Magic and Adventure

Happy New Year Dear Friends

We want to thank you for being part of our little world.

We really think this new year will be magical and full of adventure.

For all of us.

We read our horoscopes for 2011 last night.

I am supposed to have a creative year and Daniel a literary year.

How fitting!

Now don't forget to light some sparklers and wear something glittery tonight.

Here's to the magic of it all.

Happy New Year

love,

Fritzi Marie, Daniel, and Bono Baby

Our 2010 In A Nutshell

2010 was our hardest year yet.

It was also one of those years that helped us grow and I don't wish any of it away.

January: We were comfy and safe living in my in-laws' basement in the Seattle area.

We were so beyond stressed and felt about an inch tall.

The unemployment and let down of higher education had fully set in.

I spent most of my days napping away in my in-laws' basement.

I like to think of that basement as my safe little cocoon.

In February, Daniel spent most of his time applying to jobs, teaching online, and working the job that we don't like to talk about.

We took many adventure trips and spent most of our time treasure hunting.

In March, my in-laws, gifted us a trip to La Pusch, Washington.

It felt like it was the most magical weekend ever.

It gave us optimism and made our hearts happy.

Bono Baby got sick in April and he had to have many many teeth removed.

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.

We recreated some of our first dates in May.

We also took a ride on a camel.

In June, I bravely went to the top of the Space Needle.

I can't wait to do it again.

We made more wishes than normal in 2010.

Even with my depression where I gave up on wishing, we still averaged more than normal.

Bono Baby threw me a party for my 35th birthday in July.

Dan was offered a job teaching English in July, too.

Hooray!

We left our favorite place to live, Seattle, and moved back to the South in August.

We stopped at the Cadillac Ranch this time driving through Amarillo.

Daniel started teaching at Auburn University in August.

We also celebrated his 38th birthday.

We went exploring in Alabama in September.

We met Butch Anthony and The American Pickers.

We took Bono Baby on his first camping trip in October

to The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

In November we finally felt like our home was becoming a home...even in Alabama.

Daniel got his first pair of eye glasses in December.

We also got our very first Christmas tree.

We've had a magical year full of ups and downs and grand surprises.

I just know that 2011 is going to be our lucky year. 

We have so much to look forward to and I feel so very thankful for all that we have. 

Here's to our luckiest year yet!

love love,

Fritzi Marie

Bono Baby Tip Toes Through the Snow

Dear Friends,

Have you come up for air yet?

I am getting ready to. 

We saw snow here in Alabama on Christmas day.

A Christmas wish come true for sure.

I'm still in a haze over the Christmas goodness.

We have been spending lots of time on our newly re-upholstered couch watching movies.

I'll show you soon, I keep missing the day light before I get my camera out.

We went to see True Grit and I got some good cuddling time in with my Daniel.

Go see it. 

We've been making lists and dreaming about our lucky upcoming year.

Bring on the year of the fire engine. 

I can't wait.

love love,

Fritzi Marie

p.s. I've been missing you.

Magic!

Our Christmas Eve was magical. 

We hope yours was too. 

Merry Christmas wishes to you again and again. 

love love,

Fritzi Marie

p.s. I am sick from too many treats.

Daniel is busy in the kitchen making us something healthy to eat. 

I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Christmas Wish

Dearest Friends,

We want to wish you a magical weekend. 

We hope all of your Christmas wishes come true.

We have big plans to make my Daddy's favorite cookie's (oatmeal scotchies) for Santa.  Then we plan to  watch my favorite Christmas movie, Little Women. 

As soon as midnight strikes we will be reading from David Sedaris's book, Holidays on Ice and opening our Christmas presents. 

My family always opens presents at midnight on Christmas Eve than we get our Christmas stockings in the morning. 

We always thought we were special because Santa made two visits to our little Monrovia home.

This year he will be making two visits to our Alabama home too. 

love love love you,

Fritzi Marie

 Remember to make your Christmas wish!

Pins And Needles

Our mail box has been overflowing with magic and love this week. 

This morning we lit our pine scented candle and nibbled on sour balls from Disneyland, fudge from Doug and Aunt Sharon and California oranges.

Our naughty elf plates are making an appearance. 

We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. 

Each one of you mean so very much to us. 

We are giddy with excitement today.

Our chair and couch are returning from the upholstery shop.

We have been hanging out in a blanket fort in our living room for the past two weeks.

My Daddy gifted this couch and chair to my Mommy years ago. 

We feel so lucky to have them in our home. 

We can't wait to see them

I can't wait to show them to you.

Next week I have big plans to make new throw pillow covers and some curtains to match.

Thank you for all the love you are sending our way. 

We adore you.

love love,

Fritzi Marie

Bono Baby Wishes You A Happy Christmas

Dear Friends,

This is Bono Baby checking in on things.

I wanted to thank you for the treats you have been sending me in the mail.

They make me so happy.

I love going to the mailbox with my Kitty.

Especially when you send me happy mail.

I love you.

I think you are all so pretty. 

love and kisses,

Bono Baby

p.s. Happy Christmas.  I can't wait to open my presents.  They all smell so good. 

I LOVE Christmas!

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.
~W.T. Ellis

Dear Friends,

Do you have the holiday spirit? 

Are you feeling it? 

I am.

Even though I wish we were home in California or Washington, I feel it. 
I love Christmas time so very much. 

This is one of my favorite holiday photos. 

Sadly it was pre-youngest sister.

Here are some more funny photo's from Christmas past.
Daniel is taking me to Atlanta today.  

He loves to walk around a crouded mall at Christmas time.

I love to lookie lou at Anthroplogie and pick up goodies at Trader Joe's.
We are a happy pair. 

Happy Tuesday Dearies.

love love,

Fritzi Marie

Meet Me... In Montauk.

I spent some time in the dentist's chair this afternoon. 

While relaxing and inhaling bubble gum scented gas, all I could think about was one of my favorite movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

So, we are watching it tonight.  

Bono Baby picked the winner of our end of the year Giant Dwarf giveaway.  

The winner is Gabby of Gabby, She Wrote.

Happy Christmas Week Dear Friends.

We adore each and every one of you. 

love love,

Fritzi Marie

p.s. Do you have any favorite holiday movies that you think we should watch this week?

Sunday Adventure

Dear Friends,

The countdown to Christmas day is on. 
I wore my Holiday dress today to sparkle things up a bit.

Are you feeling the holiday spirit? 

We have finished all of our shopping. 

Even our grocery shopping, so we don't have to go out in the mad rush at all. 

All we have left to do is make a final trip to the post office. 

It seems my Chistmas miracle has just about happened. 

I finished the project I've been working on and I am overjoyed about it.

I hope your upcoming week is magical. 

If you need any help getting into the holiday spirit and you think I may be able to help you out, please let me know. 

We will be "bunkered" down, filling our days with Christmas films. 

Thank you for being my dear friends.

You make my world a prettier place.

I adore you. 

love love,

Fritzi Marie

p.s.  Bono Baby will pick out our final giveaway winner of 2010 tomorrow afternoon. 

Goodness

Happy Weekend Dearies.

I am still up to my ears in Christmas preparations. 

After a meltdown this afternoon, I have decided to take my time and enjoy myself a bit. 

Everything is going to be okay, yes? 

I don't want to miss all the goodness of the season. 

So my wish for you, dear friends, is that you get to take some time to enjoy the goodness this weekend.

You deserve it. 

love love love,

Fritzi Marie

A Christmas Miracle

Dear Friends,

I am freaking out. 

I am attempting to make some of my Christmas presents and the countdown is on.

I am in way over my head.

If I make it to the post office on Saturday with all of my gifts packed up and ready to go, I am declaring it an official Christmas miracle. 

I keep thinking about Amanda's painting and reminding myself that I too will look pretty and tranquil next week when all of the packages are mailed and sitting under tree's on the West coast. 

If your feeling super stressed, maybe entering the giveaway for this week will cheer you up. 
Sparkle stars always makes me happy. 

Oh, and this lovely quote came into my life today.

"Christmas waves a MAGIC wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

-Norman Vincent Peale

I love you more than all the "sparkle-ie" stars.  

Fritzi Marie

If Only In My Dreams

Last weekend I taught a class at church. 

I talked about my Mommy.

When she was a little girl growing up on the farm in Missouri she made dolls out of my Grandma's spools of thread. 

She also loved to take long walks and talk to tree's. 

When I was young she would tell me about her life on the farm and I romanticized it.

I have been collecting old wooden spools of thread since. 

They remind me of my Mommy and of my youth. 

This print by Small Talk Studio sums up the sentiment to me.  

This is such a loving time of year and I love all the little reminders of the people I care about that I have in my home. 
Every time I hear "I'll be home for Christmas" and I hear the line "If only in my dreams" it makes me feel just a little bit better about not being home for the holidays this year.  

My "people" are with me always and these simple spools of thread remind me of that.  

 Do you have any treasures that remind you of home? 

love love,

Fritzi Marie

p.s. We are up to our noses in Elf Workshop goodness around here.  We won't be leaving the house until everything is done.  What a magical time. 

Gingersnaps and Banana Bread

My dear friend Lindsey sent me this book, A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.

I am not super crafty in the kitchen. 

Daniel does most of the cooking around here,

but this book makes me want to bake.

This weekend we made a couple of loaves of banana bread

(with ginger and chocolate chips). 

We froze it and it is making the best breakfast treat. 

While we were eating breakfast this morning a package was delivered.

A box full of love from Phoenix Peacock. 

These lovely tins were filled with Christmas cookies. 

Daniel was so happy.

His Grandmother and Granddaddy used to always send him holiday cookies when he was young. 

Santa is hooked up around here. 

What do you like to bake this time of year? 

love love,

Fritzi Marie

p.s. If you need motivation, read this book. 

Sparkle-ie Giveaway To Ring In 2011

Our final giveaway for 2010 is for a Starlette Sparkler from Giant Dwarf.

I plan on wearing mine when we ring in the lucky year 2011 and light sparklers on our deck. 

I think it will make my 11:11 wishes even more magical. 

I also think that it will make your wish making more magical too. 

So, dearest of friends, make sure you are a follower of Fritzi Marie and put your name in Bono Baby's hat. 

I want you all to enter (even if you have won something from an earlier giveaway). 

This is a celebration giveaway, for all the wonderful things to come.

Oh, and tell me what you loved most about 2010.
Bono Baby will pick the winner on Monday December 20th.  

Make a Wish!

Fritzi Marie

p.s. Go say hello to the beautiful and talented Sue over at Giant Dwarf.  

Winners, Nappy Naps and Favorite Things

Bono Baby has been spending most of his time napping, avoiding the cold weather outside. 

He did get up long enough to pick some winners for the Matou En Peluche giveaway.

We hope you have been enjoying these "favorite things of 2010 giveaways". 

We have been having so much fun with them.

The winners are...

Rhianne of For The Easily Distracted,

Chrissy of Chrissy in America,

and

Jill of Jillustrated.

Congratulations dear friends. 

We are so happy for you.

Please visit Sam's shop Matou En Peluche and pick out your favorite small print. 

Happy Monday Dear Friends. 

love love,

Fritzi and Bono B. 

Sunday Afternoon Adventure

Dear Friends,

It is snowing outside.

  It is Alabama snow so I don't think it will stick but it is magical all the same.

We went to see the historical district homes all decorated in the daytime.

Tonight we plan to pack fill up our thermos' and drive around to see the sparkly lights again. 

We spent most of our weekend cuddled up on our living room floor watching Christmas movies.

The living room looks like a blanket fort right now. 

Our furniture is in being reupholstered. 

I can't wait to show you how they turn out.

So exciting!

 

Here's sassy pants Fritzi Marie wishing you the loveliest of cuddle sessions on this chilly Sunday.

I hope you're weekend has been magical. 

love love,

Fritzi Marie

p.s. We will be announcing the winner for the Matou En Peluche giveaway tomorrow. 

You still have time to put your name in Bono Baby's hat. 

xo