Catching Up

I'm back! 

 

We had a wonderful time vacationing, visiting and Christmas-ing with friends and family in California and Arizona...

A beautiful December sunset at the beach. It's no wonder why I love California so much!

Speaking of Christmas-ing, it doesn't get any more festive than this, people!

But now we're back home, vacation is over, and I have so much to download here. I'll try to focus.

Since we've spent a ridiculous amount of time in the car lately, I feel almost obligated to give tips and tricks to road trips with children, pets and spouses. Unfortunately, I can't give much advice other than this: the secret to maintaining sanity on road trips can be found in several large bags of M&Ms. It really is that simple.

Can you believe it's almost New Year's Eve?! After all the bustle of the past few weeks, I'm looking forward to a cozy night in. I'll be cheering and toasting the new year with my new favorite drink, a Black Forest Cake Martini. It's the perfectly festive holiday drink. Plus, anything with Chambord is delightfully delicious.

Black Forest Cake Martini

Recipe:

• 1 ½ oz vodka
• ½ oz white crème de cacao
• ½ oz Chambord
• 1 ½ oz half & half cream
• nutmeg

Fill a shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add the vodka, crème de cacao, Chambord and cream to the shaker. Shake the mixture vigorously for 5 to 10 seconds. Strain the drink into a chilled cocktail glass and sprinkle with nutmeg.

There's more...but, unfortunately, it'll have to wait until I unpack the suitcases.

In the meantime...Happy New Year! Wishing everyone much love and happiness in 2012.