happy new year!

I just wanted to pop in and wish you the Happiest of New Years!  I hope 2011 brings you all peace, health, happiness, faith, friends, and prosperity. 

Best, always,

Stephanie

 

resolutions …

After a bout with a blizzard and some post Christmas sickness in the house, I am back.   Christmas was wonderful – we had a great time with family.   So now, it’s that time of year when we start focusing on resolutions.   Which made me think of last year’s resolutions  and how I did.     Here is the run down:

1.  To be present in everything I do.  Enjoy the moment.  (I think I did better on this one than in the past, but I do need to work on it more.) 

2.  Simplify my home.  (I got rid of some things, stored others I wasn’t using often, and found homes for some things.  But I have a long way to go on this.) 

3.  Be more creative … (I was definitely slack on this one! I never did pick up a paintbrush like I wanted to.)

4.  Work on improving my relationships with others.  (I think to be fair, I have to ask my family how I did on this one!)

5.  Finish things around the house.  (I didn’t do too well on this one!) 

6.  Get more of all the good things in life – the intangibles, I mean.  Not stuff!   (I think we did OK here)

7.   Continue with volunteer work.  (I did do some volunteering, but I can do more.)

8.   Healthier eating.  (I did better here than in the past, (unless you count July.  oops!) but not as well as I would have liked to.  Overall, I did lose a little weight, ended the year thinner than I started, and I am definitely doing better than I was.) 

9.   Become a better gardener.  (I did plant herbs, and killed them, except for basil, which is apparently hard to kill.  No, though, I did not become a better gardener.) 

10.  Become a more inspired and inspiring blogger. (I hope so!  I have definitely been inspired by all of the amazing things I see here on the web!)

11.   Work on building my business so that I can contribute more to my family.  (Nope, I’m pretty much in the same place as last year. But at least I’m not worse off.)

12.   Travel more … (Not much travel at all.  Maybe 2011 will be the year?) 

13.   Try to find a way to make an income from my creative side… (Nope. Though people have asked me to photograph their kids, or make a cake, I have a hard time charging friends. I’ve given a lot of stuff away though.) 

14.    Learn something new … a new skill, craft, project, language …. (Nope on this one too.) 

15.   Let the small stuff go and learn to shed the stresses in life … (I did better on this.) 

16.   Try to be happy everyday.  (I think I did better on this one too.)

17.  Finally try Yoga.   (I did it!!! )

18.  Try to make this year the best yet.  (I think overall, it was a great year.) 

So there you have it.  2010’s resolutions.  I think I should have kept checking back through the year, and I didn’t do that.  Maybe in 2011 that will be a goal.   So how about you? Did you stick to your resolutions? 

Wishing each of you a Happy Healthy New Year, filled with good health, family, friends, prosperity, faith, and hope. 

Best, always,

Stephanie

starry starry nights …

A few people asked how I got that starry effect on the Christmas tree photo two posts ago.  Since it’s been a while since I’ve done a photography post, and it looks so pretty with Christmas lights, I thought I would share. 

The original photo I posted was taken with a Sony point and shoot camera.  They have a feature that gives this effect after the photo is taken, and you decide how much or little of the effect you want.   If you have a DSLR, another way to do this is with a special filter that goes over your lens.  Your local camera store would have one. 

A third way to do it is also with a DSLR.  This is the same way I got the star effect on the photo from DC a few posts ago.  Close down your aperture to the largest number you can.  In my case, I set the aperture to 22.  Look through your viewfinder and check your shutter speed to make sure it isn’t too slow to prevent camera shake.  You may need to use a tripod or set the camera on something to keep it steady.  Then snap away, making sure not to move the camera until the shutter releases.  The photos below I took with my DSLR. 

Give it a try.  You can get some neat effects with it. 

Best,

Stephanie

happy weekend!

I never bake nearly as much as I do over Christmas.  At Christmas time, I want to make it an extra sweet, magical time for the kids.  I read somewhere this week that you only get a few years with them to instill a sense of love for the holidays and traditions, and I think that’s true.  So loving Christmas baking, one of the things that has happened is that I’ve collected a lot of foodie ornaments.  I thought I’d share just a few of them with you.  Hope that you like them as much as I do.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Stephanie

a little more Christmas love …

… because I am really feeling the season here.  Presents are wrapped. 

Goodies are baking. (yes, I’m still in the baking mood!)   Snow is on the ground.  The kiddos are excited.  Yes, it’s Christmas in our house. 

I went ahead and copied that idea from the designer’s show house with the hydrangeas on the kitchen windowsill.  I had a hard time with the light between it being overcast and the snow outside.  The window grids are still being painted, but they’ll be back soon to finish it off. But I think you get the idea.   They make me smile every time I go into my kitchen. 

Another thing that makes me smile is all your sweet comments on my posts.  I wish I could share Peppermint Patties and Red Velvet Truffles with all of you. 

And now the star of the show … plain, and extra sparkly versions…

More to come … I hope you’re all enjoying the season as much as we are.

Best,
Stephanie

i love Christmas!

The baking, the shopping, the wrapping, I love it all.  But I’m as busy as Santa’s elves here, so I’ll just post a little closer look at the dessert table, and some of the goodies I’ve been making.  I’ll post some tree pics later this week.   I’ve been on a baking kick – dark chocolate cake with vanilla meringue buttercream, oreo truffles, peppermint patties, and red velvet truffles… it smells sooo good in here!

Hope you all have a great week! 

Best,
Stephanie

friday …

As promised, a sneak peak into Christmas here … there is definitely more to come, but I hope you all like it so far. The kids helped with the tree more than ever this year. The end result is it isn’t exactly how I would do it, but I wouldn’t trade how happy it made them for the most perfect tree in the world.

The banner is new this year, and I made the garland that you see a peek of last week.

I took the idea of the present centerpiece from the designer’s show house I posted last month. There’s nothing like the smell of fresh greens, and these candles are on a timer.

The kids love to make gingerbread houses with me. Sometimes, I remember not to be a big baby and let them do more.

And last up is a view of a dessert table I am making for Christmas. The empty things will be filled as I do my baking for the season, but so far I like the way it looks. It was hard to photograph the whole length because it is a long table and the room is not wide. But it looks really good in person.

Hope you’re all enjoying the season! It is COLD in New York, so I’ve been doing a lot of baking here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,
Stephanie

smithsonian…

I promise to put up some Christmas shots by the weekend, but I still have a ton of DC photos, and I’ve only shared a few. These are from the Smithsonian – the Museum of American History, and the Natural History Museum too.  In the American History building, you can see everything from gowns worn by every first lady, Judy Garland’s red slippers, and Julia Child’s kitchen.   In the Natural History Museum, there were butterflies, the Hope Diamond, a crown Napoleon gave to his empress, and Marie Antoinette’s earrings, along with whales, tortoises, and much more.

Hope you’re all enjoying the mini-tour while I finish my Christmas preparations.  It’s a picture heavy post, but most of them are butterflies and baubles.  How do you narrow them down?

Best,
Stephanie

 

by george …

A little more Mount Vernon to keep us going until I finish my Christmas decorating, fall un-decorating, and recuperating from the trip.  (It seems like we’ve been back forever, but it isn’t even a week yet.)   But if you get a chance to visit Mount Vernon, do.  You can really spend the whole day there.  The gardens, the view of the Potomac, the museum – there is a lot to see.   The museum had hundreds of personal items belonging to the Washingtons – from jewelry to candlesticks to china.   It is incredible how much they were able to get back.    The figures were exhaustively researched to determine what he actually looked like at various ages. And the gingerbread house was created by a former White House pastry chef.  He had created gingerbread models of the White House when he was there.   Hope you enjoy the tour. 

Best,
Stephanie