++Ten on Tuesday++

1. So this is my new strategy to keeping up with this thing.  I think I'll aim to post ten things every Tuesday.  Sometimes with photos.  Sometimes without.  There you have it.

2. This one probably won't have photos.  Sorry.  Christmas happened.  It was cloudy and overcast and DARK for all of our celebrations which means yucky yucky photos.  Clearly mother nature and Santa didn't chat. 

3. After Christmas we were all a little stir-crazy here so we headed to Portland with Mark for a night.  The plan was to tag along on a business trip sometime.  He didn't really have business to attend to.  I made him schedule a coffee meeting so we could expense our hotel room.  Always thrifty!  Did I mention the weather was generally yucky when we were there?  Portland is cute.  The kids liked the hotel pool best.  We decided next time we'll just go to Bellevue and they'll be thrilled!

4. Since I haven't been blogging you've missed out on exciting personal news from me like that I have braces now.  Well, not really braces, but Invisalign.  When your mom tells you to wear your retainers, listen to her.  It's way better when your parents pay the bill!  I'm super excited for the results though.  Maybe I'll post an "after" shot.

5. Another thing you missed is that I hired an online designer who I found in blog-land to design my master bedroom for me.  I love design and know what I like when I see it, I just struggle and hem and haw, which really means lots of time and not a lot of action.  This was so much easier!  Here is my moment of glory on her blog.  We've implemented a good bit of the results and are really happy.  A lot of it (those lamps?) pushes me outside of my comfort zone but in a good way.  Comfortable is boring.

6. I have her lined up to do Claire's room too.  She's finally going to get a proper room.  She has had hand-me-down furniture and live-with-what's-there paint colors her whole life.  I know.  Poor thing.  Someone should really report us to the authorities. 

7. Speaking of design.  Do you do Pinterest?  Love it.  Love Love Love.  I was able to send my designer a link to my bedroom file and it was done!  Easy as pie.  Even Mark likes it as it theoretically should eliminate piles of magazines and tear-outs for my "someday" folder. Theoretically.

8. I looked back at my resolutions from last year and I think I accomplished two...which were probably the most out of my control: no more diapers and no moving.  Well, there's always 2012.

9.  I am in the beginning stages of planning a princess tea party for a soon-to-be three-year-old.  We are 100% princess obsessed here.  Ironically she hasn't seen any of the movies as they aren't that easy to come by.  We have some books.  She carries around on them.  And costume catalogs. All day.  I am trying to use it to my advantage.  My latest is "princesses don't show their panties."

10. The kids are finally back in school today.  So good for them.  So good for me. 

Here's hoping you'll see me back at these parts next week!