what's a girl to do?

On Thursday Patrick took the boys to dinner and then to the children's museum. He told me he wanted me to have the night off. At first I whined. I felt like I was missing out on the fun. Whenever I take the boys to the museum, I'm by myself and it feels stressful, I want to eat at that pizza place too, waa, waa.
Finally, I surrendered and accepted his nice gift. Time off.
So what's a girl to do when left with an evening to herself?


and

his view

One morning last week I had my camera hooked up to the computer, downloading pictures. Henry must have unhooked the cable, because later I saw him walk down the stairs with my camera. {It's embarrassing to admit this, but I had a mild anxiety attack. Ahh, my camera. In his hands. Coming down the stairs.} But he's a responsible little boy and he took good care of it. He also got a few good pictures.
I love his perspective.

Going up.

Cheese!
Patrick, peeping out of the shower.

Very close.



It's good to get another perspective every once in a while. And I love looking at the world through his lens.

thank you for being a friend

A few weeks ago I woke up to this text message from Holly in my inbox:
"Thank you for being a friend,
Traveled down the road and back again,
Your heart is true you're a pal and a confidant.

And if you threw a party,
Invited everyone you knew
You would see, the biggest gift would be from me
and the card attached would say,
Thank you for being a friend."

It made me smile and I spent the rest of the morning humming the Golden Girls theme song!
In December, before the madness of Christmas starting encroaching, Holly threw an amazing party; a Holly-Days party. It was a delicious mid-morning brunch and Christmas ornament gift exchange. Remember this? She did it again. But this time it was in December, and for the holidays and none of us were quite as tan. The party was just as fun and amazing though.

The table was set, the candles lit,
come on in,









I have to admit, right after Thanksgiving I wanted to switch gears and start thinking about Christmas, but I was having trouble mustering up that Christmas spirit. This party was the very first weekend of December and was just what I needed to start feeling excited about Christmas. It was all of the things I love about the holidays: family, friends, laughter, warmth, exchanging gifts and
delicious food.
The menu was so so good. I thought I'd been transported to an all-inclusive breakfast paradise. Fresh fruit, three different varieties of quiche, freshly baked cranberry coffee cake, amazing asparagus, hashbrowns and a salad that still makes my mouth water just thinking about.
She is the amazing cook behind all of those delicious things,

The amazing Delcine, mixing up some the salad (that mouthwatering one).

The fruit selection.
Seriously, my favorite part of all-inclusive vacations is the fruit. It's fresh and cut and limitless. This fruit brought me that same all-inclusive joy.

I love these party picks.
And look at these oranges. They're sliced just right, perfectly placed and sprinkled with berries.
And the quiche,

Three different kinds. I tried all of them. Equally delicious.



Chopped apples, candied pecans-handmade by Delcine. You know those nut sellers that come to the malls around Christmastime? Those smell and taste so great, right? These were even better. I'll say it again, Delcine is seriously talented!

The asparagus.

Rachel and her mom, Regina.

Rachel and Holly

Holly thinks of every detail,

like this "Holly Jolly" ribbon,

tied around these hand baked biscotti.

And this drink station, complete with a selection of fresh coffee, creamer (all of our favorite CoffeeMate flavors), apple cider, juice and ginger ale.

And these coffee mugs. Each guest chose one to use during brunch and then Holly washed it and put it in a pretty package for us to take home.

How cute are these water bottles with personalized labels. Holly made these, too!

We did an ornament exchange.
Everyone brought one, wrapped ornament. And we did a white-elephant style exchange.
Holly said there was one very serious rule, no playing nice. You have to steal if you want something. Mostly people did play nice, but there were a few trades.



Rachel chose this wrapped package. It was the one my mom brought. She splurged and did a complete "set" of 5 ornaments. This was one of the most sought after gifts. It got traded 3 or 4 times and Rachel's mom ended up going home with it!

Sally and her darling baby Allison.

Rachel and Melisa.
I love this picture. I can't remember what was so funny, but this makes me smile!

There was one last surprise in store,

Delcine created a "Holly Days" holiday earring collection just for this party.
This was Regina's reaction:

There was also an audible shriek. I told her it reminded me of the audience on Oprah's "Favorite Things" show.


We each chose a pair of earrings. Perfect for wearing on Christmas and to holiday parties!
Thank you Holly for hosting such a fun and memorable party. It was just what I needed to start feeling excited for Christmas and all of the busyness that comes with it.

Holly, Sally, Allison and Delcine
And thank you Delcine for the delicious food, the beautiful earrings and the fun and warmth that only you can provide.



Allison is the sweetest little baby girl. I just love her sweet little cheeks and cheerful, content disposition. And she loves her Grandma!

She was worn out after a busy morning.

Me and my mom, accidentally matching.

Holly and Melisa.
And one more, because I couldn't resist...

I love these two!