As I mentioned yesterday, we are having a party tomorrow night.  This is a family-friendly gathering so I wanted some simple recipes that would appeal to all.  Also, I have never even met some of our guests (they are my husband’s coworkers) which means I do not want to be tied to the kitchen all evening; I want to be able to spend time visiting.  As a result of these two criteria, I came up with a truly easy, almost completely make-ahead menu that will allow my husband and me to mingle and have fun.

We will start off with Spiced Nuts and Cheese Straws.  The drink options will include beer, wine, and eggnog with or without the good stuff.  The dinner menu consists of vegetables with Curry Mayonnaise, Savory Deviled Eggs, Sweet and Spicy Meatballs, Mozzarella Sticks, and Chicken Tenders.  To finish things off, we will offer Amaretto Cake and Fudge for dessert.  Oh and I am making Christmas tree-shaped sugar cookies for the kiddos to decorate and eat. 

Of course we will be listening to my LuSHHus playlists full of fun holiday tunes, so check out the grown-up version here and the child-friendly version here.  I hope everyone enjoys the party as much I have enjoyed planning it.  Stay tuned for the post-party review as well as pictures!

Cheers, Ashley

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I am getting ready for a small get-together this Saturday evening.  I will share all the details of our menu, decorations, and more over the next few days, but today I want to mention one of my entertaining/cooking favorites who is helping me out this weekend: Paula Deen.  As far as I am concerned, to know of Paula Deen is to love her; I think she is great!  As I thought about what to serve this weekend, I turned to Paula Deen’s website and show appearances for possibilities and I found several ideas.  I also came across Deen’s newest book, Christmas with Paula Deen.  It is chock full of recipes for every meal you will be serving this holiday season and, of course, of her charming and endearing Southern style.  For the next month I am going to add this book to my list of LuSHHus books at Amazon, so please check it out on my Amazon list on the right side of your screen.  This book can help you get through the holidays impressively and deliciously.

Happy Cooking, Ashley

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Today’s post is inspired by something I got in the mail today!  One of my sisters sent us my son’s Christmas present early because the present is an Advent Calendar.  We love the one we received today, and I know we will have such fun year after year as we count the days to Christmas together.  This is such a special and memorable way to remember the days of this season (I still remember the old felt one my sisters and I loved so much back in the day), and this gift prompted me to help you find the perfect Advent Calendars for you and your loved ones.

The Advent Calendar we received from my sister is really one of the best I have seen, and I can affirm its high quality and excellent design.  The 24 ornaments, toys, and Christmas icons rest in pockets until the day comes for each to be added to the tree by way of Velcro.  This is a great choice, so check it out here at Orvis where it sells for $39.99. 

Here is something really different: an Advent Calendar from LEGO.   Think of the fun that children (ages 5-12) will have checking behind a window each day to find pieces of a whole new LEGO set!  You can find this option, which costs $24.99, here. 

I like this Jumbo Stocking Advent Calendar that can be monogrammed.  You could get one for the family or one for each child.  These are from Pottery Barn Kids and cost $39.99.

Here is another stocking Advent Calendar, but this one is made up of 24 small stockings rather than one jumbo stocking.  Offered at FAO Schawrz, this String of Stockings Advent Calender would be great fun throughout the month of December.  (It could be made even better with small trinkets or pieces of chocolate in each stocking!)  This Advent Calendar sells for $45. 

Last but not least is a Gingerbread House Advent Calendar from Harry & David, and each day you will open a part of the house to find mint chocolates.  Made of wood, this Advent Calendar sells for $99.95.

Many thanks and much love to Noodle, Ashley

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You simply must go visit one of my very favorite blogs, The Hostess with the Mostess Guide to Fabulous Finds and Inspiration for Contemporary Entertaining to enter a giveaway with prizes totaling more than $7000.  The Hostess with the Mostess has teamed up with YumSugar to bring us the grandest holiday giveaway I have ever seen in the blogosphere.  This giveaway ends December 10, so be sure to enter to win by then for the chance to acquire some wonderfully LuSHHus hostessing goods.  Enter here (please note that you must register with TeamSugar in order to enter.)

Good luck, Ashley 

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In an effort to inspire each of us to newer and brighter heights, I want to start posting a weekly quote.  We’ll call it Weekly Wisdom.  While the topics of the quotes will vary, each and every quote that I post on Mondays should serve to encourage, motivate, enthuse, and stir you.  The quotes should remind us to live the most LuSHHus life possible.

The first words come from Win Borden: 

“If you wait to do everything until you are sure it’s right, you’ll probably never do much of anything.”

These words remind me, and I hope they remind you too, to take chances.  Do not delay in doing the things you most want to do.   I am not saying to be rash, but take calculated risks.  Whether you want to make a career change, paint a room in your home, throw your first big dinner party, lose weight, update your style, go in for a check up, repair a rift in a relationship, or endeavor anything new or different, don’t wait for the right time to fall in your lap; the right time is now!

Cheers, Ashley

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This is not a craft blog, of course, but I must share with you what I created today.  In an attempt to further the Christmas theme of nutcrackers around our house, I wanted a nutcracker or toy soldier wreath for the front door.  However, I have not been able to find one.  I remembered that my mom once attached an adorable plush Christmas dog to a wreath with ornamental balls on it, so I decided I should make my own wreath complete with nutcrackers.  I found a plain wreath, decorative ornaments, and miniature nutcrackers at the craft store and set out to make a wreath that suits our home.  I simply used wire to attach the nutcrackers; the project could not have been any easier.  I added one of the nutcrackers we already had to the center of the wreath to give it a more impressive look.  It turned out just the way I had hoped, and I think we will enjoy it very much.

Happy Decorating, Ashley

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Download this group of fun Christmas songs for all the young people you know, and you can bet they will be singing and dancing more than ever.  You will find some classic holiday tunes, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and a few new ones that you are bound to love.  My personal favorite is the first track on the playlist, I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas.  We sang this every year in the Lower School music program at Christmastime.  Check out this iMix on iTunes here so you can download all the songs with just one click of your mouse.

And don’t forget to check out my Christmas playlist for the grownup crowd here.

Happy Singing and Dancing and Celebrating, Ashley

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 Happy Thanksgiving!

(See - there is The King and Queen font again!) 

“For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love of friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a LuSHHus Thanksgiving, Ashley

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I am borderline obsessed with fonts because it seems I am always doing one thing or another on the computer.  My favorite font of the moment is called The King and Queen.  Take a look:

Luxury  S tyle

 Happiness  Health

I am using it on everything.  I even made spine labels for all of my binders (see the labels in the photo below).  You can download this font for free here. 

Happy Computing in Style, Ashley

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Yes, that’s right, it is time for Christmas music, and it’s about time as far as I am concerned.  Oh how I love Christmas music.  So, I have created a Christmas playlist that will help get you in the holiday spirit, and I think it will also be a great party playlist if you will be entertaining this season.

I made this playlist, which contains 28 songs, into an iMix so that you can easily download all the songs if you are interested.  Check out my LuSHHus Christmas iMix on iTunes by clicking here.  Below is a list of all the tracks.

Deck the Halls, Ashley

PS - Check back soon for a Christmas playlist for the kiddos!

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I love beautiful embroidery and I am pretty confident that most other women do too.  That is why these cocktail napkins are the perfect gift.  With one initial or a three-letter monogram, these napkins will be stylish and fun.  They are from Embroidery by Valerie, and you can order them by clicking here or emailing vriener@austin.rr.com. 

These huge ring-shaped napkin rings are the perfect gift for any girl who enjoys entertaining.  From Vivre, a set of four napkin rings costs $50 and would help create the perfect table for a girl get-together or perhaps an event honoring an engagement.

Here are two really fun options for drinking glasses, and I would love to see either one under my tree this year.  On the left, these Illusion Wine Glasses from Uncommon Goods are $75 for a set of four and are the perfect cool accent that every cocktail hour needs.  On the right, these Vintage Tumblers from UMA are $22 for a set of four and are the perfect mix of new and old. 

Why not give flowers that will last forever like these glass flowers designed by Marc Jacobs for Waterford.  This set of three graceful stems is sold at Vivre for $165.  Flowers are nice, but flowers that do not require water are really nice! 

A purse makes a great gift, and here are two for you to consider.  I found this bag on the left over at Active Endeavors and am really liking it.  It is the Emma Tote by Lauren Merkin and costs $545 here.  The eggplant exterior is especially appealing to me; I don’t have a bag in that color.  On the right is Louis Vuitton’s Palermo bag which comes in two sizes.  The smaller Palermo is $970 and the larger is $1190.  You can check these out at Louis Vuitton.  The Palermo is beautiful and seems so practical in its size and shape.

What gift guide for women would be complete without a piece of jewelry?!  Here is quite a piece.  This ring certainly makes a statement, and I think it has something fun and sophisticated to say.  From Vivre for $800, this shell and silver onyx ring might be the just the thing to gift to the most stylish woman you know.

Ho Ho Ho, Ashley

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I know more than a few men who enjoy a cold beer from time to time, and these koozies, which are $12 each or 4 for $40, are a great and useful gift for these men.   You can choose the monogram and the thread color for your koozies.  Order them at Embroidery by Valerie or by emailing vriener@austin.rr.com. 

Show the men in your life that you care and that you want them to be around for a long time with this book.  You: Staying Young is a manual for living longer written by Drs. Roizen and Oz (they are Oprah’s health gurus).  This book is available at Amazon for about $15.

Tic tac toe is a great way to pass the time with friends and family, and this handsome game set is fitting for just about any room or office.  Offered by Ballard Designs for $25.50, this tic tac toe game box is sure to please anyone on your list.

I love gifts that keep on giving, and I love books.  So I really, really love Books With Bows which allows you to give three months, six months, or twelve months of books (one book a month).  You can pick the books, you can let the recipient pick the books, or you can choose a recommended package of books.  This site has books for people of all ages who are interested in any subject imaginable, and I think this is an excellent gift for all the readers in your life.

What man would not feel good in these handsome Burberry boxers, especially when there is a fresh pair for every day of the week?!  This set of seven boxers is sold at Neiman Marcus for $295.

For the man who likes a little competition, this striking backgammon set would make an appropriate gift.  I saw this here at Vivre for $625 and I wish I played backgammon! 

Ho Ho Ho, Ashley

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