The end of the holidays can only mean one thing...that the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is about to be upon us.  That is, of course, Award show season.  The wonderful time of the year, when nominations are announced for best picture, best actor, best actress, etc... and the whole world is a flutter with predictions and last minute cram sessions at the theater to see of this year's potential winners.  (At least that's what I did before I had kids.  Now I catch them on Netflix or Redbox months after the Oscars... but whatever, right?)  Fashion houses fling themselves at the feet of every hot acotress- new or seasoned- in the hopes of having that one "it" dress that Joan Rivers can't stop raving about. As this year wraps up and a new one is about to begin, I'm taking a few moments to reflect on my personal faves from 2012.  A "Best Of" awards list from 2012, if you will.  Here are some of my faves (at least the ones I can remember)... what are your's?

Best Movie... Hunger Games.  (This is either a testament to how FEW movies I saw in theatre this year (hint: the only other one I saw on the big screen in 2012 we "What to Expect When You're Expecting."  If you've seen that one, you know why Hunger Games wins in this category), or proof that a really good book to movie adaptation is entirely possible.  Its probably a lot of both those factors.  Oscar worthy? Probably not.  But definitely good enough to make it tops in my book.)

Best Book (fiction)... House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe.  I'd been anticapating this book ever since I read her first book a few years ago (Physick Book of Deliverance Dane).  A mystical/historical fiction book with nods to the Titanic, this was an engulfing read that didn't disappoint!

Best Book (non-fiction)... Clapton, by Eric Clapton.  I read several musicians' autobiographies this year (including Steven Tyler's "Does the Noise in my Head Bother You?") and Clapton's was by far the best retelling of his life's story.  Honest about his life in a way that made me feel like I knew him, I was fascinated with his creativity, ability to play despite crippling addictions, and his seeking journey for meaning.  Tidbits about the behind-the-scenes of several classic songs (like how he wrote the Beatles' hit, "Here Comes The Sun" with George, out in his field in England) were intriguing and it was nice to see an artist who had truly found peace and purpose in his life, despite the years of darkness.

Best Song... Hallelujah, What A Savior by Phillip P. Bliss  This is actually an old hymn, written in 1875 that has been recently revived in many Reformed churches around the country.  Powerful, classic, true.  A close second favorite song is "Jesus Come" by Evan Wickham.  I can't much handle current pop music these days... too "poppy" and overtly sexual.  Pretty sure this means I'm old.

Best Netflix/Amazon Prime... Downton Abbey.  Season 1 was on Netflix, and I found Season 2 free to live stream on Amazon Prime.  Can't wait for it to start up again in January!!!

Best TV Show... Without a doubt, Homeland.  I will defend that as the best show on television right now to anyone who says otherwise.  Claire Danes is simply stunning, and the writing is edgy, fascinating and ever-twisting.

Best Blog Post... The stats say that my most-read blog post of 2012 was one I wrote for the Ministry Wives round up at Kelly's Korner.  (It got 747 views)  That was followed by my King Tut Headdress Tutorial (with 221 views) and the Halloween Costume blog with 200 views.

Best Recipe... Soba Soup with Spinach.  AMAZING.  Followed closely by the strawberry cupcakes I made for Gia's first birthday party.

Best Meal Out... Maybe its because this is fresh on my mind, but after my brother's graduation, we ate at an amazing Tapas bar in Chicago called Ba-Ba-Reeba.  We all ordered two tapas, everyone's selection different, and ate continuosly for two hours.  It was amazing.

Best Sanity Saver/ Best Moment of My Week... Girls' Night!  We started this almost a year ago, in Febrauary, and ever since, Tuesday nights are our sacred Girls' Nights with my girlfriends.  It is good for our hearts, minds, stomachs and souls.  I love my girls.

Best Idea/Gizmo/Tool... THIS "Mom Hook" grocery bag carrier.  Makes bringing in the groceries so much easier.

Best App... Do I even need to say it?  Instagram.  Love capturing the pictures on this.  I also love its easy upload to Flickr, so I can make the Instaglance collages that I do.

Best Website... I've been loving Pinterest off and on this year.  Came in really handy when looking for party ideas for Gia's first birthday and Heather's Little Man Shower.

Best Fashion Piece... I am loving the boots & jeans look for winter right now!!!

Best Historical Moment... This was a big year for many different reasons, but one of them was the 2012 election.  While I wasn't thrilled with the outcome, I proudly voted and continue to believe in this country in which we live.  This was also the Centennial year for the Titanic tragedy.  I'm a history buff that fell in love with the Titanic in the 90's (no small thanks to Leo DiCap) and enjoyed the many historical references in everything from my favorite book (see above) to my favorite Netflix find (see above).

Best Holiday... Without a doubt, it was Christmas in Chicago with my family.  So many wonderful memories and such a great time.

Best Gift... the HUGE dining table that Sean & a friend are making me for Christmas!  I can't wait to get it, and have all our friends over for a meal!

Best Memory... Christmas in Chicago with my family.

Best Photo... This is too hard to pick, but I really love these two:



Judging by the 85 "likes" and 20 comments on Facebook, I think that one is a definite favorite!!!


Best Accomplishment... Breastfeeding exclusively to 14 months. Looking back, I still cannot believe that Gia & I made it so long- especially because she never took a bottle!!! So grateful that I was able to do that!

Best Crafty Project... I had a great time figuring out how to make pajama pants, and really enjoyed making them for my nieces and Sean, Gia & I for Christmas!

So there are some of my BEST OF'S for 2012.... what are some of yours???

My brother just graduated from University of Chicago, and while we all were together for his graduation, David offered to take us siblings out for dinner.  So with the grandparents in charge of all three Littles, the Hampton sibs and our significant others set out for dinner at an upscale bar-b-que restaurant called "q".

I've come across a couple of really neat things online this week that I wanted to share/document here so that you can check them out, but also so I don't forget them myself!  So here are some great links to check out if you have a few extra minutes in your day.

One of the blogs I read, Baby Making Machine, just posted this great list of 30 things she wants her kids to know about her.  I'll post the list below, then start working on the posts, here and there as I have time.  (Blogging has gone by the wayside as of late... apparently there was this month that happened between October and December, but I was so busy chasing after Gia & doing home and church things that I barely even noticed it! It was a crazy month.)  I love some of these prompts on the list... things that I hope my kids will look back at some day and think, "Huh, I never knew that about Mom!"


1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?
14. Describe 5 and weaknesses strengths you have.
15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. Describe your relationship with your parents.
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?
24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?
29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

Here's how it went down in our household... pray.  pray.  pray.  vote & pray.  pray.  We know that all existing authorities have been appointed by God; He is the one who sets up kings and removes them.  And through it all, whether my choice for president wins or loses, God remains sovereign.  So we did our little part in history today, exercising the priviledge that has been afforded to us through the sacrifice of many, and voted.  The rest is up to God & we take full comfort and peace in trusting that no matter what Wednesday morning's news tell us, He is still good.  God is sovereign.  And the Gospel remains the true hope-- yea, the only hope-- for this earth. 

Growing up, we always did Halloween but it wasn't really that big of a deal.  Some years, my mom would sew our costumes (I dream of Genie! it snowed that year, and I was in lace pants and a crop top. Brrrrrrrrr....) and other years we would just pick something up (the dreadful french maid).  It was always a good time.  But in my husband's family, Halloween was a big deal.  His mom LOVED it... she would decorate the house and she made most of their costumes.  She loved dressing the kids up... a mouse, a ghost, a ninja.  Its fun to look back at pictures and see the costumes recycled through Sean's brother and sister as the years went by.

Sean's mom is no longer with us.  And its hard to know how to adquately incorporate her legacy into the life of our daughter.  Just like with teaching Gia about Whitney, we're learning as we go, and tell Gia about her Grandma Jill from time to time.  So Halloween is one of those times when she can know about Grandma Jill, and how much she loved the dress-up holiday.  And that's why I try to put a lot of thought and love into making Gia's costumes.  I think Jill would have loved dreaming up costume ideas with me, and of course seeing Gia in the final products.  Anyway, that's a little back story on why I like making Halloween special in our family.

Gia is all about Dora the Explorer in our house. When she wakes up, she says "Doda!" Then proceeds to run down the cast of characters: Boots!  Backpack!  Map!  Diego!  Its super cute.  I never thought I would let my kids get into cartoon characters like that, but I've learned a lot about saying "never" in parenthood.  For one, its just so darn cute when she says "Doda!"-- how can I withhold that from her?  And secondly, I think its near impossible to keep kids from being interested in cartoon characters.  They're made FOR kids, so that's obviously why the little ones like them.  So, I've swallowed the "my-kid-will-never-be-obsessed-with-a-cartoon-character" pride and am guilty of mildly indulging the cuteness.

I wanted to do family costumes because, lets get real- how many years will that possibilty be here?  It goes in the soon-to-be-extinct-upon-puberty category, along with ruffles, bows, leg warmers and fluffy dresses.  So I came up with the idea to make Gia Boots and Sean and I would be Dora & Diego.  Here's what we were going for, incase you're unfamiliar with them:





Our costumes would be pretty easy to pull together, and I knew we could use a lot of stuff we already had.  But Gia's proved to be a little more challenging.  I needed to find a good "base" for the costume, and was thinking I would find a light blue hoodie and sweat pants.  Its always cold in Indiana on Halloween so I knew it had to be warm.  I also knew that Gia will NOT wear a hat, but she will keep a hoodie on, hence the necessity for a hooded sweatshirt.  I kid you not, I looked at every single store in our town and the surrounding areas that sell kids clothing: Wal-Mart, Target, Kohl's, Children's Place, etc. etc.  I could not find light blue or light purple anywhere.  I found a couple other colors that might work but I wasnt' quite satisfied.  So I turned to Amazon and after a quick search for "hooded blue romper" I found this little gem from L'oved Baby.  Thanks to Amazon Prime, it was set to arrive in just 2 days.  And at only $17 (with free shipping, again thanks to Prime) it was still within the budget.  When it arrived, I was almost sad to cut it up and add to it, because it was so soft!  I seriously need to remember this line of clothing because the outfit felt so good, and you can tell its really well made.  So, here's how the costume making went down:

 Then, for the belly I just cut another piece of felt to shape and sewed that on.  This was a little tricky, trying not to stitch through the back layer, but it turned out great.  I also made a tail out of felt and attached it to the backside with just a saftey pin.  (I forgot the tail for our church Fall Fest, but remembered it for Trick or Treating!)  So here are some close up pics of that:



And then, the boots... I knew I couldn't find red boots anywhere, but I read somewhere that someone needed different colored boots for a costume, so they just put colored socks over an existing pair.  GENIUS!!!!!  It won't permanently alter the boots, and it was super cute!!  So I found these red socks at Old Navy for $1.  I bought them a couple sizes bigger than her shoes.





I thoughts she was just the cutest little Boots I'd ever seen!! :)  What did you dress up as for Halloween?







  

The final part of our Little Man Mustache Bash was the "photo booth."  It wasn't really a booth at all... just a length of fabric hung in a door frame.  But it was so much fun!  {almost} Everyone got in on the action, even both grandmas (scroll down for those fantastic photos!).  This part was pretty easy to set up.  I created this sign: