Oh Lordy, this thing is finally done. I told myself at the beginning of the year that I wasn’t going to start any new projects until I finished all of my in-process ones. This one officially took me just over 9 months, but I’m sure I’ve got plenty stashed around here that have marinated longer than that.

Just to jog your memory, here’s what it looked like before:

Isn’t it so cute?

I originally intended to use this as dress-up clothes storage for little Miss Browning, but yeah, it won’t all fit in there. But no worries, she’s already got it filled up with other stuff:

Please note that she did not even wait for her daddy to finish attaching the lid before she filled it to the brim. She heard the words “new toybox” and went straight to work. I’m pretty sure she likes it.

I think it turned out fairly well. I’m not showing you any close-ups or detailed instructions on how I did it for a reason. But I will say that this white trim stuff I got at Walmart hides a multitude of sins.

PS. The brown and white fabric I used is actually a shower curtain from Target. I was inspired to use it after I saw a nursery on Lay Baby Lay where they made curtains from it. So thanks, Joni and Steph!

PPS. And thanks to AZ for hooking me up with this sweet ottoman. I hope I did you proud!

PS. Cougar Town‘s back on tonight (2/14 @ 8:30pm on ABC). Please watch!! It’s my favorite show on TV, and I’d like to keep it that way! Picture me hunkering down in front of the TV with my bottle of wine…

It’s a pretty big deal to me even though it didn’t result in any sales. But it was a honor just to be “nominated”!!!!

PPS. Oh wait, here’s another thing. Remember that f-ing Annie wig I made Jane for Halloween? The little $h*t finally decided to wear it three months too late. Enjoy!

Here’s a quick-and-dirty of what I was up to in the meantime:

* Sent out a Christmas card…

… and had a lovely Christmas and New Year’s, thankyouverymuch. I hope you all did as well!

* Met some Cougar Town people:

(The show’s back on February 14. Please watch!!!!)

* Attempted a Photo a Day Challenge on Instagram…

… but only made it to #11. Check out my Instagram feed here (there is also a link on my header menu).

* Watched some good movies:

The Muppets – *****     The Descendants – ****     Our Idiot Brother – ****

* Purged a lot of belongings from our house. Well, technically it’s all still sitting in our basement, but there are definitive piles for Goodwill and garage sale. Something about the beginning of a new year makes me want to get rid of everything.

* Thought about a lot of things. And here’s my conclusions:

• I have to get more sleep during the week. So that means less blogging.
• I want to add new things to my etsy shop. So that means less blogging.
• I want to finish some of the 8,563 DIY projects that I’ve started. So that means less blogging.
• I want to be a better wife and mother. So that means less blogging (and internet, computer, iPhone, TV, etc.).
• I want to read more, exercise occasionally, and do laundry more frequently so that my daughter always has socks that match her outfit. If you guessed that this would require me to blog less, you guessed correctly.
• I love my blog, but all of the above are more important (except for maybe laundry and exercise). So now I will only be blogging about once a week-ish.
• I will find a way to make a living doing what I love, or I will die trying.
• I WANT TO DO IT ALL.
• We need to win the lottery.

That pretty much sums up my last month. I hope 2012 has been treating you well and that it’s your best year yet!

Just click this link to access the PDF file, and you can print them at home (for personal use only). Happy wrapping!!

This month, in addition to her normal posts, she is featuring reader-submitted Christmas trees, and ours was one of the lucky ones she picked!! Please check out her blog; she is the cutest and funniest thing ever, and her little boy Huck is SO adorable.

Thanks again, Natalie, for sharing our tree with your readers! Have a wonderful holiday!

Hallelujah! Holy sh*t! Where’s the Tylenol…?

PS. The price went up because these are professionally printed. But trust me, it’s so worth it!

PPS. Here are the previous years in case you are curious…

And now she is selling them on etsy! Take a wild guess who bought the first one… Can’t wait until the silver one is gracing my Christmas tree.

Great work, Kate! Be sure to check out her blog and her lovely MCM home.

Because I have not been posting much lately, I’d like to extend a peace offering to my readers in the form of a free holiday postcard download! Just click this link to access the PDF file; it is an 8.5×11 file containing two 4×6 postcards and trim marks. You can print this at home or have it printed professionally (for personal use only). Enjoy!

All of our window clings hung at toddler-eye level:

Our “tree” centerpiece:

Our lovely tree:

My tree collection on top of the entertainment center:

Our “mantel”:

Wreath made out of Christmas cards:

Jane’s tree:

PS. Apparently I was in a funk the same time last year as well. Maybe it’s the calendar that puts me in a bad mood. (BTW, it’s at the printer and should be done by the end of the week.) This might be the last year for the calendar. We’ll see…