Grow

I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions, but I have decided to focus on the idea of growth for the coming year. Kind of a four corners approach if you will: Grow spiritually. Grow as a spouse. Grow as a parent. Grow my business.
Grow.
Wishing you health, happiness & growth of your own sort in the coming year.

The Eve of Christmas Eve

Ah, perhaps my favorite day of the year. May you enjoy peace & calm, time with family & friends, and comfort & joy during this magical holiday season.

Easy Hostess Gift

If you're like me, you often find yourself scrambling for last minute hostess gifts as you head out to myriad holiday soirees. Determined to be better prepared this year, I decided to purchase a 2 lb. box of some of the best toffee you'll ever taste from Lowrey's, a gourmet candy shop in my old hometown. The toffee keeps very well in an airtight bag & is at the ready on my kitchen counter when I need to whip up a small gift for a friend. I keep a stash of small boxes on hand in my craft drawer to make the gift giving even easier. Friends always seem to appreciate the tasty treats & I love having a plan in place for easy holiday giving.

My Rock-Star Traveler

We made it back yesterday from a quick trip to Washington DC together. Charlie was an awesome traveler and I learned a lot from his first flight...definitely some things I will do differently next time. I'm working on a post to highlight what worked & what didn't on the trip, but in the meantime, here are a couple of pics of Charlie on the mall - with the Washington Monument & the Capital Building in the background. He was totally zonked out, but it was fun for mommy!

Quote

"The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear." - Socrates

I'm so excited!

We're having our first professional pictures of Charlie done today. Our friend, Neysa Ruhl, is coming today to work her magic on some pics of our family. I met her about a year ago at a photo shoot for Cincy Chic & was immediately struck by her enthusiasm for photography. Later, I had the pleasure of working with her organizing her very busy home office. I can't wait to see the results!

On another note, I laughed out loud when I looked at my calendar this morning. It says "Charlie's blanket done today." Sadly, this is not the case. Not even close. I started this "Hearts & Stars" blanket way back in the spring and worked on it here and there. It's a beautiful pattern written by Zoe Mellor. After Charlie arrived, I wanted to give it to him for his first Christmas. Always of the mindset that it's easiest to eat an elephant one bite at a time, I did a little math to see what I was up against. The blanket totals 332 rows, of which I had 78 done at the time. This left 254 rows to complete, meaning it could be knocked out in 84 more days working 3 rows per day. Ugh. Undaunted, I boldly wrote the goal end date on the calendar to keep me motivated. Well, the 84 days have come and gone and I've only managed to add another 30 rows or so to the blanket. Looks like Charlie will be getting the blanket for his first birthday instead of Christmas!

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney with Care...

One for mommy. One for daddy. And one for Charlie.