Christmas & New Years Recap

Happy January 2, friends!!  It's the first of the year, and I find myself very introspective, thoughtful and filled with hope & wonder for this new year.  It is quite cathartic actually...this beginning of the new year daydreaming.  I will have a lot more to share on that as I continue to gather my thoughts & figure out what I want 2014 to be all about.

Before I do that, I would love to give a little recap of Christmas time around the Lawson abode!  My parents & gramma Penny visited during the second week in December.  It was so nice to have my family around me for a week... I didn't even realize how much I actually missed them until they got here, & I didn't want to let go of them.  They arrived in Fargo to about -19 degrees, & it didn't warm up much the entire time they were here.  Lol!  But, we made the best of it, & had a completely wonderful time.  Here are some of my favorite photos while they were here:

First morning in Fargo...the pups were so happy to have more laps to sit on.  My mom, gramma & Josh were crocheting/knitting fools during there time here!

We took them out for a really lovely dinner at the Hotel Donaldson, or HoDo as we "locals" call it.  Our waiter, Jet, was amazing.  The food was even more amazing.  I was so full when he started explaining all the desserts, & even though I really wanted to try the dessert of the day...Josh was already ordering a different one, & I didn't want to order one only to take a couple bits.  Well...he brought one to me on the house, & it might have been the most amazing cake I have ever had in my life.  Everyone else felt the same way, & it wasn't long before we had eaten every single bite of it.  I didn't even get a photo of it...that is how quickly we finished it off.  Lol!! He even mastered my camera & took this nice photo of all of us together.

We had a day just out & about, stopping at shops, having fun, & taking photos (including the obligatory one with the Fargo Theatre in the background....we were FREEZING.  But it had to be done!)

Then we had our "Christmas Eve" together, including opening our Christmas PJ's, eating appetizers & taking our family photo in said PJ's!!

The next morning we had Christmas, & opened our stockings and gifts for each other.  We had mimosas & cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  We enjoyed just hanging out together at home, & had our Christmas dinner together.

We spent the next day just hanging out & being together because my family had to get up bright & early the next morning to head back home to Montana.  I can admit...I would have really struggled this Christmas if they hadn't been able to come.  It didn't matter to me that we celebrated early...I needed this little bit of normalcy in my life during this whirlwind holiday season in a place still pretty foreign to me.

I was a pretty mopey girl the day that my family left.  But then I received a text message that just made my day...my bestie's parents, Christy & Steve, were in Morehead attending a family funeral, & wanted to meet us for coffee before they headed back to Montana themselves.  It turned my attitude right around, & was such a Christmas blessing for me.

We had our first Christmas this year, just the two of us.  It was quiet, but we enjoyed just being together.  We went to a candlelight Christmas Eve service at a church that is just a few blocks from us.

I also took photos of our tree on Christmas Eve night.

The next morning we got up and opened our stockings & gifts from each other.  Josh SPOILED me like always!!!

{Holy cow...that is a lot of photos of me.  Sorry- I hope I don't seem like a selfish brat....I just wanted to share how thoughtful my hubby is!!}

He filled my stocking with the Velvet Sugar collection from Bath & Body Works.  It smells SO good..I highly recommend it.  :)  I am at home most of the day, & wanted some cute sweatshirts that were warm but still cute in case I need to answer the door or run a quick errand.  He got the three of them at Target...and I love them!!  {I am wearing the Happy one right now!!}  The jeans are my favorite line from Maurices...they fit so cute & don't cost a fortune.  Oh my new teapot...I would have NEVER splurged on this myself.  I have been secretly coveting it ever since laying eyes on it.  Seriously- it's aqua (my fave color) & ombre...what's NOT to love about it.  {Not to mention I've been boiling water in a pan since moving here.  We got rid of the Keurig when we moved, which used to provide my hot water for tea & cocoa.)  I adore that teapot.  I've used it EVERY DAY since I opened it.

The headband & scarf might be the coolest gift though.  We found this little boutique in downtown Fargo that I really love called Fowlers Heritage Company.  It is a little spendy, but I love so many of the items in there...especially their hats, headbands, scarves & mittens.  Anyways...we went in there when my parents were here, & I fell in love with this headband & scarf set.  Little did I know that Josh had gotten them for me for Christmas!!  As I was looking at them, I started reading the tag....& I became really happy.  This item came from Nirvanna Designs Inc., & this is what the tag says:

"By purchasing this item, YOU help support women of Nepal.  All items are hand knit by Nepalese women, allowing them to earn a living working from their homes while taking care of their families."

I toured a beading/jewelry/pottery facility in Nairobi, Kenya while on a missions trip in December of 2010.  It was started by an American couple who felt the need to give women a safe place to work so they could care for their children.  It employed SO many women.  And they made such beautiful product.  And it shook me to my core, because on the trip I realized how hard women have it in countries like this.  So, I am just happy that a Christmas gift that I really wanted also gave money to a company that makes my heart happy. 

Josh was spoiled too...but I will just share his very favorite Christmas gift.

We went & took our Christmas photo in the downtown area by the Fargo clock...I love this photo!!

And then we went to the movies!  I didn't take any photos....but we went to see the second Hobbit movie on the Ultra Screen.  Josh really liked it.  I liked it, but it felt like a filler movie.  A plus- my favorite hottie elf was in it...yay for Legalos!! Tee hee!  :) 

And then it was New Year's Eve.  I was a little sad during the day, because the past few years we had hosted parties where us & our closest friends got all dressed up, took tons of photos, drank champagne, ate appetizers, & rang in the new year together.  We just don't know enough people here yet to host a party like this, so instead we went over to the house of some friends we have made.  And it was a fun night!  No dressing up, but we still ate, drank, played games & kissed our significant others at midnight.

Phew...you've made it to the end of this super long, photo heavy post!!  Lol!!  I know this wasn't crafty related at all..and I hope that is okay.  My blog is going to start being a mix of crafty & personal type posts, & I hope that you enjoy all of them!!

I will have some more crafty related items very soon on my blog...I'm just super busy right now getting stuff ready for CHA & trying to get business stuff done for a wedding show I have coming up on the 12th.

I still have my December Daily album to share with you, but I have to get my prints ordered first.  I don't print at home any longer, & I don't even have a photo printer.  So- I couldn't share as the days went along.  Will you be alright if I share it in January?  I know it is the month after Christmas...but I am pretty proud of how it turned out since it was my first time ever creating an album like this.

How was your Christmas & New Years?  I would love to hear!!

I hope that you are having the greatest 2014 so far....

Until later,
~L.