Hair Dids

That line is so overused, but I don't care.  Sometimes I feel like blog titles are supposed to be overused phrases.

Basically my entire life I have had short hair.  As a little kid, my mom always cut my and my sisters' hair so that it stayed out of our faces and was easy for her to manage.  Even in grade school and high school, I always kept my hair at shoulder length or shorter.  It was for no particular reason -- almost because that's the way I had always had it, so I just kept cutting it.

Then, in September of 2010, shortly after I moved back to DC from New York, I challenged myself to let my hair grow out for a full two years.  I could get the ends trimmed, but no hair cuts that would alter the overall length.  Maybe this sounds simple to you all, but I knew it would be a challenge. 

Here's what we started with:

I actually do like this bob length... (even seeing this sorta makes me want to chop it all off!)

Almost a year into the challenge.  The first part of growing it out (getting everything even and actually seeing a difference) felt like it took forever.  I remember doing my hair for this wedding thinking "Eeek!  It's finally getting longer!!"  (It wasn't really long at all...)
 
Then September 2012 came and I was so excited that I had actually stuck to the challenge, but it felt like I was just getting used to having long hair.  I had only started to experiment with new hairstyles and getting comfortable braiding or curling it (without burning my forehead).  So I added another year on to the long hair challenge and am continuing to try new styles.

This is basically what my hair looks like everyday from about 8 a.m. until about 11:45 a.m. (when I put it into a ponytail -- I can't help it.  I try to keep it down and then I get annoyed and just throw it into a low pony).

(See all those clementines in the background?  Told you I'm eating them all. the. time.)

Here it is in a fish tail braid with a black headband.

When it comes to curling my hair, a curling iron only really works if I use so much hairspray the ozone disappears, so I've started using a round brush and curling it while blow drying. 

This was in a cab en route to a girls' brunch (weirdo picture, sorry -- was making sure I was looking "cool").

Stick straight at M&M's wedding.

Aside: I take these mini-self portraits usually at my desk before I walk into meetings.  The habit has sort of worn off so now I do it other places (ahem, in cabs en route to brunch?!).  Maybe it's nerdy or a little narcissistic, but it works for me, so PDJ (Please Don't Judge).  Maybe that's why it feels kind of weird just putting up pictures of my face up here.  Oh well.  For the record I changed them from being extra large to just large, 'cause, yeah...they are big enough.
 

Anyway, I often look to blogs or Pinterest for hairstyle inspiration or just for fun.  Below are some that I either want to try or wish I could pull off...

Basically any Blake Lively look from Gossip Girl.

I never watched the show before, but now that it is on Netflix, I am O.D.-ing.  No lie.  Despite the show actually being pretty horrible, probably watched 5 episodes last night.  

But her hair is always freakin' awesome.

I really like this hippy headband look.  Wish I had the courage to wear it to something...we'll see.

Will definitely try this cute look.  Wore my hair in the low ponytail/bun version of this for Christmas eve.

So many to try!!  I may just have to attempt the last one this weekend...

Suprisingly Sweet

I can be a bit of a food snob sometimes, but I also can easily fall off the wagon, devouring buffalo chicken fingers or milkshakes without batting an eye.



This usually happens when one of two things is going on:
1) Let just leave it at "alcohol is involved."
2) I'm feeling really broke.

And lately I've been feeling pretty broke.

Now that I am paying more than double my old rent, I need to be much more responsible with money.  Given that I like to be social, but also want to save lots (I mean, I would like to own a house at some point), it is go time to focus on that 50/20/30 budget (plus-- it's a resolution!).

But since I really hate eating crap and with training going on, I decided to come up with a relatively inexpensive way to eat things that are not terrible for you and are still tasty.  Now this isn't fancy or creative, which is sort of a bummer because I do like to cook new things, but for the time being, it's better than Mickey D's or ramen every day.

Breakfast is a bowl of granola cereal with fresh blueberries and a touch of honey (the honey is only because I accidentally bough "Unsweetened" Almond Milk instead of "Original."  The "Original" flavor is plenty sweet.)  I brought all the ingredients into my office and have this when I arrive in the morning.


Lunch is some type of pasta with tomatoes and basil.  Simple, but fresh, filling and tasty!  You can make it the night before, or honestly making it in the morning is so easy and I think tastes better.   You just halve some grape tomatoes, and let them sit in some EVOO, and S+P for a bit (this is actually important). Then, put them in a baking dish, cut some fresh basil on top with a bit more EVOO and then pop them in the oven for 20 minutes until the tomatoes get sweet and delicious.  Make some pasta while this is happening, and...

I ran out of basil for this one, so this is just Italian Seasonings.  I know...it's simple and so easy, but seriously...it is so delicious!

For dinner I usually make rice, some type of beans with either an egg or more of these tomatoes (I'm obsessed) or just throw something else together from what is in the cupboard -- veggie stir fry, a chicken bake or just a bowl of cereal!

It's a little boring, but really pretty tasty.    No complaints here!

Aside: I've been living off of the bagged clementines as snacks.  Whole Food really should hide them.  I am eating like eight a day.

A Running Update (for Margot)

I have just under 7 weeks remaining until the 13.1 and I am getting more and more excited each week.  Especially since I officially registered last week!!

As I've mentioned before, I was very publicly a non-lover of running.  That's probably an understatement, actually.  I always just thought it was boring and painful and I would have much rather played any other sport than run.  I was often found asking friends who ran for exercise, fun or for sport why they ran, or even how.  I just simply did not understand it.

"So let me get this right, you just run for HOURS?!"
"Yeah."
"You're tired and breathing heavy after running for 15 minutes and you just keep running for HOURS?!"
"Yeah."

It's like we were speaking different languages.

But now that I am actually doing this training thing, it really is just like what everyone says.  You just keep running.  And it feels incredible at the end.

The shorter runs are fine, although they can be somewhat tedious.  After the excitement of longer runs, shorter ones seem to be a little "blah," but knowing that I will be able to run farther (further?) because of them, helps keep me motivated.

Here are a few more tips I've tried over the last two weeks.
1) I have a calendar pinned to my desk at work where each day lists the numbers of miles I've run.

Not only does this literally put it in my face, but since my bosses know I am running this race, they ask me about it.

2) I have literally put up index cards with sayings all over my apartment.
"You should be running RIGHT NOW" is next to my alarm clock -- this hasn't worked too well yet, but I still am glad it's there.
"Courage to start.  Strength to Finish." is on my entry way table so I remember to finish well.
Is this cheesy?  Yes.  But I don't care...whatever it takes to finish.


3) Tell everyone what you are doing.
I suppose this is sort of tied into #1 -- public displays of activity -- but really.  The more people that know you are running, the more you feel responsible to keep it up.  In fact, posting about it here helps to keep me focused and on schedule.


I have yet to do a longer run with friends, but it has actually worked out alright.  Most important thing is to just get dressed and go run.  Period.

See the miles logged on Sunday, January 27th?  6.5 miles.  Half way there!!

The End of an Era...Well, that's a bit dramatic, but kind of

So my friends, the time has come.  Actually, it had really been a long time coming.  My college days-Vera Bradley bag has officially kicked the bucket.

This needed to happen approximately 1 year ago, but I waited.  For what, I don't know, but I did and it got me thinking about all the things that bag and I have been through.  And It's a lot.

For the monthly visits from Blacksburg to Philly all throughout college, this dear bag was there.  It has gambled in Las Vegas, sailed in the Caribbean a few times and lived in New York City.  For my visits to friends in Europe while studying abroad, for a romantic Parisian getaway, and for a visit to a dear friend living in London, this bag carried my most treasured items. It has been to Camp nearly 1000000000000+ time.  It carried my best friend's everyday jewels on the day she temporarily replaced them to wear her wedding baubles.  It has been to a Nascar race and to several horse races.  It has been throw in the trunk of too many cars to count, a pillow in the backseat during a road trip and in the back of a pick up truck.   And I'm sure I'm forgetting many, many other times this bag served me well.  

I loved that it was malleable, almost always fit everything I needed and was absolutely a "carry-on" size for airplanes.

But now it's dead.  Holes on the body where the handles attached, worn on the handles where you would carry it on your shoulder, faded and quite sad looking.  

I guess it was inevitable, but it did have a great run.

Better days.

(Well, kind of.  I took this picture from this blog, but this is what Vera looked like in the beginning.  Perhaps I'll post the "after" pictures...but no one likes seeing pictures of the dead.)

In it's place...

I got the large, regular handles in dark green (obviously) but mine has a zipper enclosure.

I also have the small, short handle Bean tote in navy that I had monogrammed and I love it.

I think Beanie will treat me as well as Vera did, if not better.

Biker Babe

Around August of 2012, I asked my mom if I could use her bike for a while.  I no longer would have access to a car and, with DC being only about ten square miles, a bike would be a terrific way to get around town.  Mami agreed and kindly lent me her bike from the mid-1980s, which probably hadn't been used since the late 1980s.  She's a teal Specialized Hard Rock bike with hot pink accents, including water bottle holder, handle bars, and a metal pink basket on the front. 

I took her to Alina's friend's bike shop, Bikenetic, where they gave her a tune up, a cleaning and a few new accessories so she'd be good to go.

Here she is day 2 of my having her.  

Since August, me and this two wheeler have been all over this town (other states even!).  I've taken her on the metro, on the bus, to friend's houses, to go shopping, to bars, and beyond. I've gotten quite comfortable with her too -  sometimes I can even pull off the "Look Ma, no hands!" move.

Mostly though, this gal just gets me to and fro' work, which literally takes me ten minutes door to door.  Best case scenario on the bus is 25 minutes, but it's usually more like 35.  And it's super crowded?  No thank you; I'll stick with the bike.

So not only was it an awesome surprise, but I think also an amazing marketing campaign when the bike shop on Q Street had a little stand on the corner of 14th that said 'Morning Coffee for Bike Commuters!'  I was not late, but not early either, so I didn't have time to stop for coffee (#WishIHadSeenThisYesterday), but how cool is that?  What a fun thing for two local businesses to do together for the clients they either serve or hope to serve!

Aside: This post made me realize that I should really name this bike.  How have I not done this yet...

Decisions, decisions...

Guys, guys, serious decision to make here...

These:

Orrrrrrr.....

These:

My goodness, it is awesome having a store credit from a returned Christmas gift from your boss.  Right?!?

OK, but for realz.  Which ones?  I want these to be my go-to work shoes for the next forever long, which make me lean towards the leopard print, but theeeennn I think the sea foam actually do work with pretty much everything too and that gold bow is so pretty.

So.....which ones?!

Feeling Pretty Bad A$$

Despite not being able to move my legs due to incredible soreness, I am feeling pretty legit right now.  Why, you ask?  Let me tell you.

1) Monday night instead of hitting the pavement to log some miles in preparation for The 13.1, I decided to do the Day 1 Fit Test for that Insanity workout thing.  Can I just say that that program seems like no joke, and I really want to get into it.  I am hoping to work this into The 13.1 training by doing this on the off running days and consider it my strength training, but it may get to be too much.  Maybe I just have to plan to do this after March 16th, we'll see.

2) Tuesday night was cold and wet and gross outside.  Dixie was giving me her usual "please don't make me go outside in this freezing rain just to do my business!," but I was all "Oh, we're going outside." And she was all "..."  And I was all "..."

Aside: It's these crazy moments that I think I am not supposed to live alone.

Anywhos, Dixie and I went on a not-so-fun-for-either-of-us walk, during which I seriously thought about bagging the two miles I was supposed to log today.  I thought, you know...I'll just run for four miles tomorrow at the office, inside on the comfort of a treadmill with a TV where it's not rainy and gross.  I also thought 'Two miles?  I can definitely do that, so no need to tonight when it's so nasty out.'  I could have gone on with the excuses, but I had done something knowing I would try to talk myself out of it.  I had already put on all my running gear.  Take it off without having worked out?  Seems lame.

So after our walk, I grabbed a rain jacket to throw on top of the fleece vest, started Map My Run, and got Pandora streaming "All of the Lights" by Kanye.  And you know what?  I went running!  At NIGHT.  In the COLD.  In the RAIN.  A year ago you would be hard pressed to find me checking the mail in the cold rain.  Today?  I ran!!

Nerd accomplishment that made me pretty freakin' proud of myself.  I must say, the looks I got while running were the looks I usually give others who run in the rain.  "Really?  Had to run today?  In the cold rain?"  But now I see that sometimes the answer to that obnoxious, sarcastic question is "Yes.  I had to."

Now I just need to warm the legs up enough to log today's 3 miles.

Woo!!

In need of some work wardrobe inspiration...

You know those days when you wake up and things just feel off?

Not quite the "woke up on the wrong side of the bed" thing where it feels like everyone is out to get you. 

Not quite like this...

It just feels like I am the one that is off. 

Maybe it's the weather, which lately has been "meh" at best.  I know, I know...it is January and it's supposed to be cold.  But it's been raining, which means it is not cold enough where the rain turns into snow.  It's just cold enough where you are damp and chilly.  My least favorite kind.

Add to it that for some reason lately, I am having the most difficult time getting dressed for work.  I am in such a casual mood that the idea of wearing pencil skirts and pumps seems sort of crazy, even though I normally love pencil skirts and pumps!  WTF?! 

Top Row; #3.  Pretty much perfection...Why don't I want to wear you!?!

So today, after waking up so much later than I wanted to (again, WTF?!), I tried to jazz up a casual outfit, but something felt off.  I knew it wasn't business-like, no matter what blouse I put on or how many bracelets I added to the arm party.  But I wore it anyway.  So, I go to walk Dixie this morning and I see a girl on the street who looked so put together despite the horrible rainy, cold weather and thought "Ugh...I really need to up my work wardrobe game."  Then on the bus, same thing.  Girls with perfectly curly hair underneath their big parkas; so many in heels (heels!) and dresses with straight hair, looking perfectly presentable and I, in corduroys and bean boots for the wet walk into work.  Hair twisted back and in a pony tail.  Pathetic.

Tomorrow is also supposed to be rainy and (it's still January, so...) cold, so I'm challenging myself to up the work wardrobe game.  Let's see what I can come up with...

Let the Official Training Begin!

As I've mentioned before, "Sweat" is one of my resolutions this year. 

And for me, it's not about losing weight; it's about feeling fit.  I got very close last year, but around the end of July, life took a turn and I stopped making exercise a priority (which in retrospect is so silly -- what a great way to help cope with big changes -- humph).

Anyway, this year I want to do something big.  Well bigger than I've done before, which makes it big. 

So today marks the official first day of training for the Rock and Roll Half-Marathon on Saturday, March 16th!  I am so, so nervous and so. freaking. excited. too.  I don't think I've ever run more than 4 miles (outside of a soccer game, which doesn't really count), and I just ran those last week!

But as someone that publicly admits to not loving running, there are a few things I do to either help ensure I actually go running or just to make it not as bad as I think it will be.

1) Just put on workout clothes, even if you don't plan to leave for an hour.  If it's on, you'll go.  If it's not, you'll come up with 101 reasons to go tomorrow or the next day.  Or at least I would/do...

During the colder months it can be especially difficult to motivate yourself to hit the pavement.  But here's what I typically wear when running outside in the winter.

Aside: I seriously love these Under Armour pants and am dying to get another pair (I only have the one and wear them to death!!)

2) I incentivize myself with chewing gum.  A small, but simple pleasure.  Sometimes I cave and have gum otherwise, but really I try to only chew gum when I'm running.  I suppose this trick wouldn't work for those who think chewing gum is gross, but for me...it works just fine.

I am currently chewing Juicy Fruit while running, as this was the gum in my stocking from Santa!

3) I use the Map My Run application on my i-phone when I run to track my time and distances.  Most of the time I like that it tells me how far I have run so that I don't check my phone every minute only to find nearly no distance has passed.  It simply lowers the volume on my Pandora radio station (usually Lil' Wayne or some seriously girly stuff) and gives you your total time, total distance and then pace per mile.  So great!  Plus, it maps where you've run so if you run somewhere and find that you really like that course, it's easy to run again!

4) Interval running to music really helps to push me and keeps me focused.  Since I love competitive sports, it is hard for me to stay super motivated during runs that seem to be the same thing step after step.  I'm used to chasing after people or things!  So to spice up a run, I try to pick up the pace during the chorus of a song.  It is just enough of a change to keep things interesting for me.

5) Finishing strong is another thing I try to do to keep it interesting.  Obviously you are the most tired at the end, but a two block sprint to my front door usually makes me all the more excited to be home and glad I pushed it!

6) The last one is a bit cheesy, but I really do refer to one motivational phrase all the time:

One more thing...As part of the half-marathon training, I will be doing longer runs on Saturdays with friends.  I didn't list this above since I have not run with others before, so I don't know if it will work for me, but fingers crossed!

Still nervous...eek!  But, logging some miles tonight!!

Vegan Dinner (almost) and a bit of a food rant...

I know, I know...vegan is a pretty definite thing, so there really isn't such a thing as "almost" vegan, but this meal really is almost vegan.

I made this a few nights ago when I a) had some time to kill and b) wanted to make something where there would be leftovers for lunch the rest of the week.

Aside: I made a friend some lentil stew this week because he was sick, which means I am now going on three weeks in a row of lentil soup in the house and for work.  Needless to say, I am a bit tired of it, but seeing as there is still some in the 'frige, I suppose I am not yet done with it.  

So, let's start with the rant (of course!!)...

Generally speaking, I don't eat a lot of junk food, although I could definitely be better (can't we all?).

But still, every day I become more and more aware of and concerned about what I eat and put into my body.  I can't even count the number of food documentaries I've watched and I am literally quite sick of being told things are food when they are in fact not food, but some conglomeration of additives, preservatives, and pink slime.  Is what I am saying something revolutionary?  For the vegan and vegetarian hippies of the '90s, it was; but now there are many spokespeople for the cause, and I am but a tiny voice, but I am a believer.

Another aside: There is an argument here against me, as I have smoked for several years, but I will save that for another post, because that will be another rant and a blog post isn't supposed to be a doctoral thesis.

No, I am not trying to be a food snob, because I do love food, but there are clear indications that the food we eat is affecting our population on the whole -- through disease, obesity and mental health.  At the recommendation of Uncle Pete over Christmas, I am now reading The Happiness Diet by Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey.  I am also more interested in eating fresh produce or simply raw foods, after watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead over the break as well (juice diet, here I come!)  Truthfully both are worth reading and watching yourself.  You don't have to be totally crazy and do a 60 day juice cleanse -- just implementing small changes makes a difference.  Heck, I even got my parents to buy organic milk among other new diet choices.

Annnnyway, after spending many days inundating myself with information on how what we eat is actually horrible for us, I decided I would at least try some vegan products.  Not that I had never had them before, but that I would try to incorporate them into my own cooking and food ordering habits.  Thus, this meal was: Orange Sesame Baked Tofu with a baked Brussel Sprouts and Radish salad side.  And it was yummy!

Gather up the ingredients!

The main squeeze was the tofu.  I've eaten tofu many times before, but I've never cooked it, so what better time than the present!

I pressed it with my hands only for about a minute, and then just got to work on the marinade.  Too much to do in one night to worry about pressing it dry...

I decided to slice half of it into larger pieces, like below, and then the rest I cut those larger slices into thirds.

For the marinade, I used this recipe as a guide, but I halved the amount of sugar and sesame seed oil (highly recommended), used ground ginger (the spice, not fresh, as that was all I had), used clementines not oranges (again, what I had on hand) and I baked it, instead of grilling.

Make that marinade in a bowl and poured it over the tofu in a baked sheet lined with foil.

While that was in the 'fridge gettin' good, I went to start on the side, and got momentarily distracted by how pretty radishes are.  See!!

Anyway, I used this recipe, but instead of pecans I used walnuts (Can you guess why?  Cause I had them on already!!) and I used somewhere in between 1/8 c. and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese (this is the only thing not vegan!!  I just used the store bought, grated kind that is not fancy at all).  I don't normally skimp on cheese, but trust me, if you're using the green shaker kind, less is just fine.

Chop up those veggies!  Two to one ratio of b. sprouts to radishes.

Quick sauté with butter and EVOO (thanks, Rachel Ray for the lingo).

Add nuts, salt and parm.  Coat the veggies and place on a baking sheet lined with foil (I would do that even if the recipe didn't say it -- hello, easy clean up.  And my kitchen is TINY!)

Before being baked...

In the oven...

 Right out of the oven.  Um, hello, delicious.  And it really was.

Everything plated.  I need to start using my C. Wonder dishes, even when I cook just for myself.  So unlike me to not use them.

The tofu turned out pretty good.  I added salt and pepper, and would definitely eat it again, although I'm interested in trying other marinades.  But the brussels and radish side dish?  Whew, I will definitely be making it again.  It was very tasty.

Since Dixie isn't allowed at the table (even on the floor at feet), she just watched from the couch.  I also have pink tulips all over the apartment.  They are my favorite flower, in a beautiful color and add a touch of spring in January.  What's not to like about that?!

This night was overall super productive too, which always puts me in a good mood.  Apartment update coming up next!

Tah tah, for now...

Christmas Thank You Cards

After creating my homemade Christmas cards, my old man had the awesome suggestion of making thank you notes with the same motif, and of course I instantly loved the idea.  After all, I had already done the designing, I had so many supplies left over (envelopes, gold stars, sheets of cardstock), and it would be a relative breeze to put together.  Done!

So, while the Christmas cards were designed to be a portrait view...

I thought a good way to differentiate would be to make the thank yous in landscape, and make the written portion look like a postcard.

There were two things that went "wrong" -- 1) I didn't realize before I came up with the postcard idea that the gold star would definitely not stay on through the whole mailing process, so I sort of faked the whole post-card thing, and slipped them in envelopes anyway.  2) Once I knew I was going to put them in envelopes, I added a little Christmas tree on the backside of the card that I really wanted to put a stamp like border around, but I couldn't figure it out

I think they turned out cute, and if I make my Christmas cards again, I will definitely do corresponding thank you notes.  It really ties it together, doesn't it?!

Sidenote: I realize I used Doug and Rachelle's envelope as my picture in the original homemade Christmas card post.  Rachelle died on December 28th after a serious battle with cancer.  I can still hear her laugh.  She will be missed dearly.  

Tah tah, for now...

Unpacking

Remember how I had a super productive January 1?  Remember how the only thing I didn't do that night was unpack my bag from the beach?

Well, it's still not unpacked.

I despise unpacking.  And I have no idea why.  What's more?  Even if I don't like a particular task, I usually do it anyway because I like the outcome.  Example: I clean the bathroom, even though it's not my favorite thing to do, because I like seeing a clean bathroom while I do my makeup or brush my teeth, etc.

I have literally cleaned the apartment three times since I've been home from the beach.  And what do I do with the bag?  Move it around the apartment so I don't have to unpack.  Sometimes on top of the bed (i.e., while I vacuum).  Sometimes hidden in the closet (i.e., when company comes over).  Most of the time just behind a chair so that it doesn't bother me.

But, sometimes you need a public kick in the ass (i.e., a blog post) to get things done.

So, tonight, my friends, it ends.  That bag will get unpacked tonight!!


Tah tah, for now...

Becket's Christmas Gift

It was not my intention to have such a crafty Christmas, but it turned out that way and I had so much fun making all these gifts.

It actually all started with my godson, Becket.  I knew from around October that I was going to make him some tie t-shirts for Christmas, because he's such a goof and loves wearing his ties!  I figured this way, he could wear ties to his sister's soccer games, or to the playground, or even just around the house.

Over Thanksgiving, I borrowed Alina's sewing machine and brought it to Camp.  I spent the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at Target, Michaels and JoAnn Fabrics gathering all the supplies I would need to make Becket's shirts.  I (classically) overestimated how much I would get done at Camp over the Thanksgiving break, so instead of finishing them up down there, I brought everything back to Swann Street and made them the Sunday and Monday nights after Thanksgiving.

These shirt have been all over the blogosphere for years, I know, but I was so excited to actually make them.

Like nearly all of my crafting projects, I used other blogger's trial and errors to help minimize my own, finding this particular tutorial quite helpful.

Start with plain white t-shirts from Target.  I went with long sleeve since I wanted him to be able to wear them immediately.

So I measured and then cut out a template in wax paper, which was perfect.  You can pin it but it doesn't rip easily.

I did my best to cut the fabric's out so that the "knot" fabric would be in a different direction than the tail of the tie, but really only one of them turned showed that detail.

Once all three were cut out, it was time to sew baby, sew!  I used clear thread, which has some stretch in it, and it worked out great.  This way too, I could use one color thread (and bobbin) for all three shirts instead of having to change the colors for each tie.

I guess I forgot to take a picture of the orange tie solo! The green tie Becket wore on Christmas night to the Gama party with some red corduroy pants.  Festive and fun!

I liked them so much, I made one for the little boy who lives upstairs, Liam.  I dropped it off with my rent check on December 1st, and the next day when I went to check the mailbox, Liam was sitting in the window wearing the shirt I made for him saying "Thank you.  I love my shirt!" through the window!  It was so freakin' adorable.

Now that Christmas is over, I need to pick what my next projects will be..

Tah-tah, dearies!