The best of 2012

2012 is almost over and there were good times and some bad as well, but I know that 2013 is waiting with only the best expectations and intentions for all of us. But here's looking back at some of my favorite moments in 2012 (12 to be exact).

In January, I celebrated Mom's 60th with her Beatles party.

Then in February I tried my hand at cake decorating with Angel's Lego birthday cake.

Inspired by my cake making, Mom and I signed up for  the Wilton cake decorating class in March.

In April, I started my traveling, and headed out to Vegas!

My friends came down from Orlando for Memorial Day and we had wine slushies and cupcakes.

In June, I helped celebrate Lexi's Hunger Games birthday, as Effie Trinket.

It was a little belated, but in July we finally celebrated my birthday.

I developed my own recipe for peach cobbler in August.

In September, I came back from my trip to Paris!

I was so happy to help celebrate my niece's 1st birthday in October.

I love baking for Thanksgiving, and this year I learned to make my own pie crust.

And in December, I had a great time at the girls holiday dinner party.

I had some great times in 2012 and hope to make even more great memories in 2013.

Happy new year everyone! Here's to a 2013 filled with fun, family, health, laughter and love. Happy 2013!!

If you really knew me...

I saw this post on Sometimes Sweet, and thought I'd give it a whirl. So here goes nothing.



If you really knew me...

...you'd know I become obsessed with TV shows and love to watch them live (not TiVoed) when they first air. I sometimes get so wrapped up in their worlds that I dream I'm there with the characters. This weekend I dreamt I was hanging out with the people from the Newsroom, and we were all just at a bar chatting about their co-workers and mine. So weird.

...you'd know I'm a big time procrastinator. Why not wait til the last minute to do something? That was always my motto in school and even later in life. I did most of my papers in school the night before they were due. And when I used to write for a magazine, I did them same thing. Now if I have a deadline for a sewing project I'll usually push it out to the last minute. I always get it done, I guess I just like the pressure of the last minute stuff.

...you'd know sometimes I just don't want to sew. Sometimes I'm just burnt out, but sometimes the thought of sewing just seems like drudgery. It seems like a hassle to lug out all the stuff and cut the fabric to start making something. Though, once I actually get started on a project it doesn't seem like a big deal at all. But getting started sometimes is the worst part of all.

...you'd know that this is not where I imagined I'd be in my life at 33. Life threw me for a total loop at 30, which means now at 33, I'm nowhere where I thought I would be. I thought I'd have a family, kids and that whole deal, but apparently it wasn't meant to be for me right now. So I'm really trying to make the best of it and enjoy what I have now.

...you'd know that I don't do pink. I used to wear pink when I was younger, but now I wouldn't be caught dead in pink now. I think I went into pink overload, since my childhood bedroom had pink carpet. I had to work with that pink, since I couldn't change it, so I just got over the whole pink thing. You won't catch me in anything pink, but my brother, Richard, on the other hand loves wearing pink.

...you'd know that I was a total nerd in school. Like super smart, honors classes nerd. (Oh and I had glasses since I was 3, so I don't think that helped either). In hindsight, being a nerd was pretty good. It made college a breeze for me, and now I have tons of useless information in my brain on the off chance you wanted to know that Virginia (the state) was named after Queen Victoria, the "Virgin Queen." And sometimes I still feel like the nerd, but it's all good, cause you know nerds actually rule the world. ;)

So that's a little about me. What are some thing I would know if I really knew you?

Five Faves: My favorite Christmas movies

I've decided to share some of my favorites, my five faves. Here's the first list, my five fave Christmas movies.

There are so many Chrismas movies on now, that I had to share some of my favorites. These are the movies that it just wouldn't be Christmas without for me. So here in no particular order are my five faves.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
It isn't really the holidays to me until I see the Grinch on TV. I just love everything about this holiday special. The Grinch is awesome, I love the Whos in Whoville, but my favorite has to be the Grinch's dog. Poor little guy had to pull that heavy sleigh! But the Grinch's heart growing at the end is sure to warm anyone's heart. Christmas isn't about the presents or the tree it's about sharing and being with family.

Scrooged (1988)
No Christmas movie list would be complete without a Christmas Carol interpretation, and this one with Bill Murray is my favorite. Scrooged is Bill Murray at the top of his game (post-Ghostbusters, yet waaay before his comeback). He is hilariously cruel as Frank Cross, the TV exec who is Scrooge to the core. The supporting cast is awesome too. The ghosts of Christmas past and present are great and Bobcat Goldthwait as a disgrunteled ex-employee is just hilarious. By the end he learns the true meaning of Christmas, but there are plenty of laughs on your way there.

Home Alone (1990)
Kevin McCallister is left home alone when his family flies to France for the holidays and he's left home alone. Since he's all alone, he watched movies he's not allowed to (old-school black and white gangster flicks) and orders pizza. He runs around and has fun. He has to defend his house when he realizes two burglars are preparing to rob it. Kevin misses his family though, especially at Christmas. When Kevin rigs the house to defend against the robbers it's awesome. Any kid dreams of setting up traps like that. p.s. If you can watch this with my mom, please do. It makes her laugh hysterically!

The Holiday (2006)
I didn't discover this movie until I caught it on cable by chance, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz (she's my only issue with the movie) trade houses for the holidays to try to escape from their breakups and lives for a while. The life switch is great for both of them Kate's character ends up in Los Angeles and meets Jack Black. Shockingly Jack Black is adorable and charming in this role. Cameron's character ends up in England with Jude Law. 'Nuff said. This movie is just so cute and enchanting and has the feel of those old movies. Definitely check this one out.

Love Actually (2003)
This was billed as the "ultimate romantic comedy" and it is, but it is also my ultimate Christmas movie. It's 9 different storylines (that all connect somehow) all about love at Christmas (though not necessarily because of Christmas. I love all of the stories (though not the Keira Knightly one too much). Bill Nighy is awesome as the aging rocker trying to make a Christmas comeback, and the guy wanting to go to America to get a girl is hilarious too. By the end you're sure to get teary and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There is a story in here for everyone, so if you haven't seen it, you should.

Now there are a few honorable mentions that just missed the five faves list:

Die Hard (1988)
Hanz Gruber taking over the office building while your wife's Christmas party is going on? John McClane to the rescue. And Bruce Willis has to walk on glass, barefoot. Awesome action movie, and Christmas-y to boot. Yippe ki-yay mother f*cker!

White Christmas (1954)
Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and a young svelte Rosemary Clooney are putting on an act to help save a failing Vermont inn. Of course love happens in the process too. This isn't where the song originated (that was the movie, Holiday Inn--also a great movie), but you'll hear it here too.

Those are my favorites for Christmastime. What are your favorite Christmas movies?