Easter 2014

A few months ago I realized if there's a holiday that would be easier for J & I to host than another, it would be Easter. My office is closed on Good Friday, and having the holiday on Sunday gave me two full days to prep. So we threw the offer on the table a few months ago and left it at that. But a few weeks before Easter I realized we had never firmed up the plans. Oops.

So we checked in with J's parents and guess what, they were more than happy to give up Easter dinner to us. So things got real. I was really going to be hosting my first holiday ever, with my mom out of town unable to help, and I was nearly 27 weeks pregnant. Just a little pressure on myself to do it right.

One of the things I was most excited about was decorating the table. I knew I wanted natural colors with lots of white. And after seeing these Queen Anne's Lace napkin rings in a magazine I knew they were perfect. I jumped online to order them for in-store pick-up (the best innovation ever) and fell for the Succulent napkin rings as well. So I split the order between the two and picked up a few more white cloth napkins while I was at it.

How I planned on having the table look

But silly me, I left the table cloth until last minute. I thought we had a burlap/linen colored tablecloth that would work perfect. Just totally forgot it was the right size for our table with one leaf in it, not all three. Nor did I realize how hard it would be to find a tablecloth long enough! We left the store with a few options but it quickly became apparent that the pink one was the best fit. It could have been worse. At least it's an Easter-y color, right? And it did match the woodwork on the chairs nicely.

Another thing hosting the holidays allowed for was use of our full China set. Only took nearly 5 years but it was so fun to get all the fine china and Waterford flatware out.

I just absolutely love these napkin rings.

And what's Easter without a little candy? These M&M easter eggs are pretty amazing. I have to say, I may have enjoyed them a little more than Cadbury mini eggs....and I may not have been the only one. And Starburst jellybeans - do not even get me started. Multiple bags have been consumed over here....multiple. The blue bowls were snagged in the Ikea marketplace at a recent stop.

 We were pretty excited to be hosting our first holiday....so a few pictures were snapped pre-party.

Once everyone was over, my mind was completely focused on getting the food right so no pictures were taken. I'm always interested in hearing what others enjoy on holidays so here's a look at the menu we chose to serve-up (thank you mom for helping me finalize this and the full grocery list well ahead of time!).

First Course

Easter Soup (a family recipe from my mom's side, my first attempt was a success!)

Second Course

Salad (courtesy of Meg & Dan)

Main Meal

Honey Ham

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Coleslaw (courtesy of J's parents)

Au-gratin potato casserole (courtesy of J's parents)

Rolls

Dessert

Homemade fruit tart (courtesy of Natalie & Greg)

Chocolate trifle 

Serving in courses is something my mom's family has always done and I really enjoy. It does make the meal last a bit longer but to me, that's what the holidays are for. Family time. So it was really nice to sit at the table for a little longer than normal and enjoy a few great laughs with everyone. 

Cross #21 of the list! 

What's your favorite part of Easter dinner?

I asked many members of J's family this question, even asked my family too even though only my dad could join us for dinner. I wanted to make sure everyone was happy with the meal. My sister-in-law mentioned how her grandmother always had coleslaw with the ham on Easter. So I decided we needed to as well, and you know what, I loved the combo! For my family, everyone's answer was the same, Easter Soup.

Thanksgiving 2013

I'm interrupting this Friday's typical post format for a Thanksgiving recap, finally. Hope you don't mind!


I can't recall the last time I was able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my sister. Isn't that crazy? Well maybe not to some of you, but for me - that's insane! I think it may have been her first year out in San Francisco (6 years ago), but even then we ate dinner with a family friend. My parents didn't join me on that trip. Maybe it's been more recent than then and my memory is failing me...but I don't think so.

So ya, when the opportunity arose to make the trip south this year, I jumped at the chance. Leaped! Maybe I messed up the whole splitting family time and every other holiday thing we've got going on, but I had to. I'm not so sure this opportunity will present itself again for a few years.

Our trip to Charlotte a year ago brought sunny skies and 60 degree temps. This year, not so much. I know the whole east coast had a cold front the week of Thanksgiving, but 30 degrees in the south is just weird!

I didn't do a great job of taking pictures but here are the gems I did capture:

A tradition 

J&A picked out a beautiful Ralph Lauren china pattern for their wedding registry, as well as Waterford glasses. The Waterford pattern is actually the same one my Nona has, timeless. My mom loved how it reminded her of her holidays at her mom's, me too!

A few family iPhone photos...hence the blurriness of some. :(

 J was distracted by the paparazzi (A).

After photos it was time to eat! If you have never rotisseried a turkey (we hadn't) you must give this a go. It was amazing. This may have been the first time I've gone for seconds on the turkey!

Another amazing dish Jackie made, white bean and pumpkin soup with a sage pesto. I cannot wait to make this at home. It was soo savory, delicious, comforting. I really could have gone for a second bowl if we didn't have the rest of Thanksgiving dinner to enjoy.

Last but not least, it wouldn't be a holiday season trip to Charlotte without a visit with J&A's next door neighbors! Oh dear, these people really get into it. The lights were synchronized with Christmas music! And yes, the hunting snowman made an appearance again. (last year's here).

 I did my best to lighten this one up so you could really see the size of this lawn ornament....intense!

Overall it was another great trip to Charlotte! Thank you for hosting us J&A!

What are you up to this weekend?

We have a Christmas party with friends tomorrow night if we don't get snowed in, and Sunday is my Dad's birthday!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Before I got all lazy and hung out in sweatpants Sunday and Monday, I mustered up the energy late Friday afternoon to pick out the perfect Christmas tree and spent the day Saturday decorating it.

J was busy brewing beer in our kitchen on Saturday so decorating the tree was all mine. Part of me wishes we did it together because isn't that what you're supposed to do? Isn't that a cutesy couple thing? I saved a few ornaments for J to hang on the tree later that day but was informed that decorating the tree isn't his thing. Hmm. Ok. Well having total control of where each light, garland, and ornament goes is totally my thing so I'd say that's a win-win over here!

We've agreed that down the line me and the kiddos will decorate the tree while J provides snacks, beverages, and holiday music. Pretty solid deal if you ask me. Especially since we're talking years before I have to give up control of the tree. 

So anyways, what's your method to tree decorating? Mine always goes like this:

1. Lights. We've been using white lights since we moved in together. But one of these days, I'd love to find the old school, big bulb multi-color lights.

2. Garland. Do you use garland? Or ribbon? My mom and Nona both use ribbon. I found this garland at Target our first Christmas together and still love it. Its so simple.

3. Ornaments. Do you go with a theme? We don't normally. Although this year I found these red snowflakes for $2 at Walmart and loved them! So I skipped many of our filler ball ornaments this year and used the snowflakes instead.

4. Topper. Well, this year that went on first for some reason. But typically, it's last. And we're pretty un-traditional here using a bow. My Nona has always used a bow and since I'm a little creeped out by the fake angels (total personal thing here, no intentions of offending anyone), a bow works perfectly for us.

I had picked up a couple matching, sparkly bows our first Christmas together and would use one on the tree and one on a plain wreath. This year, we totally fell in love with the buffalo check bow near the cash register so we snagged one. Which ended up working out perfectly because in the new home, 2 outdoor wreaths are needed. And tip - buy the plain wreaths and decorate them yourselves! So much cheaper. So the 2 sparkly bows are hanging outside this year. 

Here's a recap of last year's tree and decorations. This year's decorations to come! I'm still hunting down the perfect red wreath for our mantel....any suggestions on where to look?? Michaels and Walmart were no help.

Happy Wednesday!

If you celebrate Christmas, do you have any tree decorating traditions?

According to Talkative*TLC's fb page, many of you are team Angel topper!

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LDW Recap

How in the world has it been a week since I last blogged?! Sorry friends. Life has been flying by lately, in the best kind of way.

I plan on providing more detailed posts about the weddings we had this weekend when I have time to catch my breath and process all of the pictures, but let me tell you- we had such a blast this weekend! Two of the most amazing weddings back to back. J and I are so lucky to have such an incredible group of family and friends. 

So for now, here's what else we did this weekend:

Anyone else enjoy the Labor Day shopping sales?! Ann Taylor got me, my mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Gotta love being walking distance to Providence Place for wedding #1 this weekend! I walked away with these three tops.

 1 / 2 / 3

And on the way home, J and I got a steal at the Restoration Hardware Outlet. Yes, I was just there recently. But you see, J is a stickler in stores where I could easily wander for hours and makes sure I know we're there for one reason. So when we went for the vanities, I didn't consider looking at lighting. We snagged 3 of these lights for $267. Yes, you read that price at RH for one right. Sold! Cross your fingers they work out perfectly because we LOVE them. And- they gave me a 25% off entire purchase coupon good at the end of this month. Yesss.

Maritime Caged Sconce -  Restoration Hardware

After wedding #2 we headed home for a lobster cookout at my parents. They did it last year (J and I were jet setting at the time) and had so much fun they decided to host it again. Twist my arm, I guess you can make me lobster and steamers for dinner with grilled corn on the cob.

We surprised my aunt with this fresh fruit, cool whip, pound cake birthday dessert and spent time playing bocce in the yard. Oh, and my crazy dog decided he liked swimming again. He is so strange.

Monday we slept in, caught up on Ray Donovan, and only changed out of our PJs to run a few errands. The fridge was basically empty, so it was time to get my butt into gear. If you don't watch Ray Donovan you really should. God he is such a stud. The show ain't too bad either. 

Did you see all that lobster above? That was only half of it....so we were all sent home with leftovers. Yess! Although we were originally planning on lobster rolls, I needed more butter with my lobster. So J whipped up the most incredible meal - lemon, garlic, butter sauce with dried oregano, fresh parsley, and tomatoes from my parents garden. Oh and basil linguini I had randomly picked up. It was ah-mazing.

How was your holiday weekend? 

Stay tuned Friday for a sneak peek at our bathroom renovation. Things are starting to come together nicely. Eek! :)

Have a great day

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A Date Night Staying In

Well, this post is about 2 weeks late. But as I was scrolling through the pictures on my camera, I realized I never shared the amazing meal J cooked up for Valentines Day.

As I mentioned here, we decided to stay in this year. We really had no plan as to what to cook and come Valentine's Day morning, I wasn't sure what to do. I just didn't feel like cooking, and the idea of dining out was gaining steam. Have I told you how much I love my husband? Getting a text that said, don't worry, I'll take care of it made my day. Works been busy, lifes been busy, and the idea of cooking a big meal after work stressed me out. J's work schedule is a lot more flexible than mine at times, which certainly comes in handy when needed.

Like when he decides to pull out all the stops. Walking in the door to this was the best. Yes, the glass of wine was already poured for me - what a guy.

Appetizers: Red Zinfandel, Manchego cheese, and garlic/lemon olives to start. (Manchego cheese is my favorite cheese by far, give it a try. It's not too hard, has a creamy, nutty flavor, and a slightly gritty texture)

Main course: Grass-fed sirloin with a red wine, mushroom, and rosemary sauce, sautéed broad leaf kale, and mushroom risotto. This is the way to my heart I tell ya. Heavenly food, extra mushrooms, red wine. You just can't go wrong. And if you haven't tried grass-fed red meat yet, I suggest you do. The flavor is incredible. It's pricey, but great for a special occasion.

Yes, this is quite possibly the biggest piece of steak I've ever been served. Plenty for an extra meal for us, and Tuck!

And dining with this handsome fella ain't all that bad either. ;)

Compliments to the chef!

How was your Valentine's Day? Try any new restaurants? Cook up a new meal? I'd love to hear!

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NYE 2012

Happy New Years! Did you stay awake late enough to see the ball drop? We are getting so old.....pretty sure I was in bed by 12:35. But after 2 days of hitting the ski slopes, I was exhausted.

So, how did we spend NYE this year? At Sugarloaf Mountain. It was awesome. I am so glad we decided to get out the city this year and do something active. To be honest, we've never spent a lot of money on New Years in the past and I was definitely hesitant at first but I am sooo glad I bit the bullet and went in on a ski in/ski out condo on the mountain. How have I never stayed in one of these before?! We were so spoiled! It was so ideal to be able to ski right to the condo for lunch, to warm up. etc.

Day 1 was freezing! It snowed all day/night Saturday which was greatfor the trails, but the wind was almost unbearable. It was the first time I broke out some hand warmers in a very long time.

The picture on the left here is actually from Day 2, when we basically had the mountain to ourselves. Unbelievable, right?! The lifts opened up late on Day 2 (12/31) due to wind so it seems as though most people opted for a voucher, or just decided not to get tickets since we're talking about close to noon before any good trails opened.  Having the mountain to ourselves for 4 hours was worth every penny of the full ticket.

 View from the bottom, view from the top - both breathtaking.

I really wanted to get a picture of J and I together but that just never happened. We're both sporting our new ski/snowboard jackets we got for Christmas. Love them! And J also got me new goggles, which I looove! They have a rose tint and the sides have a design with fuchsia, just like my jacket.

You can count on 2 hands how many times J has snowboarded. So the fact that he was keeping up, and even passing me by day two (!) is nuts. And he was determined to land a jump. Color me impressed.

 Even though we could ski right to our condo, stopping by the lodge is a tradition. And with Carabassett Pale Ale's on draft, it was a must!

After 2 days of skiing/snowboarding, NYE was here! Some themes were thrown out and somehow, hunter/hunted won. So absurd. But also hilarious! Yes, that is face camouflage. I didn't have too much time to spend looking for my costume thanks to work, but my recent consignment shop visit for an ugly xmas sweater also turned up a turtleneck covered in dogs. Yep, I bought it just because. Just couldn't pass it up, and will probably wear it out anyways.

And to finish off the celebrations, hunter/animal party decor thanks to Meg, and fireworks at the mountain we were able to see from the deck at the condo.

Happy New Years! Any resolutions? I don't have any crazy resolutions really - just the usual eat healthier, work out more, make the bed daily, etc. But I do have some goals for the year that I'd like to achieve - a new car probably, a new home possibly, another half marathon, travel to somewhere new. We shall see!