Merry Christmas!!

Wishing everyone the Merriest Christmas this year

See you all in 2014 (hopefully with a little tan)

Merry Merry!!

Girl Friday

It's officially crunch time!! The last weekend before Christmas, last chance to get things done.  I actually feel ready for the holiday.  I just have a few loose ends to wrap up but nothing big left to do.

Today is also the last day of school for my kids so I have just a few short hours to run errands solo.

Tonight the hubs has an office, Christmas, happy hour party.  I am popping in right at 5 for a quick hello and a cocktail...

then the hubs and I have to shop for our stocking gifts...

and then onto a dinner date

the hubs just loves his whiskey

Saturday is my day of beauty...

(it's a lot of work getting ready for Christmas)

Saturday night we are taking our kids to Powell Hall...

for the annual Christmas concert.  This is the perfect night for kids.  The St. Louis Symphony plays all the Christmas classics, the ones that the kids know the words to, and they are encouraged to sing along.  They have hot chocolate stations in the lobby plus Santa and his reindeer show up.

Sunday I am taking my girls to a Sugar Plum Fairy tea

they get to meet the dancers in the Nutcracker while we have lunch

then it is on to watch The Nutcracker

I do this every year with my girls

Christmas 2012

And then after the show we are off to the Zoo for the Wild Lights display

then ending our weekend with dinner with Santa  at the zoo

ho ho ho,  have a beautiful weekend!!

Christmas with my Girls

Having a Christmas party with my friends was a great way to end my weekend, although it did make Monday morning a little rough.  In addition to eating and drinking we had a little gift exchange, everyone brought a $40 gift.  We played rob your neighbor with the gifts, but I could have gone home with any one of the them and would have been completely happy.

 2 girls brought the Bobbi Brown holiday lip gloss trio

Amazing Grace trio (I actually brought this, I just LOVE this scent)

Birchbox snow day edition.  I thought this was so clever and fun.  It is sometimes hard to buy a present that everyone will like but this gift took care of that.  It had socks, hot coca, lipstick, scrabble, perfume and a few other surprises inside

The hot gifts for the night were jewelry. 

amazing necklaces!!

Kendra Scott earrings 

J Crew sparkle

I ended up with the perfect gift

gold bangles and a jewelry dish.

ho ho ho

Girl Friday

My in laws are spending Christmas in Michigan and we will be in Mexico, so tonight we are having an early Christmas celebration with them

I actually think this works great with kids.  Stagger out the gifts, some years when the kids open all their presents on the same day they are overwhelmed and don't touch half of them.  This year they will have round 1 of gifts tonight and round 2 Christmas morning.

Saturday morning we have our annual breakfast with Santa

this one from 2 years ago always makes me laugh

Saturday afternoon I am going to finish a few things

my shopping.

I have promised to make cookies so my kids can decorate them...

they literally ask everyday.

pack, so I can enjoy Christmas

I will reward myself for all my hard work with dinner and drinks Saturday night with friends

Sunday we have another breakfast with Santa

 at my daughter's school

a Christmas piano recital by my 2 older kids

then I am hosting our annual Christmas with the Girls.  I have 12 friends coming over for dinner and a gift exchange

I swear, girlfriends give the best gifts...

my friends always know exactly what I want!!

Have a beautiful weekend

All I Want For Christmas...

I know everyone is saying this and thinking this, but I cannot believe it is only 14 days until Christmas!!  

I am so not ready this year, I still have some final decorations to put up, shopping to do, presents to wrap, cookies to bake, and we are leaving for Mexico Christmas day so I have got to start thinking about what to pack.  My mom and hubby keep bugging me about what I want this year, it gets harder and harder.  I don't know if it is because when you have kids your focus is all about them and what they want, or maybe when you get older and you want something you just go buy it but either way I did finally come up with a few things I want...

over the knee boot

I just love these but I can tell you right now my hubby will not be buying these for me, he already thinks my boot situation is out of control and he will not contribute to my madness so I will go ahead and ask my mom for these;)

granada rug

I recently got a new kitchen table so now I need a new rug for under my table, this is the one.

faux fur blanket

I am fairly certain the entire country is in for a long cold winter, this is exactly what I need on my bed to keep me warm.  I live in an old house and they can be a little drafty in the dead of winter.

dalton bootie

again, the hubs will not be adding to my shoe collection but my friend has these and they are so. stinking. cute.!!  Much much better in real life

leg warmers

as I mentioned, it is going to be a long, cold winter.  I got to keep my legs warm too

and finally the really big gift from Santa that I want....

a custom closet.

Right about now the hubs is sorry he asked!!

Girl Friday

We are in full holiday mode around here, our weekend plans definitely prove that.  I love that there is always an abundance of things to do this time of year!!

To get us in the holiday spirit, we have a little snow in our forecast...

Good thing my favorite holiday party of the year, Nordstrom Christmas Party, is less then a mile from my house.  I don't care if we are in the middle of a blizzard, my friends and I are going...

the place is all decked out

and I guarantee the champagne is already on ice

someone at Nordstrom has figured out the key to getting people to spend money!!

Saturday morning I have the Big Bear Brunch with my girls.  We have gone the past 9 years and it definitely has become one of my favorite traditions.  What's not to love about a brunch at the Ritz Carlton.

the gingerbread city in the lobby

Big Bear Brunch 2012

Saturday afternoon I have my second outing with my girls.  My friend has invited us to her club to make gingerbread houses for the little girls...

and drink mulled wine for the big girls...

Saturday night my favorite part of the city is having a window walk

The hubs and I plan to do some shopping, eating, and drinking...

Sunday morning my friend is throwing an adult only holiday brunch...

and as luck would have it, her hubby makes THE BEST  bloody mary

Sunday afternoon I am taking Scarlett and her friend to the Nutcracker...

and I am ending my weekend at a Christmas coffee and dessert at my daughter's school Sunday night...

Monday morning I think I will need a nap!!
Have a beautiful weekend