My secret store

One of the high points of clothes shopping in Pennsylvania is that there is no sales tax.
Being an Asheville resident, it is ingrained in me to shop second hand and on consignment. Everyone does it! Imagine the delight I feel when I step into a charming little consignment boutique with a plethora of high end children's clothes. Although Asheville has quite a few hip stores, most of them are picked over by the time I get around to them.

Baby & Beyond has outlasted most consignment stores in the Wyoming Valley. It could be in part that the owner Nicole is awesome. She's always so welcoming and helpful. She even has the store sorted out by popular brands. This time she had Mini Boden, Gymboree, and Corky jackets on racks of its own. The rest of the store had an assortment of Lily Pulitzer, Gap, Heartstrings, Blueberry Boulevard, and many others on its racks. I also fall for everything from the great shoes to the chapter books!

The gals always get compliments on their flashy clothes. Now my secret's out. I just shop in Luzerne, PA., not anywhere fancy like I let on.
And for those of you who are old school enough to remember: You can't lose in Luzerne ;)

Busy, busy, busy...

Crafting, concerts, and parties, oh my!  We are in full swing into our holiday season, always working on something, always on the go.  The gals and I have started to learn new crafting skills and are really into our homemade Christmas this year. Although things are moving quickly, I'm glad I take the time to notice that I am (finally) healthy and my family is safe. We do have many blessings this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mya's Birthday

My youngest turned 6 yesterday.

 

 

Of course the day started off typical Mya style.  She woke up very upset that her age was now counted on two hands instead of one.  She, oh so dramatically, insisted she wasn't 6. She didn't even care that her birthday was on 12/12/12!!

 

 

We planned a fun filled day.  The gals and I sneaking out of school early, and with Dave lucky enough to have time off, we were all set.  Of course, I had to make silly treats for her class (I LOVE doing little over-the-top things like this)

 

 

 

 

Upon Mya's requested, we visited the Biltmore house again.  Beautifully decorated, I may add.

 

 

 

We celebrated at Mya's favorite restaurant with our extended family and Mya's two best buds.

 

 

It was a fabulous day!

 

Holiday Cheer!

Gathering with my neighborhood lady friends is definitely on my short list of favorite things.  Sometimes I just invent silly reasons to have a party with these women.  My latest antic was one to bring in the holiday season.  I decided to forgo the cookie exchange and hold a mix drink swap last week. Why not spread some holiday cheer?

The plan was to have everyone bring their favorite mix drink in a pitcher and several copies of the recipe.  Everything was set up on a table in my downstairs living room.  We had cups to sample each drink and everyone could take home several recipes. 

The party was a hit.  Twenty five women showed up, we had some drinks and got a few recipes.  It was a fairly tame evening, considering the overabundance of booze available.  A few left early, a few stayed late, and a few got rowdy (no need to name names here ;)

Whenever I have a crowd of people laughing, or drinking, or dancing in my tiny kitchen, I always wonder how I got so lucky to live in such an amazing community. I think everyone realized that this party was totally unnecessary. I mean, if you wanted to get a drink recipe, just google it.  However, everyone made an effort to come out and socialize.  It seems that people just get busier and busier as time goes on. I am glad to be surrounded by like-minded people. People who know that the value of a little time and effort towards friendships, neighbors, and community reaps its rewards.  For that I am grateful and I will continue to throw my cheesy weeknight parties for my lovely neighborhood friends :)