Aloha from Alaska and Happy New Year!

Well, we finally made it to Alaska! It was a long time coming and quite a journey to get here. We arrived on Monday the 27th at one something in the morning. As we began our descent into Anchorage International Airport, we peered out our airplane window anxious to catch our first glimpse of the last frontier. I was a little worried when I saw that the stars were brighter than the lights across the water. Before I could utter "where are you moving me?" to my husband, I was relieved to see the lights of Anchorage were on the other side of the plane...whew! Once we landed and deboarded the plane we were greeted with a crisp blast of arctic air on the jetway. A nice way to shake the plane funk of a 5 hour flight off a person. We were so impressed with Anchorage's airport. It's design and architecture is really stunning. The airport features these large glass sculptures meant to be reminencsent of the icy white capped mountains seen out the large opposing wall of windows.

After gathering our 8 checked bags, 6 various carry on items, and our carseat, stroller, and travel crib we were on our way to an airport hotel. We didnt get to bed until 3am Alaska time, which felt like 5am after the 23 hour day we had. We spent the next day sleeping and bumming around the hotel. We are blessed to have some old friends who are already stationed in Alaska, so the next day after they got back from their Christmas travels they picked us up for lunch and gave us a long awaited tour of our new city. As we drove around town we were surprised to see how the icy, snowpacked streets didnt deter anyone. These streets would scare the pants off anyone in Washington, and I had only ever seen them as bad at ski resorts in Colorado. We were told that you dont see the pavement until April. It was a clear sunny day so we were able to take in some beautiful views of Mt McKinley and the 6 mountain ranges surrounding the city. The next day we moved to our friend's house just North of Anchorage in Eagle River. We are staying with them through New Year's weekend. We are loving their neighborhood/town, and you better believe I have already been scouring home listings in their area! We are going to take a drive to look at a couple today. Eagle River is so pretty, nestled in the foothills its more serene than the city, and looks exactly like the Alaska I had pictured in my head. These are some photos I took from their back porch last night.

Stunning, right? Here are some more photos I took of the icy branches at night.

So far, we havent been able to sightsee as much as we might like just because of all the move-related things we have to take care of but today we spotted a moose and 7 bald eagles at the side of the road on our way to pick up our car from the shippers! Wildlife is everywhere! Apparently, over 1600 moose live within Anchorage city limits. Incredible!

Next week, we move to a hotel/temporary living apartment on base until our household goods arrive and we find a house. I am already having fun looking for our new home, though I must admit its harder than I thought. I guess not alot of Alaskan's like to move in the dead of winter...go figure. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will find a house like these...

Riiiiiiiiiiiight? Well, I hope so ;)

After a bit of neighborhood scouting today we are going to start prepping for our traditional New Year's Eve 3-course fondue dinner! Yum!

Good food, good friends, and good drinks....cant imagine a better way to ring in the New Year in our new home! What are your plans for NYE? What are your traditions?

Whatever your plans are and where ever you are...Here's to you my lovely readers!

2010 marked the birth and growth of this blog and I look forward to sharing a new year with you!

Happy New Year!

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Toasting in the New Year with It's A Tradition {guest post}

Guest posting and gearing us up for New Year's is Tauni from It's a Tradition. I have been following Tauni since I started blogging. Her super cool wood and mod podge photo art was actually the very first feature here on FMA. She has such great projects that are so easy they will leave you bonking your head and saying "duh!" I really enjoy all her yummy treats too. She just makes everything look so easy! Let's see what she has for us today...

Merry Christmas & Mele Kalikimaka!

Merry Christmas! I hope this finds you all enjoying a beautiful holiday! We are in Colorado spending Christmas with our family today. We have been having such a great time visiting with our family all week and finally seeing our dog! Our Golden Retriever has to stay here in Colorado until it is warm enough in the spring for him to fly to Alaska. We have officially moved out of Washington and leave for Alaska from here tomorrow! Thank you for all your well wishes, prayers, and kind comments and emails. We appreciate it so much! The last week or so have had some bumps (including an ER visit for me the day before our flight!) but we have pushed through and everything is going smoothly now. I miss you guys but I hope you are enjoying the lovely guest bloggers who have been filling in for me! I am just blown away by these amazing ladies. There's even more to come and I hope to be popping in a little more frequently once we get settled into a hotel.

Merry Christmas

and

Mele Kalikimaka!

Upcycle Sweaters into Trendy Winter Hats with Deviantly Domesticated {guest post}

Guest posting for us today is Stephanie from Deviantly Domesticated. I originally found Stephanie and her uber-awesome site through a mutual friend I went to college with back in Colorado. I am actually back in her neck of the woods today as we are visiting family for Christmas. I am so excited to see what Stephanie has for us today! She is so resourceful and her sewing projects will knock your socks off, unless ofcourse that is what she is sewing ;) She is a fellow upcycler and I am constantly in awe of her. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do!

Folding Money Bracelets with Under The Table And Dreaming {guest post}

Stephanie Lynn from Under The Table And Dreaming is guest posting for me today while I am boarding my flight to Colorado. Today, is the beginning of our journey to Alaska. We stop in Colorado for Christmas with our family and then fly to Alaska from there. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we begin this big adventure. Meanwhile, enjoy Stephanie Lynn! I adore her blog and all her beautiful projects and I am truly honored to have her here. Stephanie has such exquisite taste, and I cant wait to see what she has up her sleeve for us today!

Whipping up Peppermint Patty Cookies with Just For Love {guest post}

Today I am cleaning and preparing my house for our renters so we are hearing from one of my very first readers, Laura from Just For Love! I just love her! She is the sweetest person and her blog always puts a smile on my face and in my heart. Laura writes with such kind, inspiring, and encouraging words. If you ever need to ground yourself or remember to focus on what's important you will find your inspiration at Just For Love. You might find your tummy rumbling too because her recipes can be mouthwatering. Well, lets get in the kitchen and see what Laura's got going on today...

A ceiling fan makeover by The Inspired Nest {Guest Post}

The lovely Lacy from The Inspired Nest is guest posting for me today, while my movers are currently packing my house. I love Lacy's eye for the beautiful and her blog is filled with inspirational photos. I especially love all her beautiful tablescapes. Lacy and I share our passion for dinnerware and china. I am excited to see what she has come up with next...

Alaska bound...catch ya on the North side!

Well the time has come. The movers show up in 5 hours to pack up our home and wrap up our life here in Washington. I am filled with so many emotions and stresses right now that its actually hard to express any one of my emotions. Have you ever felt that way? So emotional that you arent, or at least you cant focus on it? I think a good night's sleep will help. Tonight is our last night in our first home, the only home my son has known. We love our house, our town, our neighbors and our friends. It is going to be very difficult to leave them all behind. Usually I can combat the sadness of our moves with the excitement for our new home but I am finding that to be especially hard this time. There is just so much unknown. I have never been to Alaska and we don't have a house to move to and get excited about. We will be living in a hotel situation for up to 2 months while we search for our new home. While hotel living isnt always fun especially with a 2 year old, I am looking forward to the simplicity of it. No cleaning, maintenence, and endless projects to distract me. I'm looking at it as good quality time for us as a family and a great way to put what's really important into perspective. But, I also cant wait to get into a new house and start making it our home with projects that will undoubtably start filling into the pages of this blog. I am really looking forward to the spring so that our sweet Golden Retriever will finally be able to join us. He is staying with our family in Colorado until its warm enough for the airlines to allow him to travel. How crazy is that?

Anyway, so the craziness begins today and I am not certain what my internet access to this blog will be like for the next couple of weeks. I have asked six lovely ladies to help fill in for me and keep you company during this time...

I am so super excited and honored to have each and every one of these beautiful women here on FMA. I can't wait to see what they have planned for us! Meanwhile, I will still be popping in here every so often and I will be able to receive and respond to any emails and comments from my iPhone. Please keep my family and I in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on this incredible journey!

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DIY Cuddle Cases for smartphones

December holds alot of plane rides for us this year. It is always challenging to fly with kids but from my experience the more prepared I am, the smoother it goes. Its even more difficult now that my toddler son wants to be mobile and explore. One of the greatest kid travel tips I was ever given was to always bring new toys and books aboard. This works like a charm. The newness of the toys helps compete with the cool factor of the airplane. We begin our move to Alaska in a couple days and I was scrambling to think of something new that would capture his attention and that was small enough to bring with us. My son loves my iphone, and I have to admit with all the awesome children's apps and their favorite movies at a touch, I can understand why. Anyway, I was just telling my husband how I wish I could find a childproof case because my son would love to watch his favorite movies on the phone but his little fingers are always accidentally turning it off, pausing, rewinding, etc. I started thinking how I could rig such a device myself and that's how I came up with the idea to embed a smartphone case in a plush toy! My son would have something fun and eyecatching to hold (versus the phone's touchscreen) and the plush case would protect my phone from the inevitable bumps and falls. Brilliant, right?  This project is sooooo easy it takes about 15-20 minutes to complete and you probably have all the supplies on-hand.

Gifts for the men in our lives...

Men can be tough ones to buy for. Either they already have it or their wish list is so very specific you are afraid to pick it out by yourself. Or maybe you have the same problem I do... my husband never goes shopping so when he is forced to go around the holidays he sees all this cool stuff and starts buying for himself! I cannot tell you how many times my man has come home with the very same present I just wrapped and tucked under the tree!! This has forced me to be very creative when selecting his gifts. This year I had to be especially creative because for one, it has to fit in checked baggage, and for two, it has to be something he likes and uses in the next two months of hotel living. Ugh. Anyway, I wish I could share what I got him because I am uber excited about it, but alas, he is a darling reader of this blog. So, I will share all the things that couldn't make the cut this year. Read on 'cause they are super-duper cool!

Gift Ideas for the little ones {Link Party}

I am pretty pleased with the Christmas gifts we are getting for my 2 year old son this year. Besides lots of fun toddler toys, he is getting his first set of skis! Could a mama be more proud? Well, maybe if it were a snowboard ;) He gets to start on skis, but I am hoping once he gets the hang of it he will convert and be like mom. Anyway, I had so much fun looking for gifts, I thought I'd share the best of it all here on FMA for those of you still shopping for the little ones in your life. At the end I have opened it up as link party for all of you to share your favorites and handmade gift ideas. I cant wait to see what you all come up with!

Santa Baby...

My 2010 wish list set to the tune of Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby...

DIY Mercury Glass Ornaments

A couple weeks ago Stephanie from Under the Table and Dreaming asked me to contribute a handmade ornament tutorial to her 6 Days of Handmade Series. I was honored and thrilled! I had been toying with the idea of making faux mercury glass ornaments for awhile and this gave me just the motivation I needed. Read on for the easy tutorial...

Decking my halls...

The night after my son's birthday party, down came the clouds and airplanes and up went the boughs of holly. We only have 14 days left in our home before the movers come but I can't help it! I have to decorate. It breaks my heart we wont have Christmas in our home and that we cant have tree this year, so I had to do something. Read on to see how I decked my halls this year...