CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas!!

I had a beautiful holiday. :)

Made some holiday sweets...

 Worked the lunch shift at work but had a lot of fun...

Had some fun Christmas Eve over at Pam and Mark's...

Then...Santa came!!! :) :) :)

We had breakfast with K's fam and his Dad requested "HAM WAFFLES!!"

Your wish is our command!! :)

Then we tried for a family photoshoot...

The results were funnier than fruitful :)

This was the best we were gonna get!! :)

Then we went to Christmas at the Caron's :)

SuperCute pic of Liv followed by a beautiful one of Jade and Chan :) :) :)

They look O.K...but I credit the photographer. ;)

 Me n Grammie :)

Momma with the Kiddos :)  and my FAVE one with Livi :)

We had a wonderful Christmas....

Happy New Year to All!! :) :) :)

Playgroup Christmas Party :)

Today was Playgroup Christmas at my place. :)

A merry time was had by all...

 Bagel Bites for lunch and then our gift swap :)

Group picture...not going so well ;)

The girls eventually get it together-sorta...

An impromptu "jump on the bed in hats" session :) :) :)

In Granddad's cowboy hat... :)

 The veggie sticks were a big hit...especially when they became "boogie sticks."

It was a really fun party and I was happy to be the host. :)

When everyone left the place was TRASHED 

and there was, inexplicably, a load of laundry going. HaHaHa

One of the kids must have just started pushing buttons on the front-loader.

But that's what it's all about!! :) :) :)

Later I gave Livi a bath and put her in her Calvin Klein jammies 

(that I bought her at Marshall's for her birthday)

and we listened to my Christmas tree from my Mimi Grandma in 1984...

It spins and plays "Jingle Bells" like a music box.

The prefect ending to a perfect day of Christmas celebration. :)

2nd-hand holidays

I did a little thrifting on Wednesday...

Wednesday, you see, is half price day at the Salvation Army.

I got all this loot for $36.00...

A Grinch shirt for my Dad and a Charlie Brown tee for me 

(for work on Christmas Eve...don't worry, I'm just working lunch.
We are having a party. :))

I got my dad a little football frame and 

I'm going to put the Caron Family Football 2010 pic inside. :)

Two little amber bottles with leaf details for Jade, 

they reminded me of her beautiful fall wedding...

Two pairs of jeans and a pair of Aeropostale sweats-all $2.00 each!! :)

And..what might be the best deal of the day...

A Sox JERSEY for $2.00!! Perfect for K!! :)

So,

all told...

that's 2 pairs of jeans,
a pair of sweats, 5 t-shirts,
a Sox jersey, 4 kid books, 4 novels,

2 amber bottles, a football frame, a glass giraffe, 

a keepsake box, an ornament, a tree with pink candle holders,
Mary Engelbreit postcards...

and a partridge in
a pear treeeeee!!!

Happy Christmas Preparations to ALL

and to all a Happy Friday Night!! :)

hot pink

On Saturday, 

Livi was quite taken with my pink toes and fishnet stockings...

So today...

I painted her nails, upon request :)
- I think we'll hold off a little while on the fishnets ;) -

Jeggings, Patriots shirt, hot pink nail polish...

like Auntie like Niece :)

Haa!! Happy Tuesday!!

Christmas Party

Kenny and I had a blast with our friends on Saturday night.

It was so much fun to be all dressed up. :)

Especially because the girls and I are usually together at work, after work, or at playgroup...

Not exactly high fashion experiences. ;)

Everyone looked so nice. It was a lovely evening...

K, so cute in his tie that matched my dress. :)

HaHaHa!! This one might be my favorite!!

Linda, our gracious host, going in for a little nibble. :)

It was a great party. A perfect way to kick-off the holidays. :) :) :)

saturday morning

So, I get home from basketball practice, our first of the year...

I am coaching 1st and 2nd graders...the Mini-Celtics :) :) :)

and I stop at Mom's to borrow her camera for my party tonight 

(my cam is unfortunately permanently out-of-commission) :(

Anyhoo...a photo-shoot with Dayton and then D and Livi ensues...

Here are my faves...

Now...time to get ready for the party!!
I already made the "bites"
now...for the dress!!

Hope everyone else has a fun night, too!!!

where the heck have i been???

Well, I've been with my LiviGirl and getting stressed about Christmas...

Like everything I put it off and put it off...

like I did with my hair...and now I finally got it done

 (just in time for my friend Linda's holiday party this weekend...)

I'll be wearing an Oscar de la Renta dress 

borrowed from my dear friend, Johnna. :) 

Sweet has VOLUNTEERED to wear a (second-hand but super-cute) tie that matches perfectly. :)

I am exhausted from Christmas shopping...

But my mom and I did have a little fun...

And with all the stress of the holidays...W.W. has launched a whole new system...

nothing has the POINTS it once did...

Meals, snacks, and pretty much EVERYTHING has DOUBLED in points

but you can eat all the FRUIT you want...

I drove home feeling disheartened 

by work and shopping and all the distractions

that take away from what Christmas is really about...

But then...

I heard Guster's newest song.

K has told only his closest that we fell in love to "Lost and Gone Forever"

belting it out on the highway when we were just kids...

We fantasized about them playing at our wedding

in my parent's back yard...

Now...they've put out a song

I can only play it over and over again...

and hope that we can book them for our 25th anniversary

and our 50th :)

We were young, twenty one, all those years ago
In came a fascination, everything is under control
Full of life, untried, through thickets and through thorns
Out came a revelation, everything is out of control

Do you feel it?
Do you feel it now?
Want it, but you don't know how?
Have it, as much as anybody ever has?
I wanna wake you from your dream,
I wanna know just who you're talking to when your singin' in your sleep
I wanna find out what it means
Do you love me?

I got marbles in my mouth
Thousand words I wanna say but it's impossible to spit em out
I can barely make a sound
Do you love me?

Now we're fine, all right, but all those days are gone
We read our constellations, everything is under control
Are you tired, I'm tired
The TV sparks and glows
The news man gives information, everything is under control

Do you feel it?
Do you feel it now?
Do you love me?