One of the highlights of being home is visiting the Lancaster County Farmers Market in Wayne, PA. It is an experience in and of itself. With farm fresh eggs being cooked for breakfast and delicious Bucks County Coffee plus stand after stand of fresh fruits, veggies, meats, pies, and pastries! It is where my family gets the ingredients, turkey and all, for every special meal. Here are some photos from our Christmas Eve Morning Trip to the market:




(It was a dark and rainy morning, and it was packed, so these pictures do not do the market justice. You will have to visit someday for yourself to understand why I love it!)

This past weekend we finally got our Christmas tree! We got a promo or reject tree because they cost less, but were able to find one that still looks nice. Here is a photo of Mark carrying in:



To get in the Christmas spirit and share some holiday love, I will be hosting a Christmas Open House. (I stole this idea from my friend Julie and her friends Greta and Meghan). On Friday I will be posting links to everyone's holiday open houses, including links to some of my favorites from these other girls!

To participate:

1. Take photos of your Christmas decorations.
2. Post about them your decorations and traditions on your blog. Don't forget the pictures!
3. Leave a comment for me on this post with your link back. Tip: To leave a link in a blog post follow this easy HTML formatting:

Or if this doesn't seem to work for you, simply leave a comment asking to participate and I will take care of getting the link. If you have any questions, feel free to comment!

I look forward to seeing everyone's Christmas decorations! Don't forget to let me know if you will participate or check back on Friday to see everyone open houses!

Mark and I got last minute tickets to a Children's Charity Event earlier in December. Jeff and Shannon were able to join us for the black tie affair and we had a blast! The entertainment was incredible from a local dance and movement club to music from The Funk Brothers and The Spinners. On our way in we were given Blues Brother's sunglasses that we had way too much fun with. Here are some pictures from our night:

Mmm...this is my go to recipe for holiday parties! It is easy to make, the ingredients are easy to find, and you need no notice to whip this appetizer up! I wish I took a picture last time I made this to show you how scrumptious it looks. I just may have to add pictures later...

Ingredients:

1 pkg crescent rolls
1 wedge or round of brie
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup brownulated (brown granulated) sugar
2 Tbs. butter (melted)
1 box of crackers for serving, I usually use water crackers

Instructions:

1. Unroll half of the crescent rolls

2. "Smooch" together to form a solid bottom crust so that 4 rolls become one piece of dough

3. Put brie on top

4. Mix together melted butter, almonds, and brownulated sugar (regular brown sugar works too!) This should clump up.

5. Pour/Spoon mixture over brie

6. Cover with remaining crescent roll pieces to form a crust around the brie. Be sure to "smooch" together all the pieces to nothing leaks out during baking.

7. Bake 350 for 15 minutes or until crescent rolls turn golden brown

8. Serve with crackers

Do you have any go to recipes to get you thought the holiday hosting season?

We got the call late Saturday night! Fallon's water broke. By 2:00 am we had cell phone pictures of beautiful baby Dillon, 9lbs. 2 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long! We hopped in the car and headed for the hospital to see the little tike, not even 12 hours old! Here are some pictures from her first hospital visitors:

This year we had a laid back Thanksgiving. We stayed home Wednesday instead of fighting traffic. On Thursday we leisurely made our way over to the Eastern Shore for dinner, our annual post meal walk with cigars, and then some quality football watching (E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!) Jeff stopped by because it wouldn't be a Schreiber Thanksgiving without him and we went to the outlets at midnight! We are crazy, but not nearly as crazy as the pajama clad shoppers waiting in lines just to get in some of the stores. The trip was a bust and we came home empty handed much to Mark's elation. Friday morning the guys went golfing while I spent some quality time with our cousin Christine. After lunch we hit the road for PA where we had a full weekend of friends and family! It was a blast! We were able to spend time with the friends and family we are thankful for. What could be better?

Can you believe that November is over? Already! I cannot believe it, and actually have been wondering where it went. Since I have not been a very diligent blogger, I will give you a rundown of my November highlights:

1. Mike and Brooke came to visit DC! To read more about there click: here!

2. Miracle of the Marine Corps - Mark and I have the privilege of going to the Navy vs. Temple Football game in Annapolis. Navy came back to win the game after a 7-27 deficit in the 4th quarter. It was an incredible experience! Here are some photos from the game:


3. Phil and Nate - Our friends, who are brothers, are hiking the Appalachian Trail passed through Virginia. We were able to catch up with them and spend some quality time with Warren and Lindsey. Warren and Mark hiked for the day with the guys while Lindsey and I hung out and enjoyed great deals at the Leesburg outlets. The guys brought Phil and Nate back to Warren and Lindsey's house to get a warm night's sleep. Then we returned them to the trail in the morning. Here is a photo of Mark and me with Phil and Nate:

4. Our car reached a major milestone: 100,000 miles! We had a mini celebration!

5. Thanksgiving - Family: more to come on the actual family time later.

6. Thanksgiving - Friends: the long weekend gave us the opportunity to see lots of friends. Friday Night we hung out with Mike and Kelsey and were able to meet up with some Gordon Lacrosse alums - Jon and Ben. I was also able to meet Jon's girlfriend Steph and she is awesome! We played Quizzo at Christopher's in Wayne PA and we kicked butt! On Saturday we drove out to D-town to visit Faith, Kyle, and projectile puking Noah who was quite content to throw up repeatedly. All the while, he didn't skip a beat. Faith says that her life is free birth control, and this visit I would have to agree. But Noah is still the cutest little tike around. Then we got to see Sarah's new apartment in West Chester and it is great! We got Philly Cheesesteaks and reminiced about too many funny memories. Then we met up later with Kristie for our High School Reunion. I am not sure how Mark put up with the three of us all night. Here is a photo of the three of us:

7. The last and BEST part of November: Dillon Ashlyn Simpler arrived at 1:47 am Sunday, November 30th! Perfect timing for Mark and I to see her on our way back to DC. We are so excited for Tommy and Fallon, first time parents. Holding Dillon was incredible - especially as she wasn't even 12 hours old yet! Note: she already looks like Tommy! (there will definitly be more details to come on this one!)

I am behind in my blogging! But I promise, a new post each day this week. Until you get all the juicy details, I will leave you with an item from my wish list:

Oh, I really want this drink server! It is from Room Service Home and only $79! I say only because I really like it! I have been looking for a spigot drink server for quite some time, but have not found one that was either the right price or the right look. I simply adore this one, but it is not in my budget this month... So now that I have revealed the kitchen/party item that I have been lusting over, what would you buy to help you host your holiday parties if you could get anything?