I'm Not Ready....

I am not ready for Christmas and lights and magic

to end and be over and put away!  

I love that places keep the magic going until

into January.  My birthday is two weeks after

Christmas and for the last 20 years we have

escaped the dreary weather of January here

in Utah at least for a week so that I can grow

older in sunshine.  Let me tell you it helps!

We decided to have an early birthday dinner 

to celebrate with the kids and their spouses,

and we headed up to La Caille at Quail Run -

the fanciest restaurant we have in Utah to bask

in their Christmas glow and celebrate my birthday.

I have tried to teach my children that you should

dress up for a nice restaurant, and they did a

great job.  They had fun doing it too.

This one came straight from work so he 

felt underdressed and didn't want to take

his coat off and she is 7 months pregnant

and didn't want to take her coat off either.

Everyone but one couple were able to make it. 

Half of them had never been to La Caille before,

and we wanted them to experience it in it's

Christmas splendor.

It's what my dream chateau would look like,

inside and out.

And the food was marvelous too.

This was a Burrata cheese appetizer served

in a slice of squash.

An exquisite filet with a sauce that was a blend

of Bearnaise sauce and a Red Wine Sauce with

incredible Au Gratin Potatoes,

And a monstrous chocolate cake!  We had to laugh at the

tiny ice cream scoops!  We were too full and brought most

of the cake home.

Next we are off to our cabin at Sundance for

skiing through New Year's Day and then

hubby is whisking me off first to Disneyland

to soak up the last of their Christmas magic

before it disappears until next year and then

on to Hawaii to soak up some sun while I age!

Mid January we can get back to real life, but until

then we are enjoying the season until it is all gone!

Blushing Christmas Eve Table

I just get giddy as I set the tables for

Christmas Eve.  Everything is prepped and

the Christmas music is turned on, and it

is my happy place.  

This year I was inspired by these new

chair covers from CV Linens - they

just looked ethereal.  I ordered them

in blush pink and my table began to

come together.  The tablecloths were

blush pink rectangular cloths from Amazon

by Your Chair Covers Inc.

On the adult table I used my mother's Pink

Fostoria glasses.  

Blush pink and white angel wings graces the plate stacks.

The blush pink wings were from Hobby Lobby this

year and the white ones were from At Home.

Gold sparkling chargers anchored the

white and gold rimmed plates, and gold

flatware was the choice.

I wanted sparkle down the tables with

a glittering blush runner, along with

blush pink metallic beads from Hobby Lobby

this year.

But I wanted to bring in Christmas greenery

with florals this year.  I started with a

purchased outdoor hanging pot made all

of greenery and pulled it apart, recreating

two arrangements in mercury glass

and adding pink and white roses.

Pink mercury glass candlesticks graced the adult table.

With the pink touches I added to the mantel

and tree this year, the table looked perfect

in the great room.

The little people table is a Lifetime table that

has adjustable legs.  I used matching Chiavari

chairs in child size. They just love having their

own table.

Goblets for their table are from Dollar Tree,

so there is no worry about breaking.  Of course,

because we aren't worried about them breaking,

we haven't broken one in over two years!

My daughter in law was so cute, as she walked

into the entry and looked into the great room,

she stopped and pulled out her camera and 

video taped the room.  What a compliment.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas.

I will be posting with

Tablescapes Thursday

Dishing It and Digging It

Pink Saturday

Angels in Heaven and on Earth

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o'er the plains,

And the mountains in reply,

Echoing their joyous strains

Gloria, in excelcis Deo!

Can you just imagine for a minute

what it would have been like to be

a humble shepherd out guarding your 

flocks and a heavenly host appears 

unto you bringing you the great news

that your Savior is born, and to come

and bear witness to the world through

all generations of that reality!

What wonder and joy that must have been.

My little angels are my grandchildren.  Those of you

who have followed me for some time know how most

of what I do is motivated by creating magic for them.

I love the wonder and joy in their little faces.

This is Jacquelyn.  You saw her when she was first

born and now she is a very astute and bright five

year old.

We had only one pretty angel costume for our

Night in Bethlehem and she quickly 

told me that I needed another one, and in a size

that would fit her better.

She asked to have a sleepover -all by herself -

the other night.  She had asked for that once

before and just made it into the house with

her cookie that we had stopped to buy, when

alligator tears began rolling down her face,

and she wanted to go home.

This time she spent the night and did so well,

and we had just tried on the new, better-fitting

dress, when she said she didn't feel well and

wanted her mommy.  I think it is beginning to

show in her face on this one.

Of course, grandma didn't know if she was just

a little homesick or what, but we got her changed,

and her things packed up, and just as we got 

into her house - sure enough - she really was

sick!  Oh no!  Not at Christmas time! 

And speaking of angels, I created this angel

mannequin this week.

Ever since we created our mannequins at

Halloween, I decided I wanted one for 

Christmas to decorate my home.

Of course, with the angel wings on the tree,

she needs to be set up close to the tree.

Everything was collected from my closet

and drawers - skirts, a jacket, a ruffled

vest, a set of gloves, pearls, and some

table linens.

I had purchased a black velvet mannequin

online.  She took 45 minutes to assemble.  Such

a fun last minute project.

I just love the beauty and glory

of angels.

May your life be filled with

earthly and Heavenly angels at

this time of year and always.

Wishing all of you and yours a very

wonderful Christmas, and may the joy

the good news of Christ's birth bring

you peace all year.  May you feel God's

angels surrounding you and lifting you up.

May you give glory to God on the highest.

Merry Christmas on this

Christmas Eve

from 

Purple Chocolat Home.

Our whole bunch of angels.

Breakfast with Mickey and Minnie

Christmas morning starts earl with little ones

down snooping through the packages to

try to find their names on the gifts.

Then they can take their stockings to 

their rooms and open them.  They have

to wait until the parents get up, especially

Grandma and Grandpa.  Four of our five

children spend the night, so it is a lot of fun

and excitement.  We open two gifts and 

then head into the kitchen and everyone

helps prepare breakfast.

The Christmas breakfast table is always set

early!  It adds to the excitement when the

little ones come over.  My oldest was born on

the 21st of December.  She was due December 6th

but they used to let you go way over your due

date.  I wanted to cry every day she didn't come

as I didn't want a baby that close to Christmas.

Now we take advantage of her birthday

and we finish all of our preparations

and head to Salt Lake City and stay

at the Grand America for a couple of

nights.  We enjoy the European grandeur

of the Grand and the lights and splendor

of Salt Lake at Christmas time.  It is our

reward for all of our hard work.  We bring

the entire tribe and have a wonderful time.

So tables are all set before we leave the house.

This year Mickey and Minnie in their 

Christmas finery are the centerpiece of

our breakfast table.

Minnie with her cupcake hat and sprinkle dress

was a new nutcracker last year.

She was joined this year with a gorgeous

velvet Mickey nutcracker.  Can you see the

"hidden Mickies" on his sparkling tree?

And knowing how much we love gingerbread

here at Purple Chocolat Home,

this shorter Minnie holding a gingerbread

man just had to join the collection.

Traditionally we have the same candy

cane plates every year for the breakfast

table, but this year I found these new striped

plates and added my polka dot mini plates

to create a new look.  

The new plates are all nestled into a

snowy feathered placemat.

The striped plates coordinate nicely with my 

cups and saucers from last year.

I just love these red and white put together.

 Foiled polka dot napkins follow the

Minnie polka dot plates,

and the flatware even have polka dots.

More luscious red in the tablecloths

and the goblets.

The candy dish was also found last year.

This will be filled with my hand dipped

chocolates.

We don't just eat candy for breakfast!

Christmas Morning Menu

 Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice,

Maple Candied Bacon, 

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

and 

Biscuits and Gravy. 

Then we head back to the great room

and go around the circle opening one gift at 

a time, thanking each other, giving hugs and

taking pictures.  With 15 of us here, it takes

a long, long time and let me tell you,

Mrs. Claus loves that! 

From Mickey and Minnie to you,

Have a

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

I will be posting with

Tablescapes Thursday