favorite things from 2010.

somehow there are two days left of this entire year--did it sneak up on anyone else? before 2010 is completely over, i wanted to note some of my favorites from this year of wonder. it was full and lovely and i look forward to 2011, whatever it holds.
note: some of my favorites did not come out this year, but they're my favorite things from this past year.

album: broken bells by broken bells.

i listened to this over and over when it came out in the spring. james mercer (the shins) has such a great voice, and this pairing with danger mouse is pure greatness.

album: the suburbs by arcade fire.

musically there's a lot going on, and lyrically too. plus the songs will always remind me of wandering the streets of nyc with b--we traded off humming "the suburbs" and other arcade fire riffs while we waited for the subway or looked for cool buildings.

album: abbey road by the beatles.

i have to admit i always respected and admired the beatles, but i didn't really get it until this year. i didn't grow up listening to them, and hadn't listened much at all until we started introducing some beatles songs to the kids--fun early stuff like "twist and shout" (which g calls "shake it up baby now") plus later fun stuff like yellow submarine" and "octopus's garden"--b made some beatles cds for our road trip to utah, and that was it. the medley on abbey road is incredible. "golden slumbers" is probably my very favorite, but it's really hard to choose just one favorite beatles song.

children's book: knuffle bunny free by mo willems,

& film: toy story 3 by pixar. for more in depth reflections on both, see here.

film: inception.

i love movies, but find very few that i am willing to pay full movie theater price times 2 + cost of a babysitter for three kids, so i rarely see movies at the theater. the only movie i saw in the theater this year. we saw it on an imax screen, and it was well worth it. the visuals were stunning, the plot and characters were intriguing, and one of our favorite buildings made a cameo appearance.

film: 500 days of summer.

we finally saw it on dvd this past summer, and i loved it. something about it just stayed with me. i especially loved the dual-screen scene that showed how tom wanted the party to go and the reality of how the party went. i've always wanted to do a scene/short film like that, and they did it so wonderfully. it was also fun to see a film appreciate the architecture of downtown los angeles, because b and i share that appreciation.

film: scott pilgrim vs. the universe.

fun fun fun. that's what this film was. fun on so every level.

live concert: neko case.

she is incredible live. it was amazing to hear her in person.

sewing project: christmas tree advent.

inspiration from here (some of it very direct). i finally finished our advent. i'm pretty proud of myself because it was a big undertaking.

cookbook: cook 1.0 by heidi swanson.

swanson is the writer/photographer behind 101 cookbooks. this vegetarian cookbook is so wonderfully simple. i've really been inspired the recipes this week--we're due for a major detox around here after all this holiday bliss.

book: silas marner by george eliot.

it's a simple story, but so beautifully written it really left an impression on me. it took a bit for me to get into eliot's 19th century writing style, but once i was in i was spellbound. i recommend it to anyone.

children's book: iggy peck architect by andrea beaty.

the illustrations are fantastic, and the rhyming tale of the young architect is refreshingly tight and charming. i need to find more rhyming children's books that have the same respect for meter.

website: fabricworm.com.

i love looking at their wide selection of fabrics, from heather ross to japanese imports, and their prices are pretty reasonable. right now i'm loving this.

literary discovery: the new yorker.

two of my favorite authors are new yorker writers, and i finally started reading it online more this year. i'm very excited to start getting it in the mail (thanks, whit!)

treat: homemade strawberry ice cream (made with organic strawberries) and ginger snaps.

a friend gave us some organic strawberries, and using this recipe. if you haven't had organic strawberries you should. the difference is incredible. i'm afraid i can't go back to overgrown grocery store strawberries. i was also excited to adapt my great grandma's ginger snap recipe to make them gluten-free.

restaurant meal: curry dosa at hampton chutney company in new york.

it was so good we went back with friends. mmm.

in the kitchen: heavy aluminum round cake pans with removable bottom.

perfect for cheesecake, and great for regular cake, too. this was a favorite purchase this year.

from the market: arugula.

i hadn't tried arugula before this year. it's delicious in salad and on pizza.

first with lulu: evergreen city ballet's production of the nutcracker.

it was just my lu and me. she sat on my lap for a lot of it. we were both mesmerized. she loved the music/dancing/costumes/everything. i loved sharing a favorite (ballet) with her.

one of my favorite memories with g: jane's first day of school.

we went to get donuts at a nearby shop. we both missed jane terribly. he's my special little guy.

first with flora: trip to utah to introduce her to family and give her a name and a blessing.

it's fun to see the effect our calm, sweet girl has on everyone we love. she belongs.

memory with b:

i can't choose just one because b gave me a lot this year. he won a trip to new york so we could go together, and our time there was amazing. for our anniversary he surprised me with tickets to bumbershoot, which was awesome.

favorite colors this year: yellow, pink, and gray or light blue.

what are some of your favorites from 2010?