Some Thoughts

Here's my thought for the week: Turn from the past and look forward to the future.

Not my usual post, but it's been a rough week over here. Not much into doing anything. The week didn't start off too great with everyone getting the stomach flu over the weekend. And then I had some family issues that came up, which led to some misunderstandings and harsh words then crying then grudges and well...you get the idea. All my energy was focused on that! Anyway, even though it's hard I've come out of it knowing you've got to forgive and forget. Move on from the past, be strong and look to the future. Mend relationships. And channel the negative energy into forgiveness. That's my two cents.

{photo by Heather Gibb}

Tulip Favor

I love the idea of giving flowers away as baby or bridal shower favors. They are beautiful and cheap! And you can tackle two things as one--centerpiece and favors. This tulip favor idea is so adorable and clever. I like the idea of using the tulips as place settings.

A Month of Outfits

Right around springtime, Lucky magazine does a guide on a month of outfits. I find this guide a little helpful tool when I do my spring clothes shopping. And I don't buy much for myself, but I do like to pick up on a new shirt or new pair of shoes. Something that makes me look like I'm up on the trends. You can find this year's month of outfits.

Fringe

I'm in desperate need of a haircut. I'm thinking bangs...big bangs. Like the ones I had the summer I was pregnant with Jackson. Big bangs are a pain though. Maintenance--lots of maintenance. And you actually have to DO your hair everyday. But it will be a nice change from my normal bla. I thinking Zooey Deschanel or Jessica Alba. We'll see. Now if only I can actually get to the hairdresser.

{photo by Heather Gibb}

Ruffled Flats

No matter how much style may change, ballet flats seem to be my staple. A must-have for mom on the go. And unbeknownst to me, I've been collecting ruffled flats. I'm assuming it's because the ruffle detracts from my 30-something ankles. Have you noticed that I'm not wearing jeans in every picture? I've been trying hard to stick with my new year's goal of not wearing jeans everyday and getting a little more creative with my wardrobe.

top shoes from target, ninewest
bottom shoes from old navy, nordstroms

Interview

I was interviewed by Corey at Life With Little Ones. It was so much fun answering all her questions. Thanks Corey! Check out the interview here. And her blog has a lot of fun craft ideas.

Cupcake Kit

Adorable cupcake kits for almost every theme party by Meri Meri.

{via oh happy day via babycinno}

Faux Bloom

We had a lot of clean up to do after the mini-hurricane that hit the New York City area. Did I mention that school was cancelled the entire week??!! Imagine if a real hurricane hit, how devastating this place would be. Thank goodness the weather was gorgeous and we were able to enjoy the outdoors. Anyway, we had lots of tree branches fall on our front lawn. So, my kids helped me clean up the mess. And of course with Stella's persistence we brought in a few branches to do a little craft with it. She folded and stamped. I cut and glued. Voila! Our little faux spring bloom. It's been making us really happy.


{idea seen in MS Living}

Where to Buy

Wondering where to buy apothecary jars online? SaveOnCrafts has a nice selection. They also sell apothecary beverage jar and glass stem bell jars, which are great for pastries.


{photo from a candy baby shower I did}

Weekend Agenda

The weather was gorgeous this weekend. We had to take advantage of it and teach Miss Stella how to ride her bike. It's about time! We went to the beach and walked up and down the beach trails teaching her. By the end of it, she had it down--riding and riding. We were so excited for her, along with all the onlookers!

After the bike riding, I let this little guy loose from his stroller and he went immediately to the water. No fear! He enjoyed a good time of mud, rocks and ice-cold water. Can't wait for summer.

Daily Drop Cap

Beautiful font type from Jessica Hische. Her work is pretty impressive.
{via Making It Lovely}

Fox Paws

These baby shoes from Fox Paws are so adorable, I wish they made adult sizes. They are made from real leather and look pretty comfty. And they have baby boy shoes, which I think are hard to find.

The Perfect Settee

I'm excited to say that I finally found my perfect little settee for my sunroom. It just fits so charming in the room and goes very well with the rest of the house decor. It makes the narrow space larger, since I sold my large chair and a half. I was looking all over for it, and I had a budget. Did I go above my budget? Shamefully to say...I did. But it's a floor model and I did get a really good deal on it and was able to negotiate the price. The scalloped-edge back was what sold me and after I stopped by this store and saw a very similar piece at a very ridiculous price...well I had to buy it. In the future I may make some changes to create more depth--like get a colorful rug or paint the wainscoting. But right now I'm content.

Oh, by the way. I searched everyday on craiglist for a settee to reupholster and found a lot of cute pieces, but when it came down to it I didn't have the guts (or the time!) to take on the project. Now I'm second guessing that after my friend Mary told me about this blog with step-by-step instructions on how to reupholster a chair.

Kate Spade Store Soho

My friend Lizzie recently popped into the Kate Spade Soho store to check out the new design. The entire store is taped! Ceiling to floor. Of course it looks amazing and perfectly done.

Hanging Out

What I've been doing the last couple days is hanging out with these cutie patooties. We are going on the second day of NO school. In case you didn't hear, we had a mini-hurricane over the weekend. 60 mph winds. It hit the East Coast pretty hard. Trees and power lines are down. Thankfully our power never went out and no tree fell on our house or cars. But we know a few who were not so lucky. And there are still many who are going on their third day without power. I'm happy to have my kids home. I love hanging out with them. But the thing that I don't like is that they have to make-up missed school days at the end of the year. Now that's no fun!

Blueberry Flax Shake

Need a way to get vegetables down your kids? Make them a Blueberry Flax Shake. I've been making it every morning for a healthy way to jumpstart my day, and my kids beg for their own cup (straw included). My sister Marleen made up this recipe, and it's so good and healthy and filling. And I promise--your kids won't know that there are vegetables mixed in. Below is the recipe. Check out Simply Healthful for more healthy recipes.

Blueberry Flax Shake

1 10 oz bag of frozen blueberries (or mixed berries)

Juice of one half lemon

1 handful of spinach

4 inches of cucumber, cut in chunks

half of one avocado

1-2 cups of water (or coconut water or almond milk (for creamy texture))

2 tablespoons of honey (or agave syrup)

1 tablespoon of grounded flax seed

Ice

Blend all ingredients together until desired consistency.

Wedding Slippers

I love all the wedding details of Hello Lucky's Eunice Moyle. The little touch of details make a wedding even more special! My favorite was the box of slippers that they put near the dance floor. Good idea! See more of the wedding here and here.





{photos by sara remington}

9 by Design

I saw the preview for 9 by Design on Bravo today. It looks pretty good with all the design ideas and craziness raising 7 kids in NYC. The show starts April 13.

Oly

One of my favorite, favorite furniture lines is Oly. You've probably seen their furniture in decorating magazine and didn't know it. Their line blends traditional with contemporary. I like how the pieces are all earthy with basic fabric selection. Lots of prettiness.

Apple Fennel Salad

Bathing suit season is around the corner, so I've been uping my salad intake and lessening my daily carbs (at least trying!). I really like this apple fennel salad. Not many ingredients and the dressing lasts a few salads.

Congrats!

Congratulations to my little bro for popping the question to his girlfriend over the weekend! She said yes and we are all so excited! He did it in front of all her family and mine then they had an engagement party after she accepted (sad I missed it). He's the baby of the family, so my sisters and i were jumping up and down with excitement (okay, I was jumping up and down in my kitchen while they were jumping up and down at the party).

Apothecary Chocolate Party: Part 2

Along with all the chocolate at the party, we have a couple of games to help pick up the party. There was a couples photo contest. Last year I used a polariod camera to take the pictures, but the price of polariod film has gone up and it's expensive. I have a picturemate photo printer, so I just took the pictures with a digital camera then printed them up during the party.

I made paper picture "frames" and attached each picture to a frame and then put them up for display and voting. After the party, the couples were able to take home for a keepsake.

Throw a few costume pieces on and you'll get a goofy picture.

The main game we played, which always produces a lot of hilarious laughing, is the married questionnaire game (aka "the newlywed game"). I don't like to call it the newlywed game because most of my friends are well over the newlywed stage and some are at the 10 year mark. Eek! And the winners of the games always gets funny foreplay gifts like spin the bottle and chocolate body paint.

Anyway, it's always a fun night. I've linked the questions we used for this year. If you'd like more questions, let me know and I'll send you the last two years. Here the link: married questionnaire game

Apothecary Chocolate Party: Part 1

This year I wasn't planning on throwing a chocolate party again for the third time. I thought everyone was kind of over the party theme. But I guessed wrong after friends were asking me when it was scheduled for this year, since it's usually held around v-day. So, everything was planned kind of at the last minute. I'm loving the apothecary style lately and thought it would be fun to incorporate in the party--jars and vintage labels. Because of timing I didn't do everything I wanted to do with the party theme, but I still think it came out well.

PS--I was not good about taking pictures! Once the party started, I was running around and completely forgot. So I never got a picture of the final table with all the desserts. But it was quite a sight!

For the invitations I searched for those little bottles and finally find them at A.I. Friedman. I filled them with m&m candies for the "chocolate pills". Very apothecary.

Part of the backdrop of the serving table, I hung spring flowers in mason jars. I wrapped wire around the mason jars and hung with ribbon.

Some of the desserts were served in these apothecary jars with labels. All the guests were asked to bring something chocolate. So, when they came to the party they were given these tags to label their dessert. This helped with the chocolate contest, so everyone knew what was what and what dessert they wanted to vote for. I must say that this year the desserts were amazing. I know I say that every year! But it seemed like everyone put alot of thought and preparation into their desserts. No Costco brownies at this chocolate table!! Oh no. My favorite was the chocolate bread pudding with vanilla bean sauce. I'm not kidding--I had dreams about it that night. But the winner of the contest made chocolate crepes with raspberry filling and hazelnut filling. Oh yum. Some other favorites were red velvet chocolate balls and chocolate oblivion torte with strawberry sauce.

At the end of the night, guests were given a pastry box to fill with remaining desserts because there's only so much chocolate you can eat in one night!

Another take-home favor each couple got (since this is a couples-only party) was a herbal aphrodisiac tincture. My sister (she's my witch doctor) made some for a valentine's party she did, and I thought it would go perfect with my apothecary theme, so she made some up for me. We called it...what else...Love Potion: No. 9. This was a big hit and really finalized the party.

I'll post pictures of the games tomorrow!