Hope everyone had a merry & bright Christmas. Ours was super fun. The kids had two visits from Santa. One was at home in the OC & the other was with our family in Dallas. The cake above was baked by my amazing sister in law & I had to share it with you. She got the recipe from Cooks Illustrated.
How cool are these Jonathan Adler vases in her home!
The ornaments on the tree were delightful.
This time of year is as magical as you want to make it. My kids both believe in the jolly man with the big belly & white beard – so the magic is full blown.
Even the most simple things get them all excited & giggly. For little kids most of the fun is being off from school & tearing open brightly wrapped presents. For us it is being together as a family.
Through the years I will look through these snaps and smile. This is a sweet & gentle time. It is such a nice feeling having small children that are out of the wobbly phase and into full blown land of discovery & questions.
They are small people with big opinions (kind of like their mama!) Seeing this holiday through the eyes of our children invites magic back to us all.
Seeing them happy & smiling makes me grateful for everything in our world today.
My sister in law has it down. She plans well ahead & makes our time at her home in Dallas so very memorable. Her house is so pretty!
She wraps tons of goodies, bakes & cooks up a storm & welcomes us with open arms each year. She even woke at 2am to open presents with my daughter! These are memories we will all share for a life time. I am so very grateful. XO
How was your Christmas? Was it magical for you? Your kids? Or perhaps your pets get into the holiday spirit too??!!
Gorgeous cake and gorgeous house! I love brick….AND cake!
Happy Holidays Marla and Family. xxoo
It seems you had a very enjoyable Xmas. That cake looks delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Glad you had a nice Christmas!
What a stunning cake! Gorgeous!
Happy New Year!
Looks like you and your family shared a magical Christmas
indeed, loved all the photos. That cake wow… it looks absolutely
mouthwatering, your sister-in-law outdid herself! PS: Where is the
“Magic in a Lens” shot? 😉
Josie: Every moment has become a magical moment these days.
As long as I have good light I can get the snaps. I am a disaster
in low light situations. Gotta work on that 😉
Naomi: I need to
hunt in that post Christmas Jonathan Adler sale. Great props &
eye candy for the home.
Heather: Those little kiddos bring out the best in us & the holidays for sure! Glad to hear you had a great Christmas with your nephew.
That cake is stunning, Marla! Your kids are so cute and it
did indeed look like a magical Christmas. And OMG, loving the
Jonathan Adler vases!!
Your kids are too cute! It was so much fun seeing my little
nephew open gifts on Christmas. Kids and being around family really
bring out the holiday spirit in me. That cake looks seriously
amazing, I can only imagine how tasty it was.
marla, this looks like you have wonderful family
traditions. there is really nothing better than seeing ones
children so incredibly happy and content. these are the moments we
all need to embrace!
That red cake is beautiful, just like your two little kids
in the red wagon! Love Cook’s Illustrated. Happy holidays!
Red velvet cake is a perfect way to get into the festive
spirit. The color says “holiday” from the get-go. Looks like you
had a fabulous Christmas. So glad! Wishing you an even more
spectacular New Year. 😉
Those vases are beautiful.
These pictures are fantastic! I love the bright red in the
cake and your family traditions 🙂 I hope you had a great Christmas
and are still enjoying the holiday season 🙂
Her house is beautiful! And that cake looks
delicious!
What a beautiful and MAGICal post!!! Love everything about
it!
Looks like you had a wonderful Christmas! I love this time
of year and you captured that magic in these wonderful photos! 🙂
That cake looks absolutely delicious!
So glad you had a wonderful Christmas! Having little ones
at home that still believe in the man in the red suit is definitely
magical. 🙂 That cake is absolutely gorgeous!
gorgeous cake, gorgeous house, gorgeous kids–happy
holidays to you, marla!
They are so gorgeous Marla! I love the tree, the food, all is fantastic! Merry Merry!
What a beautiful post Marla! And that cake at the beginning is a show stopper!!
Looks like a fantastic Christmas, Marla!
Looks like that you had a great Christmas! I love your vase. :-)) So fun.
So much fun…. what a gorgeous cake too! Merry Christmas!
Wow, that’s a lot of layers on that cake! Just, beautiful. Looks like your family had an awesome Christmas!
How fun to see the magic through the eyes of your children. My only child is 16 in 2 weeks and that kind of magic is all gone. Thanks for sharing yours!
The cake is glorious. I’ve never made a red velvet cake but my hubby would like me to 🙂
That’s so pretty! Glad you had a great holiday!
Looks like you had a lovely magical christmas. What a
beautiful setting. That cake looks incredible!! We miss
you!
Angie: We miss you guys too! Hope you are having fun in the OC for the holidays. I think the rain has stopped over there??
This cake is definitely stunning! I can’t take my eyes from
it! Happy new year to you and your loved ones!
What a beautiful tribute to your sister in law, Marla. She does have such a lovely home. I loved the thoughts you had floating through your photos: like snowflake messages!
Do you do Christmas sometimes, too… or is it always here?
🙂
Valerie
PS: My children are adults and I have NEVER told them anything but IF YOU BELIEVE, HE WILL COME. And we ALL believe!
XO
Valerie: I believe too! We have a Christmas at home in the OC & then we head to my sister in laws home. Used to be in Kansas, now Dallas. My hubs mom is there too & lots of cousins. These days we usually see that side of the family once a year, it is extra special. When we see each other it is as if we were never apart. Amazing how much all the kids grow in a year. Love that you never told your kids anything but to believe 🙂 I am trying to get them all out to me in July to learn how to surf!
Beautiful cake! I love it!
Now that is a gorgeous cake!!! The pics of your kids in the wagon looks really fun, they are adorable!
Such beautiful pictures! Happy to read that you had a very merry Christmas! We had a white Christmas in Mammoth – great memories made! Hey, is that CI red velvet cake? Looks delicious!
Chris: It is Cooks Illustrated Red Velvet Cake. I bet Mammoth was a blast, you guys had loads of snow! Wondering if your twins went skiing?? This cake would be perfect for all of those calories burned after a day on the slopes:)
Sounds like a fabulous way to spend Christmas! Your kids are adorable. Love the wagon. Happy New Year!
Gorgeous cake and gorgeous post! It looks like you guys had a magical Christmas!
Christmas is magical for children (especially when they still believe in Santa!). It appears that your family had a wonderful holiday. Best wishes for a wonderful New Year!
Looks like you had a wonderful Christmas Marla!!…….and that cake looks AMAZING!!
Happy New Year!!
That is a real festive and gorgeous cake!
Happy 2011 to you!
I’m so glad you had a wonderful Christmas, lovely photos of the kids! Love the cake & the vases as well!
Happy New Year Marla! 🙂
Well, first thing’s first – you can tell your sister-in-law to ship any cake leftovers to NY – it’s making my mouth water! 🙂 Second – your children are adorable! Happy Holidays.
Liz: Wouldn’t that be great if we could ship you some of that cake! We had a lot left over that unfortunately we did not keep-though we should have frozen it. I am sure if wrapped up tight in plastic wrap & a thick Ziploc that cake would have lasted forever! Thanks for all of your sweet comments, they always make me smile 🙂
Glad you had a magical Christmas!!
Lovely post! So well written 🙂 I wish I had your cake in front of me right now!
The cake is stunning and I adore those vases! Looks like you had a very magical Christmas!! Last year we were in Chicago with my hubby’s family but this year had to stay in California. My sister also lives in Dallas, and my mom and both brothers are close-by n Ft. Worth. One year, I hope to make it to Dallas to celebrate with my family. Nice that you had the time to spend with them. You’re little ones are adorable!! I miss mine being that age!
One Christmas is wonderful, but two Christmases is truly perfect. How lucky your children are and how happy these photos you were smart enough to take will make you in coming years. Best regards for the new year dear Marla!
Beautiful picture; thank you for posting this. Red velvet is perfect for Christmas. Happy Holidays. Always enjoy all of your recipes n’ posts!
truly magical Marla..love that you spent time in Texas..
sweetlife
Beautiful Marla….. the photos are awesome & really depict exactly what its like to believe in the magic & security of being loved. Amazing, loved it. The cake…. aahhh, beautiful.
Anna: Your words are beautiful “the security of being loved” no money in the world could buy that. That is the most & the best we could dream of as parents. I pray for our children to always find peace through loving themselves, giving & accepting love. xo
Lindsey: Took a few hours before I could convince them to get outdoors into that wagon & once they were there they did not want to leave!
Oh my word that cake looks insanely delicious and gorgeous! I just love all of the photos of your kids, they’re adorable and look so happy! I especially love the photo of them in the wagon. 🙂
Oh, what a beautiful, truly heartwarming post, Marla! It’s so fun when the kiddos are little and you get to experience the magic of Christmas through their eyes. I’m in love with that little red wagon…you just know they’re going to get a ton of use and beautiful memories out of that! XO
love this Marla – and so very touching! makes me happy that
you ‘get’ it about this magic of Christmas – family, friends, love
and sharing. hugs to you dearie!
Marla…your whole family is screaming of magical talent!!!
That cake looks wayyy too good for me to keep my eyes gawking at
it. I’m gaining half a pound just by peeking! Your S-I-L did a
wonderful creation of a cake i’ve had on my list to make for quite
a while ;o) Your photography brought it to the next level 😉 Thanks
for continuing your enthusiastic creativity and looking forward to
the next year with your company. All the very best,
Claudia
Claudia: Better to gain a half pound gazing at the computer screen then for real 🙂 I look forward to your company too in 2011! xo
Smith Bites: Oh we get “the magic” & I hope to always. I cherish the times I slow down enough to grab onto those little moments. I find it hard to slow down – my big old camera helps me to though.
Can I have this recipe?
Hi MARLA ,
These Sounds like Yummy..!!
This Christmas Red Velvet Snow cake looks delicious and adorable.
I love Red velvet cake most.You Share beautiful Christmas resource .
Thanks For Sharing…