Out of the nest: December 2010 Archives

Here's to 2011!

By Lindsey Marie on December 31, 2010 2:48 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of my faithful blog followers a very happy New Year! Here's to 2011. Let's hope it brings calmer times, just as much fun and a steadier economy! (Hoorah!)

It was a great year, and I'm so happy I was able to share at least half of it with you. Now I'm going to hit the road, bring in the new year with the best guy in the world with a little Asti (my family's choice of bubbly at all major occasions) and our best woman and groomsman!

Stay safe, don't drink and drive and I'll see you Monday when I get back to my regular blogging routine, I promise!

Sending out loves and hugs!

Column: What does your favorite gift ever say about you?

By Lindsey Marie on December 29, 2010 2:43 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Monday's column on a Wednesday, sometimes you have to shake things up a bit.

Oh, and what was your favorite Christmas gift you ever got?

CR: Chili in our new crockpot!

By Lindsey Marie on December 29, 2010 2:16 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

Sorry I was off the grid for so long, but even the Baby E needs a break from technology. But I'm back and ready to share some of the awesome Christmas presents I found under the tree for me last weekend!

The guy and I got a ton of great things from our family and friends. Perhaps the most used so far since we cracked the baby open Christmas Day is our new and improved crockpot. Now, we all know I love the crockpot so you can understand how thrilled I was to get this giant Hamilton Beach beauty with a built-in timer (yes, a timer!). It's the best thing ever. Now I can cook anything I want while at work whether it requires four or eight hours to cook. I'm already on my second meal this week with it.

Continue reading CR: Chili in our new crockpot!.

Checking in at the Inn...

By Lindsey Marie on December 21, 2010 2:23 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

A very Merry Christmas from your favorite online editor!

(Special thanks to my Aunt Patty for sending this along!)

Hitting the slopes

By Lindsey Marie on December 20, 2010 2:47 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Last weekend the guy and I had a very merry Berkshires weekend with family. After taking in the Berkshire Theatre Festival's produciton of "A Christmas Carol" (which I would highly recommend for anyone in the area) we participated in the Northeast time-honored tradition of snow tubing.

For those of you who don't know, snow tubing these days is more than just grabbing that giant black tube you use in the summers to float and going to your back yard to find the closest hill. It's now a science and an art in the winter sports world.

Continue reading Hitting the slopes.

Column: Handling the tough parts of adulthood

By Lindsey Marie on December 20, 2010 2:42 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

It's Monday. You know the drill! Check out "Out of the Nest" print style.

Deck the halls of your first home

By Lindsey Marie on December 16, 2010 2:37 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

You know how excited the guy and I are to have our first Christmas tree in our first home together but it's actually been sitting in the apartment for a week or two with very few ornaments on it.

We put the lights on and fussed with a string of beads my Aunt was gracious enough to give us and assured each other that staying simple for the holidays is "in" right now.

But I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't thrilled to get a box of my ornaments from my Mom last night.

This morning, to the Christmas tunes provided by Pandora, I went through the three Ziplock bags of treasures my mom hand-picked to go on my first "big girl" tree.

Continue reading Deck the halls of your first home.

Twitter releases 10 most powerful tweets list -- are you on it?

By Lindsey Marie on December 14, 2010 3:21 PM | 2 Comments | No TrackBacks

In an effort to sum up the year 2010 in tweets, Twitter released its "10 Most Powerful Tweets of 2010" list today. A great idea that could define an undefinable year using a technology that is just as difficult to define -- the 140 character blurbs that have changed and eventually shaped the way we communicate with one another.

There were some good ones, and most of the major historic events of the year are represented in these tweets: Haiti, BP oil spill (a hilarious tweet from a parody account: "Catastrophe is a strong word, let's all agree to call it a whoopsie daisy.") and the ever-life-changing Conan tweets that put the TV comedian's drama in every Tweeters hands, literally.

So it got me thinking, could I sum up my year in 10 tweets or less?

Continue reading Twitter releases 10 most powerful tweets list -- are you on it?.

Merry Christmas! Love, ...

By Lindsey Marie on December 13, 2010 1:57 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

5677795-attractive-brunette-writing-christmas-cards-in-front-of-tree.jpg Last night, for the first time in my adult life, I participated in the time-honored, hand-cramping tradition of writing Christmas cards.

It's one of those things that always seems like a good idea. Like the year I decided not to give out store-bought gifts to friends and instead spent an entire Saturday making unedible cookies and a mess of my kitchen.

But this is what adults do (or at least I remember them doing, seeing as I haven't seen a Christmas card show up in my mailbox yet... hint, hint).

What I found on my 15th card is there really is little variation to the basic "Merry Christmas" and "hope to see you soon!" I try to make each card personal so the person receiving the card knows I spent some time and effort in wishing them a happy holiday.

This year in order to add something a little special to each card, I printed out pictures of me, the guy and our family. Quite frankly, people don't do this anymore. With the ability to just send digital images in an e-mail or one of those pre-made collage cards, there is something personal lost when it comes to sharing important memories and moments with pictures.

So this year, instead of just sending that generic card with just your scribbled "Merry Christmas! Love, ..." to your Aunt in the nursing home, maybe send her a picture she can hang on her corkboard so she can continue to enjoy a snapshot of your life all year long.

Column: Fame found in the glare of headlights

By Lindsey Marie on December 13, 2010 1:53 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

In case you missed it, here is my Monday column! And if you're interested in checking out our new Out and About page click here!

Holiday gifts for the bride-to-be (and everyone else...)

By Lindsey Marie on December 7, 2010 2:44 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

So if you're still thinking about what to get me this Christmas (wink, wink) or for any of your future brides on your holiday shopping list, Glamour Magazine has this useful shopping guide for your friends about to get hitched.

I personally LOVE the Victoria Secret Bridal Tank and the "Keep it Together" tote from Target.

Continue reading Holiday gifts for the bride-to-be (and everyone else...).

E-reader, a yes or a no?

By Lindsey Marie on December 6, 2010 3:27 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Some of you may find this hard to believe but I have not, and most likely will not, be an e-reader user. The Nook, Kindle, iPad and now after Google's announcement and release today of the Google-reader and bookstore, have all taken over the Christmas market.

Most people I know have one or want, but not me.

Continue reading E-reader, a yes or a no?.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

By Lindsey Marie on December 3, 2010 2:16 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Last night when I got home from step class I was completely shocked to find this beauty in our dining room!

You of course understand how important having a real Christmas tree is to me. But after two disappointing stops at local road-side tree stands where the bottom price for a Douglas Fir was $49.99 (no joke) I was afraid the gorgeous smell of pine would not be wafting through our flat this holiday season.

After hearing my cries for help, a number of family friends and members (shout out Mrs P!) suggested we try Home Depot.

Now I know what you're thinking, nothing says Merry Christmas like a giant warehouse decked in orange smelling like plastic piping and fresh cut wood. But the guy decided to surprise me by checking out their selection on his own.

And this beautiful Douglas Fir was what he found for the oh-so-affordable price of $17.99. I agree that it is better to support local businesses, throw a few bucks at the freezing Boy Scouts selling evergreens on the side of the highway, but you can't beat prices and a selection like this.

Cyber Monday: largest online shopping day in history, no joke

By Lindsey Marie on December 1, 2010 2:53 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

If you forgot Cyber Monday exists (or quite frankly, still don't know what Cyber Monday is) have no fear, deals are still here! Ah, online that is.

What is Cyber Monday and why is it such a big deal? Well, dubbed as the online shoppers Black Friday, Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday when online retailers try to get as many shoppers to stay in their pjs and click on deals and free shipping offers. comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, reported today that this past Cyber Monday was the "heaviest online shopping day in history," with more than $1 billion in sales.

Continue reading Cyber Monday: largest online shopping day in history, no joke.

December 2010 Archives