A New Year, A Blank Slate, and Everything I Wanted to Post about Last Year But Couldn't (Or Didn't)

Yes, I know the title is long, but I need it to be.

It's a reflection of the length of the post... so get ready.

Grab a glass of wine, a beer, some coffee and get ready.

Don't grab a glass of water.

I don't like water and this post deserves something more exciting, like chocolate milk or a nice cold Coca-Cola... aaahhh.

There were so many things that I need to share about last year before I can really, I mean REALLY, go ahead with this promising new year.

(Which I am SUPER pumped about, by the way)

Here I go with some pretty awesome events of 2010, in no particular order:

My little sister Brookie got married in September... she was the last of us girls.

I come from a big-ish family, if you can't tell. There are some sisters, step-sisters, half-sisters, half-brothers and adopted brothers if you want to get all technical.

But, when you get down to it, family is family and you will end up driving from Michigan to Virginia, non-stop, all by yourself, at the last minute in order to make it to one of those people's weddings, or whatever it may be.

Because family is family and it's just what you do.

And if you didn't, there wouldn't be these awesome moments caught on film, or memory card.

Yup, Brookie got married, Christine was about to burst, Chloe had just announced she was expecting... and Staci and Traci and I were just rubbing that belly!

It was so much fun to have us all together :)

Congrats Brookie and Hunter... or Mr. and Mrs. Weeks!

My little Nugget turned 2 in August!

She did, she really did.

Wow... she's just so fantastic I can't even believe that I had something to do with her existence.

She's this whole person now, not just a baby. She knows the words to tons of songs and dances like a rock star and loves her Daddy and has a great arm and she can dribble a soccer ball and likes her nails painted and doesn't like bows in her hair and she likes her music LOUD and loves trains and planes and robots and Play-doh and she still likes to sleep in the "big bed" with mommy and daddy even though she has her own "big girl bed" and, man...

I just love her.

And now I would like everyone to meet Gabe:

Our nephew was born on Thanksgiving. How amazing is he?

My hubby was at the hospital with Graham and Michelle all day, waiting, and then we all went up there after Thanksgiving dinner... to wait.

There was so much waiting...

...but, when after all that waiting, you get to hold a brand new baby, I will wait 'til the moon falls right out of the sky because there's nothing better than holding a brand new baby.

And we all got a turn...

Go here to see an amazing slideshow/video my hubby's sister Emily put together of Gabe's birth. It's awesome.

Graham and Michelle, or, more appropriately, Mommy and Daddy :)

photo taken my sister-in-law Tracy and hi-jacked from facebook...

Welcome to this crazy thing called life, Gabe!

Then there was this awesome Farmer's Market lunch I concocted one day and dubbed "The Masterpiece" that was so good I feel the need to share:

Here are the ingredients because you need, repeat: NEED, to make this when you are all alone so you can eat it nice and slow and savor every little bit of it:

1.) warm and fresh homemade italian bread right out of the bread maker

2.) juicy and delicious tomatoes from the vegetable stand with the smiley guy

3.) fresh basil from the round and rosy lady with all the pretty flowers and herbs

4.) fresh mozzarella from the cheese stall with the guy who always makes you feel really good about yourself somehow when all you really discuss is cheese and the occasional cracker or spread

5.) olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper

Directions: Layer ingredients in a way that suits your fancy and broil in oven until ooey and gooey.

Eat and love.

You're welcome.

My sister Christine also had a little baby boy, Triston, in October.

Sadly, I haven't met him face to face yet, therefore I have no pics of my own, so I will share these other hi-jacked facebook photos of him with you:

I wish I could have been there!

Big sister Gabi meeting her new little brother :)

Mom, Dad and Baby Triston

I can't wait to meet you Triston!

And here's a few pictures of the latest nursery set to leave WillowBean Creations.

I know the pictures are crappy, I'm not sure what was going on with my picture taking skills this day.

Sorry.

Front of patchwork crib quilt:

I love all the fun and funky bright florals with a few smaller, simpler, two-tone patterns.

Pieced quilt back:

And I'm not sure if you can tell, but the binding is a hot pink zebra print (Party Animal in Pink). Love it!

Close up of the crib skirt:

... and a really bad picture of a runner that I couldn't even fix in iPhoto:

I don't usually get all pumped up about the New Year, but I think 2011 is a little different.

My Willow will turn 3 (sniff), my hubby and I will celebrate our 4 year anniversary (yippee), and there are so many opportunities just waiting to be scooped up and tried out. We are rearranging the house. There might be some painting, some redecorating, some change.

I think I like change.

It's like there's this huge blank slate titled "2011" and we get to fill it in with whatever we want! I'm planning to make it the best, most detailed, most colorful, crazy, beautiful slate one has ever laid eyes on.

Watch out world, here we come!

I want to get messy. I want to get wild and crazy. I want to remember every little bit I can.

I'm going to soak it all up and let it all sink in.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but I think that sounds pretty damn fun, don't you?

I can't wait.

Stay tuned for some seriously BIG news. I mean BIG. I just need to find the perfect picture to go with it...

Now, if you excuse me, I have to go beat my hubby in Jeopardy for the 4th night in a row...

A few things I forgot to add first go 'round that happened in 2010:

I turned 25.

That means I'm 5 years from 30, 15 from 40 and half way to 50.

Holy. Smokes.

I had a fight with some ice and it won. Big time.

(the winter-frozen-water kind, not the illegal-drug kind)

Oh, and I painted my bedroom grey.

There. That's all.