flashback friday

Posted on February 6, 2015 by tandem in love

today takes us back to…i’m not sure?! i think this picture was around 8 years ago? maybe my sisters will have a better memory about this than me. unfortunately there is no date attached to this picture, so i don’t know!

we were at the tasting room, in chicago, celebrating thuy’s birthday. i did love the tasting room. it had a great atmosphere and delicious bites. but i hear it’s closed now. boo. so sad…it was a great spot to meet up with friends for a quick drink or a perfect place for a celebration. the last time i was there was in 2013 and i remembered it being wonderful then.

anyhoo, here we are celebrating thuy’s birthday. we were there with {my brother in law} terry and friends; noshing, imbibing, and having a ridiculously silly time together. i remember it being a cold, cold, snowy evening but quite warm and toasty inside the restaurant with free flowing libations and a plethora of charcuterie to munch on. deeelish!

look at us! three sisters who do not look alike {or so we think} and three sisters who also have very, very different personalities and style. it’s always such a wonder that we came from the same two parents! it’s interesting to see how unique we all are, yet we are all the same {a lot people say thuy and i have the same voice and tone} and different. siblings are great, non? built in friends and confidants who will always be there for you, no matter what. it’s an amazing blood bond that will never break. as a parent, you will always wish that for your children {i do and i’m hoping that will be the case!}.

well, my lovies. i hope everyone has a fantastic fun friday and an awesome weekend! cheers to family!

xoxo

super sunday

Posted on February 4, 2015 by tandem in love

well, it was quite the crazy sunday. the snowmaggedon ’15 was bananas. the snow came down hard and fast. they were ginormous cotton balls falling down fast like it was rain. it was exciting to watch {as long as you were inside, safe and sound!}. can you believe this past snowstorm was ranked the 5th highest snowfall in chicago history?! wowza.

hc, olive, and i just holed ourselves up in our cozy little house. we played, relaxed, and hc cooked up something tasty for dinner. i was so not ready for a mini super bowl party at our house {honestly, i’m so not a football fan gal}. but i’m always game {natch} for a party regardless! i could have gotten creative and made some fun super bowl snacks and drinks {hello pinterest!} but this one definitely got away from me. hey, there’s always next year for football cupcakes, football mason jar drinks, and football fun foods!

so, we kept it pretty simple. some apps and some chili. done. and it was all so delicious. i whipped up the guac and hc made the chili. for the guac, i sliced up the avocado and mashed it with a fork. i then diced up tomatoes and finely chopped a white onion. after i had mashed up the avocado, i sprinkled in salt and pepper, first, to taste and then i added in the tomatoes and onions. i know purist say that you should only put salt and pepper in guac but i beg to differ. i’m sure you are also wondering where the cilantro comes into play with this…um, that would be a no. this girly does.not.like.cilantro.

we then watched the game…well, hc really watched the game! i played with miss olive, we ate, and we played some more! it snowed and snowed and snowed outside but we were cozy and comfy inside. the game was exciting…so close!

[hc not happy with a play…olive was like ‘hmph, i’m just enjoying my snacks’]

[nothing fancy…just guac || avocados, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, a dash of salt & pepper]

[daddy daughter time]

[kisses]

[hc’s chili…yes, i smothered it with sour cream, ginormous oyster crackers, and lots o cheese!]

[ha! while hc sleeps, i’m snapping selfies]

it was definitely a low key super bowl sunday. we had a wonderful time together {i think hc shoveled/snow blowed outside 4x!!!…whoa!}. i hope y’all did something fun and ate too many bad foods for you this past super bowl sunday!

NFL Super Bowl XLIX
Final – Sunday, February 1, 5:30 PM
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

New England
Patriots(15-4)
28
Seattle
Seahawks(14-5)
24

xoxo

love day decor

Posted on February 3, 2015 by tandem in love

so, i don’t usually go crazy in the decorating department for valentine’s day but i do love to jazz up the house just a wee bit. nothing big, but i like a spark of color…especially since january {and february} can be such a dreary month!

a few of the banners i hung, i made myself last year. yes…while the little babes was just a newborn. i crafted some quick banners to jazz up our house because being at home on maternity leave during the polar vortex {a.k.a chiberia} was monotonous and bland. putting color in our place was mandatory!

i totally enjoy valentine’s day decor. it’s pretty, fun, and brightens up the home! so, i placed a few banners across the living room window, it looks so pretty when the sunlight is shining through. i strung the festive strand of circle paper cutouts across a wall in our living room as well. i drew up some fun lettering and design on our chalkboard in the kitchen. i also nabbed an awesome gold heart for our front bay window! i didn’t get to snap a pic of it, but maybe later, it’s pretty darn awesome! i ordered red, pink, and white heart lights as well…but they haven’t come in yet. i want to drape it around the gold heart for a pretty, festive effect. there are still a few things coming in the mail that i will add to the decor around the house. once those items come in, i will {almost} be done! 😉

of course, i then snapped a few pics of miss olive with some delightful valentine’s day props. it was too sweet and she is too cute!

[my handmade banners…doily hearts + crocheted little circles and a hand cut paper ‘kiss me’ banner]

[die cut paper circles strung together on twine]

[my valentine’s day chalkboard]

[baby olive getting into the valentine’s day fun // that’s the gold heart i mentioned above…it was relocated to our bay window!]

[nordstrom’s baby bling headband, zara scarf & shirt, heart leg warmers, & stitches and soles latte bow moccs]

well my lovies, what fun decorating ideas do you have for this valentine’s day? it’s always so sweet to add a little festive love fun to your abode, non?!

happy decorating!

xoxo

stitches and soles

Posted on February 2, 2015 by tandem in love

so, if you guys follow me on instagram, you might know by now that my little miss olive is a brand rep for stitches and soles! we are soooo excited for this! alena’s moccs are amaze. they are well made {super sturdy}, have that awesome hidden elastic {it makes it sooo easy to put on the babes and stay on!}, and they come in the most wonderful colors! a whole rainbow of goodness to choose from!

we are very excited to rep her shop. like, beyond thrilled. i am very thankful and grateful that she chose little miss olive rep.rep.represent! we have been a fan of her moccs for awhile. i eyed them for a bit last year and then finally broke down and bought a pair…it took me awhile to get them on her feet because she pretty much went barefoot all summer long, and then we finally dressed her up in her moccs and it was nothing but pure love since then. *sigh*

alright, down below are two out of her four styles that she offers. my favorite are the fringe moccasins. they are classic, cute, and really do add sass to any outfit that my little one one wears! i also love the sequin moccs and the bow styles, they are all so adorbs and fun.

styling olive in fun outfits to go with the moccs is the best part! who doesn’t love to dress up, ham it up for the camera, and capture some awesome memories?! me! me! me!

[sugar plum leather moccs]

[love those chunky thighs and the latte bow moccs]

[latte bow moccs, heart leg warmers, jcrew dress || on sale!, zara scarf, and hair bow headband by her awesome aunties]

so, last but not least, because we love her moccasins and we love you…you can get 10% off her moccasins! yes, you read that right. just go to her site at stitches and soles and use the code OLIVE10 to get your discount! tell your friends and spread the word! these moccasins are fabulous for your little ones, as gifts for soon to be mommies, the list goes on and on. these moccs are too cute not to have!

happy shopping friends!

xoxo

slow-cooking

Posted on January 30, 2015 by tandem in love

we had our friends jeri, john, and taylor over for dinner! it was a jam packed day {with guests} and hc worked really hard to prep some damn good meals for us.

they stopped by our house in the early evening. john’s son, taylor, lives right by us! so, they were on their way to dropping him off and we had planned for them to stop on by to say hello and then stay for dinner.

hc had slow cooked some savory pork, made a delicious coleslaw, buttery mashed potatoes, and seasoned a slew of his signature brussel sprouts. dinner was going to be good! the house smelled delicious and i couldn’t wait to eat! to top off our meal, jeri & john brought over sweet mandy b’s desserts…oh em gee. one of my favorite bakeries in the city! i was extremely excited for the desserts! total bonus points for being the best guests!

[jeri, taylor, and john]

before dinner, john drove taylor home to his mom’s and then came back for dinner. while we waited for him, we opened up the gift they had brought for miss olive. oh, they are so sweet and thoughtful. i am so thankful for their kindness and totally appreciate that they thought about miss olive. jeri had picked out the cutest outfits for olive!! i loved it! i told her that it was like i picked them out myself…the colors and cuteness were perfect!

we then sat down for dinner. it was oh so good. the food was so flavorful and the company was fantastic. we had a really good time chatting it up with them. they are such a great couple and taylor is a really cool, sweet kid. i really enjoyed having them over.

[we were about to open olive’s gift from jeri and john…not sure what is going on with olive’s hair?!]

[slaw, pulled pork, smashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts]

[olive giving jeri the birdie..lol]

after relaxing through dinner and catching up on a lot of life’s craziness, i brought out the desserts. oh, i was in heaven. jeri and john had selected different flavored cupcakes and yummy cookies to share. i sliced all the cupcakes in half and we all dug into the flavors that we wanted to taste. mmmmmm! so yummy!

we all hung out a bit longer but it was a ‘school night’, so jeri and john decided to head out. it was truly a wonderful night. we had such a great time hosting and having them over for dinner. we committed to more get togethers {especially when the weather gets warmer…don’t we all wish that here in chicago?!}.

thanks jeri and john for hanging out! we loved having you guys over!

xoxo

morning brunch

Posted on January 29, 2015 by tandem in love

it was a calm, snowy morning. we were waiting for olivia and aaron to swing on by for a morning brunch at our house. so, {a little bit about miss} olivia is always so tardy for everything. aaron had committed to a brunch time of 11am, naturally, we didn’t expect them until noon {because olivia is always soooo late!}. well, eleven o’clock rolled on up and i had just put olive down for a nap, finally got myself dressed for the day, and i was helping hc set up for our brunch when the doorbell rang. whaaaaa?!!!! they were on time?! holy cow! i will credit mr. aaron for getting to our place on time, he said he was the one who committed to the time promised and by golly, he was going to fulfill it. oh, how i love him for that!

thank goodness we were ready!

hc was just finishing up the last dish and we got down to business. he had made a delicious quiche and hash for brunch. we served lots of coffee, beer {yes, beer for the boys}, optional berry mimosas, fruit, and cinnamon rolls to top off our menu. it was so good. yes, it was. i’m so lucky to have such an amazing cook of a hubby!

[olive finally letting olivia be near her]

[delicious quiche, hash, and fruit]

after brunch, we just hung out. it was pretty awesome to have them over. it was quite chill and relaxing. olivia and i ‘gossiped’ {according to aaron 😉 } and the boys talked shop and talked shop and talked shop. oh, these two will definitely be boys together. it’s kind of funny…olivia and i fall into such girly gossipy roles {um, we love our long talks!} and our two men will be such gearheads and exchange a bunch of jargon non stop. honestly, though, lately it feels like i never have enough time with my dear olivia! i do miss our girl time together when we would talk for hours on end. no joke, get us together and we can jibber jabber like no other! oh how i miss those days.

[the boys chillin’ with olive || it was a pajama morning for her]

[tickle tickle]

[pouty face]

[always making a mess]

[i love baby pigtails]

[the group trying to get in on a pic with olive…she was like ‘nope’]

after a few hours of hanging out, olivia and aaron headed on out. they had lots to do for their upcoming week! it was incredibly awesome that they had come out to our place for brunch {and vice versa…we love going to the city to see them!}. we love, love hanging out with these two and adore them both so much. such a great couple and of course i heart olivia to bits. she’s such a sweetheart.

it was definitely a wonderful morning brunch. cheers!

xoxo

curious cupcake

Posted on January 27, 2015 by tandem in love

the other night, my famille was over just to hang out. it was a true lazy day for all of us. we ate lunch, chilled, and the kids played together {like little crazy rug rats}. a few hours after lunch, little b wanted cake. chocolate cake to be exact but i didn’t have any to offer. so i decided i would make cupcakes for everyone {little b was just fine with it being vanilla}.

b was so excited. he really wanted to help. he was in the kitchen with me pretty much the whole time. asking me questions about everything! he was most curious on how long everything took. how much longer until the batter is done? how much longer for them to bake? how many more minutes unit they’re done? how many more minutes until they’re done? how many minutes until they are cool? are they still cooling? are they done now? can we frost them now? what about now? hehehehe. too cute…such a kid thing, no?

[helping me line the cupcake tins]

[filling the liners with batter]

[frosting manic!]

so, the cupcakes were finally cool and b frosted them with me! we had a great time frosting and sprinkling each one. i gave him a little spatula knife and he dug his little hand and little knife into the frosting and slowly swirled on bits of frosting onto each cupcake. he did well! he, at first, had a hard time swiveling his wrist back and forth so he could spread the frosting around but with a few tries, he finally got it.

[a little sprinkle never hurts]

we got all the cupcakes covered and sprinkled half of them to dress some of them up. thennnn, it was time to gobble them up! r, b, me, and thuy each had ourselves a sweet treat. it was great to have made cupcakes with my darling little nephew b. he was the best sous chef evah!

xoxo

my little valentine

Posted on January 26, 2015 by tandem in love

so us goofy gals {okay, olive has no choice || right now|| but to be a goofy gal with me} decided to coordinate our p.j.’s in celebration of valentine’s day!

yes, corny me is getting excited for valentine’s day! i’ve been thinking a lot about what to do, what to make, when to decorate {i am hoping i have the time to squeeze in some fun stuff…it’s so precious lately}. i’m a fan of this upcoming holiday…it’s a day to celebrate love, love for your family, love for your husband, love for your significant other, love for your friends, love for your children, love all around!

alright, lots of mommy and olive pictures coming right up! we had a blast hanging out in our heart p.j.’s for the day {well, really for the evening}. i love coordinating our outfits but it’s a once in a blue moon kind of thing. i’m into that idea {love it} but i’m not into the dedication, time, and effort! i only wish i could sit around all day and think, coordinate, and buy outfits that matchy matchy. shyeah right. i’d rather put an effort in to get creative with her ensemble but sometimes that is a fail! so, typically for special occasions, i’ll whip together a cute twinnie outfit of the day.

[victoria’s secret pj’s & leveret footies]

[my funny gal]

[what am i doing in this photo? i’m not sure…chillaxin’…being pensive, or just waiting for miss olive to return to me so we can snap more pics?!]

[so sweet]

[she looks so much like her auntie kim in this photo!]

i hoped you enjoyed our twinnie outfit of the day! olive was somewhat cooperative. she’s a babes on the move, as of late. getting her to snap some decent photos is a complete challenge! i’d say we were quite successful…i’m loving our heart pajama session. anyhoo, on that note, i love valentine’s day and can’t wait to celebrate it.

xoxo

brunching with kimberly

Posted on January 24, 2015 by tandem in love

i was excited to see kim and brady, it had been a few months since i saw them {at olive’s first birthday party}. we set up a date and decided upon a mid morning brunch…that meant skipping olive’s usual morning nap. i’ve only done it twice before and twice was it a disaster. well, okay not a total disaster but you can definitely tell when the babes doesn’t get her usual morning nap. she does get grhhummpyyy!

we met kim and brady at wild berry; we had met in the area, at the adjoining restaurant once before. it was when kim was on maternity leave and i was pregnant! it was a short wait to be seated…our pager went off within minutes and we were led into the dining area, to the back. they had high chairs for the wee ones that were really short. the kiddies kind of sat below the table line versus at it or above it. kim and i both commented on it…it was just that the babes were trying to see over all the ‘stuff’ on the table, so it was a bit difficult for them to look at each other!

anyhoo, we just started gabbing and gabbing. we started off with drinks and fruit for the kiddos but didn’t bother to peruse the menu. the server came by and we had her come back another time so we could look over the selection and decide on something.

kim and i talked about all sorts of stuff. i love that we are still friends and in touch! we have known each other for 4 1/2 – 5 years?? it’s so crazy to see it in writing…that it’s already been that long, and sometimes it seems like we just met but no, we’ve been ‘single’, engaged, married, and now we are mamas!

i love that we can connect on soooo many things…it’s great when you can share ideas, frustrations, and happy stuff with a friends and feel comfortable doing so. kim shared some amazing news with me! i am super delighted about the big announcement and look forward to the progression! life is good. life is great!

[hiiii brady]

[my babes]

[kim and brady]

it’s so interesting when you hang out with your friends with babes. it’s {obvs} all about them! we constantly fed them, obliged to their grunting, and did our best to entertain them if they were fussy. olive was eventually dunzo with sitting in her highchair and so i pulled her out and she walked back and forth, back and forth between the tables, crawled under her high chair a few times {my cat baby} and sat underneath it for a bit, and then she would eventually crawl back out and circle around again. it’s amaze that we can even hold a conversation with each other with all the distractions that we face when we are with them!

we finished up our meal {um, i walked away realizing i ate pretty much nothing!}, paid the bill, and headed out. i knew the little babes was going to knock out with a nap in the car. we said our goodbyes, it was too adorbs what happened next {i wished i snapped some pics!}! we put brady and olive down next to each other and told them to hug each other and give a kiss. almost a full make out session ensued! they hugged and kissed and kissed each other. oh em gee…i almost died from the cuteness! that was the best. a sweet little entertaining ending to our fun brunch date!

xoxo

marina’s little sprinkle gift

Posted on January 23, 2015 by tandem in love

my friend marina is having her third baby! wowza! it’s kinda crazy how many friends of mine are pregnant right now…and they are all having girls!!

so all the gals {initiated by miss kris} got together {via social media} to get marina a bunch of cute baby gifts in lieu of a shower, so it sprouted into a little sprinkle gift! how sweet. we were all so excited to do this. all the girls sent me their gifts {from different states!} and i put it all together in a white woven basket, surrounded it with pink colored tissue, flowers, and handmade a cute little pink banner to adorn it with.

we had planned a night where we could head over to marina’s house and give her the presents. i put olive in her pj’s…yes, it was going to be a late night {i figured we would be at marina’s ’til 8:30ish}, too close the her bedtime and i wanted her to be ready to go down once we got home.

we got to rina’s around 7:30pm and pam was right behind us. it was so great to see her and the boys! it was absolutely adorbs how sweet and interested maddox was in olive. he was trying so hard and saying some cute things like “take a picture of us!”…how sweet and yes, of course we took a ton of pictures!

[maddox being soooo cute with miss olive…he asked us if we could take a picture of them together!]

[she was not impressed, and then he showered her with gifts 😉 ]

[playing together]

[chillin’]

[oh, that belly]

after we hung out for a bit, chit chatted about life and the crazy changes that are happening very soon {a lot of changes that will be bittersweet as well}, we wanted marina to open up her gifts {i wish all the gals who participated could have been there too}! she was so surprised and excited! it felt great and wonderful to be able to give her some fun, needed presents for her little bundle of joy.

[her little sprinkle]

[somebody found a fun, new toy!]

after she went through all her girly goodies and needed necessities, maddox dug into the basket and, of course, found the breast shields and got super creative with them. he was being so funny!

it was a great, quick evening at their household. we had an excellent time just chillin’ while the kids played around and got silly. i was so happy marina was so delighted over her presents. we cannot wait to meet her sweet baby girl! yay!

xoxo

NFL Super Bowl XLIX Final – Sunday, February 1, 5:30 PM University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

New England Patriots(15-4) 28 Seattle Seahawks(14-5) 24

NFL Super Bowl XLIX
Final – Sunday, February 1, 5:30 PM
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

New England
Patriots(15-4)
28
Seattle
Seahawks(14-5)
24