A Very Merry Christmas... and SNOW!!!

It's been such a GREAT Christmassy LONG weekend! We kicked it off with a very awesome Christmas Eve at our place. We had such a nice night filled with lots of food, love, and gifts! And of course, lots of laughs as well!

Jeff and I had a nice, quiet, Christmas morning. We had the breakfast of champions, leftover cookies and peppermint mocha coffee :) We exchanged gifts and lounged around. Love Christmas morning with my love!

Jeff was ecstatic about his infused tequilas. He threw his new robe right on! I was shocked to see that he actually remembered stocking stuffers for me for the 1st time in 11 years!!!! I got some great gifts, but my two favorite were an awesome wine glass from pottery barn and a body pillow (always wanted one of those).

We Spent Christmas Day at Jeff's parents house. Another really awesome day. I ate WAYYYYYYYYYy too much. My stomach was killing me all day and night. But it was worth it, the food was DELISH! We hung out and open gifts by the fire... it was so nice! My mother and father in law gave us the "Emma" collection of dinnerware from Pottery Barn... soooo pretty! Can't wait to use them in our new house. We got lots of great stuff for our move. It was definitely one of the best Christmases yet!

Now, we are SNOWED IN! We got over 2 feet of snow and I decided to close both stores today. I love the snow. Sad we will miss a day of pre-NYE business, but I don't think anyone is going out in this weather! Enjoy, stay warm, and go make some hot cocoa! I think I am gonna whip up some "Loco Hot Cocoa" for Jeff and I!

Last Minute Lucy

What a crazy day. I always seem to save SO MUCH for last minute each holiday season. I spent all day finishing up my Christmas shopping and then did some food shopping and then baked and wrapped presents and AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I need sleep, lol.

Last night, I whipped up some more of Grandma's Cookies and took a stab at "Dough Balls", which I read about on the blog Carrots 'N Cake (so awesome, check it out!). DELISH. But it doesn't take much to make me happy when it comes to sweets :)

I learned two things about myself tonight... I am starting to love taking pictures to document my little projects and baking etc... and I LOVE shrink wrap bags. So cool. They always make gifts look so good. I worked on a gift for

Jeff tonight... homemade infused tequilas. I did this for him last year with vodka, what a hit! I thought I'd change it up and try with tequila this year. They look so pretty! I wrapped them all up and then put the package in a Trader Joe's bag and hid it with some other stuff for tomorrow so he doesn't sneak a peek!

Tomorrow is going to be so much fun!

I am falling asleep as I type, so that's all for now! Night!

Moment on the Lips, Forever on the Hips

Well, lemme tell ya... all those darn delicious treats made me feel like a beached whale today. It's funny how a weekend of "bad" eating always creeps up on the following Tuesday. Blahhhhhhh, feel like crapola. Even worse off, I received an order I placed with one of my fave online sites http://www.asos.com/. I was so psyched to get it, in hopes I would have some new holiday outfit options. It's sometimes a little difficult to order the right size because it's a British company with UK sizing... yes, they have the US conversions, but I still don't think its exactly right. Needless to say, the one dress I was planning to wear for NYE was a tad too tight. Trying it on today, after continuing to snack on brownies and cookies all day, was not a fun experience. I shimmied my butt into it, but still felt like it was a little snug. I am gonna try it again on Thursday and hope I deflate a little... he he. This is another dress that I ordered that I really love. Fits pretty good and I love the one shoulder. I think it's a keeper!

We are going to be spending NYE in New Orleans with some of our closest friends and family. I am thinking maybe this navy scalloped dress has a little more "N'Awlins" flair, but we shall see!

I also got this really cute chiffon swing top for Spring... I can't believe I bought a Spring style, but I couldn't resist... it's So Me. I LOVE girly, ruffly, chiffon and florals ;-)Going to tackle a little gift wrapping... long work day tomorrow then finishing up my holiday shopping and prepping for Chrismtas Eve. Can't wait till Christmas! XO

Christmas Eve, Eve, Eve

This weekend we held our annual "Christmas Eve Eve Eve". Its a fun night with my family where we get together, eat, hang out, and sing Christmas carols. It's SO FUN! I spent most of the week preparing lots of yummy treats. On the list of things I made were Mini Peanut Butter Pies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Peppermint Cheesecake Brownie Bars, Tomato Basil Garlic Quiche, Mini Mac n Cheese Bites, Mozzarella & Raspberry Jam Paninis... along with a ton of yummy apps from Trader Joe's. Notice how I started with the desserts... ha ha. The Feta and Caramelized Onion Tarts were a crowd favorite. Along with my sisters Pepperoni Bread. MMMM, I'm getting hungry thinking about it all! My sis also made mini Eggplant Parms and cookies. Deloosh. Our tree looked so pretty with some presents finally underneath it!

One of the best gifts I got was a T-shirt my sister made for us and our cousin. It is so cool. It's our favorite verse from our favorite Christmas song from when we were all growing up together. Loved it... *~*~sniffle, sniffle~*~* Good job Snick.

What a GREAT night filled with fun and family. I always feel so blessed this time of year. We had a blast singing the same songs we've been singing our whole lives. Everyone loved the cookies and hot cocoa too! I even kept on my little apron for most of the night, it just felt so festive ;) Which, by the way, is the best apron everrrr. Its from Pier 1! I was searching for a cute one but couldn't find anything under $40, which I thought was a lot. I got this one for $24! Woo!



Can't believe Christmas is 4 days away! I still have lots of gifts to get. Ughh, the STRESS! We are having our families over for Christmas Eve. It's another amazing night with loved ones. Christmas day will be so relaxing, I am dreaming about doing nothing at all for a whole 24 hours. :)

Hope everyones holiday season is off to a great start! Back to my weekly chores... see ya soon!

Lights, Camera, Too Much Action ;-)

WOW. I am now realizing what a commitment blogging is. I have been trying to get on here to post since Saturday and, well, it just didn't happen. It was what I like to call a marathon weekend! Saturday turned into a crazy day... I was called at 8am to see if I would like to have a segment taped in Bella Ro for a reality show on the Style network. Of course, I said YES! SO exciting. We had some appointments in the morning to make some decisions on interior stuff for our house, then I ran back to the store to meet the crew! It was so cool to have all the cameras and excitement buzzing around. Will keep you updated on the air date :)

After the shooting, Jeff picked me up and we went to trade in our car. I am a very, very, very happy gal with our new car! It's a Nissan Rogue. Love it! So nice to finally have some trunk space, YAY! We got to my girlfriend Alicia's holiday party a little late because of the crazy day, but had a nice time hanging out with friends. I passed out by 12, ha!

Sunday was for sure my favorite day of the weekend (always is :). I began preparing for our annual "Christmas Eve Eve Eve" Party. Basically, my cousins and my sister and I do not get to see each other on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day like we used to. So we decided a few years back to start a new tradition of getting together a week or two before Christmas to celebrate, sing carols, and exchange gifts.... BEST DAY OF THE YEAR :) This year Jeff & I are hosting. Sunday I baked about 150 of my "Grandmas Cookies", a staple at Christmas Eve for most of my life :) YUM.

I spent Monday packaging the cookies as favors for my cousins to take home. I also put together some "Loco Hot Cocoa" sets for each of our guests to take home. The kit includes peppermint hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, a vial of Happy Potion (aka-Peppermint Schnapps), and candy cane to mix it all up. I love how they all came out! I have such a hectic week, so I stayed up until about 12:30 getting everything done for the gifts.

Friday I will bake some yummy desserts and Saturday will work on the food! Can't wait! It's going to be an awesome weekend!!!

Now, off to work!

TGIF!

Boy, am I glad its FRIDAY. Feeling a little under the weather today and a little exhausted after a long week! We have a pretty fun weekend planned, so I am excited about that. Working all day then dinner with friends at one of our favorite sushi restaurants, YAY! Tomorrow night is my friend Alicia's annual holiday party, which is always a fun time. I just wish I knew what to wear, ha ha.

Last nights Anniversary Holiday Soiree turned out OK. There weren't that many people who braved the cold to come out and celebrate, but I was very thankful to the few that did :) The peppermint martinis came out great!
Here is my recipe for Peppermint Martinis:
-4 ounces of Vodka
-2 ounces of Godiva White Chocolate Liquor
-4 ounce of Peppermint Schnapps
-Mini candy canes
Pour all of your liquid ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into martini glass (should make enough for 2 martinis)
Add a candy cane in each glass for garnish. Enjoy!

Now, off to unpack some shipments and if it continues to be a slow day... sneak in a manicure! Have a great Friday!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

I might be Christmass' biggest cheerleader. I was so happy to come home after a lonnnnng day/night to my cheery and festive apartment!

I am pretty happy with how everything turned out this year. I went with a gold/bronze color scheme. I found such great ornaments a Dollar Tree (my favorite dollar store!). I got my cute little snowman from Pier 1 and added my own lights inside. We finally found a nice small tree to fit our tiny little area next to our TV. We always think we've found a small one, but then we get home and its WAY too big :) This years is perfect! I love falling asleep with the lights on. Such a cozy glow. Now, off to sleep in our Wintry Wonderland... night!

Project of The Day

Tomorrow is Bella Ro's (Hoboken) 3 year anniversary! WOW. That went fast! Today I worked on our "gift with purchase" for tomorrow nights big celebration. I got these great shades of nail polish and yummy candy cane and mint hershey kisses (yes, I snuck a few while I worked, he he). Every customer who makes a purchase will get one. This little project ended up taking me about 4 hours because I worked on it between customers while at the store. I also picked up some mini candy canes to put in our Peppermint Martinis that we will be serving. YUM. I am excited to celebrate tomorrow ;) Hope its a busy night!

Very First Post!

I've been thinking about starting a blog for months now, and decided today is the day to get started! Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself. Well, for starters, my name is Vanessa. I am a happliy married entrepeneur who loves all things "creative". I am happiest when I am making things pretty... in all aspects of life! There always seems to be a project in my head, big or small. As of last week, my BIG project is our new home. We signed a contract for our new home to be built over the next 8 months or so. SO EXCITED! :) This a what our house will pretty much look like. I am super wrapped up in All Things Decorating, so I can imaging lots of posts will focus on house stuff :) I spend LOTS of time working, so I also see many posts revolving around my business, Bella Ro, a womens clothing store! Fun, right?

I have to admit, I have absolutely no idea what I am doing at this point in "blogging". However, I am looking forward to learning and growing this blog.

Ok, off to download a few pics of my hectic day! Thanks for reading!