Monthly Archives: December 2011

Dec 31

2012 Predictions

With the new year almost here, I thought I would share a few of my New Year’s predictions. I promise none of them are scary, this is just for fun, and to test my trend-spotting skills. I can’t wait for the new year though, I am so ready to say good-bye to 2011!

So here we go:

  1. 2011 was the year of the Extreme-Couponer, I predict that 2012 will be the year of Frugal living. Yes, frugality is the new “green”that will save you some green in 2012 I predict a frugal movement where we pinch our pennies even harder, and we find all sorts of new ways to live frugally. Yeah! Take-that over priced stores, frugality rules!
  2. 2011 was the year of the Pie, 2012 will be the year of “Roll” Desserts. Cupcakes have had their moment, pie has had it too, it’s time to bring back the retro desserts which include the Pumpkin Roll, Red Velvet Cake Roll, and Swiss Chocolate Cake Roll. Oh yeah it’s time to get our Jelly Roll cake pans out and get on a roll!
  3. We will be cooking more at home… With restaurant prices on the rise, and quality that is hit or mess, this one goes hand-in-hand with the frugal movement. The home cooks will be busy in 2012, but the meals will be extra tasty.
  4. Home Gardening and Home Canning will be on the rise. I predict that even if you have an itty-bitty bit of outdoor space, it will be filled with garden goodies in 2012. We will all be busy canning and preserving our garden treats to enjoy through the year, and again pinch those grocery pennies. I want to learn how to make Strawberry preserves and Pickles.
  5. Stew is the new bean. 2011 was the year when legumes were on the rise and back on the menu, I think that 2012 is when we bust out the Crock Pots and bring on the stews! I know my family won’t complain about this prediction, I make a mean Beef Stew.

When it comes to my own life…

  1. I predict no shortage of crumbs on the floor, and maybe 2 more stick-vacs in my future.
  2. I predict many more sleepless nights, the littlest one is 2 now, and still not sleeping. Maybe I’ll have sleep in 2013.
  3. I predict I will set a ton of goals for getting the house together and maybe I’ll accomplish one of them.
  4. I predict many more grumpy filled days, and migraine filled weeks.
  5. I predict many more blog posts, many more pictures, and no more pets. One kitty is enough.

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Happy New Year!

Here’s to a better 2012!

    Dec 29

    Q&A: All About Christmas

    I hope to make this a monthly  theme on NicoStuff. I received lots of questions, and I’ve decided to kick things off with a Christmas theme.

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    Barbara a.k.a. Nana asks “What was your favorite Christmas gift that you gave?”

    This one is easy for me, and I give the same gift every year to the grandmas in our family.

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    I like to give photo albums. I take pictures throughout the year, and I fill an album full of photos of the kids. I take a little extra time to write on the back of each photo the date, and where we were when we got the photo taken. There are cute shots, candid shots, and shots from the everyday day to day. Both Grandma and Nana seem to like this present too. Working on the photo album year long helps me look forward to the holidays too.

    Barbara a.k.a. Nana also asks “What was your favorite Christmas gift?”

    Hmmm, right now my favorite gift would be cookbooks!

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    Well cookbooks, and books in general. I love to read, and even though I don’t have too much extra time to, I can pick up a cookbook and have fun flipping through the pages. I lucked out this Christmas, and my sweet family got me four cookbooks.

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    Susan of Reconstructing Pearl asked a great question (and a few more great questions ) too “When will you take your Christmas tree down?”

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    Susan, I try to set a goal of having the Christmas tree and all decorations put away by New Year’s Day. I don’t always achieve this one, but I think that New Year’s Day is a good day to get it all done.

    Locally we have a lot of people who leave their decorations up well into March and April, and many homes have outdoor lighting that stays in place all year long, but they don’t turn them on at night. I try to keep the outdoor decorations simple, so that way there isn’t too much to put away at the end of the holiday season.

    I might even be early this year with the outdoor decorations, we’ve got fairly warm weather this week, and I want to get it all done while the weather is cooperating.

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    I will miss the lights though… I love the way they softly illuminate the house at night. It is so very pretty.

    Thanks for reading, and keep the questions coming.

    Dec 28

    4124 as of 12/26/2011

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    I’m planning a few year end posts, and one of them involves photos. I got a little curious as  to just  how many photos I take over the course of a year. I did the math and as of 12/26/2011 I had taken 4,124. I’m going to have a lot to sort through before I find a few favorites.

    October came in as the month that I took the most photos with 655, and January came in with the least at 176.

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    Now the real question… I wonder just how many of those photos were cat related?!?

    Dec 27

    Christmas Was A Blur

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    They ran around like crazy, tore into every present with record speed. They left a trail of wrapping paper and torn boxes in their wake, but I have to say it was one of the best Christmases ever. We had our families all together, and it was great fun.

    Thank you again for the beautiful Christmas <3

    Dec 26

    The Christmas Clean-Up

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    Every room in the downstairs level looks exactly like this…

    I’ll be cleaning until next Christmas.

    Hope you had an extra happy one though.