Thanksgiving Themes & Family Heirlooms

Sorry for being off the grid for so long! I came off a long stretch of night shifts and haven't been feeling well since. Nothing that some sleep & soup couldn't fix!

As I have mentioned (most certainly more than once) we are hosting Thanksgiving celebrations this year and I am super excited about it! In the two years we have been married we have entertained a fair amount, however this will be the first time in our new place as well as hosting this many people. The easiest part to the planning was the menu, Oliver makes slow roasted game hens with a homemade brine which is pretty much perfection! We are really stepping up our game here, we usually roast two to four hens at any given time but when you're hosting twelve you can easily triple that number, fingers crossed for no top chef like disasters! For sides we are sticking to family staples- maple glazed carrots, roasted potatoes, bacon sauteed brussel sprouts, Yorkshire puddings, and cinnamon butternut squash. It is no secret Oliver is the chef in our house, I however have become quite the sous chef and have been gaining some serious independence taking the lead on cooking a few meals thanks to a great (and super cute) teacher! For a signature cocktail I am sure you can guess, we are doing a champagne cocktail for a little something extra I am adding a gold sugar rim- the taste testing has been amazing :)

When it comes to the sweet endings to a dinner party I'm your gal! I am pretty positive I have a refined palette for desserts merely due to exposure! I look forward to the finale of every meal, and never skimp when we entertain. If you saw my previous post regarding the most amazing Pecan Pie ever, you should definitely consider adding this to your Thanksgiving menu- I promise your guests will be talking about it for a lifetime! Of course the Pecan Pie was an easy choice and no Thanksgiving is complete without the fruit of the season baked into gooey goodness also known as Apple Pie! I am also toying with the idea of some bite sized desserts- caramel apples, pumpkin whoopie pies, or salted caramels. I plan to trial some recipes and share with you all over the next few weeks so keep an eye out for those posts :)





Something I love even more than menu planning is decorating & a good theme! When planning a theme I usually plan it around one piece or idea. For example, our wedding color scheme & style was built on a pair of shoes- royal blue Manolo Blahniks with a vintage style crystal statement piece on the toe. It embodied a classic, vintage style with a flair- precisely what we had envisioned for the day.







So it will come as no surprise when my Thanksgiving vision was based upon a set of silver my Mom had recently given to me. It was a gift to my Grandparents at their 25th wedding anniversary, which they never used and chose to save for their Daughters. My Mother however never used it and gave it to me just recently. This silver is making its debut on our table on November 27th after forty years of being in my family & we could not be more excited! I am planning to use the silver as the accent metal to my gold & creme theme! How gorgeous is this place setting, no doubt the person who gifted it to them had impeccable taste!

In my search for the perfectly balanced tablescape I have been collecting a few pieces over time. I am super excited to share those with you this week so make sure to keep an eye out for that post as well!  I am still deciding between edible & nature themed place cards.

What is your perfect Thanksgiving theme?

Weddings & Marriage

When I think back to our wedding day it really brings me to tears, it was the most amazing day I could have ever dreamed of! My Parents went above and beyond to give us the perfect day, and that it was. When the planning began I realized just how quickly things can get out of hand, I remember sitting with Oliver the night we got engaged talking over when, where, colors etc. At some point Oliver pointed out that he didn't really care about any of that and he was just so happy to be marrying me, which of course brought me to tears, as well as back to reality.

That night we promised no matter what else happened from that moment on we would not loose sight of what this day was truly about, marrying each other! I assure you we had to remind each other of this along the way, but it was the best thing we did! We put the time in to focus on what we wanted out of our marriage instead of just June 24th. We decided to write our own vows, which completely terrified me, but turned out to be my favorite part of the day. Hearing Oliver tell me what he envision for our future, and the husband he planned to be was the most incredible moment of my life to date!

I know I have mentioned before we have been to several weddings this summer, and at least two dozen since our wedding in 2012. I love weddings, especially when they are a true reflection of the bride & groom. It is always so fun to see how people bring their own personality to their big day & the love between them!

However at each wedding there are details that I think I would have loved to do that, or if I could change one thing it would be this (thanks Pinterest!) At the end of the day I am brought back to that conversation with Oliver, and I realize how far we have come since then, how much has changed in our lives in just two short years & how many more I have to look forward to with the a Husband who has surpassed every promise he made to me that day!

My advice for any engaged couple is to take it all in, focus on your future together & remember what truly matters; one another! 

Definitely not feeling 22: Our weekend on the blog!

It is safe to say that the weekend really takes it toll more now than our college days, or even early 20's. We had grand plans for our Sunday which all came to a screeching halt when we woke up today!

I worked nights this past week while Oliver was out of town. Which meant Clo's routine was completely thrown off- not ideal for a six month old puppy! This included a two day hunger strike, an accident inside, and more alone time than he is used to while I worked.

So I decided I would make Friday special starting with a long walk along the Charles, and a trip to the doggie spa, which quickly took a turn for the worst. Before that I got a much needed manicure & pedicure Friday morning, so relaxing & was the perfect "me time" after that it was Clo's turn so we headed to BYOD dog wash in Newton, this place is awesome, if you live in the area check it out! However halfway through our bath I found ticks on my sweet boy, it took everything in my power not to break down into tears in front of the whole place- I am blaming this on a week of sleep deprivation from night shift!

We are both first time pet parents and this felt like the ultimate failure, everyone assured me it happens but I was alone, mortified, and most importantly guilt ridden. After that we went straight to the pet store where they advised me to switch to a different tick repellent, and soothed my anxiety. They even gave Clo a special treat, which was so sweet of them! How handsome does he look after his bath?

I spent the rest of Friday with the vet & disinfecting everything in sight- I am fully aware this is not necessary but it's the Nurse in me! I had plans with some friends from work, but I decided to stay home with my little guy instead and obsess over how I had failed him! Luckily, Oliver called us on Face Time and assured me it would be fine, that Clo knows how much we love him- I don't know what I would do without that man! 

Saturday Oliver came home, and we were so happy to have him back! He had a great time visiting friends and had a few meetings in Maryland. After that I had an appointment with my favorite hair stylist- Marina Melnikova! This girl seriously is amazing! She used to work on Newbury Street but then ventured out on her own, where she opened an on location business. I love that she comes to you, it gives such flexibility to her hours. Not to mention it is like hanging out with a girlfriend & getting beautified! She is going to be doing a photo shoot for her portfolio and I am so honored she asked me to participate!

She did a little color touch up, trim & blowout! I loved her version of romantic finger waves, which I topped with a bright lip. She also did my Mom & Grandmother's hair- both looked incredible! It was such a fun bonding day before we headed out to my Cousin's wedding- not before I sent Marina a selfie of the finished product of her work!

Saturday night was really beautiful, the weather was amazing for this time of year! You can't ask for much more than great company, food & of course lots of bubbly! I am terrible about getting photos of Oliver & I at events, luckily one of my Aunts is a pro & always manages to snap our picture- thank you Auntie Rosa! :)

Back to the bubbly, we had planned to go to Nashoba Valley Winery for a little tasting and outdoor lunch (check out my list of things to do this fall for more ideas to make the most of the season). Those plans went out the window when we woke up and realized we probably didn't need those last few drinks!

We spent today catching up on our shows, snuggling on the couch & hanging out with Clo's favorite people- Auntie Kelsey & Uncle Chris who were at a different wedding last night- we really missed them!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend, come back & visit soon! xo

Secrets to the perfect lip!

If you have had a chance to check out my "favorites" page you will see there is no shortage of beauty products. I have tried so many things but those listed are products I truly love!

The key to getting the perfect lip is hugely dependent on the canvas! I always start by using  Laura Geller smoothing lip scrub followed by Clinque All about lips!

 

After I have scrubbed & moisturizing I pick up one of my favorite colors!

My most recent addition to my favorites is the NARS satin lip pencil- I have mentioned it before in other blog posts but it really amazing- enough so I think it deserves a it's own post! Due to the season I have been gravitating towards Palais Royal- the color is so rich and this pencil truly lasts! I have sported this pencil to several events and only reapplied once a night- mostly out of habit than necessity! I have these three colors and absolutely love them- I am constantly looking too add some new colors, I think my next will be Yu- bring pink :)

I will be sporting one of these this weekend at a wedding! Keep an eye out for some Instagram shots of the weekend!

Follow Along with Social Media & a GiGi New York Purchase!

There are countless ways to follow along with the Pass the Bubbly journey- one of which is by subscribing to emails through the blog! You can also follow along using Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & Bloglovin

There have been a number of friends & family sales going on recently, and I was tempted by many of them, but none more than  GiGi New York. I have loved their bags for so long and finally decided to add one to my collection!

 I have been looking for an over sized clutch for so long, and the Uber Clutch Pebble Leather in "wine"  was perfect! Of course I had to add the monogram for a personal detail!

Here are a few other bags I am putting on my wish list! 

 

 

 

 Hope you come back & visit soon!

This past weekend!

If you got a chance to check out last weekends review on the blog it was jam packed with fun! This weekend was precisely the opposite, I worked four 12 hour overnights in a row- thank the Lord for great coworkers & take out otherwise it would have been unbearable!

I did find some time between shifts to run a few errands- Target returns that turned into Target purchases! I was pretty proud that I got in and out under $100- that for me is a miracle! I bought a new bottle of my favorite Seche Vite top coat, ( check out my favorites page for more of must haves!) as well as some decorations for the house. I have slowly been collecting a few pieces for the table scape for Thanksgiving dinner- keep an eye for a post once the time gets closer. So far I am gold leafing a few pieces and going with a cream & gold theme.

On Sunday we had friends over for lunch who were in town for a wedding. We tried to keep it fairly low key as I was working Sunday night as well. We did a variety of pizzas- some Veggie friendly for the crowd as well as some Fall staple desserts.  It was so great to catch up and reminisce from their wedding which kicked off the season in June! 

Back to work I went Sunday night, full & slightly overtired with a very large latte!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! :)



Personal stylists- no longer just for celebs with Stichfix!

Have you ever been trying to get ready for an event and commented on how you have "nothing to wear?" Or have gone shopping looking for something specific (i.e. my search for the perfect faux fur vest) and not found exactly what you wanted? Personally I find myself in both of those situtations pretty regularly. I often think, how nice would it be to give someone your measurements and what you're looking for and let them do the sourcing, essentially a personal stylist. Then I remember that is not attainable for my current lifestyle.

Then I came across the perfect solution, Stitch Fix! Basically how it works is that you create a style profile with your measurements, what styles you gravitate towards & what you hope to receive in your "fix".

In a time frame you choose you will receive a box of five items chosen by your personal stylist. If you choose to keep any of these items the $20 styling fee is credited towards your purchases!

You can personalize everything about your box to what you would like to see more of (jewelery, dresses, pants) to how much you want to spend on each item. Whenever you return the box with items you did not like you are asked to provide feedback as to why you did not choose those items so the next fix will be a better fit to your style!

My first Stitch Fix is coming November 12th- I've decided to see what the first box is like before I sign up for a scheduled delivery. I absolutely can't wait to receive my first fix! I hope you all check out the site. Keep an eye out for my follow up post when the box arrives.. 33 days & counting! :)

If you're interested in joining the Stitch Fix movement click here & find out more details! Stitch Fix

Decadance at its finest: Southern Pecan Pie

I have mentioned before that we are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year. I am so excited, but being a bit of a perfectionist can prove to be challenging when hosting twelve people. So I have been testing out various recipes in order to perfect some staple dishes for the dinner.

I have made several different Pecan Pies over the last few years, some too moist, too dry and one that had WAY too many pecans- hard to believe, but seriously overloaded. After a few failures I have landed on the recipe with a little tweaking of my own!

This version is the perfect mix of pecan, filling and just a little kick of Bourbon!

Southern Pecan Pie Ingredients:

1 pie crust (Oliver makes the pie crust, but you can buy refrigerated ones as well)

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter cooled to room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups of pecan halves

2 tablespoons all- purpose flour

2 tablespoons milk (I used 1%)

1 teaspoon of bourbon

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla 

Preheat your oven to 325

 

Whisk eggs until foamy, then add in brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, chopped pecans, flour, milk, bourbon & vanilla. Pour into pan with pie crust and add pecan halves on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees, then reduce temperature 300 degrees and bake for an additional thirty minutes. Turn oven off and let pie stand in oven for two hours to allow pie to settle.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and incorporate it into your next gathering :)

A Dinner party, wedding & sightseeing: Our weekend on the blog!

I will preface with the fact that although I don't always recognize it I have a pretty great schedule, I work three 12's a week which means I have four days off. However I work a rotating schedule so after those three long night shifts I am pretty much useless for a day or two. One of the perks is having the time to do errands that on weekends would be a total nightmare (Target or Trader Joe's on a Saturday morning). Like anything there are pro's and con's to shift work, as I am sure there are for 9-5's. This week I am grateful for the "pro" of having an extra long weekend! :)

Our weekend started Thursday evening at 730 when I left work and met up with my college roommate and her Fiance for drinks in town. They live in NJ so I don't get to see her often, when she called and said she'd be in Boston I was thrilled to get the chance to see them. We had a great time catching up and getting to know her future husband! I snapped this photo of the city on our walk home- I am always in awe of this city's beauty!

Friday was my day to run errands and get ready for a little dinner party we had scheduled with my sweet friend Ashley and her boyfriend. I absolutely love getting together with these two, we always have such a great time! Last time they came up for dinner we had a Mexican themed dinner where we tested out new recipes. We totally appreciated them being taste testers, but this time we went with a signature dish in our house, homemade ravioli with a white wine pesto sauce. For dessert we had a flour less chocolate cake a la mode topped off with a lingue di gatto cookie! It was a such a fun dinner to prepare, and even better to eat!

Saturday morning we got an early start dropping off Clovis to his "grandparents" for the night so we could head North for one of my childhood  friend's wedding. We have known each other since second grade so getting to see her marry the man of her dreams was such a great moment! So happy for those two :) In between the ceremony & reception we were drove by the cutest coffee shop- Backyard Coffee & Eatery and could not resist stopping in. How perfect is this chalkboard sign in the shop?


After a couple of lattes we headed over to the reception. We danced, drank & ate lobster so quite frankly it could not have been better!

We also got to spend time with my cousins who have a place in Maine. They cooked us the most amazing breakfast and we got to enjoy their company. Hours had passed & an entire bottle of Champs before we realized we were still in our PJ's- a pretty perfect Sunday for me! :)

We had such a great time but I was SO happy to come home to our little guy and snuggle up with him on the couch!

I hope your weekend was filled with laughter & love! 

I am a firm believer in maintaining "girls nights" on my calendar. Getting dolled up & going for a night out with your girlfriends is good for the soul! My ladies nights usually entail dinner, drinks, dancing & lots of girl talk.

When I have a night out coming up I find myself scanning my closet for the perfect outfit, which is some variation of a skirt or dress and always heels!  I can't tell you how many stories I have heard about my insistence to dress up as a child, there are countless photos of me with my Mother's shoulder bags, heels and jewelery on. Many years later absolutely nothing has changed, and luckily those heels of hers are actually my size now! :)

For this look I went with an ultra feminine tulle skirt, this one is from The Loft (last season) however check out this Lauren Conrad version, and RED Valentino find! To give it a bit more edge I went with a faux leather sleeved shirt and black leather booties. I am wearing a statement Crystal Necklace currently available on J Crew Factory! The earrings are a staple in my wardrobe, I often find myself wearing them to work! - Overkill I know. They are Nancy Studs from Stella and Dot

I would love to hear what your favorite look is for a girls night out- leave a comment below to share!

Old Navy hit the mark this fall!

If you read yesterday's post I was heading out last night to shop for dresses for two weddings I have coming up, one a more relaxed look and the other a more formal event. I was unsuccessful in finding a dress for either which was totally disappointing however I hit Old Navy before heading home and found some amazing pieces!

I think Old Navy totally stepped it up this season with some awesome sweaters, dresses and super cute button downs! I tried on several pieces, one of a which is a really versatile quilted vest which comes in four colors, I gravitated toward the cream with gold zippers, no surprise there! I also loved the hunter green color.

This boyfriend chambray is perfection, slightly heavier material, loose enough to create a relaxed look however not a sack which is a tough balance. I also love plaid button downs under a vest or sweater all of which Old Navy has this season, and for a bargain price!

I also found a few really cute dresses which are perfect for the fall but can also transition easily into the colder months!

I hope you get the chance to scope out Old Navy's fall style & come back soon to check out the blog! Don't forget you can subscribe to get updates of new posts! :)

Style guides: Dressing for a wedding

The perfect day for a perfect couple!

It is safe to say we have had a fair few weddings this summer, seven to be exact. Three of which my attire was already chosen for me as I had the honor of standing by some of my closest friends & new sister as they married some fabulous guys.

I have included two of the three bridesmaid dresses as we already had the professional pictures back, can't wait to see my friend Jen's pictures, she was a stunning bride!

Oliver & I at  C&K's wedding!

However the other five have proven to be pretty stressful as to what to wear. I think with the practice from this Summer's events have given me a good guideline of what attire works for various settings.

In September we had a wedding downtown in Boston which was "formal" attire. It was at a really beautiful hotel where I went for a more classic look, a black lace Maggy London dress, my favorite L.K. Bennett Sledge pumps and a red lip! Given the weather that weekend, unmarked humidity in the city for this time of year, I went for a low bun with lots of volume, low maintenance & chic!

As the wedding season winds down we have one coming up this weekend in Maine, which I am so excited about!  Maine is beautiful all year, but especially in October.  I can't wait for the scenic ride up there and of course the festivities!

The weather for this weekend is proving to be a bit of a challenge based on what is already in my closet, so I am headed out today to find a dress that will work for the weather as well as being stylish and venue appropriate! I will also be shopping for another wedding we have coming up in a few weeks that is closing out the season!

Here are a few looks I love and will be keeping in mind while shopping. Make sure to keep an eye out for some Instagram shots of the weekend :)