Friday, December 30, 2011

My Latest Obsessions

M in her pink cowgirl hat (a pic I found when scrolling thru my cell...must have been taken by CMC)

Another pic I found in my phone...looks like Georgie doesn't want to put on M's pink cowgirl hat!
Happy Friday! And Happy Eve of the Eve! Wow, I feel like I need a month to recover from this past month of holiday craziness. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And now onwards...to the gals birthdays (mine included) in January and to a fresh start in 2012.

Tonight I'm heading down to Maude's Liquor Bar to catch up with a good friend of mine over dinner. Excited as I've never been to this spot and it is always on all the Hot Lists around town. And then tomorrow PFC/I are heading to a dinner party for NYE. I'm making and bringing these yummy Almond Florentine and Black Raspberry Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches for dessert. I'm cheating a bit and picked up the cookies from a bakery and using Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip ice cream (instead of making my own). But honestly, nothing beats Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip - it is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Excited to make these (and more excited to try them) = YUMMY!

And then next Tuesday we are heading down to American Girl for a lunch date w/PFC's Aunt, my sister in law and my niece. They are EXTREMELY excited for their outing as they received American Girl dolls for Christmas.

Some of my latest faves...
  •  I love manicured nails. They make me feel more put together when I'm running around in workout clothes all day w/the kids. I thought I would be a little festive this NYE (in terms of nail color) and I did a variation of these Nude + Glitter Nails. C and M watched me paint my nails last night. They were in awe. They of course LOVED the gold sparkles and said that when I grow up I should work in a salon. I laughed...
  •  And what are you doing for NYE? Check out my girl crush Zoe w/her song "What are you Doing for New Year's Eve?" And Joe Gordon-Levitt is a cutie too.
  • A little teaser from TOMS = Spring 2012 ballet flats. They look adorable.
  • Karma (continued...)'s post about Slow the Circle Down really resignated w/me, especially when reviewing the past year and thinking about 2012. Her post led me to another posted entitled The Gift I Wish for Most (so true).
  • My favorite holiday card this year was from a dear friend who used Rifle Paper Co. to make a custom illustrated card. It turned out super cute and they included a pic inside of their latest love = their little guy. And how cute are these coasters - they would make a perfect hostess gift.
Overhead in the car this morning:
C: I cannot wait until Saturday. Our family tradition for New Year's Eve is to bang pots and pans to ring in the New Year.
M: Oh fun. I remember doing that last year!
C: Margaret, do you know what 'tradition' means?
M: Of course I do.
C: Are you sure you know what it means. I'll tell you.
  

Friday, December 23, 2011

My Latest Obsessions

The Kiddos
M and C

Georgie
Chilling in the backyard

Happy Friday and the eve of Christmas Eve! WOW, I've been living on COFFEE all week - lots of wrapping / holiday card stuffing / a caroling party / holiday programs for the gals at school / cookie baking, etc. Tis the season! Tonight we are off to an early dinner at Perennial Virant and then a holiday party downtown. Tomorrow we are heading to the Lake for Christmas Eve with all of the aunts/uncles/cousins and then off to PFC's parents on Christmas day. I will dearly miss my sisters who will be with my Mom/JuJu in AZ. Maybe they will photoshop me in this year (like they did last year!).

Our holiday card finally dropped and above are some of the pics we used. So cute! These pics were taken by our friend Alma and here is her post regarding the shoot. The gals and Georgie loved hanging w/her! It is amazing how quickly they grow up.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! And for those of you that are celebrating Hanukkah - Happy Hanukkah! M's favorite song these days is "I have a little Dreidel" and she said that if Santa happens to bring her the American Girl Doll Rebecca (who is Jewish) that next year we can celebrate Hanukkah w/her.

Some of my latest faves...
  • PFC's cousin Julie recently had a double lung transplant. Julie is an amazing young woman - an inspiration for all. Check out the surprise she received last PM. And see if you can spot C (front and center in the baby blue coat and Santa hat) and M. A very special Christmas for the D'Agostino family this year. CMC is on cloud nine right now that she was on TV!
  • Red Velvet Christmas Cupcakes = YUMMY! And maybe something fun to do over winter break.
  • Reindeer Candy Canes - I'm saving this idea for next year. Too cute!
  • I'm digging this vintage cupcake tin. It would be the perfect hostess gift - w/homemade cupcakes to boot. Love it!
  • Lovely lace doily glass plates.
  • What a rustic chic getaway = an elegant country home in SC. I could totally snuggle in there for the next two weeks - no prob!
  • I so HEART The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond. I watched her Christmas special the other day. I would love to hang w/her in her kitchen one day. She made some yummy looking cinnamon rolls and gave them out as gifts this year. She wrapped them in bandana hankerchiefs - ADORABLE. Here are some great hankerchiefs to use as wrapping. I made a bunch of Cookie Mixes this year and we passed them out to neighbors/teachers/friends. They turned out super cute! We bought some personalized labels and called them Carr Cookies!
  • After the fact I thought of the perfect gift to give my youngest sister = Gift Subscription to Birchbox. Maybe for her bday in March!
  • Cute booties at a great price.
  • Vintage card jotters = such a fun project (and would make adorable gifts).
Again, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Friday, December 16, 2011

My Latest Obsessions

Visit w/Santa

Happy Friday! The countdown is ON for Christmas! Each morning one of the girls announces how many days we have left. There is no getting around it!

I get to see a dear friend tonight who is in town from London. A bunch of us are heading to Farmhouse for a late dinner. It will be great to see her and her husband. And then on Saturday we have a lot of kid activities and the like. Tis the season...!

Well, I'm slowly but surely getting all my Christmas shopping done. Very happy about it. Online shopping ROCKS.

Some of my latest faves...

Friday, December 9, 2011

My Latest Obsessions





 
 Happy Friday! We had our first official snow this morning. The kids were SUPER excited (me = not so much)! I guess it makes the holiday season feel more festive...! Lots of holiday parties this weekend and Breakfast w/Santa. And then on Sunday we are hosting Peter's extended family for a big holiday gathering! Should be fun!

Oh, and I love the above pics of the kiddos. Too cute! They are growing up so quickly. Crazy!

Some of my latest faves...

Friday, December 2, 2011

My Latest Obsessions

Our Graham Cracker House


I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for this year. We are especially thankful that PFC's cousin's double lung transplant surgery was successful. We have been sending her lots of positive energy and prayers.

The day after Thanksgiving my sisters and I started a new tradition with my kids - by putting together a graham cracker house. My sisters and I used to always do this with our parents the weekend after Thanksgiving and it was one of those holiday traditions that we always looked forward to. It was pretty hilarious as the three of us got really Type A on the entire project and then realized...oh, we should probably bring C + M into the mix! The girls loved it!

Some of my latest faves...