Happy New Year! (Year In Review!)

Happy New Year's Eve!! 

As we say goodbye to the year 2009 we say hello to a new decade!

Where has the year gone? Where has the decade gone?? Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that we were ringing in the millenium and there was panic about the world ending!? (Though we are likely to see that again in 2012!)

Despite how quickly it flew by, 2009 has been an eventful year!

Here's my year in review!

January: 

I moved back home to California from Virginia and started school here.

I celebrated my best friend Jessi's one year angelversary.

February:

I got my driver's permit. (I still havn't gotten in the car at all yet though other than one driving lesson. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to retake the written test because the permit will expire before I get the chance to take the driving test-Hey, that's a good resolution for 2010!)

March:

I started this blog!! 

I also celebrated what would have been my snowflake's first birthday!

April:

My sister turned 21!

May:

I finished my first semester at SRJC.

 I also had my first trip to the Emergency Room of the year.

June:

I got to experience my first taste of summer in the wine country! Boy is is beautiful!

July:

We moved out of or Tahoe house officially and my dad stopped his weekly commuting from Tahoe to The Wine Country.

August:

I started my second semester at SRJC. 

I also celebrated my snowflake's one year angelversary.

September: 

I saw wine grapes on the vine for the first time! So cool!

October:

I opened my etsy shop, "The Moonlit Dandelion"!

My godfather died after he suffered a stroke.

November:

I celebrated my 18th birthday!

December:

We celebrated a beautiful Christmas together!

How was your year? 

Are you doing anything special to ring in the new decade?


In just a little while, I'll be heading out to San Francisco to ring in the new year with a group of my friends!

So pop those noise makers, get out your party hats and crack open the sparkling cider (or the champagne if you rather!) and say hello to 2010!!

It's Christmas Eve!

It's Christmas Eve already!

The tree's lit...

(and presents will be wrapped today!)

Decorations all over town have been admired...

Gingerbread houses created...

Everyone's dressed in holiday cheer...

and

Cookies have been baked for Santa's arrival!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays!

Our Holiday Card! (Also to be known as things aren't always as easy as they look!)

Happy Holidays bloggy friends!!

(both old and new!)

May I present to you our first holiday picture since...well I don't think we've ever sent out a holiday picture..

Gorgeous right?

I've wanted to do a holiday photo card forever and this year I was determined to get a family photo and make a card.

Back at the end of November, we had to get the family, my camera and my tripod to the park so I could use my self-timer on my camera and then run into the picture.

Easy right? I mean really, look how great this photo came out!

(So I guess I won't tell you about EVERY single one of the other 42 shots that came out something like this...)

I think there may be a reason we havn't taken a family portrait in over nine years...

(To my real life family who's reading out there-you and who happen to appear in these pictures, you all did great. Thank you for letting me get the ONE good shot. It worked. Thank you for also giving me the much appreciated reminder that things aren't always as easy as they look, I wouldn't trade you guys for the world. Love you!)

I also love YOU bloggy friends!

Hope your week is filled with Holly Jolly Holiday spirit!

Merry SITSmas!!

I took these pictures this time last year in snowy Lake Tahoe (while I was still living there).

Now, we've gotten the freezing temperatures but...it doesn't snow where we're living now, here in the wine country!

It's a bit crazy around here right now!

Finals week!!

The holiday season is upon us and

the tree is being decorated as I type and I put up even more lights outside today!

Wishing you and yours a very merry SITSmas!!

Thanksgiving Revisited!

I started off the day with Mod Podge!

I made this for a total of $3! I'm pretty happy with it! Now I just have to pick the perfect picture for it. =]

While watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I was busy cutting out virtual snowflakes!

HERE

So much fun and no mess!!

My mom was busy in the kitchen all day....

...with a sweet friend always near by and hoping mom'd drop something that mom managed to trip over 7 or 8 times...

Mmmm stuffing!

I even made a pumpkin pie that turned out amazing! (If I do say so myself!)

Sitting down to eat!

Sooo good!

This is the second year that my mom's gone completely allergen free for Thanksgiving for me! That's right! Everything you see (the pie included!) is dairy free, soy free, nut free, egg free, carrageenan free, and is almost completely fat free!!

Though all the recipients that ate this meal agreed that this version is SOO much better, full of taste, no Thanksgiving hangover and guilt free!

Yum!

Not just that but the table was surrounded by my mom, dad and sister-what could be better than that!?

My mom, sister and I then hit the black friday deals (we were on the road by 5am)! It was amazing how empty the stores were compared to previous years! Well we came away saving hundreds of dollars (I have become a master at coupon clipping and being thrifty!)

We also pulled out all of the holiday "stuff" and started decorating! I'm in charge of the outside of the house (which in the front yard is now almost done and is all lit up!) and part of the inside (which is almost done). The main thing left to do is to get the tree!

I'll post pictures when it's all done-just know that we go all out!!

Have you gotten the "stuff" out yet? Do you decorate for the holidays?

Hope your nice long weekend was wonderful!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

-- Albert Schweitzer

Today I'm thankful for my sister being home for the weekend, that I'm warm with clothes and shelter, for my family's health, for my mom's wonderful cooking (and that my pumpkin pies I baked this morning set okay!) and for the love I'm surrounded by.

Hope your day is full of family, friends, gratitude and food!

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Birthday Giveaway Winner!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only 2 days away??

Thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes! I 'm excited to announce that the winner of the birthday giveaway earrings is......

Rambler!

Congratulations!!

Please email me your address (at summereyes91 at yahoo dot com) so I can send them to you!

I'm in the middle of SO much homework that my professors have decided to add on now that it's nearing the holidays and the end of the semester so as soon as I get another chance to quickly slip away I'll post some birthday pictures and update you on some potentially exciting news!

It's My Birthday!

It's my birthday!

A Birthday Giveaway! (and Fall Photos!)

So there's one week left until my birthday!

In honor of my birthday I'm giving away a pair of fun gold fairy earrings!

To enter, just leave a comment!

(And you're welcome to a second entry if you follow me! Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!)

The giveaway will be closed on my birthday, Saturday the 21st!

Now, here's a few photos I took yesterday! Fall around here is beautiful right now!

Halloween Pictures and a New Piece!

I finally got around to uploading the pictures from Halloween! Better late than never right? I made a half tutu for my peacock tail and then I created a headpiece to match, I'm really happy with how the costume turned out!

I also added another piece to my Etsy shop today! I've been hard at work making holiday gifts making earrings, bracelets and necklaces! Crafting galore!

My sister came home for the 30th, I always enjoy getting to spend time with her!

My costume

My newest Etsy piece!

Hope your day is sunny and bright!

Who are you?

I've reached 66 followers!! I'm so incredibly excited!

We're busy here at the house cleaning and are about to start putting up winter decor! (Yes, I realize it's early but I'm having my birthday party in a couple of weeks and Thanksgiving's a few days later and it's so much work that we decided to try to get a move on this year!)

I'm pretty excited that I have only two classes this week, Wednesday's Veterans Day and tomorrow's a teacher work day so I have almost an entire week off!

That time will be devoted to cleaning and tackling the extra homework that my professors decided it would be fun to tack on! (A relaxing week indeed!)

So, as I work the days away, I ask all you new followers this-Who are you!?

I have come to know and love so many of you precious bloggy friends but there are so many more of you out there I havn't really gotten to know!

This is me calling out all you lurkers, in fact I'm calling out all of you awesome bloggers who are out there!

Whether this is your first time commenter or not, make yourself known and tell me about yourself!

Family? Kids? College?

Do you blog? What do you blog about?

Are you a TV/Crafting/Photography/Music/Sport Fanatic?

What makes you tick?

What makes you smile?

Who are you wonderful new and old blog friends?!

Hope your week finds you fantastic and he sunshine finds it's way to your part of the world!

'Tis The Season To Inspire Holiday Swap 2009

Inspire:(verb) To influence or impel

In your life, what Inspires you?

In the spirit of giving, in the spirit of the holiday season, how would you like to share your inspiration with someone else?

Spread the love and inspiration with the

'Tis The Season To Inspire Holiday Swap 2009!

<a href="http://thinking-of-blue.blogspot.com/2009/11/tis-season-to-inspire-holiday-swap-2009.html" target="_blank" title="Thinking of Blue"><img alt="'Tis The Season To Inspire Swap" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbfyAYKl0W5_dJ1XH6cgxgqF37sY1LySqeJW98x9_Fh1LuqQC9grWiTDQtZ9pmPq8OfNtldPht63bXNHM9Lg2zrw7jA4QPoB_2Qy7yCyX_WW-TUiNCrIZWKQAYvRhR4KST1J0BlnIt8JR/s400/iswapbutton.jpg" /></a>

You will be matched with a partner and send them a package ($20 maximum) filled with things that inspire you.

(The $20 max does not mean you need to spend $20, just that you should spend no more than that-feel free to get creative!)

Sign ups close: November 13

Send package by: November 25

Please include:

Your Name:

Your Address:

Your Blog Address:

Any Allergies You Have:

Are You Willing to Ship Internationally?:

Sign up with Mr. Linky (so everyone knows who's participating) and email me at summereyes91[at]yahoo[dot]com with the details!

I'll put up a second Mr. Linky as the packages start arriving so that the inspiration fun can be shared all around!

Be sure to make a post once you get your package showing what you received and link back up!

Feel free to take the button to help spread the word about this swap!

The more the merrier!

Understand that by signing up you are agreeing to send a package to another person so please only sign up if you're willing to follow through!

This is the first Swap I've ever hosted but I LOVE swaps so I'm excited!

Get ready to inspire!

27 Days of Thankful! Day 2!

What am I thankful for?

Day 2!

Doctors

For those of you who've been with me for a while, you know how much I struggle with medical issues (for those of you who don't, feel free to hit "The Medical Side of Me" button to the left).

The last two or three weeks have gotten scary with health issues.

I keep having these "spells" where I get incredibly dizzy (to the point where I'm running into walls) and nauseous and within a few minutes break out in a rash.

I also have severe "brain fog" where I have trouble keeping up in conversations and classes.

I went to the neurologist today and got another "Well, you should disgard everything the last doctor told you, I can't help you,I don't know what's wrong, I don't know who to send you but hope things get better for you, have a nice day."

I left in tears (there's only so many times a person can take hearing that) but returned home to a phone call from my favorite doctor who made an appointment for me to see him on Friday (he's hours away from where I live) and reminded me that no matter how difficult my case is, he's not going to give up searching for an answer.

I so dearly love this man!

Happy Monday!

27 Days of Thankful! Day 1!

Amanda over at Serenity Now is hosting the 27 Days of Thankful this month.

The idea is to post something big or small that you're thankful for each day, leading up to Thanksgiving!

Day 1

November.

Indeed I am thankful for the month of November.

November brings many things, my birthday, my aunt's death anniversary, the colors in the changing leaves of fall and most of all Thanksgiving, the reminder to look around and realize how much love I have, how many wonderful memories I've made and how thankful I am that I've come into my own and have finally begun to embrace who I really am.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

My mom and I carved pumpkins and our little witch got set out this morning! Now we wait until nightfall when all the pumpkins will be glowing!

Witchy goodness!

My pumpkin!

My mom's pumpkin!

Wishing you a safe and Happy Halloween!!