my brother{s}

Posted on January 5, 2015 by tandem in love

my brother and his girl tashina came to visit us for christmas up until new year’s eve. it was pretty awesome to have them around. huy doesn’t visit very often, maybe twice a year if we are lucky. i love seeing him. we all miss him. plus, he is sooooo wonderful with the kids too!

huy moved out to cali quite some time ago. i can’t even remember…it’s been nine years now?? anyhoo, life suits him just fine out there. he’s so l.a. now…such a hipster. well, he’s always been a hipster but whatevs.

he’s been a photographer for quite some time now. he’s super talented and has done some amazing work. you can check out his website here.

on one of the days they were in town, hc invited everyone over to our place for supper. we ordered uncle bub’s for dinner and had a swell time hanging out together. i came home and only my sisters and the kids were home. soon, everyone else slowly trickled in. hc and terry were out picking up the food and arrived home last.

we got down to business! the table was set and the food was ready to be served. we noshed, imbibed, and conversed about all sorts of topics. it was fantastic just to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.

[feeding the garbage disposal]

[boy band brothers]

gosh, family is so great. i feel very fortunate to have a large family. i sometimes, still can’t believe my parents did what they did. raising a large family with the means that they had. it’s pretty awesome to have brothers and sisters…people you can go to when you need them, people you can hang out with, people you can rely on, people who help you out. siblings are like built in buddies, non? and you know what really tops the sundae off? when your siblings are with/marry some more awesome peeps. the family grows larger and better. life does have it’s not so great moments {irritations, fights, disappointment}…don’t get me wrong, sometimes it sucks but i love having the glass half full. it only makes me feel more fulfilled, loved, and happy. i’d rather count my lucky stars than think about the pile of shit i just stepped on.

a lucky star i’m thankful for?? my little babes, olive. i love watching her play with her cousins. it’s just the best and cutest times evah. *sigh*

[silly kids]

[silly faces]

[ba going in for a kiss]

well, it was a quick but lovely time with tashina and huy. we enjoyed them being in town and spending so many great days with them. it definitely went by too fast. lots of love to them both…we can’t wait to see y’all again!

xoxo

nye

Posted on January 3, 2015 by tandem in love

every year, it’s been our thing to go to the city to celebrate nye {or the fact that we were living in the city}. for the past {over} six years we have been together and seven new year’s eves together, we have always had dinner in the city. for almost two decades, my sister and her hubs have done the same. celebrating nye in the city was a no brainer for us, always.

but this year was different. this year olive joined the party {being the older and wiser gal}, this year we bought a house {in the burbs!}, and this year we were slightly not feeling it. it was a whirlwind holiday season and before we knew it, new years was creeping up on us very fast. we weren’t sure where we wanted to celebrate it…what restaurant? what time? oh, all the decision making was overwhelming or rather, not interesting.

so, we thought, why not have it at our house? it’s close to everyone, we love having people over, we love hosting, and it would be a lot more fun and relaxing! we all wanted to dress up and cook a delicious dinner! how perfect!

anndd at our house it was, hc and i got up super early {or rather, olive got us up} and we started preparing for the party. we cleaned, set up all the tables, decorated, and bought any last minute supplies {ice, flowers, etc.}. our place was starting to come together!

right after 5 pm, people started to trickle in. we set up appetizers, served up drinks, and slowly started to cook up our lovely dinner. it was great to just chill, relax, and move at our pace.

the kids were having a blast hanging out {down in the basement or screaming upstairs}. us adults mingled and nibbled on apps. our friend, lan {owner of the krispie bakery}, brought over the most awesome kettle corn that she had made. it was soooo stinkin’ yummy, i couldn’t stop eating it.

[dapper dudes]

[beverage area]

[the addicting kettle corn lan made]

[yummy cheese plate by kim]

in between the apps and cooking, we went a little nutso with our ‘photo booth’. warning: there are A LOT of pictures coming your way! hold onto to your screen!

[me, thuy, lan, and kim]

[b, r, avery, and grace]

[the cuties]

[magritte]

[this is my favorite photo of the night]

on the menu for our nye dinner was a caprese salad, arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette, sautéed green beans with sliced almonds, mushroom ravioli sautéed in a brown butter sauce, and a savory seasoned pork tenderloin. mmmm mmmm.

we all sat down for dinner and i toasted to our fabulous evening! it was such a wonderful event to have everyone gather around for. everyone looked so pretty in their festive attire and the kids were able to scream and play together with ease. a perfect combo for a perfect evening.

[new year’s eve tablescape]

after we ate dinner, i cleaned up and i placed out cookies and coffee for dessert. i purchased the tasty little morsels from whole foods! i love their cookie/dessert section at the store. once desserts were out for the adults, i got crackin’ on the kids sweet tooth’s. i first made them little sundaes and then they got super excited at the idea of a root beer float! so i made mini root beer floats for them too! yum!

[cream and sugar set from anthropologie]

[mini root beer floats]

the kids were sooooo impatient. they wanted to count down every hour and we kept telling them, no…not yet! they were itchin’ to use the poppers, the noise makers, and the clappers. so, we decided that we would do the count down with new york city!

[getting ready for the countdown!]

[midnight kiss!]

[the sweet babes leaning in for another kiss]

[we celebrated nyc’s nye but miss olive stayed up to bring in the new year chicago style!]

overall, it was such a wonderful, wonderful night. we had the best time socializing, drinking, nibbling on apps, and making dinner together. it was a total team effort…we all had a great time together and it was perfect way to bring in the new year!

xoxo

haphaphappy new year!

Posted on December 31, 2014 by tandem in love

happy new year’s eve!

new year’s eve is such a magical night. it’s a night where everything turns over. not only is tomorrow a new day, it’s a new beginning. i do get wrapped up in the idea of starting over and fresh. it’s your chance to change. this is what you get to do on this first day of a brand new year if you choose to believe.

look upon this upcoming year like a glass half full.

i want to be a better person, always. i am who i am and there are things i cannot change {i can be quick to judge, impatient, temperamental, and too serious}. but i will do my best to be {more} kind, understanding, generous, loving, patient, humorous, and light hearted.

“tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. write a good one.” ― brad paisley

“should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?

for auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.”

cheers to a new start, a new day, a new year lovies!

xoxo

christmas day

Posted on December 30, 2014 by tandem in love

christmas morning was quiet and calm. it was me, hc, and olive doing our usual routine. we really wanted starbucks but the one closest to us was closed {sad face}, so dunkin’ donuts it was; hc got us yummy donuts and {okay} coffee. the coffee was alright. i’m such a starbucks fan and i was totally missing my americano this past christmas morning.

after breakfast {olive was napping}, hc and i just chilled on the couch. ahhhhh, some relaxation was in order. it was quite nice to have some quiet time and do nothing. we just waited and waited for miss olive to wake up and be on our merry way to aunt vicki and uncle steve’s house.

before going to their house, first we stopped off at missy’s house to exchange presents. it’s our christmas day routine. of course, it was mostly about miss olive. she had the most presents! natch.

[miss olive loving the cat]

[here kitty kitty]

[my cutie]

when we arrived at missy’s house, olive was totally smitten by the kitty cats! she was so delighted! she smiled and petted the cats, she was loving it. it was too cute to see. i love seeing her amazed by simple things and how sweet she can be when she’s so curious, intrigued, and happy.

[olive loving her new vacuum]

[my gift from dick and jane]

[quilted olive pillow!]

[she loves her the winnie the pooh wooden puzzle]

[papa opening his gift: a whole year of salami!]

[cousin daniel]

[aunt missy and olive]

after missy’s place, we finally arrived at aunt vicki and uncle steve’s house. the party was in full swing. we rushed in and greeted everyone. a lot of hugs and ‘merry christmas’ exchanged amongst everyone. we made our rounds of hello’s and settled in. we were only there for a little bit before dinner was ready. every year, vicki makes her famous stuffed shells…they are so rich and yummy. it’s like a heart attack on a plate but oh so good.

once dinner was served, we all hung out and socialized. it was great to see olive in action. she is always so scared, attentive, intense, and observant when she is in a place that is unfamiliar. she has to assess her situation and get comfortable before she decides if it’s a safe place. once she is sold that it’s not a scary place, she will start to explore. that is when she becomes herself and starts to enjoy her surroundings and people.

[chocolate martini]

[kaitin and lisa]

[chunker cheeks!]

[heart attack on a plate]

[lori, kait, lisa, and missy]

[jay and morgan]

[rich’s godson, jake]

[lori and moi]

[parents]

[kids]

[grandkids]

after a few hours of hanging out with the fam, olive was a bit spent and it was time to go. she was getting super tired and when that happens, she gets into these crying fits. that is when we know she is dunzo! so, we said our goodbyes and off we went.

it was a very merry christmas.

xoxo

merry merry christmas eve

Posted on December 29, 2014 by tandem in love

2014

ahhhh, it was christmas eve! i love christmas eve. it’s the most wonderful time of the year! every year, it’s at my parent’s house. we gather there for food, fun, and gifts!

hc and i got ready {while olive was napping away}. i was hemming and hawing over what i should wear. i wanted to be festive and fun but i couldn’t figure out what my ensemble should be. well, i got a little dorky and totally went all cheesy chritmasy with my outfit du nuit. red and green it was. it was a bit loud, bright, and crazy but i totally rocked it like nobody’s business {no comments please}.

olive’s outfit was a bit classier. she wore ralph lauren plaid. yup, the cutest little red dress with a plaid ribbon, sparkle tights, and a red flower pin. hello, she had to match her cousin’s outfits!

once we got there, we said our hello’s to everyone and i went downstairs to see if my sisters needed help with dinner {they were chugging along quite nicely}. in-between helping with dinner, we were visiting with everyone and clinking our drinking glasses on this very merry evening.

we did a lot of goofing around, taking photos at every chance, and just relaxed. a perfect evening to sit back, unwind, and slow down from this hectic, hectic holiday season. it was pretty cool to just chill with our family. i was so tired that i actually fell asleep sitting up on the couch. what?! i never do that, like never. just ask hc. but never say never ’cause i just did!

[red and green!]

[the boys]

[cheers!]

[i found this picture quite funny. mmmmmm, wine…]

[why, yes there is a tent in the middle of the room. and santa and rudolph were visiting olive]

[super auntie thuy and olive]

[tashina actually holding olive! or i mean, olive letting tashina hold her]

[sweet baby girl]

[silly faces]

after much waiting, dinner was finally ready! yum! kim always creates the most wonderful entrees. everything is always so flavorful and delicious. we had a wonderful seasoned beef tenderloin, buttery mashed potatoes, savory mushrooms, corn, brussel sprouts, and a crisp, fresh kale salad. it was all so tasty and good!

[christmas tablescape]

[dinner place cards]

[matching ralph lauren plaid outfits]

after dinner, our little elves changed into their pj’s. oh so cute. could this be any more adorbs?! we, of course, went photo crazy. after much admiration of them, we finally trekked upstairs to open up christmas gifts. it was so crazy and fun. of course, the kiddos went first. that’s the best part! olive, reagan, and bennett opened up all their gifts and ooh’d and ahh’d over all their goodies. the cutest part? olive learning to ooh and ahh herself! she would squeal every time we opened up a present…it was beyond precious to watch and hear her! i just about melted every time she did it.

[santa’s elves]

[this picture cracks me up! i laugh every time i look at it!]

[elf feet]

[gifts!]

[presents, presents, presents]

[my gift from hubby charming]

[prints from rifle paper co.]

[bose sound system]

[christmas booty]

[how many christmas presents can i wear?]

[pout]

[what a cool dude]

after the kids opened up their presents, all the adults opened up their secret santa gifts and had to guess who their secret santa was! score…i got mine right, it was tashina! ha! i’m so good. 😉 so, as usual, everyone tinkered with their christmas gifts and/or reveled in the kids excitement of new things.

thuy and i then brought up desserts and coffee for everyone to nibble on while we continued to play around with our new toys. oh what a night…it was a pretty awesome eve together. spending time with family is precious and it was definitely a christmas eve to remember! merry, merry indeed!

[pj party!]

xoxo

hb jesus!

Posted on December 25, 2014 by tandem in love

“who can add to christmas? the perfect motive is that God so loved the world.
the perfect gift is that He gave His only Son.
the only requirement is to believe in Him.
the reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”

[corrie ten boom]

happy birthday jesus, for this day you were born and we were given the best gift of all!

amidst all the gifts, lights, expectations, stress, materialistic items, money, and toys, we tend to forget that this day is about the birth of Christ, our savior! i do love the warmth of love the holiday brings, i love decking the halls, all the edible deliciousness that is gifted to us, the exchange of gifts to one another, the kindness that comes forth from everyone, and the overall holiday cheer that emanates from all around but i humble myself to remember that this day is about our Lord.

*sigh* my favorite time of the year has now come and is almost gone. i hope everyone has had the most wonderful time this holiday season. i definitely did. i am blessed with a beautiful family, friends, and i am loved. i couldn’t ask for anything greater.

merry, merry christmas to all!!!

xoxo

happy holidays to you…

Posted on December 24, 2014 by tandem in love

merry christmas from our family to yours!

it’s been a hell of a year! what a wild ride it has been. this holiday season has been a fantastic one so far and there are so many things i am thankful for. all the milestones, memories, and good times had gets me all excited for the year 2015!

may your christmas be merry and bright. may your days be filled with love, laughter, and joy. may the coming year be full of good health, peace, sparkles and shine, happiness, and great success!

“God bless us, every one!” said tiny tim {a christmas carol}

xoxo

snow globes

Posted on December 23, 2014 by tandem in love

a few years ago, i created these little snow globes for our place and as gifts. i just love them! they are so easy to make and so cute to have around during the holidays. this year, from our move {chicago to the burbs}, a few of my snow globes were jarred from the bumpy move and needed some tlc. so i decided, why not share on how they are made? it’s so simple and fun!

what you will need:

ball jars {wide mouth or regular…whatever preference or size and height} i like a bit of a variety in sizes.

snow. you can buy it at any craft store. i bought frosty snow and iridescent snow to give it some bling.

i added in confetti gold stars to add some shine.

little pine trees. a package at the craft store comes in a variety of sizes.

a glue gun.

[i also used iridescent snow…it was camera shy]

first, undo the ball jar so you have the round, flat lid bottom side up. i put a generous amount of glue onto the bottom of the tree and firmly place it onto the lid. hold onto it for a few seconds to let it set.

i then take the snow {both types} and confetti, and mix it into the ball jar. you only need a little bit. maybe a inch or half an inch {depending on the size of your tree}. a little goes a long way.

some people add water to the jar, but i prefer not too. i then place the lid {with the tree} back onto the cap and screw it back onto the ball jar. flip it over and ta da! you have yourself a snow globe! easy peasy!

i love making these. i hope you have some fun making them too! like i said, they make great gifts or add just the right amount of festive, holiday decor fun to your house.

xoxo

hb to me!

Posted on December 22, 2014 by tandem in love

my birthday started out with me and olive. we were having a great morning! she was snuggly and in a great mood. i got ready and we spent a little us time, snuggling, that morning and then i decided we would hit target.

of course our shopping ‘short’ stop turned into a longer escapade than i had in mind {i should know better, it’s target!}! i was a bit behind on her breakfast and nap. we rushed home and i threw the groceries on the floor and went to work on her breakfast. i fed her, then nursed her, and then off to bed she went! she put up a fight. almost one hour later, she finally fell asleep!

hc’s parents came over around three o’clock, right when olive was finishing up her lunch. i had let her eat her pudding by herself, which is always a hot mess, and i typically throw her in the tub afterwards to clean her up. she gets her food all over the place. she will get pudding on her face {natch}, her hair, her ears, her pj’s, her hands, elbows, you name it…food is on it!

while his parents were over, i made some christmas popcorn {more on that later!} and hc {who came home early} hung out with his dad, while gramma entertained miss olive. once i was done, i got myself all gussied up and was ready to open up my birthday presents!

[my presents!]

i opened up dick and jane’s gift first. oh my goodness! i was not expecting to find what was inside. actually, i really had no clue what it was but i was extremely surprised! they bought me a pair of tory burch shoes! i was excited! i have a pair {and i looooooove them} but they are old and ragged. the shoes have been through more than what i should have put them through. yay!

[opening gifts before we head out to dinner]

[i was sooooo excited to receive these shoes!!!! it was so unexpected!]

[tory burch caroline flats!]

i was ready for hc’s gift. it was quite a big box. as i unwrapped it, i couldn’t get the box open {as you can see, i’m super amused}. my struggles were well paid off!!! my birthday present was from burberry! i was soooooo excited and happy! i had mentioned to hc that i wanted a new coat, my old burberry was dunzo, but i wasn’t sure when i was going to get it. i hoped for it as a possible birthday/christmas gift or something we could buy next year when all the cray spending would settle down. nope. it was here, on my birthday. woot. woot. a beautiful, new, sleek long puffer coat in the color olive. how perfect.

[not amused on why i can’t get the big box open]

[oh em gee…didn’t really expect this either!!!]

[olive was curious]

[so focused]

[in love! the color is called olive!]

[about to head out for our dinner reservations]

after much hoopla, we rushed out of the house and headed to the city for our dinner reservations. i was super excited to have dinner at our favorite sushi restaurant. hc and i had our third date there. plus, when we lived in the city, it was so easy to go to coast as it was a hop skip and a jump away from our place.

as we were driving there, we passed a new donut shop called stan’s. i loved the store front and how inviting it looked but we were surprised a donut shop opened up there, right across the street from another favorite of ours, glazed and infused. that kind of sucked for them! donut competition!

[we were amused that this donut shop popped up right across the street from glazed and infused, i’m sure they weren’t amused…wow, competition}

we arrived at coast {we scored an awesome parking spot} and were seated immediately. oh, it was delightful. just like old times. we were seated in a cozy corner and had the best time drinking wine, eating apps, and conversing. dinner was fantastic, as usual. i crave sushi and i die over their fried tofu soup. it’s amaze.

well, we ate waaaayyy too much. hc had planned for us to go to hot chocolate for dessert. it’s our usual routine. eat at coast and have dessert at hot chocolate. but we were so stuffed that we passed on it, knowing we had cupcakes waiting for us at home. we wrapped up and headed out. it was great to not rush, to enjoy each other’s company, and savor a delicious meal together.

[best evah…my favorite is the white dragon]

once we got home, we lit my birthday candle, they sang happy birthday, and it was a wrap! it was quite a successful birthday!

[my birthday cupcake]

[singing happy birthday to me!]

[make a wish!]

i had the best day with miss olive & hc’s parents. hc always makes my birthday so special! he knows, with it being so close to the holiday craziness, how important it is to celebrate it as my memorable day. he will go out of his way to make it exceptional. he is, honestly, the best birthday present i could ever ask for!

xoxo

christmas popcorn

Posted on December 21, 2014 by tandem in love

while i was at target the other day, the idea of making christmas popcorn {literally} popped into my head. i was super thrilled at the thought! so, i grabbed a bunch of ingredients and put it into the shopping cart to create the yummy goodness.

my first attempt was an utter failure. our microwave is old, it’s a hand me down from the house and it’s quite unpredictable on how it heats our food. we have a new one, but we won’t put it out until we remodel our kitchen. so i burnt the popcorn and burned the chocolate. fail. i was super bummed and a bit frustrated.

i cleared my head and tried again. this time, it was a complete success! i figured out the right cooking time for the popcorn and decided to melt the chocolate over the stove instead. perfecto. the popcorn was fluffy and the chocolate melted seamlessly {no clumps, no seizing, no graininess}.

[mulit-tasking: writing thank you cards and collecting ingredients for my baking excursion]

as for the popcorn, you can either pop it the old fashioned way, buy kernels and pop it over the stove {it depends on if you want your popcorn free of other flavors}. i chose to use the microwave bags of buttered popcorn.

what you will need:

four bags of microwavable buttered popcorn bags

two 12 oz. bags of white chocolate morsels

one 12 oz. bag of milk chocolate morsels

one bag of mini m&m’s

red and green nonpereils

one bag of mini pretzels

one dozen 32 oz wide mouth ball jars

red twine or raffia to decorate with

[popped corn]

[melting white chocolate // use a double broiler (fill the bottom pot with one inch of water) boil the water and then turn down the heat // add the chocolate to the top pot – constantly stir the chocolate until there are a few lumps left, remove the chocolate and continue to stir…it will all melt eventually from the heat]

i started with small batches of popcorn. i used two bowls to separate it. a big bowl to make the christmas popcorn in and a smaller bowl to house all the popped corn. i put a small batch of popcorn into the big bowl and drizzled it with the melted white chocolate. i then sprinkled in red and green nonpareils and mini m&m’s. i then took another batch of popcorn and repeated the steps until i used up all the fresh popcorn and all the nooks and crannies where filled with tasty sugary morsels.

[christmas popcorn]

after i made the popcorn, i then dipped pretzels in first, the white chocolate and then i made a batch in milk chocolate. i used wax paper to place all the dipped pretzels and plus, it’s easy to pull off the finished goods. i sprinkled the dipped pretzels in green and red sugar, and rainbow nonpareils to dress them up.

i let the popcorn and pretzels dry and harden up for about an hour. after everything was set, i packed up all the goodies in large ball jars {i love ball jars…so many fun uses}. i like the wide mouth jars so it’s easier to transfer the goodies in and easy to pull it out and eat!

[white chocolate pretzels]

i packed the christmas popcorn first and then topped off the jar with the white dipped pretzels and then the milk chocolate dipped pretzels. i wrote merry christmas on little tags and used raffia string and twine to tie it together for a finished festive look.

[christmas popcorn // ball jar // twine and tag]

annnndd, ta da! christmas popcorn and pretzels! so cute, fun, and tasty. it’s a perfect homemade gift for the holidays for loved ones, neighbors, or co-workers!

xoxo