Be Merry!


Eat! Drink! Be Merry!  I've always been into planning get-togethers at home and at my friends' places. Thanks to Pinterest and moving back east closer to my family, there have been more opportunities and reasons for celebration. I welcome any reason to celebrate so enjoy the wide array of themes, from standard holidays to graduations to random themes such as James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. (My personal favorite.)

New Year's Eve 2012

I am fully aware this post is a year late. (Forgot to post and yesterday, while looking back through last year's holiday photos, rediscovered them.) On the bright side, you'll get to see "then and now" as I've added some inexpensive yet effective decorations for this year's festivities. This was a small gathering we had with our dear and long-time family friends.

December 2012

I bought a house! I threw a party!  It's a long story but by a sudden turn of events I now own an adorable country house with a fantastic view. I'm feeling so blessed and had close to 60 coworkers and friends come to two open houses over the holidays.

The view from my kitchen window. Suddenly washing dishes isn't so dreary. 

So excited to have a fireplace with a mantel which I can now use to display my seasonal decorations.
Sweater: Gift from my mom, Tank top & Ballet Flats: Old Navy, Jeans: Can't remember, Headband: Target


My neighbor brought these snowflake cookies which she found on Pinterest. I had refreshments on the bar in the kitchen and on a small table in the dining room. The dining room table was kept clear for people to actually sit and eat at. It was a lovely time and people kept describing the place as "cozy." WIN!


October 2012

Our fall party was quite lovely. It wasn't much different than casual get-togethers that we've hosted at my parents except for the special cupcake table and the pumpkin art-both in the form of outdoor decor and indoor dip container. Both of those ideas I got off Pinterest. We started with a jam session in our living room, then moved to food (soup & assorted finger foods), then ended with hot drinks sitting around our outdoor fire pit. A relaxing evening with great friends. Here is the collage my brother made along with some other shots. 
Above: One power drill equals designer pumpkin. Below: Our cat approves.
 Cupcake display ready to go. (We forgot to take a picture once the guests had arrived...) There were 4 types of cupcakes (Cranberry/Orange, Cinnamon Spice, Poppyseed, & Strudel) and autumn themed Teddy Grahms, Ginger candies, and chocolate. Something for everyone!
 My mother is a genius. She took the tree idea out of Good Housekeeping and filled this old cider jar with dry beans, seeds, and uncooked popcorn. We used the tree as our "Thankful Tree" and hung messages of thankfulness from the branches. Then on Thanksgiving we read them all aloud. Good stuff.

October 21, 2012
To start off here is my new obsession: cupcakes! Quick and easy to make and the decorating possibilities are endless. My first attempt was rather dull (yellow cake with orange icing) but I quickly fixed things with take two (cinnamon spice with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles).


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