Par-tay!

Wow! That was a busy weekend for us! Of course, having to actually get dressed constitutes a busy weekend around here. We're not exactly social butterflies.

Friday night we got a sitter and attended the Captain's work Christmas party, which is a very casual affair. The roast beef was delicious and plentiful! Despite many people showing up in t-shirts and jeans, I felt that a little festive flair was in order. Mostly because I wear t-shirts and jeans every day, and I wasn't going to pass up a chance to dress that uniform up a little. Here's what I wore:

The kids had a great time with their sitter, too!

On Sunday, the annual children's party was held at the mess. For those of you not familiar, the mess is where the guys go on Friday night to drink. It's full of trophy cases and hundred year-old tables and naked-lady paintings. This party is a slightly more dressed-up affair, with a buffet brunch and lots for the little ones to do. It was minus five-billion or so here, so I opted to wear something I wouldn't freeze my butt off in:

Please pardon my still-wet hair, terrible posture and the fact that you can't even see my awesome boots. It's a bad picture all-round!

I've had this suede skirt for over a year now and I never knew how to wear it. I was actually starting to think about shortening it. But recently, I started following a whole bunch of style blogs (less expensive than buying fashion mags, far more realistic fashions, and with a lot of great ideas about how to use what's already in my wardrobe) and one morning I found an outfit on this great blog that set the lightbulb off in my head. Finally, this skirt could become a winter staple! Now, if only someone could show me how to keep little peanut-buttery hands off my butt.

Please note, that purse I was talking about on Black Friday is now mine, mine, mine! Thanks for the early Christmas present, Captain!

The kids' party was extra exciting for me this year. I was actually dreading it beforehand. In the past, I have always been the mother chasing her unruly wild-child from one room to another trying to keep him from wrecking something expensive. This year was sooooo different! He played! He posed for a photo with Santa! He sat on the floor with the other kids while presents were being handed out! He didn't once try to run off and get into mischief! Hooray for progress!!

And now...I need another weekend to recover from my weekend!