Me and my besties at our annual PNS Dirty Santa Party.

Just the girls (and David) at Tricia & Beau’s Holiday party…

More pics to come… Waiting on uploads!!!

My older cousin Kara is just a few inches away from being Little Susie Homemaker- inches b/c she doesn’t have the husband or kids yet… She’s always having little get togethers, delicious food, and prides herself on warm and cozy surroundings. (Nothing like myself… involves way too much cleaning beforehand).

So yesterday was ‘Holiday Dessert Brunch with the Family‘ theme. She invited our grandmother, her mother & sister, a cousin, and 3 aunts (one of which is my mother) to help get us all in the Christmas spirit. I arrived early with my own dessert contribution- caramel and walnut crackers that my stepmother made the night before- and helped her get everything organized and festive. It was a bit of a squeeze in the 300 sq foot overly decorated living room, but everything was beautiful and very delicious!

Pretty Christmas Tree

Our 93 yr old grandmother and Kara's mom- Aunt Melba

Family

My dessert in the middle

I decided before they arrived that we must have some kind of game to keep us from sitting around and just staring at each other (if you knew my family you would know this is impossible… I was worried about being bored myself.) I came up with “Guess What’s in the Stocking” and “How Many Words Can You Make Out of Merry Christmas“. Both are fun holiday games that are easy to put on and fun to play. I grabbed as many holiday themed items (no short supply) as I could and stuffed them into an oversized stocking. Things like scotch tape, wrapping paper, ribbon, ornaments, holly berries, small angel, candy cane, etc worked great and were easy to distingish with your hands. The guests then had 45 seconds to feel inside the stocking and write down all the items they could remember. Whoever had the most correct won a small gift. The second game was exactly as it sounds and Kara’s sister Kelli (who must have an up on us b/c she homeschools her 4 little girls) won with a shocking 22 unique words! It was great fun!

Mom, Grandma, Melba

Aunt Becky

Aunt Linda and cousin Stacey

All in all it was a great little party. Just glad it was at her house, not mine.

Bon Appetit Julia Childs!

With two very spoiled dogs in my house, it’s nearly impossible to keep them of the couch AND/OR clean. So instead of buying a new couch, a simple slipcover will work just fine for now. This is simple, affordable and washable!

SureFit.com

For my sweet little Sunny and Hilde- 2 Doggie Dining Stations. I especially like this one from OverStock.com b/c it’s adjustable and seems to take up less space than the wooden box type.

(Although, I did watch an episode of Martha Stewart where she and Zack Braff actually built one themselves…. Seemed easy enough- for my dad…Instructions at MarthaStewart.com)