Today Toby is at CHIPs club and Amy is out with a friend so I'm really enjoying the peace and quiet of a couple of hours all to myself. I thought I'd pop in briefly and share a few of my favourite pictures from the last year, a few of the things that brought me smiles and pleasure…
1. edge, 2. a bundle of bunnies, 3. blossom, 4. Misty morning in autumn afghan, 5. garden, 6. waiting for arms…, 7. campout, 8. carrots, 9. line, 10. hedgies, 11. misty afghan, 12. packing
Hopefully there will be plenty to smile about in 2013.
We've had a good start here at our house, the first day of the year was bright and beautiful and Toby and I were awake at dawn to see the sun rise and then off to the woods for a lovely walk – a perfect start to a bright new year. Amy and I have been busy in the kitchen with our new years resolution to bake more…
These are little lemony yoghurty 'baby bundt' cakes from Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'. Tomorrow we are making cheese scones – though all this baking does put in jeopardy my second resolution to loose a bit of weight! My only other new years resolution is to try to worry less about things I cannot change and focus on each day at a time. Have you made any resolutions this year?
I'll be back properly next week after the children are back to school and I've caught up with some much neglected housework – look forward to catching up with you then.
little cotton rabbits 
Those cakes look delicious.
I like your resolution. Mine is to take time to make real tea in a pot not just resort to a bag in a mug (I could have gone with lose weight or get fit but those are unrealistic goals)
Hope 2013 brings you lots of happy times and good things.
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Oh what a lovely way to start the day!!! Your pictures are wonderful and those lovely cakes!!
I’m going to look them up today !!
Happy New Year to you lovely lady!!!
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Enjoy that baking, I love it and find it so fulfilling, shame scrummy baked goods are so full of calories, maybe I should resolve to give more of my baking away and share the joy. Happy New Year to you. Elaine
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Lovely images Julie , they have brought smiles and pleasure to all of us!!! 🙂
I’m so glad your new year has got off to a good start! I look forward to dropping in here during 2013 to see lots of new bunnies and some of that delicious baking too.
Vivienne xxx
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mmmmh cheese scones! lovely collage of 2012, ali
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Love your collection of images, a beautiful snapshot
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I started off the new year by baking too, a lemon drizzle cake from a christmas present book. I’m just going to try and knit more as I hardly did any last year. I’ve already started by doing something for myself , a moss stitch scarf taken from yours .. thank you 🙂
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Thank you for starting my day so nicely with this post! 🙂 Could you please list the yarn and color combinations of the blanket in your first picture – it’s simply stunning!
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Oh I love cheese scones,mmmmm!
I have been trying to teach myself mindfulness through meditation and my resolution is to keep trying! xx
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I’ve never had a cheese scone. Maybe you and Toby could walk more?
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Your resolution really makes sense for everyone ( including me!) . I may not comment often, but I do read your postings. Love your bunnies and friends…. !
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Those cakes look delicious Julie! So glad you and yours had a bright start to 2013, and may the rest of your year be as sunny 😀
Lovely year in pictures … and I see the Little Cotton Rabbit colour palette shining through!
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How nice your cakes look, I stopped making new year resolutions years ago, but I definitely need to loose weight and stop worrying, whatever the time of year.
As ever lovely photos.
Louise
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For the first time in ages I made a resolution and it’s this: do less dashing around and spend more time at home crafting, decorating and gardening. In the first year that I lost my husband I galloped around the UK and Europe like a mad person in an effort to be ever-busy and not dwell on sad memories.
Time now to leave my Year of Magical Thinking behind and get on with things at home which will explain why I’m currently surrounded by F&B paint swatches, balls of yarn, far too much fabric and a seed catalogue!
Happy new year Julie to you and your family. Your photos and writing always bring cheer.
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Bake more seems a very worthy resolution to me!
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Happy New Year Julie. Those little buns look delicious and I certainly like any resolution that involves more baking.
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Those are the most tempting cakes I’ve ever laid eyes on. I must make them.
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it is my first comment here so I have to start saying – I love your blog! I found it a few days ago, and bascally spent all my morning reading and marvelling the pics!
As for my resolutions, I made many. And one of them was decluttering my home (read: knit all my yarn! :))… Let’s see how that will work out.
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Wonderful pics of baking. So pleased to see you back in the new year. Wonderful pics of hugs, little round tummies and lots of wooly wonderfulness. Much love xxx
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Such beautiful and refreshing images – I can’t wait to get properly stuck into 2013.
Happy New Year to you all.
Nina xxx
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Hello,
Love your posts,all of them.Love the ones about Toby.Especiaaly the Christmas Pictures.
I really like the first little picture Titled edge on this new post.
This afghan is so pretty.
I have made no new year resolutions.But I hope and plan to keep reading Little Cotton Rabbits.
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Lindas fotos! Lindos e tentadores bolinhos!
Que seu 2013 seja repleto de luz e doçuras!
Um abraço!
Egléa
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I have never made a “Nigella” recipe that failed! Perhaps your daughter could start a blog (a la Julie/Julia and attempt all the recpies from “How to be a Domestic Goddess”. Each recipe is guaranteed to work! Happy New Year.
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Hi Julie, those cakes look yummy, and how beautiful are your photos, I wish you a happy 2013, may it be good to you. xxBrenda
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I smile every time I look at that photo of the little dresses on the line. So Sweet. My NY resolution is to finish the socks I stared last year and hopefully master knitting socks on cables. Happy New Year to you all Julie xx
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Bake more and worry less – those sound very good indeed. No concrete resolutions here – just maybe to be a bit braver this year.
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Love your collection of bunnies:) they are amazing ! still reading your blog and learn. Happy New Year !
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Happy New Year Julie. Those photos at the beginning are really lovely….especially the bunny bottoms! My resolution is to walk instead of using the car so much, and to finish the crochet granny blanket I started at the beginning of last year.
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I don’t make resolutions. Somewhere along the line, I found that it doesn’t work for me (which doesn’t mean it isn’t absolutely sterling for others). I think that I just face forward, set my jaw, and march into the new year, hoping to stay on track, to keep the money in order, to hold things together – all as the underpinning I always should do. And then leave myself open, like a tennis player, to chase inspiration and opportunity when I see it flitting around in the corner of my eye. It’s the best I can do. If I make resolutions, I always fail. I’m like a happy dog (sometimes a very tired one, and sometimes a loopy one) who sets off down a scent, but is often overcome by squirrels. I KNOW this, and so, if I make resolutions, know that they will give way to squirrels, whatever else I mean. So with that underpinning of responsibility and a morality based on the Lord’s example, my life is pretty much squirrel defined.
Here, I shrug and grin sheepishly.
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Yummy buns. And beautiful photographs. I hope this year to buy one of your patterns and knit a rabbit family for my granddaughter
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I was in a blogging desert and then you posted your 2012 in pictures and I was reminded of how much I enjoyed doing last years mosaic. Thanks for the inspiration and all the best for a brilliant 2013 :o)
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A beautiful year of photos Julie, simply lovely! I hope you enjoyed snatching a little quite time and good luck watching the waist line with temptations like that about!
S x
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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Beautiful, beautiful, the montage, the colours, the cake. I have that book, might have to try that recipe too.
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My resolution is to carry on with my diet. I’m just going into the fifth month of The Fast Diet and although I’m fasting today, I love that I could quite happily tuck into one (or two!) of those scrummy looking buns tomorrow. I’m a stone down and would love to try and lose another. I can’t recommend it enough, the book has gone to No1 on Amazon.
Your photographic year looks so wonderful, all together there xx
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My favorite photo. The one of Toby and Amy.
I have ‘hopes’ for 2013 but I’ve given up on New Years Resolutions…… I tend to fizzle. I think like you said, just taking each day at a time and enjoying each moment as it comes is a good goal for me.
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Sounds like a good plan to me. A Consultant told me recently that feeling guilty about things is a wasted emotion – why worry about things you cannot change. And I think he’s right so if F & B swatches, balls of yarn and a seed catalogue are what you need to get you started on your new journey so be it and that still leaves a little room for the fabric you have to have something familiar to fall back on.
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Hi Julie,
I always enjoy reading your blog. I don’t make resolutions as I just know I won’t keep to them and then I have to deal with the failure. Instead I decided to start the New Year with a more positive outlook. Most of my children are grown and flown and so I got out of the habit of baking and technically challenging recipes but I have started the New Year by baking scones and home made Lasagne including the Pasta this weekend and I had forgotten how much pleasure you can get from producing something. So this weekend I think it will be Cornish Pasties or a fruit pie.
Hope you enjoyed your ME time.
Mitzi
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Thanks Kelly. All the details including yarn used, hook size etc are over on my ravelry project page:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/bunnyknitter/traditional-granny
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I just want to hug your bundle of bunnies! As for resolutions, mine are to be brave and positive – hasn’t been a huge success this past year, but am determined to rectify that – life is just too short to miss out! Good luck with the baking – my sons became hooked on the great British bake off, so we are also trying to do more – there is something about cooking for loved ones that blows away the stress of the day! Happy new year to you and yours x
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Love the photos, I must try those bundts, I’ve never tried that particular recipe and I love baking. My NYR is simply to light more candles. I have tealights in holders dotted around. Time to light them every night and see their twinkling lights.
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I have been hibernating. I missed this gorgeous post, Julie, and so many others! Those little bundt buns look perfect and your 2012 mosaic is just wonderful. Happy happy New Year to you – it’s been so lovely to get to know you a little more over the last twelve months x
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Such beautiful photos Julie – sorry to be so late in commenting yet again. Please send any unwanted weight my way!
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