might seem like something that was easy to share it really wasn’t.  There were only a few people who knew I struggled with my wedding dress choice after making the purchase.  I felt silly that I was so conflicted and it took me a while to decide if I should blog about that tidbit.

Photo by Korie Lynn Photography

Best Vacation SpotPositano, Italy

As the first stop on our honeymoon it isn’t surprising we have such fond memories of Positano!

Best Lesson LearnPaint Finishes

We did a ton of painting in the first few months as homeowners. Leaning what to use what paint finish was a great lesson learned!

Most WorkBeef Bourguignon

This recipe took HOURS and is probably one of the longer posts I wrote.

Most organizedThe Closet and The Pantry

Although it’s a little bit of a cop out to pick two I really do feel like it’s a tie!

We are looking forward to a great year 2 and thanks for following Life’s Tidbits!!  Is there anything you would like to see more of on Life’s Tidbits this year??

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We might be a few months into our second year of marriage, but this year we got our very first Christmas tree!  Our new home needs a tree.  Clearly I had my priorities in the right order since the first order of business was to go purchase ornaments.  A couple years ago when we were registering for our wedding at Crate & Barrel I had seen a lot of cute ornaments.  Our first and only stop for ornaments was at Crate & Barrel.  Luckily for us there was a 30% off sale on all the ornaments!!  My husband and I filled up our basket with lots and lots of white, silver and red ornaments.  I was pretty sure we were buying too many, but figured we would return the ones we didn’t need.

It seemed like destiny as we drove up Massachusetts Avenue and right by a Christmas tree sale at the local church.  Instead of heading the Whole Foods or Home Depot to buy our tree we were going to get it from the church!!  They had a ton of options.  I am not really sure why we didn’t think of checking out the local churches in the first place.   At least we will remember this for next year!

After walking around the available “medium” size tree options a few times we quickly agreed on this guy:

Sorry for the crappy camera phone pictures.  It didn’t dawn on me to bring my camera … fail!  Anyways, after purchasing the tree we laughed a little at our lack of planning on how we were going to get the tree home.  It might have been December, but the convertible top when down and the tree when in the backseat of the car.  We made it home just before the rain started in.  Pretty good timing if I do say so myself.

We were home and had a tree and ornaments, but we were lacking lights and maybe more importantly a tree stand.  We threw the tree in a bucket and walked to CVS.  There we purchased a tree stand and 200 white lights.  Back to the house we went to decorate our tree!!

After a number of tries we finally go the tree straight in the tree stand.  The husband cranked the Christmas music and we spent the next hour or so arranging the ornaments perfectly.  Here’s a close up of a couple of the ornaments.

I am very happy with our final product.  Check it out …

What do you think??  I’m very pleased.  Our menorah and dradle looked great next to the tree throughout Hanukkah! Maybe next year we will buy a tree skirt and actually get some gifts under the tree :)  We did have a present under the tree for less than 24 hours.  Then I couldn’t wait any longer and gave my husband his holiday present prior to Christmas Eve.

Happy Holidays!

Don’t forget to leave your tidbit by commenting :)

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