Mostly work & a little play

My schedule is pretty variable, but one thing I can always count on is my every third weekend rotation! Not too bad to be honest, I have worked places where it was every other weekend, so I have no complaints about that. However it can be a bit of a drag when all your friends are headed out and you're headed into work. I always try to get out at least Friday night before I spend the weekend working. This weekend I worked night shift so I apologize that I am a day late on my "weekend recap" as I essentially slept through Monday ;)

This Friday we had plans with great friends so it helped to get me through the Saturday/Sunday night shift! We were dog sitting this weekend for my sister which has been fun but also a good reality check of what life would be like with two dogs... yikes!

We have gotten past that stage of puppy ownership where you are constantly asking yourself "what were we thinking?" Clo is pretty well trained, no accidents indoors or chewing on everything in sight, so we have been telling him he needs a little sister. Then my Sister's sweet boy came over and we quickly realized we are so not ready for another dog. They have been having some fun but Clovis is a puppy & Bailey is not loving all of his energy. The one thing you can't deny is they are so cute!

Bailey is a total snuggle bug so he was on the couch with me. Clovis was watching longingly from the floor, he was very patient but clearly not super happy about his place on the floor!

Friday night dinner was amazing! We met up with our friends first and headed over to Cassarino's Ristorante in Federal Hill (Providence, RI). My friend Ashley's cousin owns the place so we go there pretty frequently with them.

Family connects aside, this place is an absolute must visit if you're in the area! Rhode Island has a special place in my heart, being URI alums, Oliver & I often talk about moving back someday, but until then we enjoy dinners at our favorite spots & weekend trips.

 I loved the Holiday decor that was up, you can't go wrong with white lights and greenery! Well actually I think you can, but Tyler definitely did not! :)

This place was super busy Friday night, it looks empty in this picture because we stayed well beyond close chatting & playing heads up at our corner booth!

I was grateful for the opportunity to snap some shots after everyone had left, especially of the bar and those copper mugs!

I totally texted Ashley before dinner to let her know the fur vest that we both own was making it's debut! :) I could have easily been a cast mate of Mob Wives that night, faux fur, leopard belt, red lips & lots of red wine-I loved every bit of it!

When you go, you must order the Calamari with the sweet balsamic reduction, I literally could have did eat it all! They also just got these awesome Moscow Mule cups so we may have had a few of those as well! How great do they look on the bar?

The finale was no short of amazing as well, Espresso Martini's, Espresso cheesecake & Chocolate Lava Cake! I was so grateful for the stretchiness in my pants that night ;)

 Saturday & Sunday (& clearly Monday) were a blur of being up all night and sleeping all day! Back to day shift next week! Wohoo!

What did you get up to this weekend?

Gift Ideas: Four legged edition!

There are no shortage of gift idea lists this time of year, 'what to get for the lady or gent in your life' recommendations are easy to come by. What I haven't seen much of is gifting ideas for pups, maybe this is because not everyone is as obsessed with their pets like we are. However, I have a fair few friends who are crazy pet parents like us. I made a Christmas list for Clo when we picked him up in June, what can I say I'm a planner! :)

Here are a few things I love for the furry friends in your life!

1. The LLbean dog bed, I absolutely love this bed. I have actually been holding off until Clo was full grown so he would have it for the longhaul. I love that they back their products 100% and who can argue with a personalizion option?

2. Orvis makes a Shotgun Shell collar which I love. It would definitely be a seasonal collar, I would avoid using it in the summer months when we are frequently swimming & getting wet. However I love the genuine leather and gold shotgun shell. Surprise, surprise it can also be personalized! Seeing a trend?

3. I love this Red Tartan collar & bow tie! There are tons more options at CrewLaLa, the owner Heather, makes all the ties herself. She even has a cute Collegiate line if your pup just has to wear your college colors!

4. I love these Pottery Barn stockings, we actually have ours from there as well, so I wanted Clo to match us! It just so happens these are on sale so head on over to order yours soon!

5. Probably the most important to Clo would be treats! He loves rawhide's, we actually bought him an extra large one that will be in his stocking! I also love to make treats for him. I have several recipes on my Pinterest that I have tried & Clo has loved!

What things have you bought for your pet? I would love to hear!

Hope this helps to show your pet how much you love them this Holiday season!

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

Thanksgiving Recap

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! It has been super busy here, but also so fun! Look out for a weekend recap tomorrow!

Thanksgiving was amazing, we had a wonderful day! All of our preparation totally paid off and we were able to enjoy the day with our guests! We had the table set, and food prepped so we were able to wake up late- 930! :) We then took Clo on a long walk- he was so excited/overwhelmed with his first snow experience! How cute are these two photos?

After that we swung by my parents house for coffee & breakfast. We were back home by 11 where we got the game hens underway and fired up the ovens. I did some last minute cleaning and we were ready when our guests arrived at two!

 

The food amazingly all came out right on time, we only set the fire alarm off once which is pretty impressive for apartment living! To be fair we were also making Yorkshire puddings- if anyone has ever made them without setting off the fire alarm I welcome some advice! While doing my fifth "checklist rundown" we realized we forgot the stuffing- no big deal we skipped it and I don't think anyone noticed as we had plenty of dishes. 

Overall our day was wonderful and we were so grateful to spend time with family and friends. I was a terrible blogger, I took exactly ZERO photos, so thank you to my guests who did. They are not the high resolution photos I usually use, but I like the idea of seeing the day through our guests eyes! We rented chairs because we didn't have enough, they were gorgeous! Thank you, Taylor Rentals it was super easy to pick up the chairs in advance, they were beautiful & totally reasonably priced!

If you saw my Instagram post I made the leaves for place cards, however I had trouble writing the lettering on the leaf itself, so I made tags which I stamped with a mini gold leaves as the background and wrote the names on. I tied them with bakers twine to bring together the rustic decor. Overall I was very happy with them even though it was not what I had originally envisioned. 

I had spare burlap when I was done with the banner and table runner so I made these little bows for the backs of some of the chairs, adding some fresh pine for color & scent.

The second table we used to accommodate all of our guests had a variation on the tablecloth & runner, with fresh flowers, candles and gold dipped pine cones. The arrangement turned out beautiful! I was really happy with the simplicity of it.

 

I used more of the pine & burlap to make a half wreath. This wasn't a planned project I just improvised a little on this one but I was happy with the outcome! It is amazing what you can do with a little burlap & a glue gun! 

 

 This was after the storm, our dining room is actually still set up like this! I will get around to taking it all down soon. We have a Holiday party coming up soon, so I can start to plan the next set of decorations! I can't wait to host again! :) 

What was your Thanksgiving decor like? Do you decorate around a theme? I'd love to hear from you all! 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!



Gift ideas for the 'Hostess with the Mostess'

With the Holiday season rolling in I thought I would share with you some of my favorite ideas for hostess gifts! When I am going to be a guest in someone's home I always try to think of a thoughtful gift they will enjoy receiving. I tend to politely decline when guests offer to bring a dish or dessert to my home. I have many reasons for this but mainly I want my guests to enjoy their time and relax instead of stressing over what they are going to make or bring. I do have an exception to this rule and that is my Aunt who makes a mean butternut squash dish! She makes it every year for Thanksgiving so instead of attempting to recreate it I gladly took her up on her offer to make it for me!

With all that being said, my Mom always taught me you never go anywhere empty handed so I have cultivated a list of staple items I bring to someone's home to thank them for having me!

1. A bottle of their favorite drink- whether it be an aged scotch, or bottle of bubbly I feel it is important to bring something that the Host/ Hostess will enjoy. If they so choose to open said bottle with you it would be lovely, but the intent is that it is primarily something for them to enjoy! Speaking of favorite drinks how cute are this seasonal Chandon bottles?

2. Flowers- know your host on this one, I would never bring flowers to my Mother, she hates them and would likely forget to water them. A dear friend of mine however loves fresh blooms so for her I would certainly find this an appropriate gift. I like to go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes' and pick up some of their loose blooms and arrange them myself. If you want to bring flowers make sure they are already arranged, if you did them yourself or purchased them that way and they are display ready upon arrival.

3. I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back but I absolutely love it! A "Next Morning" box, complete with breakfast items, such as coffee, tea, scones, tea towels & jam.  You could also make a batch of your favorite cookie dough and gift it with instructions for cooking so the hostess can make it on her own time as a little treat! We had a very sweet friend do this for us and I loved the idea! As someone who hosts quite frequently (& loves every minute) waking up the next morning to a messy kitchen is stress inducing, but a beautiful breakfast basket would be the perfect pick me up!

4. A personalized item is always a hit- Etsy is a perfect place for something like this! I received a return address stamp from a friend as a housewarming gift and I love it! Whether it be a cutting board, ornament for their tree or stationary, something with a personal touch shows you planned ahead & thought of the Host!

Regardless of what route you choose to go make sure to drop a "thank you" note in the mail when you leave. Snail mail is a lost art, but is far more meaningful than the "thank you text", which I have without a doubt been guilty of, however I am trying to make a more concerted effort to fix!

Happy Holiday Season!