NYE Style guides: Pants & Jumpsuits

I think when people traditionally think of NYE attire or cocktail attire they immediately think of dresses, however these options will show you that you can go all out without wearing a dress!

Holiday Hiatus

I would first like to start by saying I am so sorry for the little holiday hiatus I took. We had the best Christmas, it was so lovely to be home and be with family and friends! I don't think I realized how different the last few years away from home were until we were back.

I worked the beginning of the week which meant I was off for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day! Christmas Eve was spent wrapping up the last few gifts we hadn't finished yet and baking some Gingerbread men for my Aunt & Uncle's house. I used the recipe from my gingerbread cupcakes but chose to do just the men this time around, they were a huge hit!


My Aunt and Uncle have hosted Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember and it is one of my favorite parts of the holiday! We head over for dinner on the earlier side, followed by exchanging gifts. My Aunt always thinks of the most thoughtful gifts, this year she made Oliver a Baltimore Ravens blanket (his favorite football team) and got him a book on curing and smoking meats (he thinks he is going to have a smokehouse someday), he was elated!

After gifts we tidy up, put out appetizers and desserts and start some FFF (forced family fun) the best part about it is there is nothing forced about it, everyone looks forward to it in fact! Our family friends come over for this part of the night and we play games late into the night.

Christmas morning we headed over to my brother & sister in laws house for breakfast in our PJ's. They started hosting last year however we were in DC so this was our first year attending. We do a gift exchange with my family every year, picking names on Thanksgiving Day. I find it my personal mission to figure who has who every year, this year was at 80%- not too shabby! My Mom had me this year she got me a few calligraphy supplies suggested from the class we took together which was awesome as well as a few sparkly things as well :)

Oliver and I stick to just stockings every year, this year he did a wonderful job! Clo got his Mum a pair of earrings- such a thoughtful pup! :)

Overall we had a wonderful Holiday spent with family & friends! We now both have pretty nasty colds, so we have spent the last few days recovering and snuggling with Clo!

What are some of your favorite Holiday traditions? 

GiGi New York Clutch: My Friends & Family addition

I blogged about this when the sale was going on and have been using this clutch non-stop since! I have worn it for date nights, lunch dates & even to run errands!

There are so many things about this clutch I love so I am going to list them out!

1. The size- I really appreciate that it fits everything (and even more) that I need.
2. The leather is really great quality- it soft & supple, feeling very luxurious
3. The color: I love this color for the season but can really see it working year round
4. Gold details- If you have read anything about my Thanksgiving plans you'll know I LOVE gold and the zipper & monogram are the perfect accent to the piece
5. The monogram- I was super hesitant to change my name because I just loved my old initials but I love the "R" in my name now, especially because it meant I got one fantastic husband :)

Thank you to GiGi New York- you have made my go to clutch and gained a loyal customer! If you haven't checked out their site head over there now, they have amazing variety, the quality in the product is indisputable & who doesn't love the personalization option? 

Creative & Crafty Weekend

Happy Monday! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! If you haven't gotten a chance to check out our Thanksgiving Recap you can see it here. We definitely enjoyed our extended weekend.

Friday was a recovery day for us both, we were exhausted after hosting on Thursday! We slept in and then I headed into work Friday night until Saturday morning. I got home shortly after 7:30 only to get ready and head right back out again. My Mom's best friend was hosting a basket class at her house, which is about an hour and a half away- I slept most of the car ride which was great.

I was hesitant because I had never made a basket before, but thought I'd give it a shot! I was pleasantly surprised it was fun and not too difficult! It was so fun to see how everyone's basket differed, mine was much tighter and tapered up a bit, whereas my Mom's was perfectly round and looked exactly like the sample-  it wasn't her first time! ;)

I still have to burn off the "hairs" apparently you have to wet it really well first otherwise it will go up in flames. I think I will wait for my Mom to help with this part! I also want to stain it somewhat natural, but something to even out the coloring. I would definitely do this again! Have any of you made a basket before?

Saturday night Oliver & I had lots of leftovers and snuggled with our boy Clo! It was so nice to relax & have a low key night in. I had never seen Good Will Hunting- I know this makes me a bad Bostonian, so we watched it!

Sunday was super fun! We went to a calligraphy class with Liz at Lettering By Liz! It was amazing! I couldn't stop staring at all of her work adoring the walls! I was envisioning all of the parties I want to host just to have some of her work!

I thoroughly enjoyed the class. I remember when we were getting married I absolutely loved having calligraphy on all of the little details and really wanted to be able to learn someday. I wasn't sure I would actually be able to do it, and to be frank I am not confident I will ever get it perfectly. However, over the two hours I definitely made progress along with the other three classmates. I loved that the class sizes are so small, on average they are eight people.

Our class was only four, which meant lots of one-on-one time & attention. I appreciated that Liz really watched and showed me how to tweak my style. She also gives you a ton of supplies to get started & practice at home. I will for sure be back for her intermediate class once I practice a little more! If you live in the area and are remotely interested go see Liz, she is a wonderful teacher!

Just to be clear- the photo on the left is done by me! I joked with Oliver our children won't have "B" names, they aren't my specialty! The photo on the right is what Liz made for me, she did this for each of us before we left! 

After class we headed over to my Parent's house for dinner & cake for Oliver's birthday. His actual birthday is today so we have some surprises planned & super cute outfits! :) 

What did you all do this weekend? Have you ever looked into taking a calligraphy class? 

Enjoy your week! xo

Giving Thanks

As I sit here writing this post cozy in my favorite pj's & champs in hand I've been reflecting on what this year has brought us!

Last Thanksgiving we were so fortunate to be with our "Second Parents" - a couple who has known my husband since he was five. From the first time I met them I totally understood why Oliver loved them so much! They are the most generous, kind & loving people, who adopted us while we were in DC for some time. We spent almost all of our holidays with them when we couldn't travel home for whatever reason, and I never felt anything less than part of the family. This year we are missing them hugely, one day I hope that all of our parents both adopted and by birth can all celebrate a holiday together!

There is no doubt there has been much preparation leading to today, I have menu planned, changing several times, purchased & returned countless plates, napkins and decor. Ultimately, the end result is beautiful! The table is set, anything which could be prepped in advance has been and now we sit and relax until the crowds arrive at half past two tomorrow!

So here I reflect on the many things I am thankful for this year.

First and foremost, Oliver, I am so grateful for everything he does for Clo & I. He is a true gentleman & family man and for that I feel blessed beyond measure!

My family, which is ever expanding with a few new arrivals come 2015! :) They have been the most supportive, loving and loyal people in my life! It is impossible to get photos of all of you but I love you all the same!





















Our dog, Clovis, we love you more than is probably normal. You have brought us so much joy, love & a sobering reality of what dog ownership is actually about! The last seven months would have been incredibly boring without your antics!

My friends, this group has changed quite a bit over the last few years, however the end result is an intimate circle of people who have seen me through the roller coaster that is life. I love you all & am eternally grateful for the direction, honesty & laughter you have brought to my life, I am a better person for it!

Lastly, I am thankful for everyone who reads the blog! This has been such a wonderful journey so far & I can not wait to see where the future takes it!

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate!) Oliver merely participates because of the food like any good Englishmen! :) Enjoy the day with family and friends!

Faux Fur Find

If you read about my fall "wish list" you remember that I had been on the hunt for a faux fur vest for some time!

Well I finally found it, and at Forever 21 no less! It was the perfect balance of quality and price- I couldn't be happier! A friend of mine knew I had been looking and when she came across several vests at F21 she gave me the heads up- thanks Ash!

I promptly headed over and was so happy to see there was tons of variety in color, length & style! I tried on just about all of them, and fell in love with this one the moment I put it on!

I've been wearing it around the house constantly! I actually planned to wear it to dinner with friends last Saturday night, but Ashley texted to see if I was wearing mine- she has the same one and was wearing her's. I left mine at home that night, it looked beautiful on her as most things do!

I plan on pairing this with black jeans, booties and a sweater for Oliver's birthday dinner coming up soon! :)

What is your favorite fall find? How do you feel about the faux fur trend? I'd love to hear from you!



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

My very first blogpost!

 

      I have been wanting to start this blog for quite some time now, however there was always something holding me back. Would anyone read it? Would it be something I could maintain with a job, family and other life demands? I had so many reservations however the desire to start never wavered, so here I am writing my first post. I've decided to embark on this with no expectations for what it will be- just enjoy the ride and see where it takes me. This is something that will be a personal challenge as I tend to have incredibly high expectations for just about everything!

      A little bit about me: I was born and raised in the burbs of Boston with an enormous Italian family, everyone lives here, no one leaves, and Sunday's are sacred family days. I loved every minute of growing up with more cousins than I can count on both my hands and feet. There was always someone to play with and adventure to be had. Despite having an amazing childhood I looked to challenge myself and decided to head out of state for college. I studied to become a nurse, and graduated in 2010, but during all that studying I still found time to meet a guy who definitely was not from Boston! After college I traveled, got married, and moved to DC.  Our first two years of marriage there were amazing! We have recently moved back to Boston, and expanded our little family with the cutest Barbet puppy named Clovis! :)

      This blog is about all of the things I love about life; family, entertaining, fashion, decorating, and love...oh and of course my favorite beverage of all time, Bubbly!

I hope you enjoy reading about all of our adventures!

Kate
XO