I'm on vacation until next year enjoying this sweet, sweet time. See you in 2012!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Christmas Breakfast
I won a $50 gift certificate for breakfast at The Carolina Inn at an event the other week. It was decided that breakfast the week of Christmas would be the perfect time to redeem:
Carolina Inn Eggs Benedict - Two poached eggs, buttermilk biscuits, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, hollandaise sauce with a side of home fries & a fresh fruit smoothie
This breakfast was fabulous... It's Merry Christmas week!
Best Wishes from Mickey & Minnie
When my friend Laura told me about this I went wild!! You can mail your wedding invitation to Mickey & Minnie Mouse, and they will send you this signed photo back, with a button.
Here's their mailing address: Mickey & Minnie; The Walt Disney Company; 500 South Buena Vista Street; Burbank, CA 91521. It took less than a month to receive - So happy!!
Spotted!
Hey... There's Hank & I in Sunday's newspaper:
This was quite the surprise when someone handed this to me, but I love it!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
One BIG Happy
I ended up with my favorite gift in our office game of Tar Heel Swap (i.e. Dirty Santa)!!
My First Ornament Exchange
The ornaments I sent, Southern dogwoods & peaches:
Handcrafted painted pottery made in Seagrove, North Carolina
The ornaments I received:
New York, New York
Morrisville, North Carolina
Atlanta, Georgia
Greensboro, North Carolina
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Caricatures.
Awww... Here's Hank & I SEVEN Decembers ago!
Here's Hank this year with a caricature of me from back in the day:
Caricature Lovebirds.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Christmas Feast
A snowflake ornament from my friend Jen.
{Peppermint Swirls} Rim glass with crushed candy cane. Shake in cocktail shaker, 1 oz. Pomegranate Vodka, 3 oz. Red Cranberry Juice, 0.5 oz. Grenadine and 0.5 oz. Peppermint Schnapps. Strain into glass. Top with Lemon Lime Soda. Garnish with small candy cane.
A Honey Baked Ham is my favorite & always a treat! Jen seasoned the green beans with thyme and added sliced almonds - I will be doing this in the future... Tasty! Hank made his delicious mashed potatoes, and I loved Jen & Nick's salad. It was simply spinach, almonds, feta and craisins with a light balsamic vinaigrette. This all made for a happy, happy feast!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Grinch Punch
Offices on Parade is an event where we travel from office to office to see each person's holiday decorations. You also pick up treats along the way. I served punch this year!
I thought I made too much but not the case! You can find where I previously blogged this recipe here. I renamed this 'Grinch Punch' because it's the holidays, it is green most importantly, and you add maraschino cherries which remind me of the Grinch's little heart at the beginning of Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! While this batch of punch was work appropriate, it would be delicious spiked for a holiday party. Cheers!
Sweet Christmas Creations
The Carolina Inn
*While here for an event, I had my first experience with a mac n' cheese bar! You place your mac n' cheese on your plate, and then you make your dish even more fabulous by adding various toppings i.e. blue cheese crumbles, chives, more cheese, herb bread crumbs, bacon... It was amazing. Definitely the perfect little station for party & wedding guests!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
TSO
I love the Trans Siberian Orchestra. My mom introduced me to this group 13 years ago, and I love them even more today. I took my mom to see TSO in concert on Sunday, and they were, as always, top-notch at performing an outrageously incredible show. High energy!
You are on sensory overload for three fantastic hours. The Trans Siberian Orchestra is most famous for their Christmas music. Their holiday shows are elaborate as all get out. The light show is insane, and really, it is all just head-to-toe phenomenal. See you next year, TSO!
(Seriously!) Greek Salad
This Greek salad is my favorite to make at home. It's nice to have salad only for dinner every once in awhile. 'Salad Night' after a weekend of heavy eating puts me back on the path.
Now when a chef salad is incorporated into our weekly dinner menu, I have about zero levels of excitement when that night rolls around. So... Hank and I typically eat out to avoid it! Enters Greek Salad... This salad combination is from our friend's Greek parents. The best part is, Hank and I both get excited for this salad. It's a blast of flavor! It consists of six simple ingredients. Romaine lettuce, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, craisins and feta - Don't skimp on the toppings, load that salad up! Then toss with a light balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Spotted!
Hey... There's Hank & I having a good time at our friend's wedding reception:
"The purpose of fun is to have it."
Gingerbread Barn Building Competition
I had the most fun this past Wednesday night. My friend Kat and I competed in Southern Weddings' Gingerbread Barn Building Competition.
How precious were our name tags? Precious!!
Kat and I picked out our station complete with lots of sweet supplies.
We had hot chocolate and cookies to snack on - Santa would be proud.
After working away messily for an hour or so, our barn was almost complete.
I loved the Christmas sparkle of our red barn walls most.
Then we of course had to add a touch of Southern flair - hi, y'all!
Once complete, we put our Gingerbread Barn on display for the judges. We loved how our metallic wreath (with bow) and barn animals looked very merry & bright.
After deliberations, the judges announced three category winners and then the grand prize winner... We were the grand prize winners!! We each won $75 to use towards Minted.
We were so excited, we treated ourselves to a glass of champagne & sweet potato fries in true Southern fashion. Our red gingerbread barn came along with us of course!
This was a fabulous way to celebrate the holiday season ahead. Great teamwork, Kat!
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