12 in 2014 - A Photographic Year in Review

I was going to write about each of these photos but what can I say?  

Just listen for the sound of my heart stretching and breaking with each click of the shutter.

January

February 

March

April

May

June

July

 August

 September

October 

November

 December

Linking up with Dwija's 12 in 2014. 

Happy New Year!  

Purse, Projects, and Poop

First of all, I think I have a learning disability in technology.

All I wanted was to make a nice grid-like collage like Kendra did here, but I got this instead.  I'm working with PSE 11 on a Windows computer so if you have knowledge to spare, please share.  Kendra also has a cool graphic (that I couldn't make if my life depended on it), and a cool purse, and a whole lotta pens.

This is my favorite thing (not in my purse).  My purse itself.  It was a Christmas gift from Patrick in 2013 2012.  I love it and care for it and it matches everything (EVERYTHING!) and it holds all the things and will last forever because it was not cheap.

The color is cognac and the strap is just long enough for me to one-hand it over my shoulder.  The ability to one-hand it over my shoulder is key. I test-drove a lot of purses to get this feature. One strap is important too.  Very important.

Here are it's contents.

Here are the things made from paper:  receipt, notes from a meeting, Kleenex, trash, February Magnificat,
and coupons held with a butterfly clip.  Need a tissue at church? I'm your gal.  But it might be crusty.

These are the things I need because I live in Chicago and it's February:  gloves that work with my iPhone and sunglasses, mine and Jill's.  Sun glares off snow something fierce.

Hand things.  Pen, hand cream, and epi-pen for Edmund's peanut allergy. Actually, I don't know why the epi-pen is in this photo, maybe because it's a pen?

Because I'm a girl:  face powder and FIVE items for my lips.  I am addicted to these new chubby sticks from Clinique.  They don't have the best names, but they do have the best colors.  Chunkiest Chili is my favorite. See what I mean by bad names?

These are the only essential things in my purse.  Well, these and the epi-pen.  Wallet, keys (with my Masters key fob from Augusta when I saw Bubba Watson tee off.  He won that year!), and phone.

Because I'm a mom.  That epi-pen and this tiny notebook for Jill to scribble on in Mass.

That shouldn't be in there!  Peter's keys, embroidery floss, Cub Scout patches which I won't be sewing on any red vests.  That Arrow of Light will go on Edmund's new khaki Boy Scout shirt, but Cub Scouts is ovah!

Because I'm Catholic.  That Magnificat again, and my rosary.  My grandma gave me this ruby red rosary right before I left for my Rome semester in college.  Clinton was elected for the first time while I was there, so it was quite awhile ago.

The embroidery floss from up above was for this project for Cari:

I tried to do lettering that said, "Thank you for your service."  It turns out that lettering is way harder than it looks.  Just getting it straight proved impossible for me, so I ripped it out.

I love her hair.  Those are bullion knots, which were fun to do.  Yes, I need to wash the transfer ink off before I mail it.  Noses are also impossible to embroidered.

It seems I'm a sucker for all of Cari's projects because I went outside today.  I'm officially trying to hibernate, so it's rare for me to leave the house.  I went outside, slipping on the sliding ice, to get this dreadfully dreary picture of a fence.  I did not include the garbage cans, but it's still depressing.

I spy a hockey stick, an extension cord, a rusty pot hook from the previous owners, and ohmygosh that's not...oh it is, it really is a dog turd.  If Cari's fence photo has feces, mine does too.

I also spy Sunlight!

Linking up with Kendra and Cari and Jen.  Tomorrow, I think I can do even MORE link-ups in one post. Stay tuned!

Theme Thursday - Dishes

Susan made the Orange Kiss-Me-Cake from the latest issue of Cook's Country this week.  This recipe from Pillsbury is practically identical.  Cook's Country uses two oranges though.

I'm the only one who loves it, and that's okay with me.

It pairs perfectly with orange pekoe tea.

This week's theme is dishes.

I have long since stopped trying to be matchy-matchy with my dishes.  I scour thrift stores and Homegoods or TJ Maxx  for white-ish salad plates and cereal bowls.  

I have found these porcelain plates at Cost Plus World Market to be a steal (12 for $25), and they don't get those annoying gray marks from the silverware. 

Yes.  I did have another piece of that cake.  So what?

Linking up with Cari for Theme Thursday.

Theme Thursday: Hearts (and Flowers)

One of my most treasured recipes is my great-aunt Sister Christella's sugar cookie recipe.  It makes a vast quantity because she was the cook for a school with hundreds of children.  Her recipe calls for margarine (I only use butter) and milk or bourbon depending on your mood.

I used this cream cheese frosting recipe, as well as this ziploc baggie frosting technique.

I am in love with these tiny waxflowers that Jill put in her tiny cart at Trader Joe's that only tipped over once.

When your tulips start to droop (or before that happens), you can bring them right back up with pennies in the vase.  Truth.

If I had snipped off those dark furry things, these lilies would have lasted longer and smelled better.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Instant chocolate pudding to the rescue!

This is the face of desperation.

Linking up with Cari and her much more poignant and thought provoking Theme Thursday.

Theme Thursday - Church Windows

This window of the Baptism of Our Lord is at our parish.  I think the clerestory windows (which are more traditional looking) are much prettier but the sun wouldn't let me get any pictures of those.

This is a much older window from a nearby parish that has a good confessor and ZERO wait times.  Mass was going to start soon, so I couldn't get out in the open for a clear shot.

I like to go to confession as a family.

It's terribly important to me that my children see their parents, BOTH of their parents, receiving this sacrament.  

There's more than enough moms and old ladies in the confession lines and at daily mass.  My kids need to see that Manly Men receive absolution and penance too.

Now that three of my current five have a daily confession option in their schools, it's just Patrick, Edmund, and me in the line.

Hmm.  Maybe that's why the line is so much shorter!

In the vestibule/gathering space of that same nearby church, they had some pieces of windows framed and backlit.  Lovely.

Linking up with the Clan for Theme Thursday.

Rug Cleaning, Ice Fishing, and No Barn

This Saturday we went to an estate that is now owned by a Forest Preserve.  I thought for sure there would be a barn there, seeing as how they had horses there.

Yes, I could live there.

J sees horses.

Edmund ice fishes.  Is that a snowflake on my lens?

J ice fishes...or not.

Thank you Lord for ice makers, and electricity.

Not a barn, but a chapel.  Turns out this estate was owned by Catholics, once upon a time. This is the Portiuncula Chapel, a replica of the Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy.  Since St. Francis gave us the Creche tradition, we can all make some leaps and bounds and agree that this counts as a barn for Theme Thursday.

Not far from the Chapel, is this structure.  Also not a barn, but a theater.

Rug cleaning - before.  Iphone blurry pic.  Spoiler:  You can't really see a difference in the photos.

Free old-fashioned rug cleaner.

Take my word for it and my photoshop skills, that the colors are brighter.

Don't be a doubting Thomas about this rug cleaning method, because the esteemed Like Mother, Like Daughter people recommended it, as well as lots of other kooks on the internet.  Not that Aunt Leila and her girls are kooks...I'm shutting up now.

Susan's been at it again!  

Linking up with Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday Sans Barn.