2024

Looking Forward; Looking Back

Last year, instead of coming up with a list of things I was looking forward to in the coming year, I made a list of highlights from the past year. I really liked the way that worked out, so I thought I’d do it again this year.

  • Be Our Guest for the Day–I’m not sure I really believed my spot as guest host on Disney Radio would air until I heard it for myself, but it was a total thrill…I listened to it every time it was on!
  • Moose’s High School Graduation–His whole last semester was filled with Big Feelings for me, and it all culminated with graduation…I was so proud of him, and so excited for all the things to come, and a little sad, too, to say goodbye to all the things he loved about high school.
  • Combo Breaker–I think I enjoyed Combo Breaker 2024 more than any other year, and I’m pretty sure it’s because I was able to volunteer in a big way that reflected my skill set (spoilers…food was involved). It was really great to feel like I was a part of making things happen instead of just feeling like I was tagging along.
  • Paris 2024–I really loved every moment of the summer games…after Tokyo 2020(1), the Olympics we’d all like to forget, it was so much fun to see full stands, hugging athletes, and the world uniting. Plus I know that L.A. ’28 is just around the corner!
  • 50th Anniversary of Christmas Traditions–All year I looked forward to being part of the big 50th anniversary celebration of our very favorite Christmas event, and I wasn’t disappointed. We had an amazing time, and I even discovered that a memory I had submitted was included in the commemorative souvenir program, so my thoughts have been recorded for posterity’s sake, making our family a permanent part of Christmas Traditions!

I don’t know what 2025 will hold. The new Lego modular building that comes out today is amazing, and I’m more excited about it than I have been about a modular in quite a while. Bunny will be graduating from college, which is thrilling and scary. Ladybug will be graduating from high school…again, thrilling and scary. We’re looking forward to another Combo Breaker for sure, but I don’t know if we’ll take a family trip beyond that. I can’t anticipate successes I may experience, or excitement I might have, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the new year has in store for me!

2024 in Outfits

Time for a look back at 2024’s outfits of the day!

I was very intentional about putting together outfits this whole year. I wanted to really wear my wardrobe, so I put together looks for trips to the library and Target and anywhere else I went (except Walmart, because Walmart doesn’t deserve my best except at Christmas when I try to spread a little holiday cheer wherever I go). I think there are over 250 unique looks here, so obviously I didn’t wear something notable every day, but it was the vast majority!

I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep a record like this again in 2025, but it really helps me pay attention to what I’ve worn (and what I’ve neglected), and how I’ve styled things differently, which I really enjoy!

2024 in Review

Time for a look back at another fun, busy year!

January seemed even quieter than it usually does. We honestly didn’t do a whole lot, but we did enjoy one winter weather event, and a foggy trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden. I started a new monthly photo project there, but…spoiler ahead…I only made it partway through the year before we got so busy, I simply forgot to keep up with it!

February was surprisingly exciting. We went ice skating for a school field trip. The Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden was a welcome bright spot in the middle of the winter. We attended the premier “Once Upon a Valentine” event in St. Charles, MO. My hosting segment on SiriusXM’s Disney Hits channel aired! We took our annual Bobunk celebration on the road when we visited Bunny at college.

March was a total whirlwind. We celebrated MAR10 Day, Chicago Day, and STL Day in quick succession. Bunny came home for spring break. We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, Turkey’s 21st birthday, and Chickadee’s 12th birthday, also in quick succession. We attended the Animals Aglow lantern festival at the St. Louis Zoo. Starbuck’s introduced the most perfect drink. The month ended with a very early Holy Week and Easter.

After the business of March, April was a bit more laid-back, but not by much. The Cardinals had their home opener, and I’m pretty sure that was the high point of the season. We celebrated First Contact Day, and then M*A*S*H Day (a holiday of my creation). Even though we weren’t in the path of full totality, we enjoyed the Great North American Eclipse. Moose was inducted into National Honor Society. I celebrated 60 years of “It’s a Small World.”

Where do I even start with May? It was a busy month full of milestones, especially for Moose, who had his final high school band concert. Bunny came home from college for the summer just in time to celebrate Star Wars Days. Ladybug turned 17. We finished another year of homeschool. Moose graduated from high school! Yes, I cried. We drove through a dust storm the likes of which I’ve never seen on the way to Combo Breaker. The Fab Five and I spent a day in downtown Chicago together for the first time in a long time. Bunny and I toured the amazing Downton Abbey Exhibition. Chickadee and I visited the Umbrella Sky Project. On the way home from Combo Breaker, we visited the Pullman National Historic Park.

In June we celebrated Donald Duck’s 90th birthday! We also celebrated my 45th birthday, which I guess makes me half his age! Our bunny friend, Harold, visited most evenings. We took a summer vacation to Minneapolis, with stops at the future birthplace of James T. Kirk in Riverside, IA, and the Surf Ballroom along the way. We really enjoyed the Mall of America and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. We toured the beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul.

We tried to cram as much fun into July as possible. Ryan finally got to travel to Tokyo. It was a work trip, but he was able to stay a little longer and see some things he wanted to see…he can’t wait to go back! We visited Bahama Buck’s for the first time to try their Sonic Sno…I wish it wasn’t so far away! We celebrated Oktoberfest a few months early. Bunny turned 20! Dole Whip Day featured another Dole Whip-inspired recipe. The date might not have been right, but we had our own Captain Picard Day celebration. The Paris 2024 Olympics began.

August is always a month of change, but first, we continued to enjoy the Olympics, and I even finally mastered the Croquembouche! We were sad to say goodbye to Bunny when she left for her senior year of college. Turkey began his junior year of college at a new school. Moose started college! Ladybug began her senior of high school while Chickadee started junior high. We went back to Greek Fest in St. Louis for the first time in five years.

We settled into a routine in September. I grew pumpkins in the backyard! “Sandwich Week” was a huge hit. We visited Bunny at college…and went to Buc-ee’s for the first time. After months of waiting, a new bookstore opened in downtown Belleville! I started the custom dirndl process with Rare Dirndl. We went to Oktoberfest in St. Charles.

October was strangely busy. I received the sketches for my custom dirndl and made my choice. Following the success of “Sandwich Week,” we enjoyed “Breakfast-for-Dinner Week.” We were super excited to see the Northern Lights, not just with our cameras, but also the naked eye! And then we got a glimpse of a comet, too! We really enjoyed trying out recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook. We wrapped up month-long celebration of Oktoberfest. Legends and Lanterns in St. Charles is always a favorite event. We visited Laumeier Sculpture Park so Ladybug could work on her photography. We had a Sonic & Shadow celebration the same day Ladybug took the ACT…and scored very well!

In November we took our annual walk around Creve Coeur Lake. Moose turned 19! We took a very muddy hike around Cahokia Mounds. I baked a few more cheesecakes. I got to try on my custom dirndl for the first time! We baked a lot of pies. Bunny made a whirlwind trip home for Thanksgiving.

And that brings us to December, the best month of the year! I am always happy to welcome Advent. We celebrated Bunny’s return home for Christmas break and Nikolaustag on the same day. Christmas School was a bit more laid-back than usual, but still fun. Garden Glow and the holiday flower and train show at the Missouri Botanical Garden are always highlights for us. Speaking of highlights, we were ecstatic to attend the 50th anniversary of Christmas Traditions in St. Charles, MO. And of course we enjoyed our traditional Markel Family Christmas.

2025 is shaping up to be an exciting and emotional year, too…I can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for us! Happy New Year!

The Top Five–Photos of 2024

Now my five favorite photos from 2024!

I took this picture of the frozen fountain in Tower Grove Park early in the year, but I knew as soon as I did, it would make the cut.

This photo was taken through the windshield of the car on our way to visit Bunny in February. That is a road ahead of us, but you really can’t tell!

I wish I had had more time to compose this picture, but I feel very lucky to have caught a bird in flight from such a close distance!

This photo of the Northwestern National Life Building in Minneapolis might be my favorite architecture shot I’ve ever taken!

And Pagoda Circle in Forest Park in the fall never disappoints.

I’m just going to add one more, because I really love this picture from Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and what is a “top five” list without a sixth entry, anyway?

I love looking back on the year through the photos I’ve taken!

Sartorial Saturday–The Top Five Looks of 2024

Time for a very special three-for-the-price-of-one “Top Five” list!

As I was looking back over the outfits I wore this year, I realized that choosing favorites would be much easier if I organized my various looks into categories. In the end, I came up with three different styles…outfits featuring Miss Candyfloss pieces, Rare Dirndl looks, and “Festive Fashion” ensembles.

Let’s start with the Miss Candyfloss outfits. The combination of coat, hat, and jumpsuit makes this look extra impressive:

I love how bright and cheerful my dress and jacket for Easter were!

Pairing my first trumpet skirt in teal with a purple top made this outfit one step away from Disney Bounding Ariel, and I love it!

This was a surprise release from the autumn/winter Miss Candyfloss, and I loved it as soon as I saw it…the colors are absolutely gorgeous, and I feel like I’m glowing when I wear it!

Finally, a Miss Candyfloss dress in my favorite style, with a bold color palette that I love.

Next the Rare Dirndl looks. I wore a dirndl 29 times this year, so I had a lot to choose from! I paired the apron from my very first Rare Dirndl purchase with the dress from the second, and they look so nice together!

Pairing the Magician dirndl with this year’s summer apron was a bold choice, but I love how the colors look together!

The Harlequin dirndl paired with a lace apron was my pick for St. Charles Oktoberfest:

I was really into the combination of purple and teal this year, so pairing the 2024 Halloween apron (and a coordinating ribbon) with my purple dirndl dress was a natural choice:

And the Frühling dirndl from this year’s Jahreszeiten collection is absolutely stunning:

And finally, my favorite Festive Fashion ensembles. I added a new dress to my wardrobe this year, in an unexpected color palette for Christmas, and it was a lot of fun to style with a cropped cardigan and pastel accessories.

This blouse is a fairly new addition to my wardrobe, and I knew I wanted to wear it with a Christmas print…I really like how this look turned out!

I wasn’t sure that this Miss Candyfloss blouse would work with this skirt…I was afraid it would be too busy. But in the end, I absolutely love the combination…it might be one of my favorite looks period from this year!

I also wasn’t totally sure about wearing my new Rare Dirndl apron with my Magician dirndl, but it too was a successful pairing in the end:

And I was really excited to pair my newest dirndl with my gnome print apron…it’s a totally fun festive look!

Would it even be a “Top Five” list without a bonus addition? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to include this outfit in the dirndl section or with the festive fashions, so I decided to just let it stand on its own!

So there you have it…a “Top Five” list that turned into 16! I’m looking forward to finding new ways to wear all of my favorite pieces in the coming year!

The Top Five–Food Photos of 2024

The New Year is approaching, which means it’s time to take a look back at some of my favorite photos of the year. We’re starting with food photos, and the first one is the only main course on the “Top Five” list…burrito night! I love how colorful this plate is (and I also remember how delicious the meal was!).

Next up is a Black Forest cheesecake…this was one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever made…Turkey liked it so much, I made it again for his birthday!

The cake I made for Donald Duck’s birthday didn’t turn out quite like I had planned, but that’s ok, because I like the way I actually made it even better!

This apple pie mocktail might be the prettiest drink photo I’ve ever taken!

And finally, the white chocolate-cranberry cupcakes I made for Santa Lucia Day, which might be the prettiest dessert photo I’ve ever taken!

Stay tuned for a look back at more of my favorites from 2024!

Christmas 2023

Now that I’m feeling more like myself, it’s finally time for a look back at our Markel Family Christmas (and New Year’s) celebration!

But first, let me back up a bit. A few days before Christmas, I was trying to be helpful by assisting in moving a couch, and I ended up hurting my back. I managed to make it through the pain until the day after Christmas, when I finally gave in and went to the ER, where they said based on the x-rays, I had a bad muscle strain and a possible slightly slipped disc. Anyway, because of that, I had to tone done our celebration some, although Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were fairly normal.

Christmas Eve was fun because it was also Advent IV, which means we got to go to church in the morning, too!

There was our traditional Christmas Crunch to be had:

And the Fab Five finished the Lego Home Alone house:

And then we headed back to church for the Christmas Eve service, which was lovely as always!

We tried to stop by the St. Louis Christmas tree on the way home, as we have for the last few years, but there was simply no parking, so we went on our merry way, and drove though the Way of Lights only:

When we got home, I took pictures as always:

And we enjoyed a peppermint cake by the light of the fully lit Advent wreath:

I was really not feeling too well, so we didn’t play Ticket to Ride like we usually do, but I did find energy for Animal Crossing:

And I got the stockings filled with some help, and our Little People nativity scene set up:

On Christmas Day, we didn’t have to be up terribly early, so we took our time with stockings and coffee cake:

And then we headed back to church, for the third service in two days:

We managed a nice family picture even though I was still feeling pretty badly:

We took another shot at seeing the St. Louis Christmas tree on the way home, and it worked out perfectly, because there was no one there! It’s not quite the same as seeing it at night, but at least it was overcast!

When we got home, we opened presents:

And had our traditional “Pick out Dinner.”

Ryan’s parents were scheduled to arrive the day after Christmas, and I was going to make our fancy Christmas dinner the day after that. But I was feeling pretty horrible on the 26th, so the fancy dinner was postponed, and like I said, I went to the hospital, and have spent the better part of the week between Christmas and New Year’s doing absolutely nothing, including not making our fancy New Year’s dinner, either. We did have our New Year’s Eve hot chocolate bar, though:

And I managed to be awake on 12-31-23 (how cool was that date?!?) to ring in 2024 on my island (although I wasn’t sure at all that would happen!).

And I finally made the gingerbread cake that was supposed to be the ending to our fancy Christmas dinner for New Year’s Day!

This wasn’t exactly the Christmas I wanted, because I really felt like I let my family down, but I suppose it will be one we remember, anyway, and we still have two fancy dinners to look forward to!

Looking Forward By Looking Back

At the beginning of 2023, as I often do, I came up with a list of the top five things I was looking forward to in the coming year. And all of those things came to pass, and they were all as enjoyable as I had hoped they would be. But some of the most exciting things that happened to me in 2023 were not things I could have planned for; things I didn’t anticipate; even things I never would have dreamed would have been possible (four, not five this time)!

  • Disneyland–The idea of a trip to Disneyland to celebrate Turkey’s and Bunny’s graduation from SWIC began as a wild hair, but Ryan had a whole bunch of frequent flyer miles saved up, so it became a reality. I’ve never been so far west (and never really expected to!), and it had been over two decades since I had last flown, so it was definitely an adventure, and now is one of my favorite memories!
  • Today in St. Louis-When Rene Knott from KSDK contacted me near the beginning of the year, asking if he could do a story about me and my fashion, I was floored…and terrified. And then life kind of got in the way, and I just assumed it wouldn’t be happening. But things aligned this fall, and he did indeed come to our house and interviewed me, and it was actually broadcast! I never would have dreamed that something like that could happen to me!
  • A Free Dress and Hat–I enter a lot of Instagram giveaways sponsored by my famous brands, with little expectation of winning anything. But this fall, I actually won a dress (and matching hat!), from Miss Candyfloss, and it was pretty much the best day ever, especially since it was a dress I was interested in and couldn’t afford!
  • Be Our Guest–Over the summer, inspired by the Be Our Guest 4 The Day segment on SiriusXM Radio, I came up with a list of my top four(ish) favorite Disney songs. I didn’t just post them on my website, though…I also submitted them to SiriusXM to be considered for hosting the segment myself. Early in December, they contacted me asking me to record a whole bunch of spots, and while I haven’t heard it on the radio (yet), I did submit my responses, and one of these days, I just might drive off the road when I hear the sound of my own voice coming through the speakers!

So this year, I’m not going to make a list of the things I’m looking forward to (although there are plenty, with Moose’s high school graduation, the Paris 2024 Olympics, and the 50th anniversary of St. Charles Christmas Traditions topping the list!). Instead, I’m going to let 2024 surprise me, and next year, I’ll look back and see what the top moments really were!