Happy, Happy Holidays!

See you next year!

Photo Credits: Dani Phaneuf Photography

Four Colly Birds

Some before-Christmas images before my family of four heads off into the wet and wild yonder. BTW, did you know that on the fourth day of Christmas it is "Four Colly Birds," and not "Four Calling Birds?" I sure didn't. Learn something new . . . My parents My friend Amber and her girl came over to decorate gingerbread men. We went next door to decorate gingerbread houses and see Santa! Snook decorated the tree!

Miss Mousey

My brother and his girlfriend just gifted Snook this sweetest little mouse, and she's in love. I know it's a bit late to be handing out holiday gift suggestions, but we are about to start a whole new year of birthdays, and I just know these little mice would be a hit with any kid. Oh, and we had an early Christmas celebration with my family because in just a few days we're headed here. Getting excited!

American Girl Meets Teddy Bear Tea

We have hit a major American Girl phase. That brand is amazing. The dolls. The accessories. The clothing. The Place. It's enough to make your head spin. And as if playing with her posse at home wasn't enough, Snook took her little twin to a Teddy Bear Tea at a nearby hotel a couple of Sundays ago and turned quite a few heads.It was so darling and all quite grand. Next weekend: The Nutcracker!

Arm Warmers?

Yes arm warmers. Perfect for the SoCal girl who can't part with her tank tops even when the temperature gets down to 65 degrees. Brrrr. And very cute. Much cuter than, say, wearing leg warmers with flip flops, in case that's what anyone is picturing.

Barbary Brother

My little brother gets to go to the Barbary Brix launch party tonight. Lucky duck. But he promised to bring some samples home for the holidays so I guess he's forgiven for getting all fancy and foodie without me. Especially if these "hand-crafted, eco-friendly caramel chews" taste as good as they look.

Sneak Peek

I can't get enough of family pictures. Mine, yours, anyone's really. So I dragged my family through another holiday card photo shoot. Except this time I think even they would agree that it wasn't too painful. It was one half hour, at a location five minutes from our house, with two really easygoing, local photographers. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite shots, not including, of course, the ones I chose for the card.Hopefully you can tell we all had a pretty good time. Thanks again to my friend, Amy, for the wonderful referral. And happy December!

Stone Soup Party

Snook's class had such a cute, pre-Thanksgiving, Stone Soup party. First they each brought a vegetable of their choosing to class, then they read the book, and after they all understood the message of sharing and coming together, they made the soup. Well, I chopped the vegetables, but the kids threw them into the pot.And the most exciting part was they ate them! Even Bubs, who has yet to miss one of his sister's class parties.

I Heart Felt Ornaments

I saw these felt, cut-out Christmas ornaments in a shop the other day and about flipped. So simple to make (the shapes are pre-cut and the string is provided), even for someone like me who is more daft than craft. These ready-to-hang felt ornaments are so precious too. Yep, I'm officially in the spirit.

The Shirt Mullet

I have Emily to thank for demonstrating how cute business in front/party in the back can look when you're talking about a shirt you borrowed from your guy. What a great look. And here she is from the other day making it work with a slouchy sweater! Girl's a genius. So I finally gave it a go. What do you think? Well, I got the thumbs up from the beautiful and talented mother of one of Snook's new preschool friends. Snook would have to make friends with the daughter of a fashion stylist. So much for wearing my stinky workout gear to preschool pick-up! Anyway, she made my day with her compliment ("it's all about the tuck"), and then offered me some free advice(!) for how to stretch my big shirt even further. Wear it as a dress with leggings and boots. Will do. Unless of course I'm in the mood for a mullet.

Top three photo credits: Cupcakes and Cashmere

FNL

Don't ask me why, but I love Friday Night Lights. Yes, I know Lyla Garrity graduated, but it's still fun to sit around hoping she'll make a cameo. In the meantime, there's this. Go Minka!

Spook-tacular!

As promised, here are some pictures of my bundles over the Halloween week, since I do realize they are what the holiday is supposed to be about.A Littlest Pet Shop bunny. She pretty much grabbed the first pink costume she saw. Count Dracula! At the same patch where I used to go a pumpkin-picking as a wee lass. Visiting some spirited neighborhood shops.And since I couldn't leave well enough alone as Lady Gaga, I also had to dress up as a nurse to go trick-or-treating. I can't believe I thought this cheap, white costume was flattering! I hope everyone else had a fun Halloween! Now on to the true insanity!