Brrrr...

So so so chilly. This past weekend was great, lots of fun. Actually felt like I made a good dent in the Christmas gift-shopping list. I feel a little bit better about it. Man, cannot believe that Christmas is just about next week, yup folks, next WEEK!
whoa....... Um, where did the time go? Seriously?
On Saturday, went over to my in-laws house and hung out with Carrie, my mom-in law. We have a tradition where we always go shopping on a Saturday in December, go out to dinner, watch Christmas movies, I guess it's our "girls Christmas day" you could call it. This year it was different though, we mixed it up a bit. This year, my family and hubby's family have all decided to draw names, oh man, THANK goodness. We have larger families, and every year it can get so expensive. So less things to buy this year. NICE> Much more economical. So, Carrie and I decided to stay warm inside, skip the shopping, listen to music, and bake Christmas cookies and treats all afternoon. It was SO much fun. We were totally awesome, made a TON, to give to neighbors and co-workers, etc (and some for our bellies, smile). Maybe I will post some pics soon, once I get em uploaded.
Otherwise, pretty nice weekend. Felt pretty accomplished. Cleaned. Shopped. Hung -w- Hubby. Cooked. Laughed. Rested. Good times.

This morning, woke up and it WAS SO ICKY cold!!!! Ugh. Ugh. Car was basically frozen solid. Grrrr, was a half hour late to work... grrrr. Man. Did I say I like this cold winter weather earlier in a post? Was I crazy? Did I forget how it can be every year??? Ice. Oh man, ice.


Anyway, as an additional side-note. Kinda random, I know. But wanted to post about it. When I was doing a bit of shopping around the city on Sunday, one of the things I always notice and love is how different everyone is, how the city always has such a mixture of people, looks, styles, clothes, personalities showing through. I love it. When ya think about it, everyone has their own unique personal style, whether they like it or not, can go from very toned down to exuberent in color texture. Ever wanted to just stop someone on the street and ask them who they are, what they do, what their background is?
It reminds me of a book that I read and just loved a while back called "The Look Book", there is the corresponding web-site that is always updated every week with a new photo. "New York" magazine published this book, and all of the updated weekly online photos are attributed to the online publication. What the photographers do is just go throughout New York neighborhoods, set up a white drop-cloth on the sidewalk, and just randomly take pictures of a certain person or group that catches their eye as they walk by. I think this would be so cool, what a cool job. They always have a small little series of about 4-5 questions from the person, and immediately you get a sense and history of the individual, a story, and that story always comes with their clothes too, these ordinary people and what they do to expand and create their looks, it's usually much deeper than the clothes. I LOVE this concept. LOVE it. Shows stories, I love stories, love individuality. Really appreciate the unique nature of every person. It's just this cool element that makes the world more colorful. Makes you think, why do you wear that specific pair of shoes, or why that hairstyle, why that ring, that jacket...
I know that this is for New York magazine, would be fun if there was one for Chicago, but for now... it's still entertaining to take a little peek into these individuals lives and "looks". You can check out the link here , it's so fun. like a little surprise every week. I've posted just a few of the hundreds taken over the past few years that I think are particularly interesting, entertaining, or unique. So as you go through this season, and about your day, remember one of the things that makes it so colorful is people, how they might celebrate, and their individual stories and unique style. So instead of maybe getting frustrated in the crowds when shopping, take a step back, people-watch and appreciate the mass individuality and stories surrounding around you. There is a reason behind everything...

All photos are Copyright to New York Magazine, most pics attributed to the talented photographer "Jake Chessum".