I hope everyone had a very happy holiday filled with love, happiness and some wishes come true. We celebrated our first holidays in our new home and as husband and wife. We managed to find the perfect tree for ourselves, out of the blue, the week before Christmas:
It's number 34. This not only solved the need for a modern look for us but it flat packs away, is made from recycled & recyclable aluminum, made in Seattle (lucky us!) and we will own it for all the years ahead making it very Eco friendly. I already owned those green strung lights but eventually I want to switch them out to white strings and add some "fancy" type lights akin to those that look like stars or snowballs. We saw some great ones in Paris which we would have scooped up were it not for the voltage and plug differences. I found the icicle ornaments at Micheal's. I need to get better hooks as these were tiny and were too easy to pop off. Luckily the icicles themselves are very sturdy having survived a few death leaps to the hardwood floor.
This year I used a large round vase to hold the Christmas cards. I really like how it worked. It was like a giant colorful ornament and I could add/pull out cards to show people very easily without the usual cluttered display. I thought of adding "snowflakes" to the bottom of the bowl but resisted knowing they would probably end up everywhere and guess who would have to clean them up.
Skully Santa made his usual appearance. This year he actually has a hat that fits. I think it's a baby hat, also found at Micheal's.
Our friend Ivett surprised us with this awesome gift. She hand painted this ornament for us! Y is a Siamese cat (like Zira) and I am the black kitty (I've always thought of myself as a former black cat). Notice the Seattle Needle skyline and Y's tail making the L in Mr. Lucky.
This is the back. Notice my tail making the M in Mrs. Lucky and the heart on our new home. When I opened the package and beheld this I started weeping because it's so wonderful and so much thought was put into it. Even the color choices; blue for Y and Pink for me, our favorite colors. I've known Ivett since college. I have the best friends! She is a very talented artist specializing in avian and wilderness art. Check out her site: AvianAndWildernessart.com
Holy Smokes this was a wonderful surprise!! We had been to dinner at Bellevue Square (local mall) with my mom and my niece. We walked out of the restaurant and with no clue of what was happening, toy soldiers and majorettes were handing us blow horns. It was a big party that happens every night at 7pm during the holidays. After Christmas they do a New Year's every night (Celebration Lane) through the 31st. Tons of kids (big and small), music, Snow queens, Mouse Kings, Drummers, Sugar Plum Fairies, AMAZING! They even make it snow. I only had my iPhone so my photos & video aren't so good as it was night but here is a promo video:
Can't wait to take advantage of the Snowflake Lane next year for Santa's arrival and nightly party with my niece, of course. I'm sure we will also hit the Celebration Lane as well.
It finally snowed while we were around to enjoy it! We missed the previous snow this year. We were in Paris. We left Paris and it then snowed there. Totally thought we missed out on snow this year. My niece and I created Snowball the snowcat in our front yard. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr or actually Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
We finally had our first fire in our fireplace. I have now mastered creating a roaring fire. Wow, it's hard work. That's what I get for wanting to learn how to do it.
2010 was an amazing year for us. Filled with surprises (our new home being the best surprise), love (our marriage especially), adventures (from Lake Geneva to Paris) and visits from family and friends. We really feel blessed.
In 2011 we hope to continue on this path and build on this wonderful foundation. New things are afoot business-wise (check out Calific.com for something Y & I are working on together). We are trying to really focus on our health this year. Paris let us know how far we are from our 20s, it wasn't just celebrating my birthday either lol, and how sedentary we have become since leaving San Francisco.
I wish us all a happy, prosperous and healthy 2011!
xoxoxox,
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Our tannenboing
Y+Z Reindeer: Pottery Barn reindeer decked out with mini ornaments found at Micheal's.
We picked up these Eiffel Tower cards in Paris during our honeymoon.
We bought this in Paris on our honeymoon as our first ornament.
The heart says Noël.
The heart says Noël.
Z Stocking
Y Stocking
Zira Stocking.
Notice the attached felt fish. The stocking says, "Treats For A Nice Kitty" and has two pockets in the front as well as the main sock pocket. Found this at the Macy's Holiday Lane store. Could not resist. Our Christmas Eve Dinner:
Grass fed New York steaks, grilled asparagus and my famous creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
Grass fed New York steaks, grilled asparagus and my famous creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
Can't wait to take advantage of the Snowflake Lane next year for Santa's arrival and nightly party with my niece, of course. I'm sure we will also hit the Celebration Lane as well.
2010 was an amazing year for us. Filled with surprises (our new home being the best surprise), love (our marriage especially), adventures (from Lake Geneva to Paris) and visits from family and friends. We really feel blessed.
In 2011 we hope to continue on this path and build on this wonderful foundation. New things are afoot business-wise (check out Calific.com for something Y & I are working on together). We are trying to really focus on our health this year. Paris let us know how far we are from our 20s, it wasn't just celebrating my birthday either lol, and how sedentary we have become since leaving San Francisco.
I wish us all a happy, prosperous and healthy 2011!
xoxoxox,
