cheers!

So, maybe I surf the web a lot and maybe when I find stuff I like, love, have-to-have, I email it to Tison :) For Christmas he surprised me with some awesome bear knit headphones (with a bright yellow bow) from Etsy. They are so silly and fun- I just love 'em! He also got me a much needed camera bag from Jo Totes that I have been drooling over so I can get all my camera stuff in order. You just wait unorganized self of 2010; you won't even recognize me in 2011. It is the year of preparedness, timeliness, and cleanliness...you hear that self? 

{Maybe it pays off to be an expert surfer *wink}

Happy NEW YEAR dreamers!!

What are your plans?!

baby it's cold outside...

christmas 2010...

On Christmas Eve we always go to evening Mass at St. Joseph's Church. This year was no exception. I just love the nativity there. It was nice to sing Christmas carols with the family and be reminded of the reason for the season. Following mass we headed home for Mom's delicious Christmas Eve dinner! After that, everyone gathered around the fire to find their spots because we all knew what would happen next ...presents! We are an "open-one-at-a-time" family so it tends to be the evening event. 

6:30 am Christmas morning arrived quickly! We all got up to see little Leslie off to catch her plane to Zimbabwe. She will be visiting her boyfriend there for the next 3 weeks. Although it was difficult to see her go, we are all very excited about her adventure :) Here are some pictures of all the merriment...

{The night before Christmas Eve, Lauren, Leslie, and I got together in the music room to play Christmas carols on the violin and piano. One of my favorite things to do with my sisters!}

{Dad totally got this gift for himself and wrote: "To:Dad From:Linz" on it. Ahh well, at least one of us was surprised!}

{look how excited Tison is about the scarf my mom knit for him! love it!}

I miss Christmas already!

Merry Christmas from the Hudsons...

tis the season to be jolly...

 

Every year to date, my sisters and I pile in the same bed on Christmas Eve night to watch a holiday themed movie. {typically The Grinch} As kids we used to drift off into dreamland thinking of how many inches the Grinch's heart had grown, how cute Cindy Lou Hoo was, and when Santa would arrive... although now we each want to get "a good night sleep" in our own beds and even sleep past 6:30 a.m. on Christmas morning, I still get that feeling- you know- that magical feeling of joy and comfort, and excitement. This Christmas Eve tradition reminds me of years past and makes me feel like a kid again.

________________________________________________________________

Thanks to everyone for sharing their favorite Christmas memory on the Clutch Giveaway post. I called the designer, Diane Montgomery, and asked her to randomly pick a number between 1 and 9 to select the winner. Congratulations to #7!

Laura said...

I had no idea you made clutches, Diane. They are so cute! I will be sure to buy one from you soon. I am always looking for unique birthday gifts. As for Christmas memories...I can remember Christmas day a few years ago it snowed in New Orleans. Well, it was more like frozen rain that turned back into rain when it hit the ground, but you get the idea. It was magical to have such an unusual event happen on Christmas day and to be able to share it with loved ones. Merry Christmas!

You have won this clutch, Laura! Please email me at linz.hudson@gmail.com with your address.

MERRY MAGICAL CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!!

CLUTCH GIVEAWAY!

Leave comment on the blog & WIN a clutch!!

Because I love these clutches that are handmade

by my extremely talented and crafty friend Diane

&

Because I love my fellow daydreamers i.e. blog readers

I want to give you a Christmas present!!!

To enter to win a Coventry Lane clutch all you have to do is tell me

about your favorite Christmas memory in the comments below.

One lucky reader will receive a clutch from Coventry Lane :)

I will announce the winner on Thursday, December 23, at 6pm Central Time,

so be sure to leave a comment before then!

ATTENTION all of you Christmas shopcrastinators (like me...) there is a deal for you at Coventry Lane as well! If you order a clutch on Etsy, starting now until Thursday at 6pm it will be wrapped and hand delivered to you 
before Christmas*

*if you live within the Shreveport/Bossier area.

 

commencement & consumption...

This weekend was packed full of celebratory family time. My baby sister Leslie graduated from LSU in Baton Rouge. The next day my mom and Leslie celebrated their birthday! How cool is it that they share the same birthday!? 

Birthday lunch at Not Your Mama's outside Livonia was mouth-watering good. seafood dip, homemade bread, boudin, crawfish etoufee...you must stop there next time you pass it on 190.   Happy Birthday Mom and Leslie!

After lunch we built a fire and went 4 wheeling through cow pastures in New Roads. Lauren didn't want to feel left out, so she drove around in her Subaru :) Next thing we know she is stuck in a ditch and Les and I have to push the car out! It was HILARIOUS!

Leslie, Haley and I went to Tsunami for dinner. It is on the sixth floor of an office building downtown. The sushi was exceptional and the view was lovely!! The whole evening couldn't have felt more special.

I am so proud of you Les-mess.

we're dreaming of a tacky Christmas....

Last night Tison and I made tacky Christmas sweaters in preparation for various holiday happenings. It was so much fun! Even though I had to brave the roads with all the crazy Christmas shoppers to get supplies, it was totally worth the end result.

{Even the dogs got in on the action... I don't think they were as excited about it though.}

 {What?? Just wearing our normal work attire...}

yarn wreath and felt flowers...

What is it about the holidays that make you want to pull out your hot glue gun and get crafty?! Lauren, Diane, and I got together for a little DIY the other day. We found a wreath, felt, and yarn at Hobby Lobby and this project cost approximately 6 bucks! Diane found the idea through take heart.

Here are a few photos of our experience...

A few things you will need:

Now let's get started...

Time for the felt flowers!

...drum roll please...

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Christmas in the Sky: Beatlemania

On Saturday night the Shreveport Regional Arts Council had their biannual fundraiser, Christmas in the Sky. This event is SRAC's biggest fundraiser. Tison and I volunteered to be costume characters and were cast as John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the section titled Bed Peace. Beatlemania was announced as the theme in February and they have been working on each set since then. They began setting up inside Louisiana Downs at the beginning of October.Christmas in the Sky is the most extravagant party I have ever been a part of with thousands in attendance, over 30 bars and food stations every where you turn around!

{Tison and I wandered around the party throwing peace signs and trying to spread the the Lennon vibe}

{After the live display closed we were able to walk around and see all the different sections

that took up 3 floors at Louisiana Downs}

{We stopped on the way out to take pictures in front of Mayor Cedric Glover and whoever I am standing in front of when I noticed that the guy in the poster was standing right there in front of me!! So, of course I asked for his picture too... haha. What a long, fun, and interesting evening!}

love actually is all around...

Earlier this week I was invited to join in my friend Daci's little winter tradition of watching Love Actually and drinking the first mug of hot chocolate. I was surprised to find homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows with toppings galore upon my arrival! What a treat! I am sure her dog Ike must have helped :)

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around."  - Love Actually

first festivas...

Over the weekend my boss threw a Christmas party. Isn't it great to realize you truly enjoy hanging out with your coworkers... when the line mushes together between colleagues and friends?!
I'm so lucky.

After trying on 3 different dresses and still feeling unsure of what to wear, my mom let me open an early Christmas present. Cute huh? I heart Macy's.

dinner and decorating....

 I went to my parents last night for dinner and to help my mom decorate our, not one, but two Christmas trees. If there is any question about what Mrs. Claus' first name is, it is Virginia Diane. The day after Thanksgiving all the storage, that has been busting at the seams with ornaments, lights, ribbons, santas, etc. since last year, is brought out. One would think that you would need all the little elves in the North Pole to handle these Christmas decorations, but no. It is usually just Mrs. Claus. Mom, I love you and without all of this it would not feel like Christmas. God Bless you.

I was asked to help fluff the trees and hang ornaments. We have had fake trees since the year we thought our tree was just extremely thirsty, but in reality there was a crack in the stand and all the water had been soaking  into the floor. By the time the situation was realized the wood floor was ruined!! (No more real trees for the Hudsons.)

Where was I? Right, fluffing. Ok, fluffing. Check. Ornaments, seems like an easy task right? Wrong. It might be easy for some people, but for me (a procrastinating perfectionist) I wanted to make sure the tree had a  balance of red vs. gold ornaments. Then of course every ornament has a story to tell and I got to pick a special place for each one... (all 200 of them!)Two and a half hours later I stood back in wonder and appreciation.

Here are a few pictures of my favorite ornaments:

{How cute and special is this one on the left! That is a lot of Christmases together you two!}

{I remember pretending as a kid that the little ladies on the right were me and my sisters.}

My mom has been collecting a few of the Danbury Mint

gold ornaments every year since my sisters and I were little. 

Now we each have a box of our own for our individual Christmas trees.

These ornaments are the most detailed and sparkly ornaments on the tree!

I am officially in the Christmas spirit!

ps: Tree #2 lost it's stand somewhere amidst the winter wonderland, but my dad wrestled the thing into sturdy and straight submission after much concentrated effort and a little sweat. Way to go!

Lunches with Lauren & Lindsey

As seen in previous posts, my coworker, Lauren, and I like to get out of the office and try new places for lunch. The adventure is usually led by absurd, yet delicious, cravings of you-name-it! Here are a few pic's we snapped on our outings over the last few months :)

artspace

{Great place to grab lunch because you can view the exhibit on the first floor while you're there!}

Newk's To-Go

{It is hard to find a better quick salad than the one from Newks}

Brookshire's sushi rolls

 

{Sushi from either Kroger or Brookshires is something I crave quiet often!}

Good Eats

 

{If you order anything at Good Eats it must be the tomato basil soup. Now that's an order!}

Good times, good times.

-xo-