best of 2012

Twenty-twelve was filled with special moments... both big and small... Trips to far away lands... time with family... lessons in waiting... lots of flights to Atlanta... projects galore... adoption paperwork... just to name a few.  Here are some of my favorite moments from this past year...  (many of these photos have a post all of their own, click the link below the photo to read more)

...Bob's baptism...

(Bob has an amazing story... many of you have already heard his story from our newsletters, but I just realized I've never posted about it here on the blog... will have to work on fixing that)

...lessons in waiting...

...family in Louisville...

...beach day with mom...

...turning 31...

...Lance in Nepal...

...beach week with family...

...adoption application...

...Lance in Turkey...

...Christmas in July party...

...family reunion...

...adoption updates...

...hosting our first Thanksgiving...

...8 trips to Atlanta for work...

...Christmas in Houston...

As I filtered through my previous posts and mounds of photos, I was constantly reminded of how extremely blessed we are.  While this year wasn't without it's rough spots, I can't help but to have a grateful heart.  Twenty-twelve, thanks for being awesome... Twenty-thirteen, I can't wait to see what you have in store!

dear december

{image source}

Dear December,

Please don't leave!  Stay forever.  Or at least let me keep my Christmas tree up a few days longer...

As usual, you were perfect in all of your twinkling goodness.  You were the perfect balance of low-key and fast-paced... from holiday travel... to office visits... to photos with Santa... to dinners with friends... to ugly Christmas sweater parties... to awesome photo events... to hot tea in cute new mugs... to cozy scarves... to adoption home study meetings... to company holiday parties... to Cirque du Soleil... to a much-needed sister visit... to organization projects... to job meetings... to Christmas mail... to flight delays... to family time... to wedding consultations... to puzzles... to twinkling lights... to Christmas day power outages... to warm sunshine... to frigid snow... to road trips... to more family time... to belated Christmas madness... to jewelry making... to stomach bugs... to hot chocolate... to barbie dress-up... to fancy manicures... to one more road trip... whew...

December, how you managed to jam-pack all of that into 31 days is beyond me.  But you did.  And I loved every second of it.

December, thanks for sharing your sparkle.

Love,
Julia

{stay tuned later today for a "best of 2012" post}

a few of my favorite things...

I received quite a few stellar gifts this year for Christmas, many of which will be favorites for years to come.  Some of my absolute favorites this year were...

...my new Pyrrha necklace...
Last Christmas Lance introduced me to my first Pyrrha necklace, and I've been obsessed ever since.  If you've never heard of it, you must go check out their website pronto and read about their jewelry.  Most of their pieces are made from old 18th and 19th century wax seals... all having different meanings.  Last year Lance gave me the Five Fleur de Lys pendent, to represent our new chapter in Louisville.  This year Lance gave me the Devotion Talisman pendant, to represent his faithfulness and devotion in our marriage.  I love it.

...my new bracelets... 

I was seriously spoiled in the jewelry department this year.  In addition to the necklace that Lance gave me, my wrist got some serious attention as well:)  My parents gave me the James Avery Twisted Wire bangle bracelet that was on my wish list.  Then my Dad surprised me with yet another James Avery bracelet... the Animals of the Ark bangle (I've always loved this bracelet).  Then my sister gave me an awesome red threaded bracelet handmade by a local Birmingham artist, that I will likely never take off. Then finally I also received a beautiful gold heirloom bracelet from my Nana.  My Nana recently started the tradition of giving each of her granddaughters a piece of jewelry from her very own collection each Christmas.  I love this idea... and these pieces have quickly become some of my most treasured items.

...my cozy Under Armor cowl...

I've been kind of obsessed with cozy scarves and cowls (or infinity scarves) lately.  It might be a problem actually.  Did you know that Under Armor even made such a thing?!?  Me either!  Not only is it super functional (perfect for working out and running in the cold) but it's cute too!!  My goal is to actually do some form of physical exercise while wearing it.

...my Toms wool cordones...
I got the burgundy toms from my Christmas wish list... and have not been disappointed in the slightest.  They are perfect for winter... cozy wool on the outside and flannel lining on the inside.  I've pretty much been wearing them everyday since Christmas:)

...my Gap green skinnies...
Yep. Got 'em.  Also from my wish list this year, I got the Gap green skimmer jeans I've been eyeing for a while now.  They are a super fun addition to my winter wardrobe and I know they will transition seamlessly into Spring once the weather warms up.

...our very own handmade woodwork...
Made by my very own DAD!!  My dad is a business man by day, but over the past year or so, he has become an incredibly talented woodsman.  He makes beautiful bowls and platters, and some of the most intricate ink pens I've ever seen.  This year, he made this custom piece just for Lance... well, I'm claiming part of this gift as well, since it says "Black" and not "Lance":)  My dad is so gifted!  (check out his etsy website here)  

We received some awesome gifts this year... but I am most thankful for the true gift of Christmas.  All of these material things will come and go, but Christ is forever.  I am so grateful that we were able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with our families this year.  As the holidays begin to come to a close and the presents are all unwrapped... I'm reminded that there is one special gift that I receive daily...

"Because of the Lord's great love 
  we are not consumed,
  for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
  great is your faithfulness."
          -Lamentations 3:22-23

a very houston christmas...

This year Lance and I traveled to Houston for Christmas.  For a while, I wasn't sure if we would make it... thanks to a layover in Chicago (P.S. never a good idea in the wintertime)... but after lots of praying and running through airports, we finally made it to Houston.  It was such a great trip... super low key, which is just what we needed this year.  It was the perfect mixture of holiday gatherings and low-key traditions.  Here's what we did on our very Houston Christmas...

...we arrived in Houston at 2:00am... just 2 hours after originally planned... 

...we scheduled mother/daughter mani/pedis...

...we had dinner with these famous people...

...we read on the patio with Dixie...

...we watched some football...

...we grabbed dinner at an old favorite...

...we did some woodworking in the shop... 

...we enjoyed some ridiculously sunny weather...

...we got dressed up...

...we went to the candlelight Christmas Eve service...

...we opened some presents...

...we watched funny you tube videos...

...we did some serious puzzle-ing...

...we drank Christmas mimosas...

...we passed this cutie-pie around...

...we enjoyed some cousin-time...

...we died laughing over this movie...

...we blinked and it was time to fly home...

Then we woke up and did it all over again... No, really.  We stayed one night in Louisville, then packed the car (and our same suitcases) and headed to Georgia the next morning.  Stay tuned next week for a "a very Habersham Christmas..."

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Family time!!  Lance and I had a great time in Houston this past week for Christmas.  It was different, because my sister and her husband weren't there... so it felt a little quiet at times... but it was really nice to relax and chill with just my mom and dad.  Most of the time when we go to Houston, it's non-stop all the time... but this past week, we purposely steered clear of any busy agendas and to-do lists.  It was great.

2) Cantina thin chips.  These things are AMAZING.  If you know me at all, then you know that I'm guilty of judging my favorite mexican restaurants according to their chips and salsa.  A restaurant might have amazing fajitas, but if they serve up crappy stale thick chips, I'm done.  This past week at my parents house, I was introduced to the On the Border brand- Cantina Thins line of chips... they.are.perfect.  They are perfectly salted and crispy... and just like the bag says, they are super thin... they taste like Chuys or Papasitos restaurant chips... except they come in a bag and you can buy them at the grocery store whenever you want... yessssss.

3) A Habersham Christmas.  Last week I was thankful for a Houston Christmas... and this week I'm thankful for a Habersham Christmas!!  We are driving to Georgia today to celebrate a belated Christmas with his family... along with my two adorable nieces!  We haven't seen Lance's older brother and my sister-in-law since our beach trip this summer, so we are super excited to spend some time together.  Can't wait!!!

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life

Lovely Little Whimsy

it's begining to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!!!  Can you believe that Christmas is just 4 days away??  We had our house pretty much decorated right after Thanksgiving, and I absolutely LOVE coming home to sparkly Christmas tree lights.  I love sitting in the living room at night just soaking up all that twinkle!

Our decorations this year are pretty similar to last year's.  A few changes here and there... but for the most part, simple and traditional...

Santa made his reappearance in the mossy tray... this time on the coffee table.

Brown paper packages tied up in string... this year our wrapping consisted of mostly browns and blues.

The mantle is pretty simple again this year... a little bit of garland and a few containers of candy.  You can never go wrong with candy.

The Snow Village probably ended up being one of my favorites this year.  I'm not quite sure what made it different than year's past... I love how it added just a touch more twinkle.

We even got the little figure skater out this year:)  I think the gold trees were a nice addition too.  Magical, isn't it?

A few Christmas reads along with the best smelling candle ever.  Love that Christmas tree smell.

I dusted off my handmade vintage book wreath from a few years ago and am absolutely LOVING it with the blue satin ribbon.  I am really digging the natural blues and browns this year.

And how cute is my tiny little bird wreath?!?!  Lance totally made fun of me for this one, but I adore it!!  I made this with a few leftover branches from the bottom of the tree and some jewelry wire I had on hand... super easy.

The Willow Tree nativity set is in the exact same place as last year... and I still love it.

My mother-in-law found this awesome vintage Christmas tree candle holder a while back, but this is the first year I've been able to use it.  Isn't it awesome?  I finally bought some candlesticks to fill it up... you should see how amazing it looks when it's all lit up!

The purple tree is in the guest room again, and still looks amazing with all it's purple-ness:)

I added my favorite childhood decoration to the guest room this year too.  This piece belonged to my grandparents and I would always play with it when I visited them for the holidays.  If you turn the little Christmas tree, it plays music... Here Comes Santa Clause, I believe... and I would just sit and listen and watch for hours.  I love it on these little shelves.

The Christmas cards found a new spot this year... and I'm a huge fan.  In year's past I've used my Pier One vertical card rack (which I still love), but it's all the way in my kitchen.  I love the idea of an entire Christmas card wall... I love that I get to see my friend's smiling faces everyday as I go up the stairs:)  I'm totally planning on leaving these up through January too.

So there you have it.  That's pretty much our Christmas decor for this year... small and simple.  Merry, merry Christmas!!