Shopping with Sloane is a hoot! She dances through the aisles, tries on shoes that are way too big for her and kicks them off in all directions as she continues bare foot through the store. She commands everyone's attention everywhere she goes - I mean come on, she is damn cute and almost always smiling. We wandered through Anthropologie and Sloane made herself at home, exploring every inch - window displays and all. I spotted this little wooden ledge and had her sit down. She cooperated for about 1 minute and then done. Got an adorable shot of her though. Wandered over to the Christkindlemarket (with about a zillion other people who had the same idea) and picked up a couple of adorable little Christmas decorations. I haven't gone to the market in years, glad I did. But... next year I will not go the Sunday before Christmas. *wink*
holiday breakfast
Up early to catch breakfast at the Walnut Room in Macy's with the Pittmans. We have made this a little holiday tradition and all look forward to it each year. We had a great time despite the horrible food and the repeat of the tree decor. We may have to look elsewhere for future years ... 
charlie brown christmas
Have I told you I am a huge Peanuts fan? Well, I am. When I was a kid they would have these 30 minute animated specials that would come on primetime TV - well before cable - and I would sit mesmerized. When VCRs came out, my dad recorded each and every one of those specials taking the extra time to remove commercials and everything. I would come home and watch them after school over and over.
In keeping with that them, my favorite animated holiday classics is A Charlie Brown Christmas. I look forward to seeing it every single year! I was so happy to catch it this past week! And then I found this gem - flash mob Peanuts style!
secret santa
I think I mentioned in a previous post that I took part in a gift exchange sponsored by a blogger I have followed for some time. It's a unique opportunity to get to know some new folks and test your gift giving abilities on a total stranger. I loved the challenge of it all. They kept it all anonymous by having us buy for someone different than we receive a gift. I rather like this, but seems some people chose not to participate at all and that would leave someone empty handed. When the pool of participants is over 300, you are bound to get a few scroudges.
Anyhoo, I had a lovely girl named Janine who lives in Ireland! I stalked her pinterest and instagram and was able to ask questions via a website called elfster and in a Facebook group that had been set up for the group. It took me a little bit to come up with something I thought she'd enjoy. One day she posted some papers on her instagram and said she wanted to start pen paling again - boom! An idea was born! That's a theme I could work with! I got notecards & envelopes, the 7-year pen and a custom return address stamp & pad. She also mentioned wanting something from the place where her secret santa was from, so I printed some of my photos via Artifact Uprising that she could frame, use as postcards or etc., Vosges chocolates and a Chicago coloring/story book for her little boy. I wrapped everything in red - her favorite color. 
Amazingly, she got the package in ten days vis the USPS!! She loved everything and seemed very excited about the gift. Yay!
Then there's my Santa - from Australia... My Santa didn't do very much stalking. Well ... I'd have to say none, really. I am thankful that I got a gift, since some people did not, but wish she would have done just a little bit of digging... 
Ah well, I will give it a go again next year because I really enjoyed buying the gift!!
cloudy magnolia
I spent a day and a half in Charleston before heading to Columbia on business. Each trip I make I take in a little bit of King Street and a plantation. This trip was Magnolia Plantation! It's a huge property! I can't imagine how this place looks in the spring and fall - amazing, I'm sure! Despite the wintery conditions, I had a great time exploring the grounds. The house is lovely and I just love how it's positioned within the property. 
Hard to believe, but there were still a good number of flowering plants with blooms and berries! A few statues - though not as many as you would think for such big gardens and a little gazebo. Because every plantation needs a gazebo!
We took a tour that drove us all around the property - loved our driver, had a very dry sense of humor and would toss out a real zinger that you'd miss if you weren't really listening. Saw lots of birds, and only one alligator ... only. Apparently there a LOT on the property (eek!). I'm OK with just one, really OK! Did you know they build those platforms for sunning gators?
They have two lovely bridges - apparently very popular with the weddings they hold on site. Wouldn't it be lovely to be out there feeling a little Scarlett O'Hara? 
But the MOST impressive part of the plantation are the trees. H U G E oak trees. With enormous branches dipping down into the ground and then back up again creating the most graceful arches and leafy canopies. The trunks of these trees are massive! 
thankful : day 30
Today I am thankful for many things! First, it's my last day of 'thankful' posts - while it does help me find the positives in my day, I find I lose interest about half-way through. But, I did manage all 30 days, so I suppose I should be thankful for that as well. Second, I am thankful that they were able to find a captain to pilot our plane to Charleston! I have the strangest things happen when I fly United, and today was no different - they came on at our flight time and announced that we did not have a captain for the flight and that they were 'running around trying to find one.' Seriously, this stuff happens to me all the time! And lastly, I am thankful for a night out in Charleston to celebrate my good friend Laura's birthday!! We dined at Indaco and followed up with drinks on the rooftop of Stars under the heat lamps - it's a little cool for these southern folks!
thankful : day 29
Today I am thankful for a day at home! Sometimes you just need one of those ... you know?
thankful : day 28
Today is Thanksgiving and I spent it with the Pittman and Perez families in Indiana. I am so thankful for friends that invite me to share the holidays with them and their families. We had a great time - delicious food, great conversation and loads of laughter! Sloane had full command of a room full of adults and does a great Gangnam Style! 
thankful : day 27
Today I am thankful for laughter. I had a funny email exchange with a client contact today that went something like this:
her : Sounds great. Thanks, Ivette. Happy Thanksgiving to you too! her: I meant Yvette!! So sorry, I hate when people misspell my name!!! me: Ha! Thanks Pam. Not a problem, people misspell mine all the time. Have a super weekend. her: LOL!! Touché!
So ... the funniest part about this... her name is PAT! I meant to type that but typed PAM. It wasn't till she sent back the "LOL Touché" email that I realized what I had done. I couldn't help but giggle about this... I made a funny and I didn't even mean to... that's really the only time I'm ever funny, by accident!
thankful : day 26
Today I am thankful for a clean bill of health AND a new MacBook Air!! I am a gadget girl and simply loooooove getting a new tech toy! While it looks just like my previous MBA, it's faster and can store a whole lot more!!