Thursday, December 25, 2014: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Hope you have a safe and wondrous Christmas.  Enjoy time spent with family, celebrations with friends, and all the joys that come with the holiday season!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Top: Kenar; Tank: Gap; Necklace: J Crew; Bracelet: Kate Spade; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Kickers

Monday, December 22, 2014

Very excited to see my youngest cousin tomorrow!  She is in from Japan for a few days for the holidays and Babygirl and I get to see her tomorrow!

On a sad note, my mother is in the hospital.  Because she lives several states away my brother and I are having trouble getting concrete information, but it seems to be an autoimmune disorder affecting her liver and gallbladder, possibly due to complications from Celiac's disease.  She is already much improved from when we got the news on Friday, and we are hoping the surgery to remove her gallbladder tomorrow will improve things further.  Any and all prayers and positive thoughts are appreciated.  We are hoping she will be on the road to recovery shortly.

Sweater: Fiona; Scarf: Rising Tide; Bracelet: J Crew; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Kickers; Kleenex courtesy of my drippy nose... 

Friday, December 19, 2014

My goodness Effie, how did you get up there???

Sweater: Ann Taylor; Scarf: Rising Tide; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: BCBG

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Remember to take time out to enjoy the holiday season: spend time with your family, enjoy the foods that you only make a few times a year, drink some cocoa after coming in from the cold, gaze at the beauty of a decorated Christmas tree, enjoy the sight of your family in their holiday finery, do something you would not normally allow to celebrate the festivities (like chocolate for breakfast!)

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

I think (other than the few items I need to pick up for my MIL and Hubby) I am done with my Christmas shopping!  Nothing is wrapped yet though...  And we have plans to visit Santa tonight with Babygirl's cousins, so there could be an abrupt addition to The List...

Sweater: Geneva; Necklace: Banana Republic; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Ugg

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Sweater: Rafella; Scarf: Oscar de la Renta; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Ugg

Monday, December 15, 2014

Babygirl has her *very first* Christmas concert tonight!  Needless to say we are all super excited!  Her teacher tells me we will be able to hear Babygirl regardless of where we are seated in the church tonight...

Sweater: Banana Republic; Necklace: Ralph Lauren; Bracelets (top to bottom): J Crew, my own; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Kickers

Friday, December 12, 2014

Sweater: Ann Taylor; Necklace: J Crew; Bracelet: J Crew; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Kickers

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Happy birthday to my BFF!

I am feeling a little under the weather today.  Babygirl and I have been getting the house cleaned up and ready for the annual perogi making this weekend.  Just hope I shake this illness before then!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Sweater: Autumn Cashmere; Necklace: J Crew; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: BCBG

Monday, December 8, 2014

Shirt: Jach's Girlfriend; Sweater: Fiona; Necklace: J Crew; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Kickers

Friday, December 5, 2014

Happy Friday!!

I'm still working on the Christmas decor, but I feel like I'm "over the hump!"  Next step: getting the boxes stored and putting the rest of the house to rights...  (Can't I just procrastinate those??)  Hopefully I should get done with that this weekend.

Sweater: Polo; Necklace: J Crew; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Ubiquitous Boots: Ugg

Thursday, Decmber 4, 2014

found on pintrest

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

I forgot to move the elf last night...  That's right.

Of course Babygirl noticed right away when she got up.  "Effie's still by the star!"  (Where she was yesterday...)  And I thought "Oh crap...  How am I going to explain this?"  My still tired brain thought as quickly as it could, "Maybe Effie couldn't get to Santa last night...  Maybe she is going to go today while you are at school..."  A few minutes later I reminded her of how many times she got out of bed last night (it was after 11:30 when she finally settled down) and said that maybe Effie couldn't go because Babygirl hadn't gone to sleep until late, and reminded Babygirl that Effie can't leave until she is asleep...

Sure enough!  Babygirl came home to find Effie curled up with a blanket in a basket that has been sitting on the counter!  She must have been exhausted from her daytime trip!  I think it must take a lot more energy and elf magic to make the trip during the day...  (Whew!)

Sweater: Gap; Necklace: antique; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Ugg

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

I'm starting to feel really overwhelmed by the mess of Christmas decorating.  It seems like there is stuff everywhere, and lots of things that still need to get done.

On the plus side, Babygirl's art got filed in her binder and the mail pile got sorted today as a Christmas decorating avoidance measure...

Monday, December 1, 2014

A busy week last week!  We had a great Thanksgiving!  It was nice not hosting for a change and my brother and his girlfriend did a great job!

Babygirl has been really excited about Christmas!  She was thrilled when we got the decorations down from the attic last Friday!  I do not shop on Black Friday, I don't think it is worth the madness and aggravation, so it has been a tradition that we put up our Christmas decorations that extended weekend.

The tree is up, and Babygirl put up most of the ornaments herself!  She wanted to use the colorful (a.k.a. vintage) ornaments with silver balls.  I let her put up the reproduction ornaments, but I will probably use the actual vintage ornaments elsewhere, as some of them are family heirlooms.  I think I can find a lovely vase to display them in instead!

The finished tree has a cluster of ornaments at the bottom, a blank space, and then another line of ornaments at Babygirl stool height.  Hubby helped Babygirl with the top.  I think I will just put some ribbon garland on and leave it.  Originally I intended to "redistribute" the ornaments, but I like the way it looks.  It will only be so long that I will have the opportunity for such an artful tree.  Isn't it beautiful?

Just don't turn around and look the other direction...  I really need to finish decorating, get this stuff put away, and find a "holiday arrangement" for the front room furniture (like yesterday!)!

Last Friday morning, our scout elf Effie returned from the north pole for her Christmas duties!  Thoughtful as Effie is, she left Babygirl a note and some treats for making hot chocolate!

Since then Effie has been spotted hanging from the mistletoe, playing video games (!), and this morning she was found occupying my sewing machine!  She was also wearing a new sweater this morning!  (Maybe that was what she was sewing??)

When Babygirl got home from school today, she also found that Effie brought a friend along today...  (Or maybe Mommy found out about it last night and bought it at Target today while she was in school and then left it somewhere she would not have noticed it this morning...  Hmmm...)  So we now also have Fetch the reindeer as a visitor!

One of my friends pointed out that it is a bit like a bad relationship...  He uses you for snuggles and then leaves when he has had enough!  We had a good laugh over that, but I must admit that she is sort of right...  Still, Babygirl is super-excited to have a Christmas friend she can snuggle with!

Hope you are enjoying your holidays thus far, and looking forward those that are coming!