What's Been Happeniin' This Holiday Season!

There haven't been as much going on this holiday season. Still, there are a few things to share:

I had a festive lunch with my high school friend, Cathy. This was our first time here and the food was unusual and delicious. I highly recommend the "hot brown."

We went to the Buttermilk Ranch--all dressed up like a gingerbread house. 

I finally got Morgan and Olly's Christmas card after 10 days! It only came from Illinois, so not that far!

Aren't "the boys" cute in their festive scarves? They are really well-behaved for sure! I know, I've said that before, but it's so true!

Morgan and Olly went to some "dress like santa" bar party.

I'm not sure what it was all about, I think it was some sort of bar crawl thing where you visited several places. They went with friends. Sounds like fun. I would totally do something like this.

Sara, my garden girl, and her crew planted my winter boxes. I look forward to them every year. They also surprised me by decorating our mailbox--our Christmas gift from Sara.

Nicky always sends me pictures of Rio hiding during the holidays. 

She always loves to get under the tree. She doesn't bother anything, though, so that's good.

You never know where she'll turn up.

Speaking of Nicky, he delivers a beautiful poinsettia to me (and his mother) every holiday season.

They get bigger and bigger every year. It's so gorgeous! And that's why he's my number one son-in-law!!

Last Friday was our poker dinner. Unfortunately not everyone could make it.

From the left: Karolyn, Butch, me, Linda, David, Jack and Connie. We had the best time. We vowed to get together more often.

Also, last week, we went to the Bonefish Grill with Stephanie and Nicky. We used this special event to celebrate Steph's new job. It was the BEST deal! "Merry Martini" was a 5-course dinner paired with 5 different drinks. We started off with a glass of champagne with a bowl of lobster bisque--with lots of lobster on top. 

The second course was a shaved brussel sprout salad with pomegranate vinaigrette along with a pomegranate martini. Next came a seafood del mar with crawfish, shrimp, and scallops in an Alfredo sauce paired with a white Christmas cosmo. Next came a filet lobster thermidor with a Christmas martini. Finally, the meal ended with a gingerbread espresso brownie with a gingerbread martini. It was all so delicious--the portions were huge and we took a lot home with us. Since I was the driver, I had just a sip of each martini to taste them. They were all so good too. And the best part---the cost was only $75.00 per person!! Later, I priced out the cost of the food at $96.00 plus the drinks--which I have no idea what they cost--but 5 of them--probably at least $12.00 each--it was so well worth the cost. 

The downside, it was to be a "community" event--which meant that there were long tables. Luckily for us, we were at a table to ourselves, so we had the best time. 

Check out these events at Bonefish. You can rely on delicious food for sure--one of our favorite places. There's another one coming up in January. Check it out.

On Monday, Connie and I planned to pick up our old lady bridge friends--almost 97 now. Betty was sick and not able to join us.

We picked up Louise and took her to The Midtown Cafe! Another delicious lunch. 

Yesterday, I was at Richland for our annual Christmas bridge luncheon.

I snapped this picture at the entrance to the club--so pretty. 

After my post yesterday about vintage decor, I thought I would share this little lady.

She is so darn cute standing on top of those old blocks! I think I picked her up at some antique mall a very long time ago. She still makes me happy!

I thought I would share the entry when you walk through the front door.

This is the reason I wanted an open foyer/entry. We've been here for almost 30 years now and have the bannisters decorated every year.

The entry table differs every year.

It's pretty easy. You just pile on a bunch of stuff! Books are always a part of my decor. 

This is the latest needlepoint that I've done. 

It was a lot of fun to stitch. Wouldn't it be fun to have a complete red and pink tree? I won't be doing it as I am starting to get rid of and not replace my decor. I love it when it's done, but more work than I want anymore. 

Okay, I guess that's enough for today. 

The whole family starts arriving today to celebrate a couple very special birthdays. Mindy is turning 40 and Jordan is turning 30. We have a jam-packed, fun-fulled weekend planned--all a surprise for the birthday girls. 

I might be able to slip in a post or two, but no promises!