Thoughts for Thursday

This is my first Thoughts for Thursday link up! I personally love reading more of the real-life, what's going on, what am I thinking about posts, so I thought it would be fun to try. 

-- Did anyone else read this dating profile a dying wife wrote for her husband? Turns out she's a celebrated author and one of her books is "Uni the Unicorn" which I know is quite popular, and we often read when we go to the bookstore. I think I may need to buy it now to support this sweet family. Grab a tissue and hug your loved ones.

--Continuing with the theme of "tears," ...let's talk about This Is Us. I know you're watching it. I am too. So are all of our friends. And it is tearing our hearts apart episode by episode. Can we just know how Jack dies already?!?! This delayed suspense is killing me, and I know I'm going to be a sobbing mess, so let's get this over with, shall we?

--Moving on to much lighter topics, and one of my personal favorites: clothes. I went in Loft last week during their 40% sale (plus Loft cash - yikes!) and picked up a light blush colored blouse with flouncy bell sleeves, comfy drawstring waist shorts in an army green color, and a minty colored long sleeve blouse. I already wore the blush top to the office on Wednesday (every other week I go into the office for an afternoon and I dress like I'm going to the prom, because every other day it's yoga pants or maternity leggings). 

--I've been trying a bunch of new recipes lately. I know in my weekend post, I linked the Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage Bowl that I made last week -- my favorite part is that it's a one pot meal. I just love that. If anyone has any suggestions for other good one pot meals (not crockpot, but just toss it all in one Dutch Oven or something), I'd love to hear them!

--I just realized that I'm coming up on my 100th post. Over 7 years (insert laugh-cry emoji here). I shudder to think about what that first post says. ;)

Happy pretty-much-Friday, friends!

Our Weekend

I can't believe it's already Tuesday! Not that I'm complaining, since we're one more day closer to the weekend. :) Speaking of weekends, this past one was super low key, which is so nice for a change. Actually, February has been a very laid back, no-rush month for us as weekends go and we've been enjoying every moment. Sometimes it's nice to not have anything specific on the agenda for the day, and to just go (or not go) where we feel like. 

On Friday we visited daddy at work right at the end of the day, then grabbed dinner at Chipotle. As you can see, the paper-holder-thingy on his desk was a big hit.

Saturday we hit a few home stores and then I made this for dinner. Skinnytaste has yet to disappoint us!

Sunday we took a quick trip to Home Depot and the girls had their first joint cart ride. I die!

Yesterday counts as the weekend, right? Mondays aren't even a real thing. Anyway, miss Hadley Kate turned 8 months yesterday. She is getting so big and strong and smart, and I just couldn't love her any more. 

And Carrington didn't have such a bad Monday either since she got to try on her recital costume at dance class. So. Much. Cuteness. May 13th can't come fast enough. :)

Tonight I'm meeting a bunch of momma friends for snacks, drinks, and massages. Not too shabby for a Tuesday, I guess. :) 

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Sunday Thought

Happy Sunday, friends!

Five on Friday

Hi, readers (mom, husband)! ;) 

Man I really just cannot get it together with blogging. I swear I have 1213921 post ideas but can't seem to find the time to actually compose them. I recently went through a little discouraging period, too, where I realized just how many bloggers there are -- why does anyone need another one?! Ha. But then I read something that talked about how, even though it may seem like something is already being done, it's not being done by you. Nobody can add your unique voice, perspective, and experience for you if you don't. That spoke to me. So, here I am! Joining one of my favorite link ups, Five on Friday. Here's to some good stuff in March. :)

1. All of the Spring things. 

For the past week or two, Spring has made an appearance here in the Northeast and I. am. so. excited. I know it's just a brief and cruel preview ;) but I am soaking it up. And by soaking it up, I mean purchasing all of the Spring things. Haha! But really. Target and Gap are killing it with their little girl/baby girl clothes. Both girls are already set with three bathing suits each. I think I can take a little break now. My husband would probably appreciate it. :) Here's Carrington modeling some of our latest finds. Having girls is too much fun.

2. Breakfast dates. 

Steve and I recently snuck away for a quick weekday breakfast date at one of our favorite spots, Turning Point. We took two cars because he had to head to work straight from the restaurant, but it was still soooo nice. Have you all ever tried a breakfast date instead of dinner? It was so nice to have some coffee, talk, and start our day off on that foot (the delicious veggie omelet and potatoes didn't hurt, either).  I can't wait for our next one!

3. The sisters. 

Included on my never-ending list of ideas for posts are so many revolving around the girls (big surprise, right?).  I'd love to do a thorough update on both of them, as Carrie is already a quarter of the way through being three, and Hadley is going to be 8 months in a couple of days! HOW?! They are each such unique little individuals and watching their relationship develop is already one of my favorite things in the whole world. 

(Anyone else still rocking Christmas jammies?)

4. Nars "Orgasm" Dupe

I've been wearing this blush for as long as I can remember. I've tried a couple of others for fun along the way, but always always came back to this one. It ran out a month or two ago and I didn't feel like shelling out for a new one quite yet, so I used an old Covergirl blush I had which was eh, fine. Then that ran out and I went two weeks sans blush. WOAH. I wasn't aware how much a tired momma benefits from some color on her cheeks! Still, I didn't feel like paying $30 for blush so I picked up the Pixi by Petra Glow-y blush in "Rose" for half the price to see if it could be a good dupe. Spoiler alert: IT IS! If you're one of the cult followers of "Orgasm," try this one. 

5. Upcoming post ideas

So, here are a few of those ideas I've been thinking about. If you're reading (hi!!!) and find any one in particular of interest, let me know and I'll be sure to get to it as quickly as possible. 

-toddler meal ideas

-Hadley's nursery tour

-Carrington's big girl room tour

-new house before & afters

-our experience with torticollis/infant helmet

-the house hunting/buying process 

-day in the life of a WAHM (work at home mom)

-favorite spring finds so far 

-welcoming another baby (toddler and family transition)

-Hadley's birth story 

-second c-section experience/recovery

-house decorating inspiration

-favorite dupes (try this for less)

-mom secrets (hint hint: buy kinetic sand)

-birthday party planning 

TGIF! Have a lovely weekend, all! 

Let Me Remember

Oh, hi! I'm already failing miserably on my goal to actually post here in this little space, but I'm determined not to let the craziness of life and infrequency of posting deter me. I have about 10 drafts sitting around, half written, including a 2016 recap post that will probably have to be rolled into a 2017 recap post at this point (insert laughing-crying emoji here). ;) 

I shared the below on my personal Facebook page earlier this evening and wanted to share here, also, as I'm sure many of you who have kids (or the two people who might see this) can relate. I love watching Carrie grow, but sometimes I'm terrified I'll forget all of the tiny details of this stage of life, which I'm so enjoying. 

.....................................

let me never forget the mischief in her blue eyes, the way she acts out movie scenes, the sound of her running across the floor as fast as her little legs will take her, her little outie belly button, all of the words she says incorrectly but more adorably than i could ever dream up, the way her golden curls smell when she sits on my lap to read, her hand dimples. good lord, the hand dimples. 

let me never take for granted that i'm the person she reflexively reaches for when she's hurt, that i'm the one she chooses to play the lead in her make believe worlds, that i am the one graced with the title "my best friend princess mommy." the honor of my life.

and that's just the oldest girl. ohhhh yes, i am in trouble with these daughters of mine. 

Our *Snow Filled* Weekend

Hey there! Happy Monday! Another weekend come and gone and this one was one of those that didn't go quite as planned, but ended up good all in all anyway. I'm not sure why I was the only one who wasn't in on the fact that we were getting a lot of snow on Saturday -- I guess I need to check my weather app more often! ;) 

My last post was about the passing of my Aunt Kathy on New Year's Eve, and I was to attend her "celebration of life service" on Saturday about 2 hours away. I woke up, got ready (I mean, I blew out my hair -- that never happens), picked out a colorful top as she had requested we all wear happy colors and not black (so her), kissed Steve and the girls goodbye and started off. About 25 minutes and 6 spun out cars later, I decided to turn around. It just felt too precarious. It's funny, when you're a mom, those little risks just don't seem worth it anymore -- I knew I had to get home safely to my babies. My in-laws had made their way up before the storm got bad and were visiting when I arrived back home. It was good to be warm in the house and to hang out with everyone, but honestly, I was just so bummed to miss the service and not to be there with my family supporting them. But - that's life! 

So instead, I started tackling what feels like the monumental task of taking down Christmas (and replacing with Valentine's Day!), we bundled up and went outside in the snow for a while, and made breakfast for dinner. 

On Sunday the roads were much better so Steve suggested we head home to celebrate my brother's birthday (happy 34th today, Matt!) with a simple pizza and cake. It worked out perfectly. We got to visit, the kids got to play, and then we headed back home.

Hope everyone stayed warm, safe, & mostly dry this weekend! Be back tomorrow with a late 2016 year in review and 2017 goals (which, I must say, I've already started on -- big ol' pats on the back for me. ha!). 

In Memory

I last saw my aunt kathy on christmas eve. She was weak and tired, but she still laughed along with us as we told stories, still handed out wrapped gifts to our girls, still caught carrington when she leaped off the stairs into her arms for a hug. So classic aunt kathy. And she wouldn't have missed christmas eve for the world. It was always her holiday... my memory is filled with childhood christmas eves at her house, decorating gingerbread houses and singing carols. She loved parties and kids (most especially her own two girls) and making the most out of life. It wasn't easy for her, but she made it to my cousin's wedding in early november and, I'm not kidding, SHE was swinging all of US across the dance floor.

She passed away on New Year's Eve after a remarkable four year fight against cancer. Yesterday my family celebrated her life and I couldn't be there and I'm really, really pissed off at the snow. It's hard to be far away from family, but especially at times like these.

So long, for now. <3 

Five on Friday

Happy Friday! Did you wake up to snow today? We did! Just a heavy dusting, but it still made C go nuts, haha. She was running from window to window to show me all of the things that the snow was covering. Love her. 

I'm linking up with some of my favorite reads for my first Five on Friday in quite a while! Here are a few totally random thoughts heading into the weekend...

1. Target. Ooooh Target, why can't I quit you? Especially the "dollar" section (Target shoppers know why I put that in quotations, as most things are $3 or even $5 these days - but does that stop me?). It's not news that Target has cute stuff and it's definitely not news that I can't resist buying said cute stuff, but the Dollar Spot is KILLING it right now with their New Year and Valentine's Day goodies. This picture isn't great quality, but here's a preview of what I found -- the rose gold faux leather pouch says "this & that" and the white pouch says "bag of tricks." I mean, come on.

2. Meal Planning & Prep. Yesterday I started an 8-week "body back" course that consists of workouts and a healthy eating plan. The problem with healthy eating is that 1. willpower and 2. it involves planning and prep. I vowed as part of the course to carve out time to do both, but I'm a little nervous about making it happen. Any tips for planning out your weekly meals and prepping before hand so it's easy to follow through? And any delicious, healthy, easy recipes you'd care to share? ;)

3. Melissa & Doug Water Wow. Wheeeere have these been all of my mom life? My mom got one for C for Christmas and she played with it for HOURS the first night. She keeps going back to it, too! I actually just bought another one with a different theme on Amazon because I figure they're great for on the go!

4. Weekend Plans. What's everyone up to this weekend? Sadly, I have a celebration of life service for my aunt on Saturday -- she passed away on New Year's Eve after a long, brave battle with cancer. On Sunday I hope to take down our Christmas decor (wah) and organize the house a bit.

5. My baby is 6 Months Old Today! Today marks six months in the world for miss Hadley Kate. I can't believe it. I'm not sure how half a year passed already. She seems to be growing and learning and changing every day, and she's so smiley. The sweetest!

Hello, 2017

Happy Thursday, and Happy New Year! 

It has been about 9 months since I last blogged. The last time I hit "publish" on a post, I was pregnant with our second baby girl, in the thick of working (a lot) from home, and raising a 2.5 year old. I've been a spotty blogger, at best, over the last six (!!!) years and yet each year I set the same goal: blog more. 

If you already know me personally, the reasons that I aspire to blog more will probably be obvious to you: I love writing, I love sharing, I love inspiring and being inspired, and I love connecting with people. Blogging is such a natural fit for me. And, if you know me personally, the reasons I seem to fail miserably at blogging regularly are also probably obvious: I'm a mom to two little ones, when I'm not parenting (aka nap time and bed time), I'm busy working from home, and I have a tendency to start things, or want to start them, and not finish them. I bet you can already guess what one of my goals is for 2017! ;)

I've realized that one of the biggest reasons I don't stick with blogging, as much as I really really want to, is that I have this idea of what a blog post should look like. Perfectly curated with high-quality photos and recent happenings, all appropriately linked up, following some type of "theme" (fashion blog, mommy blog, decor blog, etc.). So instead of opening my laptop and just beginning, typing away about all of the things I want to share, I sit there for way too long thinking about how a post SHOULD look and - surprise! - I never even begin.

So this year, in the very thick of parenting two littles (Carrie is 3 and Hadley is 6 months tomorrow, if you wondered), trying to balance my WAHM role (I'm a book publicist, if you wondered), and enjoying all of the other things I love most in life: my marriage, my family, my friendships, fashion finds, decorating our new (to us) house, and more... I'm going to try so hard to carve out that time for blogging that I crave. I hope what I share here resonates or inspires some of you. We're all in this together, after all! 

Look for a belated 2016 wrap up soon, as well as what I hope 2017 holds. :)