2012 Top 10 Posts at Listgirl.com

As you know by my site’s name, I love to make lists. I get excited at the end of every year when magazines and online sources put out their Top {Insert Number} Lists of the year, covering everything from books, music, photos, restaurants, etc. So, this year I decided to make some Top 10 {12, 15, etc.} lists of my own.

I took a look at Google Analytics for Listgirl.com’s site statistics for 2012. I don’t look at my blog stats too often, maybe once every couple of months. But at year-end it’s interesting to see which posts had the most audience. So here is the list! Some of these were not written in 2012, but still made it as Top 10 in 2012.

Top 10 Posts at Listgirl.com for 2012:

1. The whole category of Project Life posts

   – I did about half a year of Project Life in 2011 and another half a year of Project Life in 2012. The link that goes to all my Project Life posts was the top viewed page on my blog for 2012.
   
   {A quick update on the status of Project Life in my life: I still love it but have been too busy to do it the last couple of months. I am doing a holiday album for December. I will be starting Project Life again in January 2013.}

2. Tutorial | Printing Onto Project Life Journal Cards

   – this tutorial shows you how to print journaling onto Project Life journal cards.
   

3. Freebie | DIY Japanese Tape Pattern Printable

   – an easy way to make your own patterned tapes at home.
   

4. New 52 | Week 21: New DIY Craft Island

   – how I set up my craft table with built-in storage for only around $170.
   

5. Mini Book | Love You

   – I shared my process of making an “I Love You” mini book as an anniversary gift for Todd.
   

6. 2012 Project Life | Week 5

   – somehow this particular Project Life post gained a lot of traction.
   

7. Project Life | 2012 Title Page + Process

   – I shared my process of making my Project Life title page.
   

8. 8x8 Recipe Book Template Giveaway

   – this post is from 2010 and still continue to get a lot of page views. I shared my process of making a recipe photo book to give to family and friends. I also share a free download of the Photoshop templates that I created to make the recipe book.
   
   

9. Project Life | Assembly Line Process

   – I shared my process of making batches of journal cards for Project Life all at once, so that they are ready to be used when I go work on my album.
   

10. My “About Me” page

    – I update this page periodically. When visitors come to my blog for the first time, they sometimes click on the About Me tab at the top out of curiosity. This page is my bio that pretty much describes who I am, what I do, and all that I love.
    

That’s the Top 10 most visited pages on my blog for 2012! I’m excited for 2013 at Listgirl.com. I hope you will stop by periodically and say hi!

Holiday Wrap-up 2012

One last post about the holidays to wrap up the glorious season. I fully admit that I’m not a December person or holiday person. Work is busy for me in December. Add traveling and shopping for gifts, my stress level could get pretty high. Another reason that I usually don’t look forward to Christmas holidays anymore is because my mom isn’t here with us anymore. When she was around, things were different. But I make the best of it, and this year I had a fun time with family and friends.

On Thursday 12/20, we had a group lunch with friends at work at Panda Buffet.

That was quite fun and I had a good time chatting with everyone. I prepared 3 gifts for friends whom I knew were going to bring me gifts as well. (I just know based on past history, LOL.) So this year I went prepared!


Our Christmas season was full of our favorite hot chocolates, which is always a good thing.


I made a button tree.


I finished my handmade holiday cards. (More details to come in a separate post.)


I learned to take some shaped bokeh photos.


Noodle took too much interest in the small tabletop trees and the large tree.


He was also very snuggly.




I gave Todd a heavy Christmas gift.


Always the joker!

He’s been doing P90X for two months and needed more varied dumbbells.

He gave me a Kindle Paperwhite.


My childhood friend Minnie and her family drove down to San Diego for vacation and I got to hang out with her a bit.


We took some photos in front of the tree.


And of the gifts under the tree.


On Christmas morning we made nutella ebelskivers for breakfast.


It was all kinds of yummy.


We had Christmas lunch at China Max, a standing tradition.


So much yummy dim sum!




And of course, we went to the beach. Ever since we moved here in December 1999, we have had Christmas On The Beach every year, except for 2006 when my mom was really sick and we couldn’t go.




We came home and opened up other gifts.


As usual, Santa brought us new Ohio State Buckeye shirts.


We chatted with Todd’s family on the phone, after opening gifts from them. Noodle loves the Ohio State laundry basket.


I Facetimed with my friend Sally as she opened her gifts from us.


And we Facetimed with my sister Joyce and her family.

I love that technology brings far away family and friends together!

We got to hang out with our friends AJ & Meera and their kids on Friday 12/28. We got to open up our gifts for each other.


Todd played piano with Keiji.




We got to see some fantastically decorated houses that had lights synched to music!


And it was so much fun to hang out with good friends.


This holiday season has been full of blessings. I’m reminded of how much my family and friends mean to me. I’m reminded that every relationship needs to be treasured and cultivated. I’m blessed to have such awesome people in my life.

Early Christmas In Texas

We made a trip in mid-December to celebrate an early Christmas with my sister Joyce and her family. Todd and I flew from San Diego, while my dad flew from LA.


We spent 3 days together and it was such precious time together. I don’t get to see my sister Joyce very often because they live in Texas. The boys, Xander and Andrew, have grown so much since we last saw them at Thanksgiving of 2011.

Joyce and Alex.


On Thursday 12/13 we did some last minute shopping and wrapped all the gifts we brought with us and the ones we purchased there.


One thing that made a big impression on me is how much land there is in Texas. We went to Target in the heart of the Christmas shopping season and the parking lot was almost empty! Our local Target in San Diego is crowded even not at Christmas time. Sometimes it’s hard to find parking even during any weekday. Todd and I stay far away from Target in San Diego between Thanksgiving and New Years. Just trying to find parking is a frustrating experience. I’m jealous of the wide open parking lots in Texas! :)



On Friday evening we drove to Frisco City Hall to see their light show set to music on the radio. It was really awesome! My sister’s minivan fit all seven of us.






Me, Alex, and Andrew goofing off.


Andrew is becoming quite a ham for the camera.


We opened our gifts to each other Friday night. Andrew loved to see what everyone got.


Uncle Todd got a book.


Andrew and Joyce smiling at our photo card.


A boy who gets Star Wars toys is an excited boy!


We gave Alex the Madden 2013 football game. It’s been a 15 year tradition for Todd and Alex to play the game together every time they see each other, whether at our house or theirs.


Grandpa got a travel pillow.


And some eye shades, ha ha!


Todd got a Star Wars computer game and Andrew was excited for him.


Andrew loved being in the middle of everyone opening their gifts. :)


On Saturday night, Todd and Alex went to see The Hobbit, while Joyce and I stayed home and watched a couple of cheesy Christmas movies on Lifetime. I loved spending time with my sister and her family. I wish that we lived closer to each other so we could get together more often.