Naught so Resolute Resolutions

Every year starts with the similar run down, right? Eat better, work out, read this, don't do that...etc. etc.

I decided to give life a little twist this time around and take things on the lighter side:

My 2012 List of Stuff I Might Decide To Do More Often

1. Watch more TV. Esp. BBC.
2. Indulge in more chocolate.
3. And cookie dough.
4. Don't worry about the dirty kitchen floor.
5. Let the kids fight it out.
6. Enforce naptimes. For myself.
7. Give away more money.
8. Start school whenever we've all ate breakfast. Even if that's 10.
9. Keep my nails painted. Nicely. But don't pay for a manicure.
10. Love freely. Love deeply. Love much.

Have a wondrous 2012 friends!

Gettin Crafty after Christmas!

We stopped by Eric's cousin Kari Dru's AWESOME store in Emporia, Kansas, on our way home from Christmas celebrations with my fam. Whoa!


Studio 11 is the name, and it's like Etsy in person! It was like being surrounded by goodies and num-nums that all were calling my name. Kari and her business partner are both artists in their own right, then also consign other handmade items by local artisans, creating quite the funky boutique.

Zane boy fell in love with the monster dolls...giving me great inspiration to use up some of my fabric stash! So wah-lah! Here's the result...one very funky monster for a very happy boy.



He likes the cape the best cuz his monster can "fly like this...ssshhhhooooo!" Kai also jumped on the bandwagon and is almost finished...just needs to finish stuffing and add the antennae eyeballs.

Food-wise, I didn't get crazy with the gingerbread this year. I only got wild enough to make little Christmas mice candies at Jodi's (from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade magazine--no recipe on her site though). They were, frankly, a pain in the neck. But they did get easier as I went along...and looked better :) Plus, they all tasted yummy!

Peacock blue, I love you!

As we come up for air after our months of remodeling our kitchen, I find it's good to have a sister who surfs around and finds fun hair things to try!!! Today was the first Saturday in a looong time with no mile-long checklist to complete. Well, of course there is still more to do...but nothing pressing like a plywood window and snow in the forecast or anything. Soon, there will be a whole before/after post...but moving on...

So! Jo posts some totally fab pix of her latest dos along with links to the tutorials on You Tube this morning. Lucky me, we had a party to attend tonight so seemed like the perfect opp to try one out!

Step 1: Curl that hair, girl. You need ringlets from tip to tail. Hot rollers may not be the best mode, but they're quick and what I got!

(please note Pitt State shirt...Woot! Nat'l Champions as of today!!!)

Step 2: Feel like a retro movie star with your drop-dead ringlets. Or feel like a almost hot momma...really should have worn a bra today. Swoop those bad boys over into a low side pony, leaving just a small section out on the far side. Twist and twirl sections of the pony up and pin to make a giant swirly bun. Whaat?!! That doesn't make sense?? Come on... Okay, I posted the link to the very excellently done You Tube video below so you can see it happen step by step.



Step 4: Adorn with some kind of fabulous hair ornament...for me I chose my Grandma's peacock feathers...from her own real peacocks! Who knows how old the feathers are...50 yrs??? Regardless, they are fantastic!


Step 6: Go to a party with your friends and talk about hair, among other things. Because it's what girls do. (Carrie...I cropped most of your, eh, interesting look, out for ya!).


Step 7: Come home and try to take pictures of your very cool hairdo by yourself. Struggle, really, because who can aim, shoot and smile backwards in the mirror?? At least on the first try? Not I said the fly. And note the husband just standing idly by. So helpful. All he said was "I hope your hair was worth it." (Being late to the party, that is). Well, of course, silly!


Here is the link to Lilith Moon's instructional video. So wonderful and she's cute as can be! Thanks hair girl!

Shiny New Toys

Our kitchen facelift is slowly moving along amongst all the rest of life. When the heating element went out in the oven about 8 weeks ago, we decided to go ahead with appliances before finishing the cabinets/countertops/backsplash. Yay. So now I need to decide if I'm going to tell you my embarrassing story about appliance shopping. Hmmm...well, of course I am...then it makes it less embarrassing and more just funny.

So I'm really excited to change from a nasty old coil stove to a gas range! I've never cooked on gas before, but that's okay, it's going to be great. From all the pulling out and cleaning behind over the years, I remembered that although our current stove is electric, we have a gas line there ready to be hooked up. Enter hours on Garden Web parusing their appliance forum. Then enter reality and realize I'm not willing to spend $4000 on the stoves they recommend. So the weekend before soccer gets going I dedicate to shopping the boxes: Lowes, Home Depot, and Sears. Sears has the best deals and after much hemming and hawing (and calling all my close friends for their opinions) I make the purchase, have them load it up in the mini and off we go!

Eric slides out the old range and then I hear the holler: "RESA!!! So where's this gas line, Miss "I clean behind the stove so often"?" Uummm...I stare at the single electric cord and massive amount of crumbs...oohhhhh, yeahhhh....shoot!!! That gas line? It was behind the electric DRYER that I had to constantly fish things out from behind in the old laundry room! Sorry hun. Then I got to call Sears: "Um, I'm the lady that's been in three times today and just bought the gas range, um, uh, I need to bring it back because I don't really have a gas line, and, um, uh, will you all please laugh at me now BEFORE I show up?" Sigh. So no gas range for Resa. There could be worse things in this world.



Fast forward another month and wah-lah! I have gone to the mega-box store, Nebraska Furniture Mart, spent 1.5 hours (by myself) and picked out three deliciously new, completely average, midrange appliances. All by GE, all stainless or stainless look. They delivered, my honey has installed all but the microwave, and we're back in business! (See cupcakes baking?) --by the way, PAY someone to install your dishwasher...it was a pain!



The countertop guy has been here to measure, the cabinet dude is working on designing a couple new storage areas, I've picked out the backsplash/sink/faucet/cabinet hardware and we're to call the window guy next week. So here's to some nice fall weather while we rip out the sliding glass door and rebuild the wall...and I get to work painting the cabinets! Whew.

Wordless Wednesday

Postcards from Italy

Even snapshot takers like myself could become postcard photographers in coastal Italy. Here's the synopsis of our vacation in pictures...I whittled down 350 photos to just 19 (plus the few I already posted and the FOOD pictures I'll put up later!) to save you from beauty overload! Enjoy!

Hilltop view of Sestri Levante

Market in Pisa

Dan & Eric helping out the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Sunset over the Baia delle Favole (Bay of Fairy Tales)

Ahhhhh.....

Night view from our hotel, the Vis a Vis (View of a View, or something like that)

On a hike above Sestri

Sunset dinner at the Vis a Vis

Cemetery in Monterosso

My fav spot in Monterosso

One of our daily excursions to Angel's Ice Cream for Gelato w/the KC gang

Restaurants along Corso Colombo

Waves crashing in Sestri Levante -or- "Happy Toes"

High above Monterosso with terraced fields & vineyards behind

Picturesque Manarola

The Via dell'Amore between Riomaggiore & Manarola
Lovers clasp locks on the railings as a symbol of their attachment.

The restaurant that sheltered us from a downpour along the Cinque Terre.

Hi! I'm Dan! I'm from America!

Plaza in Sestri Levante

Living on a Postcard

Yes, I seem to have landed on a postcard. Not a bad view in sight. As my first taste of intercontinental travel, I believe Italy may have me hooked.

Yesterday we hiked & train-traveled the Cinque Terra, visiting 5 lovely towns between rainstorms and amid lucious views of the Mediterranean along the Ligurian coastline.

Today, I've indulged in a full body massage (Aaack! That was an adventure for this Modest Molly), time by the crashing waves, lunch with two fun gals & gelato for lunch's dessert. Now I'm on this--our patio feeling the cool breezes and enjoying the church bells tolling in the distance.

Oh, yes, and this is the view I am taking in:

Nice, eh?

Here is another look at some of yesterday's travels.

And the rocky beach where we all gathered a few gems to bring home.

Well, I've already taken more than 100 photos so this is just a taste...but I have much more to do than blog :) so enjoy your holiday while we enjoy ours!! (Hi to our kiddos having fun over at Aunt Jo's! They are having their own adventures...and Jodi is keeping me up on them on her blog, Hart of the Matter if you want to see those cuties!)