mother’s day ’19

Posted on May 22, 2019 by tandem in love

our plans for mother’s day typically includes a brunch somewhere. sometimes in the city, one time at our house, or locally in the ‘burbs. this year, we decided to keep it local. my sister, kim, suggested a place called vistro in hinsdale. i’m always game for doing something locally, plus with our dad is having a hard time walking…so it’s easier to have brunch close to home and where we don’t have to walk very far.

the morning started out lovely. the kids and i slept in, while hc cleaned up the house, he then took care of the kids, gave me a back rub, and i was able to get ready without too many distractions! the kids also surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a very sweet, glittery card.

it was a perfect start to the day. oh, how i wish every morning was like that! hc fed the girls, got them dressed, while i was getting ready. i did their hair and out the door we went to meet everyone for some delicious brunch.

we were seated at a long table right inside the entrance and right by the food stations. score! we didn’t have to walk far to get our grub. LOL the cousins played together, the adults chit chatted over everything, and we ate and ate until our belly’s were full! i was digging their quiche and buttery pancakes with lots and lots of cream!

after brunch, we went home and relaxxxxxxed. oh, nowadays, it’s all i ever want! for some reason, i was sooooo tired. i put ellie down for a nap and i felt exhausted. i laid down onto the couch and fell asleep! hc took a nap next to me and the only person not sleeping was olive. ha! she dislikes falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon…she will avoid it at all cost! she took full advantage of a toy house take over while all of us were sleeping. i think she pulled out every toy from the bins and strategically placed them all over the house.

the nap was so needed! i felt refreshed and rested!

mother’s day was absolutely perfect because my hubby did his best to make it a great day and i loved it all! it was spent with family, good food, relaxing, and i couldn’t have asked for a better day!

thanks hc, olive, and ellie for an amazing mother’s day! i love you all to infinity and beyond!

[ellie is such a ham]

[these cuties]

[mom and dad]

[toe tapping]

[cheers!]

[super auntie thuy and ellie]

[kim and bennett]

[mini cupcakes]

[dan, reagan, and terry]

[oh ellie]

[mother daughters]

[she’s so precious]

[mom and dad’s birthday cake]

[why does my face look so old yet young…a weird combo??]

xoxo

mother’s day at argyle

Posted on May 22, 2018 by tandem in love

for mother’s day, we wanted to take my mom to an area that she loves going to – argyle!

we planned on going to a restaurant we have been to before, on mother’s day five years prior {that was when i announced i was pregnant with olive!!!! it was such a fun, amazing day to celebrate!}.

we made the trek to uptown…it’s such an obscure area to travel to. we circled around a bit to find parking, it was super crowded and busy. after a few rounds, we finally scored a spot off on sheridan road. we didn’t mind walking for it was such a nice day, a bit cold but nice and sunny out!

my bother, dan, and his girl agata were already there, always on time and always wondering where the rest of the clan else was. the usual. everyone was 5 to so many minutes late behind! ha!

my brother huy and his wife, tashina, were in town! they had a wedding to attend to and it was awesome it fell on mother’s day weekend, so my mom was able to spend the day with allllll her children!

we started to order food, of course, first with appetizers and then with entrees. after a tedious process of getting everyone’s orders and ordering random dishes for everyone to just share, the server comes back and tells us we cannot order anything stir fry. ummmmm, ‘scuse me??!! that eliminated almost half our entrees. oh, i was so irritated. he gave us an excuse that their stir fry cook called off and they couldn’t make any stir fry dishes. wtf. that made no sense. i am sure all the cooks there that day knew how to make most of the dishes!! c’mon…it’s a vietnamese restaurant with all tenured vietnamese workers and no one knows how to make fried rice??? i hardly cook, and damn…i bet i could have rolled up my sleeves in the kitchen to make that. or send my mom in, ’cause she’s a bad ass cook!

i, honestly, believe that most people order pho or other easy, pre made dishes on sunday and because our group was so darn large and there were so many orders, they gave us that excuse. maybe they were short a cook, fair enough, but don’t tell me no one knows how to stir fry anything in that kitchen right now!!!

we went back and forth with the server and spent some time looking over the menu again. everyone took some time to rethink their entrees when the server came back out and said, “ok, we can make the stir fry dishes but it will take a very long time.”. fine. i said go ahead. ohermgawd…it took forever. the ironic part was the dishes that were ready to serve, came out dead last. four people order the bun boa and it took forever for them to get their soups. whaaaaaaaa?

needless to say, it was terrible. absolutely terrible. we will never eat there again. everyone was so disappointed. the food wasn’t great, the portions were tiny and too much money. i won’t even put their name in this post because it was just disappointing.

after lunch, my mom shopped around a bit while us kids sat in the stinkiest coffee shop. yes, it smelled awful. so unpleasant but the kids were having fun playing with the board games they had on the side!

after a half hour or so, we all headed home to get ready to go back to my mom and dad’s house for food part 2. my mom had made pho, so we all gathered over there for sunday dinner and to hang out with huy and tashina, since they were leaving the next day.

despite the restaurant being subpar, we all had a wonderful mother’s day! praise to all the moms out there who work their butts off balancing a career, or the house, or both, the kids, the hubby, and everything else that goes on in-between. our role is complicated, messy, stressful, amazing, fulfilling, and so full of amazing love. thank you for all that you do to raise good humans!

[who’s in charge?]

[isn’t she so sweet? but oh so naughty!]

[looking at uncle huy, in fear]

[she loves uncle huy and aunt tashina]

[dan and agata]

[the crew]

[hot pot]

[i love this sweet face]

xoxo

pre mother’s day celebration

Posted on May 21, 2018 by tandem in love

hc’s parents came over to our place, one day early, to celebrate mother’s day!

it was a lovely morning. hc took the kiddos, got them ready, and let me have time to myself for a couple hours in the morning! it was fantastic. i laid in bed for a bit, pouring over social media {ahhhhhhh, i miss those days of just lounging in bed, after slowly waking up!}, got ready, cleaned up the house {again}, and lounged for {literally} a second before everyone got home and hc’s parents came over.

gramma and papa brought over toys for the girls and hc came home with all sorts of surprises! hc knows the way to my heart, pretty flowers, great wine, and starbucks! it was so adorable; i saw them come home, so i swung the door open. olive came running up with flowers in her hand and ellie sloooooooowly wobbled to the door {like sooo dang slow, olive stood at the door beaming and waiting for ellie to coincide with the surprise} with the biggest balloon!!! it was three times the size of ellie! hahaha! it was so dang cute watching them run towards me with the biggest smiles on their faces!

once everyone was settled, hc starting prepping for lunch. we visited with each other and hc cooked up a storm. it was super yummy and it was a very relaxing afternoon spent together.

jane and i drank some bubbly while the girls played and hc cooked up a delicious lunch for everyone {roasted potatoes, vegetables, grilled chicken, sausage, and cole slaw}. after lunch, we relaxed on the couch, watched clips of olive’s mother’s day concert from school, and ate cake! yuuuuummmmmmm!

after several hours, dick and jane left {to get home to sadie, their dog}. it was a wonderful afternoon spent with hc’s parents. it’s always so fun when you get to spend time with family!

[hc knows the way to my heart]

[gorgeous tulips]

[flowers for gramma from olive and ellie]

[a bit of morning bubbly]

[playing with papa]

xoxo

mom’s day

Posted on May 24, 2017 by tandem in love

what a beautiful day.

the weather was just perfect! the sun was shining and it wasn’t too warm. i was super excited to host mother’s day brunch at our house. it was a last minute affair! my family wasn’t sure what we were doing for mother’s day. we usually head to the city and have brunch somewhere downtown but this year, we let our planning slip by and before we knew it, mother’s day was upon us and we had no plans! so, i suggested to have it at our house! we love hosting others at our home!

well, that gave us barely a week to plan a menu, conjure up decor ideas, and then actually going out to get all the food and supplies! oy! life has already been so busy and lately, i totally feel like i am strapped for time but we did it!

hc cooked up a storm! i chose the menu items and he brought it all to life! he’s so darn good and sweet! he insisted on cooking {i always opt for catering} and really pulled through with the delicious food. hc made 4 different kinds of quiches – red pepper, mushroom, bacon, and onion quiches. they were all so darn delectable! he made savory, seasoned breakfast potatoes, crispy thick cut bacon, and yummy buttermilk waffles served with sweet butter and maple syrup! wow! we were all so impressed.

we set up tables outside. how could you not?! the weather was simply amazing!

i had a calligrapher draw up menus, place cards, and station notes for our party! i love little details like that, it always adds a lovely touch to any party. i decorated our tree {aka the photo booth}, put flowers everywhere {thanks to kim!}, and created a dessert and mimosa table. i also bought little potted flowers for all the moms to take home! everything was so last minute but it all turned out so darn pretty {if i do say so myself!}.

everyone trickled in around noon and soon the party was in full swing. we all enjoyed hc’s divine brunch buffet, created our own mimosas, and soaked in the warm sun outside. after brunch, we all just relaxed here and there. i think that was the best part of the party, we all just chilled and enjoyed each other’s company. the kids played in the yard, hc took, almost, everyone for a ride in his newly assemble jeep, and we celebrated all the moms.

being a mom is the best gift, best journey, and best thing that has ever happened to me. i am thankful and so blessed to have my two little girls in my life. nothing prepared me for this miraculous role called motherhood and i can’t thank God enough for this amazing privilege to be their mom. cheers to all the mothers out there who love, give, and sacrifice so much for their kids.

hooray for moms!

[celebrate mom]

[table spread]

[a pretty pot of flowers for our lovely mom’s to take home]

[mimosa bar]

[make your own mimosa!]

[family]

[the sweetest nephews]

[sweetest souls]

[we sure do love our moms]

[dessert table]

[the colors are like a unicorn cake!]

[i love a pretty dessert table]

[siblings]

[with ba]

[after a few hours, i finally poured myself a mimosa…soooooooo yummy!!!]

[with our wonderful mom]

[i kept saying, “olive, get in the picture…olive get in the picture!” and this is what i got. bahahahaha!]

xoxo

mommy and me hairdo’s!

Posted on May 5, 2016 by tandem in love

to celebrate mother’s day week, olive and i went to the salon and got matching hairstyles! we were so excited to get coordinating looks and this would be olive’s first time ever at a salon! yes, i have never had her hair cut and honestly, i am not sure when i will have that happen…

we went to the hair cuttery right down the street from us. it was only a few minutes away. if you need to find one closest to you, you can find a location here. they have locations throughout the midwest and east coast. what i love about this place is that it’s clean, close by, and it offers great prices for quick, stylish looks! if you are looking for a full service salon, they offer that too! as i waited to get our hair done, i noticed that they offer cuts, color, waxing, and texturing services. i also noticed a wide range of styling products on their shelf. they sell so many great salon brands! we were only there to get a cute style but i love that you don’t even have to make an appointment! our wait was minimal and when we walked in, there were several people ahead of us but it was quick to see a stylist!

i was a bit nervous over olive letting a stylist near her! she’s sooooo shy! i wanted to get my hair done first so she could see that it was ok. our stylist was so sweet and nice, actually everyone at the salon was! once my hair was done, we attempted to style olive’s hair. oooohhhhhhh, she was not having it.at.all. she screamed and cried. i coaxed her and reassured her it was ok. well, hc came to the rescue!!! he found a lollipop at the front desk and handed it to olive. yup, that did it! she stopped crying and let the stylist braid her hair with no complaints. woo hoo!

i loooooved how our hair turned out! we both had cute braided hair and it was so fun to get matching mommy and me hairdo’s! we had the best time spending it together and loved that we did something special in lieu of mother’s day. a definite special treat and bonding moment to be cherished!

of course we are posting some fun pics on our instagram account as well! if you aren’t following us yet, please do so! our ig handle is @tandeminlove! also, if you happen to head to your local hair cuttery for a fun mommy and me style {for mother’s day or any day you want to make special with your daughter{s}, make sure you hashtag your pics with #MyHCLook for a chance to be featured on hair cuttery’s blog gallery!

[pre-style]

[i love this little babe]

[getting my hair styled while olive waits patiently!]

[loving my look! i love braids!]

[my finished look]

[she finally let our stylist braid her hair! daddy came to the rescue with a lollipop!]

[so proud of my super shy girl getting her hair done]

[getting the final touches]

[our final looks!]

[all content]

[she’s so funny!]

[looooove her]

{this post was sponsored by hair cuttery ~ all opinions and stories are my own. muwah!}

xoxo

mom’s day

Posted on May 13, 2015 by tandem in love

i was super excited for my second mother’s day!

me and my sisters were so busy and preoccupied leading up to mother’s day, that we didn’t make brunch reservations in advance! we always book our brunch date weeks ahead of mother’s day, because we know how quickly spots can fill up and we never just want to go to just any ol’ restaurant for brunch!

well, this year, with the boys {nephews} being so busy with activities…we decided to have a later affair instead of an early morning one. and with us being so behind in the game of reservations, we decided to host an early dinner at our house!

the hubs and i love having people over! it’s our thing and we truly enjoy it! so, we set out to coordinate a fun, quick get together at our place for mother’s day. we decided a nice, simple tablescape and some small, cute decorations were in order.

thuy and kim came over early to help set up. terry and kim so graciously picked up the food, hc made a vegetable side dish, and i prepped the punch!

hc did a great job setting up the table. he did all the pre-work {ironed the napkins and tablecloth} and set all the place settings! what a guy! kim brought fun little potted herb plants for the centerpieces. i prepared all the ingredients for the punch. thuy brought over balloons and together, we made cute little balloon chandeliers for the each table. i also love the little nook we have in the corner for drinks/desserts/whatever you want to make of the set up. i put together a banner and hung cafe lights as a finishing touch for the area {again, side note: i can’t waaaaait until we get rid of that awful wood paneling!!!}.

[beautiful flowers from my sister, thuy]

[oh baby olive just waking up from her nap]

[our punch garnish]

[happy mom’s day!]

[apple cake, water, & punch]

[potted herb plants as centerpieces]

[the fanciest kids table evah!]

[pomegranate champagne punch]

as hc and i prepped our place, olive took a good, long solid nap! thank goodness…peeps were on their way over and we needed a well rested babe for our guests. it was a small get together. it consisted of me, hc, my sisters, our brother dan, my brother in law, his mom, his sister, and our dad {unfortunately, our mom was not feeling well…boo}.

while the kids played, the adults imbibed the delicious champagne punch and mingled. we waited until everyone was over before we served dinner. the food was delicious and it was so much fun to sit down, eat, and share stories. after everyone was done eating {i cleaned up…my favorite thing to do!}, and a few people exchanged mother’s day gifts! so sweet and fun!

i then served desserts and coffee. thuy had brought an apple cake, lynne made a delicious lemon cake {soooo good!} and the kids had ice cream. we all hung out for a bit longer and the kids were wild and crazy, running all around. after a few hours of hanging out, it was time to say our goodbyes. everyone slowly trickled out and soon the house was almost empty again. *sigh*

[terry and his mom, barbara]

[mmmm, tasty]

[the hubs and me]

[my mother’s day gift…citrine rose gold earrings!]

[me and my precious babe]

[my beautiful flower plant from lynne]

[these two…]

[me and my sisters]

i had such a lovely, lovely time on mother’s day. i absolutely love my gift from hc, i very much enjoyed our company, and i really had such a wonderful time hosting everyone at our place. we truly love having friends and family over…it seriously makes life go round.

i hope everyone had a beautiful day like we did. life is grand. happy mother’s day to all!

xoxo

tandem in love

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

Tag Archives: happy mother’s day

mother’s day ’19

mother’s day at argyle

pre mother’s day celebration

mom’s day

mommy and me hairdo’s!

mom’s day