The sky was gray, and it was a bit chilly but not cold enough to make you want to stay inside.
It was a wonderful winter day! And a great way to cap off a great year!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
A Woman's Best Friend Too
We topped the 2011 year off with a walk down by Griggs Reservoir.
The sky was gray, and it was a bit chilly but not cold enough to make you want to stay inside.
The sky was gray, and it was a bit chilly but not cold enough to make you want to stay inside.
Four Christmases
Brian and I both come from divorced families. On any given holiday, there are at least four different houses that are on the chopping block for holiday attendance. To make things even more complicated, we live in Ohio, my Mom lives in Canada, my Dad lives in Germany, and the majority of the rest of my family are in Maryland. (Fortunately, both Brian's Mom and Dad reside in Ohio and are within 30 minutes of us.) This can sometimes make holidays kind of ... tricky.
We try to move our puzzle pieces around very carefully so that we can see everyone equally, and it was no different this year. It is very difficult for us to visit both of my parents and both of Brian's parents on every holiday...make that impossible. (Don't get us wrong, now. We would love to be able to fly to Canada, fly to Germany, fly to Maryland, and hit everyone in between, but it is not that feasible.) We have to do what we can, and fit as many people in the spots that we can.
Therefore, this year, we celebrated many a Christmases! See for yourself:
(Listed in chronological order.)
Christmas #1: with Brian's Grandparents and Aunt Di.
Christmas #2: Christmas in Canada.
Christmases #3 & #4: Skypey skype with my brother and family.
Christmas #5: Christmas with Brian's Mom and family in Ohio (including a visit from Santy Claus himself!).
Christmas #6: Another round of Skype with my Dad in Germany.
Christmas #7: Christmas with Brian's Dad and family in Ohio.
Christmas #8: Last, but certainly not least, Christmas at home.
Sometimes our Christmases can get overwhelming, but what we try never to forget is how many loving family and friends we are surrounded by, and we are so thankful to be able to be with them when we can.
Plus, it never hurts to have some amazing places to visit every now and then!
We try to move our puzzle pieces around very carefully so that we can see everyone equally, and it was no different this year. It is very difficult for us to visit both of my parents and both of Brian's parents on every holiday...make that impossible. (Don't get us wrong, now. We would love to be able to fly to Canada, fly to Germany, fly to Maryland, and hit everyone in between, but it is not that feasible.) We have to do what we can, and fit as many people in the spots that we can.
Therefore, this year, we celebrated many a Christmases! See for yourself:
(Listed in chronological order.)
Christmas #1: with Brian's Grandparents and Aunt Di.
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| From left to right: Jack, Brian, Erin, Aunt Di, Grandma, & Grandpa. |
Christmas #2: Christmas in Canada.
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| From left to right and back to front: Erin, Brian, Scott, Jan, James, Amy, and Marley. |
Christmases #3 & #4: Skypey skype with my brother and family.
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| Pictured: Uncle Kerry & Aunt Tammy |
Christmas #5: Christmas with Brian's Mom and family in Ohio (including a visit from Santy Claus himself!).
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| Again, left to right and back to front: Tim, Erin, Kevin, Brooke, Brian, Erin, Mike, Jill, Audrey, John, Leah, Ben, and Miles. |
Christmas #6: Another round of Skype with my Dad in Germany.
Christmas #7: Christmas with Brian's Dad and family in Ohio.
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| I'm not sure how to even classify this order, so here's everyone: Erin, Brian, Kathy, Andy, Grandpa, Katy, Gina, Mike, and Grandma. |
Christmas #8: Last, but certainly not least, Christmas at home.
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| From left to right: Erin's ornament gift to Brian (which stemmed from one of our first dates) and Brian's ornament gift to Erin. |
Plus, it never hurts to have some amazing places to visit every now and then!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Painting of the Loo
(Not to be confused with Taming of the Shrew.)
When Brian and I moved into our house, the entire house was painted in a sunny, neutral, soft yellow color. Since then, we have had the kitchen, downstairs bathroom, and living room painted. And, since we both had a couple of extra days off for the new year, we decided that we would paint the upstairs bathroom.
And paint we did!
We both are happy with the outcome, though it has taken a couple of days to grow on us! At first we thought we may have gone a bit dark, but the more we step into this private space of ours, the more we feel like it is us rather then the people who lived here before. And that makes us love it more.
Plus, we absolutely love the white accents against the gray walls. The color combo is amazing! Posh, darling, posh!
(Side note: I would just like to say that I think that 80% of the fun of painting is reading the creative paint color names! I had so much fun looking at all the different colors and the names of those colors. So much fun, in fact, that I was looking at colors that we had no interest in considering just so that I could see what they were named! I highly recommend this if you are ever bored and are in need of some creative color inspiration!)
When Brian and I moved into our house, the entire house was painted in a sunny, neutral, soft yellow color. Since then, we have had the kitchen, downstairs bathroom, and living room painted. And, since we both had a couple of extra days off for the new year, we decided that we would paint the upstairs bathroom.
And paint we did!
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| Before. |
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| After! |
We both are happy with the outcome, though it has taken a couple of days to grow on us! At first we thought we may have gone a bit dark, but the more we step into this private space of ours, the more we feel like it is us rather then the people who lived here before. And that makes us love it more.
Plus, we absolutely love the white accents against the gray walls. The color combo is amazing! Posh, darling, posh!
(Side note: I would just like to say that I think that 80% of the fun of painting is reading the creative paint color names! I had so much fun looking at all the different colors and the names of those colors. So much fun, in fact, that I was looking at colors that we had no interest in considering just so that I could see what they were named! I highly recommend this if you are ever bored and are in need of some creative color inspiration!)
Monday, December 26, 2011
When In Rome, Do As the Romans Do
Since we were in Canada, we figured it would only be right to celebrate Boxing Day like true Canadians. Apparently, Boxing Day is a day saved to relax, eat left overs, and go shopping. There are Boxing Day sales galore, and I suppose the amount of leftovers all depend on what was cooked on Christmas and the days leading up to Christmas!
Unfortunately, we only got to celebrate Boxing Day morning in Canada. We did partake in a quick shopping rendezvous (at the airport while we were waiting for our flight to Detroit at the one store that was at the airport...after the guy at security had us chug the 25 ounces of water from the water bottle that I forgot to empty...oops!), and we brought a few leftover cookies and peppermint bark with us but we can't really say that we experienced Boxing Day to its full potential.
We will have to save that bank holiday for another year to fully enjoy, but until then, we'll say that we celebrated Boxing Day ... in Canada!
Unfortunately, we only got to celebrate Boxing Day morning in Canada. We did partake in a quick shopping rendezvous (at the airport while we were waiting for our flight to Detroit at the one store that was at the airport...after the guy at security had us chug the 25 ounces of water from the water bottle that I forgot to empty...oops!), and we brought a few leftover cookies and peppermint bark with us but we can't really say that we experienced Boxing Day to its full potential.
We will have to save that bank holiday for another year to fully enjoy, but until then, we'll say that we celebrated Boxing Day ... in Canada!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas Canucks
This year Brian and I celebrated our first Canadian Christmas together with my Mom, Stepdad, sister, and brother (Jan, Scott, Amy, and James, respectively) in Ottawa! It was cooold!
We joked that it was so cold that when you spoke out loud the words from your sentences would freeze right in front of you and crumble to the ground like they do in the cartoons! In reality that did not happen, (in Erin's world it did, for those of you who were wondering), but there was one day while we were there that it was literally bone chilling cold! And that happened to be the day that we were walking (a little) around downtown Ottawa!
Despite the cold, however, it snowed steadily the entire time we were there! This was also our first real snow of the season! We haven't really had much snow to play in in Columbus, OH, but Ottawa gave us a taste of what is to come! The snow fell perfectly and we ended up having a beautiful white Christmas and a good 6" or so when we left. We also got to experience the superior snow removal services that are mandatory on Canadian streets. The Canadians don't waste any time and really know how to clear some snow! I suppose they have to with an average of 87" of snow per year, eh?!
Speaking of 'eh's', the very first legit Canadian that we spoke to when we got to Canada was the employee in the Canadian customs area. The very first thing he said to us was, "first time in Canada, eh?" Brian and I both looked at each other and smiled. (That was before we were interrogated...) Yes, folks, the Canadian 'eh' stereotype is true. But in a very good way!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with our presently Canuck family! The house is amazing, the city is beautiful, the food was delicious, the company was fantastic. We could not have asked for more, unless, of course, we had our entire family together! Nonetheless, it was wonderful to celebrate with everyone that was there. Plus, we got to have a few Skype Christmases with everyone that could not physically be in Canada!
We hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas too!
We joked that it was so cold that when you spoke out loud the words from your sentences would freeze right in front of you and crumble to the ground like they do in the cartoons! In reality that did not happen, (in Erin's world it did, for those of you who were wondering), but there was one day while we were there that it was literally bone chilling cold! And that happened to be the day that we were walking (a little) around downtown Ottawa!
Despite the cold, however, it snowed steadily the entire time we were there! This was also our first real snow of the season! We haven't really had much snow to play in in Columbus, OH, but Ottawa gave us a taste of what is to come! The snow fell perfectly and we ended up having a beautiful white Christmas and a good 6" or so when we left. We also got to experience the superior snow removal services that are mandatory on Canadian streets. The Canadians don't waste any time and really know how to clear some snow! I suppose they have to with an average of 87" of snow per year, eh?!
Speaking of 'eh's', the very first legit Canadian that we spoke to when we got to Canada was the employee in the Canadian customs area. The very first thing he said to us was, "first time in Canada, eh?" Brian and I both looked at each other and smiled. (That was before we were interrogated...) Yes, folks, the Canadian 'eh' stereotype is true. But in a very good way!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with our presently Canuck family! The house is amazing, the city is beautiful, the food was delicious, the company was fantastic. We could not have asked for more, unless, of course, we had our entire family together! Nonetheless, it was wonderful to celebrate with everyone that was there. Plus, we got to have a few Skype Christmases with everyone that could not physically be in Canada!
We hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas too!
Friday, December 23, 2011
659 Miles Closer to the North Pole
Dear Santa,
We've arrived safe and sound in Ottawa, Canada where we will be spending the Christmas holiday with our family. We know that you have a very busy travel day coming up and are happy to be a bit closer to you so that we can cut some of your travel time in half - you can make one stop instead of two now! You know, making your life a little easier from one Santa and Mrs. Claus to another! Merry Christmas!
Yours Truly,
Brian and Erin (the 'Brian and Erin' on the nice list, that is.)
We've arrived safe and sound in Ottawa, Canada where we will be spending the Christmas holiday with our family. We know that you have a very busy travel day coming up and are happy to be a bit closer to you so that we can cut some of your travel time in half - you can make one stop instead of two now! You know, making your life a little easier from one Santa and Mrs. Claus to another! Merry Christmas!
Yours Truly,
Brian and Erin (the 'Brian and Erin' on the nice list, that is.)
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Date Nut Pin - WHAT?!
Growing up, my Grandma Lauchman, my Dad's Mom, who lived in North Carolina, always made a boat load of cookies around Christmas - chocolate chip, chocolate with a chocolate icing, oatmeal, date nut pinwheels, etc. You name it and there was a tupperware of it hidden somewhere!
Yesterday, I had the [not so] bright idea of making some date nut pinwheels (emphasis on the 'wh'). Brian and I both agreed that date nut pinwheels are one of our favs, so since we had a relatively low key weekend I thought why not!?
I gathered up all of the ingredients from the grocery, got home, and got to cookin'. (I wasn't aware this was a multi-process cookie. I was thinking along the lines of homemade chocolate chip...) I made the date nut filling and got started on the dough. This is where the date nut pinwheel process started rolling downhill.
First, our sifter kept getting clogged, so Brian sifted. Then, I realized I needed a wooded dough roller - something that neither Brian nor I have handy around the house, so I ran to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get a roller. Finally, I took the dough out of the fridge to roll it our with our fancy new roller and it hadn't hardened. ?? How was I supposed to roll, mold, and spread the date nut filling in the liquidy dough?! I wasn't.
I tried to add flour, I tried to leave it in the fridge for a bit longer, I tried to read the directions to see where I went wrong...
...All to no avail.
At 10:00 pm last night I was ready to throw in thedough towel and just forget I had even tried to make these infamous cookies. That was until my genius husband came up with the brilliant idea to get some pre-made cookie dough, add the date nut filling (which was nearly perfect, by the way), and make date nut pin-cookies!
DATE NUT PIN-COOKIES!? Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!
We threw out the dough. I didn't even want to see it when I got up this morning, and we went to the store, grabbed a package of snickerdoodle mix and a package of oatmeal cookie mix, and made our date nut pin-cookies.
They aren't date nut pinwheels. That's a tough cookie to beat, but they're alright. The snickerdoodle mix beats the oatmeal cookie mix (by a long shot if you ask me), but, like I said, they're alright. Plus, we were able to check off one of the quintessential holiday festivities - cookie making!
We've developed a newfound respect for each future date nut pinwheel that we devour. That is a lengthy cookie process!
Yesterday, I had the [not so] bright idea of making some date nut pinwheels (emphasis on the 'wh'). Brian and I both agreed that date nut pinwheels are one of our favs, so since we had a relatively low key weekend I thought why not!?
I gathered up all of the ingredients from the grocery, got home, and got to cookin'. (I wasn't aware this was a multi-process cookie. I was thinking along the lines of homemade chocolate chip...) I made the date nut filling and got started on the dough. This is where the date nut pinwheel process started rolling downhill.
First, our sifter kept getting clogged, so Brian sifted. Then, I realized I needed a wooded dough roller - something that neither Brian nor I have handy around the house, so I ran to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get a roller. Finally, I took the dough out of the fridge to roll it our with our fancy new roller and it hadn't hardened. ?? How was I supposed to roll, mold, and spread the date nut filling in the liquidy dough?! I wasn't.
I tried to add flour, I tried to leave it in the fridge for a bit longer, I tried to read the directions to see where I went wrong...
...All to no avail.
At 10:00 pm last night I was ready to throw in the
DATE NUT PIN-COOKIES!? Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!
We threw out the dough. I didn't even want to see it when I got up this morning, and we went to the store, grabbed a package of snickerdoodle mix and a package of oatmeal cookie mix, and made our date nut pin-cookies.
They aren't date nut pinwheels. That's a tough cookie to beat, but they're alright. The snickerdoodle mix beats the oatmeal cookie mix (by a long shot if you ask me), but, like I said, they're alright. Plus, we were able to check off one of the quintessential holiday festivities - cookie making!
We've developed a newfound respect for each future date nut pinwheel that we devour. That is a lengthy cookie process!
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| A mini date nut adventure! |
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Let it Snow!
It's snowing!!!
We are officially having our first snow of the season, and it is amazing! We haven't seen flakes like this for months, and while "little or no accumulation" is expected, it is still so wonderful to watch the snow fall!
Happy Christmas!
We are officially having our first snow of the season, and it is amazing! We haven't seen flakes like this for months, and while "little or no accumulation" is expected, it is still so wonderful to watch the snow fall!
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| Snow on the spruce. |
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| Jack is dreaming of a white Christmas! |
Happy Christmas!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Christmas Is In The Air
On more than one occasion this holiday season, I have been in a store...shopping. On more than one occasion, I have heard Christmas songs being played throughout the store...typical for this time of year. On more than one occasion, I've caught someone bust out the lyrics to the latest Christmas song currently being played over the store speakers...And I'm not talking about a little hum to one's self...
...I'm talking about a straight up bust out the lyrics like you're auditioning to be the next American Idol...and it cracks me up!
I'm not going to lie, I probably have done it once or twice too (and made someone's day with my amazing singing voice, no doubt!), but it is just so funny to be perusing the store aisles, shelves, racks, etc. and have a complete stranger, no more than four or five steps away from you, start singing! The best songs are the ones with the lively beats: Wonderful Christmastime, Last Christmas, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, All I Want For Christmas is You (the Mariah Carey version), Feliz Navidad, Grandmaw Got Run Over By A Reindeer (this song must be accompanied by a leg slap and knee lift...repeated three times), Jingle Bell Rock, etc; you get the point.
Slower Christmas songs are sometimes just as funny because said singing person truly believes that they sound like the musical artist presently being broadcasted! Sometimes you can stretch someawful hilarious notes out of your vocal cords that are not normally used outside of the shower.
This is just one of the joys of the Christmas season that makes me smile! You can tell that we are definitely getting close to Christmas!
Christmas [music] is literally in the air!
...I'm talking about a straight up bust out the lyrics like you're auditioning to be the next American Idol...and it cracks me up!
I'm not going to lie, I probably have done it once or twice too (and made someone's day with my amazing singing voice, no doubt!), but it is just so funny to be perusing the store aisles, shelves, racks, etc. and have a complete stranger, no more than four or five steps away from you, start singing! The best songs are the ones with the lively beats: Wonderful Christmastime, Last Christmas, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, All I Want For Christmas is You (the Mariah Carey version), Feliz Navidad, Grandmaw Got Run Over By A Reindeer (this song must be accompanied by a leg slap and knee lift...repeated three times), Jingle Bell Rock, etc; you get the point.
Slower Christmas songs are sometimes just as funny because said singing person truly believes that they sound like the musical artist presently being broadcasted! Sometimes you can stretch some
This is just one of the joys of the Christmas season that makes me smile! You can tell that we are definitely getting close to Christmas!
Christmas [music] is literally in the air!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Snug As A Bug in A Rug
We added our navy blue "winter" blanket on our bed last night. It was supposed to be the coldest it has been all season.
When we woke up this morning, we were warm, comfy, and cozy! (And, as an added bonus, it was Saturday morning, so we got to sleep in!) We were perfectly snug as a bug in a rug! Make thattwo three bugs in a rug!
Happy Winter!
When we woke up this morning, we were warm, comfy, and cozy! (And, as an added bonus, it was Saturday morning, so we got to sleep in!) We were perfectly snug as a bug in a rug! Make that
Happy Winter!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Tiffany Blue
No matter what you order from Tiffany & Co. it will come dressed in a beautiful Tiffany blue box with a perfect white bow. Our order was no exception.
We had a credit to use from our wedding and ordered these amazing crystal votives. We thought they'd be the perfect addition to our house and a wonderful reminder of our August 6, 2010 wedding day. When we received the shipping box, we opened it up to find four gorgeous Tiffany blue boxes. (They were almost too pretty to open!) As we opened each box, we found our two large and two small crystal votives securely packaged and more beautiful in person than ever. We instantly tested them out with our tea light candles, just to see how exquisite the light reflecting off of the perfect Tiffany crystal would be, and it was just fabulous!
We had a credit to use from our wedding and ordered these amazing crystal votives. We thought they'd be the perfect addition to our house and a wonderful reminder of our August 6, 2010 wedding day. When we received the shipping box, we opened it up to find four gorgeous Tiffany blue boxes. (They were almost too pretty to open!) As we opened each box, we found our two large and two small crystal votives securely packaged and more beautiful in person than ever. We instantly tested them out with our tea light candles, just to see how exquisite the light reflecting off of the perfect Tiffany crystal would be, and it was just fabulous!
Tiffany & Co. made us feel beautiful and special. They've successfully branded their name and have reminded us of a few of the finer things in life! What a special treat!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Holiday Bunch
Last Saturday, Brian and I starting stuffing our envelopes with our holiday cards. In between Saturday and Tuesday, they had all be addressed and sent!
And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for...
[Drum roll, please!]
The unveiling of our 2011 Holiday card:
Taa Daa!
(And, yes, we are wondering how we will be topping this next year!)
For your viewing pleasure, we have included this album of "honorably mentioned" photos - some of which did not make our card cover!
Merry Christmas to all!
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| Prime example of our 'stuff' process: sign, stuff, stamp. Voilà! |
While we were stuffing, our puppy lounged on the couch, waiting patiently for us to finish so that we could go out and play ball!
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| Cutest.Puppy.Ever. |
And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for...
[Drum roll, please!]
The unveiling of our 2011 Holiday card:
Taa Daa!
(And, yes, we are wondering how we will be topping this next year!)
For your viewing pleasure, we have included this album of "honorably mentioned" photos - some of which did not make our card cover!
Merry Christmas to all!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
All Good In Da Hood
We just came to say hello! It feels like it’s been a while since Brian and I have updated our lives in this bloggerific world. It’s not that we haven’t had anything exciting to say or anything exciting to do – we’ve actually been quite busy, but, to be quite honest, we’ve actually had a pretty normal (for us), low-key week, despite it being busy! We could potentially be recovering from a crazy (read: whirlwind of fun) turkey holiday, but we’ve enjoyed our down time! We’ve had Brian’s Dad - Andy, Stepmom - Kathy, and brother – Brent, over for dinner, met up with Brian’s Mom - Mary, and Stepdad - Tom, for dinner (on two separate occasions, of course), filled out all of our Christmas cards (yes, we I like to add a personal touch) which we will be sending out tomorrow (a lucky few – like, 75% of them - went out yesterday), went Christmas shopping, tidied up the yard and the house (kind of) in preparation for Old Man Winter to grace us with his presence, spent time lounging (read: rough housing) with the pooch, and kept each other entertained with our usual silly antics! You know, just a typical week in the lives of B & E (and B) (and J)!
We hope all is good in all of your hoods as well!
Happy December!
We hope all is good in all of your hoods as well!
Happy December!
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