We went skiing with my family last weekend and then spent a couple of days in Denver afterward. All my life, I'll never get over MOUNTAINS.

I've been listening to this record so much lately. If I can get myself up at 6 AM, I sit in the front room with Sam, drinking coffee in the dark and looking out the windows as the sun rises. There's no stunning horizon, just a gradual change in light . . . until . . . there it is—my day. With the right music, this experience easily brings tears to my eyes.

Land I can see for miles, with only the wind whispering . . .
Oh, if you knew what it meant to me . . .

Dark Dark Dark - Daydreaming

Despite my constant wanderlusting, the best of the best days are often found in my own backyard. I'll keep yesterday as a memory to pull from my head when life's feeling too hectic and unrelenting, as a place where things are slow and sunny, loving and enjoyable.

Flowers, brunch, a documentary, books, records, and long walks—how Saturdays should always be.

My year began and ended with champagne, with my nephew and family, and friends and old roommates' cats in between. These are the photos that I don't often share—the ones that are about capturing a moment more than a beautiful frame, although I'd like the two to meld more in 2012. It's not edited or fancy, or even especially beautiful, but it was my 2011 (and that makes me smile).

A note from last year's version:
Holding down the arrow key in iPhoto, and watching my (documented) past fly by, I had the idea of making a sweet little video. It's somewhat of a slideshow, and a stop motion at times, but let's call it—a movie.

Soundtrack: Your Love is Calling My Name by The War on Drugs

I got up and went for a run and Sam cooked loaded nachos, making each chip its own entity layered with toppings and broiled. I thought about the future and the year, and finalized my goals and started off life in my newest Moleskine. Not much of a "resolution" sort of person, but I'm easily excited by goals, and changes, and starting off fresh.

So, here they are! (and over on my sidebar): my 2012 goals.

Plants and piles, and piles of plants.

It's dark and rainy here but I'm spending my four-day weekend with friends and food, and some really lovely Christmas gifts. I was emailing with Cassie yesterday about the New Year and I couldn't help but say that I was "pumped" for 2012.

Pumped, I am.

Getting everything in order before an early flight tomorrow—dishes, laundry, email, work. We'll be gone for nearly a week and it's nice to return to a clean home, ready for new things and a new year. So, the leftover sweets were taken to work this morning and the needy plants are together for a friend to water. (I wish they could always sit on the dining table like that.)

Don't expect too much of me around here. I'll be someplace where the internet is not as easy to find, and I'm glad for that.

Happy Holidays, friends. I hope you're warm and cozy, and with the people who mean the most. So so much love to you.

Around here today: 

1/ I made sticky buns—do you know how much butter's in brioche? You don't want to—and Sam cooked up eggs, bacon, and potatoes.
2/ Map of the Midwest from the 1890s, when ND and SD were simply "Dakota" and Oklahoma was "Indian Territory."
3/ Gifts and things: nut bowl and vintage ornaments from my mama, movie from my boss, books for/from everyone.
4/ There's a chance you might not be as excited about this as I am. But! Sam got me a vermicomposter. WORMS, guys—can't wait.
5/ Finishing up a project and coveting some extra large needles for a bulky scarf and hat.
6/ Gorgeous.

Sam and I exchanged gifts early this morning since we'll be busy all week before rushing off to see our families. Then, Dan and Maggie came over for breakfast and we all sat around in our pajamas, ate, drank coffee, listened to some records, and read the paper. A lovely and relaxing start, but the pressure's on for this week.

Hi there! It's gonna be a big next five days or so. (Hopefully I'll have time to share some of it.)

Happy Friday.

A big thanks to Elise Yetton for asking me to contribute to "Wanted this Week" on her blog Pennyweight. She's quite the curator of beautiful things and one of the friendliest voices I've heard online—an inspiration, to say the least. Thanks again, Elise!

You can see more details on my picks (and pics!) here.

And this is how the stockings came to be.

Just something I read recently.

Around here today:

(1) Christmas shopping for my nephew was more fun than I expected
(2) Fried egg sandwich with prosciutto and pepper, and a giant latke
(3) "The Nutcracker Suite" spinning all day in the background
(4) New Moleskine for 2012, upgraded in size from my usual (already started planning trips, goals, and projects—typical)
(5) Shadows on the newly-appointed Christmas bench
(6) Pine cones I've been collecting from the tree out front

I'm conquering a giant list today, but rewarding myself in the end. This dough is chilled and ready to be baked and I'm considering making some egg nog. I hope you all are having a relaxing evening! It's cozy here in my nest.

New sofa. New print.

We joked with one of the residents of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative about always being drawn to graphic black-and-white artwork. He pointed us to a few bright pieces and we thought we were on the right track . . .

We couldn't help it (especially because of the Gertrude Stein imagery, since I just finished this).

Just something I read recently.

It's the holidays around here.

P.S. Sam built us a coffee table—quite literally in the last photo—a couple of weeks ago, which we're still going to sand and stain. The wood is leftover flooring from the brewery and I ordered the hairpin legs from ebay.

Enjoying wearing my hair in a mess on top, just like my mom does (except hers is thick, brown, and curly). When a piece falls, I pin it back up. Wait a couple days and it'll be a nest.

[Photo by Sam]