My Latest Obsessions

GMC at 9.5 months (where does the time go?)

Happy Friday! I'm so excited...my Mom (JuJu) arrives Monday and she will be here for the entire week! My sister and I are fighting over who she is staying with and when. Ah sisters! We are all excited to get some JuJu time in (even if it means sharing her)! AND our youngest sister is arriving late next week for the long weekend! I cannot wait to see her either (as I haven't seen her since the week we had GMC)!

Some of my latest faves...

I was checking out a couple of items on BHLDN's site and saw these ADORABLE kerchiefs. What a creative and different way to ask a friend or family member to be a bridesmaid or maid of honor! And then I saw that they were made by lovely ladies at Bird & Banner (the FAB designers who we worked with on our wedding invitation / and also my personalized stationery). I'm so pumped to see their stuff featured in BHLDN!

Some beautiful giftwrap by Banquet Antelier & Workshop. And cute notecards. Aviary Heart = Fave.

There are so many fun and cute paper plates and napkins out there these days. We had a bunch of PFC's college buddies and their spouses over for dinner this past weekend and we used these adorable blue stripe paper plates from Caspari (but I bought them at the local Fitzgerald's in Oak Park). We used the coordinating smaller blue stripe plates as the dessert plate and I found 3 different types of red ribbon as an accent color (polka dot, paper ribbon, and paper wraphia) to tie the silverware together (in these napkins). Our theme = think chic picnic (however, we had to hold the dinner indoors due to CHILLY temps). Food was amazing (and from our friend Tracy of fab feasts). We had pulled pork sandwiches (smoked for 13 hours mind you = YUMMY), corn salad with basil and apple cider vinegar, beans with bacon and maple syrup, watermelon slices and homemade coleslaw (that you put on top of the pulled pork sandwich = beyond FAB). Huge success.

I also noticed that Waverly came out with some disposable plateware w/Hefty = Waverly Hefty.

I love navy and white together. So how great are these items from Serena & Lily?! Check out the spotlight on their new brand...very exciting!

How cute is this Envelope Surprise (from oh happy day).

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! Well, PFC and I snuck away for a few days to celebrate at dear friend's wedding. It was FAB! While we missed the kiddos we needed a little break from reality and I saw some of my favorite gals that I had not seen since our own wedding.

Being away allowed me some time to regroup and catch up on some mags and some other items. I feel very recharged for sure. Some things I came across while away:

• Marimekko's exclusive line at Crate and Barrel = LOVE.
• Zara's spring line of dresses = Cute and Colorful.
• Top 10 Outdoor Dining Tables from Elle Decor - fave = Cargo Table by Fermob (love that it comes in 24 hues). Fermob has some great stuff!
• Anthropologie Decorator Concept = PRETTY RAD! And I noticed that in the pic they are showing the wallpaper we used in our powder room (which makes me smile everytime I see it).
• Kate Spade launched a bedding line for Bed Bath & Beyond = FUN.
• Graham & Brown launched a paint line "The Colours that made Great Britain Great" = lovely. And how fun are the names?
• Calypso for Target = take me away on another vacation please! A few days before we left for our trip I was on one of my usual Target runs and stumbled upon the collection. I bought the Embroidered Ruffle Dress in Navy. It is super cute and I used a silk hot pink belt that JuJu (my mom) passed along to me years ago (that I LOVE) = works well (as I wanted to cover up the high elastic waist). I also bought C this cute little dress. 
• Fun decorations from BHLDN and some you could definitely use for another event / party besides a wedding. LOVE. How cute are these lovely votives?!
• Travel + Leisure just announced the 2011 list of 50 best new hotels.

My Latest Obsessions

 Georgie (almost 9 months) in between C and M.

Happy Friday! So, wow - what a DAY (or morning) for K + W. I was up VERY early watching all the happenings LIVE. I LOVED watching all of it! So fun.

Some of my latest faves...

I did really like Kate's dress this morning - designed by Sarah Burton, an Alexander McQueen designer.

Love the latest pic of our kiddos above. Makes me smile. 9 months is such a fun age and the gals are enjoying how active GMC is these days! He is officially crawling!

So fun - here are some wedding dresses of "American Royalty!"

So, I'm over my love affair with Easter candy. The Reeses Peanut Butter eggs always have me at the first bite but time to move on! I mean, come on, the proportion of peanut to chocolate is SO MUCH higher than the usual peanut butter cups. However, I'm LOVING these white and dark hearted brownies (via Smitten Kitchen). Don't they look YUMMY?!

I stumbled upon these adorable kits from Seedling. I'm always looking for more unique and creative gifts for the kids and for all the birthday parties they go to. Seedling has a blog too that is pretty cool - which then took me to little Willow's gift guide for teeny ones - 2010 (some CUTE stuff)!

The rain as of late is making me think about ALL THINGS BRIGHT and COLORFUL and SUNNY = Camp Cirrus (click here to buy in the US). LOVE the patterns and colors!

Love these Homegrown Monogram Mugs from Anthro! CUTE and would make a great gift!

My Dad's friend Bonnie was in NYC for the NDSS Spring Luncheon and got to hear blogger Kelle Hampton (Enjoying the Small Things) speak as well as a few other folks. Here is Hampton's post about NYC and the luncheon (she captured some great shots).

My Latest Obsessions

GMC (8.5 months) giving a shout out to Daddy (a.k.a. Pistol Pete) by wearing some western gear.

Pistol Pete gearing up for the Desert Caballeros Ride in Wickenburg, AZ.

Happy Friday! Have a FAB weekend. We are anxiously awaiting PFC's return tomorrow from the 100 mile Desert Caballeros Ride that he is on with my stepdad. The gals and I thought it would be fun to dress up GMC in a little cowboy shirt and send Daddy a pic. And really, is GMC 8 plus months old!? TIME is FLYING! Last year at this time GMC was the size of a rutabaga! The gals are even more into GMC these days as now he is really responding to them and he LOVES it when they put on plays or shows for him. He sits there mesmerized by his older sisters!

I was at a dear friend's baby shower last Sunday (and btw, check out her great post on what she has learned so far). We were all asked to bring a book for the new baby to be's library. It was fun to see some old favorites and I discovered a new one to add to our own library at home = Quick as a Cricket (love that the book discusses individuality and feeling good about one's self). And total side note, but the gal sitting next to me was wearing such a fun shade of nail polish = Essie's Geranium (totally agree w/these thoughts - sassy and sophisticated, oh, and the fact that it gives you the illusion of a tan - bring it!).

Earth Day is coming up (April 22)! The gals keep me in check sometimes when it comes to the topic of recycling and so forth. The other day C and M were asking me about Mother Earth (and wondering who she is). I waited a bit to fully answer them and headed to my usual GO TO = GOOGLE - to get some answers (how do you describe a personification of nature to a 7 and 5 year old)? And then I stumbled upon a poem entitled Save Mother Earth by a 9 year old. And then here is Earth Day Anthropologie style!

C and M are all about butterflies. Butterflies on dresses. Butterflies on headbands. I stumbled upon these unique Butterfly Collages (via jaime mancilla's shop on Etsy). Wouldn't this be a great gift for a butterfly fan or to put in a little girls room?!
Gingham has been on my mind lately. How cute is this blue gingham and polka dot bunting!? And some gingham inspiration!

I was talking with a friend about the fact that I will sometimes start my to-do list with a task that I've already done. Yes, VERY guilty of doing that (why not feel as though you have accomplished something when the to-do list is overwhelmingly long?!). She later emailed me that she saw the exact thing on Glamour's Hey, It's Ok! section.

And I'll part with something a little bit old school = record player (kiddie style).

Later, D2

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! It is opening day for the Cubs here in Chicago AND it is April Fools' Day! I was curious about the origin of April Fools' Day - here goes!

PFC is off next Saturday for the Desert Caballeros Ride with my stepdad. Last year we welcomed the riders home as they rode back into Wickenberg, AZ. PFC and my stepdad hit up Alcala's a few weeks ago when he was in town. This year we will have to send JuJu our Welcome Home Cowboys sign as we will not be meeting them at the tail end of their ride!

Some of my latest faves...

Lately, I have been revisiting my favorite baby items due to some upcoming baby showers and friends that are prego! The Cribsie Awards were just announced and some of our faves were award winners as well, namely the following:

• Sophie the Giraffe (scroll down to The Teething Toy Every Tyke Needs) - amazing to think that this little rubber toy is 50 years old! It is one of GMC's favorite toys. We refer to Sophie as his girlfriend! Wow - Sophie certainly has a lot to offer (no wonder she is GMC's fave!).
• LOVE aden + anais blankets - listed in the Cribsie Awards under Best Sleep-inducing Swaddle blanket. We don't swaddle GMC anymore but these are still his go to blankets.

We have a few upcoming weddings (some we are able to make and some we will be there in spirit) and I still enjoy keeping up with all things wedding. I have enjoyed checking out BHLDN, such gorgeous stuff! Love the maids gift items section for gift ideas for bridesmaids.  Fave = Lovesome Hoops (love the heart but it isn't so cutesie...). And I also came across Lilly Pulitzer's Wedding line = FUN for a preppy colorful wedding party! We have a wedding celebration coming up in a few weeks for a dear friend of mine (in Playa del Carmen). So it is time to start thinking about swimsuits, flipflops and warm weather! I always seem to pull out my trusty Havaianas summer after summer - the slim version. Comfortable and easy! Some advice from Gwenyth on prepping for the spring season = Goops's Get: Building the Ultimate Closet.

Have a fab weekend!

My Latest Obsessions



GMC's first St. P's Day!

The gals getting ready to celebrate St. P's Day

Happy Friday! Wow, I cannot believe that March is almost over! Time flies. JuJu and Grandpa T were in town for a week and they left this past Sunday. We miss them already! It was so great to see them and JuJu had not seen GMC since Halloween - so she was amazed at how big he is getting and Grandpa T loved that GMC is doing the "worm" (which Trav himself has been known to do a variation of on the dance floor)! They were here during St. P's day so everyone got decked out in green and headed to Fitzgerald's. This year the girls were glued to watching the irish dancers.

Some of my latest faves...

We officially kicked off spring last Sunday. I love the color green and the color becomes even more alive during the spring when everything is thawing out (or trying!). And we all pulled out our green for the 17th. I came across this post from Janell Beals from the blog Isabella & Max Rooms talking about using green as an interior color. We used green as an accent color in GMC's nursery and I love it!

I came across Clarin's new instant smooth self tanner the other day. I'm curious. Not sure if I'll try it but when folks start coming back from spring break with a healthy glow I may look into it! When I think of anything self tanner-esque I ALWAYS think of the episode in Friends when Ross gets a spray tan. I truly think that this particular episode itself is why I'm still a bit hesitant about self-tanners. I need to get over it (as I know they have gotten remarkedly better than the days of the orange look). OMG, I'm laughing so hard from watching that clip again. Gotta love Ross when he repeats back to the guy, "spray, count, pat and turn; spray, count and pat."

Do you ever look back and wonder what you were doing the previous year on a particular date? I do that all the time. Around this time last year I was at the half-way mark carrying GMC. Crazy how time flies. I finally figured out how to be able to do just that = One Line a Day: A Five Year Memory Book. I started one for 2011! I now discovered that they have one entitled Mom's One Line a Day: A Five Year Memory Book. This would make a cute gift for a new mom-to-be.

I will say that I definitely use OMG and LOL a LOT. Well, they were just recently added to the Oxford English Dictonary. And then there is the word GOOGLE. I love it. I use the word all the time, as in "just Google it." Google (as a verb) has been added to the dictionary as well.

And lastly, I will leave with these fabulous Liberty Print rain boots that will carry you from the rainy spring right into summer! LOVE THEM!

My Latest Obsessions



This image made me smile - 2 little gals washing clothes for their dolls (old school style).
Image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy




Dear Laundry: Can you come up with a way to fold yourself and then walk back to your appropriate drawer/bin/closet? I would appreciate it SO MUCH! I seem to now throw all the clean laundry in the guest room and shut the door (while wishfully thinking that upon opening of the door you will have disappeared!). However, the out of sight out of mind thought is not really working! Much Love, D2 


Happy Friday! My latest FAVE would be a way to figure out the never ending laundry that seems to JUST THAT = NEVER END (and just when you put everything away and think you have checked something off of your list the process starts all over again). Dr. Laundry, are you able to help (well, at least you have answered some of my questions in terms of stains, etc.)?!

The two pics above made me think about an old post I did about allowing creative freedom when it comes to outfit changes (w/the gals) to the reality piece of the LAUNDRY ISSUE!

Do you ever watch TV and find yourself relating to the various characters in some way or another?! I do all the time! I recently stumbled across this list of 31 TV Sitcom Mothers of All Time. What a fun list! Maybe I could get June Clever of Leave it to Beaver to come on over and help me sort the laundry and make sure that we have a wonderful dinner on the table every night (if only that were the case!). And then you gotta love Debra Barone of Everybody Loves Raymond!

After sorting through the Lost and Found bin at school for yet another lost glove I thought - hmmmm, maybe I should have just bought NEON colored gloves for everyone (much easier to spot in the overflowing MOUND of all things LOST). And then a day or two later I saw the Trend Alert email from Gap = NEON!