Thanksgiving recap

We went to my Aunt & Uncle's for Thanksgiving (as we always do) and it was fantastic! There are 2 new babies in the family and this is their first Thanksgiving. The day was wonderful and the food was delicious. We started the day with great conversation and caught up over drinks and dips. My cousin made this excellent sausage dip with peppers, onions and cream cheese. I need to get the recipe. There was none left. Dinner was yummy and we had so much. There was turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, dinner rolls, corn, cranberries. etc. There was pumpkin, pecan and apple pie for dessert. It was a lot of food and we left very full and tired!
I have to give my aunt a ton of credit. She has hosted Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember and makes it special every year. We have a big family and being an only child, it's nice to have my cousins to bond with around the holidays. There is always a sense of togetherness and I appreciate that she brings us together every year.
Reflecting on the past year, I have a lot to be thankful for. I married the most wonderful man, who is so good to me. It may sound corny, but I do feel blessed and lucky to have him in my life. I have the best mother who would do anything for me, as I would for her. I have great friends who I can trust and have so many good times with. Last but not least, I am thankful that no matter hard things get (and we all know they do), somehow, someway - things have a way of working themselves out.

Here are some pics from Thanksgiving:

Ready for dinner

My cousin Melissa and her son Luke

Luke

My cousin Kris' daughter Avery

Tada! My bag has finally arrived

Yesterday the situation with my new Coach bag finally got resolved. It was in limbo for about a month. I was able to pick it up at the store it was purchased at and I was able to use my 25% coupon because of the trouble I had. They said that it is completely sold out and that I am getting the last one.

I love this bag. I love the shape, design, colors, size…everything! I must admit that bags are my one weakness. Here are some pics of it:

Weekend recap

It’s already Tuesday and time is flying by. This past weekend was very nice. Friday, Geof and I went to the Sixers game against the Clippers and the Sixers came back to win it in the final seconds of the 4th quarter. It was a great game! We had a late dinner at Chickie & Pete’s in the stadium. The prices are so jacked up in there. We paid $35 for 6 chicken fingers, crab fries and 2 sodas…ridiculous!
Saturday, I taught skating and then went to dinner right from the rink with Geof, my mom and our friend Cory. We had pizza at Pinocchio’s. It is so good there. Geof and I went home and our friend Kelly came over and the three of us went to see Twilight. It was very good. The younger girls in the theater were screaming when Edward came on screen. After the movie we went home and Kel stayed over and we watched Closer. It was pretty good.
Sunday, Kel and I went shopping at King of Prussia. The mall was all decked out for the holidays and it started to get me in the Christmas spirit. Because of the economy, there were a ton of sales. I didn’t go nuts though and that it a good thing. I will probably make one more trip up there between now and Christmas. That place gets crazy around the holidays.
That’s all for now!

Chase is ready for Christmas!

I got this little Santa outfit at Target for Chase. It was only $2.50 and I could not resist! I don't think he likes it too much.

Finshed Eclipse

I finally finished Eclipse last night and it was so good! I won't say it for those that are still reading, but I was really happy about something that happened towards the end. I am ready for Breaking Dawn. I think I'll try and start that when I get home from the 76ers game tonight. This book in my opinion was much better than New Moon. I love them all so far, but this book had a lot more going on.
The movie is offically out for Twilight and I plan on seeing it Saturday night. I better get tickets today, because I'm fairly certain it will sell out.

Favorite things

No, I don’t think I’m Oprah or anything like that – I saw this idea on someone else’s blog and thought I would share some of my favorite things since the holidays are right around the corner.

Beauty Products
Bobbi Brown – Pink Sugar Shimmer Lip Gloss
It is the perfect shade of pink/mauve and would compliment most skin tones. I get compliments almost every time I wear it and it is not sticky like some other brands.


Smith’s Rosebud Salve
This is so inexpensive and would make the perfect stocking stuffer. It has been around forever and my grandmother even used it when I was little. I use this every night before bed and it keep my lips so hydrated and soft.


Jessica Simpson – Fancy
This is her latest addition to her perfume collection. It smells absolutely wonderful and I love it. It is light with touches of floral and fruit.

Books

Twilight Series Book Set - Stephanie Meyer
If you read my blog, you can tell by now that I love these books. The set would make a perfect gift for any book lover on your list. The whole series is now sold in a complete set, just in time for the holidays.

Travel

Vera Bradley Large Duffle Bag
This bag is so great. It looks cute and fashionable and holds a ton of things, especially if you’re an over-packer like me. This is the design that I have (Java Blue), but there are a ton of others that are very nice.

Home

Yankee Candle Christmas Eve
I love all Yankee Candles, but around the holidays I especially love this one. It has the scent of a warm hearth and candied fruits. I have tried so many candles and Yankee beats out all the rest. They are slow and even burning, fill the house with fragrance and come in many sizes.

Twilight mania

It is finally here and the movie will be out in 3 short days. I am almost done the third book and hoped to have all four finished before I saw the movie. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen. I am really excited to see how the movie turns out compared to the book. It is still fresh in my mind since I just started the series in the beginning of October.
I can’t believe how the series has caught on with people (mainly ladies) of all ages. Every time I watch the news or one of the entertainment shows, I see them talking about the movie and all of the hype surrounding the actors. I must admit, I am Team Edward all the way and do not mind seeing Robert Pattinson splashed across the TV, internet and pages of magazines.
My friends and I have all read, or are reading the series and most agree that they did a good job casting Edward. This may sound funny, but I’m glad that I have never seen Robert Pattinson in any other movies before this. I don’t want to picture him as anything other than Edward. I also love his British accent in the interviews that I’ve heard!

So frustrated!

I ordered a bag from Coach back on October 24th and had it shipped via FedEx to my mom’s house. We live in a townhouse and I thought it would be safer going there. The problem is that my mom was never there to sign for it each time the driver came to the house. It then went to a FedEx facility about 40 miles from my house and sat there waiting for me to drive there and pick it up. I called the FedEx facility and the Coach store that I ordered it from hoping they would be able to re-route it back to the store. Unfortunately, they were not able to do that.
It is now on the way back to the warehouse in Florida and I need to start the process all over again. The only positive coming out of all this is that I received a 25% off coupon in the mail and I plan to “return” the bag I never got and reorder it and use the coupon. I am trying to look at the positive and say that it’s a blessing in disguise since I can use the coupon now.
Hopefully this goes off without a hitch!

2 weddings, 1 weekend

This past weekend we had two weddings to attend, one Saturday and one Sunday. The first one was for my friend Rich and his new wife Patty. He has been my friend since high school and it was great seeing him tie the knot. The reception was held in Lambertville, NJ. at The Inn at Lambertville Station. It was a small reception with about 60 guests, but it made it cozy and personal. They were both looked so happy and I wish them a many years of wonderful marriage. I forgot my camera, so I took a couple bad pics with my blackberry.

The second wedding was for my great friends Colleen and Donald. Colleen is someone that I work with and became very close to through the years. She was a maid of honor in my wedding and she means a lot to me. I can talk to her about anything and she knows me so well. Donald is also a great friend and I was so excited to share in their special day. Colleen looked stunning and did a fantastic job on the wedding. It was at The Carriage House is Galloway, NJ. and it was lovely. From the favors to the flowers, everything was absolutely gorgeous! They are wonderful people and I wish them nothing but the best in the years to come.

R.I.P. Lipstick Jungle

I am so sad. Lipstick Jungle got cancelled. I was a huge fan of both Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle when they aired last season. When Cashmere got cancelled, I thought oh well, at least there is still Lipstick. They are now both gone. They shot 13 episodes, so we'll see if they air them all or give it the axe before that. I am tempted to stop watching now because I don't see the point.

Since Sex and the City, it seems they have been trying to make a successful show similar to it on network television and it just isn't working.

Here is the link to the article on the cancellation: http://tv.yahoo.com/show/39086/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20081113:tv_lipstick_and_enemy__ER:82998

Cheaper gas at last

This makes my day! Gas is officially below the $2.00 mark. I filled up today for $20.50, quite a change from the close to $40.00 I was spending over the summer. Hopefully with the cooler months and slow economy this will last awhile.

Night out at the Sixers game

Last night Geof took me to the Sixers game against the Utah Jazz. Kyle Korver who used to play for the Sixers is on the Jazz now and I loved when he played for us. When he came onto the court, there was a mixed reaction of cheers and jeers (I was cheering of course). I have to admit, I don’t know much about basketball, but I love watching it live. There is never a dull moment and we had a nice time. Geof got a ticket package, so it looks like I’ll be going some more games this season. It will make for some nice date nights in the slow and cold winter months.

Okay, back to Kyle. I got to meet him after one of the games in ’06 and he was so nice. I wish by some miracle he could come back to the Sixers. There are a lot of guys that play professional sports that aren’t very nice. He was a great role model in Philly and did a lot of charity work. Last night when the game was finished (the Jazz won), Kyle went over to his old team and joined them in the huddle. I thought that was very cool of him.

I’ll stop gushing now! Here is a pic from the night I met him:

Here is one that I just like:

We got a Wii!

Finally! Best Buy had a private shopping event last night and we were pretty much guaranteed to get one. Geof has wanted one for awhile and I never really knew anything about it. The boys hooked it up last night and we’re ready to roll. I love it and I am excited to start playing. I messed around with the one in the store and it was super fun. We also got the Wii Fit and I am anxious to try that too.

Mmmm...cupcake!

I went out to Wegman's today for lunch and found the yummiest looking cupcake and had to try it. It is called "Sweet & Salty" and it is covered in mini M&M's and little pretzels. I can't wait to try it!

Saw V

I love horror movies. I don't know why, since I get scared every time I see them - I just love it! With that said, I had to check out the fifth installment of the Saw movie franchise. Geof and I went last night. He wasn't a fan and I liked it. They definitely are starting to get a little ridiculous and questions and holes from before have been left open, but something keeps drawing me back to the theater each year to see these movies.
I know some people hate the Saw movies due to the gore factor. Once you get past that, I love the mystery and suspense element of it. I am hoping they make one more and I get some answers left open from the third movie. I will again have to wait until next year around this time to see what's next!

Festive stemware!

Love this stemware from Potterbarn! I saw this the other day and I have to order it. I love the vibrant colors and I think it will be really great to serve some champagne in around the holidays. It is only $28 for a set of four glasses!

I'm not surprised at all...

DeAnna and Jesse of the Bachelorette have called off their engagement. I had a feeling this wouldn't last. I thought she should have picked Jason all along. He was so sweet and his son was the cutest!

Here is the link to the article: http://www.usmagazine.com/news/bachelorette-winner-deanna-papas-calls-off-engagement

Baby Uggs

While I am nowhere close to having a baby, I couldn’t resist posting these adorable Ugg booties for babies. They’re so cute I can’t stand it! I think they would make a great baby shower gift. They are expensive though. $50 for baby shoes…geez!

Halloween

Last night I went out with my husband and friends to a Halloween party in the city at O.N.E. in Rittenhouse. We stayed there until a little after midnight (because it was way too crowded) and then went to Rum Bar around the corner. It was so much fun and I loved seeing everyone in their costumes.

Phillies Parade!

Friday I took the day off work so that I could witness the parade that we have waited 28 years for! Geof, Cory and I got tickets to the Phillies World Series Celebration at Citizens Bank Park and went down early in the morning to beat the rush and kick-off the festivities.

We parked in the Novacare lot and tailgated for awhile, walked around and then went into the park. We watched the parade and ceremony at the Linc from inside and then the players and management came into the park to celebrate and give their speeches.

It was a long, but great day. I still cannot believe they won!