My Latest Obsessions

GMC Christmas Morning

M + C and a little ski lesson action

WOW! What a week. I'm ABSOLUTELY exhausted. So tired. I don't want to look at another cookie or anything that has sugar in it! We had a wonderful Christmas. We were up at the Lake Christmas Eve and the kids enjoyed running around w/ all of their cousins. Christmas morning the kids were up early and we headed downstairs to see if Santa had come. After opening presents we enjoyed some yummy amazing cinnamon bread from one of our neighbors (we look forward to it every year)! It is sinfully delicious. We then headed to mass and on to PFC's parents house for Christmas day dinner and more fun w/ cousins.

The last few days the girls have had ski lessons. It isn't Colorado but it is nice for them to get down the basics. The above pic is hilarious - green grass surrounds the ski hill.

We are having friends over Saturday evening for a casual evening in. I'm making my old standby = Green Chile Chicken Casserole (which is always a big hit). I might try to make this Kale Salad w/ Apples, Cranberries and Pecans as well. It looks YUMMY! Salads are calling my name these days after the all the food and goodies as of late.

PFC and I are heading out for sushi New Year's Eve and then ending up at a friend's house for party. Looking forward to ringing in the New Year w/ some good friends.

Happy New Year to all!

Some of my latest faves:

• It is hard to think about food but I thought this Easy Goat Cheese Appetizer (3 ways) looked easy and oh so YUMMY!  
• I did end up buying the Skaist-Taylor vest from the Neiman Marcus/Target collection last week on one of my Target runs. I wasn't too impressed w/ much in the entire collection but when everything was reduced 50% I took another look.   I LOVE the vest. I have already worn it 3 times and have received many compliments. Here is how one gal has styled it. And another gal. And one last look. 
• Wow. Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek (via The Times) is pretty amazing (even if you aren't necessarily interested in the topic). It takes awhile to get through (maybe 12 minutes) but you'll experience some spectacular graphics and photography. 
• I LOVE these DIY glitter vases. EASY. Here's a DIY Sparkly Rustic Tray. And here are some chic ideas for winter parties. 
• Gwenyth on perfection. We try very hard in our house not to use the word perfect. 
• My youngest sister got me this great slate cheese board for Christmas. I cannot wait to use it! Here are 7 Secrets to a Beautiful Cheese Board. 
• And here is a pretty Spear Print Tray.
• Every once in awhile PFC makes big weekend breakfasts for our crew. Doesn't this star french toast look yummy!?  
• Wouldn't it be fun to have a fancy grilled cheese party?! Love this idea. 
• Some New Year's Eve fashion for you! 
• This Skinny Frozen Hot Chocolate looks yummy! And my good friend confirmed that Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk scones are amazing. I MUST make them soon! 
• I've added Les Miserables to my list of movies. It is getting rave reviews! 

My Latest Obsessions

GMC's school picture

Firstly, my heart goes out to all of those affected by the tragedy in CT. So very sad. I know that this has hit people very hard all over the world. I myself immediately thought about the tragedy close to home (being a mom to an 8, 6, and 2 year old) and have found myself quite emotional about it. I found this article entitled, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" very interesting. And a HS friend of mine wrote this letter to her almost 6 year old son. Beautifully and eloquently written. I think we all (parents and non-parents alike) can relate to the raw emotions attached to what happened.

I woke up this morning super excited. C + M were up early and were excited to see the snow (the little there is) outside and they were excitedly running around getting ready for their holiday performances today. And of course they had laid out their festive dresses last PM before bed. The music teacher at their school is amazing so we cannot wait to see their shows!

Tomorrow we are heading to a family Christmas party. We are bringing jalapeno shrimp (amazingly good). Sunday I have tennis w/ my crew and then the rest of the afternoon will be spent baking some cookies and putting together our Carr Christmas Cookies that we give away to friends/neighbors!

Here's to wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! Safe travels for those of you heading out of town.

XO - D2

Some of my latest faves:

• PFC/I started a tradition this year w/ the kids. We are going to give them a new ornament every year that will be their own. I had my own box of ornaments growing up and PFC commented the other day on how nice it was to have my own box of special/meaningful and personalized ornaments. It was fun to go through my box as many of the ornaments were dated and each held a different memory. I bought their ornaments here. How cute is this recycled paper elephant by Cody Foster?! Love. Oh, and I LOVE these wallpaper covered deer ornaments. So cute! 
• Here are some great gifts under $50 for those hard to buy folks on your last minute Christmas list: Chevron Tea Light Votive Set; Glitter Round Buckle Skinny Belt (on sale too!); Alice in Wonderland book (fabulous cover); Multicolor Beanie and this Flavor Infuser Water Bottle (may even have to gift one of these for myself). 
• I sign many of my emails XO or XOXO. Interesting post on signing your emails as such. 
• I've added this Twine Star Decoration to my holiday decorating list for next year. Love it! 
• Love this Glamorous girly New Year's party inspiration! Show up in this sparkly number and you'll be all set to ring in the new year! Totally digging the back of the dress. 
• Every morning we all hug/kiss PFC goodbye before he heads out the door for work. Mornings are always very nutty around here but we NEVER miss our opportunity to get in our goodbye hugs and kisses. PFC and I have been holding our hugs with the kids and each other a lot longer the last week after the tragedy in CT. This article entitled XO Before you Go had me in tears. 
• We bought GMC his own Ukelele for Christmas. He is OBSESSED w/ guitars so PFC took him to the Guitar Center and they recommended a ukelele for him. We cannot wait to see his face light up when he opens it! I would love to handpaint GMC's ukelele and personalize it for him (if only there was more time)! 
• This article on Why You're Never Failing as a Mother has been circulating the world wide web this past week. It definitely resonated w/ me. 
• I love the festive and colorful designs that Jenny Bowers did for Bloomingdales. 
• One of my favorite bloggers Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen recently came out w/ a cookbook. I've already gifted it a few times (best price on Amazon). She feels like someone you would love to be friends w/ (and it would be fun to chill in her tiny NYC kitchen and watch her cook). I think I need my own copy! Here is a great NYTimes article on her. My good friend is making her Roasted Pear + Chocolate Chunk scones over the holidays. I cannot wait to hear how they turn out! They are on my list! 
• I started the long process of wrapping Christmas presents 2 nights ago. I started around 9 pm (ish) to make sure that C + M didn't wander downstairs and catch a glimpse of their items. Here is a How To on wrapping w/ scraps. 
• I LOVE all of these colorful bowls. 
• I thought these craigslist missed connections were hilarious. Gotta love work holiday parties! 
• I know that during the holidays I'm scrambling to put together different festive outfits. I strategically map out the various gatherings/parties and on many occasions wear an outfit twice (or more!) because I'm confident that I'm seeing a different set of people. I loved reviewing this 1 party dress done 3 different ways. Cleverly done. And they used such a cute dress to style different ways. 
• The Target + Neiman Marcus items are now all 50% off. I'm digging the Skaist-Taylor Vest.
• I want to leave everyone with some good laughs and smiles = 25 Funniest AutoCorrects of 2012. Mcdonkadonk = my favorite! talk about LOL. I was laughing so hard. Pee your pants hard! And here are some moments that restored our faith in humanity.

My Latest Obsessions

Georgie sporting his bow tie at Breakfast w/ Santa

Heading out to a Tea Party at the Art Institute

Happy Friday! It has been a festive week of holiday parties, baking and stuff w/ the kids. And next week is the kids last week of school before their break. I LOVE going to the holiday performances at school - so festive and fun. I'm really looking forward to them.

We had our book club's cookie exchange this week. I forgot how yummy the Oatmeal Carmelitas are - OMG, amazing! And the Cheez It bark turned out to be really yummy too. Perfect combo of salty + sweet. The girls were hovering over the 2 bins of yummy looking cookies that I brought back.

We had a really nice time at the Art Institute's Annual Treasure Hunt Tea Party last Sunday. The girls enjoyed being creative and making their own shadow boxes. And it was fun to be inside the Art Institute surrounded by such amazing art. We stopped to show them Grant Wood's famous piece - American Gothic.

I did not finish the book that was due for book club this week. I just couldn't get into it. However, we had a great discussion on it (Vaddey Ratner's book, In the Shadow of the Banyan). I did check out our next book = Steve Job's biography.

Tonight I'm heading to the Royal George Theatre w/ a few gals to see a parody on 50 Shades of Grey. It should be entertaining! And tomorrow evening we have nothing going on which we are so thrilled about as it will be nice to relax - especially since next week is going to be a whirlwind.

Some of my latest faves:

• I'm happy to report that I have all of our Christmas shopping done. LOVED shopping online this year. That made it really simple and free shipping = FAB. Here are some great gifts for kids. 
• Some New Girl fashion for you. My sister in law was sporting the Suzette Coat by Kate Spade. It is as cute as can be. Adorable! Prettiest shade of blue too. 
• LOVE LOVE LOVE this rustic elegant tabletop for the holidays. So pretty. Very well done. I love the monogrammed Linen Satin Stitch Dinner Napkins. 
• I love Giuliana and Bill Rancic. Here is a peek at their little boy Duke's nursery. What a beautiful nursery. 
• A good friend recommended this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. It is on my list of items to make SOON! It would be perfect for a cozy night in. 
• A HS friend of mine (the Food Editor at Time Out Chicago) announced his Kickstarter (funding platform for creative endeavors) for his project Middlewest (a new food magazine in the form of modern recipe cards). This looks so amazing. I'm excited to see the first issue. 
• Neiman Marcus + Target collaborated and came up w/ a list of 50 holiday items. Love the Marc Jacobs metallic clutches. And this sweet Marchesa dress would be perfect for a little flower girl.  
• I always have to watch Love Actually at least once during the holidays. The other evening as a family we watched It's a Wonderful Life (and now the girls are quoting George Bailey, "Is this your bad ear? George Bailey...I will love you until the day I die!"). 
• The girls were so in awe of each of their Portable North Pole videos from Santa. I too was pretty impressed. Uploading pics really personalized the videos. Highly recommend it. 
• The New Year is upon us. Time to start thinking about New Year's resolutions. Here is a pretty 2013 calendar with inspiring messages. 
• LOVE this striped Clare Vivier neon striped carryall. And it would be fun to have it monogrammed. 
• Cute needlepoint iphone case - for that one person that you are struggling to find a gift for. 
• I would never have paired a flannel shirt w/ a tulle skirt - but I LOVE the combo. I saw the skirt at Anthro and swooned over it a bit (that part of me that wants to be a ballerina). And here is the checked flannel shirt. I'm torn by the outfit. What do you think? Oh, and check out these DIY Glitter Heels. Cute. 
• We've been talking about manners in our house a lot these days (especially close to the holidays). My dear friend sent me this link about 25 manners every kid should know by age 9. Perfect. My mom was a stickler for good manners and I know I'm not perfect but I really want to instill good manners w/ our kids. 
• Aren't these dot skinny jeans so cute?! Adorable. 
• These Mini Snow Globes would be really fun to make. Next year! 
• I loved watching Jeremiah Brent on Rachel Zoe's show. What a cutie. He is dating Nate Berkus. What a great couple! 
• And lastly, the Golden Globe nominations are out!! 

My Latest Obsessions

GMC enjoying a taco = what a big BOY! 

Cate at her piano recital

Happy Friday! Well it definitely feels like we are in full on holiday mode. Our Christmas tree is officially up and decorated and our lights have been put up outside. And most importantly all the holiday gatherings have begun! I truly love this time of year even though it can be quite exhausting.

This past Wednesday night I went out to dinner w/ some of my city girlfriends. We met at The Bedford (which I LOVE) and we had a secret gift exchange. And then last night I was back in the city for a friend's annual Girls Holiday Party - lots of great food and catching up! Tonight we are staying in (which I'm SO happy about). I really need to finish my book, In the Shadow of the Banyan for next week's book club.

Tomorrow morning we are having Breakfast w/ Santa. I'm anxious to see GMC's reaction to him this year. And then we are off to two holiday parties in the evening. Sunday I'm heading downtown to the Art Institute w/ C + M for a holiday tea party = FUN + FESTIVE + GIRLY!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Some of my latest faves:

• LOVE this wrapping paper. I used some of my fave wrapping paper from Snow & Graham the other day for our gift exchange. And how cute is this Holiday Cupcake wrapping paper?! Love. And here's how to wrap presents in nothing but glitter. FUN. 
• Over Thanksgiving one of my sister in law's brought over this beautiful cheese tray. It was perfect for serving up some yummy cheese and crackers. 
• I came across this adorable deer mounted head hook. Wouldn't it look adorable in a little boys room?! So cute. 
• So, I've been thinking about what cookies I'm going to make for next week's book club. Our December meeting is always a cookie exchange = tons of fun (and of course, YUMMY)! I'm for sure making these amazing Oatmeal Carmelitas (always a hit) and I'm debating on also making this Cheez it Bark. My sister sent it to me and said a colleague of hers from work has given it rave reviews. If I make it I would love to package them it as such w/ some parchment paper and twine. However, these Chocolate Chip Nutella Candy Cane Cookies look pretty good too. Decisions! 
• LOVE this little dress from Zara. I totally wish they made one like this in my size. I would definitely buy it. 
• At dinner on Wednesday some of the gals were discussing the book, What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love. I have added it to my list of books to read. 
• I LOVE this DIY pom pom garland. Very clever. It would be so much fun to pick out some pretty colors of yarn. 
• I LOVE chai lattes. I'm excited to pick up Trader Joe's Salted Caramel Tea Latte Mix. I mean, the liquid form of salted caramels = AMAZING. I'll take some of TJ's salted caramel latte in this beautiful mug and call it a night! 
• I found this adorable coloring book for CMC at Marshall's (much cheaper!) = My Wonderful World of Fashion. Both girls love coloring and this book is super cute. 
• How amazing are these wooden tiles? LOVE LOVE LOVE. 
• Great hostess gift = Vosges Mini Chocolate Bar Library. Favorite bar = Barcelona Bar = Chocolate + Sea Salt + Roasted Almonds. So good! Another favorite gift of mine = Pig Cutting Board from Williams-Sonoma. I have it and use it to put cheese on. 
• This LOVE print would look so cute in C + M's room. It matches their color scheme. Such a sweet print. 
• Very pretty dress. It would be perfect for all those holiday parties! 
• GMC's latest obsession = toting around MMC's Bitty Baby Doll. And he INSISTS that we must change his baby's diaper before we leave the house. So if I'm late in the near future it may be because I'm tending to the baby doll (per GMC's request!). Kind of funny! 
• Some of you have asked me more information about PFC's cousin Julie's documentary entitled Miracle. Click here for more info. She is truly an inspiration young woman.