It's Brand New and Fresh!

It's brand new and fresh....a new year 2012,  and my blog face!  I hope you are well into enjoying this beautiful new year that stretches before us, and I also hope you like the brand new and fresh appearance of my blog.  It's different (the buttons from the sidebar are now at the bottom) but the "clean" look is growing on me.

Wow ~ another year has passed and a new one has just begun!  This month I'll be celebrating my 1 year blogversary and will be having my very first GIVEAWAY!  More to follow on that...
There's lots I'd like to share with you today, so here we go!

The girls' had a fabulous holiday party the week before Christmas.  So much fun to be around all those gorgeous young people!

Fabulous holiday fare...

Chris' bruschetta

pizza muffins 

sweet treats

cookies from the infamous Nadine's of Tucson

mini caprese salad

all kinds of Jo Jo's

and a little Photo-booth fun!

Our girls love hosting parties...and it shows ~ they're great!












On Tuesday night, Ron and I took in the Polar Express

at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Tucson....FUN!!

We made a return trip on Friday night, with the girls, to see...

Melissa told us she had never seen the movie...hard to believe!  It was perfect Holiday entertainment, 2 days before Christmas.

Christmas Eve brings with it an Italian tradition to our home ~ the Feast of the 7 Fishes...  I try to change it up a little each year.  This year we feasted on mini crab pitas, tuna pate', linguini with clam sauce,

fried calamari

farfalle with shrimp and scallop scampi and crispy bacala (cod).

We were stuffed, but oh so happy!!  The girls were set with their traditional Christmas Eve jammies...

A beautiful 9 a.m. Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Church began our Christmas Day followed by overnight sticky buns

pre-baking

and a fantastic bacon, egg, and bagel quiche (also an overnight recipe)

Here are some highlights of the day...

love from our dearest Aunt Debbie Sanders

German nutcracker for her collection

some love from his girls

special love from Mom 

A very special gift box from Aunt Anna Marie that bears our name....a store that had long since closed.

And our day luxuriously stretched on....filled with Christmas movies, laughing, cooking, and more feasting that night...

Needless to say, this week we find ourselves a lot more disciplined with our food choices and ready to "dig in" to a healthy New Year.  It's been a blessed holiday in every imaginable way.  We've been so fortunate to have shared it with our family and friends....and that's what really matters, isn't it?

Wishing you every blessing in this brand new year.  My January is shaping up to be a very busy one...but that's for next week's blog!  Have a beautiful week, dearest friends....I love you!
xoxo
Karen