Beach Babe Holiday Tea

That afternoon, after our Breakfast with Santa I joined my Beach Babes for our annual holiday tea party and book exchange. Julie hosted it this year and Julie is always the hostess with the mostess!

Her house is decked out top to bottom!!

The food was scrumptious as always with everyone contributing something.  I brought puff pastry cups stuffed with chicken salad with sugared almonds on top.  I also brought cucumber sandwiches.

Patrice brought a yummy and beautiful Panzenella Salad

Shauna made her delicious roasted red pepper soup.

Julie, our hostess, prepared some delicious tea.

And there were these amazing peppermint meringues which I had to go right home and make!

We might be getting older but we're getting better!!

We each bring one of our favorite books from the year to exchange.  I brought Cutting for Stone.
I love these women and feel so blessed to have them in my life!!

Breakfast with Santa

Three of the four kids arrived home on the Friday the 16th! 

Saturday morning, the next morning, was our annual neighborhood Breakfast with Santa.  We missed having Logan there but he is a big boy now with a job!!

We enjoyed a yummy breakfast of pancakes, little sausage, fruit, an egg casserole and of course hot chocolate.

 There was also a hot chocolate bar and a hot apple cider bar this year!

Everyone just has a great time hanging out together and visiting.

 After breakfast the kids all decorate gingerbread houses.

 

 
And then Santa paid a visit as usual!

Until next year Santa!

The Wall Street Journal and our Christmas Card

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.  She had found my blog and our family photos and she wondered if she could interview me about family Christmas cards.  I said sure of course!

We talked about the process I go through with our card each year and then she asked if she could have a copy of our Christmas card.  Since it wasn't done yet I hurried and enlisted the help of my friend Sarah and we got it done and a copy sent off to the reporter.

It was so fun last week to open a copy of the Wall Street Journal and see our family on the front page of the Personal Journal section smiling back at us!!  Fortunately our neighbor gets the Wall Street Journal and I picked up a few more copies at the store!




Here is the card in person!