Cheers to the Coming Year!

What a year 2011 has been, and a QUICK one at that! I feel like I was just sharing my New Year's resolutions with you all (which I am happy to report I kept up/completed just about all of them!) and here we are ready to usher in a new year. While 2011 was a a wonderful year filled with lots of firsts and fun I have high hopes for 2012! Thank you all for your continued support this year. Your comments and emails make me smile and I cherish all the friendships I have made through blogging. I wish you and yours a VERY HAPPY and SAFE New Year's Eve and look forward to sharing 2012 with you!

Friday Five

The end of the year may be near, but I am still a busy bee here. However, that has not stopped me from loving a handful of items these past two weeks. Here is what is currently on my lust list:

1. Kraft Jet Puffed PEPPERMINT Marshmallows

Madre searched and searched for these as soon as we heard about them and victory was finally ours just before Christmas. These were well worth the hunt as they can turn any drink into a minty wonderland! Mmm, mmm good!

2. Downton Abbey

I am counting down until January 8th when season two of Downton Abbey returns. I am currently re-watching season one (thank you for the DVDs Santa) and reading up on the characters and set in anticipation. Are you a fan of the manor?

3. Talbot's Nelli Flats

These my favorite shoes of the year. Not only are hey are timeless and comfortable, but FUN too! I have two basic, patent pairs (black and tan) as well as some bright suedes (orange and turquoise) to brighten my winter months. Currently on sale for $50 a pair, these are a steal!

4. Bath and Body Works Charmed Life Collection

I fell in love with the "Charmed Life" collection at Bath&Body Works this Fall. How could I resist such a fun name and cute design? Lucky for me the entire collection is now 75% off in all stores and outlets so I have been loading up. I am still on the hunt for some of the polka dot perfume (it comes in a gold polka dot bottle...need I say more?!) and will not stop until I find it :)

5. Fruit Ninja App/Game

I realize many of you are likely judging my intelligence now, but trust me when I say this game is SO fun. It puts Angry Birds to shame and requires some skill and concentration. If you have an iPhone or iPad consider downloading it today.

Christmas Fun Continued

This year is the first year we have hosted Christmas Eve in our home. When my parents first moved in we had a huge Christmas Day brunch, but typically it is just my parents and I on Christmas Eve. However, this year my aunt and uncle, cousins and grandfather came down to celebrate with us. We had SO much fun and I hope we can continue the tradition in the years to come.
We enjoyed beef tenderloin, grilled vegetables and my aunt's famous cheesy potatoes for dinner. Delicious!
We had a special treat for our first dessert (yes we had two desserts), Christmas cookies my dad brought home from Jordan!
Then it was time to open gifts...these two lover's were all in on the fun!
The boys racked up on fun things. It was the year of electronics I think as they got loads of tech goodies!
Doesn't Henry look great?!
The boys picked out this lovely sweater for me! Tee heh, it was really a joke and gave us all a good laugh!
We rounded out the night with French silk pie and hit the hay so that Santa could make his way to us. A splendid time was had by all!

Now, after yesterday's photo I figured I better share a sweet photo of our little bully. He is such a lover and today just so happens to be Winston's 6th birthday. Happy birthday to the sweetest bully our family has ever met!! We love you Bubby!

Wordless Wednesday

For the non-Facebook, non-Twitter crowd:

Caught in the act of...decapitation!

Christmas Eve Decor and More

I flew into the frozen tundra, also known as Minnesota, bright and early Saturday morning. I was rather shocked we did not have any snow cover this year, but my parent's Christmas decor and lots of fun with the family made up for not having a white Christmas.

This is the first time in years that we have had a real Christmas tree. We have had a fake one since living in Honduras, but since my parents are moving to the Middle East in 2012 they figured they needed to revert back to a live tree one last time.
I think I featured our Santas last year in my Christmas post, but I have gotten a few tweets about them so I figured I would share them again. These are all from Panama. They are gourds which were hand painted by a good family friend. So festive and clever!
We LOVE paper whites in our home. You can smell them as soon as you walk in the door.
Sorry for the horrid lighting in this photo, I did not go back through my photos until after we had eaten and could not get another of the set table. Regardless, my mother did a beautiful table scape! Isn't it just stunning?

Everyone had a gift card as a place card this....added perk!

The Nativity my parents purchased in Honduras is a favorite of our family. It looked so perfect on the windowsill. Baby Jesus was still covered up until right before dinner. This is a Honduran (possibly Latin?) tradition which we follow in our home; baby Jesus is either covered or hidden until Christmas Eve when he is placbed in the manger.
All our churches picked up when living in Central America were out on the buffet from India. So many countries are represented in our home!
Merry Christmas from our house to yours! I hope you have had a fantastic weekend spent with those you love and that the reason for the joy this season has filled your hearts and homes!

Merry Christmas!

Elizabeth McKay Tour and Winner

I cannot believe it has been a week since I was putting everything into my back and jetsetting to NYC for the weekend. Time flies when you are having fun!

As mentioned, last Friday, Melissa (who also supplied the above photo!), Miranda, Katie and I had the pleasure of meeting THE Elizabeth behind Elizabeth McKay. Katie and I had met her darling husband, Edward, this Fall and could hardly wait to meet the face behind the brand while also visiting their new store.
Judging from these photos you can see our meeting and tour of the store did NOT disappoint! We had the most splendid time seeing everything and chatting the afternoon away.

The Elizabeth McKay store opened about a month ago and is on Lex between 72nd and 73rd. The monogram plaque greeted us and we were buzzed right on upstairs and were taken into a wonderful world of whimsy, color and style

The store is full of all of Elizabeth's designs as well as some fabulous accessories. The jewelry was right up my alley as it perfectly pairs with all the classic Elizabeth McKay styles.

I LOVED the Elizabeth McKay candles and they just so happened to be the first thing we spotted when we arrived. They smell DIVINE and Elizabeth really spoiled us by giving us each one to take home!

Purple (and orange) have been my go-to colors this Fall/Winter so I LOVED the amethyst wall. I spy my "Feather" Scotland too :)

What a site to be scene from the street...so many darling dresses staring out at the world.

It was truly an honor and a treat to not only see the store, but meet Elizabeth herself. I often fall in love with brands, but rarely have the opportunity to meet the designers or understand how they create their product. However, both Edward and Elizabeth have given me a new perspective by inviting me in and have a customer for life in me!

As if the photos are not a treat in and of themselves I have one more goody up my sleeve tonight...the Elizabeth McKay Christmas Outfit WINNER.

Congratulations to:

comment 172...Katie B (picked my Random.org)!! You will look STUNNING in your new Lindsey dress this weekend! Please email me tonight or tomorrow morning and I will put you in touch with Edward and Elizabeth!

Thank you to all who entered. I can tell you first hand that you are supporting a WONDERFUL company when you shop Elizabeth McKay!

Bloggers Unite

Of course when one visits any city it is a must to get together with various blog friends and acquaintances (remember by trip to Charlotte last winter?), but when in NYC one must go all out and do tea with said bloggers of course! I knew when we started to plan our NYC trip that I wanted to get together with girls I had "met" on Twitter and via the web (that sounds so sketchy, doesn't it....do not fear, no Craigslist killers were in our group). I sent out an email a few weeks back and we got the ball rolling and got a group of eleven ladies together. Sadly, the first two places I booked fell through due to the holiday rush, but Katie was able to book a "party" at Alice's Tea Cup for us and saved the day! On Saturday afternoon, our Dallas group united with a posh city group of bloggers at Alice's Tea Cup, Chapter II. We enjoyed an assortment of tea sandwiches, lots of sweets (including the best pumpkin scone ever) and of course we sipped our tea in between all the great conversations.

From left to right: Particularity, Summer is a Verb, Miranda, Katie, Pantry Prep, Melissa, Christine, Melissa, Blair's Headband and me (reader, Linda, was also present, but she took this photo).

I simply had the BEST time meeting everyone and cannot wait to return so we can gather again! It never ceases to amaze me how many wonderful, new friends I have made through blogging and how small it makes the world!

Thank you to Melissa for being our resident photographer of the trip.

Wordless Wednesday

Rumor has it that pink doors always lead to someplace magical :)

NYC iPhone Snapshots

We simply had the BEST time in New York this past weekend. It could not have been anymore perfect. I will post full recaps of some of the highlights over the next week or two, but wanted to share a few of my favorite snapshots with you now.

There is nothing quite like Rockefeller Center at Christmas time. The tree gets prettier and prettier each year I think.
We stayed at my FAVORITE hotel. It is the only place I can stay in NYC (I tried to branch out, but it just was not for me). It is the PERFECT location and has amazing service and BEAUTIFUL rooms. Expect another post on The Waldorf Towers soon!
I loved this fun food truck in front of the MET!
Of course no trip to any city is complete without a little dose of Lilly!
Visiting id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Laduree was a highlight of the trip. J'adore!>
Even though La Goulue closed a few years ago I was able to get my brunch fix at their sister restaurant, Orsay. Delicious!
We were so lucky to get to visit The World Trade Center Memorial on Sunday. It was an incredibly moving experience.

After reading article after article on C Wonder I was thrilled to pop in myself. The store is very fun and whimsical.

Elizabeth McKay Giveaway!

Today, I have a real TREAT in store for you! Several years ago I was contacted by a man who wanted to introduce me to the clothing company he and his wife had started. It was Edward of Elizabeth McKay that sent the email and I have never once looked back. In fact, I was lucky enough to visit the new Elizabeth McKay showroom on Friday afternoon in NYC and meet the DARLING Elizabeth herself (more photos to come, but below are a few sneak peaks).

Elizabeth McKay not only has DARLING and whimsical items, but they have top notch customer service and their clothing quality is not comparable to most other brands I have come across. They really are just far superior across the board!

Anyway, let's cut to the chase...I was simply ELATED when Edward contacted me a few weeks back asking if I wanted to host a giveaway in time for Christmas. Every girl should be well dressed during the holidays and you all deserve a new outfit too!
One VERY LUCKY winner will win a new outfit just in time for the holidays! Whether it be a Scotland Wrap Dress (my personal favorite and staple...I may have purchased another on Friday...), an Elizabeth blouse or the Ireland Cape (my winter obsession) you are sure to be the BEST DRESSED lady at your Christmas table!
To enter this giveaway you MUST visit the Elizabeth McKay website and pick you most cherished item. Remember to include the style, print/color too! All comments that do not include their favorite item will not be published.

Earn an additional entry by "liking" Elizabeth McKay on Facebook.

Earn another entry by "liking" Monograms and Manicures on Facebook.

Earn one more entry by following Elizabeth McKay on Twitter.
Leave all entries in a SINGLE comment.

All entries must be left by 4PM EST on Thursday, December 22nd, 2011 (so there is time to spare for shipping and Christmas arrival!).

Best of luck to all and thank you to Elizabeth McKay for spreading holiday cheer and keeping us all looking stylish this season!