Style Saturdays

I thought it would be fun to do a new little feature on the blog. At the beginning of the year I challenged myself to wear my entire closet and anything I didn't wear, I would donate at the end of the year. I was pretty good about taking a picture of what I wore every day until we moved and I misplaced the camera...

It's taken me a little while to get back into the swing of things but as I talked about a few weeks ago, I've been pretty good about actually wearing the clothes in my closet and not just throwing on jeans and a tee.

I've been documenting each day (or at least most of them) with pictures so that I know what I have/have not worn at the end of the year. So I thought, why not post them weekly here! If pictures of clothes bore you, feel free to skip this post, I know they're not everyone's cup of tea!

This week is only a partial week as we were on vacation Monday/Tuesday and I didn't remember to take pictures of what I was wearing while we were in Chicago (I was too busy taking pictures of everything else!). You'll have to excuse the ponytail and lack of make-up. The first thing when I do when I get home is throw my hair up and wash my face and I never remember to take pictures until I'm midway through the process.

Wednesday


Thursday





Friday

Friday Feature: Hosting Parties

I am so happy it's Friday! Hubs had a hockey game last night that ended late and I didn't get to bed until after midnight. Needless to say, this mornings alarm clock went off waaaay too early.

Today's Friday feature is several items from Pampered Chef. Pampered Chef has always been one of my favorite brands, I remember going to parties with my mom as a kid and I was definitely spoiled growing up in my mom and grandmothers kitchens that were absolutely stocked with every kind of cooking/baking item you could think of. When we got married, we registered for a lot of fun goodies from there and were blessed enough to receive many of the items. Some of the items that we either didn't register for or didn't receive have long been on my must buy list and now that we are in a house and throwing parties I have the perfect excuse! Right hubs???

I've really been wanting to get a couple of appetizer plate caddies, some with white plates and some with cranberry. Each caddy holds 12 plates so I was thinking two would be enough for most of our parties!

Other items that I'd like to get include several of the stands.






One of my favorite things about these entertaining pieces is that they have multiple set-up options. The top three tiered stand with the square plates has several different sized plates and bowls that can be swapped out. The long rectangular stand also has the option to use smaller bowls in varying sizes. With all the parties we've hosted in the last month and with more coming up every month, I think we would definitely get our use out of the servers.

Last year for my birthday, hubs bought me three fabulous drink containers from Crate and Barrel and we've already used them several times!

Any of you all Pampered Chef fans? If so, what's your favorite Pampered Chef item? I'm always open to trying out new items from there! And if you're consultant, please let me know! I was thinking of buying a bunch of items through the gal that I registered through for our wedding but that was a couple of years ago and I'm not even sure if she's still in the business!

Happy Friday everyone!

Your Questions...Answered!

Answers from all your questions from here, I think I got them all, but if I missed anything, just let me know!

First, do you and your husband have a set number of kids you'd like to have? & How many kids do you and hubs envision having?

I wouldn't say that we have a set number of kids per say...we've always talked about wanting five biological kids and then if we're doing ok with that, we'd like to adopt and work with foster kids when we're older and more mature (we'd like to make our mistakes on our biological kids and minimize further damage to kids who have already been through a lot). Soooo, skies the limit? Course, right now it's tough enough getting prego with number 1 so perhaps God isn't in agreement with our dream? Coming from a large family, I love big families and I love all the craziness that comes with it. I thrive on it! :)

And what is your absolute favorite thing to do?

hmmm, I think I have too many. I love shopping, love spending time with friends and family, love going on dates and spending time with Hubs, love traveling and doing active fitness stuff, love cooking.... I think whatever I am doing, it tends to be my favorite thing in that moment (except work, that doesn't count).

if you could travel anywhere in the world all expenses paid where would you go and what would you do?


Europe. Definitely. Hubs and I have talked forever about going but it's hard when work only gives you a couple weeks off in a year, I feel that we would need a minimum of four to do it properly. Plus once I'm over there I want to see it all! England, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Scotland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Poland, Austria, Greece, Belgium... I love the history and experiencing other cultures...we would see the sights, enjoy the food, SHOP, take millions of photos and create some lasting memories.

List your top 5 favorite songs of the moment.

ohh this is tough, please don't judge but I flip back and forth between country, christian and really bad pop (I can't help it, it's incredibly catchy) radio stations. Impossible by Sontelle, DJ Got us Fallin in Love by Usher, Break your heart by Taio Cruz, Need you Now by Lady Antebellum, Born Again by Newsboys.

What is something that most people don't know about you?

If you don't know me, I apparently come across as an confident secure individual who, unless is grinning from ear to ear looks extremely intimidating and borderline angry at the world. Its very annoying because sometimes I just don't feel like being all smiley but it doesn't mean I'm not happy. Also, I am far from always being confident and secure but apparently something in my personality says otherwise? I've yet to figure it out but I hate it and if I knew how to change it I would, it has frustrated me my whole life! Maybe it's my height? Growing up I would have hardly any friends because the kids thought that I thought that I was too cool for them. Nothing I could ever say made any difference and people always get all nasty and back-stabbing and jealous. Especially girls....

What is your job?

Corporate Accounting in healthcare.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Socialize, cook, bake, watch tv, read, blog, SHOP, do something active with hubs (bike ride, ice skate, rock climb, walk, work-out, yoga and other sweat-inducing activities *wink*), learn new hobbies and skills, budget our money and mess around with our finances, help other people with their money, entertain, clean & organize, sleep.

As an aspiring top chef (about me section) what is your favorite thing to make? The honey yeast rolls & garlic knots sounded so uber yummy!!


Ohh another tough question! I think baking and desserts are my favorite thing to make! Particularly bars and cupcakes. Unfortunately, my body does not agree and I end up eating way too much of it if we keep it around the house so I don't do this as often as I like. I do bake a decent amount to giveaway but that can be really expensive and it's harder to justify the cost when it's not a required part of the grocery list. Lately I have been trying to expand into breads because we can eat more of that on a regular basis and it's always intimidated me. I can post the recipes if people are interested!

What kind of fitness buff are you? Are you a runner/cardio/strength training/class attender/etc?

Hmmm I would say I'm just kind of a mix. I try to do a couple of days each week of light strength training and running/walking. I also have a few yoga dvds that I try to do a couple of times a week. We are too far away from any gym so the options are a bit more limited. I would definitely be at my best as a class attender or working out with a personal trainer where I had a commitment to pencil in and look forward to. Since that's not feasible for us right now (financially or time-wise), we have a whole gym set-up in a gym sized room behind our garage where I can run, bike and lift and we have 8 acres of hills that I go out and run/walk on for cardio. It's still a work in progress figuring it all out now that we are getting settled in. I'd be happy to post more details/pictures if people were interested.

What's your guilty please?

Shopping. I'm not an uber girly-girl and I actually don't like spending money (the accounting side of me) but I like finding deals and getting nice things. Definitely a guilty pleasure.

Favorite type of music?

I'm a closet pop-upbeat-techno fan. I also really enjoy country and worship songs. I go through phases and have several radio stations for each programmed into my radio.

How did you become a Christian?

My testimony is not dramatic really. I grew up in a Christian home and probably first committed my life to Christ when I was a child. There have been renewals to that commitment throughout the years though I have never turned my back on it (more like, become lukewarm). I did several missions trips to Central and South America as a teen that strengthened my faith a lot. Also the year leading up to our wedding when I got really sick and even now hoping to start a family. I think God allows us to go through tough situations to remind us who is really in control and what the meaning of life truly is.

And what was your favorite date with your hubby before you got engaged?

That is really tough, I don't know if I have a favorite one! We have two that stick out as most memorable. Our first date ever, Hubs took me to my first red sox game at Fenway park. It started pouring during the fourth inning and they played one more inning, put the game on hold for a couple of hours and eventually called the game. It was freezing cold and the public transportation stopped running to and from our school so we ended up having to take a ridiculous number of buses and finally a taxi to get back to school. Not exactly what he had in mind for our first date! The other famous disaster was my birthday weekend. Hubs planned a huge surprise birthday weekend for me and I proceeded to come down with the stomach flu Friday night after a surprise dinner at our favorite restaurant and a special birthday treat made for me at Mike's Pastry's in Boston. I tried to tough it out Friday but ended up visiting every disgusting dirty bathroom in Boston. I managed to get through the Blueman group show and a few other treats but Saturday night we eventually had to call it quits and cancel all the rest of our plans for Sunday so that I could curl up in bed all day. Poor hubs...I think it scared him away from ever planning anything crazy for my birthday as we've never done anything like that since.

Care to share some recipes with us? I always love those!

Absolutely! I will type up the honey yeast rolls and garlic knots to post and I plan to start posting our Menus along with recipes on Sundays for those who are interested!

How did you and your hubs meet (I LOVE that you call him your hub... that's what I can mine too!)? :)

We met at a bar and fraternity actually. Hilarious if you consider that neither of us are big drinkers nor were we involved in greek life. I bartended and also was events manager for all three years of college and Hubs was a bouncer for the first two years I was there. After that he became my personal body guard during senior year. The fraternity we met through was actually a business fraternity, an accounting finance honors society that was a network with a lot of the big accounting companies. Hubs was on my committee the first year and the next year he actually became president of the whole fraternity, so between the bar and society we saw each other a decent amount and became casual friends. It took a mario kart tournament to get us together! One of his roommates was exceptionally good at mario kart and when he mentioned how obnoxious this roommate was about it, I offered to show him a few shortcuts in the game I had learned from my brothers over the years. This enabled him to finally get my screen name (back in the years of AIM!) and after that it was history and we would talk all day when we weren't together. I waited a LONG time for him to ask me out. Nearly two whole years!

Ok, *phew* hope you made it through all that, I know it was a lot! It was also a ton of fun, if you have any more questions, feel free to leave them in a comment and I'll do another post!

Wedded Wednesday: Titleless

Happy Hump day! Gosh I'm so glad it's Wednesday! The weekend will not be here soon enough! Hubs and I got back from Chicago last night and the combo of the time difference and sheer exhaustion from walking ALL over the city made getting up this morning extremely difficult. I am officially pooped sitting back in the office, I nearly fell asleep three times driving to work this morning!

To top it off, my family returns home tonight after being gone for nearly two weeks up in Maine. The pets will be extremely happy to have them back home as I'm afraid Hubs and I have been a poor substitute for all the loving and attention they got from the kiddies all day long.

There is something to be said for settling back into a routine at home, after being gone. I think I am becoming a homebody!

Hubs and I have always loved traveling and seeing new places together, getting away from the craziness of life and going somewhere new always seems to be just the magic touch our relationship needs. It's always such a lovely chance to reconnect and focus on each other.

We spent lots of time in Chicago just strolling around and holding hands. :) It's amazing how relaxing that can feel. But we always come back feeling like zombies, whether we allow an extra day for recuperation or not!


We easily walked 10ish miles every day and boy is my body feeling it. My back and hips started screaming at me on vacation, so much so that I think some yoga and major stretching will be in my near future. Man I’m getting old!

It was fun coming back to all of your lovely comments and questions in my inbox, I plan to start drafting a post tonight along with some Chicago recaps if you’re interested! And if you haven’t left me a question or two yet, please check out this post and leave one, it’s been so fun to read what you guys want to know!

Comments are like Crack...

Not that I would know from experience though! Perhaps a better expression would be comments are like pistachios (shout out to NCIS!) as you can never have too many! Unless of course the comments are negative and critical, in which case I would say less is definitely more!

Anyway, I'm babbling.

I've never done one of those "get-to-know-me" posts where I open up the floor to you all and ask if you have any questions or want to know anything about me, so I figured there is no time like the present! In less of course, you already know way more about me, in which case feel free to skip this post and read the next one...I understand if you find me boring and uninteresting!

Anywho! Feel free to leave your questions in the comments, I'll do my best to answer them!

Friday Feature: Scrumptiousness

Along with menu planning the last couple of weeks, I've been on a bread making spree lately (gearing up for fall) . This week I made Honey Yeast Rolls and Garlic Knots and they were some of the most delectable things I have ever eaten. Hubs and I have already polished off both batches! They were so good, I forgot to take pictures!

Anyway, with this bread making spree, I've been researching bread making machines. Growing up, my mom and grandmother both had one and while they were incredibly talented at making breads and rolls without a bread-maker, boy did that machine make things easier! I loved being able to use the timer function to wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread when I was a kid or the thought now of being able to walk in the door from a full days work and have a fresh loaf smelling up the house with deliciousness.

Originally we registered for one when we were getting married, but when I realized our gifts would be sitting in storage for a long time, I didn't like the thought of a bread machine unused sitting in storage and possibly not working by the time we finally got it out, so I ended up taking it off. *phew* run on sentence there!




I've been researching the various options and so far Amazon seems to have the best selection and prices. I've read good things about the Panasonic SD-YD250and Breadman TR875 although my mom and grandmother both swear by Zorjirushi. Unfortunately they don't make the model that they have anymore and the only options by Zorjirushi that I've been able to find right now are a mini 1 pound loaf or a massive 2+ loaf that bakes sideways. Sooo the panasonic and breadman are at the top of my list. Anyone have any good reviews or advice to pass along?

p.s. two great giveaways going on right now!
Effortless Anthropologie has a giveaway for an Anthropologie giftcard!
Kramey Martin also has a giveaway for an Anthroplogie giftcard!

Thank You

I felt so encouraged by all your wonderful comments and supportive emails yesterday. Thank you all!

Most times I feel ok and at peace about everything but there is still that occasion where the doubt slips in and I find myself driving myself crazy with the wondering and thoughts going round and round in my head.

I have moments where I get all anxious but interestingly enough, it's not about whether or not I'll ever get pregnant but whether or not I'm pregnant now. That two week waiting game, particularly in the final moments is definitely the hardest. At that point, I just want to know!

Hmmm, perhaps I have control issues...

Anyway, even with all that, I do feel content. And happy. I think that knowing that things (at least for the moment) are out of our hands and that we cannot control it is actually a relief. For all of you who are struggling and hoping, know that I am praying for and thinking of you all daily. For all of you who have already been blessed, know that I am happy for you!

I've felt incredibly at peace lately....and happy, have I mentioned that already? While things are still busy, I feel like we are slowly settling into our new routine in the house. Finally! It's only taken me three months! We've been slowly making new friends in the small groups we've gotten involved in and I've also had the wonderful opportunity to get to know some of the great ladies in the blogosphere! It's amazing what friendship and support can do to change your outlook and attitude!

For the past couple of weeks, I've also successfully meal-planned! I've always enjoyed reading what other people are cooking and discovering some new recipes so I've been thinking I might start posting our weekly meals on Sundays. It's been nice to get back to a plan, it always encourages me to try new recipes and rediscover old favorites! Hubs loves it too, both the preparing and the eating part! :)

Hope all is well with you my friends!

Wedded Wednesday: The B Word

It was tough coming up with a Wedded Wednesday post this week, I've blogged more about marriage probably then anything else so I suppose a blogging rut is inevitable sometimes. Today's post is rather personal for me us, at least it feels more personal, but perhaps that's because it can be a bit of a touchy subject for us.

I think all of us have had times in our lives where we wanted something badly, so badly it hurt, and if we weren't careful, it easily consumed our thoughts. Well, that's the place where Hubs and I find ourselves at the moment. Though we are trying very hard to not be consumed or become obsessed. With everything there is a time and a place...right?

We've talked of kids long before we were even married and the shared hope of a large family. We knew from the very beginning that it was important to both of us that we take some time to enjoy being married before we started trying to grow our family, in order to establish a strong foundation in our marriage.

But we also knew that we wanted to be youngish parents and have the energy to take care of a large family. My mom was pregnant up through her early 40s and that is definitely not the way I'd like to do it, though if that's God's plan, I'll accept it.

We've found ourselves at the point of wanting to start a family, but what happens when things don't line up exactly as planned? Sometimes, God has other plans or his answer is "Wait". Hubs and I find ourselves in the waiting game, each time hoping and praying and trying our best not to doubt whether it will ever happen when the answer is "Not this time".

At first, I felt so depressed. I've always felt like it wouldn't be easy for me to get pregnant, for whatever reason, I've heard many women feel this way. It sure is a tough way to start out! We've fooled around, charted, made appointments, taken tests and it all becomes a bit of a cyclical waiting game. I find myself desperately hoping that whatever the problem could be lies with me and not Hubs, so at least I can take the blame. But why does it have to be about blame?

I've come to a point now where I feel much more at peace. It's not perfect but it's a long shot from where I was. For a long time, I questioned whether God would ever give us children, give me the chance to get pregnant and give birth to beautiful healthy children, and I came to the conclusion that the desire comes from Him and I just need to hold fast to my faith that He'll give us our children when the time is right.

We are still so young that we have time to work through problems that may get in the way, and in the meantime, we continue to live our lives in thoughtful preparation but not consumed.

There has been a few occasions where it has still been a bit tough, when yet one more friend announces she's pregnant, particularly when you know for a fact that they started trying after you did but God's got them on a different track, right?

I hadn't planned on talking about this on the blog but it's been on my thoughts quite a bit lately and the time just seemed right. I know one day I'll be plastering photos of more than just the two of us on this blog! If you are much of a praying person, I would covet your prayers for us as we wait for answers.

And for those of you who aren't planning on having kids anytime soon (or never), never fear, this blog won't be turning into a baby blog (though I have nothing against those that do)!

BQOTD: Chicago

Today I am taking a page out of Meredith's book and posting my burning question of the day.

"What are you must sees/dos in Chicago?"

Hubs and I are thinking about planning a mini vaca out to the windy city and I want to make sure we won't miss anything! We would really like to see a game at Wrigley but would still have 2.5 days to fill with all sorts of touristy fun. What do you all recommend? Also, any must-try food places (particularly the pizza, I love me some pizza)?

Annnnnnnnnd go!!

p.s, I must add that Hubs and I watched the premier of the show Covert Affairs on USA over the weekend (it was a re-run) and it was pretty awesome! There's a new episode on tonight at 10pm and you better believe my butt will be firmly planted in front of that tv (on an exercise ball of course can't be a total couch potato! :))

Anniversary Photos & 200th post!

***warning, this is a picture heavy post, if you don't like lovey-dovey photos, might want to skip this post!***

Woke up extra early this morning to a rainy Monday morning. I had a dr. appointment before work and with only one car, hubs and I both had to be out the door extra early. I'm extremely looking forward to heading home and doing nothing tonight!

The weekend was crazy busy helping a friend move, Saturday we finished helping her pack and dismantle furniture, Sunday we loaded it all up and unloaded it all at the new place. My body aches so bad today and my legs are covered in bruises. I had forgotten how banged up I usually end up during a moving process.

Today is my 200th post! In honor of post 200 and the fact that it's a Monday and I know many of us are still tired from the weekend, I wanted to share pictures from our "love shoot" aka the anniversary shoot that had to be postponed many months after our anniversary due to me coming down with Swine Flu! The Regetis were our photographers and boy are they amazing! I look forward to many many more photos shoots with them down the road (love, maternity, baby, family etc.) There were sooooo many photos to choose from, more than 200 in fact, that it was extremely hard to narrow it down!

Friday Feature

I am so happy that it's Friday! It's felt like such a long and slow week. Last night I was able to rescue our disc of anniversary images from Hubs computer at work (long story) which means, our gorgeous anniversary photos will be coming soon!

In the meantime, today's Friday feature is something I'm particularly intrigued by. As many of you know, Mad Men season 4 is about to start in barely more than a week! I have sadly only ever seen a partial episode (which I loved), as we don't have DVR and the show unfortunately plays at a time that we already have a commitment. Also, our AMC channel doesn't always come through very well so...I spend most of my time watching Bones and NCIS. It is, however, a show I've been dying to get my hands on and watch from the beginning! I'm sure you can guess where this Friday feature is going. I've been stalking keeping an eye on the seasons of Mad Men on Amazon (love their free shipping and no sales tax) and they are currently offering the blue ray's for a similar or lower price than the standard seasons!

Mad Men - Season One [Blu-ray]
Mad Men - Season One


Mad Men: Season Two [Blu-ray]
Mad Men: Season Two


Mad Men: Season 3 [Blu-ray]
Mad Men: Season Three

Anybody own these already? I am dying to add these to our collection, the clothes alone leave me swooning!

P.S Some great giveaways going on right now!
Where the Lights are Bright has a great giveaway for a giftcard, notecards & flowering pen

Challenging Myself

I challenged myself to wear more of my closet this year and specifically to stop buying skirts or dresses unless I started wearing more of them, as I'm typically a jeans and tee kind of gal.

I started digging into my closet over two months ago and am still going strong with fresh outfits!

In the beginning it felt weird, I felt waaaaaay too dressed up. Looking back now, I would certainly say I wasn't too dressed up, but for the first time in a while, I was actually thinking for a few minutes about what I was going to wear instead of grabbing a pair of worn jeans out of the pile and a fresh t-shirt in some neutral color from the front of the closet.

Then we were slammed with an extended early heat spell and wearing skirts and dresses was even cooler than wearing shorts-even micro mini ones! Done! Before I knew it, it was a habit and I started really enjoying it.

During the work week, I always seem to be in a skirt or a dress, weekends I'd say it's split 50/50 between pants/shorts or a dress/skirt. It all comes down to what I have going on.

I've gotta admit, I've felt a lot more feminine and pretty, which has been kind of fun! Can I just say that Hubs is loving it too, :) he stares at me even more now (hahaha, that sounds kind of creepy)!

I feel like my style has evolved more in the past couple of months then it had in the several years before. I mean, I have belts that don't go through belt loops! Yes, I know...I was very behind the times! But who knew all the wonders of creative belting? I sure didn't but have had a blast catching up (and my belt collection has grown exponentially!!!)!

I've started to actually wear my jewelry instead of having it all sit in a box.... and now that I have my shoe closet, I can actually see all my shoes!



Before my shoe closet, I could never find what I wanted and would end up with shoes all over the floor and rotating through the same few pairs that were left out. The rest would end up in boxes, hidden from view and thus left unworn! So what would I do? Go buy more, since I didn't even know what I had or where it was.

It's amazing what a bit more space and organization can do for you! It's also helped me become much more focused on what I buy, instead of buying the same thing over and over again with little variety, I'm better able to see the holes in my wardrobe and differentiate between needs and wants. Do I need a $250 dress from Anthropologie or is that I want? :) Hubs would say it's a want...I find it a bit more of a gray area... :)