Happy New Year

New Bed!

As I type this, I am lounging on my new bed.  Well, techincally it's not a new bed, only new bedding, but feels like a new bed.  I wanted something super fluffy and soft and I'm halfway there.  I also wanted something to coordinate with my super cool framed print hanging over my bed (framed by yours truely).  I found a great deal on a 500 thread count down comforter at TJ Maxx for $50.  500 thread count!  Down comforter!  I couldn't find a duvet cover that I liked at a price I was comfortable with and I can't have a bare white dry clean only item on my bed with two cats in the house so I found a micro fleece grey blanket for $23 at Target to cover the whole bed.  Man is it cozy!  I also found a couple of decorative pillows (filled with feathers) on clearance at Target for 10 bucks each.  The other half of my bed make over will include the perfect duvet cover, a set of new sheets and a feather bed/matress cover.

I think that Chai approves of the progress so far.

I love it.  Feels like a grown up bed.

Today I also took some recycling to the center and dropped off some items to the Salvation Army.  Looking forward to ringing in the new year free of old stuff.

I'm Back

I have returned to Pittsburgh after spending the past 6 days at my parent's house in Ohio for Christmas.  I'll get back to posting tomorrow.

"Back in August I was at the shopping mall one day

And right inside the door there was a Santa Claus display!

Christmas time begins a little earlier each year

It barely goes away before it starts to reappear.

But now it's AFTER Christmas and I'm feeling melancholy

I realize the months ahead aren't anywhere as jolly.

I'm sad that it's all over and so I have to ponder:

Does Christmas start up way too soon...

Or should it last much longer?"

Loose Ends

Today I worked on tying up loose ends at work so I can leave at noon tomorrow and not return until Jan 4th.  I also sewed down the pillow cases I am framing for my sister to give to her future mother-in-law.  I had hoped to have the entire project completed tonight but I need to stop at my old frame shop to get some hardware I am missing. 

Packing for the trip home has begun too.  My bedroom is pretty chaotic right now.

Mat Cutting

Tonight I pulled out my large mat cutter to cut some mats for a project that I've put off too long.  Every year I tell myself that I am not going to do a bunch of projects for Christmas nor will I put off projects that I am working on for Christmas, but every year I find myself a few days before Christmas with a list of projects that I must complete.  I'm not stressing about it though, I still have 3 days.

So tonight I turned my bedroom into my frame shop.  There is almost enough room, but the bed is not quite high enough to be used as a work table.

Here We Come A Wassailing

Tonight I sang Christmas Carols with my uber talented friends at the 1st annual Christmas Carols and Cookies in Carnegie.  Can something really be annual if it's the 1st of it?  We plan to do it again next year so I guess that counts, right?

Today I also braved the ice covered roof to fill the bird feeders.  I hope that the birds are happy and in return make Chai Bug happy.

Snowy Days and Cookie Baking Extravaganza

I awoke this morning with a cuddly, cozy, purring kitty and a view out of my bedroom window of several inches of snow.  What a wonderful way to wake up on a Saturday. 

Today I baked another batch of Mexican Chocolate Cookies, Spritz, Chocolate Chip, iced the rest of the Gingerbread Snowflakes, and dipped the Oreo Truffles and Nutter Butter Truffles into chocolate  I started out in the morning at home and then dug my car out of the snow to head over to my friend and baking accomplice, Becki's house to finish the rest of my confections.

Driving home this evening was beautiful.  I love snow and I love Christmas lights, but I love them best when they are together.

I received one of the best Christmas card ever today.  It was a card from my cat, aka Chai Bug.  I don't know who sent it but I have a couple of ideas.  The Pittsburgh post mark narrows it down a little bit.  Who ever it was totally rocks.  The card really made my day and I will admit that I even shed a few happy tears over it.

The Chai Bug

Sleep

It's Friday night.  I've prepped for tomorrow's big Christmas Cookie Baking Extravaganza with Becki.  I think I'll go to bed and get a good night's sleep before a long day in the kitchen.

I adjusted some colors on my blog.  I wish I knew some html so that I could really do some customization. 

Supporting Local Arts

This evening I went to a show at Club Cafe - Tom Goss with guest Jeremiah Clark.  My roommate played drums for Jeremiah.  They both sounded terrific and every time I go to Club Cafe I am reminded how much I like it there.  It's such a cool little club.

 

Rock on Jeremiah and Erin.

Cookie Delivery

Tonight I had a visit with my friend Kristen, her husband Jim and their newborn Everette.  They have packed up their house and are about to debark on an adventure.  Jim has taken a new job in Arizona and they move in 2 weeks.  I'm excited for them but I'm going to miss my friends.  Arizon is so far away.

Of course I had to take a sack of homemade cookies to them.

FedEx Mystery Solved!

Small Moment:

I figured out what the FedEx delivery person was trying to leave for me yesterday.  Last week I was picked to receive a $50 gift card to Sears/Kmart thanks to Jessica Jones over at How About Orange.

She is a designer sharing little projects, neat web stuff and overall fun things on her blog.  Sears offered 2 random readers a chance to win a card.  All I had to do was to leave a comment stating what I would buy myself for Christmas.  The answer was simple,  I want some deliciously fluffy and soft new bedding.  I couldn't believe that I was the random winner!  I was comment #636 out of 1409. 

My card was delivered today :)

Small Accomplishment:
I parked and walked to and from work.  It was a little cold but not unbearable. 

A gift for an Angel, $40 and a mysterious package

Today I dropped off my Angel gift to the Salvation Army.  I picked a 4 year old little boy who only asked for Army men.  I got him 2 bags of Army men, a helicopter, a fleece blanket, a coloring book and crayons.  I hope they make him smile.

I received a Christmas card today from my parents.  My mom included 2 scratch off lottery tickets.  I won $1.00 on one and $5.00 on the other.  Then I noticed the special "Bonus" scratch box.  The $1.00 was multiplied x5 and the $5.00 was multiplied by x7.  $40 total.  Score!  Now I have to remember to take them home to Ohio with me next week so that I can have them cashed.

Apparently Fed-Ex attempted to deliver a package to me today  but I wasn't home to receive it.  I found a sticker on my front door telling me only that they had attempted the delivery.  Are they going to try again?  Am I to go to the Fed-Ex location to pick it up?  The sticker didn't say.  Who is sending me a package?  I didn't order anything to be delivered here so I'm very intrigued.  I will have to call them in the morning. 

I love Christmas!

Hot Chocolate + Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers =

A good way to start a new week.

Tonight I stopped at Rite Aid for whipped cream for a late night cup of hot chocolate.  They didn't have any so I had to settle for jumbo marshmallows.  I also found lots of goodies for stocking stuffers, tissue paper and some awesome wrapping paper.  Best part, everything rang up on sale!

I'm going to finish watching this delightful movie and work addressing Christmas cards.

It just got better!  Fred Astaire sings "The Way You Look Tonight."

Found Tape B

This morning I found a cassette tape in a drawer at my grandmother's.  Tape B.  I recognized it immediately as one of the many mixed tapes I had made in my youth by spending hours waiting by the radio for the DJ to play my favorite songs so that I could release the pause button and record the song to be played over and over.  Of course I listened to the tape on my way home this evening.  Somewhere between Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" and the song from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie entitled "T.U.R.T.L.E. Power", I had a moment where I connected with 10 year old Lynnetta.  It's sad that kids today won't have a time capsule like this one.  How many kids do you know possess a tape recorder?

So what else was on that tape?  There were several songs that were vaguly familiar to me and most of the rest I wouldn't be caught dead listening to now.  Michael Bolton's "Back On My Feet Again" anyone?  NKOTB's "Step By Step" was a fun one to sing along to during the drive.  But I think that my favorite flash back moment came when this song by Chicago started.  I had to look up the Indian Jones type video that I remember from back when MTV actually played videos.

Chicago - Along Comes A Woman
Uploaded by killeraf.

Fell in Love with Julie and Julia

Tonight I am spending the night at my grandmother's where I will be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the big rigs on the highway and wake to toast made from homemade bread.

We (myself, my grandmother and my aunt) just finished watching "Julie and Julia" and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Now I want to cook French cuisine and wear pearls.

Tomorrow we are baking Christmas cookies :)

This Blog

Today I started this blog to chronicle a small accomplishment I make each day or some seemingly small moment that made the day special.

I also learned how to capture a screenshot.