Okay..Really..its been TOO LONG! Social Media-I've Missed you! A blog in many pictures!

So!
Wow!
Where do I even start?
1st off and foremost! Happy Freaking New Year ya'll! 2013 is going to be sweet and im extremely ,and overly optimistic in its comings!
I have been wicked busy! Working two jobs now-oh yeah..really... I have a new car....A new outlook on life...
Have you seen the movie "The Secret"? It is a documentary and well..I was told you must be VERY open to it and just take it in..so,I did..lets just say..LIFE CHANGING! ...REALLY..no joke.
I started a jar of good things of 2013. It wasn't my idea, it was someones and if I remembered who's blog it was I would be giving them the credit-or where they got it from-So sorry whom ever's idea that was!!!
I purchased a colorful stack of sticky notes to make the jar wicked adorable.
The Jar was purchased from Target in December. One of those Limited Edition thingers.

I started canning for the first time in the last months of 2012. I had sworn to myself last year (2011) I would not buy gifts for anyone anymore because-picking something out of a store is too easy. I would rather put thought and effort into my gift giving than spending a ton of money and saying "well, hopefully they like there THINGS" ..Things..that isn't what I wanted. I wanted them to ENJOY what I HANDMADE!

I made 15-20 Mini Bunt and loaf breads- Spiced Banana and Applesauce cake for homemade gift baskets. They were really fun to package.

I made for the first time-candied citrus peels of Lemon,Orange and Pink grapefruit peels..talk about heavenly! I used ultra fine sugar to roll them in which,I think was better than granulated sugar.

All I wanted for Christmas and my Birthday this year was a pair of winter boots. I got these Sorel Boots-Joan of the Arctic on a big discount at my part time job. And they got to see snow before 2012 was over in Goldendale,Washington!

I adopted 3 elderly ladies to be a Santa to a Senior sponsored by Home Instead. I couldn't find a Moo Moo so I could only buy for 2 of the 3 but giving something back made me feel all warm inside.

We bought our first REAL Christmas Tree since being together. It was our first actual tree that didn't smell like fake pine. It was little about 4 feet tall. By New Years day the house bunny had eaten it.

My Favorite Homemade Gift I made. Lemon vanilla Pear Jam..This stuff is heavenly! I will most deff. be making it again!

I taught my husband to somewhat drive-white knuckled at the wheel and all. Up in eastern Washington where my fam. all lives. It was really entertaining. He had never had a permit or a license. So, this was a big moment for the both of us.

4 Eyes- yulp..I got me a pair of specticals ! I had been having horrid migraines for WEEKS at a time. I would wake up and it would be like something had crawled threw my ear in the night and screamed. So, I made an emergency appt. to have my eyes checked. Sure enough. I have Astigmatism in my left eye. The optometrist said my eyes are working on overdrive trying to see.. So, $300 later..TADA! This is Nicholas and I at one of the first Hockey games of the season. Portland Winterhawks. We were 2 rows up from the ice behind the net..too fun!

Our new car in the snow on The Dalles Moutain Road (In Washington) My brother and I headed to our families for Christmas on Christmas Eve.

The first jam I made for homemade gifts for Christmas 2012! Cranberry Pear

My fav. end of the year goodies. Yellow heart art Ball jar necklace - because im a huge lover of vintage/antique ball jars and my Mini Moo cards-I was hesitant to buying them but,vista print just didn't cut it for me anymore! They are wicked adorable! 

 

2012 Was pretty rough for many,many people I know. It is so unfortunate that it had to be that way. Well,really didn't need to be that way but..shit happens and life happens. Death happens and new life happens.
I am thankful for the life experiences I have had so now, I know what NOT to do this year!

Now onto 2013!!!!!!!!!!!

I am turning 26 years of age (Tomorrow)! Holly Crap! 26 for me is like 30..why? because I have life experiences beyond my years. I moved out when I was 17 years old. Still in High School and still naive. I lived and I learned. I graduated from High School ** ON TIME ** not all teens that move out of there homes (I had no choice) become drop outs. By the time I was 19 I was moving states, into Oregon. Wahoo! and I have been here for going onto 7 years now.
So, for my Birthday..I really wanted a Purple Pig cake-Why Purple Pig? because when I was VERY little my father brought home-what I remember to be a purple pig cake from baskin robins-or maybe it wasnt but,for some reason Baskin Robins is in my brain. It was the cutest and neatest thing I have ever seen. So, for my 26th that is the cake I want to relive. My Husmabiest and my bestest girl (Aubrey) ordered me a cake from Baskin Robins. A white Bunny cake with Oreo cookie ice cream and white birthday cake. It was too adorable. So this morning when A (my pet name for her ;-)  showed up- because she was "just coming over to hang out" -psh can't fool me!- My husband told me she "forgot to put on a shirt under her jacket today and was getting dressed"..yeah..right really? that is the most colorful story you can come up with dude? could have been "She just got done beating up some Ninja that tried attacking her in the parking lot of this nummy Ice Cream shop and she had to take her own shirt off and beat him with a boulder in it-realy sling like- and then wrap it around his head so he was blind and then he cussed in this different language as he ran around in circles all Anime like because he couldn't figure out how to get the shirt off" ..then I had to go to the Kitchen and there the cake was-too cute- 8 candles- 2 and 6- get it 26? So,I got to blow my candles out.

Don't you want to just lick the screen? Yeah..pretty freaking nummy. Before I got to eat the bunnys face off (dont tell Gypsee) They took me out to lunch at Papas Pizza. Then Nickie bought Red Riding Hood (The new one ya know?) because I wanted to watch it last night and we came back home.
Good birthday eve!

I am awaiting JUST GOT!  a box of goodness I purchased from Yellow Heart Art  on Etsy to show up in the next couple of hours. I bought it back in November 2012 So,I would hopefully "forget" about it and then be wicked surpirsed when I got it in the mail today-well I started checking the shipping status last week on my Etsy Purchases link and then got the shipping notification on Friday so..well I didn't forget about it :)
Have you not seen her goodness before? The Ball Jar Necklace I have up above is from her shop. I also purchased her "Happy Mail Day" stamp-yeah if you have an Etsy shop or even send a lot of goodies to friends and fam. I highly,highly recommend!- If you haven't checked her out I would really,high recommend her goodies because..she has some good goodies in her shop! Not to mention WICKED ADORABLE prints!!!! Her personality is too adorable and larger than life! Check her out on Facebook Too!  she also has a Blog that is pretty darn fantastic! Yellow Heart Art's Blog

Yulp! Made my Husband run down to the Mail box to go check it again to see if it had come..ive been tracking/stalking it all day! Adorable goodness was enclosed! not to mention the awesome confetti!
Woot Woot!

TTFN