new year | Bead Happily Ever After

The New Calendar Has Been Purchased!

Posted on January 11, 2012 by crystal

Hi Kids,
Well, we’re 11 days into the New Year and I finally have my 2012 calendar.

I’ve mentioned before (here) how I love the yearly ritual of replacing the old calendar – it’s such a “clean slate” kind of feeling.

Although we usually receive freebie calendars from local businesses, they’re often boring with little or no space to mark appointments. For that reason, I usually buy one. The hunt begins shortly after Christmas with just one rule – it MUST be at least 50% off.

This year, our holiday head colds kept us from shopping until after New Year’s Day so the pickings were pretty lean. The clearance bins were full of sports themes, pigs dressed in frou-frou, Barbie, and the standard travel destinations.

I was beginning to think I might have to settle when suddenly –

There it was – and only $4.69!

Now don’t tell Sir Beads, but I am a bit taken with Don Draper. 😉

I have a feeling his picture is right beside the phrase, “tall, dark, and handsome” on Wikipedia.

Ok, maybe not – but it should be!

I’ve been a fan of Mad Men almost from the start. I suppose it’s because I went from 9 to 19 yrs. old during the 1960’s – the era in which it’s set. Honestly, the clothes, alone, are a reason to watch!

So, I’ve installed the calendar in a little corner of my kitchen . . . where the refrigerator meets the counter area which holds my electric teakettle, a mug tree, and 2 cookie jars. It’s a mini hub in our house – that kettle gets a lot of use!

The first evening after I replaced the old calendar, I absent-mindedly began to make some tea and then quickly did a double-take!

There were Don and Roger staring intently at me. The whole kitchen went into soft focus and the ambiance became oh so “supper club”. I could swear I heard the clink of ice cubes along with the soft wail of jazz in the background.

And was that the subtle scent of aftershave?

Maybe it was the teabag I was holding . . .

I know one thing.

I’m going to enjoy turning those pages each month. 😀

Got a 2012 calendar? I’d like to hear about it!

Hugs,

As The Calendar Turns

Posted on January 3, 2011 by crystal

February In Calico Country by Ellen Eilers

Hi Kids 😀

Long time no see!

Umm, well…

more like “no write” for me,

“no read” for you,

and “no comments” for both of us. 😉

But here we are at the start of a brand new year.

Welcome back! Hope you had a chance to relax over the holidays.

One of the things I love about a new year is a new calendar. I love that it is totally blank and consequently just brimming with possibilities. I try to imagine how many fun things I can schedule along with the obligatory dental appointments, furnace cleanings, etc.

Of course, part of the excitement for me is choosing the calendar. We do seem to get a couple of freebie calendars each year, but somehow they are never quite right. Either I don’t care for the pictures or the little boxes for each day are so small you can barely mark a loved one’s birthday in them.

So, I usually buy my calendar – BUT only after they’ve been marked down to half price! It seems silly to pay full price in mid-December, when a couple of weeks later they’re at least 50% off.

Waiting for that sale means I may not get my first choice, but I love that it compels me to look at and consider calendars I might never have noticed.

With my purchase this year, I’ve discovered a new (to me) artist, Ellen Eilers! The calendar features her incredibly colorful and very charming scenes of farms and countrysides. This photo and the one above are just two examples.

Doc's Country Retreat by Ellen Eilers

She didn’t begin her professional art career until she was in her 50’s. Currently, at 93 years young; she still paints every day, exhibits her work, and teaches art at community workshops!

Talk about motivation for a new year! Reading about Ellen and seeing her work has inspired me to reach and stretch in 2011 – to try some things I’ve never done before . . .

To paraphrase the old saying:

“You’re never too old to become the person you might have been.“

Hugs,

See more of Ellen’s art here.

Or watch the following 2-minute youtube video!

Calendars and Resolutions

Posted on January 4, 2010 by crystal

Although I love the adventure of a new year and am inspired by the chance to fill it with lots of fun and positive things, I’ve never been too big on New Year’s resolutions, per se.

Not that I couldn’t use plenty of improvement, mind you! 😉

It’s just that I don’t think of January 1st as a day of self-assessment. I’m more likely to contemplate changes or choose new goals on my birthday. To me, there’s something about adding a year to my age that triggers thoughts about how I would like to modify aspects of my life.

But speaking of the adventure part of a new year – don’t you just love a brand spanking new calendar? The crisp pages are so gloriously empty. What fun it is to imagine all the events and bits of info that will gradually begin to fill-in some of those blank spaces. Sure, there will be the boring dental appointments, and the oil change for the car, but think of the family birthdays, and the summer picnics, and the lunch dates with friends!

I bought our new wall calendar yesterday. Talk about last minute! In my defense, I do like to wait until they’re half-price. I chose this little bit of whimsy called “Flower Fairies” by Cicely Mary Barker.

Sir Beads-a-Lot (saint that he is) always allows me to choose the new calendar. He knows that I will probably never select anything remotely masculine, yet he good-naturedly nods with enthusiasm when I present my pick for the year. The artwork on this one is lovely and it has fairly large boxes for each date, so it will be easy to write (and fit) any information for a given day.

Oh, before I forget! The first GIVEAWAY of 2010 will begin tomorrow. Hope you’ll stop back then to enter for your chance to win!

Hugs,

Ya Gotta Love a New Year!

Posted on January 5, 2009 by crystal

It’s true that New Year’s resolutions are usually not much fun – but putting those aside for a moment – it seems to me there’s a lot to love about the beginning of a new year.

Here are my top five reasons:

1. There’s the adventure of selecting the new calendar! Talk about choices! No matter what you fancy, there’s a calendar for you. They’re available in a dazzling variety of sizes and formats. Some are funny, some are thought provoking, and some are absolutely beautiful. If you’re like me, you wait until the last minute to buy yours – at 50% off 😉 This year I found a very sweet one with pictures taken from vintage children’s books!

2. There are the after-Christmas SALES!!! Doesn’t it make your heart beat a little faster to see those “60-75% off” signs? Sometimes this reverie lasts all through the month of January and even into February. If you received a gift card or money for a holiday gift – lucky you! You’re probably going to be able to double your buying power in the early weeks of the new year.

3. Taking down the tree! I love the holidays, but as my mother used to say: “There’s nothing as OVER as Christmas when it’s over!” All of the sparkling decorations suddenly begin to look like the last rose of summer, and the now opened gifts (though very appreciated) take on a cluttered appearance under the tree. In our case, the tree has been up since Thanksgiving, so we are not too sad to see it go. I’m always amazed at how spacious and neat the house looks once everything is carefully packed away.

4. There’s some free time on the schedule again – woo hoo! With all the holiday preparations, shopping, social events, family parties, and other responsibilities, there are years when it seems as if there isn’t a minute to rest between mid-November and January 1st. How wonderful to look at the new calendar and see blank spaces again!

5. And what shall we do with this newfound empty space on the calendar??? Anything we want! 🙂 This is the time to try new recipes, or learn a new craft, or read that book you’ve heard so much about! Maybe you’ve been meaning to write a letter to an old friend, or visit a museum, or redecorate the bedroom. It’s lovely to know that there will be a little extra time as the year begins to spend however you please.