Hooray for a New Year!

2011 was good.
It was great!
Lots of lovely memories & blessings.
But I'm really happy to say Hello & Welcome! to 2012.
How 'bout you?

We had a pretty tame party here last night
but we sure made a mess!
Just our little family.
It is absolutely painful for me to stay up til midnight.
Especially this year,
being extra tired from growing another person inside of me.
But I made it (after waking from a 10pm nap)!
And guess who else stayed up?
Just like she does every year since she was 2!

AND the wee Rooskii did, too!
I considered setting the clocks forward,
like I've heard of some sneaky parents doing.
But Mia is way too smart for that.
Besides, it only happens once a year.
And who am I kidding?
I loved making a huge ruckus at midnight with them.

We watched movies & ate junk.
Little Smokies?!!! I so need to purge.
I kept fighting off sleep.
The minutes dragged.
Then all of the sudden,
it was 11:30!
Yay! I lit every candle I could find.

Decorated the tree with party poppers.
Got out our paper shredder
so we could throw confetti.
Glossed my lips all red & gooey for my Hunk.
Ella was so tired.
She was kinda bewildered by our excitement.
But we watched fireworks from our front steps
& made a mess of string & confetti in the front room.
It was awesome.
For about 10 minutes.
Then I was so ready for bed.

This past week has been really low-key.
Both girls have had really nasty coughs.
So we've stayed inside a lot & chilled.

I'm glad that we were able to wander
out early in the week to the mall
for a "benture" as Ella calls it.
("adventure")
We had a little girls outing
after a cousin sleepover.

Her first time!

The rest of our week:
I made a new discovery............

These brownies are ridiculous.
(I use a cocoa powder that is 1/2 Dutch, 1/2 regular)
I always make Hershey's Best Brownies
and am totally content with them.
But these ones?
They are very chocolate-y, which I love.
I was the only one that raved, though.
You have to be a die hard chocolate lover, I guess.
More for mama!

Ella learned how to wink!
AaAuuugh!
So cute.

Santa brought the girls a cute little kitchen.
I got felt-food-making-burn-out in preparation
for this gift.
But today, it came back.
The kitchen needed cupcakes.

I spent an obsessive amount of time
making this very homemade-looking cupcake.
Another one has since joined it.
4 more to go.
May take a few months.
Have you ever made felt food?
It can be quite addicting, oddly enough.

No, this is not part of my New Year's goals.
I wish.
But I know myself well enough to not make
an organizing goal.
I just don't feel that necessity in me.
It's a dirty rotten secret.
I'm a dreadful housekeeper.
Sure, I'll clean up if I know you're coming over.
The front room is easy to smooth over.
But if you show up un-announced?
I'll throw you an afghan & some cookies
and not say a word.
I just don't care.
My season of life right now is kinda chaotic.
And I let myself off the hook,
maybe too much perhaps.
But with a new babe on the way,
some room rearranging is coming up.
I've actually had my own room in the basement.
For things like crafting, painting, storing.....
I have been horrid at keeping it in order.
And I really enjoy working at the kitchen table anyhow.
So I'm giving it up.
And it has been quite the yucky project.
But it is refreshing, isn't it, to make things clean & organized?
I'm inspired.
So next up,
this Bugg's resolution:

to figure out how to keep those glasses on his face
so they don't get thrown down to the ground & stomped on!
We pick up the new pair this week.
Happy New Year!!!