This is one of my favorite posts of the year – the highlights. I’m always surprised by how much I managed to fit into each month here on the blog. And I’m also surprised at how glad I am to have this blog as a record of my projects and travels and adventures. Without it, I’d forget half of what goes on over here!

Because I love the highlights so much, I’m going to do a few highlight round ups – a general one today, and then a roundup of my travels and my projects tomorrow. Here goes!

January

In January, I made at least a few batches of this yummy gluten free Santiago Almond Tart.

February

I found this excellent Dublin street wisdom – and I’ve been using it as my iPhone wallpaper ever since!

March 

I started a Home Office series to talk about the tips and tricks I’ve learned (and am still learning) working from home.

April 

During a rainy April, I shared what to wear in Ireland in the rain for another Styled in Ireland post.

May

In May, the rhododendrons in Howth bloomed!

June

A few super sporty activities everyone can enjoy in Dublin.

July

At the start of the summer, I started thinking about the apartment makeover we’d undertake a few months later.

August

Just in time for the warmest summer Ireland has seen in decades, I shared these sweetest baby clothes printed in Wicklow.

September

In September, I shared my favorite spots in Dublin now – on video!

October

We couldn’t forget the chickens! They arrived in August and I wrote an update on them in October.

November

In November, I celebrated my 30th birthday by counting down (almost) 30 lessons I’ve learned in my 20’s. It was such a fun exercise!

December

December was all about getting festive and crafty for the holidays. These porcelain ornaments were so simple and made me very happy!

Thanks for coming along with me through this year. It has been a pleasure, as always, to get to write here and hang out with you all. Thank you for your encouragement and excitement and advice over the last year. Here’s to more fun in 2014!

Good morning, friends! Are you getting a little break between holidays at the moment? I sure hope so. This time between Christmas and the new year is one of my favorites in Ireland – a lot of shops are closed, and Michael and I both have time off to rest and relax. We’re not much for celebrating New Year’s Eve, but we do try to make it a little festive as we wait for midnight to roll around. I thought this festive white wine and cranberry punch would do just the trick!

When we had our second blogger meetup a few months ago at Peperina Garden Bistro, I asked the guys there if we could come up with a festive punch recipe. Lo and behold they whipped up a delicious white wine cranberry punch that’s perfect for the New Year’s Eve! It’s fresh and a little tart with a festive edge from vanilla, cloves and cardamom pods.

Holiday White Wine and Cranberry Punch

2 teaspoons whole cloves
1/2 of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 cardamom pods
1/2 liter cranberry juice
1/2 liter apple juice
4 medium purple and/or green plums, pitted and sliced
1 bottle a fruity white wine like sauvignon blanc
fresh cranberries to garnish

Split the vanilla pod down the middle length wise. Put the 
vanilla bean, the cardamom pods, and the whole cloves into 
a piece of cheese cloth and tie with a string. Pour all the 
liquids into a punch bowl or carafe, and add the spices in 
the cheese cloth as well as the plums to the liquid. Let sit 
in the fridge for a few hours, then pour into glasses and 
garnish with fresh cranberries skewered on a cocktail stick.

This punch is going to be perfectly refreshing come New Year’s Eve, when there are still a few cranberries lurking in your fridge’s crisper and you’re ready for something a little lighter! Cheers!

{For some reason, Vimeo videos don’t like to play directly in my site! Just click on the image to open the video in a new tab!}

My friend Kristin shared this video yesterday and I loved every moment of it, so naturally I wanted to share it with all of you. Gentlemen of Letters a wonderful short film that compares and juxtaposes sign painters with street artists in Dublin, and it’s so lovely. It’s about 16 minutes long, but it’s worth every single one.

There’s a spot in the film where one of the street artists is talking about how he takes detours to see certain pieces of art – I can completely identify with that. Some of the street art around the city makes me so happy, or gives me such a boost that I’ll take a certain route over and over just to see it and smile again.

I also think street art is one of the few ways Dublin fights back and makes a statement in the face of the corruption or greed of the last few decades. I think there’s such power in those statements that are in your face every day. I’ve posted a few of the pieces mentioned in the video on my Instagram – here, here and here.

Meanwhile, I love that the video also includes the history and present state of sign painters in Dublin – and that the two groups have decided they definitely have something in common: dealing with the weather.

It’s just a super video, thanks Kristin for sharing it!