~~~~~Merry Christmas to YOU!~~~~~~

Dear Readers,I wanted to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you and very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope the holiday season brings you many blessings - of pausing to spend to spend time with the ones you hold dear and remembering the "reason for the season".When I reflect on 2009 I know I will count blogging as one of the best things I did, for me. It was...

Tis the Season........

I have had a fairly relaxing holiday season...because I made the decision to make it so. Recently I have enjoyed some of my favorite Christmas 'events'.Our community store hosted it's annual Santa visit. It is a wonderful event for our neighborhood because the kids feel like they really get a private visit with the big guy himself!My oldest was too cool for time on Santa's lap this year - which...

Giveaway Alert!!!

Go check out my friend Kasey's blog . She is "closing" or "suspending" her online shop and is hosting a giveaway of leftover inventory! Go leave a comment so you have a chance to get the goo...

Sometimes the best gifts.....

are the ones you buy for yourself.That's not to say that my thoughtful hubby and darling children are not great gift picker-outers. They are. But sometimes there are those special, unexplainable, and dare I say quirky, items that a girl can only buy for herself because...well...more than likely she is the only one (with the exceptions of her like-minded friends) who can fully appreciate their wonderful-ness.I...

Hints of Christmas

I have 7 boxes of Christmas decorations. They all remain relatively full....and by relatively full, I mean full.This year, I chose to decorate my home with just "hints" of the holidays.I have my reasons.First, we spent the better part of the fall not knowing whether my husband would have a job or not (he does, thank God!). And while we did receive good news, it put things in perspective for me,...

Finding friendship.....at a soiree!

Yep, that's me with the fabulous Kasey of Lola B's! Excuse the no-make-up, hat wearing look. We took NO pictures of us together the night of the soiree, yes, you heard me, NONE! So I guess I deserve to show you me without make-up and looking a bit exhausted.And while I am posting some pictures I took while at Kasey's home within this post, I would urge you to visit Kasey's blog to see how a real...

Inspired.......

Warning...this is a NO picture post (gasp!).I am home from a truly wonderful weekend spent with some fabulous women.I am inspired (and tired!).Kasey really put on a special event in her exquisitely comfortable and styled home. And yes, I got to sit on that beautiful settee and have a glass of wine (and other yummy things).One of the items in the box of goodies that every guest left with was a CD...

Off to a soiree..........

I am a lucky girl.Tomorrow I am heading to St. Charles, Illinois to hang out with two of my favorite bloggers...Kasey from Lola B's and Kimberly from Mimi Chamante. I am going to be attending Kasey's "Be Inspired" evening soiree. Timing is never good....it is the first weekend in December and our family schedule is PACKED - sleepovers, Sunday school program rehearsals, soccer practice, holiday open...