Hello WordPressland!
Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas Season and a great start to 2019!
Christmastime Fun!
We had a great season exploring all that Boston has to offer before school vacation, AND after! My eldest sister is home from Italy with her family, and is for another 10 days or so, so we got right to the fun. My niece is 10yo, and she has never seen Christmas outside of her region of Italy. And, Christmas here in the States is like nowhere else.
We glam it up in every direction with decorations, lots of trees and an amont of lights compared to none; it is quite the spectacular sight if you have never seen it before. (and as I spent one Christmas in her hometown in 2007, I know she had NEVER seen anything like a holiday here.)
We tried to do so much.. we started the first day they got here by seeing the Christmas St Bernard Dogs at Smolak Farms. Those dogs look animated, that is how cute they are in real life. Then we celebrated our Mom’s 70th birthday, which I hosted the cake afterward. We then took the kids to see the Nutcracker at the Boston Ballet. My family and I had a few holiday parties between, then we took a trip with all the family to see the Enchanted Village at Jordan’s. I brought my sister with her family with me to work one day so she could walk around to shop. Then we celebrated my 42nd birthday. After that was my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Then we celebrate my niece’s birthday. After that we took everyone to the Museum of Science to check out the new sights there. My family and I had a party that we brought my niece to at the Hampshire House. Which was quite the kick ass party. Then it was Christmas week, where Christmas Eve was hosted by my sister-in-law. Christmas Day was hosted by my parents, we had a sleep over and a few friend parties between as the girls slept at my sister’s one night for a kids birthday for my niece, then I hosted New Year’s Eve night, and that follows these Christmas pictures below.
All in all it was busy, but fun. I may need a vacation soon after all this!
The first cousins’ meal
With my beautiful daughters
At Smolak Farm
Our first sleep over
Cousins at Jordan’s Enchanted Village
FUn at Jordan’s Furniture
w my best girl
Off to Party!
Boston Skyline from Back Bay
The Hampshire House BOston
Cheers…with a fantastic holiday bouquet
YUM
Off to party!
the Graceffa Girls 🙂
W my youngest niece! She is here from Italy
The girls met Santa
Museum of Science
This was Xmas Eve mass at an auditorium!!
Xmas Eve
Made stuffed mushrooms
Brought arancini
Chocolate pretzel trees
Cupcakes w trees on them, i experimented w these.. eh i tried!
Spritz cookies.. our tradition
Mint choc chip cookies
Of course, buddy the elf cookies made it
XMAS MORNING BEFORE RIPPING IT UP UNDER THE TREE
Santa came! He is the best.
Santa always wraps in stripes..always
Some cute gifts I put together
Some cute gifts I put together
Some cute gifts I put together
Some cute gifts I put together
My husband is the best husband in the world. He takes surprising me to the next level of awesome. Here is this year’s theme… Curse of Oak Island THeme Wrapping
The best part!! One gift was a ‘disappointment’ gift, cause there are always disappointments on Oak Island.. jumper cables BUT i actually need these for my new car haha he is hilarious. Curse of Oak Island THeme Wrapping
Even my kids got into special wrapping paper
And then he showed up at Nonna and Nonno’s
I really love my new velvet jacket..
Wearing the lipstick she got from her zia for xmas… smh i hate makeup on children
the Xmas cake I made
the cookie plates I put together
my sister made cannoli
Girls sleepover
Friends’ Dinner one night
Our girls with some of our friends’ kids
My nail stamps came out sick!
With my girls before Blink! Boston
Faneuil Hall Tree
Cousins together at Blink!
Cousins
Holiday Love
New Year’s Eve!
‘You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.’ -C.S. Lewis
☆☆☆Happy 2019!!☆☆☆
It had been four years since we hosted a NYE party, and with my sister home we figured why not this year? We had decided last minute to make this party a potluck. With thirty people coming we had to figure out how to make everyone happy, and potlucks are a great way to make sure folks eat what they like… and I actually like hosting them. And man oh man, did my guys out do themselves! We offered a lot to begin with..unlimited cava and prosecco to start, a chili bar, crab cakes, taquitos, roasted mini peppers (which I can’t get enough of), a cheese plate, a literal vat of guacamole and dip with an insane amount of chips. Everyone ended up bringing so much…a monster Italian pandoro sandwich, pizza, chicken enchiladas, mini hotdogs, pulled chicken, sausages, mac n cheese, cakes, cookies, and the list goes on!! (I am swearing off food after this week btw. I had lost 7lbs in December, and I think I have gained back five from NYE alone!! haha) But it was all well worth it. I loved hosting this party this year even if my house still looks like it was hit with a tornado. 🙂
The next day we were sluggish, but we made it for January 1’s dinner with my family at my parents’. Very low-key, just like I like it. Now I am off to work. YES I typed this all out before the kids got off to school. Maybe 2019 will be a productive year? haha No I know, I doubt that, too. 🙂
That’s it. I hope you all had a great start to this fresh new year! Best wishes for a healthy, prosperous 2019.
xoxoxox
New Year’s Eve ready
House was set.. for about 30 of our fam and closest friends.
New Year’s Eve complete
Now it was complete
most of the kids
These two boys are cute right?
The apps table
my mom’s pizza
THE best guac
cheeses
taquitos
crab cake
CHEERS!!
With my best friend and love
My sister brought this pandoro from Italy…super yum
pulled chicken enchilada set up
chili
With the big man!
These two are cute
w Nick
The three amigas
a la filter 🙂
one table
w my eldest sister
and w my bro in law
my bro in law
my mom, Mike, my sister and Rita
W my dad
My girl!
my parents
my sister, her bff and my sisterinlaw
w his beanie
NEw Years Day
most of you dont know what this is and we are keeping it that way. THE BEST ARAGONESE DISH!
