Christmas Wrap Up

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Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and days that followed!  I wanted to share some snapshots from the last couple of weeks.  It's such a special season filled with lots of fun but now that it's over I think I need a nice long nap:).

Our visit to The Walnut Room for dinner and a visit with Santa.

Spending a day in the kitchen making a gingerbread house and all of our favorite Christmas cookies.

Caroline performing her solo at Winter Wonder Fest -Navy Pier.

Our festive home.

Kiddos sleeping by the tree.

Christmas Morning!!!!

The day after.-Carlton has the right idea.

We had a wonderful Christmas with family and good friends. 

 It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes and bags.  What if our Christmas didn't come from a store?  What if Christmas, perhaps, meant a little bit more. 

 

Christmas Cookie Favorites

Happy Monday!!  With a little more than a week before Christmas the pressure is on to get it all done.  The buying, wrapping, preparing is in full swing around here.  Although, we will take a day between now and December 25th to bake.  One of my favorite Christmas traditions with the family is cookie making. I love when our kitchen becomes a cookie factory.  Remember our cookie day from last year?  The kids love to decorate and of course sample their faves.  I love to make cut-out frosted sugar cookies, Oreo truffles, cornflake wreaths and peanut butter kisses.  I also love these meringue cookies that my mom used to make when my brother and I were kids.  I've searched for the yummiest recipes-some are favorites and others are ones I think I may add to the list.  What are your most loved cookie recipes for the holidays?

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Happy Baking!

Don't forget to shop these great sales:

• Nordstrom: My #1 place to shop for Christmas! 
• J Crew: Save 30% off full prices with the code GIVETHIS.
• Tory Burch:  Shop the new markdowns.
• J Crew Factory: Save 40-60% off everything! 
• Gap Save up to 50% off your purchase.
• Madewell: Save 30% off holiday pics. 

This is Christmas

It's the time of year I wish I could hold onto.  Make time stand still.  The sparkle and wonder in the kids eyes, spending precious time with family and friends.  Late nights and long mornings.  Our house decorated cozy and warm.  Hoping you all had a magical Christmas from our house to yours!

Family Tradition

We have spent the last week preparing for Christmas as well as remembering so many happy memories  of my dad when he was with us.  It has been a blessing that we have been so busy with school programs, parties, hockey games, shopping for gifts, and outings with the kids.  I love this time of year simply because it means time with family.  It's staying up late and watching Christmas movies with a gazillion pillows and blankets, its pancakes in your pj's at ten.  It's making Christmas cookies and licking the bowl.  These family traditions make for lasting wonderful memories.  We spent 2 days making all kinds of yummy cookies like we do each year.  We can taste and smell that Christmas is near!

It doesn't get any better than this-crazy mess and all.