Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Hi all!  As you can see, a lot has been changed up in here.  Last fall, I got to wanting to spruce up this space and have some organization to what I was posting about.  It was then that I was introduced to the fine talents of the ladies at Maiedae.  Jenny listened patiently to my thoughts and aspirations for the blog and came up with what you see here.  I am so thankful and so excited!

So welcome to "&".  My friends and family often comment on how I try to do too much... "Hey, let's go do ______, & then we could ______, and then _______... etc etc".  So there's that.  I also like the idea of pairings of things.  Pairing and comparing is how we explore and discover in life, so I decided to direct my focus on, and organize my blog in, this manner.

I'm excited for this new twist and glad you're following along!

Reflecting on 2012 - Well Into 2013

I wasn't sure whether to go ahead and post this, pretending that I didn't know what date it actually is, or keep it all to myself.  But it's my blog, and I'll do what I wanna... so there.  Or, rather, here you go:

My dear friends Jill and Kate have a November get-together every year, and the past few have had themes.  This year was "Lego my Eggo" - waffles and Lego kits, natch.

Have you seen the Lego figures they sell now?  It's a mystery which one you will get, but all of the "costumes" are pretty outrageous, so you can't lose.  They each come with a "prop" to hold.  Favorites of mine were the Lederhosen Guy (complete with a pretzel!) and the Sleepyhead Guy (with a teddybear).

{Lego people, and a cabin, before and after}

{some waffleage and friends}

Then there was a wooly bear:

{which pooped on me right after this was taken}

And my other brother (not by blood, but by how much he is loved by my family) bought a house with his fiancé, so there was a moving day...

{DylandKate - or, Dylan and Kate}

December brought prepping for the holidays.  This year, this included:

Creating a count-down calendar for my sister-in-law.  My sister and I went in together on supplies and gifts, and created it a la you are my fave so that she could punch through the tissue paper to get a gift each day for 12 days prior to their coming over to our house.  She loved it!

{stages of construction, poorly lit final product on left}

Cookie Day!  The whole family got involved!

{sugary fun}

{near the end, people get tired and strange cookies appear - cannibals and sting rays}

Gifts!  From the ever-clever Dylan and Kate, we received a tea wreath!

{fancy!}

And lastly, to end the year, I had my first dog- and house-sitting stint!

{Christmas Maxx and my first Kitchen Aid run!}

So there you have it folks!  I am almost caught up to the present moment (only a month and a half to go!

Annnnddd... I can't figure out why the wreath picture refuses to be centered.  Oh blog.

Heart Day

{cupcakes for our meeting-folk last night.  note to self: bubble gum "creations" frosting SOUNDS like a good idea, but in reality... your teeth hurt from sweetness}

 

 

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”

~Charles M. Schulz~

 

Happy Heart Day y'all!  Enjoy the loves in your life!

Pep Talk

Hello all.  I am alive.  Simplifying and slowing down has been my goal lately, but I've not been too successful... more on that later.

 

A dear friend of mine sent this to me recently and it made my day today... so I'm sharing it with you.  Enjoy: