me + my mini

heyyyyy there, lovies. the weather has been faaaaaantastic around here as of late. we are getting quite excited about it! it was so unexpected. we were having such cold, cold temps around here and then all of a sudden *boom* it became warm! and when i say warm, that translates into 60 degree temps! wooo hooo! it’s a flippin’ heat wave!

so,  olive and i had a day together where we didn’t have to do anything. we didn’t have to meet up with anyone. we didn’t have to be anywhere. we had the day to ourselves and it was wonderful. we relaxed in the morning. did our usual routine and then that afternoon, we decided that we were going to go the mall and hang out. hey, being a mall rat isn’t a bad thing! we looooove shopping!

our first stop was at victoria’s secret to say hi to some lovies. olive was not a happy camper. she has been afraid of strangers since she came out of the womb. so, naturally, if any of the employees got too close to her…she freaked out! poor thing. i wish she was more open to people she didn’t know, well at least to the people she didn’t know that i know, haha! i guess that is a good thing. she should be afraid of strangers! stranger = danger!

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[visiting our friends at the mall]

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[the look of fear – this is basically how she looked anywhere we went in the store]

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[olive couldn’t get away fast enough]

after we said hello at the victoria’s secret store, we happily went to say hi to the land of nod workers. now, i had registered at this store for olive’s baby shower, so not only did i frequent their store for any events that they host, i shopped here non-stop while i was pregnant {and still do!}. plus, it’s a perfect place to take your kid because it’s magical toy wonderland. olive had a blast. she was in kiddie heaven. she didn’t know where to start. she roamed around, looking at al the fun stuff she could play with. it was too, too cute!

i think her favorite toys were the food/tea set and table. she pretended to eat the fake food and drink from the cups. i was fascinated. i loved watching her play. she is so sweet and lovely, it’s just pure entertainment for me. we spent quite awhile in the store. olive was having too much fun and i didn’t want to interrupt her glorious playtime!

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[she had the best time at the land of nod]

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[tea time]

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[who needs a cup when you can drink from the pot?]

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[she loved playing with the kitchen sets]

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[tea time with her imaginary friends…she would pick up the chicken leg and pretend to eat it]

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[she would pick up the duck and call it a doggie]

after the land of nod, we trekked out way towards the other end of the mall. i stopped by the gap to visit my dear friend, matt. love him! he’s one of my besties and such a great, great guy. olive only gave him a questionable look, but i think she was preoccupied by her snacks to worry too much. we stayed and chitchatted for a bit with matt before we took off to nordstroms.

we went to visit our favorite kid shoe salesperson at nordy’s, dee! she’s such a sweetheart and is so great with olive! we love getting a balloon from the store every time we visit. only just a few months ago did olive become very fascinated by balloons. they were just odd looking items to her before; then one day, she was mesmerized by them. she loves balloons. she loves to bounce them around. she loves to drag them around with her and it amazes her that they float!

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[visiting matt]

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well, there ya go lovies. me and my mini me had a wonderful day at the mall. it was so beautiful out, we had to get outside to enjoy it. we had a great time visiting our friends and shopping!

xoxo

andrea’s baby shower

i’m so excited for my friend andrea, she is having her baby girl soon! so, of course a baby shower was in order. her lovely friends, nikki and claire, so graciously hosted such a fete in honor of this momma and her baby girl.

it was a beautiful, beautiful day. the sun was shining {ahhhhhh} and the temperature was puuurrrrfect. the shower was held at a cafe called fennel and iris. it is tucked away in the lakeview neighborhood, right on belmont.

i parked only a few blocks away and traipsed my way towards the restaurant. it was so nice out, i wouldn’t have minded if i had to walk 10 blocks, but having on heels slimmed down my walking distance! i was lucky to have found a spot so close…i guess the luck of the irish was by my side that morning. hence, ALL the chicagoans who were already out and getting their drink on so early in the morning. natch.

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[my gift for baby]

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i moseyed on in and the party was already in full swing. it is such a cute, quaint little place. it was kitschy and unique. i ran right into a few friends right away, ginger and katheryn had just arrived as well. i was super excited to be there because it’s been awhile since i have seen andrea {busy, busy lives} and some of her friends who i adore. they are all such good people! i mingled and caught up with a few ladies, while i sipped the delicious mimosa nikki had so kindly handed to me.

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[the cute, little restaurant fennel and iris]

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[morning mimosas]

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[katheryn, beth, andrea, and ginger]

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[kitschy and quaint decor]

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[ginger and katheryn]

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after a few more minutes of socializing, we were asked to be seated. i was so enwrapped in photo taking, i was pretty much the last person to take my seat! i decided to sit with the ‘moms’. i wanted to get to know them better myself. the first time i met everyone was at jamie and andrea’s wedding and we didn’t get to converse much, so i thought, now is a great time! it was so delightful to chit chat with everyone. jamie’s family are all so sweet. we had a great time getting to know one another and enjoying all the delicious food!

my two favorite nibblers were the deviled eggs {sooooooo good!} and the so called ‘pudding’, honestly, it looked like a frittata to me! nevertheless, those entrees were the most savory. i could have eaten just that but of course, i tried everything {but the fruit, i can eat that anywhere anytime!}.

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[the deviled eggs were divine…i could have eaten a dozen!]

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[such a cool interior]

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[their so called pudding {it really looked like a frittata to me} was soooo good!]

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[tika, andrea, sarah, and holly…check out the photo bomber]

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[apple and pear pie]

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[so delish]

after brunch, they served the most delicious ‘apple pie’ in a jar. there were baked apples and pears, topped with a simple round ‘crust’. mmmmm, sweet goodness. the baked fruit, cinnamon, and sugar perfectly balanced one another out.

after desserts were served, the opening of gifts began. by that time, jamie and oliver had stopped on by to join in on the festivities. of course, ollie was quite vibrant with his choice of words and opinions! he’s such a smart, funny kid! andrea proceeded to open up sweet gifts, after sweet gifts. baby stuff is just too darn cute and fun.

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[teeny tiny]

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[andrea and ollie]

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[hostesses with the mostesses, nikki and claire]

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[with the beautiful momma]

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[andrea’s mom, gail, jennifer, jamie’s stepmom, and patricia]

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[granola favors]

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[the wonderful couple with their soon to be newest addition]

after all her perfectly wrapped gifts were opened, we all hung out afterwards and lingered around to catch up with one another a bit more. i really had such a great time connecting with everyone. andrea is such a wonderful, sweet friend and naturally, all her friends are just the same.

i am so fortunate to have such a lovely lady in my life. she is sassy, smart, sweet, thoughtful, and kind. i can’t forget to mention stylish and fashionable as well…hmmmm, maybe that is why we get along so well?! hehehe.

anyhoo, claire and nikki did a fabulous job on andrea’s shower. it was perfect – down to the invite, decor, food, favors, and the fun hostesses! thank you so much for letting me be a part of such a special day! andrea and jamie: we can’t wait to meet your precious baby girl!

xoxo

flashback friday

today takes us back to july 2011.

here we are at our friend’s, kim, wedding. it just seems like yesterday. no, really, it does. it was a warm summer day and i was super excited to attend kim’s wedding. we {as i have mentioned before} were engaged at almost the same time…me just several months before her. so, planning our wedding together was quite the bonding moment! we had the best times just chatting it up, comparing notes, reveling in the up’s and down’s of planning a wedding, and just totally having fun with it.

miss jodi actually got married before both of us. almost a year before me. so, obvs it was still really fresh for her, so we definitely had fun talking up a wedding storm all the time.

anyhoo, back to this pic. we had such a great time celebrating kim and mikey’s nuptials. we had fun, we were goofy, and we totally partied it up. it was great because we were sitting with a bunch of folks that we knew and of course, us folks didn’t hold back on our humor, wild stories, and drinks. of course, once the dancing started, we did our best to rock out the dance floor!

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[jodi and me]

i love this dress. it was a fantastic borrow from my beautiful sister, thuy. she always has the best articles of clothing. that is what is so great about having sisters {and two sisters who are pretty much the same size}, we can interchange your wardrobe…so it’s like having a huge closet! the brooch is mine, a vintage find from several years back.

the weather is suppose to be ah-maaaaaze this weekend. eeeeekkkkkk! i am waaayyyy too excited. oh, spring, come on over! we missed you. well, i hope y’all enjoy this weekend. happy friday lovies!

xoxo

wrigleyville date

after two strikes, i thought i was going to get called out with my girl time with dana. but we fiiiiinally got together and did our usual routine. i’m going to say that dana was at fault for the both times prior we couldn’t get together for a brunch date 😉 the first time, she was sick {okaaayyy, i forgive her} but it did snow quite a bit and no one wants to go out when it’s snowing…a big pain in the behind. the second time, she just plain forgot. yup. she forgot about us. i texted her the night before and asked about our plans and she was like, ‘whhaaaaaa?’. yeah. she had last minute changed her work schedule and didn’t tell me!

anyhoozle, it worked out great because olive had a wellness check up {not too far from where dana lives} and it’s always easy peasy to jet on over to southport from where we were.

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[at the pediatrician…she was excited to be signing her own paperwork. that is until the nurse came in with needles…eeeekkkkk!]

after olive’s appointment, we drove on over to wrigelyville {which is less than 5 minutes} to meet dana for lunch. of course, we met up at southport grocery! it was a full house but we were seated right away {sweet}. we ordered our usual dishes and dana had a lot to share with me! so much new news and possible changes! oy, i was having a blast catching up with dana, as always. we only had a few hours together because she had to skadaddle to a purim party later that evening that she was hosting for jnf.

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[in our ‘hood…our favorite place to be: southport grocery]

dana was super excited that her and olive were having these amaze bonding moments. their relationship was rough from the start. from the moment olive came into this world, she had been skeptical of dana. she wouldn’t let her hold her. olive would barely let her look at her! it was a work in progress and they made leaps and bounds this past date!! yay!

they were like buddies. best buddies. holding hands, giving hugs & kisses, and she let dana hold her with ease. wowza…my baby is growing up 😉 olive was so amused by dana. she liked copying her and playing fun peek a boo games together. it was pretty awesome to see.

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[dana loving olive…]

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[studying her crayon colors]

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[work of art]

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[me and my beautiful babes]

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[can you see me? now you can’t. can you see me? yup, that game]

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[simple plating…boisterous flavors]

of course, after brunch, we headed on over to our favorite place, anthropologie. olive was in heaven. she ran around and around and around. she smiled from ear to ear and happily bounced everywhere in the store. her and dana just walked side by side and giggled at each other.

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[yeah, since we were walking two doors down, we wrapped her in a blanket and barely put on her hat. dana was dying over her cuteness. she was loving olive so much]

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[she was like, ‘wait, do i walk around with this blankie on me??]

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[she was soooo happy running around everywhere]

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[she discovered a bunny]

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[and then became one]

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[then found a little chickadee]

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[then became a funny bunny again]

after anthro, we hit a couple of more stores and called it an afternoon. we had a great time chit chatting, eating, having fun, and building memories together. i loved seeing olive and dana together. it warms my heart and makes it so full!

xoxo

flashback friday

today takes us back to 2009.

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look at sweet baby bennett. how adorable is he?! he’s giving me the side eye and a smirk. toooo stinkin’ cute!

i can’t believe how big he is now and so sweet. he’s such a funny guy. when olive was born, he wasn’t too keen on her. he just wasn’t interested. a baby? it did nothing for him but now…miss olive can play and have fun, so they are good together. it was quite adorbs to see their journey together and how bennett has grown to love his little cousin. vice versa.

bennett is goofy, sweet, and clumsy. from the moment he was mobile, there was always something in his way. ya know that kid that always runs into something? the kid that always trips over something? the kid that always bangs his head on something? yuuuup, that is our darling little b. it’s so endearing and comical at the same time when i see him do something clumsy. i’m totally filled with love and laughter when he runs into something…is that weird?? whatevs, weird but true.

it’s been wonderful to see him grow and become such a good little boy. i am most excited at the fact that olive has the best cousins ever and that they will grow up together and hopefully be best buds. i always wonder what bennett will be like when he grows up but i am fiercely wishing that he won’t cause i love them cute, small, and innocent. i really do wish they would stay small and sweet.

 it’s amazing how babies can evoke such happiness in us all. the purity of a child is truly a blessing from God! well, my lovies. i hope you think back to a time when your little one or niece/nephew was this tiny and precious and it puts a smile on your face. happy friday y’all!

xoxo

a few of my favorite things

i love shopping. yes i do. it’s something so good and fun that can really be a bad thing! 😉 eeekkkk! so, i am currently loving these fabulous items!

bebe’s favorites:

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[flower headband // gem pillow // leather crown // fox dress // fringe boots // watermelon purse // cross blanket // gold moccs // bowie romper // unicorn hook]

let’s start with this flower crown. oh em gee. i am so in love with this beautiful headband. it’s made with such details and care. olive looks so pretty and delicate with this headband on. i love the colors and how feminine it makes every outfit look that she wears. it’s a definite must have for any babes wardrobe.

how adorbs is this gem pillow? a perfect accessory to olive’s room. i love quirky, fun pillows; they can make any room, couch, bed look 10x better! everything in olive’s room is whimsical and unique, so this pillow is the perfect addition to her chambre!

this crown. *swoon* it totally reminds me of where the wild things are. it’s full of imagination and fun. it’s made by stitches and soles {my favorite shop!} and olive looks so stinkin’ cute in it! it’s beautifully made, soft, supple, and it’s just the cutest thing when she runs and prances around in it!

i die over this fox dress. i didn’t post the fox socks that match this dress {c’mon…i have so many items posted already!} but if you saw them, you would freak out! soooo cute. anyhoo, this dress is ah-maze. i see olive with her hair in pigtails and slippers, frolicking around in the grass on a warm summer day.

these fringe boots are too cute. i love the two tiered fringe on them. boots like these and in this color are the perfect complement to any outfit. any dress, pants, outfit will be complete cute shoes like these!

okaaayyyy, i keep on saying this but gawd…this purse. oh.em.gee. it’s the cutest mini messenger bag evah! i envision little miss olive shopping with me and carrying around this cute satchel {stashed with lipgloss, money, and her favorite toy}.

this cross blanket is great either in olive’s room or in the living room. i love the graphic pattern and the neutral colors. it’s a vibrant and cool throw, a perfect accent to any room in the house.

i dig these gold shoes. they are from stitches and soles. again, the best shop ever! alena is so sweet and she seriously makes the best products out there. these gold shoes are neutral enough to go with any outfit but add the perfect sparkle and shine to her cute little baby tootsies.

have you ever seen such a fantastic romper?! it’s david bowie!!! such a unique piece. it’s from a shop based in australia and the shop owner makes the cutest kids clothes. once i laid eyes on this romper, i had to have it for olive. summertime {yes, i am constantly talking about summer…we can’t wait} would not be the same without a bowie romper on olive!

this sweet unicorn hook is adorbs. i was thinking that it would so lovely in the playroom {that we will eventually have} so the kids can hang up their stuff or anything that they want to use it for. it’s whimsical, sweet, and functional.

momma’s favorites:

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[striped pillow // flower cupcake liners // calligraphy name tag // alice in wonderland book // tank top // wood console]

we have been slowly, i mean slowly, decorating our living room. it’s been such a long drawn out process but we have finally decided on pillows! yippee! here is one of the pillows we love. it’s the perfect design and color to tie our curtain and rug together. now only if we can get something up on our walls!

i love cupcakes and i love fun cupcake liners! these have been around for awhile but i will always love them. they are great for parties {to hold candies or other fun trinkets at a sweets table} and make any cupcake t h i s much more festive.

i have mentioned these awesome calligraphy name tags before on the blog but i am posting it here again because i really love them! you can have this etsy seller make any word into something cool and rad for any party that you host. whether you want to label your food or sweets table, or identify signature drinks at your next fete, these will add pizazz to any party decor.

as y’all know. i love rifle paper co. anything rifle and i am game. so, when i took a peek at their website recently, i flipped out over the fact that they are creating the cover of the alice in wonderland 100th anniversary book! yowza! i’m in love.

this tank top is da bomb. it’s so me. and probs every mom or non-mom out there! who doesn’t rock a top knot and tank top?! it’s my staple every summer. fer shizzle. need i say more?

this wood console/bar cart/media table is pretty nice. we bought this with the idea that it would be a bar cart. or really, a multi-use table. hc will eventually put casters on it so we can roll it anywhere in the house {it is sold with casters but hc insisted on putting it on himself…}. i really, really wanted a table like this in the kitchen and the fact is, hc can make this himself but it came down to time and that we didn’t have for this, so we purchased it instead. i love it. it’s perfect and the perfect height and width for what we need it for.

well, there ya go. quite a few of my favorite things! this post ended up being bigger than expected {i almost broke it into two parts but decided not to}. that’s what i get for liking so many items! natch. yeah, next time i won’t pick as many items and temper it out! alright, my typing fingers are dunzo. i hope y’all like/love/lust over my favorite things! i sure do!

xoxo

flashback friday

today takes us back to 2011.

this was the year that we got married but it was also a year where we had 9 weddings to go to, including our own! it was quite the year of wedding! this picture was taken at our friend jaime’s wedding in june. carol was a bridesmaid and, obvs, i was a guest! ooooohh, and we were so tan from the summer already!

it was a little bit of a cray summer for carol. not only were j and i getting married {she was a bridesmaid for the both of us, my matron of honor} and she had to to pick and choose what she could attend because she lives in seattle!

i love this picture of us because we are and look so happy. who doesn’t love attending weddings?! it’s always fun and filled with love. plus, it’s a big parteeee! socializing, drinking, eating, dancing, and vivacious behavior is widely excepted. i clearly remembered it being a very warm, humid day. it was, overall, a perfect day to get hitched.

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ahhhh, warm weather…hurry up! chiberia temps is just too much! well, i hope somebody out there is going somewhere warm this weekend, i’ll just live vicariously through my old summer/vacay photos! dreaming away…

xoxo

january snapshots

oh yessss, i am soooo behind with this one! aren’t i? well, as i always say, better late than never!

january was quite the busy month {i know, i know. i do say that a lot}. but, isn’t january a month where things slow down? i guess, not in my world {or at least in my head}.

the highlight of this past month was our trip to L.A. to celebrate my sister’s birthday. it was wonderful to get away and soak in some warm weather. the temps were ah-mazing! i had no kid, no hubs, {although i greatly missed them!} just me and my sisters. it was awesome to relax and explore the city. the bonus part is that my brother, huy, lives there with his girl, tashina, and it was purty awesome to hang out with them the whole weekend!

of course there was a lot of oliveness going on in january. my cutie is becoming wiser, funnier, and is as quirky as evah! oh, she blows my mind every day. not only with her cute, cutie, cute face but her growing personality. being a mom for the first time is so novel and i can’t even imagine i could possibly bring more cuteness into this world!

anyhoo, here are some fun shots of our past lovely month of january:

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[shopping…what we do best]

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[olive with her goofy cousin b]

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[what a goof]

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[mmmm, portillo’s // my girl olivia]

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[our typical morning…relaxing together after she nurses]

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[cookie monster]

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[gifting marina with a little sprinkle]

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[bottega louie // L.A.]

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[first big snowfall]

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[apple head]

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[her favorite eating nook]

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[the tired mom look 😉 ]

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[cat baby // discovering her reflection]

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[my love]

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[my two favorites – coffee and breakfast]

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[morning routine]

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[her favorite toy]

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[kicking back in her toy basket]

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[caged animal]

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[watching t.v. together]

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[my sweet babes]

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[breakfast on our last day in L.A.]

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[funny gal]

that was our january in a nutshell! i hope y’all had a great past month as well. february is looking pretty awesome so far! i can’t wait to share…hopefully not so late in the game next time! woot!

xoxo

hb dick!

yes, it was mr. heintz sr.’s birthday! when i tell people that my husband’s parent’s names are dick and jane, it’s a 99% chance that they totally get a kick out of it. yes, quite the classic duo.

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anyhoo, it was definitely a lazy day for us. we didn’t have to be at dinner until later in the afternoon, so we just hung out all morning and afternoon, just chillin’. it was grrrreat. we did stuff around the house {cleaning, relaxing, eating, etc.} and loved every minute of our no frills or fuss day.

we got ourselves ready and headed out to crystal lake. there was no traffic, so it took us just a little over an hour. it was freeeezing out! oh, so cold. it’s so funny to me that when it’s so cold outside {like 5 degrees out with a negative windchill} for awhile and then we get hit with a day that is 30 degrees, it’s like a freakin’ heatwave here in chiberia!

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[dinner party]

once we got there, pretty much everyone showed up at the restaurant at the same time. score…we were all on time! olive was most excited to see grace. it was too sweet. she just lights up when she sees her big sister and i love every moment of it.

we all sat down and perused the menu to decide on what we wanted to eat/order so we could get the ball rolling on this dining excursion. i ordered the tortellini…i’m a sucker for any cream sauce {so healthy 😉 }, pancetta, peas, etc. after we ordered, i pretty much entertained olive or she was entertaining herself. she’s so funny now. she definitely wants to be close to me but yet she also wants her independence. she’s a mixed bag of emotions, actions, and ‘words’. of course, it might have been dick’s birthday but it’s always the olive show, natch. {she’s the cutie baby, duh!}

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[gramma and olive]

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[olive peeking over at her cousin daniel]

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[she’s always happy in her sister’s arms]

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[could this entree be any bigger?!]

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[olive finally into opening up gifts]

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[she loved helping papa open up his gifts!]

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[she loved, loved the mobile!]

after dinner, dick opened up all his gifts. jane’s present for dick was the one that olive loved the most! it was too precious. jane pulled out the mobile and olive ohhhh’d and ahhh’d over the gift! she was so amused by each photo and screamed out loud at each one she saw. sooooooo adorbs.

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after dick opened up his gifts, desserts were served. the tiramisu was yummy but i could have done without the chocolate chips inside each bite. that kind of threw me off but overall, it was tasty. it was too much chocolate. yes, i did say that. i’m not a huge chocolate fan. i like it as an accent but not as a whole. annnddd, it has to be mixed with something and not alone. yes, yes. those are my chocolate rules. 😉

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well, happy birthday to my wonderful, loving, sweet, caring, and awesome father in law. you are the best. we love you so much and we were so happy to have celebrated it with you!! muwah!

xoxo

deeelish cookies

i’ve been making sugar cookies almost my whole life. it was what i did and do. every holiday season went hand in hand with making sugar cookies. yup. i actually have never kept a recipe. i would go from one version to the next because you can always find a sugar cookie recipe.

but i have searched no more. i have found the most perfect sugar cookie recipe. i’m in love.

so let me back this up a bit. i’ve been a bit obsessed with copper cookie cutters. yes. i want to buy 50 styles of cookie cutters but that would cost an arm and a leg. they are expensiiiiiive. well, i’m collecting a bit here and there so i can build my collection. anyhoozle, when i purchased a batch of cookie cutters from copper gifts, they came with a cute little booklet with a few recipes inside. i decided to try them! boy oh boy. it turned out the most delicious, buttery, perfect sugar cookies.

they had great tips {unlike the traditional way i use to make them} and it was sooo much easier and practical. the cookies came out substantial in size, thickness, and were perfectly baked to buttery goodness. mmmmm.

they also had a recipe in the fold over for royal icing. unfortunately, this was a last minute baking bonanza and we didn’t have any meringue powder in the house, nor could hc find it on his excursion out. so, i made icing without it and it was just fiiiine. it took longer to harden but it was, nonetheless, tasty good. my other problem or lack of effort?? i didn’t have the time or the energy to pipe my frosting. it was already soooo late {and i was damn tired} and i wasn’t in  the mood. shame on me, non? i just hand decorated each one, so my lines are a bit wonky…c’est la vie!

2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks room temp)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

gently mix butter and sugar, then beat until light and creamy. beat in eggs and vanilla. gently stir flour before measuring. combine dry ingredients and add a cup at a time to butter mixture. beat until completely blended. roll cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper. continue rolling all dough between parchment paper and placing in stacks on a cookie sheet (that fits in your refrigerator or freezer). cover cookie sheet with foil. chill dough overnight or 1 to 2 hours. remove one sheet of dough at a time and cut into shapes. bake on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or just until the edges begin to slightly brown. this recipe will make at least 2 dozen, 4 to 6-inch cookies.

for the icing, i used powdered sugar, warm water, clear vanilla extract, and food coloring. i made small batches of different colors to ice the cookies.

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

[♥ xoxo i lov~e]

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

overall, i was a happy gal on how they turned out {despite it being a last minute baking session}! annnddd, they were oh so delicious. i.can’t.stop.eating.them.

well, i hope y’all try this recipe! it’s so yummy. happy baking my lovies!

xoxo