Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008!

It has been awhile since Ive posted last... unintentional hiatus, but the holiday's got in the way. Before my short vacation from school and work, things were uber crazy. I was baking cookies for friends, shopping for last minute gifts and trying to pick up the holiday spirit that was lacking because school and work.

my holiday bakes

The thesis is going rather well if I do say so myself. I have 31 days to basically wrap up the statistical analysis and writing - then it is off for the defense which is basically editing and defending the findings and writing to several professors and educators who will come back and say, "what about this" or "what are you trying to say here?" etc. Constructive criticism and tough guts. The final semester is looming.

I did get into the holiday spirit after shopping for two needy families that our office sponsored this year. It has become a tradition of the office marketing manager and I to do the shopping, as I have been doing this for three years now. I always manage to pick up on the season when I venture to the store to pick up goodies, new clothes, and basic necessities that many of us don't put a second thought to, like tooth brushes, undergarments, pajamas, socks, hats and gloves. I stayed up all night one evening to get as much of it done as possible. I had to stop early because we ran out of boxes to wrap in, and I didnt have alot of extras around the house. The office folks lended a helping hand to wrap up the remaining items the Friday before Christmas. It was fun to see all of the wrapped presents go out the door and to the organization which makes sure that the families recieve their gifts! After this, I was finally excited for Christmas. After a good nights sleep, I was ready to formally celebrate the season. I finished wrapping the gifts for my family and spent some time with Tula since she has been a bit neglected lately. She loved the catnip sticks that I got her.

Christmas morning this year was cool. We had everyone together and my brother's girlfriend came by to open gifts with us, along with Yaiyia too. We made cinnamon rolls and listened to holiday music while we each went around taking turns while opening gifts. I got some cool and exciting things.

Martini Christmas Ornaments: mom knows I love Christmas Ornaments. These were perfect! I also got some from CB2 for my friend L, because she likes martinis, cosmos, and Sex and the City too.

The Vintage Santa cake pan by Williams Sonoma. It is kinda late to test drive it this year, but next year I plan to pull it out and make something fun!

The Fortune Cookie Ornament: I just thought it was cool, and unique :)

To ring in the new year, and to celebrate my anniversary, I traveled to Dallas to spend time with good friends and family. We had a nice dinner and then headed downtown to watch the fireworks at Victory Park. It was almost midnight when we got there, so we saved some time and stayed in the car with the heater going to see the fabulous display. My husband kept asking me if I was going to take a picture for my blog... he was poking fun at me, so I decided to just watch them in the warmth of the heater instead. The show was great. We got back on the highway before the traffic got going. It was super. Today I had lunch with all of my friends and I finally got to exchange gifts with one of my best friends, L, and she totally surprised me with the Jonathan Adler fish ornament. It is ceramic, and too cute. Immediately reminded me of Tula, and I can always appreciate her impeccable taste in design, as she is a fellow designer :)

I was thinking this evening that I have not exactly set forth any new years resolutions just yet. It reminded me of one of my Christmas gifts, the Intelligence Deck:50 tips for living which is one of my most favorite things I received this year. It is a deck of cards, and it has been tempting to go through and read them all in one sitting. I decided that since it has about 50 cards in it, that Ill post one here every week. Not to infringe on the publisher of the deck, but to be inspired and to have a topic of writing or discussion. Good times. Also available, the Elegance Deck and the Strength Deck.


The Intelligence Deck, card 1 of 50 (actually the cards are not numbered, but this was the one in front when I opened up the deck):

"Le Chic Chick knows... to Appreciate the Business as Much as the Bag..."

"A lot of work goes into developing brand identity and well - crafted products. If you admire a designer or favor a particular brand, take the time to read their history. Don't just wear a pair of Gucci shoes, know how Guccio Gucci started the business back in 1921. Appreciate your purchases as well as the people who created your precious possessions."

A good tip to live by - and I do know first hand that there are lots of interesting facts behind designers, their lives, and where their inspirations came from. I know more about architects, furniture and industrial designers than I do about fashion designers, so I will have to branch out and learn more about those who clothe our soles. (pun intended...)

So to everyone out there, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a healthy and happy 2008!