happy new year!

i seriously had all these grand plans of blogging while on vacation, and that (obviously) just did not happen. i'm not sure if i've got an excuse, but for now i'll just go with 'i was too busy having fun.' the trip to new york turned out to be the best one yet! going there is always a fun time- my parents' house is so dreamy. it's warm and cozy, beautifully decorated, and comfortable. but this time was extra fun- i'm thinking it's because my entire family was there and it's been way too long since that's happened. it's funny how my brothers and i can go months (and in this case years) without seeing eachother, and yet when we get back together, it still feels like home. that was true for this visit, and i loved it! i had an absolute ball spending time with my sister-in-law tara! we never ran out of things to chat about and to laugh about. i feel lucky to be able to call these people my own. :)

eric and i returned from new york the day after christmas and life has been busy, busy, busy ever since. we got back at about 8 on sunday evening, and jumped right back into working the following day. it was a joy to reunite with my faves. they are the essence of preciousness, and i missed them while i was gone so much! while away, my little sophie started crawling! i must admit- i kinda had a sneaking suspicion this might happen, but when i came back and actually saw her on the move i was in awe! she is such a little toughy! growing up WAY too fast, that's for sure! i discovered a song that captures exactly how i feel for that precious little one- the first verse and the chorus say it all-
your little hands wrapped around my finger, it's so quiet in the world tonight
your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreamin', so i tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light.
to you, everything is funny.
ya got nothing to regret.
id give all i have honey to make it stay like that.
oh darlin' dont you ever grow up, dont you ever grow up, just stay this little.
oh darlin' dont you ever grow up, dont you ever grow up, it could stay this simple.
i won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart,
and even though you want to- please try to never grow up.
it's a beautiful song, written by the lovely taylor swift (or as i like to refer to as t-swizzle, t-sizzle or most recently- t-siz). i highly suggest buying her new album 'fearless'. i love, love, love this album and am in awe of this girls talent, her class, her integrity, her sense of humor and her love for what she does.

i have grand plans of posting a blog of my favorites from this past month... favorite memories, favorite foods, favorite gifts i received... with this post, id love to share pictures but am still at a loss as to HOW to make that happen. if any of you fellow bloggers wanna give me a hand and fill me in, let me know! i promise my blog will be way more fun with photos. 
in the meantime though- here are just a few id like to share so far:

1) eric and i were invited to a christmas church service at gracepointe with the family i work for... this was uh-mazing, with a capital A! seriously- i was blown away by the entire thing, and LOVED every minute of it!

2) i tried to do a lot of holiday baking this year and one of my favorites was not really a BAKED item, but these fabulous little chocolate cherry dipped mice. i don't even like cherries, and that's a good thing because these little guys were just way too cute to eat! EASY to do, but time consuming for sure! this would be a great little project for those of you who have kiddies that like to "help cook."
all ya hafta do is:
-melt 1 bag of tollhouse milk chocolate chips on your stovetop. to avoid burning the chocolate, be patient and melt it slowly- stirring almost constantly.
-once the chocolate is good and melted, as you hold onto the cherry stem (which will end up being the tail), dip your cherries, one at a time. dip each cherry so it's covered in goo-ey goodness, and then set on wax paper. hint: it's easiest if you make sure the cherries are drained, and dried before dipping- makes the chocolate stick better.
-next, you take a chocolate covered kiss and press the bottom of it, against the side of the cherry, opposite the tail (this will be the head). the goo-ey chocolate will inevitably meld with the kiss and dry as one.
-before you're finished there's just one more thing to do- take two sliced almonds and place them in between the kiss and the cherry, so that they're poking up and out (these will be your ears). again, the goo-ey chocolate will dry it all together and hold it in place.
i've seen where some folks have gone one step further and added little eyes with icing, but i didn't bother and my army of mice were awesome! :) i highly recommend making these- especially if you love chocolate covered cherries- my husband said they were delicious.

3) while in new york my family and i went ice skating in downtown buffalo and it was wonderful! ive never really ice skated before, but i am happy to report- i did not fall! (which is amazing, considering the fact that i somehow manage to fall off my shoe at least once a day, lol). aaron wasn't in town yet so he wasn't able to come, but the rest of us went and loved it! the rink was outside, christmas music was playing, christmas decorations hung from all of the rails and light posts, we enjoyed hot chocolate... it was truely magical. i would love to make this a christmas tradition for sure!

4) this year for christmas i was spoiled ROTTEN! it's serious. which is why this will require me to integrate a list within my list. okay, so a few of my favorites this year are as follows:
     a) my employers got me a kitchen aid mixer! the heavy duty one! WITH all kinds of attachments. it is very industrial looking, and rocks my face off! i LOVE it and was SO shocked that they spoiled me that way!
     b) my mom got me this awesome (with a capital A) chunky sweater tassel throw. it is cream colored and has these awesome tassels on the ends. it is literally like curling up in a sweater while you lounge and watch tv. it's from west elm and although it may seem a bit pricey- i am telling you- totally worth it! no doubt.
     c) my eric got me a new set of bedding. this may seem lame to some (possibly to those of you who couldn't care less about things like bedding) but seriously this rocked my world! also from west elm (it's my favorite spot- check. it. out.) this duvet cover is something i've had my eye on for months. i had NO idea he had been thinking about buying me this, but i am SO glad he did!
     d) my brother craig and sister-in-law tara went totally above and beyond this year by doing some research and buying us les meserables tickets! whoo hoo! the production will be here in nashville in may, and they got us each a ticket- AWESOME seats- for may 20th. we are SO excited to go, and feel like that was such a fun and thoughtful gift!
     e) my mom got me these awesome booties from old navy. they are red and white striped and i love them for a few reasons:
          1- because they are made of sweater material too, and that's just so, so cozy.
          2- because they come up to the middle of my shin, which means my skinny little ankles (the ONLY thin part of my entire body i assure you) don't get all chilly. and
          3- well basically- they're just super cute. i love them.
     f) my eric got me the new t-siz album for christmas and as mentioned before- it rocks! buy it! no joke. love.

5) the last and final favorite from this holiday season may seem a bit random, but i can assure you- had you been there- you would understand. i loved the mushrooms my mama made on christmas day! we had this big, awesome feast complete with prime rib, roasted potatoes, asparagas, yorkshire pudding, a fresh salad, and many more goodies- but seriously? the mushrooms rocked my world! they were wonderful and i can't wait to make them at home.

alright so anyway- now that ive successfully given a detailed overview of my holiday, i think i might sign off for now. i think if i were to blog more frequently, my posts wouldn't be so obnoxiously long. sorry for that- will do better, promise!

i really hope that everyone is enjoying the new year as much as i am! have a wonderful day, be blessed, and as always- be thankful!