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I was recently reading The Creative Mama and was overcome with motivation to tackle a photo project for 2012. A photo a day for the next year, starting yesterday, Saturday, January 21st, 2012. Eeeek. I’m a little nervous putting this in writing, but hopefully writing it here will only help me stick to the challenge. Last year I was so disappointed with my personal photography. I took less personal photos in 2011 than most years since Conner was born. I’m hoping this will kick that for 2012.

I was so blown away by Amy Bader’s results from this challenge last year. The shadows on her floor, piles of folded laundry, silly smiles and her self portraits. The ins-and-outs of her family. I love them all. I couldn’t stop thinking about what an amazing book this would be for my boys, for our family and thought, I have to do this. I’m not the best at keeping my camera handy lately. I also struggle with putting down my phone, not checking email, etc. so I’m hoping this will help me knock out those distractions. I’m also hoping this will help me stay present, positive and focus on all the little things I love most about us and our lives together as a family. This is my new year’s resolution.

Care to join me?

We are on day 3 of 2012 and I’ve already turned a year older. My birthday was yesterday. What a way to start the new year, right? This was the first year I actually felt older and was a little bummed about it but hey, atleast I got it out of the way. Bren and the boys gave me a pair of new Uggs which have already come in handy since it’s 25 degrees here today.

I’m dragging my new-boot clad feet over here after nearly two weeks of vacation. I’ve been procrastinating with organizing my home and office, catching up on a few of my favorite blogs, signing Conner up for his extra curricular classes, shopping on westelm.com and now I might even go get a manicure. I’ve returned emails and cleaned out my mailbox, made myself a long list of things to do for both personal and work and plan to keep organized with these two recent purchases, a new desktop calendar and chalkboard for our kitchen. I use my Iphone calendar but this will help keep my babysitter and husband on board. I like to write down reminders and have our schedule on display to make sure our days go smoothly.

And now, a few photos from our New Year’s Eve. We spent the evening with friends making pizzas for the kids, pasta bolognese for the adults and of course drinking a few cocktails. To view more pics like this, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram. If you haven’t joined yet, add downloading the app to your 2012 to-do list. You won’t be sorry.

Do you Instragram? It’s my latest obsession and I’m head over heals. For a photographer this is a little like crack. It’s basically twitter for photos. Instant photo gratification, at your finger tips, on your Iphone. What’s better? If you don’t Instagram you should. Join the masses, download the App, and follow me here or by clicking on the new top right button on my header.

A little taste (compliments of Instagram) of what our Christmas countdown has been like over here in Chappaqua. Our days and nights have been filled with mint chocolate chip and candy cane milkshakes, poinsettia picking, cutting down and decorating out tree, dinner in NYC, visits from “Rusty,” our version of the elf-on-the-shelf, cooking a few of our favorite winter meals and mailing out our cards. Lovin’ this time of year.

We are in California for the week. We stepped off the plane yesterday and were greeted by a bright blue sky, a flood of sunshine and nice cool breeze. Ahhh… Such a nice change of pace after our spastic weather in the northeast over the past few months.

Both Brendan’s and my family will unite on Thursday and prepare a grand meal for a party of 15. We’ll cook while watching the parade on TV and I’ll think back to when my dad and step-mom used to drag us into the city at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving morning, to watch a parade that we couldn’t even see, being 4′ tall. All I remember are the tops of the floats dancing by the sea of winter coats I was sandwiched in. We would freeze our tails off while relentlessly whining until the folks finally caved, deciding it was time to head back to Westchester. It would take the entire ride home to defrost.

I can make one promise to Conner and Ty. I will never drag them into the city for a parade they are too short to see, while they freeze their butts off. Instead we will take them to Cali where there is guaranteed sunshine and they can watch the parade on TV, in front of a fire, even though it’s 55 degrees out.

Our menu consists of the following items; turkey, Italian fig and prosciutto stuffing, green beans and radicchio, roasted carrots and parsnips, brussels sprouts, mashed and sweet potatoes, wheatberry and quinoa salad, cranberry sauce and 3 pies, one of which is flown in from Texas. We’ll top it off with a viewing of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I’ll be back with all the links and details. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This past weekend we went to friends for a little dinner soiree. The head chef Lisa, just completed the Institute of Culinary Education’s program so dinner was very tasty, to say the least. Baked from scratch bread with garlic, ricotta, lemon zest and honey kicked things off. Next up was a celery, red onion and olive salad with homemade pasta and bolognese sauce. And then, out came the panna cotta which was pure heaven. After dinner drinks consisted of this and this, while listening to this, which you must listen to. She rocks. Cheers.

To say this Halloween has been an adventure, is an understatement. Due to this lovely October snow storm, we have been with out power since Saturday and aren’t expected to get it back until Wednesday the earliest, Friday the latest. When we heard the temperatures were dipping into the twenties on Sunday evening, we decided to pack up and head into NYC to stay at a hotel. It was the perfect excuse for a little adventure.

Our little excursion has made me think about living here again, and what it would have been like if we stayed here. There is alot to be said for living in NYC. It’s been nice to hop outside in the morning to a neighborhood park, coffee in hand, and meet up with a best friend from college. Such a nice change of pace. I love our house and the burbs, but NYC sure does make things easy, in some ways.

Tonight we went trick-or-treating in our friend’s building next door to our hotel. The boys dressed as Captain Hook and Peter Pan and ate gobs of candy. We ordered really good pizza and it was just like 3 years ago when we were NYC residents. Sigh.

It’s supposed to warm up today so we are heading home. I’ll be back to post more of our adventures when we get power, internet and our lives back on track.

This morning I took Conner to the gym with me and on the way home, per his request, we stopped to get a box of munchkins. As we drove, singing to one of his favorite Rihanna tunes, I looked at his smiling face in my rear view mirror and thought to myself how thankful I am to have moments like this. It’s the simple things that I love the most.

We live in a world where so many of the simple things have been forgotten. Where we are always rushing to get to the next place. Where we cram in as much as possible into the 24 hours that make up our day. I think about how much life has changed since we grew up. God, since our parents grew up. I think back to the days when I spent my school vacations with my grandmother in Golden, Colorado. Days that were made up of root beer floats, games of Yahtzee, studying jigsaw puzzles and making cookies. We would sit for hours at her kitchen table covered in one of her many handmade tablecloths, as she entertained me with food and games. I can still hear her shuffling the cards for another round of Uno. The golden light would stream in from the window and bathe us at that table overlooking the Rockie Mountains. When we were done we would head outside to hang the laundry on the clothes-line and fill the hummingbird feeders. The day would end with my wet head against a cool pillow. The window left open inviting that sweet Colorado air and the soundtrack of the cars humming down the highway, to soothe me to sleep.

The simple things are what I like to remember. I hope my boys will do the same.

Me and my grandmother, 1978

Involves shopping for the fall. I believe hard work should be rewarded by investing in your wardrobe. The best place to invest our hard earned dollars, right? Here is a little of what I’ve purchased lately, mostly online.

Some cool new jeans by EmersonMade.

A new velvet jacket, also by EmersonMade.

The only perfume I’ve worn for the last 5 years, Stella.

Some cool new eyeshadow by Bare Escentuals.

And liquid eyeliner to match by Lancome.

A Tory Burch belt.

One last item I have my eye on, this cool top from Intermix.

And when you’re tired from shopping I recommend a mani and pedi in the OPI color, I Brake for Manicures. My favorite fall color. The name says it all.

I have 3 cold sores.

Conner turned 5 last week and we had a gorgeous party at home that I spent weeks planning and only have about 5 photos to show for it.

Every time around this year I say I’m not going to stress out.

And then, guess what, I stress out.

I’ve worked out once in the last week.

I’ve had very little time to blog and now I’m going to blog about what’s annoying me.

It’s been a busy few weeks. I’ve had to remove myself from twitter and facebook for awhile because I haven’t had the time and when I do, that’s not what I want to be doing with my spare moments. I’ve really tried to make my children the priority with work running a close second and I actually feel like I’ve been successful.

I’m tired and here I am blogging at 11:26pm but I feel like I owe you all something other than Hamptons posts. A little insight into my world which I’m assuming isn’t any different than yours. Why is fall, my favorite, most beautiful time of the year, have to be the busiest? Why can’t it be crazy town when it’s snowing buckets outside in February? I’ve heard from so many of you, you’re working on kindergarten applications, working your tail off and/or just dealing with the typical craziness of raising kids and settling into the school year. Make yourself feel better and vent a bit. Tell me what’s annoying you these days. My best friend and I always say we feel better if we “whine about it,” so feel free and whine.