the last day-new years resolutions

ok, so i refuse to recap 2012, i'm not even fond of the idea that its practically over.

this year was a roller coaster that i don't care to relive. but i still don't want it to end.

so i'll spare you the drama and skip on to my resolutions. i don't normally get into resolutions.

they seem sorta silly to me, but i do silly things sometimes. 

my resolutions are few.

but necessary and practical, for the most part.

1. start my day off with prayer and my bible studies. since my schedule is gong to pick up this year, i need to not be doing prayer and bible reading when i'm really wanting to go to sleep at midnight {or past, which is often the case} this is going to be really hard for me. i'm not a morning person, i'm a night owl. but i'll adjust.

2. no soda for 2013! this isn't going to be terribly hard, i prefer water over soda anyway, and Rachel is doing it with me, so that will make it easier.

3. do nice. i need to work on my people skills, and since i'll start college in 2 weeks, this will be perfect. i want to smile more at strangers instead of giving empty spaced off looks, i want to say kinder words and speak more gently. i want to be more alert to people around me. because its way to easy for me to just shut down when i'm not in my comfort zone. and begin around people, isn't my comfort zone at all.

4. put more effort into the few relationships that i have. its no big secret that i don't have a lot of friends close to me, i mean distance wise. and all the freinds i have around here seem to be 10yrs older or 10yrs younger. but all the same, God gave them to me for a reason. so i have to put effort into them.

5. make more things. draw more, paint more, experiment with different techniques, find a purpose for my art and just do it. do anything. especially things i' haven't done before.

6. read more. last year one of my friends made a goal of reading 150books, i'd like to do something like this too. and i need to learn to not be terribly picky with what i read. i need to expand.

i am excited for 2013. i just sorta wish 2012 had lasted longer..the older i get the years seem to go by faster. and i'm sure it will only get worse.

i don't want to regret 2013.

i want to make the best of it.

my guilty pleasure, a mindless craft of cutting up pieces of paper and simply gluing them down. so much fun.

are you excited for 2013? and do you have many resolutions for this next year?

-noni

things that say a lot about people

oldie pic, back when i had a pixie!

the way which they treat the waiter/waitress:
how they feel about the weather:
whether they dog ear pages or highlight in books:
fingernails:
and hands in general:
their preferred creative outlet:
how much they dread/enjoy talking on the phone:
whether or not they drink coffee:
if they ever forget to eat:
how honest they are with themselves (and others):
if they correct your grammar:
and whether or not they get nervous before haircut


-ok, so i *hate* ordering food, but i'm always nice to the waiter/waitress because i feel so bad for them, i'd hate to do their job. and as for those who like being a waiter/waitress, i'm still nice to them because i'm happy that there are people like them!

-i love all types of weather{rain-sun-cloudy-ect}, unless the weather is keeping me from something i want to do{floods, tornados ect-} i remember being flooded in on Christmas eve in 10'. it was horrible!

-i dog ear sometimes, but typically i leave my pages alone. it just feels wrong to mess with them. but i've never actually experimented with highlighting or underlining anything in a book other than my bible. so i'm not sure how i really feel about it.

-fingernails. i keep them short, never bite them. and sometimes i forget to cut them and it drives me insane. long fingernails are so icky. i cannot function with long fingernails. -_-

-i love noticing people's hands. mine are very soft and long. i'm particularly fond of them. but not in a weird way..ok. maybe it is weird.

-eh. my outlet is huge. everything from photography, writing, sketching, sewing, ect. i know the question was "preferred outlet" but it all depends on my moods.

-i dread talking on the phone. every fiber of my being seems to revolt at it. texting-emails-fbchat are my ways of communication.

-i drink coffee. to much probably. never black though, and starbucks is obviously the best choice.

-i'm constantly forgetting to eat! i'm always sidetracked with a project or book. its a bad habit, i know.

-i'm brutally honest with myself {or so i like to believe}, i can be a downer about it sometimes. and as far as others go..i don't like messing with people. so. yeah...i try to be honest with. people..

-i don't correct people's grammar unless to make a joke out of it. otherwise it can be rude and annoying.

-haircuts are lovely occasions! i've never been nervous for one, not even when i got a super short pixie.

this was fun, and you should join in  the fun in the comments, or a blog post of your own using the list of questions!

-noni

ps.

idea credit: bird and willow

what lucy found there

"...something cold and soft was falling on her. a moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night-time with snow under her feet and snowflakes falling through the air.
lucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well...." 

 

grant it that these photos weren't taking at night, but that is when it started snowing.

yesterday around 5, it was dark already, and first it was sleet, then it turned to a gorgeous heavy snow fall. i was in love with it. stopping by the windows every 5min to make sure it was still snowing.

first thing i did this morning upon waking up was checking the snow, as if it might have melted over night or something :p

first thing i did after breakfast was going out in the snow.

and now i'm really hoping we can get friends to come over and go sledding this afternoon.

all in all, with puzzles to do, books to read, egg-nog to drink and snow to play in.

its a happy day.

-noni

 lots of nothing going on around here

this week is dragging by, but i don't mind.

i've been discovering lots of good music too.

ever heard of The Wailin' Jennys? they're so good.

i also bought Phillip Phillips for myself, and The Lumineers. 

and i really want some Gillian Weltch. gah. can't get enough of her, she's fantastic.

anyways, have a look at the pictures. tell meh which one's your fave! mine are the first 3 :)

and have a fantastic rest of the week!

-noni

ps.

i need book suggestions. badly. have any?

the day after

we actually had our Christmas on Sunday, so yesterday didn't have that much excitement.

but thats ok, i read Divergent in 9hrs and played with puzzles and had a game of chess with myself.

this morning i woke up beneath my pile of king size fuzzy blankets to snow.

snow! eek. its so pretty. i haven't gone out in it yet.

but i will.

and i'll be back with lots of pictures too.

how was your Christmas?? do you have snow yet?

-noni-

cousins!

i know i said i was going to take a little holiday break, but i thought i'd just pop in to show you

the group picture of all the cousins. 

i just had to get a picture of us all looking so spiffy.

so here ya go!

L2R- eli, ezra, aaron, benjamin, me, john, rachel, kyle, ashely w/maddy, antonia w/asa and jason.

at the moment the house is rather quiet, thats because everyone is eating.

eating ribs, and hot wings, and numerous other delish foods.

yup.

Merrrrrry {early} Christmas!!!!

-noni

almost

i'm going to take a holiday break from blogging, can't say how long it'll last, but it won't be long.

today cousins-aunts-uncles-sister-brotherinlaw-babies are all coming, i've been cleaning house all morning {by myself!} and i still have to get my room ready for whoever is staying in it {my room is also the guest room} so i'm pretty busy today. tomorrow is church in the morning, then home to do our big christmas, then monday we do our small christmas after everyone but my sister and her little family leaves, and we're gonna go to the Christmas eve service at church, its my favorite. then on christmas day it'll just be me, my parents and 2 brothers, we'll just relax all day.

its gonna be awesome.

all of it.

and i'm really excited.

for all of it.

so i'll leave you with that.

and this..

i want to do this on my chalk board so bad! i think i might have to add it to my to-do list :D

-noni

and there you have it

brace yourself, now!

 i know, i know. ^morbid. but hilarious, eh?

 bloody stupid! hahahaha, i just love his face.

 oh, Dwight, you're such a freak, a really awesome freak..

 does it get any better than these two?!

 OF COURSE THEY DON'T!

um..yeah!

i've been like this my whole life, anyone else? 

 and this has happened all to often to meh :p

 yes, i am guilty of loving this show.

quite certainly!

i don't typically like to spam up my blog with funny pictures, but i wanted to, and i can. so yup.

i found all of these hysterical and ridiculous.

i hope you did too.

which one made you chortle most?

-noni

this is the winter where the days are running together

this is the winter where i'll remember reading more than i usually do. its Wednesday, people, and i haven't watched a bit of tv since saturday. i can hardly fathom that, it probably has to do with the fact that i'm all out of Monk and TWD and i've re-watched Psych to much already. that and i'm re-discovering my love for reading. this is the winter where i'll remember wanting to learn french and writing down Latin on my hand to help me memorize it. this is the winter of watercolor notebooks and wishing i had a puzzle to put together. this is the winter of new minnetonka house shoes. 

this has been a warm winter so far, i'm freaking psyched for christmas, but i'm not counting the days {said the liar}.

 this is the first winter of my nephew. 

this is the winter where i'll finally have the camera of my dreams to go picture taking in the snow {when if we get some}. 

this is the winter of reigniting my love for everything folk; new folk, traditional folk.

it takes me back to old days when i was little, back when folks songs were second nature to me.

back when i memorized whole ballads but never sang them onstage. that wasn't my job.

 this is the winter where i am ok with where i'm at.

i think i love this winter.

-noni
~listen, listen, listen~

what was i to do? to be brutally beaten, to be killed perhaps, would not help my case. i looked steadily into the cruel gray eyes. they might have been granite for all the light and warmth of a human soul they contained. one may see the soul stir in some men's eyes, but his were bleak, and cold, and gray as the sea itself.

"well?"
"yes." i said.
"say 'yes, sir.' "
"yes, sir," i corrected.
"what is your name?"
"van weyden, sir."
"first name?"
"humphry, sir; humphry van weyden."
"age?"
"thrity-five, sir."
"that'll do. go to the cook and learn your duties."
and thus it was that i passed into a state of involuntary servitude to wolf larsen. he was stronger than i, that was all.

a few random thoughts:
i get to see family sometime this week!!!! that includes my nephew. *squeal*

i've been reading, writing {in various notebooks i always keep around} and taking pictures, it seem to keep me content but not fulfilled.

i'm soooo ready for the holiday festivities to begin!

the weather is nice out. its what i imagine england must feel like, rainy, very moist, lush, and biting.

i like it. its especially great picture weather.

i hope by tomorrow i'll have Keats running through my veins.

i'm currently submerged in jack london- sea wolf. so good.

i'm dreading january 14th like the plague.

i really want to learn how to play chess.

i wish coffee didn't get me so wired.

i'm done now.

-noni