2011 in Review

Now that 2011 is almost over, I figured I'd take you all with me for a trip down memory lane, remembering some highlights of this past year. Putting this post together made me realize how busy and eventful and miraculous of a year it has been!

We started off in January visiting Disney Land! It was hands-down, one of our best vacations ever. Something about Disney just makes me feel like a kid again, in the best way.

Can't miss the teacups....

Tagging along with our Disney trip, we also visited the new Harry Potter park, where I totally geeked out!

Loved the random owl guy.

We spent lots of fun time with family....

And I got to experience CHA for the first time, in Anaheim in January! It was so wonderful to be able to interact in person with so many online scrappy buddies. And it's funny how quickly you can pick up in real life!

I also became an official lawyer this year! And got a job I love. So, all good news on that front!

We spent Purim with some of my best friends growing up.

And just a few months later, after months of disappointment, THIS came along!

While still feeling nauseous and tired, I jetted off to Chicago for CHA Summer, spending more wonderful time with friends.

And a few months later, in September, we headed out to Key West!

We loved the sunshine, ocean, swimming, and frozen limeades:)

And best of all, I got to share the good news with all of you:)

Thank you for tagging along with me this year, and for all of the stories, kindness, and love you've shared with me. I never expected this little blog to lead to so much friendship and happiness, but it really has. Here's to a happy, healthy 2012 for all of you!

Festival of Lights

Well, Chanuka is a bit more than halfway over (I always get a little nostalgic when both sides of the menorah have candles), but I have a Chanuka post to share anyway.

For my Write. Click. Scrapbook project this month, I whipped up a little Chanuka decor.

I had fun creating the banner--I used blue and white (Chanuka colors), but added in some yellow and ledger to give it a lighter, more vintage feel. And because I can always use some ledger.

If you'll notice, this menorah is actually a leaning menorah, and therefore can't be used for candlelighting (all the candles are supposed to be level), but it does look pretty. I always wish I could just bend it a bit the other way!

A few Chanuka candles add some color....

I created this centerpiece using a sticker from Crafting Jewish Style--a great source for Jewish holiday-themed scrapbooking projects. (PS--I don't get money from CJS, I just like the products and people. Disclaimer over:))

Here are some fun Chanuka links around the scrappy web:

• Some fun Chanuka crafts and giveaways at CJS

• Chanuka scrapbook pages over at Scrapbooks, Etc.

• And a cute Chanuka take on the holiday cookie exchange

If you find any other fun projects, please link me up and I'm happy to add them here!

And before I go, I want to take a minute to think about the actual meaning of Chanuka. Amid the great food (latkes and jelly doughnuts, oh my! Although not too diabetic-friendly, so boo to that!) and fun menorah lighting and songs, I have to remind myself to step back and get to the point of it all.

The Chanuka story is about a battle between the Jews and Greeks, who were trying to prohibit the practice of Judaism. It celebrates that element of being Jewish that involves being different, doing something other the rest of the world, which is not hard to relate to during to the Christmas season. Being different isn't easy--it wasn't when I was the only kid with a dreidel taped to my desk in 4th grade, and it isn't always a comfortable feeling now. But it's part of our story, and so important. For a fun take on the rest of the Chanuka story, check out the classic Maccabeats video:)

And of course, the ultimate miracle of Chanuka is the oil that lasted for eight days and eight nights. As I said in my earlier post, I'm so in awe of the miracle of my own this year--I look down and just can't believe that after all the treatments, it finally worked. I still have to pinch myself sometimes.

What's been YOUR greatest miracle this season?

Happy Chanuka!

To those of you celebrating Chanuka, wishing you a very happy first night!! And to everyone else, wishing you a happy and fun holiday season!

I'm off to do some menorah-lighting, dreidel-playing and possibly a eensy teensy piece of gelt-eating:)

PS--Remember this photo? It's from my Scrapbooks, Etc. Chanuka layout featured here. I can't believe that here I am, one year later, so close to having a baby at last. Miracles indeed.

Ele's Studio December Gallery

Happy Sunday everyone! This may be a bit of weepy post, because it's my LAST inspiration gallery as an Elle's Studio team member. I can't say enough how much I've loved being part of this team. Elle is a fabulous person to work with, her products are top-notch quality with adorable patterns, and best of all, they coordinate perfectly with the rest of your stash! I would definitely recommend applying for this team in the future!

But now onto business--the December Inspiration Gallery.

For this gallery, each DT member used one of the two December project kits. I chose Jack Frost:

I also LOVED the other kit, but I went with the less Christmassy option:)

I went with a snowy feel for this layout (loved using the Studio Calico Shine mist that comes with the kit) and added a Maya Road kraft doily from my stash.

I seriously can't get enough of Crate's woodgrain patterned papers. When will they make 25 packs of these, I ask you?

This layout is about how I grew up in Hawaii (fun little fact about me) and moved to Ohio and was THRILLED about snow. And I still love the white fluffy stuff, although my new routine driving to work may complicate that this year!

For my next layout, I brought in bolder colors to the color scheme--I love how you can use the same kit to create layouts with really different feels to them.

In case you can't see it clearly, the paper in the photo says "snow day." S took this photo 2 years ago I think, when I was desperately hoping for a snow day and my wishes for finally fulfilled! Journaling reads: Snow days are CLEARLY the very best part of winter!

And those are my December projects for Elle's! I may make a few projects by January 15th as part of the withdrawal process, so I'll share those on here in if I do:)

In other news, S and I are driving to Philadelphia to see family today. And I'm hoping to continue the great "let's compare these 5,000 stroller options and choose one without our brains exploding" debate in the car. Fun stuff!

What are YOU up to this Sunday?

Scrappy....Monday?

This was supposed to be a Scrappy Sunday post, but then I got lazy:) Oh well. Thanks for all of your kind comments about my last post. I'm only 3 days in, but so far the finger pricking is a lot less scary than it was initially and I'm getting used to the diet. I even got to eat a Dunkin Donuts munchkin today--score!!

I have an old layout to share with you today. I made this back in Kelly's Sketchbook 3 class. The colors are a lot bolder than my usual girly style, but I had fun with it:)

In other news, I'm very happy that winter has finally hit New Jersey. Something just seems wrong when you're wearing no jacket on Thanksgiving. I'm loving the cold weather:) Although now that I drive to work, I'm not quite as keen on being blanketed with snow!

What's going on in YOUR life this week?

Life....It Ain't Easy

I wrote this post a few days ago but wasn't ready to share it just yet--

I haven't talked about it too much on here, but this pregnancy has been a roller coaster from 20 weeks on. First it was a concern about chromosomal abnormalities (now gone), then an issue with bunny's heartbeat which led to me cutting out all caffeine. After that, there were concerns about preeclampsia, and today I found out that I have gestational diabetes as well. Sometimes it feels like just when I've adjusted to one piece of news, another one is hitting me.

One of the hardest parts of infertility was accepting that something so easy for other people was so difficult for me. I was so angry about potentially doing IVF--it just did not seem fair that I would have to jam needles in my stomach once a day to get pregnant while other people had honeymoon babies. And of course, it really isn't fair. Lately, I've struggled a little with feeling frustrated that my body has made this pregnancy so complicated while other people have an uneventful nine months. I worry that bunny will be somehow worse off for growing inside me of all people.

But I try to remember this: that going through the pain of infertility is probably the best training to be grateful for a challenging pregnancy. That I'm so, so thankful to be pregnant even if I have to eat nothing but spinach for the next few months (kidding! Or at least I hope so!). That life may not be fair, but as unfair-ness goes, I'm hardly in the worst position. (Although I will add that it still boggles my mind that people have babies doing something actually fun!)

So I'm keeping my eye on the ball--one happy, healthy little baby coming up right up, G-d willing:)

Holiday Homes--Purim edition!

Our gallery topic for Write. Click. Scrapbook this month was Holiday Homes. Since I don't (a) have a house or (b) celebrate Christmas, I decided to go way out of the box for this theme and use some fun photos from Purim, a holiday we celebrate in March. What I love about Purim is how it fills up our entire house--crazy costumes hanging in the closet, shalach manot gift baskets spread out assembly-style on the floor, last-minute baking attempts (see chicks below) covering the counters and dining room table.

For this layout, I kept the design pretty simple and focused on the photos. I loved the Crate "Hello my story is" sticker and was happy to use it here!

And a little close-up.....

Check out the December gallery here to see what the other girls whipped up!

So tell me, what does YOUR holiday home look like today?