Best Resolutions For Turning 40 in 2010!

I have only one resolution, one thing I will do for the year 2010. Have more fun and adventure! I need to be like Auntie Mame and Live Live Live!

Remember: "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!"

I want to do 40 New Things In My Fortieth Year. For this exciting task I have created a whole new blog called: Forty Things To do Before Forty. Now I am going to give myself my whole fortieth year to do the forty things. I can't do it all by April when my birthday is!

Who's with me? Who wants to have more fun?

Santa Was Gooooood to US!

Santa really came through this year. Remember my list?

J Crew Earrings?


Silver baby charm necklace?
Jonathan Adler wallpaper?
Picket fence?

Yep! Santa brought it all! Picket fence will be coming! I will post pics!

I also got:

The necklace to match my earrings from J Crew...



A Victoria's Secret Nightie to show off the new tummy...


and $500 dollars to shop for new flat tummy clothes!!


Landon and Coco had a ball with their toys from Santa..

Coco loves her Playskool Busy Lil Garden butterfly! It rolls and sings!



Her pink pony rocking horse..



and her Playskool Step Start Walk and Ride!



Landon loves his kawasaki musical keyboard!






and his Razor Jr. folding kiddie kick scooter..



We're very happy over here in the Mrs. household. We are ready to ring in 2010 with a bang. And by bang I mean staying home and falling asleep by 10pm!!! LOL.

Tagged! What Makes Me Happy!

I was tagged to tell the ten things that make me happy!

1. Sex and The City- I was a fan of the show but the movie made my heart sing. I didn't realize how much I missed those girls! The other night I was at the movies and saw a preview for Sex and The City 2 and I started clapping and screaming. I cannot wait!

2. New Flat tummy- I strolled into the Lilly Pulitzer store "Cabana" on Montana and tried things on. I was so happy I could finally fit in Lilly! Goodbye pregnant tummy, hello new clothes and back to the gym!

3. Decorating- whether it's my table for Christmas dinner, my kitchen remodel, or wrapping a gift, I love to decorate. It's so fun to put things together in new combinations and reflect your own personal style!

4. Seeing Landon and Coco loving each other. I know I can't take credit for all of it, but when I see them playing together or Landon trying to make Coco laugh and her adoring him it just melts my heart.

5. Costume jewelry- I'm sure if I was Ivanka Trump I would have a love for diamonds, but I really love costume jewelry. Big bold statement pieces, colorful exciting cocktail rings, cuff bracelets...just make me happy! Wait till I tell you where I just found some incredible jewelry. You won't believe it!

6. Christmas Cards- I love to get them and I love to send them. I am looking at fifty on my mantle right now!

7. Shoes- No matter what size you are, shoes always look great. I was at the London Sole sale yesterday and picked up two ballet flats to die for. Will post later!

8. Lilly Pulitzer- something about her happy prints make me think of all the things I love. Tropical vacations, mojitos, fabulous dinners out, jewelry, fun! I love everything they make!

9. Glee- If you haven't watched it you need to! It is hilarious and the musical talent on there is so fun to see. They keep you reeled in with the high school drama, and then entertain you with singing mash ups!

10. Travel- I love our trips to Tahoe, and Virginia. Hoping to get to London, Paris, Tahoe and maybe Hawaii next year!!

Now ten bloggers that make me happy, tagging you to tell what and who makes you happy!

Mom Times Two- I feel like were friends and we've never met!

Privilege- Her posts are thought provoking and witty. Just adore her! Plus her kids are older so I get to see what it will be like in my future!

Linnys Vault- we share a love of Dr. Pepper and many other things! I feel like she's the younger version of me! LOVE her!

My Blonde Reality- My new best friend. Where has she been all my life! We became twitter friends first!

Weasels Journey- Love her style, her family and her! Can't we be neighbors or something!?

Love, Marriage, and someday a Baby Carriage- She's my favorite newlywed along with Muffy Martini! She is so fun and excited about the future!

Muffy Martini- She loves all things preppy and is cute as a button. Met her myself!

Biscuits Are Never Boring- She's one of my first blog friends and still is today. Beautiful family and a fabulous Mother.

Tres Poshe Preppy- Still one of my favorites since the beginning of my blogging. She is tres fabulous.


Chronicles of a Happy Housewife- She's private now, and I was lucky enough to come along. I wish we lived next door to each other. We are blog friends and now real friends.

Christmas 2009, The Year Of The Flat Tummy!

Twas a very good Christmas. Merry Merry!!!

Christmas Eve Menu- To Die For!

This year we are hosting twelve family members at our house. Hubby, the Top Chef of our family, Mimi (my mom) and I have concocted the perfect menu.

Appetizers:
Caprese on a skewer
Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto
Mushroom crostini

First Course:

Mini Broccoli Casseroles in ramakins

Second Course:

Endive, pear, and Blue cheese salad with champagne vinaigrette.

Third Course: (Torn from the pages of Lilly Pulitzer Holidays Book aka The Preppy Bible of Holidays, as well as Willams Sonoma aka the way to perfection!)

Three Ingredient Prime Rib Roast (from Food and Wine Mag)

Madeira Carrots (Lilly Pulitzer Holiday Menu)

and

Scalloped Potato and Leeks Au Gratin (Williams Sonoma)

For Dessert?

Bouche De Noel (both from Gelsons)
and
Fruit Tart

We Flock You A Merry Christmas! Flocking Your Christmas Tree!

I can't take credit for this tree. You see it was hubby, who last year, when we were planning Christmas at our house, dreamed this up. Both of us had grandmothers who would often do a tree with cardinals and red bows (my Grandmommie used red gingham, adorable!). He wanted to kick it up a notch with a flocked tree.

Prior to this, I felt towards flocked trees, what I feel towards T shirts that say: "I went to (insert place) and all I got was this lousy T-shirt". Like they were tacky and just CRAP. Well, I have had my eyes opened to the gorgeous snowy look of a flocked tree. We get no snow here in California so this is fun for me! I think it looks fabulous!

How about you? Do you flock?

Getting Through The Holidays With Your Parents!

This was something Gwyneth P sent out in Goop newsletter. I thought it was too good. I had to pass it along. Holidays bring up some crazy stuff. I know this is a Kabballah thing, but it's interesting! I'm being all LA!! Maybe this will help someone!!

Michael Berg:

The Wrong Why

There are no coincidences in this life. When it comes to the topic of family, we are each born into our situations for a specific reason. This reason is called tikun.

Tikun is a kabbalistic concept that means “correction.” In order for us to be happy and fulfilled, to reveal our potential, and to accomplish what we came to this world to accomplish, there must be a process of change we go through. Sometimes that change is effected simply by ourselves; other times it is people or events that push us in ways that force us to change.

Our parents are one of our greatest catalysts for change.

All the personality quirks and negative patterns created by our parents are, in fact, exactly what our souls had asked for in the upper worlds, where they chose the mother and father to whom they would be born. All the good and bad things we experienced growing up are meant to lead us towards a change that each of our souls needs to go through in order to achieve the purpose for which it came into this world.

Some of us are born to parents who judged, ignored, or hurt us. The choice for us becomes, are we going to be a slave to our past – “Why did they do this to me?” – or are we going to grow from the pain – “Why did I need them to do this to me?” One focuses on blame and victimhood; the other puts us in control of our lives.

Too often we ask the wrong why, and it becomes very difficult to move on.

We are meant to change the way we react to our parents’ behaviors. If we are responding now, as we did as children, clearly we are not growing from the situation – and we are missing an opportunity. The goal with our family is to get to a point where we can deactivate the buttons that our parents and family know all too well how to push.

This is a great way to gauge how much of a correction we have made. How diminished is my reaction? How much kinder can I be, even in the face of those old patterns and habits that our parents have? If our reaction changes in small or even great ways, then we can know we are achieving our correction.

But if we are many years out of childhood and yet still blaming our parents and reacting to them in the same old ways, then we are not correcting and doing the work we came here to do. However, if we have developed and evolved, then our reaction to our upbringing will be different. When we realize our soul needed to come into this particular household in order to break through, to grow from, and to become the person we need to become, we begin to let go of the anger, blame, disappointment – and all the guises of the victim mentality. When we realize how necessary this was for us, we can then forgive and grow thankful. Ultimately, when we reach this level of thankfulness, having gone through the stages of change, transformation, letting go, growth, and forgiveness, we come to a point where we can start helping our parents.

It is easy to forget that our parents have their own tikun. They need us just as much as we need them to effect their own change and correction. We can assist them, provided we understand this concept and integrate it into our lives in a very real and practical way. Then we can open a window to shine Light into their lives.

I have one last thing to add regarding thankfulness. Sometimes there is a great opening for healing when we simply respect the fact that, whatever it is we experienced growing up, our parents gave us life and sustained us materially, if not always emotionally. How quickly we negate this fact by focusing only on the bad things they had done. That is why it is such a beautiful consciousness to have, especially during times of family get-togethers, to find those good aspects within them; to awaken a level of thankfulness for the positive things we know they’ve done, and to change our perspective so that we may see them in a new light.

When you are sitting around the dinner table this holiday, rolling your eyes and shaking your head, remember to ask yourself:

* What does my soul need to learn from my family?
* What beautiful qualities do my parents possess?

This will create a powerful - if not perfect - connection within your family. And it will deepen understanding of your soul’s purpose in this world.

Michael Berg is a Kabbalah scholar and author. He is co-Director of The Kabbalah Centre, www.kabbalah.com. You can follow Michael on twitter, twitter.com/inspiringchange. His latest book is, What God Meant.

The Bright Side- Bonding While Bead Ridden!a

One sweet and unexpected thing to come out of this whole Tummy Tuck thing, is Landon and I are bonding. He will come and visit me in my bed and we will watch Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Making The Team. Oh yes, I have him hooked.

The other night we were in hysterics, the two of us, as I pretended to smell his foot and then pass out. Oh yes, I know three year old humor. He literally threw his head back, laughing so hard, he almost fell over. I am loving his sense of humor. Well, I should. It's the same as mine!

I have been getting around a bit, even made it to my beloved Marshalls over the weekend. I must not be losing my touch because I happened to spot two Lilly Pulitzer items at 20 paces. One, was such a find, but alas I cannot post about it until I give it to the person! They may be reading this! Trust me when I say it is a pink and green find of the year!!

Heading to the doctor today with neighbor Sheila, hopefully I will be getting the second drain out. Over the weekend I attended our other neighbors Latke party with Sheila and we had a ball. Actually the real fun happened while I was at home getting ready. It was there, in my closet, that I dug out some outfits I have previously shunned due to the PPS (Permanently Pregnant Tummy). Low and behold, I tried some things on and they looked (as JJ used to say) DY-NO-MITE! I was fabulous! Hope everyone is feeling good and ready for your families to descend upon you!!

Don't miss tomorrow's post on keeping the peace with your parents over the holidays!

The Mrs. Christmas Wish List

Let's start small shall we? I don't want to overwhelm Mr. Claus. On this list is a big kind of miracle on 34th street wish as well as some other things I think he can handle!!!
1.


J Crew's Infinity Earrings- Saw them n Kathryn Heigl. OMG. They must be mine! All of J crews jewelry and necklaces and bracelets are to die for. Hint. Hint.




I have a gold one now I would like the silver version!! I love these charms with kids names on them from www.blissliving.com.


You remember that I am still redoing my kitchen...I really want 5 rolls (could I get more specific?) of this Jonathan Adler Bamboo Green wallpaper!








I think this would make meals oh so lovely:



The Williams Sonoma Slow Cooker With Ceramic insert.










Then Santa, and this is big, I would like this!!! A picket fence to make my little storybook house look even cuter and a place for the kids and dog to run wild! What do you think Santa? Have I been a good girl? I say YES!