Our Annual Cookie Party {2014}

This year was the 13th year hosting our Christmas Cookie Party and I think the entire B family would say that this was the best party yet. I was a bad blogger and took very few decor/food/tablescape shots (so just trust me that it was festive), but rather tons of photos of those we love celebrating friendship & family in our home.

We started off the evening with antipasti, a cheese board, bruschetta, crudite, spinach dip and cocktail sausages (bc everyone LOVES those).  This year I paired Christmas cards with a festive banner reading "HOHOHO" to create the backdrop to the main bar where we featured eggnog, wine, candy cane champagne & mixed drinks.  Beer and soft drinks were set up on the wet bar and the kitchen desk housed kiddie cocktails for the littles.

When it came to decorating cookies, the dozen littles in attendance each found a set of reindeer antlers awaiting them along with a large assortment of sprinkles and candies to adorn their cookies. I always start with a plastic tablecloth add a wrapping paper runner, paper plates to decorate over & a fun mini-marshmallow runner to complete the look. When the party is over you just fold the mess up and toss it in the trash!

This year I baked around 130 sugar cookies and every last one was decorated that night (normally we have a few leftover that the kids can decorate on Christmas eve for Santa).  It was a joy to watch everyone participate & socialize. While the party carried on the buffet switched from appetizers to dinner with ham, sausage, meatballs, salad, and tiropita (cheese pie) filling the island counter.

As the hours passed we set the littles up to watch Home Alone in the basement while the adults congregated in the kitchen. We got to talking and somehow or another the marshmallow table runner turned into a challenge of building marshmallow towers. And from there you can guess...a full on marshmallow war broke out. Ladies and gentlemen there were over 10 full bags of mini-marshmallows thrown around our kitchen. When the littles came upstairs to check out all the commotion they could hardly believe their eyes and luck! 

Being the best group of friends ever, not only did everyone help clean up the mounds of marshmallows, but also wash dishes and do general party clean up. So very blessed we are to have fabulous friends in our lives.  As the clock inched toward midnight I realized we had yet to take our cookie party family photo. So here is the 2014 selfie-edition. We can not wait for next year!

Bestie A's Neutral Baby Shower

Earlier this month Belle & I headed to Michigan to celebrate Bestie A's baby shower. Since baby-to-be's gender is a mystery we went with a theme centered around books, plush animals and the colors cream, gray & yellow. 

Bestie J and I fell in love with these invitations and asked the seller to recreate them with a more grayed out version of a lamb. (We weren't feeling the black sheep on a baby shower invite.)

On the tables I layered the simple floral arrangement, plush animal & board book atop a gray & white striped sheet of scrapbook paper. As an added bonus, the centerpieces are now at home in the baby's library & nursery bookshelf.

In addition, each place setting was adorned with a coordinating menu,  yellow striped straws with gray chevron flag, and yellow polka dotted favor cup filled with almond rocca.

The gift table was the centerpiece of the room. We used tall branches in urns to add height and then softened them with tissue paper pom poms.  The pottery barn kids lamb was a gift to the baby and worked perfectly as a centerpiece.

Guests were asked to write a note to baby in a storybook located on the gift table.

Before the shower began I wanted to make sure I grab some shots of the guest of honor and her family. The remainder of the afternoon was spent lunching and watching A open a host of precious baby goodies.

It is hard to believe in a few short weeks lil Baby P, as we refer to him/her around the B house, will be here. I can not wait to hold you in my arms. And for the record, Thea Amelia says, "Baby Girl"!! 

Family Festivities {Wedding + Wishes}

Yesterday we had the pleasure and joy of celebrating the marriage of Hubby's charming cousin P to his truly beautiful fiancee O. Hubby stood up in the wedding and we all had such a fabulous time dining, drinking & dancing that I didn't snap too many pictures other than a few of the couple's first dance and the littles at the cocktail hour.

Our angel of a goddaughter made a stunning Jr. bridesmaid even if I am a tad bit biased. 

Sweet Bestie A, who's equally joyful wedding day was last year, looked radiant with her lil baby bump. Guess you know what that means, baby shower planning is in full force over here.

It was hard a wrangle up the entire cousin crew, but we gave it our best shot.

 Likewise with a family photo....it is the thought that counts right?

Lil M and his godfather were just too precious for words.

The weekend didn't end with just one celebration. Today we wished YiaYia a very happy birthday over a casual lunch at our place. We all were quite beat from yesterday's festivities and enjoyed the low key pace of an afternoon lazily passed playing uno & hanging out.

Happy Birthday YiaYia, we love you very much!