Fun Fact Friday 04.25.14

Happy Friday! I really can't complain seeing as I have today off (ahh). Depending on when you read this, I'm either on my way to or have arrived in Charlotte! A weekend down South to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday. I have so been looking forward to this weekend!

Here's what else we've got going on over here.

1. Have you entered the compression leggings giveaway?! I realize this is a maternity related giveaway but maybe you know someone who could use them? Or you could use them in the near future? I'm looking at you many close gfs who should totally join me and have babies soon. ;)

2. The guest bathroom now has walls! I owe you a recap of the process so far but man does getting some fresh drywall up make a difference. Now it's time to pick out some paint. Decisions, decisions. Planning to pick up samples of these colors next week:

I really hope one of them looks similar to what I see online once it's on the wall. You know how that goes...

3. The last few busy work weeks and weekends have meant I've hardly made it to the gym lately. Thankfully, J has totally turned me on to Tabata workouts! So I've been doing my best to get a workout in at home when I can (still not all that often). A Tabata workout is a 4 min cycle of 20 seconds of hardwork, 10 seconds rest - you end up doing this 8 times. My go-to workout lately:

• 4 mins burpees (no pushup...)
• 4 mins squats
• 4 mins of either planks or mountain climbers
• 4 mins high knees, working one leg at a time for the full 20 seconds and just tapping down quickly

I downloaded an app to my phone for this but here's an online tabata timer.

4. Tell me J and I aren't the only ones who can't stand Pharrel's new song Happy? I can tolerate it for about 30 seconds before it gets under my skin. It just keeps saying the same thing! Over, and over, and over again...

5. I've gone back and forth with having maternity photos done. First of all J has no desire to have his photo taken in public. It's just not his thing so he ends up with this weird awkward forced smile half of the time. But then I stumbled upon these photos thanks to pinterest and there's just something about them. I think having them done in the comforts of my own home is more me. Do I dare??

Have a fantastic weekend!

What are you up to this weekend?

We'll be in Charlotte through the weekend spending time with J&A. It's going to be in the 80's! Summer maternity clothes are far more comfortable than the winter-ish clothes I have to wear in Boston. 

A Blue Baby Shower

Just about 2 weeks ago (time is flying...) I attended a baby shower for my sister-in-law. It was hosted by the Nana's-to-be and was so sweet. Hosted at the future parents' home, the Nana's had the perfect amount of decorations without being overly theme-y, just what Meg wanted.

If I haven't mentioned this yet, Meg & Dan are expecting a baby boy! And we are soo excited. They've decided to keep his name a secret, the last surprise, so I just cannot wait to meet this little guy and finally know my nephew's name.

It goes without saying that this baby boy is well loved already. As the official note taker for the gifts, I can say that Dan, Meg, and baby boy certainly have a huge support system behind them. Everyone was so generous in their gift giving, making sure that the parents-to-be not only have all the necessities, but also that this little boy be very well outfitted! Oh my are baby clothes cute!

I know. She looks amazing right? Would you believe me if I told you she was about 36 weeks here?!

How amazing is this cake?! The color-match to the shower invitation was exact. So impressive. Plus it tasted delish.

Ya, my hand was cramping by the end. Lots of great gifts for this baby boy!

While I think it best for my nephew to hang in there a couple more weeks, I am seriously dying to meet him!! I held off on buying any outfits until after the shower so that I could see what they received from everyone else, and what they'll still need. Sooo let the spoiling begin from this Auntie!

Congrats M&D! We are so happy for you. And cannot wait to meet this little bundle of joy!

Compression Leggings - A Giveaway!

Yes, friends you've read that right. Today I have a giveaway for you!

When I first received an email from Preggers, I have to admit I thought it may have been spam. But once I read the e-mail, and googled the company, I quickly realized how great this product would be for me. Compression leggings are great for blood flow circulation and swelling. Both of which tend to occur in pregnant women. And as someone already experiencing swollen ankles once and a while, these couldn't have come at a better time.

I'm always thankful for honest reviews of products, especially lately. So when I read that these leggings tend to be sheer on your backside I was ready for it. And they were right. So make sure to pair them with a longer shirt!

With a full belly panel for support, these leggings are crazy comfortable. And I have a feeling they will be great post pregnancy too. I've heard stories of swelling post labor as well...we shall see! 

I picked out the black ones and navy. And gave the navy ones a try on our drive to NYC a few weeks ago. After a long night at work the night before, my ankles were pretty swollen. So I put my feet up, wore my compression leggings, and sat back during our drive. It did the trick!

So now I'm excited to share the wealth! Here's a chance for you to give compression wear a try. 

Enter below for a $50 giftcard to Preggers and please, let me know what you think!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winter Wonderland

I'm back! And hopefully will be posting more frequently again with life getting back to a normal pace.

First and most importantly - good luck to everyone running the Boston Marathon today! It is going to be a very emotional day in the city. And I look forward to watching the events all day (I'll be at work unfortunately...but the TVs will definitely be broadcasting the race).

Last weeks silence was needed. I spent most of the week down in Florida with my mom and cannot believe just how relaxing my first full day was. Not sure I'll see another day like that for the next few years! But let's leave that for another post.

I'm well behind schedule these days, lots of catching up to do. Like for example, how I finally took a day off at the end of March and J & I headed up north to Maine for a few days. We stayed at my parents house deep in the woods and I did a whole lot of relaxing. It was great. While J & my dad went out on the snowmobiles, I took the dogs for a walk in the woods, did some prenatal yoga stretches and took not one, but two (!) naps on Saturday. My body really needed it.

A nice healthy lunch to fuel my walk. Those cheddar cheese slices had an everything bagel seasoning on them. They were amazing!

Even though this was the end of March and I want the snow gone in Boston by then, I don't mind it at all up north. That's where it belongs, right? 

It was so nice to put an out of office up. Just what I needed. 

But now I'm ready for Summer! How about you? 

What's your favorite season?

HEADS UP - Check back this afternoon for a giveaway!

Fun Fact Friday 04.11.14

Throughout the week/weekend I sporadically snap pictures with my phone, thinking about blog posts and what I want to share. Thinking, "oh this would make a great post perhaps." Annd then life gets in the way yet again and the pictures just accumulate on my phone.

I'm in the home stretch of work deadlines. And I'm leaving for Florida in the morning. Yippee! But here are a few pictures I snapped over the past week and what's been going on other than work.

I was out of my beloved Olay night cream recently so I headed over to Walmart to grab some more. And then I saw this....maybe its the tiny human growing inside of me but something about it being 99% natural struck a chord. Totally not regretting this purchase. Even the next morning my skin is super soft.

 We jetted off to NYC last weekend to visit friends. It was so nice to see J's college roommates, especially since we hadn't seen them since June! But a weekend in the city and on the road meant not eating all that healthy. So a big kale salad with homemade dressing was a must Sunday night. Without thinking I picked up Tuscan Kale for our salad....bad idea. It was much rougher/thicker than curly kale. I'll be sticking with regular kale for raw salads going forward. One of the best parts about kale salad though? Leftovers. It doesn't get soggy! So lunch was all set for Monday too.

On our drive to NYC I tested out a pair of Preggers compression leggings. Starting at 24 weeks I started noticing swollen feet some nights. Yikes! So its time to start slowing down and literally put my feet up when I can. Review (and a giveaway!) of the leggings to come - they are awesome!

You guys, I was gifted my very own pair of New England Outwear loafers!! I was totally surprised by my thoughtful (and very talented) brother-in-law. They are insanely comfortable and so well made.

Oh Tucker, you melt mama's heart these days. I've mentioned before how important it is to us to do what we can to make Tucker's introduction to a baby as smooth as possible. We just have no idea how he's going to react as he's never around kids. So we spend time in the nursery when we can. Honestly, it's really just the rug that Tucker's obsessed with but still, it gets him in the room. And in this picture he's snoozing next to a box of diapers and wipes which certainly give off a bit of "baby" scent! There's still lots to do in the nursery so this is your sneak peak for now. I'll share the full room once complete.


This week I really felt pregnant. It was interesting to say the least. Tuesday I decided to attempt jogging for a total of 5 mins. I just needed to get my heart rate up and walking wasn't cutting it. Bad, bad idea. I'm still in pain. I've learned my lesson, no more jogging for this mama-to-be.

Pair that with a real late worknight Wednesday/early day Thursday. Oh was I a waddling/limping ball of emotions. It's kind of comical to look back at now that the days over. There were unnecessary tears out of just pure exhaustion, stress from work, anxiety over everything we need to get done before this baby joins us, when am I going to get laundry done for my trip, etc. I happened to mention to J over the phone, I have no idea what's wrong with me and why I'm so emotional today?! Love him, "um Trace, I think we know why you're emotional today." ha. Touche. But hey, I think he'd agree I've been pretty good so far in terms of pregnancy hormones.

So I'm glad this week is over. And when I get back from Florida, tax season will be over too! I planned this trip well.

PS - 40% Sherwin Williams paint this weekend for preferred guests! (it's easy, all they need is an email address). I should totally take advantage of this for our bathroom reno!

Have a fantastic weekend!

What are you up to this weekend?

Before I fly down to FL I'll be enjoying my sister-in-laws baby shower Saturday afternoon. I can't wait! I'm so excited to meet my nephew next month and can't wait to see Meg have a wonderful day tomorrow being showered with gifts for her baby boy.

Hooked on Kitchens

With the chaos of a bathroom renovation going on, as well as designing our nursery space, you'd think I'd have enough on my plate to keep the home decor part of my brain occupied. Nope. I cannot get kitchens out of my mind lately. White, bright, fresh kitchens at that.

It's no secret that the style of the former homeowners doesn't exactly align with our own style. The space itself is great. But the choices made for cabinetry stain, appliance color, floor tile, backsplash, and even knobs and pulls are not me. I can't thank them enough for choosing no-slam drawers and high quality appliances, but like I said the color choices kinda make me cringe. As a fully functional space, it really cannot be a priority right now. But I am dying to get this space updated. It's starting to bother me a little more everyday....And while I know things just cannot be changed right now, a girl can dream right?

Here's an updated to-do list:

• Paint walls - not shown in this photo but painted November Rain in the fall
• Paint trim & ceiling
• Regrout tile floor - phase 1
• Replace floors - phase 2
• Possibly paint cabinets - phase 2 phase 1 now...I think...
• Replace door to basement (and get rid of the cat door) - found a great 2 panel door to replace it
• Add barstools - done. Absolutely love these barstools
• Add floormats for in front of sink and stove top
• Add rug for in front of french doors - purchased this one and its working out great
• Hang valance or roman shade
• Upgrade pulls & knobs - thank you Threshold by Target
• Replace backsplash with something simpler, cleaner
• Cut down the bar height side of the island/breakfast buffet to counter height - phase 2
• And then replace the bar height stools for counter height ones...
• Paint the basement door (far right side of the kitchen) with chalkboard paint
• Replace the pendant lighting with more robust ones

Here are a few kitchen spaces I'd love to use for inspiration.

Our kitchen is not bright, at all. And that just doesn't work for me. But our kitchen upgrade will be a very slow project overtime unlike our bathroom renovations have been. Time is not on our side right now, neither is the money tree outback, so I'll be taking baby steps over here.

And I make no promises that things will get done before Baby C arrives. Boy would I love them to! But the free weekends we have between now and then are dwindling quickly. It's a bit frightening to be honest. But I'm no stranger to a little pressure so it'll be exciting to see what we can get done before the little love makes his/her appearance.