It Was A VERY Merry Christmas...

We had a wonderful Christmas!

Here is our Christmas in pictures...

Christmas Eve at my Virginia parents' home

The crew

Virginia parents with the grandchildren

My sweet children

 D with his mother and his children (minus his #3)

 

And of course I forgot to charge my camera battery and got almost no pictures Christmas morning...

 

Cramming everyone in the dining room for supper!

I hope you had a VERY Merry Christmas as well!

My Triplets

This past weekend we had a wonderful weekend with the triplets.

The triplets (my twins and D's youngest daughter, all who are 13)

When you have a large family, it's nearly impossible to get "one on one" time with any of the children.

We had a small crew last weekend and as a result, 

we were able to spend a lot of quality time with the triplets...

running errands, watching the Army/Navy football game together (Go Navy!), attending church, and doing a few chores....but it was truly a special weekend.

Looking forward to having seven of our eight children home on Friday night!!!
It's going to be CRAZY but it's going to be a GREAT Christmas!

OOTD....work day

Normally I am dressed in bright colors....

EVERY day.

People have commented if I am NOT wearing pink...

and if I am not wearing some shade of pink, I am wearing green, red, yellow, or blue.

That being said....I stepped WAY outside my box last year and bought....

a LEOPARD print skirt....my girls about fainted.

And this year, I took another step outside my box and bought...

LEOPARD flats!

Here was my OOTD for work on Tuesday.....

Lands' End Down Vest in Black

Ralph Lauren Ribbed Knit Turtleneck in Camel

Talbots Slim Leg Pants in Black

Tory Burch Leopard Flats (similar here)

Coach Madison Tote in Brown

(remember this post about my brown bag)

I have to say when D saw me, his comment was...

"Those are not colors you normally wear....but you look nice."

I have to step outside of my pink and green box every now and then!

Holiday Handbags

It's no secret that I have a love for handbags...

so here are a few festive bags that would be

great to carry during the Christmas season.

I LOVE this one...perfect for a Christmas cocktail party!

Another gorgeous bag....perfect for that little black dress!

Another classy clutch....can't go wrong with anything Ferragamo.

If you have a spare zillion dollars, this Judith Leiber bag is BLING!

Love the snowflake pattern....perfect for a black tie affair.

A cute bag to use everyday during the Christmas season!

Classy Kate Spade....another great bag you can use everyday.

I wish I could add one of these to my handbag collection....

I'm not going to....

but I WISH I could.

To find these bags, visit my Fabulous Bags Pintrest page.

OOTD Rainy Day

We were supposed to get snow Monday...not much....

but it was a messy and rainy morning,

so I planned my outfit around the weather!

Land's End Navy Blue & White Striped Turtle Neck

J Crew Navy Puffer Vest (similar one here)

Talbots Straight Leg Cords in Riding Red

LL Bean Navy Boots

J Crew Factory Gold Link Bracelet

Talbots Red Enamel Pave Bracelet

Swiss Army Two Tone Watch

Michael Kors Navy Saffiano Tote

Kate Spade Gold Knot Earrings

Brooks Brothers Navy Tattersall Umbrella

Perfect outfit for work on a messy and rainy day...

we ended up with no snow...much to my children's dismay!

A Pink & Green Christmas

So I am pink and green crazy...but to be honest, 

when I comes to Christmas I am more of a red and green girl.

I love tartan plaids all year long, but I especially love the red tartan plaids during the holidays!

That being said, here are a few fabulous pink and green Christmas photos...

What could be better than a Lilly Pulitzer Christmas?

These are just adorable cookies...almost too cute to eat!

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Lovely pink and green holiday table setting!

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Beautiful!

ADORABLE!

Follow my my Christmas Board on Pintrest to see more pink and green Christmas pictures!

Holiday Shoes!

I came across some festive holiday shoes during my cyber shopping...

Here are a few of my favorite ones!

Love the jeweled toe!

I would wear these with dark wash jeans and a red sweater...

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Plaid....perfect!

I would wear these with red cords, a white oxford, and black quilted down vest...

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These are just adorable!
Would be cute with black velveteen pants and a red cashmere sweater...
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Perfect for a New Year's Eve party!

Jazzes up the basic black dress...

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Love these but gone are the days I can wear a heel this high!

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Do you have any holiday shoes?

I have pinned these fabulous shoes on my Shoe Love Pintrest board!

A Favorite Holiday Recipe

Every Christmas Eve we have a buffet dinner at my Virginia parents' home,

and every year we have the same basic main menu...

Baked Ham, Cheesy Potato Casserole, and Calico Beans...a favorite of mine.

There are many different recipes for Calico Beans, but I love my Virginia mom's recipe!

Here it is...

photo source

Calico Beans
1/2 lb. Bacon
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1/2 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Catsup
1 tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Dry Mustard
2 tsp vinegar
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1 Can Butter Beans
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can Pork & Beans
1 Can Lima Beans

Cut Bacon into small pieces and brown in skillet until crisp.
Move Bacon to side of skillet and add chopped onion and saute until soft.
Move onions to side of skillet and brown ground beef.
Drain remaining fat after ground beef is browned and add to skillet:
catsup, salt, brown sugar, dry mustard, vinegar, and white sugar.
Heat until warm and place in large casserole.
Add all of the cans of beans into casserole and mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.
Can be kept warm in a crock pot after cooking.

What's your favorite holiday recipe?

Winter Must Haves....

I suppose it is not officially winter, but in my book December 1st is "winter"

as the temperatures can start to randomly take a deep drop here in Virginia.

Being from Michigan, you would think that Virginia winters would be "mild" in my book.

NOT.

Here are several of my "must haves" to survive the winter months....

Humidifier

This is the exact humidifier that I have and I love it!

It can run for 144 hours before you have to refill it, and it has both warm and cool mist.

I have bad allergies and it helps my sinuses as well as my dry skin.

Aquaphor Healing Ointment

This is a miracle in a tube.

Working in healthcare, I wash my hands a million times a day

and in the winter, my hands get so dry they can crack.

I use this moisturizer at bedtime and in the morning and it keeps my hands

soft, even after hand washing. 

I also use it on chapped lips!

Bubble Bath

This is the season of bubble baths!

I am fortunate enough to have a jacuzzi tub in my bathroom

and some nights I just can't warm up unless I take a long soak.

Here is a picture of what happens when you let the boys add their own bubble bath...

and then turn on the jacuzzi jets.

Bubbles overflowing the tub and on to the floor.

I digress....

Quilted Touch Gloves

These gloves have the special finger in them that allows you to use your iPhone

WITHOUT having to take your glove off!

Patagonia Retool

I live in these fleeces...they are warmer than your typical fleece

and come in a zillion colors!

Land's End Down Coat

Nothing keeps me warmer than a down coat...and I have a few of them.

You can find them on sale for a great price at Land's End after Christmas.

NorthFace also makes a great one, but a little more pricey.

LL Bean Rag Wool Socks

I wear these with my Bean boots as well as around the house,

and they really do keep your feet warm.

Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate with Mini Marshmallows

The kids and I have cocoa while they are doing homework and I am making dinner.

Finally...I have been thinking about sneaking this Heated Mattress Pad on to our bed.

D is practically suffocating with the TWO down comforters on our bed (not to mention the fleece blanket)

and I think adding a heated mattress pad might just do him in....

but he is in Northern Virginia during the week so maybe I just won't turn it on on the weekends?

What do you need to survive the winter months?