A bustling life inside the snow globe.

Living in Chicago this weekend was like living inside a snow globe that's just been violently shaken around and set back down, leaving the snowflakes twirling in a swift sideways motion around the cluster of jolly Christmas carolers up at the North Pole or whatever. Sure, it looks quaint and happy sitting on your desk, but think for once about the poor little carolers living inside who now have to deal with the blizzard you've created! Come on!

Though Chicago's nickname of "The Windy City" has nothing to do with weather patterns and everything to do with politics, by god was it windy and cold this weekend! It was most certainly a time to stay inside, bake cookies or brownies or creampuffs or make stew or chili while watching, at full length, the 6 hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Alas, I did none of these things.

Because while it's true that this is an all-but-dead time of year for wedding flowers (at least in my experience, most people in Chicago tend to put their weddings off until after the deep freeze of winter) holiday party time is in full effect! Gather ye your bottles of wine and adorable hostess centerpiece gifts and head on out into the cold to go celebrate with friends!

(Aforementioned adorable hostess centerpiece gifts.)

(The deep freeze hits the street where I live -- but even that can't stop the holiday cheer!)



(As always, Maddie remains upbeat and frisky. Nothing gets her down!)

So I spent my weekend making bundles of cute winterberry holiday arrangements and out in the company of good friends. Now we're heading full-tilt into the holiday rush and it's time to hunker down for a long cold winter! Of course, all those annoying "OHMYGOD HE WENT TO JARED!" commercials are telling me that people are about to get engaged in droves, so I'm steadying myself for a flurry of wedding inquiries! That would be fantastic! I would be 200% okay with that! My spring wedding schedule is already starting to fill up and I couldn't be happier about it.

Because if there's one thing to keep you warm during a cold harsh winter, it's the promise of a happy and productive spring!