Have a Splendiferous Holiday!

Tonight Peter/I read the latest Fancy Nancy book to the girls - so cute - called Splendiferous Christmas. They are beyond excited for Santa to come on Friday. I overheard the two of them chatting about which cookies to leave out for Santa. Cute.

Have a nice holiday and I will be back to posting come 2010! May your holiday be filled with family, friends, TONS of delicious food and safe travels.

Until 2010!

Good Reading

I have my usual sites/blogs that I go to daily or weekly. I have some new ones to add to my growing list - most of them came from the November 2009 issues of In Style - that listed 220 sites they love. 

• Eating is Art - Tricia from Portland, OR who writes about yummy food. 

• Katy Elliott - Follow Katy as she renovates her over 200 year old house in MA. 

• MilkShop - I probably will not buy much from this site (as I don't believe in spending a fortune on kids clothing) but OMG - such adorable stuff! Hilarious too - check out Mr. Miami Beach or Rebel without a Cause from their Look Book. 

• Gift Genius - WOW, wish I would have bookmarked this one a LONG time ago. Brilliant. I love the recipient tab where you can adjust the attributes - like the level of Style, Attitude and Relationship. Fun. 

• Creature Comforts - So many fun DIY projects and inspirations. Great Gift Guide if you are still searching for those last few folks for the holidays. 

Enjoy! What are some of your favorite sites/blogs? Please share. 

The Holidays

I love the holidays and all the things that come with them - holiday cards, holiday parties/gatherings, good food, festive decor and seeing family and friends. 

• Friday night we spent at Target shopping for the girls - such a great spot for one stop shopping. Strolling through the toy aisles I'm amazed that things like Hello Kitty andBarbie dolls are still just as popular as they were years ago. Some things change, some don't. 
  
• One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to open the mail and check out all the fun holiday cards - I especially love the ones with family photos. So fun. This year we decided to use a photo from the wedding of all four of us - so our card is going to be a Happy New Year card. I love the selection of cards from Tiny Prints. 
• Saturday we were at two different Christmas parties. I spotted someone wearing very similar earrings to these from J.Crew - as the ones she was wearing are now not sold. The earrings were SO FUN and festive. And just recently I heard of J.Crew's jewelry of the month club - hmmm...sounds like a fun gift idea for someone. 
• I ate WAY TOO much on Sunday at a family Christmas party. My sister-in-law and her husband brought this amazing blue cheese buffalo chicken dip that is SO AMAZING (note that this same dip won first place one year at the annual Hors Derby). We timed it - the dip was gone in 8 minutes. I'm waiting to get the recipe. So yummy. We brought these yummy Scotcharoos that were a hit. 
• One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to head to the movies. There are so many movies out there that I want to see. One in particular is The Blind Side - I've heard that Sandra Bullock is amazing in it. 
• We have been listening to Michael Buble's Christmas Album called Let it Snow. 

4 days until Christmas! Our Elf on the Shelf Kevin-Devin has showing up each morning in a different spot - the girls LOVE him! 

My Latest Obsessions

So, I'm a HUGE fan of Etsy (as well as the blog A Cup of Jo). Joanne's husband wrote the following New York Times story about artisans who quit their day job to pursue their work on Etsy. Interesting. 

I was flipping through old pictures when we were putting together our wedding slideshow for the rehearsal dinner. I came across countless family photos of myself and my two sisters - where my mom put us in these outfits that we did not like at all. And now they seem pretty cute. One of my mom's favorite brands for us was Florence Eiseman. I didn't know if they still existed so I looked them up. Such cute stuff - like this adorable spring dress (all three of us had something very similar - all matching). If only my mom had a boy - (maybe she can hope for a grandson someday) - as this outfit is ADORABLE (love the peter pan collar). NOTE: I will not post the picture of me red faced with tears streaming down my face (as I was not having it - I DID NOT want to match my two younger sisters for a family portrait). 

Inspirational video. Makes you think. 

I read this City Guide from Refinery 29 and I decided which restaurant I want to check out next - Nightwood in Pilsen (something different and new and a spot I don't think many have been to yet). I try to keep up w/stuff in the city since my move...

I wear slippers ALL the time in the winter. We have wood floors in our house = cold feet! Theseslippers are cute and provide some warmth. Cute. And you could get away with wearing them out of the house for a quick errand. 

Soon we will be leaving cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve. This looks like a fun projectfrom Cathy Holden's Just Something I Made blog. 

My Latest Obsessions

I have been FREEZING lately in Chicago. I saw this coat and it looks so cozy. Love it. Love the combo of knits.

I also love these slouch booties by Loeffler Randall (same as the coat above). Cozy and fun.

I saw a post on Daily Candy about 10 items from Cambia Cove that are listed at 20% off for Daily Candy readers. Take a peek. Here are some gifts on Cambia Cove that are all under $50 and super cute. I love these Mercury Glass Votives. Cute gift for your friend that loves tea and candles.

I love these DIY holiday favors. Maybe something to put on my list for next year. 

Fun and cute gift ideas all under $20 from Refinery 29. Here are some unique gifts under $100. 

I love this song by Passion Pit called Let Your Love Grow Tall. Such an upbeat song! Love it. 

I love this reindeer postcard that I found on Etsy. So cute! 

Peter and I loved our rehearsal dinner location - The Bristol. LOVED it. We just saw that it was listed in GQ as #9 in a list of Top 10 best restaurants in America. Way to go Bristol! 

I loved the gals from Bird and Banner that designed our invitations and menu cards. One of my favorite blogs, 100 Layer Cake, featured our invitation and a few other items. So fun! 

Elf on the Shelf

One of Peter's sister in law's recommended that we look up Elf on the Shelf. And ironically enough a day or two later my dad sent the girls the Elf on the Shelf. This is seriously one of the cutest holiday traditions I have seen. 

The package comes with an Elf and a book that relays the tradition of the Elf on the Shelf. We officially adopted the elf by naming him. Well, our elf is named Kevin-Devin (because Margaret and Cate both couldn't agree on one name so we combined their choices - hence, good ole "Kevin-Devin." Our Elf was sent by Santa to keep an eye on Cate and Margaret and at night he returns to the North Pole to report if the two of them were naughty or nice. When he returns in the morning he lands in a different spot in the house (and the girls take turns finding him). 

This has been hilarious. Each morning one of the girls comes downstairs and tries to spot Kevin-Devin. This morning he was on top of the chandelier in the entryway. The girls are reminded that Kevin-Devin is always watching them - so they better be good! 

I love this tradition. So cute. Kevin-Devin has come in handy a few times, "Girls, Kevin-Devin is watching and he will report to Santa." 

Does anyone have an Elf on the Shelf? I've run into a few parents that have one and we laugh about the various places their Elf has landed (one mom even dusted some flour on him and he must have wanted to help make cookies). 

What a brilliant idea - some words from the authors. Here is a little girl Gigi and her Elf on the Shelf. 

Recap: Virgin Gorda (Part 2 of Honeymoon)

Part 2 of our honeymoon was on Virgin Gorda at Little Dix Bay. We took a plane from San Maarten to Tortola and then a boat from there to Virgin Gorda. Virgin Gorda was equally as beautiful as Anguilla - but looks completely different. Virgin Gorda is much more lush and green and the beaches are not as wide. We loved our room, it was peaceful and open - and we loved the outdoor shower. 

We took a sunset cruise one evening which took us to a few different spots - Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock (a tiny island with some accommodations and a restaurant). 

Our second to last night in Virgin Gorda we went to the Mine Shaft Cafe as we were told that it is one of the best spots to watch the sunset. We had a great dinner and had an amazing view of the sunset. One of the funny things about this restaurant is that there is a tree where all the chickens come to sleep (at the top). Hard to explain (but the chickens sit high up in the tree and fall asleep there). 

On our last day we had a sunset massage and hung out at the spa pool (which had an amazing view). That evening we had a private beach dinner - perfect end to our amazing trip. 

PS - And we just received a sneak peek of our pictures from Brett and Kiri of Pen Carlson (who we LOVE). They ROCK! I miss all my wedding vendors! 

Recap: Anguilla (Part 1 of Honeymoon)

Peter and I made a list of criteria when looking for a honeymoon spot = warm weather, easy to travel to, great accommodations/service, beautiful scenery. We came up with two spots in the Caribbean with the help of Lauren from Jet Set World Travel. Our first half of the trip was spent at Cap Juluca (pics of resorts) on Anguilla off of St. Maarten (and our second half of our stay was on Virgin Gorda off of Tortola at Little Dix Bay). We loved both places equally as much for different reasons. The pic above was after dinner at Pimm's Restaurant at Cap Juluca on our first night in Anguilla.

On day 2 of our trip we met this lovely American woman who worked at Cap Juluca who was doing some errands in town. She offered to show us around. She was invaluable - as she gave us quite the overview of the local restaurants/hot spots/gossip, etc. She was basically our personal tour guide for the day. Peter forgot his swimsuit (ha!) so she steered us away from buying one at the resort's overpriced shop and took us to Irie Life. She then took us to Pyrat Rum where Peter participated in a rum tasting. She dropped us off at the local Johnno's Beach Stop in Sandy Ground for lunch (Yummy!). That evening we had dinner at Smokey's and met the owner Clyde Gumbs (son of Jeremiah Gumbs - who led the Anguillan protest in 1967).

One morning we worked out with Cardigan Connor, a famous past cricket player. He was a delight to chat w/. Talk about FIT FIT FIT. We met a family (the Miller's) who were staying at a Villa just off Cap Juluca's property for Thanksgiving. They have gotten to know Cardigan over the years and said that he has the best stories. We also enjoyed talking with the Miller's son Bryce Miller, a race car driver.

On day 3 we took a boat out with a group from our resort and snorkeled and stopped by Shoal Bay (pic above). We also stopped at this tiny island, called Scilly Cay, and had an awesome lunch. The island is super small and has a tiny restaurant on it - owned by Eudoxie and Sandra Wallace. We loved all the folks in our group that we got everyone on board to head to the Dunes (scroll down to read about the history behind the Dunes) that night to hear Bankie Banx play and have dinner.

Our last night in Anguilla was Thanksgiving and we had dinner at Mango's Seaside Grill. We had an incredible dinner and loved being right on the water - definitely different from the tryptophan induced traditional meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc. The owner of Mango's recently passed away and everyone on the island was talking about it. Mango Dave was known by all as someone who truly lived the dream (by selling his business in New Jersey and buying a restaurant in the Caribbean).  

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! Freezing days like today make me wonder why I still live in Chicago (time to pull out those pics from the summer!). 

I love these 7 Deadly Sins Plates (from Etsy) made from reworked vintage china saucers. So different. These Fighter and Lover bowls are kind of interesting. 

I was inspired to look up these carolers the other day when I was at a friend's home. I immediately recognized them as the same ones my mom collects - and has one for each of our family members. My mom is currently looking for one to represent Peter. So cute. 

My mom LOVES San Miguel, Mexico and I saw this wedding save the date and sent it to her. She loved it. Love the design of these save the dates by Chewing the Cud. 

I LOVE these monogrammed letterpress coasters. I might have to "gift" myself some of these. I was at a friend's house and saw them - and I was in love. These would make the perfect hostess gift. 

I really like this Kiehl's scent - maybe for Peter? 

A friend of mine who recently got married recommended that I use this Bliss Steep Clean Mask the morning of my wedding. I did and I loved it. 

One of my girl crushes, Joanna Goddard (of A Cup of Jo), posted her Gift Guide for Best Friends. Love it! She has Gift Guides for everyone on your list. Check them out! 

I loved the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I found it inspiring and I loved how real the author felt. A friend of mine posted this article/Q&A where Elizabeth Gilbert discusses her new novel entitled Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. 

Recap: Wedding Reception

I have loved A New Leaf (as a florist and as a venue) for years. I used to live in the Old Town/Lincoln Park area and at night drive or walk by the space - and it was always so pretty - candle lit with beautiful flowers. I made a mental note that someday I wanted to host an event there. I remember calling ANL (A New Leaf) and asking them if they had any available Saturdays in 2009 - they had one - which ended up being our wedding day = Saturday, November 21, 2009

The flowers and candles were gorgeous. I loved all the fall colors and the orange calla lilies submerged in water filled vases. Simple and beautiful. 

ANL has two levels - a mezzanine level looking down. Dancing took place upstairs. We LOVED our DJs from Toast and Jam. They rocked out. Everyone loved them. 

This is a picture from above looking down. Peter and I loved our caterers from Limelight Catering. The awesome gals of Bird and Banner who designed our invitations put together a complementary menu. I'm still waiting to hear from the caterer with the recipe for the Bosc Pear, Local Apple and Goat Cheese Gratin. It was DIVINE! 

My cousin got married at the end of October and she had a Candy Buffet at her wedding. It was a HUGE hit. My sister and I loved it and ate our favorite candy all night long. Two weeks before the wedding I decided to do it. It was such a hit with everyone. Who doesn't love candy? My favorites were the Melt Away Mints - YUM! 

Recap: Wedding Dress

I absolutely LOVED my wedding dress. It was definitely my PRINCESS moment for sure.  My mom and I looked for dresses last spring and had a great time. My sisters and I are always vying for one on one time with my mom so having an entire weekend together was so much fun. We had a blast trying on dress after dress - I didn't know how I was going to make my decision as I loved so many of them. This past fall I even tried on my Mom's wedding dress (that had not been taken out of the box since her wedding) - so fun! 

My mom also came to Chicago this past fall and she went with me to meet with Amy Beck ofAmy Beck Cake Design. My mom fell in love with Amy's work and we came up with the above design (to replicate my wedding dress). It was so beautiful (and tasty). We had 3 different layers - Coconut Cake with Key Lime Buttercream, Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Spiced Ginger Buttercream, and lastly Chocolate Bourbon with Raspberry Buttercream. YUM, YUM, YUM! 

Recap: Wedding Ceremony

I loved our wedding ceremony. LOVED it. We were blessed with a beautiful fall day - high of 55 and sunny. Cate and Margaret were so excited to be the flower girls - and for weeks they talked about their flower "crowns" which were a hit w/them. 

I remember walking down the aisle with my Dad and not even hearing the processional songO'Carolan's Concerto. I do remember seeing all my family and friends and smiling and waving to everyone. I loved every moment of it. I was beaming to the point where my cheeks HURT! 

And then I saw Peter and he looked so handsome in his tux. OMG - I'm going to marry him. I then looked to my right and saw Cate and Margaret sitting there hugging one another - looking so cute. My two stepsisters read and my now sister in laws said the Prayers of the Faithful. 

I then lost it during our vows. It hit me - wow - I'm getting married - I didn't know if I would be able to continue. But after a few moments - with Peter's reassuring squeeze I made it through. I loved seeing everyone out there and having my two sisters stand up there with me. So special. I'm thrilled we decided to go with a videographer because I know there is so much I missed. 

PS - Check out yesterday's post on our rehearsal dinner - I added pics. 

Recap: Rehearsal Dinner

So, we are back and as I'm typing this there is snow falling. Pretty yes, but COLD = ugh. I have dedicated this week to our wedding - details, details and more details.

Our rehearsal dinner was amazing and it set the tone for the weekend. We held the dinner at The Bristol in Bucktown. We had our dinner upstairs and it couldn't have worked out better. Originally we were supposed to have our dinner at Vivo - long story short we ended up switching to The Bristol two weeks out. We were thrilled with The Bristol and I cannot wait to go back there and have dinner or brunch. People rave about the place!

MENU

Starters

• Monkey Bread with Dill Dipping Sauce (unbelievable, I could have eaten an entire loaf). Soft, warm and right out of the oven.
• Apple and Manchego Salad (yummy, but honestly I don't remember as much because I was in LOVE w/the Monkey Bread).

Entrees (passed family style)

• Ravioli with cheese/herbs and egg yolk that oozes out when you cut into it. They were DIVINE (and huge!). One was enough to keep you satisfied.
• Beef Brisket (yummy, and my best friend's father who is jewish and knows good beef brisket gave it a thumbs up!).
• Side of Beets (not sure how they were prepared but LOVED them).

Dessert

• Homemade Nutter Butter w/a chocolate dipping sauce (need I say more!).

Overall, the night was perfect - great vibe - loved the brown linens and white flowers that were on the table. The staff were beyond friendly and everyone raved about their signature drinks and beers on tap.

For some reason I'm having trouble uploading pics from the dinner (to give you a visual) - stay tuned - will add some tomorrow.

My Latest Obsessions

Well, we are back from our honeymoon!! We got back late Wednesday PM and are getting back into the swing of things. We were sad to leave the Caribbean but seeing the girls has been so much fun. Chicago welcomed us home with cool temps and some flurries. 

So, next week all my posts are going to be about OUR WEDDING - the rehearsal dinner, the wedding ceremony, reception, my wedding dress, and our amazing honeymoon - STAY TUNED!

In the meantime, here are some of my latest favorites (that I found while flying to our first honeymoon destination). ENJOY! 

I LOVE the latest pics of the girls we took several weeks ago. Check them out. Event Password: CM1109

We don't have a dog but if we did this Persian Kilim Napper dog bed is super cute. Maybe I will have to get one for my mom's labradoodle Lacy! 

Here is a great gift item for the guy that has everything - maybe something for his 2nd home -Jonathan Adler needlepoint backgammon set. 

I received a heads up from my new sister in law that come Spring 2010 Zac Posen will be debuting a wallet friendly line at Target. Stay tuned! 

This would be an adorable gift for a little boy or girl - Brown Own Organic Cotton Storage bin

by 3 Sprouts. Cute and useful. 

I'm a huge fan of Me & Ro jewelry. They have a heart and wing pendant and the fearlessness pendant where 100% of the proceeds go to the Joyful Heart Foundation. Great gift ideas. 

Peter and I met Bradley (from NYC) at Chez Bamboo in Virgin Gorda. He was there with his parents for Thanksgiving. He was a delight to chat w/...and we got to chatting about Thank You Notes and Cards. He recently started b(inc) design - LOVE the idea. My mom drilled into us the importance of Thank You notes (however, I still have some to write from my engagement party...yikes!). I wonder if the White House party crashers write thank you notes! Ha! 

Check out these beautiful organic wool pillows from Kate Henri. More about Kate. 

Ode to Weddings!

Okay, so there really isn't a countdown left. It is GO time. Off to do errands and hang with my mom and sisters - girl time - before the rehearsal dinner. 

When Joanna (my girl crush) of A Cup of Jo left for her honeymoon this fall she featured different couples and their "secret to a happy marriage" - I found all of them inspiring. I thought these would be a nice way to end the week before I start my new chapter with Peter and the girls. 

ENJOY the posts. Scroll down and you will see more and more to read. 

So, this is my last POST until I get back from our honeymoon - Wednesday, December 2. We leave next Monday. Cannot wait to write all about our wedding and honeymoon. Toodles until then! 

2 more days...

OMG. WOW - tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner at The Bristol. And then the BIG DAY. I cannot believe that it is finally here. So excited. An excitement that I cannot even define. I'm thrilled to be spending the day with my closest friends and family - to celebrate the next chapter in my (our) life. I think sometimes you can get so wrapped up in the planning piece of weddings that you forget why the party (per se) is even happening (you are getting married - saying your vows to someone who you plan on spending the rest of your life w/). WOW - big stuff. 

I'm thinking of writing a letter to Peter for him to open Saturday morning. There is something about pen to paper that feels good to me. In all the craziness of the planning, being w/the girls, I want to take some time out to write him a letter - I like this idea. We wrote letters to one another in our pre cana class and I still have mine. I keep it in my wallet. I love it. I think I was born in the wrong era - when emails are means of communication now (don't get me wrong I'm definitely pro texting / IMing / emailing for sure) but there is something special about reading a handwritten letter and touching the paper. 

So tonight I'm going to sit down and write Peter a letter - and I will just write what comes to me. The other night when we were discussing this past year and a half he mentioned he "knew" that this was going the distance when I met the girls. I remember that night so vividly. It was a magical night. 

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Wednesday. My Mom and stepdad arrive tonight and my Dad and Bonnie arrive tomorrow!! So excited. We are all having dinner at my sister's place downtown tomorrow evening. So fun! 3 more days!! 5 days until we are BASKING in the sun. 

Peter's sister in law Peg downloaded all her tunes to our new Ipod. I'm OBSESSED withLisztomania by Phoenix. I also like this one by Phoenix as well. It is so nice to have music going all day - the girls and I have our own dance party in the afternoons! We will have to take a video of our Happy Dance! So cute! 

Cute flower girl dresses from East Side Bride. The girls ended up with the following dress from J.Crew. They LOVE it. We are adding a black ribbon around the dress to match the black dresses of the bridesmaids. My sister Stephanie is wearing this dress with these fun shoes. Love it! 

Love this post from A Cup of Jo - Mint Water - would be perfect for a dinner party. 

I'm at Old Navy quite a bit shopping for the girls. I may have to check out this adorable trench coat next time I'm there. I have always wanted the classic Burberry trench but the price tag from Old Navy is more my speed. Much better cost per wear. I use the cost per wear concept ALL THE TIME. At an early age my mom taught me this concept. Thanks MOM! My wardrobe (actually my wallet) thanks you! 

 

My Latest Obsessions

So, 4 days until the wedding! Craziness. Lots of little details and last minute errands. But pretty much everything is in order. Now it is game time! Cannot wait. 

For the next couple of days I'm going to be blogging about my latest obsessions. I usually post My Latest Obsessions on Friday but thought I would finish off this week w/some of my favorites! 

I seem to wear workout pants all day long - seems to be my uniform as of late (much to my dismay as I never thought that would be the case). Ha! But I love this cute workout top by my favorite place Lululemon. I saw it on one of the gals that work there - and it looked awesome! 

I've featured Linda & Harriet's 2010 letterpress calendar before however, now they have made a gift set that includes the calendar - that is so cute. LOVE IT. Liz of Linda & Harriet started a blog that I read on a daily basis. 

I would love to make these yummy Whoopie Pies (via Little Brown Pen). Wouldn't they be fun for a favor for a dinner party? You can buy the DIY Whoopie Pie Gift Kits on Etsy. My friends

Taryn and Brian had whoopie pies as their take aways at the end of their wedding. It was so cute. I also love her Keep Calm and Carry on Calendars (spoof) for Men. What a great gift. Funny too. 

My sister Stephanie and I made our usual pit stop at Anthropologie this weekend. She bought this adorable Elbow Patch Blazer - check out the pics - and you will notice the cute scottie dog lining! 

Reflections

Wow. So, 5 days until the wedding (we are in single digits here!). Peter and I went to The Bristol Saturday PM to check out the rehearsal dinner space. LOVED it by the way. We are super excited to have it there. 

Saturday PM we had a moment to ourselves and we just looked at one another - and said - really, has it only been a year and a half. Yes, it has. It has been one jam packed year and a half - full of lots of changes, full of wedding planning, and meeting new people. 

Reflections on this past year and a half: 

• None of this would have been possible without open and honest communication between myself and Peter. That is for sure. 
• I'm now less hard on myself than I was in the beginning (when I started watching the girls). Believe me, remembering my internal breakdown at the grocery store now makes me laugh. And many many WTF moments (and I know that those moments are not done). 
• Schedules are key. We now have our schedule down pat (school, pick ups, drop offs, dinner time, bath time, bed time). When we are on schedule all of us are happy! 
• Vans are not as bad as I originally thought! Cannot believe I'm saying this! 
• Allow 10-15 minutes on either end of anything (when dealing with the girls). 
• The girls remember EVERYTHING - so watch what you say and promise! 
• Family means more to me than ever (this includes my family, Peter's family and the girls' mom's family). 
• BE FLEXIBLE. This is a big one for me. Kids change everything. Schedules and priorities change once they are in the picture. 
• I respect all parents on a whole new level. Parenting is rewarding yet also very challenging and often exhausting at times. 
• I'm finally okay wearing my work out pants all day...(this took awhile). 

I'm sure I will continue to learn more about myself and my new family as I continue along this journey. There will be ups and downs and times of pain and times of pure JOY! 

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! Running around doing last minute errands -- 8 MORE DAYS!

Daily Candy recently featured these beautiful one of a kind Elliot Mann bags. They would make a great gift.

Interesting paper chandelier from Pottery Barn.

I want to copy this perfectly messy french bun. Love it.

I would love to wear this greyscale cardigan on a chilly fall day.

It just dawned on me that we won't be back from our honeymoon until December 2nd. Wow - not much time to get a head start on holiday shopping. I have Girls Night ornament exchange party upon returning. I think I might try one of these paper ornaments from Essimar from Etsy. This paper peace ornament is really neat.

Adore the photos from this wedding in Tuscany (of 100 Layer Cake). This reminds me of my stepsister who was married in Italy several years ago. What a fantastic week all of us had.

I love these pen and ink drawings by Teagan White - love the lace detail.

This salted butter caramel ice cream looks sinfully DIVINE! So yummy. And I love the bowls they are in. Very pretty.

Aren't these blackboard placecards adorable? LOVE THEM. I would love to make these.

My Latest Obsessions

I have so many favorite "obsessions" this week that I thought I would post them Thursday and Friday. So here is my part 1 of 2. ENJOY! 

OMG. I'm super obsessed right now with these beautiful chairs from Anthropologie. AND I found on Apartment Therapy a How To: DIY Upholstered Folding Chairs. I WANT TO MAKE THEM! Here is Apartment Therapy's original post about them. IN LOVE. Not that I have enough on my plate...but WOW would love to make these (spring project maybe?). 

I love Paper Source. They now have a new blog. I love their post about a "grateful box" for Thanksgiving. Very cute. We will be gone for Thanksgiving this year (on our honeymoon!) but next year I would love to start a tradition of this sort. 

I love stationery. Hello Lucky! has amazing items. I saw on Daily Candy that you can get 30% offif you use HELLODC to check out. They also have a blog that I read on a daily basis. Great stuff. 

I've been thinking about tights/hosiery lately - this article from Refinery 29 was fun to read. 

I love letterpress - adore it! I wanted to add a few letterpress items to our wedding welcome bags. I worked with Laurie of Lucky Bee Letterpress (via Etsy) -- and I am in love with her designs. We came up with a few fun items to put into each bag. She was easy to work with and I will for sure use her again. Let's just say that I fell in love with the hedgehog coasters andnotecards! 

Donuts with Dad

This morning Cate and Margaret had "Donuts with Dad" at school. So adorable. Precious. They were beyond excited to hang out with their dad. 

I think I fell more in love with Peter when I met his girls. The love and adoration that all three of them have for one another is beautiful. I loved watching the girls climb all over him like little monkeys. It was clear that all three of them loved one another enormously. 

I have found myself over the years doing something that my Dad used to do during our Sunday night dinners or anytime we would get together for a weekend or event. Upon prompting from my Dad at the end of the weekend or meal we told the group what our "highlight" was - in turn keeping those fun memories going strong a little bit longer. I love this idea. I have done it with Peter and with my friends. 

I don't remember if I had something like "Donuts with Dad" at my school but some of my favorite childhood memories are as follows: 

• Going grocery shopping (one on one) with my Dad (don't know why but it was always so fun!). 
• Riding bikes (and not just riding down the street) - we always had a destination in mind (the deli - where we had lunch or a treat). 
• Sunday Night Dinners at his place (we always rotated out stir fry or a chicken dish) and he always had frozen yogurt for us. It was during these dinners that we went around to tell everyone our "highlight" of the week. 

Several weeks ago in my "Latest Obsessions" I featured Rules for my Unborn Son by Walker Lamond - which would be a cute gift for someone having a little boy. He even has a blog. And I love the Blogger Metro Dad's The Rules: 25 Life Lessons for my Daughter. 

11 Days to GO!

NOTE: Above picture was taken the night we got engaged! I LOVED that night. 

OMG. I cannot believe it. 11 days to go until the wedding. Lots on our to do list. Last minute details and things to cross off our list. Guests start arriving next week. My mom and stepdad Travis are flying in next Wednesday and my Dad and his girlfriend Bonnie come Thursday. 

I remember when we had 64 days to go and when we sent out our wedding invitations. Time flies. Lately I have been a bit emotional about getting married. This is something you think about for so long and then you start to truly imagine it once you meet that special person. I'm so excited. I'm excited for our journey together - with the girls - and adding more kids to the mix! 

Beautiful Fall Weekend

I love fall. I love the colors of the changing leaves - oranges, golds, reds - and all the textures that are out there (falling leaves, wearing sweaters, layers of clothing).

This weekend was absolutely gorgeous - warm temps and sunny skies. On Saturday Peter and the girls raked the leaves in the back yard. The girls were giggling and jumping into the huge piles of leaves. They had a ball. Smiles all around.

We had our good friends Sarah and Dave over for an early dinner. I promised to make Cincinnati style chili (Cooking Light version - with ground turkey) and honey cornbread muffins. Both were a hit with the crowd. I had even more fun making it this time because I used our new Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven (in red). We received it as a wedding gift from one of my favorite readers (of my blog). Not only did the chili simmer nicely in the dutch oven - I loved looking at it - such a pretty design. I really love it. NOTE: I seriously cannot believe I'm saying out loud how much I love an item of cookware - long gone are my single days of no cooking and grocery shopping.

On Sunday we went to the Bear's game with Peter's brother in law and his wife. Such a nice afternoon - perfect weather! It was so nice to be outside.

Thursday Night Dinner

Last night I made Stuffed Peppers (without rice) - and they were awesome! I was a bit stumped at the grocery store as I didn't know what crushed tomatoes were - but I knew that they would be in the section with the diced ones, etc. I almost went ahead and bought the diced ones thinking they would do - until I spotted them. I now see the difference. 

I was laughing as I was preparing the stuffed peppers - talk about multitasking. Simultaneously the following things were going on - I was helping Cate with her homework / making them dinner (of dino nuggets and strawberries) / talking with my mom on the phone about last minute wedding details / switching over the laundry - trying to time everything perfectly so that the girls would be in their bath while the peppers were in the oven. 

I can officially say that I'm SO READY for 10 days and relaxing alone with Peter. It has been one busy year and a half. Sometimes I forget how much has changed. I used to never even go grocery shopping - as most of my meals were eaten at work (we had a kick a** fully stocked fridge and pantry that I LOVED). 

15 DAYS TO GO!!! 

My Latest Obsessions

NOTE: I'm making dinner tonight so my usual Thursday post featuring a recipe will be tomorrow. And my Friday Latest Obsessions is today! ENJOY. 

This is a hilarious video. A little MJ for their wedding and his bride. 

Love this line at Anthropologie. Gorgeous glasses and clothes. 

I heart this necklace from my favorite shop. I could live and breathe Anthropologie. Just ask my sister (as the two of us were there last week - just chilling on their couch - at times we think we live there). 

Okay, so I have a girl crush on Joanna Goddard of the blog A Cup of Joe and writer for Glamour. She is chic, funny and creative. Here are some pics from her fun wedding. I even stole a fun idea from her wedding for my own - which you will see later! I also love the post about her mother's advice. Very true! 

Love the typography on this wedding invitation suite. So beautiful. 

Wouldn't these party blowers be FUN to make? 

I used this nail color last week - love it. Such a fun fall color! 

There are a few blogs that I read on a daily basis. Snippet and Ink is one of them. I love Kathryn's posts and I admire her for one of her latest posts - where she is honest and open with her readers. Very brave. 

I've been added to Stepmother's Milk's Blog List. She wrote the book The Package Deal: My (not-so) Glamorous Transition from Single Gal to Instant Mom and the creator of the blogStepmother's Milk. BTW a good friend of mine sent me this book which ultimately inspired me to start blogging. 

And lastly, we picked out what song I'll be walking down the aisle to - Carolan's Concerto. LOVE IT! So pretty. 16 DAYS TO GO! Wahoo. 

My Mom's Wedding Dress

I had my second wedding dress fitting last week and my little buddy Margaret was with me. She was in heaven - who wouldn't be - surrounded by so many beautiful dresses! I love my dress more and more. 

I thought back to when I tried on my Mom's wedding dress last spring when I was home. I have always heard her talk about her dress - as she made it herself. It took her months and months to make it - and she loved it. I had never seen it in person so we decided to unwrap it from the box that it had been in for 30 plus years. I was so nervous trying on her dress - as she was a mere 98 pounds when she got married! 

We took it out of its box and wow - it is GORGEOUS. I think a part of you always wonders if your daughter will wear your wedding dress. I know I think about it with my dress. My Dad's two sisters wore their mother's dress and then one of my Aunt's 2 daughters wore it as well. It is such a wonderful tradition. And my stepsister wore a dress that was in her husband's family. I love the idea of walking down the aisle wearing a dress that has been worn by your mother or your grandmother - so special. 

Obviously I decided on my own dress (which you will see pics of in 17 DAYS) but I wanted to share the experience of trying on my mom's dress. I loved it. And I love it even more knowing the hard work and time she put in to making it. She was taking a grad school tailoring class at the time and made the cardboard slopers which made the dress custom fit for her. She used peau de soie (duchess satin) and embroidered silk organza and hand sewed on lots of tiny seed pearls. 

Okay, so I'll give you a description of my dress (pics to come AFTER the wedding): 

Ivory silk organza scoop neck, fitted torso with net overlay with Alencon appliques, pleated tulle skirt accented with lace chapel train. I LOVE IT! 

Have any of you worn your mother's dress or a relative? Please tell! 

Holiday Traditions

We have been talking about our family lately and after the honeymoon Peter and I are so excited to just relax and all be together. It has been a busy year and a half. Our calendar seems to never stop. I've been thinking lately about some of my family traditions and how I want to incorporate them into "our" family. 

One of my favorite things to do with my mom and sisters when I was younger was to make a gingerbread house. We always started making it the weekend after Thanksgiving. On Friday when a lot of folks were out shopping all the sales we were putting together our gingerbread house (however, ours was never made out of gingerbread!). My dad would always make the roof out of a box top and then we had to look for the perfect box for the base of the house. And then came all the frosting, graham crackers (instead of gingerbread), and tons of candy! 

I would love to start this tradition with Cate and Margaret. It will be fun to start our own holiday traditions. 

What are some traditions that you remember doing with your family? Current traditions? 

*The pic is of Meg's gingerbread house (of Megnut) who wanted to go back to her tradition of making gingerbread houses. 

Halloween is OVER...

Halloween is over! Peter was a cowboy - Margaret was Cinderella for her school parties and Sleeping Beauty for Trick or Treating - Cate was Snow White and I was Snow White as well. We had a great weekend - but I think we are all exhausted. Halloween started last Thursday with parties at school and ended Saturday night. We have such a great neighborhood for Trick or Treating. The girls LOVE it! We went trick or treating with all of their cousins on Peter's side and then ended up at his parents place for dinner. So fun. 

However, I'm glad Halloween is over. Sugar highs are now at a minimum. I think Peter and I are looking forward to our honeymoon more than ever. Life has been super busy lately and we are ready for a break! So excited. 

19 more days until we get married. So exciting!! 21 days until we are in Cap Juluca and Little Dix Bay (has anyone been to either spots?). Warm weather here we come!! I cannot wait to sleep in - and not worry about a schedule.