Our Christmas day in a nutshell...

This was our tree before the madness began...in all its glimmering lights....

Then attack of the little brother in sister's new dollhouse....aahhhh!

And of course a family picture before we were off for some more Christmas fun...(and yes, I am rockin' my new leg warmers...oh how I love that the 80's are back.)

A lick of frosting and a Merry Christmas...

Well, although we all have runny noses and coughs, we couldn't forget to bake and frost cookies for Santa..

And then of course, sometimes you can't resist a little lick of frosting....

Merry Christmas to you all...
(This is our Christmas card this year)

Oh the joy....

Oh my goodness, has it really been that long since my last post? I do feel bad, honestly...My sister in law was here visiting from Washington DC for a week and we stayed so busy with her, then my son got croup (oh the joys) and now, we all have a head cold that makes me just want to lay on the couch all day and watch Christmas movies with my kids....I only wish I had a Snuggie to cuddle up in....maybe, just maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas...I hope you are all enjoying this Christmas holiday. Before I go, I just had to share some pics with you from my daughter's Christmas Recital last week. They tapped to Goofy's Christmas...it was adorable!!

Bon Appetit

Thursday night I had book club. We read My French Life by Julia Child. Since I was hosting, I cooked Julia's Beouf Bourguignion and Chocolate Mouse for dessert...it was so delectable!!! I of course bought Julie and Julia on Tuesday (the minute it went on sale) and ran home and watched it. I truly felt like I was Julia Child for a day...Isn't she such a joy?

In the moment...

Yesterday, we woke up to snow in our backyard...I know, I know that's not too exciting for some of you, but for me, it was amazing. It hasn't snowed where I live in about 12 years....and it was even more exciting to see it through the eyes of my kids. We didn't get much, but it was enough to be excited about....
Then for dinner, the kids and I drove up to our friends house about an hour away and they had about 2 feet of snow. The drive up was absolutely beautiful, I was sipping on a Soy Carmel Brulee latted (mmm) and had some of my favorite tunes playing on the i-pod. I truly came to tears at one point while driving because the views around me were so breathtaking and I was thinking that at that moment there is nothing more beautiful...I truly was in the moment, which doesn't happen sometimes because I get so wrapped up, well, in LIFE...so today, take a moment to just be...

Love is in the air...

Sorry I have been missing in action....I have been so crazy busy that I'm almost losing my mind. Last Wednesday our neighbors got married in Lake Tahoe, Ca and I got a few shots of them outside in the freezing cold....such a beautiful couple!

Smile....

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I truly have so much to be thankful for! On Saturday, we headed to Saratoga, Ca and had fun posing for our family Christmas photos. We had so much fun, but oh, what a day!!!

....and take time to think about what you're thankful for today...

Apple Picking....

On Monday we took another trip up to Apple Hill to gather some apples....

And have some fun....

It was a beautiful day and we ate lots of apples and lots of apple cider donuts.....mmm, so good!

Well, now its off to get prepared for the Thanksgiving festivities....

Daydreaming...

I'm imagining I am here on the beach watching the waves and day dreaming instead of where I really am....at home (since Sunday) with my two kids, one of which is recovering from the swine flu and the other dealing with a head cold...we have been watching a lot of movies and eating a lot of soup...today, I was craving a Christmas movie, so we watched one of my favorites....The Elf...love it! I am indeed in the Christmas mood....

Dreams of Christmas....

Ok, I am so ready to decorate for Christmas, but my hubby said not until after Thanksgiving...darn...well we will spend Friday after Thanksgiving decorating then...here are a few pictures for inspiration....

I have those Dream letters, I am going to have to find a place to hang them...

Simple and lovely!

Oh how I love those little pink vintage ornaments...

I'm dreaming of a pink Christmas...someday....

What to do with that cupboard...stuff it full of Christmas goodies!

Ahhh....so clean, refreshing and relaxing...I would love to curl up by the fire in that fur blanket....

Florida....

Well, I am finally getting a chance to share our trip to Florida with you. We had so much fun! We went to the beach more than once....so beautiful....we went to the zoo, we went to the Jacksonville County Fair and of course we ate...a lot!!! All in all, it was a great trip, but now my kids are home with the Swine Flu....oh boy...fun times!!! Here are a few pictures I wanted to share with you from our time at the beach....

Digging in the sand.

Hanging with Daddy.

Making sandcastles with Mommy.

And of course experiencing seaweed for the first time....

(Oh and did you notice my blog has a new look? Thank you to Kristen for Simply Whimsy Designs...she was fabulous to work with...I feel like I have a new friend! We still have a few kinks to work out, but for the most part, it is done....)

Gluten free and yummy too!

So, one of the little boys in my daughter's preschool class can only eat gluten free and of course I wanted to bring a little Halloween treat to her school to celebrate...I didn't want to leave anyone out, so I made gluten free pumpkin muffins...

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

1/3 cup Canola Oil

2/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1 can Pumpkin Puree (no, not Pumpkin Pie Puree)

Mix canola oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together in one bowl. In another bowl mix flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Once mixed, pour flour mixture into 1st mixture, then add pumpkin...mix and put into greased pan. I baked mini muffins at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. If you wanted to do a pumpkin bread I would bake it for about 45-55 minutes. Enjoy!!

My Little Prince...

This little man...my Prince Rocco, is escorting me, his sister Savanna and Nana to Disney's Princesses on Ice tonight...I don't know if he is excited or if he will even like it, but with that sweet face (in all its seriousnesss) who cares..... And speaking of Little Princes....have any of you ever read this book?? If not, is such a great book in so many ways....if you haven't read it, please do, it will change your life....

Absence make the heart grow fonder...I hope

Sorry I have been absent from the blogging world lately, my blog is in the process of getting a makeover, so I have been busy with that...I will return soon with a new look and ready to blog my heart out!!!

Hello

Well, we are back from our vacation in Florida, but I got a new computer (a macbook...so excited, I have wanted one for about 5 years) when we were there and am waiting on a plug to insert into my computer to download my pics....so for now, I thought I would share my favorite Emily Dickinson quote with you....We had a great trip and stayed very busy while we were there. I will share my trip with you soon! I hope you are all having a great week!

In a nutshell....

This is our Halloween weekend in a nutshell...these are the Red Velvet mini cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting that I made for the "Adult" Halloween Party....for the party I renamed them Twilight cupcakes for my obession over the Twilight Saga...well, pretty much, my obsession over Edward Cullen... These were the Vanilla Cupcakes I made for the kids Halloween Party....
And this was the Cheesy Brain Soup I made for dinner for the kids party....it was so yummy and everyone raved over it....I will share the recipe later, because yes, I will make it again soon!

These are my little goblins....Snow White and her little monkey...he was crazy....but he loved being a monkey and kept his costume on the whole night....

But of course, right before we were heading over to the kids party, he had to go and smash our already rotting pumpkin....that crazy little monkey!!

Overall, we had a great weekend and now we are headed to Jacksonville, Florida to visit my mother-in-law and step father-in-law tonight...I will be back on Sunday and look forward to sharing our trip with you!! Have a great week!!!