12.21.2012

Merry Christmas to You and Yours

You're getting 2 posts in one day because I'm crazy like that (and I forgot I already had the Friday's Fanices post scheduled).   I just wanted to take this time today and say Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all the wonderful people that stop by and read this little blog of mine. 

I hope you all get to enjoy good food, good drinks, and good times with family and friends over the next week.  I am going to be checking out so that I can finish up some last minute shopping and wrapping and enjoying soaking up all the time I can with my husband since he's taking 4 days off work!


I hope Santa brings you everything on your wish list!!
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Friday's Fancies: Holiday Best

 Every year our very best family friends throw a Christmas Eve Party.  It' been going on about 20 years and becomes the highlight of everyone's holiday season.  Not only is it a great excuse to dress up but I also get to catch up with old family friends that I may only see once or twice per year.

Here is an outfit I would wear to the Christmas Eve Party:


Holiday Best



Do you have any fun Holiday traditions? There is something so fun about dressing up and going out of Christmas Eve.

 You can join the fun below:

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12.20.2012

New Blog Look, Baby Updates, and Grown Up Christmas Lists

First of all Thank You for all your sweet comments and congratulations on yesterday's post.  You all are the best!! Seriously.  

Now if you're reading this in Google Reader and didn't see yesterday you need to check out my new blog look!  I had Shannon from Shannon Page Design do it for me and she did an amazing job!  I just gave her some ideas and colors I liked and she quickly pulled it all together perfectly.  Not only is she really good but she has totally affordable prices so go check her out now.   She is also a newly wed and blogs about her  newlywed life over at Page Twenty-Two she had a gorgeous wedding also that you need to check out

East Coast Chic


For those wondering I am 13 weeks pregnant and due around June 23rd.  Weeks 6-12 were rough,  I was not prepared for the 24/7 nausea and extreme exhaustion but I think I have finally turned a corner.  The past 4 days I have felt glorious and fingers crossed it stays that way.   I was getting concerned there around 9 weeks that I would never feel like a human again, that coupled with the hormones made me have some lovely crying breakdowns that I'm pretty sure terrified my husband.  I think he is just as happy as me to be past those days!

If you have a minute please check out my sister's post on her Grown Up Christmas List.  She is a teacher and this has been a very hard week for her, as I can imagine the same for parents and teachers everywhere.   People think teachers have it so easy with summers off and spring break but teachers do so much more than just teach the lesson plan.

I can't believe Christmas is in 5 days!!!  Are you all ready?  I am finishing shopping today and then will hopefully have it all wrapped and ready tomorrow!

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12.19.2012

Big News!!

I just couldn't keep this secret any longer...

Coming June 2013!
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12.17.2012

Thank You!

I just want to say a big THANK YOU  to all of my readers and everyone's sweet comments on my Keeping it Real post.  It's good to know that I am not alone in letting my house turn into a disaster area.   Everyone in the blog world is so kind and supportive of each other and what we're dealing with. 
So again thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to stop by my little place on the internet.  

I know most of you spend the weekend fighting back tears listing to stories coming out of Sandy Hook elementary and Newtown, CT.  My heart hurts so much for those families, students, residents, and teachers, ugh I feel like teachers everywhere need not only a big hug but a major pay raise!  Just typing this makes me feel sick again.

So in order to lighten the mood I'm sharing pictures of my favorite little creature Layla:




   Yes that is my husband laying on the floor trying to get the dog to leave her crate and play
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12.12.2012

Keeping it Real

As a blogger it's hard not to just post the pretty things.  I know I am guilty of giving off the constant "happy" image on my blog and I can do that because that's what this is, my blog.  I think that sometimes we can sit here reading other people's blogs and looking at their seemingly perfect lives and thinking, ugh why can't  I have that outfit? or Wow their house is always perfect looking! or How on earth do they cook those delicious meals and stay that skinny? 

Well my life has been upside down lately and I feel like I just can't keep up.  My job is busy (which is a good thing), our new puppy Layla makes it so difficult to do any chores around the house, and between working, school, and traveling my husband doesn't have any time to help.  I have also barely completed my Christmas shopping- which is not good news considering I'll be at my in-laws in 10 days to celebrate.

So I'm sharing with you the disaster that is currently my house (if you were to visit you would never know I live like this sometimes, I usually like to keep my house looking pristine for guests.)  I'm so embarrassed to post these pics but I'm hoping that someone else can relate and maybe you all can motivate me to get my sh*t together and clean this place up! 

 Work station/Christmas card station

The half decorated Christmas tree

The hallway of never ending laundry and dry cleaning

The "office" has looked like this for a couple of weeks now- I'm not even sure I can tell you what we're storing in there anymore...



So are you all submitting this post to Hoarders to get me help??  Please tell me I'm not alone!!  (I'm glad my mom doesn't read this blog because she would kill me.) 
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12.07.2012

Friday's Fancies: Pretty in Plaid

When I saw this week's Friday's Fancies I knew what plaid I would be using: Tartan!  I did use this shirt a few weeks ago but it is such a classic Tartan that I couldn't over look it this time.

I have a Holiday Housewarming Party next weekend that starts at 3pm so I thought this outfit was festive without being too fancy for a day time event.


Pretty in Plaid


I would pair the J.Crew Perfect Shirt in Tartan with the J.Crew City Mini and J.Crew Viv Patent Flats.  (This I like J.Crew?!)  Then I would accesorize with my favorites:  the gold oversized watch, Pearls, and my RayBan Aviators.  Since this is my fantasy outfit I would be carrying my Givenchy Antigona bag.  Isn't it TDF?


Do you wear Tartan during the holidays?  Would you wear this to an afternoon Holiday event?
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12.06.2012

This is Hilarious

I just had to share this- it's hysterical!   I love my instagram and I know I've been totally guilty (especially as a blogger) of documenting way too much.



CollegeHumor's Favorite Funny Videos

What do you think?  Do you think we all over document our lives?  

PS- if you want to follow me on instagram to see my cool pics of food, clouds, and animals its @nathend5 
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12.04.2012

They're having a Royal Baby!





I don't know about you all but this news makes me so excited!!  Being that I was born in the same year as Prince William I have always been fascinated with the royal family and became even more obsessed after Wills and Kate became engaged.   

This is the day that media and tabloids (and let's be honest, most of us) have been eagering waiting to hear for the past 20 months.   

I only hope that Kate starts to feel better because I have heard that HG is absolutely awful.  

So let's start speculating.... boy, girl, due date, baby names?!?!   Most importantly I can't wait to see her pregnancy wardrobe- because you know it's going to fabulous!
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11.30.2012

TGIF: Friday Confessions

TGIF!! How excited are you all that it's Friday?   I know I sure am.


  It's been a long tiring week so I'm here with bullet point confessions this Friday.  If you follow me on instagram I will apologize because you're going to get a repeat of all these photos (@nathend5)



- I may or may not have had McDonald's French Fries and a chocolate milkshake twice this week, after a 10 month hiatus.  It was just as delicious as I remembered. 

- I'm dying to go on a shopping spree.  I know this is the seaon of giving but for some reason every December I get this urge to go spend hunderds of dollars on myself.  Sorry I'm not sorry. 

- I'm thinking of sneaking myself a gift with the J.Crew 25% off deal.  Shhhh don't tell my husband.  

- My Christmas tree has been up since Sunday morning but I haven't had the time or energy to decorate it. Anyone want to come help?



- In a moment of sudden hunger after some morning appointments I may have picked up these as a snack. 
They're sooo good 

- Layla wants to play with any toy that isn't supposed to be a toy- so when she pulled this out of our recycling can I just let her play with it so I could get some chores done.

- Having a puppy is what I assume having a toddler is like.  Every time I turn my back she is in to something else that she isn't supposed to be into!  I swear I cannot get anything done around the house anymore.   Knocking trash cans over, eating shoes, hiding under the bed, knocking things off the table, chewing power cords, etc.  

- My husband is in his final year of grad school and I am so, so happy. I can't wait for him to be finished.   I know that getting an MBA is very important to his career path but sometimes I just want to scream at Gtown for all the work they give him and time they steal away from me.

- I made an ornament wreath!! I am so fricking proud of myself because it was way harder than the DIYs I found on Pinterest and I drove myself crazy trying to make it perfect.  Now I need to find somewhere to hang it, because guess what- it's too big for my front door.  
I will be back next week with more details about how I made this and some of my tips and tricks. 

 - I just ordered my Christmas cards this week.  Yes they will have a picture of my cute dog on them.  I will share them on here once I send them out.   I usually hand address them but I'm thinking of printing labels this year because hand addressing sounds exhausting. 

- I have purchased one Christmas gift so far.  I planned to be organized and ready this year before December.  Umm yeah clearly not happening.   

- I call this picture below time out.  Layla wouldn't let go of my sister's dog's beard after she ripped out a tuft of hair.   Yes my dog is a little devil. 
 


So do you have any confessions this Friday??

 


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11.28.2012

My Christmas Wishlist

Hey Blog Friends!  I have been so busy with work and the holidays lately that the blog has taken a back seat.   I am finally back today with something super important: My Christmas Wishlist
  


Christmas Wishlist


1/2/3/4/5/6

So what are you asking Santa for this holiday? 


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11.19.2012

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday Everyone!  I hope everyone has a low key work week before we kick off the holiday at the end of the week.  If you are traveling like I will be doing, I wish you light traffic and short security lines. 

We had such a fun weekend this past weekend but I have to admit that I took ZERO pictures!! I don't know about you all but when I'm having a good time somtimes documenting it is the last thing from my mind. 

My husband's 31st birthday was last Thursday so we went out to dinner at the Annapolis Yacht Club Friday night to celebrate.   This is the only picture I took, yes of the menu, boring I know. 

We had an appetizer of Truffle French Fries and they were AMAZING!!! Oh my god truffle oil is so so good, I need to get my hands on some so I can try some truffle recipes.

I took Layla down to my parents house so she could burn off some energy running around their big back yard.  This was the first time I drove her in the car by myself and I wasn't sure if she was going to try to jump from the front to back or need to sit on my lap, but she quickly got comfortable.
 We have admittedly become crazy dog parents- and if you know me IRL then you know I swore up and down that I would NEVER become obsessed with my dog, well I was oh so wrong. Totally obsessed.  

On Saturday night we went out celebrate our friend Kate's birthday at Kettle Hill in Baltimore.   Again I took zero photos but I had to mention this restaurtant because it was so so good!   It is located in Power Plant, and anyone familiar with Baltimore is probably thinking that it can't be that good.  Let me tell you it is and you would NEVER expect to find it in Power Plant.  
Here are some pics from the website: 



The rest of the weekend was spent being lazy and staying snuggled up inside.  I am getting very excited for Christmas this year and decided I'm going to attempt to make an ornment wreath.  Has anyone ever tried one?? 
Here is my inspiration but I will probably do green and red:

Hope you all have a great holiday week!

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11.16.2012

Friday's Fancies: Autumn Treat

For this week's Friday's Fanices we had to choose our favorite autumn treat.  I honestly have so many fall treats that I love but I think the one that stands out to me the most is Starbucks Red Cup! 
Their fall treat selection is my favorite and I can't wait to start drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Gingerbread Lattes, or Peppermint Mochas. 
I think this sticks out the most because I try to allow myself to have a "coffee" treat once a week or once every two weeks and there is nothing more fun than the Red Cup!

Since I usually pick up this treat on my way to work here is how I would wear it as an outfit:


Autumn Treat



So what's your favorite autumn treat?
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11.09.2012

Friday's Fancies: Bonfire Beauty

I don't know about where you live but it is getting chilly here in Maryland!  I was so excited when I saw the topic for Friday's Fancies this week: Bonfire Beauties.  Smores are one of my favorite treats and I would love to have an excuse to cozy up around a bonfire and make some this fall.

Here is ideally what I would wear to a bonfire:  


Bonfire Beauty



Now since I actually hate being cold and winter in general I would realistically be bundled up in about 10 more layers but hey a girl can dream right?!

So are you a smores fan? Do you have any fun winter bonfire or cabin type events coming up?
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11.07.2012

I Bought Them...




and they are AMAZING!!  I don't care that they are kind of ugly and make my calves looks 4 times the size they really are, they are so comfortable and so warm that I almost wore them to bed last night.  I can guarantee you that I will be wearing these not only every time I walk the dog but every time I leave the house that doesn't require pretty shoes this winter.  

So do you still wear Uggs?  

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11.06.2012

Life Lately

Hello blog world! How have you been?   I wish I was coming here to fill you in on something awesome I've been doing but unfortunately for you I'm not.  I've been pretty lame lately and low on blog material so you're getting bullet points.

- We got a Wegmans  in the new shopping center across the street from me and let me just tell you, it is the shit.  It is the WORLDS GREATEST grocery store.  That's not an exaggeration.  They have everything you could ever imagine needing or wanting to eat.  Next time I'm in there (if I can fight the crowds) I promise I will take pics.  Your mind will be blown.

- Due to excitement over said Wegmans above, me and Kyle had date night there on Saturday night.   Which consisted of wearing my sweats to a grocery store and hitting up the hot food buffet.  We are officially old and super suburban, but the food was AMAZING and it took all my willpower not to fill up 5 plastic containers. 

- Layla, our new pup, has been giving us a run for our money.  Oh.my.gosh. Puppies are such hard work!! How do people have kids?? I can barely handle one 5lb dog!  She is soo cute though it's so hard to say no to her, which is probably part of the problem.


- Here in Maryland we've totally gotten an artic chill in the air this week.  It was 34 degrees when I went to the dry cleaners this morning! I am not ready for it to be that cold yet?!?!!  I'm also in serious need of some new sweaters and winter clothes.

-I am so happy today is election day because I'm not sure I can stand another annoying commerical or facebook status update regarding the election.  I'm over it, but I am going to try to vote today at some point. 

- Anyone out there still watching Gossip Girl?  Thoughts on this season?  So far I'm not a huge fan at all.  I feel like they're trying really hard to re-create season 1 with Bart Bass being back and Dan being an outsider but I'm just not really liking any of the story lines.  I also think Nate dating a 17 yr old is creepy. 

-Is anyone watching Nashville?? I decided to try it out when I was homebound thanks to Hurricane Sandy and now I'm totally hooked! Love the drama. Would love to hear your thoughts on it? 

- Are Uggs still in?  I've had FauxUggs for the past 2 years (and real uggs before that) and I just threw them away this past summer.  Now that we have this dog that requires being walked in the cold I think I might need to invest in another pair- possibly tall ones.

- I can't remember if I've shared this tip on the blog before or not but I'm a HUGE fan of Revlon nailpolish.  It all started when my Target was out of a gray Esse color I was looking for so I tried out Revlon and now I am hooked.  They are only $3.99 a bottle and I swear to you it lasts sooo much longer than any Esse or OPI color.  (I also do my own manicures and they last much longer than a salon) I use Seche Vite top coat- it seriously dries in 2 minutes.  

- I'm hosting my annual Friends Thanksgiving this upcoming Saturday! It started about 3 years ago and has become a tradition among my friends- we usually cook the turkey and then everyone brings a dish and alcoholic beverage to share.  I think I have the most fun planning and decorating for the party- I will hopefully have lots of pics to share


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10.29.2012

Meet our new addition

Layla 

She's a mini goldendoodle- a mix between a golden retriever and a poodle.  Right now she's only 8 weeks old and weighs 5lbs but should be between 20-30lbs when she is full grown.  We drove 2.5 hours to West Virginia to pick her up on Saturday and she's has totally won us over.  

Adjusting to life with a puppy hasn't been too hard- despite barely sleeping the first night- and after less than 48 hours with us she is already testing the limits, but she's sooo cute it's hard to turn her down.  





We said we weren't going to allow her on the bed... you can see that lasted long



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10.26.2012

Friday's Fanices: Celebration



This weeks Friday's Fancies is all about celebrating!! I knew that I was going to base my outfit off this Milly dress below:

Here is how I would style it:


Celebration



I already have a few holiday parties in the works and while I probably can't splurge for the Milly dress I'm hoping I can find something similar that fits the bill.

Do you have any upcoming celebrations that you need to dress up for? 


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