happy new year

Well hello 2013.  It's a little bit bittersweet for me.  I don't think that I will ever have a year like I did in 2012.  It was the scariest, most difficult, most stressful, most rewarding, most incredible year that I have ever had.  With that said, I am looking forward to a quiet, happy and healthy year in our new home.  No resolutions here.  I have some things in mind.  We'll see how it goes.

I completely failed at documenting Christmas this year.  I did not take any pictures of Christmas cookie baking, but let me tell you, in was an intense 2 days.  The only pictures that I have are of a cookie platter I made when I had some people over before leaving for Hamburg.

I made a key.

For me for next year:  the coconut toffee cookies are always the best (3 batches), the lofthouse sugar cookies were amazing, the peanut butter blossoms turned out great using butter, and 3 batches of biscotti was a perfect amount.

I also took some pictures of the house the night before we left for Hamburg.  I had every intention of taking the Christmas decorations down tomorrow, but they just look so pretty and the tree isn't even losing any needles yet and I wasn't here to enjoy it all on Christmas.  I think it may stay up at least until the end of the week.  Devin says that he should have made me sign an agreement saying that I would take everything down today.

I think that I am going to like the house so much less once everything is down (sad face).

I have included a montage from Christmas Eve at my moms.  My favorite picture is of her freaking out when she opened up a bound copy of my dissertation.  She almost cried.  It was a great reaction!  Not sure how I am going to ever top that one.

Last, I have included a very silly picture of Janey.

Wishing you all the best in the new year.

So Long!