All Aboard !!

Since we had our family party on Christmas Eve, we had Christmas Day free, and decided to take a train ride down to San Diego, about an hour and 40 minutes by train.This is what I wore:

Once again, I wore my ny collection ombre sweater, since it's so comfy and flattering. I wore plain black leggings and black suede boots with tassels. The kicker was my red satin Ferrari jacket

We got business class seats. On the way down, we were on a double decker train, so we sat up top for a better view.

Here I am, at the Irvine Metrolink station, waiting to depart.

It was a beautiful day, sunny but cold.

Here I am in my seat. The train was pretty empty.

We passed through many beautiful beach towns. These first two pictures are of the pier in San Clemente.

About a half hour later, we passed the decommissioned nuclear power plant at San Onofre.

San Onofre also has a very popular state beach - lots of people camp there.

Then we passed through Oceanside, and I snapped two pictures of the harbor. When I was a kid growing up in San Diego, Oceanside got pretty run down. Back then, it was a mecca for Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton - they would go there to party and meet cute girls from California. it has been cleaned up, no surprise, since beach real estate in California has gotten very pricey.

This picture shows the coastline as we rounded the bend from Oceanside, going down towards Solana Beach. When I was a little older, we would sometimes go to the Belly Up Tavern on Saturday nights.

This picture is after leaving Solana Beach and heading down toward Del Mar.

We got to Old Town, which is a historic part of San Diego.

It was fairly crowded, and only three restaurants were open. As I was posing by the sign, a family went by with their pet bunny.

There were two Mexican restaurants open, but the wait was at least a half hour, so we went to an outdoor restaurant that served a variety of food.

We relaxed in the town square after lunch.

The Cosmopolitan Hotel has a nice bar and dining room, but alas, they were closed.

Before leaving, I HAD to get my picture by the covered wagon (along with all the other kids).

Yesterday, we just did a lot of stuff around the house. Today, I am back at work for 2 days before having another 4 day weekend for New Year's Day.

This is what I wore today:

This is a black knit dress from White House Black Market. I added the red ribbon sash. It has 4 tiers and then a flounce at the hem.

On top, I wore a red leather jacket by id Sport.

I wore all silver and garnets today. My cluster necklace was a gift from my mom a few years back.

On my right arm, a garnet/opal bracelet that my om gave me for my fortieth birthday, and a Colleen Lopez ring that I got for myself last year.

On my left arm, a garnet bracelet that was another gift from my mom, and a white gold infinity band and round solitaire.

And that's about it for today. So let's do some linking:
www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com, www.thepleatedpoppy.com, www.pastriespumpsandpi.blogspot.com, www.stylenudge.com, www.poshclassymom.com, www.shelbeeontheedge.com, www.theblushblonde.com and www.walkinginmemphisinhighheels.com

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Early on Christmas Eve, I got up and prepared to make food for the family party. I asked Elli if she would like to help:

As you can see, the answer was No. She then reconsidered, and stuck with No.

I made a summer fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, green grapes, and pineapple.

Then I made a winter fruit salad with five different apples - Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Fuji, Pink Lady, and Honey Crisp.

It also had D'Anjou pears, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, and mandarin segments.

I made Julia Child's dressing with the salads - different fruit juices like lemon, lime, and orange, combined with the secret ingredient - maple syrup. There was also whipped cream topping.

For Kenni and Vinni, I made a big pot of pork neck bones.

So what did I wear to the gala party?

My favorite Calvin Klein sweater dress with the gold and silver embellishments down the sides. I wore my new black suede Style and Co sandals.

Three necklaces - all were my mom's. The top one is a Journey Through Life pendant, the midlle one is a gold herringbone, and the bottom one is a diamond heart.

On my left arm, my yellow gold wedding set, a gold bracelet, and a diamond tennis bracelet.

On my right arm, my Hermes CDC, and a ruby/diamond ring.

We all met at the LDS Ward building. There were a lot of us- roughly 27 people were there. The table was decorated for Christmas, and there were also blue and white balloons for Hanukah, since Win is Jewish.

We set up the book exchange in the corner - the kids loved it.

There was quite a haul in the present corner.

Everyone had fun - we had the salads and tamales, since Mimi is Mexican.

Mimi sang a song - "The Best Things in Life Are Free". The boys and I played dodge ball with the balloons. Tawn brought a nativity set that her mother in law Pat made, and her son Collin read the script.

The characters were made into puppets.

At the end, it was picture time. Here are all the kids, with one unhappy little Kate in the upper left.

 But she perked up quickly when she got to crawl around on the floor.

Here's Emma making a snowman out of home made Play Dough that Kim made.

Here are Benjy, Lily, and Preston:

Here are Win, Doc, Nathan, Joseph and Benjamin - 4 generations.

This time, Luke and Preston joined the 4 generations pictures.

And that's about it, except for some links:
www.notdressedaslamb.com, www.stylelixir.com, www.colorandgrace.com, www.stylediarybyosy.com and www.jolynneshane.com

Stay tuned for the Great Train ride of Christmas Day !!

The Eve of the Eve

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and our family celebration will be in the morning. I am off for the next few days, and have some fun stuff in store. Before I start in on all the holiday goings on, I have a couple of outfits to share with you.

This is what I wore on Wednesday:

The last pair of fancy silk holiday pants - these are teal and black silk, made by August Silk. The teal lurex top is from Kohl's . Underneath that, I have a fuzzy acrylic sweater with sequin trim.

You can see the sequins here - they are iridescent, mostly blue and purple. I wore my mom's convertible necklace again, this time with the lapis pendant.

Yesterday, I wore a purple and black cashmere dress by Loft.  It has dolman sleeves and a wide elasticized waist. I first tried navy hose, then black tights, then finally decided on nude hose.

But I did wear my new navy suede shoes from INC. The lace up detail is just for show - they zip up the back.

On my left arm, my yellow gold wedding set, a sapphire bracelet, and an amethyst tennis bracelet.

On my right arm, a London Blue Topaz ring, a sapphire bracelet, and another amethyst bracelet.

I wore three necklaces - the longest one is sapphire and diamond, the middle one is a gold herringbone chain, and the shortest one is light blue topaz.

Now it's time to make food for tomorrow morning, do my nails, and get my outfit ready. Stay tuned to see!!!

Linking with: www.nancysfashionstyle.com, www.the-wardrobe-stylist.com, www.fashionshouldbefun.com, www.shoppingmycloset.com, www.highlatitudestyle.com, www.poshclassymom.com, www.sydneyfashionhunter.com, www.pastriespumpsandpi.blogspot.com, and www.thepleatedpoppy.com