The Year in Review

No paper towels except for the bathrooms, and no paper napkins.

I became obsessed with colored flats and also with 6pm.com. It's a great source for shoes on the cheap, people.

Aldi became a weekly stop for a lot of dairy and produce staples, and I counted the money I saved.

Polar Bear Plunge in Sea Isle City on February 18 - CHECK. Cross that off the life list. And it wasn't even that cold. Thank you, universe.

Life changer:

My first foray into bread that was not a quick bread: english muffin bread.

MFD and I walked over the Ben Franklin Bridge on my 35th birthday, another life list item.

I started making my own Febreze, fabric softener, glass cleaner, and granite cleaner, and I haven't bought any since.

I changed the name of this blog from Weinerwhistle to Life According to Steph.

I became a devotee of Zoya nail polish.

Geege turned eight and Gussie turned 7.

The best dessert I made all year: salted caramel butter bars.

The best dip I made all year: bacon double cheeseburger dip.

One of the best meals I made this year: Pan seared chicken with balsamic cream sauce, mushrooms and carmelized onions.

My favorite quick meal: Chicken enchilada pasta.

I think you should make spinach feta turkey burgers. 

I got an iphone. And had a brief but extremely ardent affair with solitaire.

We spent a weekend in Cape May to celebrate my Grandmom's 80th.

My brother graduated from high school and started college at Villanova.

We got a new car.

I spent a lot of time at my Mom & Rich's pool.

I started drinking beer on ice like an old lady.

I carried a watermelon. You didn't think you'd get through this post without a Dirty Dancing reference, did you?

My obsession with Duck Dynasty occupied a lot of my time.

We got a new roommate. Darren Daulton himself.

I touched the Pacific Ocean for the first time, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, rode on a street car, visited Alcatraz, and hugged a redwood tree.

We went sailing on Lake Tahoe while spending a weekend with my best friends and attending a wedding.

This blog turned a year old in July.

We had an awesome weekend in Strathmere with Frank and Amanda.

I finally made Pioneer Woman's iced coffee and good Lord it was wonderful.

I continued my mad love affair with pinterest and found new ways to organize my scarves, purses, makeup, and under the bathroom sinks.

Two days in Cocoa Beach.

Seven day Disney cruise on Disney's newest ship with friends. Stops in St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay. It was marvelous and wonderful. I'd like to go back.

We celebrated our second wedding anniversary and 10 years together with an amazing eight course meal at a fancy french restaurant after trolling around St. Martin all day.

President Barack Obama was re-elected. We housed out of state campaign workers in the final days of the campaign.

We were Bill and Monica for Halloween.

We were also Amish thanks to Kenny & Lauren's costume lending.

Jersey Shore and Gossip Girl ended.

Sandy devastated the East Coast. A crazy gunman devastated Sandy Hook Elementary School. I've had about enough of Sandy disasters.

Books I enjoyed in 2012:
Gone Girl
Tigers in Red Weather
Rules of Civility
The Fault in our Stars
Four novels (in order) by Tana French

Friends and family got engaged, married, moved in together, announced pregnancies, lost dogs, got new dogs. We celebrated birthdays and anniversaries. We lost loved ones - my step grandmom died in the summer, and Grandmom died on December 21 after a courageous nine month battle with pancreatic cancer.

I reflected on my grandmothers and knowing your weaknesses; shared some of my life lessons, cleaning tips, why I love America, shore love, and favorite books. I elaborated on the art of saying no and managing expectations.

Like every year, 2012 contained good and bad. I subscribe to the school of life where you need to know the bad to appreciate how good the good is when it's good. Say that five times fast.

As this year winds down, I'm setting my sights on 2013 and what things I can knock off of my life list next year, what recipes I want to try, restaurants I have to get to, weekend getaways I'd like to get nailed down, home improvement projects...I'm ready to leave 2012 in the dust!