hc and i drove up north to visit grace. it was a beautiful summer night. we picked the kiddo up and went out to dinner near a downtown area somewhere, um, i don’t know the towns up there at all! after that, we knew we wanted to swing by a cruise night {we spied one on our way to dinner!}.
we walked around the beautiful area and admired all the cool classic cars. It was a pretty large showcase of vehicles that evening and hc and grace really enjoyed examining each one.
it was a lovely summer evening spent with the family, doing a fun summery type activity!
i hope you have something fun planned up your sleeve this weekend. it’s going to be a warm weekend…maybe some pool time? zoo time? or just some cool down time with popsicles!
whatever it may be, enjoy & revel in it. happy friday y’all!!!
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!
it was grace’s birthday! we trekked our way up to dick and jane’s house to celebrate grace’s day. when we got there, the kiddos were on the boat with gramma and grandpa, tubing. olive, hc, and i chilled at the house until they returned. once they got back, jane started to whip up some dinner.
while we were waiting, everyone was playing with miss olive. as soon as olive saw her sister grace, she was nothing but smiles. she loves her sister! grace is the only person who can make olive laugh and laugh.
[olive loves her sister!]
[hb gracie!]
[daddy with his girls]
jane made spaghetti, meatballs, and sausage. i decided on the pasta and meatballs with a pound of parmesan cheese, please! we sat down for dinner, while olive {miraculously} played on the floor by herself! we were pretty impressed, i love seeing her change and grow and how she is now so content with entertaining herself. so, she scooted around, grabbed at her toys, and gabbed out lout while we downed our dinner.
[marbled birthday cake]
[papa, daniel, olive, grace, and hc]
[spaghetti and meatballs]
gramma made marbled cake with chocolate frosting for grace! her cake was adorned with m&m’s and different colored sparkler candles. we lit them up and sparks started to fly from each one…a very fun, pretty sight for everyone. we sang happy birthday to her and then her dad tricked her into getting up from her seat…he gave her a birthday spanking! every year she falls for it!
[olive singing happy birthday to grace!]
[make a wish! grace couldn’t get all the candles blown out!]
[birthday spanking!]
[cake and ice-cream]
she opened up all her gifts and then we had to jet! i felt bad we had to leave right away but we were behind schedule. we were suppose to leave at seven, due to olive’s schedule, but we ended up leaving at eight. i was not a happy camper…i’m adamant on sticking to olive’s schedule. it takes an hour or more to get home and i knew she would fall asleep in the car. baby girl goes to bed at nine…that meant we would be home after nine, she would be sleeping that entire hour {when she should be awake!}, we still needed to give her a bath, and i needed to feed her. she ended up staying up later because she wasn’t tired {because of the nap} but all was well in the end.
[opening her gifts]
[she’s outgrowing me!]
happy birthday grace! it was fabulous to be able to celebrate it with you. happy twelve years little lady. here is to many more wonderful celebrations!
this cute little shower idea is to die for! i love how adorbs it is. such fun little details and delectable sweet treats to serve your guests.
i love how the theme plays off of stereotypical ideas of when a women is pregnant. pretty decor, fun theme, and very cute ideas! a pretty in pink party that would be entertaining for all your guests.
[showers ahead! beautiful table spread]
i love the hanging parasols. such a whimsical touch to any event space. the gorgeous centerpiece is filled with my favorite flowers…garden roses and peonies. so beautiful and romantic. each setting has lovely light pink napkins, pink hobnob glasses, and champagne for each guest.
[craving station]
how cool is this?! wine, ice cream, hot sauce, chocolate, pickles, fruit, sushi, and pasta. an odd mix that sounds so right…to a preggo lady! i remember the days when i was pregnant, if i wanted something to eat, i wanted it now. or i would eat the weirdest combos. for example, i would eat ice cream and then spicy doritos. yup. one after another.
or fruit was my biggest craving. i needed fruit everything. whether it was fruit juice, fruity gummy bears, fresh fruit, popsicles, whatevs. it always hit the spot! so, whether it’s what is pictured above that you display or whether you want to personalize it to the momma to be and her cravings…create a table spread that’s unique to her!
[pickles and ice cream]
[what are you craving for today?]
[champagne for your guests…served in a lovely hobnob pink glass]
[juice box for the mom to be]
[strawberry and champagne cupcakes]
[chocolate bars]
decadent cupcakes and bittersweet chocolates make for great endings.
this shower is so darling…i love all the feminine details and how cute the theme is! it’s a perfect idea for any momma to be. add in some savory entrees and voila, you have yourself a perfect baby shower.
i was finally able to meet austin! my friend dawn just had her fourth, yes fourth baby! austin is seven weeks old and quite the guy! at his one month appointment, the little dude was over thirteen pounds! oh my gosh! i said to dawn…,”what will he weigh at his two month?!” he probably is as big as olive! olive is probably a little over sixteen pounds and she is almost eight months old!
[baby austin]
we arrived at dawn’s house and walked into craziness. jodi was already there with jett and dawn’s other three kids were running amuck. we said our hello’s and i pulled olive out of her car seat, we walked over and said hi to little austin. he was quite content in his swing, such a calm baby.
[playtime]
i put olive on a cute furry beanbag dawn had in the family room. she was quite happy sitting there for awhile. kaitlyn and savannah came over to play with her. they were so good with her! they were sweet, gentle, and really got olive engrossed in playing with them.
[my cutie pie]
[kaitlyn and olive]
[such a cute pic with kaitlyn and savannah]
[i love this!]
[injury = popsicle]
[jett icing his boo boo]
[jodi wanting so much to hold olive!]
we chatted up a storm while the kids whirled around us. dawn and i had a lot of catching up to do. i do miss seeing her! we had gotten very close over the years of knowing each other {over 10 years!} and we have become good friends!
we were in awe over life and it’s changes. how, when dawn and i first met, she was just married with no kids…jodi and i not married yet, living life ‘single’, and look at us now! all of us happily married, with kids, and closely connected in life.
after a bit, dawn whipped out a bunch of food. she’s so cute, she said she is up so late most nights…she has to do something, so out came a wonderful spread of food. she also stated, what could she make that was easy to eat since us mommas would probably have one hand available, if we are lucky! so, it was a lot of easy finger foods and quick, light bites…perfect!
[finger food for quick noshing]
[dawn, olive {curiously watching}, and moi]
[yum]
of course, olive was in nooooo mood to have anyone hold her…oh, that babes. savannah soooo wanted to hold olive. she was so sweet towards her. both kaitlyn and savannah, such great little girls, they were both wonderful with little miss olive. they entertained her, played with her, loved showing her some fun toys to engage her; it was so cute to watch them together…it just makes your heart melt.
andy, dawn’s hubby, came home for lunch. it was awesome seeing him! he’s such a great guy…i’m glad we got to chat it up for a bit. he was a bit bummed leaving…i mean, c’mon…we were partying it up at their house! of course he didn’t want to leave the craziness!
andy tried playing with olive…oh em gee…it freaked her out! it was hilarious. i was over in the kitchen, cleaning up olive’s bowl and spoon {i had just fed her solids}, and andy scooted his way over to olive and she just freaked out! such a sensitive baby!
[andy trying to play…and scaring olive : / ]
[savannah sooooo wanted to hold olive]
[olive loving her new toy from the family]
dawn gifted olive with some pretty sweet treats. she gave olive a few adorbs outfits, play toys, and this wonderful, wonderful wooden alphabet abacus. olive loooooves it. she played and played with it and still plays with it. it totally entertains her. she spins and spins the wooden blocks around and around.
[smiley selfie]
[savannah took this pic! jett was not happy!]
[olive finally letting savannah hold her…so sweet]
[my lovely friends]
after noshing, playing, chasing, chatting, feeding, and getting a second to relax, it was time to go. the hours just flew by! before we knew it, it was late afternoon {we arrived late morning} and we had to go! we needed to meet the hubs to be on our way to another gathering…we’re always on the go. oy.
it was such a lovely afternoon with the ladies and the kids. oh, times like these i just cherish. these become the best moments in life. it’s amazing how life evolves and you find happiness in the simplest things.
we finally coordinated a date to have matt and johann come visit us! it was quite the debacle last time they tried to travel out here to see us. on their way here, it rained heavily and flooded the streets! they were stuck 🙁 they were on the road for over three hours and weren’t moving anywhere. we were so bummed but everything turned out for the better…the following week, they were able to come visit us on a beautiful evening and danielle was able to join us!
[olive and momma]
matt and johann brought us a housewarming gift and something for miss olive! they gifted us with a beautiful wood wine rack from a cute little boutique in chicago and gave olive an adorbs little onesie from hazel.
[a sweet little gift for olive]
[fun bicycle card…so fitting!]
[the adorbs onesie…how accurate]
beer was the drink of choice this evening. although johann switched it up by making some old fashioned cocktails for hc and himself {with the guidance from me! i make it for hc all the time!}. hc whipped up some cheeseburgers and chicken on the grill. he also made his delicious cauliflower and broccoli specialty…yum.
[old fashioned…cheers!]
[cheeseburga…cheeseburga!]
after dinner and many amusing topics, i served the decadent dessert! i am in love with this tres leches cake from a local grocery store down the street. it is soooo stinkin’ yummy! i could eat slice after slice if it didn’t have any fat and calories 😉
[tres leches]
johann was so good with olive…oh he loves babies. after dinner and desserts, i put olive on her play mat so i could clean up a bit and johann beelined for her. he played with her, entertained her, and was just loving her. so cute!
[johann just loves olive…he loves babies]
[guncles doting on olive]
after relocating to the living room, relaxing after a full meal, and putting olive down, the clan had to go. it was soooo good to see them. we love them so much! such great friends and we were so happy to finally host them at our new home. it was a perfect evening.
it was little b’s baptism…look how cute he is! those chubby cheeks and that blondish hair. so adorbs. we had the ceremony at the queenship of mary, fr. quyen presided over the blessings. it was a beautiful sunny day to celebrate his path into the catholic faith.
after the baptism, terry and kim hosted a luncheon at the harry caray’s restaurant. it was fun, delicious, and quaint. we had a lovely private room where we could converse and visit one another with ease. i remember little b falling asleep in his car seat and we stuck him under a table…lol. it was a wonderful day with friends and family.
[the little cutie pie]
happy friday y’all! enjoy this beautiful weekend! i sure will…we have lots going and can’t wait for the awesome weather this weekend.
we were so excited to have johnny, janice, georgia, and charlotte come to visit our new house and meet little olive!
they arrived at our house in the early evening. we decided it would be best to have a casual dinner night…pizza and beer! yum. hc toured them throughout the house and gave the usual spiel.
the girls settled down on the couch and cruised through the apple tv selection to find a movie. they snuggled in with their dolls and were quite content.
we broke open several beers and cheered to finally getting together. we chatted for quite a bit before we decided on what we were going to order. we tried a place called aurelio’s and it was delicious! we got some apps and ordered their specialty pie of the moment.
[georgia and charlotte {rich’s goddaughter!}]
[revolution brewery]
[janice and olive]
while we were waiting for the delivery, we had lots of fun catching up on all sorts of events. janice and i talked a lot about nursing, the guys did their talks, and we circled around to discuss more things like babies, triathlons, vacations, family, and life.
olive really took to johnny! oh, she loved him. she actually let him hold her and she giggled at him! awww, it was very sweet.
i love janice and johnny. they are such a cute couple and so fun. hc has been friends with them, what seems like forever! when rich and i first started dating, johnny and janice were so welcoming of me and we instantly hit it off. their humor are off the charts! we love it when we are able to get together with them.
olive also received the cutest gift from them! so, janice is from canada {oh canada!}…they got little olive a pink fleece set emblazoned with the words canada all over it. it’s just the cutest little outfit and we can’t wait until she can wear it!
[olive was very fond of johnny[
[joining us for dinner]
[aurelio’s pizza]
[these two cuties enjoying some desserts]
the pizza came, the beer was being guzzled, and good times were being had. how cute are georgia and charlotte? they are such sweet, kind, polite little ladies. they are growing up so fast!
the family brought the desserts, so after a bit, janice set them out and we devoured them! the tarts were so good! i loooved the chocolate, caramel, hazelnut one…to die for. it was amaze. it just melted in my mouth. yum. i could have eaten five of them…hehehe.
[delicious pastries from whole foods]
after several hours of hanging out and putting olive down in-between it, it was, sadly, time for the family to leave. we had a wonderful, wonderful time with them. thank you so much for the cute gift for olive and thank you for stopping by! come back soon! muwah!
dearest dana came to visit {finally}! after we moved, it was a constant debacle trying to get us together! our schedules weren’t coordinating. if we happen to have the same day off, she or i would already have plans, or she would be out of town, etc. welllll, we finally, last minute, got ourselves aligned! hallelujah!
she came over bright and early in the morning {no traffic…woo!}. i walked her through the house…a tour of what has happened {remodeled} and what was to come. we chilled at the house for a bit before heading out to brunch. dana tried multiple times to hold olive…um, fail. baby girl will only be in my arms if i am in the room *sigh*, i do wish she would let others hold her but a screaming, crying baby is no fun for anyone! dana, being dana, was so amused and found it so hilarious! thank goodness 🙂
[dear dana loving olive]
[olive giving a shoutout to the westside!]
[attempting at another round of holding olive]
so, after many tries of holding olive, we digressed and moved along on getting ourselves to the restaurant. i offered a few options and we settled on trying a place by our house. a breakfast place {new to us!} that we have been interested in trying for awhile.
[orange juice for dana, grapefruit/orange juice for moi]
it was cute inside and not busy {bonus!}. we settled into our seats and perused the menu. there were so many choices! i decided on the banana walnut pancakes with a side of bacon and dana went for the eggs over easy, hash browns, and a side of chocolate chip pancakes.
[banana walnut pancakes]
[noshing]
we did a lot of catching up over brunch. the food was yummy. the company was even better. we yapped for awhile, until olive was getting a bit fussy. it was good timing with the fact that we were dunzo…check paid, we were ready to go when olive started fussing. so, out the door we went!
we went back to the house to hang out some more. olive needed to eat her solids, so i prepared her food and asked dana if she wanted to feed her. gosh, miss olive answered that for all of us. she was liiiike, um no. momma is the only one who will feed me! what a picky lady! poor darling dana…olive wouldn’t even let her feed her!
[oh em gee…poor dana trying to feed olive…nope]
[flashdance…she’s a maniac, maniac on the floor!!]
after a few hours of lounging, dana headed out {before crazy traffic could build up}. it was fantastic to finally get together and just hang out {what we do best}. olive and i miss her already.
these wooden dip dyed spoons. it would make a great hostess gift or add some spunk to your kitchen. you can always use some lovely wooden spoons to stir some cookie batter or sautéed vegetables in a pan without scratching it!
so, i’ve been collaborating with a dear friend of mine around an upcoming event and she found this artist that i am currently obsessed with!!! i totally want a map made for us! how cool is this? such a beautiful piece of work…it’s a great conversation starter and just gorgeous to look at!
i’ve been obsessed lately with striped napkins. yes. black and white striped napkins like these. i love the look and they add such a great pop of fun to your table. it’s a great way to contrast against any bright color you choose to accent your table with.
i adore this jcrew factory necklace. it’s the perfect statement piece. it is neutral but impactful to any outfit. it’s great with a v-neck sweater, scoop neck t-shirt, over a classic button up, the possibilities are endless to snazzy up any outfit.
what a romantic birdcage. i envision this piece at a spring/summer bridal/bebe shower or as a gorgeous centerpiece for any fete at our house! it can be seasonal too, such as, for a christmas party…you can fill the inside with red berries and pine branches to give oomph to your holiday table decor! the possibilities are endless and this cage can definitely be used year round to elevate any presentation for your home.
this wire script is fantastic. it’s a perfect adornment to any room. especially a foyer, a great greeting for anyone to walk into! it’s simple, delicate, and inviting.
i find this gold dot pillow to be a perfect accent to any couch out there! it will add that pop needed to brighten up any room. it’s modern and sophisticated and will add pizazz to any sofa that needs a pick me up.
well, there you go. a few of my favorite things right now! i hope you were a wee bit inspired and delighted! happy shopping lovies!
