Happy New Year!!

See you in 2011!!

Home Alone

After 10 consecutive days of house guests, everyone has gone home. My family left the day after Christmas and a few hours later, Dan's family arrived.

We ate lots of food..
drank lots of wine..
went ice skating
and hung out with our cousins.
Growing up, my favorite part of the holidays was being with my cousins 24/7. Today I need to come up with a plan to burn off the 50,000 calories I have consumed the past 10 days. I think if I run from here to Chicago and back that might just do it!

Christmas Past

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone. Christmas eve we hosted dinner at our house for my side of the family.Dan prepared a Christmas feast
This little one was so excited for Santa
Christmas morning we woke up to snow, and an 11 year old boy and a baby with the stomach flu!!

It was definitely a different Christmas having 2 sick kids. Matthew was so sick he didn't even want to open his gifts. Thankfully today he is on the mend and happily playing with all his toys.

My family has all headed back to their homes and Dan's family arrives this evening. Time for round 2.

Merry Merry

Merry Christmas!!

The decorations are hung, the cards have been sent, the gifts have been wrapped, the tree has been trimmed and the shopping is finished. It is time to enjoy this Christmas.

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas filled with family, friends, and lots of love...Merry Merry Christmas my friends

Winter Wonderland

Tonight we will be taking one of these....through this Winter Wonderland, which is right down the street from our house.
Ho Ho Ho, 2 days to go!

So Excited!

Yesterday afternoon I picked my sister up at the airport. Her hubby doesn't come until Wednesday, so today we are having a pre-Christmas girly day. Facials, mani's, pedi's, shopping, and lunch are on the agenda. All those things that men don't understand and kind of find unnecessary!

Merry Merry

The Final Weekend

The weekend before Christmas always seems to be the busiest and the most fun. For me, the weekend officially started Thursday night with a party.This is the only picture of I have in my new sequins jacket. Clearly, after a few cocktails I think I am a much better dancer than I really am!!

Friday night, we took the 2 older kids downtown to hear the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra play Christmas carols. My kids (and Dan and I) had a great time. The music was beautiful and the final segment was a sing along which had my kids singing their hearts out!
Saturday, bright and early, we headed downtown again for Breakfast with Santa.we smiled and laughed...
we had our faces painted...
we decorated gingerbread homes....
and we ate.
The guest of honor arrived......
Here was the best we could do!!

Saturday night we celebrated Christmas with some friends that we do not see enough. I do love that about Christmas, it is an opportunity to see old friends. My weekend ended with our annual girls dinner, it was the perfect end to a perfect weekend. I was having too much fun to take any pictures, and now I am mad, this happens every year!!!

Christmas with the Girls

Tonight is my annual "Christmas with the Girls" dinner. We have been getting together for the past 8 years to celebrate the holidays and our friendships.

We eat...
We drink...
We have a gift exchange.
We have one fun night before everyone heads in different directions for the holidays.
Ho Ho Ho

Saving the Best for Last

This morning we have our final "Breakfast with Santa" for this holiday season.
We put on our Sunday best and head downtown for the festivities.
I never get tired of being in this grand ball room. Every year at breakfast with Santa, when we are sitting in this beautiful room, is when Libby tells us, this is where she wants to have her wedding reception. And every year at breakfast with Santa, I see my husband have heart palpitations when he realizes he will have 2 weddings to pay for!!

ho ho ho

A Night at the Symphony

Tonight we are taking the 2 older children to the symphony for a holiday concert.

Powell Symphony Hall is the home of the St. Louis Symphony, and it is absolutely beautiful.
Tonight they will be serving hot chocolate, cookies, and wine. There will be a special visit from Santa and his reindeer "Dasher." After the concert we will have a late dinner at one of my favorite, kid friendly restaurants in town.

Merry Merry!

Last Chance

Today is the last day before Christmas that all of my kids will be in school..
Today I will be running around like a crazy woman, finishing up my shopping, sending out my cards, planning my Christmas Eve and Christmas Night menus, cleaning the guest bedroom for my sister and brother in law, baking cookies, wrapping presents, restocking my wine, and finding the finishing touches on my kids Christmas outfits while I am pumped up on Starbucks!

ho ho ho

The Coveted Jacket

Little did I know when I bought this jacket it would be the hot ticket item of the season (well, at least according to The Gap) This jacket will be making her debut at a Christmas party tomorrow night. I just love a little sparkle!!

Can you believe only 10 days till Christmas!!!

ho ho ho

Calling All Chocolate Lovers!!

Last year for Christmas we got the Bialetti cappuccino and hot chocolate maker.I love this little machine on a cold Winter morning. Pour in your milk, turn it on and viola, you have frothed milk for your coffee drink.

This little gem also makes the most amazing hot chocolate you have ever tasted. Pour in your milk, add chocolate shavings, add other sweet treats like sugar, honey, or cream, turn it on and in about 3 minutes you have a little cup of heaven...

For the holiday season, you can get peppermint hot chocolate at Traders Joe's
Better hurry because once this is gone, it's gone! You can thank me once you have finished your first cup. You can own this slice of heaven here.

Santa, Santa and more Santa!

We had our fill of Santa this weekend. Friday night we met some friends at our club for Family Night with Santa.There were carolers...
cookie decorating, reindeer games in the gym, and of course Santa....but my camera died before I could take a picture!

Saturday night Dan and I finished up our Christmas shopping for ...... Santa
afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat at our favorite restaurant.

Sunday morning we woke up to this....
Then it was off to church, then my kids school for Breakfast with Santa.
There was face painting, cookie decorating, reindeer food making
Scarlett was not too happy with Santa
The only way I could get a half way decent ( and I use that term lightly) photo of my kids was if I held Scarlett while she screamed.Hope you had a Merry weekend!!

Peace and Joy

Have a beautiful weekend my friends!

Returning to the Scene of the Crime

My next door neighbor (and dear friend) who had us over for a Santa visit Tuesday night, had a girls only Holiday party last night. I tucked the kids in bed and snuck over for some festivities. I might be in rehab by January!

Naughty or Nice

Santa came to STL last night...Some of us did not like him at all....
some of us were nice.....

and some of us were naughty...
Me and my "doppelganger" Linda
Ho Ho Ho