Monday, December 26, 2011

Our First Christmas!

Last year for Christmas Eve's Eve, Dovey proposed to me at our absolute favorite Italian Resto, over a cannoli! It was pure bliss because we are definitely foodies. ♥

The following night his family came over to have a game night, and the rest of the year was a whirlwind! Complete with a Wedding, a Move, and a whole lot of commuting!

This year, we decided to start a few traditions of our own.

Tradition One: Christmas Cards! 
Being a Creative Director has its perks, like being able to design the perfect Christmas Card all on my own! lol... Now Dovey was raised sans Christmas... so that made the wording a little sticky, as well as who we could share our cards with on his side... but I was determined.

We had quite a time trying to get the photo of our family complete, Turtle didnt want to come out and play, and Little Dog was totally not having the picture day. In the end we opted for one great shot of just him and I... with a wish for 2012.

First Christmas Card

Tradition Two: Christmas Tree.
You should have seen how difficult it was to get his help... it was like pulling teeth! And the only part I needed help with was fishing it out of storage. (he was SO grumpy!) But in the end, our tree looked perfect!

First Christmas Tree as a Married Couple

I love my snow white TiGgeRs and my woodsy Christmas tree! :)

Tradition Three: Holiday Plans.
Dovey wanted to repeat last year, Dinner at Italian Resto on Eve's Eve, then Family Fun Night on Eve... Christmas just the two of us at home...
DONE!

Tradition Four: New Years Resolution Planning
We wanted to do this before the mad rush to resolutions, so we made this our Christmas Tradition. We assessed last years' plans, saw our improvement and epic fails.. (this year there werent many of those!) and we wrote our individual goals for 2012, and our family goals - which included vacations, an ideal timeline for buying a house and procreating, plans to eat better and be more Green, and lastly - making our tiny one bedroom apartment make sense since we will be here throughout 2012.... (ORGANIZE NOW in full effect!)
One of my favorite bloggers wrote a book about 'Organized Simplicity' - which I purchased and read, but found it to be a little advanced for our current family state (on the shelf until we have kids!) and in the end of the book it talked about a book called 'Organize Now!'. This one spoke to our RIGHT NOW state... so I of course purchased it immediately, read through it completely, and have been organizing my plan of attack for 2012!

Available at Amazon

I hope that all of you started some traditions this year, and that you made them your own!
Wishing you a New Years' filled with fun and friends and amazing changes for the future!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

She's Crafty...

Several years ago I went to a holiday gathering with a friend and their grandmother had made these 2 liter bottles for everyone... we were awed and amazed! I remembered all this time and finally made my own! I used diet coke because I heart the juxtaposition of it all. :)

Its easy just cut the label carefully at the seam, Peel back. Cut a large C shape under the label (about four inches wide) add tissue paper to the bottom. Stuff the large pieces first, then fill with the small stuff!

I stuffed these with a small game (skipbo, left center right, and sting) a full size starburst and hersheys, Altoids, Reese's trees, marshmallow Santa, and Reese's cups, rolos and kisses.

Are you awed and amazed? At the least, its a fun conversation piece. ;)

All my best,
Madam Sawyer


Friday, December 23, 2011

Holiday Goodness...

Today is the 1 year anniversary of the day that Dovey asked me to marry him. ONE YEAR! And there was the act of planning a wedding involved but we still survived! LOL.

Right now my head is just about everywhere! I have some very close friends going through huge changes, one having a baby (AS I TYPE!) and the other getting married (NEXT WEEKEND!). Though not complete surprises, both have been a little taxing on my mental state. I wish I could be there more for both of them, but ITS TRUE, being married does add alot to your daily workload.

Instead of just getting out the door in the morning, you have to pick up a mess, feed the dog (and the turtle of course!), load the dishwasher, do the laundry... the tasks are all doubled and take twice the time. You are constantly wondering "Where has the time gone?" and its gotten even worse since I started a business.

Not that I am complaining, I just really need to get this time management thing under wraps soon. I am consistently overwhelmed by the amount of things requested of me, and the amount of things I wish I could get done!

My one hope before tomorrow evening, is that I get the craft done that I have been planning for 2 weeks but havent had an entire hour to complete it. I have EVEN added it to my schedule, and still 'life' gets in the way.

I know it will get better, I know that I will get the hang of this married thing and all that comes with it yet! LOL. It just takes some time.

I dont envy those who jump into it feet first, doing it all at once. Its nice to have some time to figure things out, make mistakes and learn from them.

Everything in life follows the same rulebook, one day at a time, minute by minute. Every change is for the betterment of you, no matter what!

May your holiday season be filled with small changes and big miracles!
All my love,

PS. I am always open to new ideas and tips on organizing my schedule and my life... got any? or books that you recommend?