Oh happy day! It's New Year's Eve, and we are about to embark on another year. Before we do and the holiday season is officially over, I thought I'd share the brunch I hosted at my home on Christmas morning.

I'll be honest, I struggled a little to pull this all together. I had cleaning to do, a little shopping to finish up, presents to wrap, food to make, oh and a brand new baby and a 2 1/2 year old to tend to. As a matter of fact, my own mama was at my house on Christmas Eve morning helping me make the two breakfast casseroles I served on Christmas...thank goodness for that amazing woman! Thankfully, everything came together in the end, and Christmas morning actually ended up being pretty relaxing.

By the way, notice our elf, Jack, anywhere in this pic? Ha! He snuck his way into my lantern centerpiece, and I forgot to take him out for the picture ;-}

I kept my tablescape pretty simple by using my white dishes and the green water glasses I purchased for the last Thanksgiving dinner I served at my home in 2011.

I folded white dinner napkins and then tied each with a red ribbon to resemble a bow. Then I tried to keep it festive by using fresh greens to adorn the top of each napkin. Simple, right?!

I also added dark red chargers with rhinestone embellishments under each plate, but they are a tad hard to see because they are round and my plates are square. Oh well, I tried ;-}

I seriously DO NOT KNOW what I'd do without this buffet table in my dining room. It serves so many purposes in my home, and I use it every time I entertain. I LOVE it, and it has been one of my favorite and most practical purchases ever. Pottery Barn Outlet, I need to spend some more quality time with you very soon.

I set up some drinks and cookies on my buffet and arranged the food on the island in my kitchen. The menu consisted of: french toast casserole, egg and sausage casserole, fresh fruit salad, sausage links, and cinnamon buns. YUMMMM!

Mimosas are a MUST at brunch....

...and a little cranberry spritzer never hurt anyone either ;-}

About two weeks prior to Christmas, my friend, Patty, hosted a ladies cookie exchange. Great idea and ever so helpful as I prepared to host my first ever Christmas brunch. I made chocolate covered peanuts {recipe here}, and froze the assortment of cookies I received at the exchange. I even had plenty left over to take to my mom's house for dinner later that night.

So, that's it! Nothing earth shattering, just a fun-filled morning with family, food, and presents. Speaking of presents...

...this was my favorite Christmas by far because my little mister was absolutely adorable and so much fun opening his gifts. My hubby and I try not to go overboard with gifts for a multitude of reasons, but we couldn't resist purchasing this one, little guy for our number one boy...

...his very own dune buggie to ride around the backyard until his heart's content. And he did just that. Sheer delight when he walked outside to find this.

**I hope you and your family had a WONDERFUL holiday season!
**Happy New Year! Bring on 2013!

{Giving} Neighborhood "Kisses"

My kiddies and I delivered these little gifts to our neighbors on Friday afternoon. They are just a little token to let them all know how much we appreciate having such wonderful neighbors and friends.

Of course the idea came from Pinterest ;-}

I used the mini mason jars I've been collecting {just old, rinsed out salsa/spaghetti sauce jars} and filled them with "kisses." Then I used parchment paper and red twine to cover the jars.

In addition, I added a sparkly green snowflake ornament and a little "Merry 'Kiss'mas" tag that I made.

**Wishing you and yours a JOYOUS Christmas with your loved ones. So much to be thankful for this Christmas!
**My hubby JUST finished his MBA! DONE with master's degrees and graduate school -- no more papers or exams EVER!
**I'll be featuring Drew's birth announcements early in the New Year and then it's on to Dean's THIRD birthday invitations and planning.

{Invitations} Christmas Cards 2012

This Christmas season has been my busiest yet. I'm sure having a newborn has something to do with that ;-} I finally got my Christmas cards in the mail yesterday. Not the original plan, but I can only do what I can do, right?

Karen Carpenter Photography took Drew's newborn pictures and snapped a few of my babies together. Love this picture of the two of them.

Once again, I kept the design super simple...because I like simple and that's all I have time for anymore ;-}

Wrap labels are a bit time consuming, but I just love them.

Phew, it feels good to cross the Christmas cards off my list :-}

**Dean, Drew and I are delivering our neighborhood gifts today...pics and details on Monday!
**We are attempting our first movie night with Dean tonight. The boy finally sits still long enough to watch a little tv or part of a movie. We'll see how it goes!
**TGIF!

{Drew Rebecca} ONE Month Old

My girlfriend is already ONE MONTH old....WHAT?!?!? Time is surely flying, and I'm trying to enjoy each and every moment with this baby girl.

I used a mini chalkboard to quote the date and month number...no time for handmade onesies with baby #2 ;-}

She gave me a little smile in this one!

Just love this little one's sweet face...

We tried a few with Drew's big bro, and he was very cooperative! Unfortunately, she wasn't...ha! The pics also came out a little blurry. No biggie, I just ADORE seeing my babies loving each other!

**Christmas is ALMOST HERE! Yikes...lots to do!
**JUST finished my Christmas cards, which I will feature Friday on my blog. Cuttin' it a little close this year, but I'm just a tad busy these days ;-}
**Newton, CT...tears and prayers and tears and more prayers :-{

{Inspiration} Merry Merry!

In the midst of caring for my sweet newborn on little sleep, chasing after my ACTIVE two-year-old, and trying to recover from a c-section, I've had little time for much else. However, I'm starting to get stronger and my mind has been swirling about Christmas. You see, for the last few years, my hubby and I have hosted Thanksgiving at our home, but with my baby girl being born on November 13th this year, it was just too much to even think about hosting a holiday so shortly after. Enter in Christmas brunch...we will be hosting this year, and I'm excited! Here's some of my inspiration...

I just love these dressed up chairs -- gorgeous and simple!

Hot cocoa, anyone? Pretty peppermint sticks...

A Christmas cocktail is a must...and something with cranberry. Mmmm, yes, please!

I've got to start thinking about my tablescape for brunch. We'll be eating in the dining room, so I'll be utilizing my buffet table as well. Hmmm...ideas, ideas! Have I mentioned I'm LOVING reindeer this holiday season? I can't get enough...

Buffet table inspiration. I've already styled my buffet table and will be keeping it pretty simple for the brunch, but this backdrop is so so pretty and definitely gives me some inspiration for the future.


**I'm so glad we are hosting brunch this Christmas. With two babes now, Christmas morning is hectic with gifts, etc and then trying to race out for family fun adds to the chaos. I'm looking forward to not having to leave my house until after our kiddies have napped....then it's just down the road to my parent's home for Christmas dinner :-}
**My baby girl is ONE MONTH this week...where has the time gone?
**Enjoy the holiday season!