Dear Santa, Love Jane

Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is a box!

Love, Jane

Heavy Heart

Today, something as ordinary as picking Jane up from school seemed like an absolute miracle.  To hold her tightly against me as I kissed her face and wiped cheerio residue from her face, I felt like the luckiest person in the world.  There are mothers and fathers out there who would give anything to be doing the same.  My heart breaks for them.  I will go to sleep tonight uneasy and uncertain about the world we live in.  I will pray for them to find grace and guidance so that they may one day find their way back to experiencing something ordinary.

With peace and love...

Merry Christmas Cards!

Before having a baby, I could never get it together enough to send out Christmas cards.  Now, it is something I look forward to the second Halloween passes.  We recently had Jane's one year photo session and decided to choose a picture from each of her sessions for our card this year.  It is amazing to see how much she has grown and changed since this time last year. 

From our family to yours, I truly wish you the very Merriest of holidays and the best of things to come in the new year.

 As always, I have to thank to very talented ladies for making these cards happen.  A million thanks to Jennifer Zdon for being the incredible photogapher that she is and to Lauren Alsop for designing yet another incredibly inspired creation. 

Five Fabulous Hostess Gifts

Is your calendar packed with festive holiday fetes?  If you're like me, you barely have time to catch your breath between office gatherings, birthdays parties, cocktail soirees.  I always feel like I'm running out the door without a gift fit for the hostess of the parties we're attending.

Here's a few fun ideas that you can put together pretty quickly that are sure to make your host or hostess merry!

Thanks a Latte!  

Bring along a little pick me up.  Down here in New Orleans, we are partial to our local purveyors such as CC's.  I love this holiday duo of CC's ground bread pudding and ground holiday jazz.  

Something Sweet!

Fresh's Sugar lip balm is the perfect cure for lips chapped by the winter weather.  I could keep one in every nook and cranny.  

Light the Way!

You can never be certain that the same fragrance you spend hours enjoying at home will be appreciated by your hostess.  But, who wouldn't love these beautiful Florentine Deer Pillar Candles by Pottery Barn.

Seeing Stars

I have been in love with these coasters for years.  If you haven't seen them in person, you should run to your nearest Anthropologie to check out the Celestial Coaster Set.  When you know people will be putting their glasses down throughout the evening, these would be perfect and pretty!

That's a Wrap

Check out Loomed Nola's Fractal Peskirs.  These amazing Turkish linens are absolutely gorgeous.  I've had to stop myself at four of these guys that we rotate through our kitchen.  The color choices are to die for too.  My favorite way to gift them is to wrap them around a bottle of your favorite olive oil or bottle of wine.  It's two gifts in one!

I hope this provides you a new idea and sets your holiday social season off on the right foot!

What about you?  What's your go to hostess gift?