bump update

Posted on January 6, 2016 by tandem in love

here we goooooooo!

[photo by huy doan @huyfoto]

how far along? 12 weeks!

weight gain: 10lbs. i think everybody and their mama has heard me gripe about my weight gain. at my eight week appointment, i weighed in 4lbs heavier than i did with olive. uh oh…i am on track to gain 50lbs at this point. bleh! my official weigh in happens later this week and i think i might be crossing the 9lb mark {at least}. eep!

maternity clothes? i am about to cross that border. they weren’t kidding around when they said that being preggers the second time around, everything is bigger. uh huh. everything in my wardrobe is about to pop off my body. i am about to graduate into maternity clothes real soon. i guess wearing my regular work pants at 5+ months prego {the first time} is NOT going to happen this time around. haha!

sleep: sleep sucks. it does. the first pregnancy, i didn’t have a toddler to wake me up, keep me up, or zap alllllll my energy. ever since i have been pregnant, i have had sleep insomnia. it’s very sporadic. it doesn’t happen every night but a few times a week where i will wake up at 4am and can’t fall back asleep until about 6am. ugh. it’s the weirdest combo…i am extremely exhausted {like extremely} but i can’t go to bed early like i did with the first pregnancy. plus, the past several weeks, olive has regressed in her sleep patterns {just a few nights so far}. unfortunately it seems to be on the nights where i can actually fall asleep but then i wake up in the middle of the night to take care of her.

physical state: bloated, tired, exhausted are my new favorite words. i am hungry hungry hungry. not so much hangry but desperately hungry. i think about how big and tired i already feel, what the hell? what will i feel like in 6 months?! holy crap, i am scared.

miss anything? sushi. sushi. sushi. wine, seafood, deli meat…although technically i can nuke the crap out of it {until it’s sterile} and then eat it but who wants to do that?! the dr.’s also recommend that i don’t eat hot dogs and bacon…whaaaaaa?! i have to sneak in bites of the bacon. mmmmmm.

baby movement: none yet…i can’t wait!

food cravings: everything. seriously. i can’t even pack a lunch because i have no idea what i will want to eat in the moment. with olive i loooooooved fruit. everything fruity. i still crave, like, and eat it but with this pregnancy i am all about the savory {insert the weight gain}. i love eating flavorful, full meals.

bump status: uuuhhhhhh, is the bump suppose to look like i am 5 months pregnant? cause i look that way. holy belly. it’s sooooo big already.

gender reveal: soon! let me know what you think! boy, girl? my gut said girl and maybe it’s because i want to have another baby girl but then my feelings changed and now i am utterly confused.

xoxo

happy 4th anniversary

Posted on September 10, 2015 by tandem in love

best day everrrrrrr!

so here we are…celebrating our fourth anniversary! wow, i can’t believe it’s been four years since we were married. here it goes, my broken record recollection to this day. i will say it over and over again, it was the.best.day.ever!!! i loooooooved our wedding day, our wedding weekend. it was so amazing.

hc and i had the best time celebrating with our friends and family. our rehearsal dinner, our wedding day, our day after brunch was so perfect. you dream of your wedding day and imagine what it will be but to live it and it was really a dream come true is phenomenal.

our day started out beautiful {despite the night before with a forecast of rain all day!}…the weather app is a bride to be’s best friend. i was a bit nervous because if it really was going to rain on our wedding day, that nixed soooooo many things. our pictures outside, our venue’s outdoor space, etc. rain can literally put a damper on anything! alas, it was a beautiful sunny day and the weatherman said sunshine and even temps all day long! woo hoo!

the whole day started out amazing. it led to one fabulous moment after another. all the work, all the planning, all the diy i did for the wedding fell into place and i couldn’t have been happier.

our marriage has been a lot of give and take. especially since olive has been born. being strong, understanding, respectful, loving, humorous, selfless, vulnerable are some of the elements of a successful marriage. do we succeed? sometimes. but that is where the commitment comes into play. i am committed to being there for him, to doing my damnedest to be a good partner, because sometimes i fail {but try try again}. i am committed to always putting us and our family first. i am committed to our marriage. you have to want to be married to be able to make it work. he’s my best friend and there is nothing better than that.

[laying eyes on my groom]

{all photos and 8mm film by kate headley}

happy four years of marriage to my amazing, wonderful, kind, loving, patient husband! i love you soooooo very much. i am blessed & grateful to have you as my partner. cheers to many, many, many more years of happiness!

xoxo

engagement gift

Posted on May 27, 2015 by tandem in love

i am soooooooooooo excited for my dear friend dana’s recent engagement! like so psyched for them. goosebumps, tears, joy, elation is what i felt when she told me…i was like damn, way to go scott! heehee!

of course, this calls for a celebration {indeed!}. i whipped together an engagement gift basket for the lovely dana. we already had plans to see one another, so it was fitting to present her with a fun arrangement of goodies!

i purchased a pretty, little wooden basket {about 15″x8″ in size} from a craft store {it fits everything down below perfectly}, filled the bottom of the basket with some dunnage to perfectly arrange the gifts inside and keep them a bit elevated so the items don’t drown behind the basket’s walls. ta da! a gorgeous little engagement gift for your friend!

1. first things first…wedding magazines! a must for a newly engaged fille and duh, of course one of them has to be martha stewart!

2. what’s a joyous occasion without some bubbly?! veuve clicquot is my favorite champagne. cheers!

3. a crystal ring holder is a must for any engaged gal!

4. a lady has to keep her tips in top shape at all times with a bling, bling ring adornment! i love essie nail polish.

5. i love this wedding planner. it’s compact, simple, and a perfect go to for all the info you need to plan a fabulous wedding!

6. yes, that was pretty much my reaction when dana called me and told me that she just got engaged! a fitting card, i must say.

7. mexican wedding cookies…honestly, they are my favorite kind of cookies but i know dana would like them too. i just couldn’t find jewish wedding cookies…hahahaha!

8. anthropology initial mugs. need i say more?! dana and scott…two love birds who will forever think of me as they drink their morning coffee together. buwahahaha!

well, there you go lovies! a fun little basket to give your newly engaged friend. i hope this has inspired you with some fun ideas to create your own personalized gift for your bestie! i can’t wait to gift this to my girl {bling, bling she got the ring!}!

xoxo

happiness is

Posted on September 11, 2014 by tandem in love

happiness is having hc as my amazing partner.

happiness is coming home to olive.

happiness is eating a delicious meal.

happiness is getting hugs and kisses from olive.

happiness is a sunny day.

happiness is hearing olive giggle.

happiness is having my health.

happiness is being in hc’s arms

happiness is a solid night’s sleep.

happiness is watching olive grow.

happiness is being with family.

happiness is celebrating holidays together.

happiness is having a new home.

happiness is sitting next to my dad, in his arms.

happiness is having wonderful friends.

happiness is having siblings.

happiness is getting a hug and kiss goodnight from hc every night.

i am happy because i have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, and a loving family.

what is on your happiness list today?

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. psalm 1:6

xoxo

happy 3rd anni!

Posted on September 10, 2014 by tandem in love

oh my! it’s been three wonderful years of marriage for me and the hubs! wow, it feels like yesterday that we were just married! and now…we live in the ‘burbs {bye bye chicago}, we have a lovely house {hello downers!}, and we have a beautiful daughter named olive harper {our love and joy}. our world has changed so much and all for the better.

our wedding was amaze. yes, yes, i say it all. the. time. annnddd i say it all the time because it was. i tell everyone i could relive it over and over. it was the best time evah with our friends and family. the whole weekend was surreal. from our rehearsal dinner, to our wedding day, and our post wedding brunch. it was a whirlwind of happiness, joy, love, laughter, and great food. what a wedding and wedding weekend should be!

i am so blessed to have hc in my life. i am so lucky to have found him or did he find me?? we are total opposites with a common bond for life, love, and happiness 😉 i’m fiery, he’s calm. i’m crazy, he’s sane. i’m speedy, he’s slow. i’m loud, he’s quiet. but we love each other to no end. i can’t imagine my life without him and i am so thankful and grateful to God for leading our paths into one another. we were meant to be and my life has been so much fuller since he’s been in it.

thank you hc for always being so understanding, supportive, kind, thoughtful, loving, patient, and forgiving for all of our relationship’s ups and downs. you truly hold us together and i love you to bits!

[handmade boutonnières with bike gears // hc’s love of bikes]

[husband and wife! //st. clement church]

[chicago fire department // his dad is a retired fireman]

[cutting the delicious cake //how sweet it is!]

[handmade invites // drawings by olivia g & personally curated vintage stamps to represent me & hc]

[alone time during the reception]

last but not least…our lovely 8mm wedding film. relive the day! enjoy!

[all photos and vimeo by kate headley]

xoxo

andrea & jamie’s beautiful day

Posted on September 6, 2014 by tandem in love

andrea and jamie got hitched!

even though the planning process was quick, their wedding day was a long, anticipated wait! i was so excited this day had come!

hc and i dropped olive off at my parent’s house and we headed into the city. we went in early to set up the venue for them. i was super excited to do so…i love stuff like that! andrea and i had been in close contact during this entire planning process, exchanging ideas and thoughts around the wedding decor. she had decided to go with a map theme. since jamie currently lives in san francisco and andrea lives in chicago, it was fitting for their situation.

i volunteered to be their ‘day of coordinator’! so, with that, hc and i got there to set up her place cards, table signs, sign in table, favor table, and random decor. super easy! i was in contact with the harpist, the photographer, and the manager at the venue. making sure they were on time, able to find the place, get them paid, and making sure things were running in order. it was fun!

i had made the boutonnieres for ollie and jamie. i used feathers, twine, stamens, green twigs, and accented them both with vintage compasses. they turned out soooo stinkin’ cute! unfortunately, i should have hot glued the twine a little more because it unraveled mid way through the day 🙁 i was so sad to hear & absolutely disappointed!! the good news was that they totally got all the pics they needed! phew!

i made their favor sign and provided the paper tassels for their ceremony site. the tassels looked so pretty for the ceremony and looked magical at night during the reception.

[the ceremony site with the pretty silver, grey, and pink tassels]

[the welcome table]

[guest sign in poster with their engagement photos and book]

[place cards that hc alphabetized and i helped set up]

[the ‘at last’ banner with the map background]

[katheryn and me, excited for the ceremony!]

[me and the beautiful bride]

[favors with the ‘take me home tonight’ sign]

[with love from san francisco to chicago // a + j 8.31.14]

so, it was time. we gathered the guests to the courtyard and had them form a walkway for andrea to walk down. we didn’t plan for the sun to be so strong, so i moved the guests over so jamie, andrea, and johnathan weren’t directly in the sunlight! once all at the guests were in place, i cued the harpist and andrea and ollie walked down the aisle. so perfect!

[here comes the bride!]

[their friend, johnathan, was the officiant! so awesome]

[look at ollie! so cute]

[exchanging of vows and rings]

[husband and wife!]

once they were married, the party really began! we mingled around the cocktail area a bit more {while the delicious hor d’oeuvres were being served}, before we sat down for dinner. i was so excited for the food! boka has received michelin stars in the past and if the hor d’oeuvres were any indication how the amazing the food was going to be…we were in for a treat!

[wowza! super bling!]

[the happy couple]

[literally chillin’ at the bar]

[the beautiful ginger and gorgeous nikki flanking my hubs]

[selfie!]

[her amazing swarovski christian louboutins]

[the lovely sunset during cocktail hour]

[ginger, me, and nikki]

[selfie with ginger]

as the food was being served, in between courses, hc and i were mingling with the other guests. we were having a grand ‘ol time. it was fantastic to be able to visit with everyone and meet new people.

the first course, the heirloom carrots, were amaze. no, seriously delicious. hc was in love. but he does love cooked carrots in general. a fave vege of his. it was a lovely hearty dish that was so flavorful.

my fave…the ricotta gnudi. oh. my. goodness. i could have eaten several plates of that. i loved the bits of corn in it and the sauce was so tasty.

[heirloom carrots were amaze]

[grilled spanish octopus]

[katrine, andrea, and moi]

after the wonderful dinner, the desserts were served {hello! macarons!} and the first dance ensued. so sweet…um, referencing to both! the macarons were decadently sweet and their first dance was sweet {until by swan dive}. perfect combo.

[any wedding or occasion is not complete without macarons!]

[first dance]

[the end]

after that, the dance floor opened up and everyone got groovy on the floor. it was such an awesome time. the wedding venue was beautiful, andrea and jamie are now husband and wife, the food was amazing, and the whole night was absolutely wonderful. we had the most delightful time celebrating their sweet union.

annnnddd, wasn’t boka amazing?? what a great venue for a wedding. it was ethereal, organic, modern, and cozy. such a great pick and find to celebrate their nuptials. the staff was so accommodating and friendly, the food was beyond delicious, and the aesthetics of the restaurant were so lovely.

thank you so much andrea and jamie for letting us be a part of such a beautiful moment in your lives. we feel so blessed to have shared it with you both. many wishes to a marriage filled with love, happiness, charm, and laughter.

xoxo

a really great day

Posted on August 14, 2014 by tandem in love

the past couple days off i have had, i was prepared with the idea of me and olive spending it together. but we have been blessed and surprised with hc’s presence the last few times! that really makes us happy!

this morning, hc came back to bed and announced he was spending the day at home, he wanted to spend it with his family 🙂 i love having days off together. it’s so rare since our schedules are so opposite! olive woke up and we played with the little one in our bed for awhile. i then got ready, hc made coffee, and we relaxed. we did our usual morning routine. olive wakes, olive feeds, olive plays, and then olive naps for an hour or two. once olive awoke, we headed out to enjoy our beautiful day.

we chose to go to 2toots restaurant, in downtown glen ellyn. it’s a fun kid’s restaurant that serves your food on a train! so cool. we parked and walked our way to the place. it’s a kitschy little place with lots of adults and lots of kids. actually more kids than adults. we got a highchair for miss o {yeahhhh, i wiped that thing down good} and perused the menu.

[2toots train whistle grill]

[don’t mind her teenage mutant ninja turtle tattoo on her arm…courtesy of cousin reagan]

i ordered the grilled cheese and hc ordered a burger. we played with olive, enjoyed our surroundings, and talked about our lives together. we are a good happy bunch. i love my hubby charming and i love my baby girl. life is really good.

[here comes the food!]

[yummy grilled cheese and fries]

[cheeseburga]

[sophie and pie hanging out]

[vintage posters]

after our lunch date, i wanted to check out a store we drove by, on our way there. we didn’t have much time because, although hc took the day off, he still had to jump on some conference calls that day. of course, what caught my eye as we were driving through was a paper store! i love all things paper!

we walked from the restaurant to the paper store, papier girl. it was sunny out so we put olive’s sunglasses on. oh my goodness. she looked soooo stinkin’ cute! oh, i couldn’t get enough of her in these sunglasses. and the little diva was working it!

[such a funny lady, she’s working it!]

[such a ham]

once we got to the paper store, i browsed around for a bit and hc decided to sit outside on the bench with olive to watch for ‘chicks’. lol. i snapped the cutest pic of them through the store window!!!! i finally decided on some purchases {hc signed for me to hurry up!} and we went on our way home.

[daddy and olive waiting outside for mommy]

oh what a glorious day! we were sooo happy to have spent the morning and afternoon with hc. i love summer! and i love summer days off even more with my two favorite peeps!

xoxo

sunny funday

Posted on July 29, 2014 by tandem in love

our sunday funday consisted of great weather, warm temperature, church, brunch, furniture shopping, and long walks {a summer to do!}.

after mass, hc, olive, and i took a lovely stroll to our brunch restaurant of choice, frances. we love eating there and for some reason, after the 9:30am mass, there is always outdoor seating {any other time, there’s a wait}! we love brunching alfresco on sunny sunday mornings!

olive happily sat in her stroller while hc and i enjoyed a delicious brunch. i ordered the lox sandwich and hc ordered a spicy egg thingy breakfast. as usual, i wolfed down every delectable bit of it.

[going for a walk]

[olive in her beloved bugagoo]

[trekking along on this beautiful day]

[eating alfresco]

[me and my babes]

[lox and bagel]

after a very relaxing time outdoors, we strolled our way back to the car. we were in debate of hitting a spot in the city to walk around a little bit more {and shop, of course!} or heading back to oakbrook to do some outdoor shopping there. we decided on the latter because we wanted to furniture shop and it was more convenient because all the furniture shops there were consolidated, therefore it was easier!

we hit a bump in traffic {perfect timing for baby o to take a nap!} and finally made our way to the mall. it was so darn lovely out! we nabbed some starbucks {of course} and hit all the furnishing stores. we were mainly shopping for side chairs. we need a few {some for the kitchen area and maybe some for the living room} and exchanged ideas on color, style, and size. oooohhhhhh, the options! it’s a lot fun until you have to really decide on what you are going to buy!

we found a piece or two at crate and barrel and restoration hardware but i am also a fan of online shopping. it’s a bit more difficult that way because you can’t see it live…the way it feels, sits, and the dimensions, but i love gaining ideas that way to help with the decision process and clarifying the aesthetics.

[bar globe at restoration hardware]

anyhoo, the day was perfect. i loved seeing familiar faces at mass, being outside enjoying the beautiful weather, and spending time with my lovely family.

it was a happy sunday funday!

xoxo

commitment ceremony

Posted on July 24, 2014 by tandem in love

our longtime friends, pete and ken, were married!

hc had met them years ago when he lived on the ‘bend’. we’ve become very good friends with everyone on that little strip of houses. they all have been to our wedding and so forth. over the years, we have kept in touch and have been able to hang out with them several times a year, whether it’s a summer night in the backyard or a holiday party over the winter. they are truly a great group of people!

we were so excited to receive the invite to pete and ken’s commitment ceremony a couple of months ago. it was such a cute idea…a balloon you can blow up with their invite information on it. so cool.

we dropped off olive at my parent’s house for the evening and headed on our way to the city. traffic was totally fine and we cruised there. we got there a bit early, found an awesome parking spot {right next to the building}, and headed our way in.

they had a door lady who was checking everyone in. we were waiting patiently when ken came busting out of the doors. we said our jubilant hello’s, checked ourselves off the guest list, and trekked our way in.

we entered into the event space and we were wowed by the bright, colorful decorations! they had pinwheels all over the place and the sweetest, funniest pictures of themselves. ken had worked so hard on all the picture banners hanging from the ceiling. he printed out each picture and framed every single one of them. they had pretty little flower centerpieces on all the tables and they also had matching table cloths, runners, and plate ware.

[festive decor]

[picture banners]

[lisa – the fab party planner]

right after we got there, we ran into lisa {one of the cool people on the bend} who helped pete and ken coordinate this whole event. she basically was their day of coordinator. she did such a wonderful job! everything ran so smoothly and perfect.

hc and i hung out and chatted it up with ken for a bit. the rest of our friends were still on their way {apparently there was an accident and a concert at wrigley that was causing traffic delays}. one group arrived and the crazy fun began! carrie, dave, nancy, pat, and pete made it there right after us. we were so excited to see them. they are such a fun bunch and i was glad to be able to hang out, i don’t get to see them as often as hc does.

[flower centerpieces]

[me and the groom]

[ceremony outdoor space]

[carrie, pat, nancy, hc, dave, and pete]

[cute photos of the couple]

[the gals]

once all the guests arrived, the ceremony started. it was so sweet. pete was walked down by his brother and ken was walked out by his daughter. ooohhhhh, they were so emotional. it was quite endearing. before they started, they were already in tears…i think it got everyone going. i started to get weepy too. they exchanged their vows through quivering voices, exchanged their rings, and were pronounced husband and husband!

[walking of the grooms // pete with his brother and ken with his daughter]

[vows and exchange of rings // husband and husband!]

they had us shake maracas once they were announced! it was fantastic! you could tell pete and ken were so relieved! they were a bit anxious leading up to the ceremony and once it was over, they were so happy, and then the party really began!!!!

[we shook our maracas once they were pronounced husband and husband!]

[carrie being super silly!]

[darrin and bethany…she’s eight months pregnant]

the food was served and we noshed until our bellies were full. they had chips and salsa, tacos, coconut shrimp, empanadas, ribs, and much more. we socialized while we ate and mingled around a bit.

unfortunately, we could not stay very long. my parents were watching little odog and she goes to bed early, but so do my parents! it was so hard for us to leave. we were hanging out with people we don’t get to see very often and we wanted to stay to continue the celebration of pete and ken’s union!

after the food, the party continued upstairs in the building’s other deck. everyone relocated and that’s when we said our goodbyes. we were so sad to be leaving but we needed to get home to relieve my parent’s from their babysitting duties.

[the food being served!]

[wedding cake]

[ken’s wedding band]

[the after party upstairs!]

[we finally snagged a pic with pete]

it was absolutely wonderful to be able to celebrate pete and ken’s relationship that evening. we had such a swell time partying it up with all of our friends. thank you to the fabulous couple for letting us share in this special moment in your lives…we love you guys!

xoxo

housey

Posted on July 14, 2014 by tandem in love

we were so excited to have bought our house this past april. i love being a homeowner. i love being able to decorate, do whatever we want, jump up and down on the floor with no worries of neighbors down below. we love having a huge backyard. we love having more space. there are so many positive things with having your own house.

along with that, it’s a lot of work! with it being an older home, aesthetically, it was not to our tastes. we knew, when buying the house, that we would remodel the inside and then some. not my idea…it’s all hc’s grand scheming.

anyhoo, with all this, we are tackling one room at a time. it’s going to be a long process that’s going to take a lot of my patience! as our neighbor put it, you have your whole life to renovate and when you’re done…you will start again with the first room you remodeled!

the first room we took on was originally going to be olive’s room. hc started to renovate it when we decided to switch up the girl’s room. we decided, since grace was only with us, maybe, every other weekend at most, that olive should have the bigger room. after much debating, we concluded that it made more sense. so, grace’s room was the first to be finished!

[grace’s room…the before]

[grace’s room…after!]

hc repainted the room. he, first, redid the ceiling and then the walls. we then went to the home depot and grace picked out the green paint color to match her room {she did a great job selecting a perfect match}! hc redid all the trim {all the wood was an oakey color…blah!}, replaced all the outlets, replaced the closet doors, bedroom door, and added new hardware. he took out the windows, cleaned it inside and out, and repainted the entire frame.

the pencil drawings are from a very talented friend. i commissioned her to do the drawings…she loves, loves robots and i love, love her work. so, she created three very cool pieces of art! amaze. i cherish these drawings…so delighted to own such beautiful work.

the ferris wheel is a wonderful vintage piece. a couple years ago, hc, grace, and i took a trip to iowa to visit antique archaeology, one of our favorite shows! we were in awe over the shop…there were so many cool items! we perused the whole place up and down, fascinated by all the vintage objects. when i walked into the shop, the first thing that caught my eye was the ferris wheel. i loved it! well, so did grace. soooo, the lovely rusty piece came home with us and ended up in grace’s room!

her chair, lamp, shag rug, bed, and bedding are from ikea. the bookcase is vintage. her bedside shelf is from the container store. we bought the curtains at target and had them hemmed by hc’s mom. the pillows in her room are actually from our wedding!

grace’s room is fun and bright. i love how it turned out…of course it’s great, my wonderful hubby worked so hard on it!

next up…olive’s room!

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Tag Archives: marriage

bump update

happy 4th anniversary

engagement gift

1. first things first…wedding magazines! a must for a newly engaged fille and duh, of course one of them has to be martha stewart!

happiness is

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. psalm 1:6

happy 3rd anni!

andrea & jamie’s beautiful day

a really great day

sunny funday

commitment ceremony

housey