A Fascinating Thing

Well we scored some tixs for Oaks this year for Ryan, the sibs, the outlaws, & myself so a new outfit plus accessories was in order. I rounded up a chic & classy outfit for a steal so I decided to splurge on something fun to dress it up a bit.

Meet my Oaks Day fascinator:

I found this little gem on Etsy and was super stokked to find that the shop resides in Louisville. I was able to avoid shipping fees by meeting up with Denita, the shop owner while home in KY. If you are interested in getting some Oaks/Derby accessories, check her out!

Weekend Treats: Shady Pi Edition

My first weekend back in Kentucky proved to be a fun-filled, belly laughing, exhausting yet rewarding time (per the usual). Kicked off with a 5 mile walk around our neighborhood with my sisters & mom then family dinner on Thursday night. Friday I headed down to LexVegas to celebrate my MIL's 60th with a few races at Keeneland. The weather was gorgeous and my bump was tucked safely inside my UK pride blue pants & beige top courtesy of Kendahl's b-day gift to me. Next KP and I met the Shady Pis of pledge class 2001 at Rincon starting off our reunion weekend with class of course ;) We enjoyed Mexican food & margaritas (well they enjoyed the tequila drink) while gossiping over parenting skills, former classmates, SAE boys, and more. The night continued with singing & dancing at Redmond's and a few clumsy manuevers from the drinkers!

the birthday girl sporting her new bikini

heading to Rincon with my bestie

Saturday, the weather was blah but couldn't stop our tailgating fun. Huddled in cars, we continued our gossip over jello shots and *gasp* a diet coke for me. Boxed seats were key in our older age as we made bets and snacked on bloody mary's and hot dogs. Dolled up from the reaces, we headed to Merrick Inn for a big girl meal. We enjoyed a table outside filled with stories of TMI, lots of giggles, martinis, to-die-for food, and heavenly desserts. And no LexVega weekend would be complete without hitting up the world famous Two Keys Tavern where we would have the best laughs of the entire weekend. Let's just say...some things never change!

on the road to becoming moms...

the preggos of the group

go ponies go!

being social

um two keys sells pizza?!

the planners

some shady pi loves

Sunday, a small group enjoyed breakfast at Ramsey's before I stopped by Barry & Elizabeth's to meet baby Henry Thomas Cooper. Born weighing 5 lbs (now over 6), he was so tiny and sweet. Dressed in a monogrammed blue & white striped long sleeve onesie, he nestled his little body in my arms and slept peacefully. I hadn't held a baby in quite awhile, and I had forgotten just how precious & amazing they truly are. It definitely made being pregnant all the more real to see & hold what is growing inside me. And to physically be able to touch what the miracle will become in 4 short months. E looks great and Barry talks fatherhood with so much pride. Bonus: their house is beautiful with an adorable & cozy nursery.

I think he likes me :)

I wrapped up the day with Baby T's first baby shower. More to come in a separate most on that with lots of details and pics, but for now I'll tell you that it was exciting *and* different from any shower I've had held for me!

Uncle Shane & Bishop eating ice cream cones

Hope you all had some fun & fabulous weekend treats!

Music Mondays

All about the neon baby...

Friday's Fashion Forward

My fashionista friend Nikki has been upping her blog game lately. She is constantly posting quick & creative posts about anything fashion. From accessories to shoes to trends to outfits, she is teaching me things daily.

Recently, she posted about neon. Coincidentally there is a great country song out with the same name (tune in Monday for the hit). Part of why I love reading her blog is that she will take a designer look and show you how to get it for less. You know for the normal people who shop at normally priced stores? In her neon post, she explained how she scored her neon yellow satchel from Target for a low $25. Not bad to make a fashion statement and be budget conscious.

I just happened to be strolling the aisles there myself when I spotted her find. Now I am not as bold as her, so I opted for the blue clutches (2 for $19.99). Still a tint of neon but not too much to blind me.

And I couldn't leave without finding a fun outfit to match my new purses...so I grabbed this turquoise and navy one-piece jumper for $30.

I have an event in mind that I am thinking of putting this ensemble together...stay tuned for a complete outfit pic as we venture further into spring!

DIY Painted Vases

I've been meaning to knock a few DIY projects off my Pinterest board but hadn't gotten around to doing so. Can't imagine why right? The other day I got inspired now that major holidays are over until the fall, leaving me semi-decorless for a bit. Enter DIYs.

I am taking them one at a time and adding a littler color to our house. We just don't have the budget for me to buy ever last decor to fill this house so I'm improvising and hitting up Dollar Tree & Michael's to add some spice. These vases were pretty simple. So if I can do them, you can do them.

Inspired by this:

I created these:

I just bought vases from the dollar store, PermEnamel surface conditioner, PermEnamel paint (colors of your choice), and faux flowers from Michael's. You wash the vases and let them dry. Then apply a coat of the conditioner to the inside of the vases. Let it dry. Then apply your color to the inside of the vases. Turn them over to remove excess paint. Dry overnight and love your new creation come morning.

Get crafty my friends!

Weekend Treats: NY Style Edition

Despite the weekend starting off with a few Friday the 13th hiccups (i.e. our wedding shadow box being shattered and the foyer mirror scrapping the paint and busting the dry wall all ending with me in tears), it turned out to be productive yet relaxing.

Saturday Winston came up from the city to play handyman. He assembled our new modern piece for the dining room then helped Ryan hang several pieces of art work and some mirrors. His help cut about 3 hours off of the project time which made us forever grateful.

banker/trainer by day...handymen by night

power over the mirror finally!

newly framed keepsakes hung

Paris is so vintage...but we'll be painting the frame mahogany 

Then Win & Ryan played chef whipping up some homemade burgers, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, and cookie ice cream dessert. We had a full blown burger bar with topping choices of lettuce, tomato, bacon, guacamole, and thousand island dressing. Plus the usual fixins' like ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Delicious!

burger bar

time to feast

Sunday we headed to the 10am church service on a blue sky kinda day. Followed by brunch at The Patio in the down of Briarcliff. The food was amazing and the service was killer. A quick in & out breakfast followed by a flavored coffee to go from Moonbean Cafe next door.

omelet extraordinary

egg & bacon sandwich roll

We headed our separate ways as I played in the finals of my tennis tournament while Ryan mountain biked through our backyard. Figuratively not literally. Although I lost, I loved playing in the tournament and held my head high that I even reached the finals with a few wins along the way. And I was reminded that I am not 18 and playing rather I am 29 plus 5 months preggo. Still competitive and fierce as ever though.

a little history

I came home to Ryan still in his bike gear gleaming after a wild ride. Our neighborhood is the mecca for the great outdoors, and I am glad he is getting to explore. He is like a caged animal during the week who definitely needs release on the weekends!

"our backyard"

All in all, a fairly laid back but extremely fulfilling weekend in Westchester County. The countdown continues until baby T arrives as does the progress we are making on getting all nestled in.

How was your weekend?!

Music Mondays

The baby loves rocking out to this song...no really he/she does L. Marquette ;)

A Lesson in Nesting

When I realized that I was rapidly approaching the 5 month mark of pregnancy, I felt a sudden panic and overdrive to get things done. The nursery. The baby's bathroom. Painting the guest bedrooms. Finalizing our furniture purchases. Reconstructing the basement (I heart UM but can forego the bright orange & green colors). Mind overload. To top off things, our entire family as in both sides is coming up for Thanksgiving so the pressure is on to have the house completely put together by then. Every last little decoration.

In an attempt to not overwhelm myself too much, I made two separate lists: pre-baby and pre-turkey day. I thought this would help me prioritize and keep my cool. Not so much. When I want things done, I want them done now. Which is not the best when your husband has two actual days per week he can help equating into really one day as he has his own weekend agenda.

So despite being preggo, I have been putting myself to work. Nothing too crazy but enough to make me feel like we are progressing in the right direction...I think!

In a nutshell, this is what nesting looks like at our house:

baby bath coordinates

all in the details

night light for baby T's room

painting in progress

looks more like a construction sight

the one and only thing we have done to our bedroom

hanging time

project mirror in foyer (aka Friday the 13th nightmare)

I'll be glad when nesting goes and completion comes ;)

My Etsy Shop

My friend from grad school suggested that I sell my deco mesh wreaths on Etsy. I hadn't really thought about it before because I usually doubt my own ability to be crafty. But then I got to thinking and what I discovered is why not? Why not set up shop and sell a few wreaths. I enjoy making them. They're easy to make. Some people might not have time to make one themselves. Some people might not have the patience or the desire to yet they desperately want one to hang nicely on their front door. And any extra dollars mean I can have all the custom window treatments I want/new furniture pieces/baby gear. "Play money" is never a bad thing right?

So if you're in the market for a fun wreath for any occasion, let me know! Here is the link to my shop on Etsy. You can customize colors and themes by noting it in the comment section. I will be in Louisville from April 19th through April 29th and can hand deliver any Derby wreaths to kick off the festivities for you!

Happy Wreathing :)

Dear Baby T,

Today you are 5 months old (in the womb). You only started appearing about a week and a half ago, but you are growing like a weed. You get to play a lot of tennis and are in pretty good fitness shape. You work out 5 days a week on top of the 4 days a week tennis stuff. I'm thinking you'll be the next Steffi Graf or Roger Federer.

You have already been to many states: California, Florida (Naples & Miami), Kentucky, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, and Louisiana (New Orleans, NCAA Final Four...I'll tell you all about it when you arrive although you probably heard me cheering rather loudly!). You travel well. Let's hope that goes for when you are really here.

You aren't a very picky eater which is wonderful. You haven't made mommy sick at all which I will forever appreciate you for. You seem to sleep a lot because I haven't exactly felt you kick just yet. Let's keep that trend going when you make your grand arrival.

You are a good sport about my work-life balance as you ride along with me to New Haven, CT once a week. You love the drive and the country music I play for us. And they always have some sort of treat in the office that makes work fun! We often do a bit of shopping on the way home too ;)

And mostly, you are a good sport about my crazy nesting right now. Hence when you stay calm as I bend and stretch and pull and push anything that needs to be in the proper place. Even though sometimes dad and I can be loud, we know that you are laughing at us the whole time.

Speaking of your dad, he stayed up all night one weekend getting your nursery painted. It is going to be nice & cozy once it is all said and done. And it'll have a few surprises for you too!

We are really looking forwarded to meeting you in 4 short months! Rest gently inside my tummy until we meet in August. And get pumped up to be showered with lots of love!!

Love,
Your Mommy

Easter Weekend Fun

Not too eventful for our standard weekend, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Saturday included an afternoon of golfing. My first big girl course. I generally stick to Par 3 courses as not to diminish my confidence, but I'm a sucker for a good Groupon deal so we hit the links hard.

The Garrison sits on a gorgeous property overlooking the Hudson River and mountainous ranges. The 300 acre property houses 18 holes of tricky golf as well as The Grill, a 4-room Inn, and the renowned Valley restaurant.

teeing off

FORE!!!!

my nemesis

pro shop

see the river?

trickiest hole

Despite the windy terrain, we enjoyed our outing and I found that my golf game isn't all too bad...especially compared to the fellas playing in front of us.

Sunday we awoke to treats from the Easter bunny before heading to church. A packed house, we had to stand for the service. I kept rubbing my belly hoping someone would have mercy on the preggo. No one bit. The homily was wonderfully put with a metaphor using SNL and its ability to take a small stage and turn it into something so spectacular. Jesus too was working with a "small set" 2000 years ago yet managed  to make an impact on the world so large that we still celebrate Him today.

look what the Easter bunny brought...

post church with my baby bump :)

Post church, we rejoiced with a little Starbucks before Ryan had to work. I spent the afternoon running errands before joining Abbi & Paul for Easter dinner at Moderne Barn. They're my pseudo parents here in Westchester County, and they really are fabulous. Abbi has been so welcoming to me on and off the tennis court. And Paul has demanded that I call them at any hour of the day/night should I need anything. They consider me their 5th child. The atmosphere was serene yet hip. The meal was delicious. Starting with the Nonna Meatballs followed by the Lobster Cobb Salad finished with the Chocolate Hazelnut Torte.

Moderne Barn

An amazing way to rejoice in the rising of Jesus Christ! How did you celebrate our Savior?

Music Mondays

Easter Decor Takes Over

With the move, I decided to try and upgrade a few of my holiday decorations. I have a lot of house to fill/decorate so I purchased a few new pieces. I plan to add over the years and hope that each holiday will have its own storage bin as opposed to now where many holidays share space :)


Here are my new Easter pieces, ready for the Easter Bunny:

pinterest creation...peep centerpiece

*mrs. egg & mr. bunny

my Mama Comley made this ceramic bunny

*eggs all around

*love this egg tree

What did you leave for the Easter bunny?

**all * decor was bought at Pier One and is now 40% off if you want to snag for next year!