Taste{Full}

The Thing About Pinterest...

2012-02-15T12:40:00.001-05:00

I am obsessed with Pinterest as much as the next gal. It is impossible to hop on and off as I have proven many a times when consulting a recipe, etc. I think I'm going to go to my "foodie" board, look up a recipe and be done with it. But no, I end up re-pinning, ogling amazing fashions, admiring DIY geniuses, and invariably clicking on a link (or five) that takes me to a blog (or five) where I proceed to delve deeper and deeper into a DIY or fashion or home decor tailspin.

But the thing about pinterest is, it sucks you in with ideas. Nothing is wrong with ideas. They come in handy. But for me personally, if I am only hoarding collections of them but not DOING anything with them, it kinda stresses me out. If you just read that and are thinking "relax," you can join my husband in that chorus. I'm sure not everyone feels this way. It's just part of my OCD nature. So while I do pin "dreams," for the most part I tend to pin practical projects and ideas that I will actually attempt one day, as well as affordable items that I might really buy, vs. just lustfully long for. To that end, I plan to do a few posts here and there when I attempt an idea from pinterest to let you know the outcome. I don't know about you but some DIYers make something seem so "easy peasy" as is the popular expression in the blogosphere. But it's so not if you are not a creative genius. I am not. Therefore you can learn from my mistakes and come along for the journey.

So, a couple of things I've tried recently. I re-pinned this delicious side from my friend Abby who has been described on a design blog as a "prolific pinner." That she is! I've re-pinned at least half of her recipes all of which seem simply amazing. The main course, I pinned myself after watching the Nate Berkus show. Many of my recipe pins are derived from watching a cooking segment on his show.

photo source.

The egg rolls were a little morechallenging. They required more prep and I've never been a fan of rolling eggrolls. My mom always made egg rolls for us, so growing up, I'd help her rollthem....they'd come out ok but I never got the hang of it. Aside from that thisrecipe has a helluva lot of ingredients. geez. I omitted the bamboo shoots(husband's not a fan) and saved time by buying a bag of slaw mix so I wouldn'thave to shred the carrots and cabbage. I learned that trick from my mama.Instead of using the egg mixture to roll the wraps, I used a flour/water mix.My mom always did it that way and it works. If it ain't broke.... Lastly my momadded about a tablespoon of flour to the chicken/cabbage mixture which helpedthe consistency not be so crumbly. And then she proceeded to fry them for mewhile I fed the baby. Oh how wonderful it is to have mama in town. Don't thinkI'm exaggerating when I say these were AMAZING. Definitely worth the prep.

photo source.

To make them even better, myhusband, the king of diner food and sauces threw together an amazing dippingsauce. As I type I'm pressuring him to remember exactly what he put in thesauce.

So those of you who need arecipe to be precise and exact, you are not gonna like this one. But if you're adventurousand you love it when Rachael Ray calls for "a handful" or asks thatyou "eyeball it" then you'll do fine. This is "about" whathe used for the sauce:

1/2 c Ranch

1/2 c Sour Cream

1 TBSP Paprika

1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes (omit if you don't like spicy)

1 TBSP Cumin

Ok so I would encourage you to startwith the ranch and sour cream and just season to taste. You do have to use alot of spices--otherwise it just tastes like ranch. Also, know that this makesa lot of sauce. There were 3 adults and we used the sauce that night and with leftovers the nextnight and still had some left. You could probably even start with 1/4 cupof both the ranch and sour cream. Lastly, I mashed up some avocado in mine andthat made it that much better.

Ok, I think that's it. I've been making so many pinterestrecipes that I need to tell you about! I'll be back shortly with a few other recipe reviews as well as the Valentine gift I made for Joe after seeing the idea on pinterest. Ciao!

A Fun Little Picture Project.

2012-02-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

I wanted a boy. There, I said it. I had convinced myself that I didn't care--even that I'd prefer a girl since that meant I could recycle Genevieve's oh-so-cute clothes. But when the sonographer told me it was a girl, I knew the truth. Poor little Nadia! The only reason I can even admit it now is because I am so beyond in love with that little chubster that I'm so very glad God knew that she'd be just what this family needs. And two girls?! Oh the fun.

Being a parent, you realize no matter what choices you make or in whatever circumstances you find yourself regarding your children, there are always debbie downers. "Oh they'll be so competitive." "Oh just wait until they are teenagers!" "Does Daddy have a shotgun?" [okay I secretly like that one]. "Just wait till one borrows the other's clothes without asking!" "2 proms? weddings? [insert expensive event here]?" oy. Yes, I am aware that girls can be competitive, catty, and expensive. Thanks for telling me that on day 2 of my beautiful daughter's day on Earth. I'm really not as bitter as I sound; It just never ceases to amaze me, the things people feel obligated to share. Girls can also be sensitive, compassionate, strong, beautiful, fun, smart, and just. freakin. adorable! I know there will be those times when I'll be wishing for more testosterone and less estrogen, but oh my gosh- the FUN we will have will far outweigh the sorrow. It's already beginning.

When looking at the pictures from Nadia's birth, one particularly struck me. I thought, oh, my goodness- she looks JUST like her sister! I made this little collage in picnik and played a guessing game on facebook. More people got it wrong than right! Can you tell who's who?

The next one I made wasn't on purpose either. I'd just taken photos of Nadia and one reminded me of a photo I'd taken of Genevieve:

Nadia on the left.

After this one I thought, 'if they look so much alike on 'accident,' I need to start getting intentional.' And then this shot was born:

Nadia on the left.

This one was kind of on purpose and kind of not. I always loved this bright onesie and it brings back fond memories because Genevieve wore it right around the time her funny and bubbly personality was starting to emerge. I remember that I hadn't planned to take photos of her in it...she was just so cute and totally showing off for me that a half hour photoshoot just sort of happened. I knew I wanted to take a few pictures of Nadia in it and that I'd better do it quickly because she was outgrowing it. I had no idea though that I'd get so many similar expressions out of her--so many that I couldn't choose which ones to compare!

Nadia on the left.

Genevieve on the left.

I will be so sad when Nadia outgrows Genevieve's baby clothes (which is almost upon us since G was so tiny. Nadia could probably fit her summer clothes now...). I also imagine that as Nadia gets older she'll look less like her sister and the Narcissist in me is hoping she'll look more like me ;) We shall see!

Tips & Suggestions:

If you want to try this you have to be a little forward thinking. And this little project isn't for anyone into instant gratification, that's for sure!

Hang onto those baby clothes! Even if you don't like the thought of hanging onto baby clothes from one child (will I even have another? If so, what are the chances that it'll be the same gender? or born in the same season? I had these arguments with myself over and over again!), it's worth it to at least hang onto a handful of favorites. If you took a bunch of pictures of one kid wearing someting, make sure to hang onto that particular outift.
Buy a gender neutral outfit with this specific project in mind--perhaps a pair of overralls the baby can wear with no shirt. That way your next baby- boy or girl- can wear it.
Make sure to take lots of photos of your little one (as discussed here). Then you'll have some to choose from if you want to re-create an image with your consecutive child(ren).
They don't have to look alike! Even if they don't look alike I think it's still so darling to have photos of your children wearing the same thing. It just makes you stop and think "Wow, Genevieve used to be that tiny?!" which in turn prompts you to slow down and treasure the time with the most recent child. And surely we need those reminders with consecutive children don't we?!

What other fun photo projects have you tried? Month by month shots? Newborn photos? Oh and what photo editing software do you use?! Do share!

Just to Pin It: Make-Up.

2012-01-30T13:38:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to claim that this is a series because I tend to do that and then not follow through (Taste{full}: What's for Dinner?), BUT I basically got the idea while looking at a magazine to actually do something with the images I rip out from time to time. I plan to create a "real," binder but of course, I couldn't ignore the fact that pinterest is just calling to me to create a virtual one as well. I love pinterest. It can be a crazy time waster but it can also be an amazing source of great and creative ideas. So I decided to take pictures of some of the images I've torn out of magazines-both to post here and to pin on my pinterest boards. So here goes:

Lancome "Doll Lash Effect" Mascara- wide eye look. I LOVE this. I don't for a second believe my eyelashes will look like this just by using this mascara but I love it nonetheless. I'm always looking for inspiration with make up--is anyone else afraid that they'll be one of those women wearing the same color combo and brands for thirty years?!

Also Lancome. So, so pretty. Love the champagne with the grey. I will be trying this. Shoot- just realized I didn't capture her lips in the photo. They are a shimmery pink. Just lovely.

What make up looks have you pinned lately?

My Part Time Gig.

2012-01-18T21:06:00.002-05:00

Hey peeps, Just thought I'd let you know that I am working for Tall Clothing Mall again. Those of you who know me personally might remember that a couple of years ago I wrote articles for TallClothingMall.com. Well Krista (the proprietor of the site) has asked me to re-join the team. Since I am not working full time, I have a bit more time and will be contributing to her blogs, (tallclothingmall.blogspot.com & tallsnob.com) as well as writing her newsletter, and potentially helping clients with personal shopping requests.

Me at 7 or 8. Notice how much taller I was than the other kids!

This is a cause that's dear to my heart. I've been tall my whole life (I came out of the womb at 2 1/2 feet. ok, I'm kidding). But seriously since I could remember, I was taller than the other kids, boys included. If I had a nickel for every time I heard (from the latter) "she's cute but she's too tall..." I'd be, well not rich but I'd at least have a handful of nickels :) I didn't love being tall until I was in college. Part of the reason why was the clothing aspect. Back then you really couldn't find long inseam clothing (or certainly not in my parents' price range anyway) and I'd wear high waters or mens' pants. I loved fashion even then and the fact that I had to choose between dressing like a boy and wearing high waters made me want to gag. Every kid has her thing- too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat...so this is no sob story. I only tell you that to let you know that I seriously empathize with people who are not the norm and can't find what they're looking for--clothes, or anything else for that matter--and am really excited about helping folks meet that need. I also love to write (shocking!) and so writing about shopping for tall people? It's pretty much a perfect gig. The only downfall? I am totally coming across tons of great clothing items that I must have...but since I'm not bringing home any bacon, can't really justify. Shame right?!

My first pair of womens' jeans that were long enough
were Lucky Brand. I bought them my sophomore year of
college. They were $70 and I had to put them on layaway!

Check out the site--even if you're not tall, her sales page is awesome and always loaded with discounts and coupon codes for a variety of stores, most of which are not specifically geared toward tall people. If you are tall and haven't checked out Tall Clothing Mall yet, please do and make sure to sign up for the newsletter! It's an amazing resource full of options for you!

Wish me luck!

My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard.

2012-01-12T17:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, perhaps that wasn't the best title since it probably means something dirty. This isn't dirty at all. It's actually delicious. It tastes like ice cream. It tastes like a treat. But it’s healthy! How awesome is that? I’ve been counting calories and as such whenI come across something I enjoy eating that’s not a total diet buster, itmakes me seriously happy. A while ago I printed out some healthy snack recipes from a fitness website and while organizing the kitchen (more on that in a later post), I came across them. Some of them weren't so delicious or original- raisins on peanut butter on celery? How about I just eat a tablespoon of peanut butter and call it a day? But this one intrigued me. I made a few changes to it that in my humble opinion, make it rock. Here it is:

1 frozen banana*
1 tablespoon of cocoa (or hot chocolate mix)
1 cup of skim milk
1 tablespoon of peanut butter (optional)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend. Enjoy an icy, frothy, experience. (Hey I didn't say it was the most complicated recipe!). It makes about 14ish ounces of deliciousness. And at 323 calories (that's with hot chocolate mix vs. cocoa- using the latter will save you calories; I just didn't have it on hand) it's not exactly the aforementioned celery. BUT it totally fills you up. Between the thickness the frozen banana adds and the protein in the peanut butter, it's definitely a get-me-to-dinner-without-munching-on-chips-or-cookies type of snack. If you're really trying to go super low calorie with it, just use cocoa and nix the peanut butter or at the very least, use a light version.

You could also add other fruit or even yogurt to this recipe to make it your own.

*an overripe banana works best. It's not quite as sweet with a regular banana. If you don't care about the sweetness, use either but to live up to my "it tastes like ice-cream" claim, use an overripe one. ;)

Hope you enjoy it! And if you have any low fat snacks I should know about, please share!

My Little Pumpkin Turned TWO!

2012-01-06T13:44:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to post about Genevieve's birthday for a while. I was excited to plan a cute but simple fete and even more excited to actually get good photos of it (so hard to stop and take pictures or be organized enough to have time to do it beforehand). I was going back and forth regarding a theme but once I saw this post on the HWTM blog, I was hooked. It was perfect for Genevieve. At the time she was obsessed with pumpkins and I liked that it highlighted the fall season vs. me wistfully wishing she was born in June so that I could plan an outdoor summer party. You gotta work with what you got people! Also, due to our home remodel (which maybe I'll post about one day?), we really don't have much space to entertain so I planned to host it at my in-laws.' My MIL's house is a fall harvest extravaganza with every fall color, foliage, and decoration you can imagine. Perfect.
I really wanted to keep the party simple (KISS principle anyone?) after the craziness of her party last year. The temptation when you are ~~copying~~ inspired by an idea is to copy it exactly. However, let's get real- most of these parties are planned by professional party planners for people who, how shall I say it without sounding tacky- um, have freakin boatloads of cash. :) I am not and do not. Besides you want to be able to come up with something to call your own. Doesn't matter if a party is gorgeous if it doesn't reflect you and your child. Ok it might matter a little...but only a tiny bit. ;) In that vein, I imitated a few of the elements I liked, then added a few details to make it my own. So here are the photos along with descriptions and sources.

What better birthday cake for a fall party than a four layer luscious pumpkin cake? I made this years ago for Thanksgiving and have always wanted to make it again.

Favor table. I took the HWTM idea of giving out the lil pumpkins but put them in a cute ball jar wrapped with ribbon and rope twine.

You can find these ball jars here. They used to sell them at Wal-Mart ($4.97 for twelve!!!) but had literally JUST discontinued them when I began planning this party. boooo!

I love the idea of framing the invitation for party decor.

The pumpkin wands I'd seen here. They were simple and fun to do. The boys immediately turned them into swords. And my sister-in-law thanked me for a house full of orange glitter. oops. I put them in mason jars I got at AC Moore.

This was a major centerpiece of the other party and I knew I wanted to incorporate it. I got the bale of hay from AC Moore also. The large glittery pumpkin I happened upon at HomeGoods and seriously didn't even realize it was the exact same one used at the other party. So lucky!

The paper printables were a centerpiece as well. I purchased them here. Notice how I added pink to the party? Adding a lot more glitter (a-la pumpkin wands and the cute pumpkins on the dessert table) and pink was a way to make it my own.

Dessert buffet. I used the balloons and banner as a backdrop. The sparkly pumpkins on either end were from Target. I used burlap as a table runner. (oh and ignore the tacky container. I removed it before the guests arrived).

I got the recipe for the pumpkin patch rice krispie treats from here. I also served pumpkin pie (store bought), pumpkin trail mix (recipe here but I substituted reeses pieces for m&ms), and pumpkin dip with ginger snaps. For dessert buffets it's important to use varying heights. One of the ways I did that was to create a pie plate out of a planter by turning it upside down.

Since we live in NH it was too cold to go outside but I still wanted the party to have a harvest feel. I found this wooden plant container in my garage. I decided to use the same rope twine to bundle the silverware to add to the rustic feel.

See what I mean about my MIL's house? This beautiful wreath was already there! I just added the sign and voila...

My inspiration party used fondant toppers. I went the cheap route and used the candy pumpkins! The only thing is, the dye did start to melt onto the cupcakes toward the end of the party...pretty sure the kids didn't mind though ;) I got the idea to put the cupcakes on scrapbook paper both from my fellow blogger Megan (who has used this idea in some of the adorable parties she's planned) and from this party.

The activity du jour? Cookie decorating! I am no good at planning kid activities but got the idea from here. (Which is also where I got this by the way. ;)

My mom helped me plan this party. With a new (and high maintenance) ten week old, I didn't have a ton of time on my hands. Thanks MOM!!

I think she likes it :)

Genevieve's cousins (and my mom with Nadia) partying it up.

My beauty just before cake time. (like how I re-used the high chair from her first party? I tried to sell it on craiglist but apparently people just don't care about the details like I do and could find no use for an adorable pink high chair. hmph!)

After all that, isn't this all that matters?!

Somehow the husband didn't make it in any of the party pictures...but here we are cuddling after a very busy party.

Hope you enjoyed the details of this party. Now it's your turn--have you planned a party using a seasonal theme? Or perhaps you've been inspired by a party and happy with the result of how your application of it turned out? Do tell...

I Lost It

2011-12-30T10:47:00.000-05:00

I posted about the "Lose It" here. But at the time I hadn’t been using itconsistently and I hadn’t seen the results yet. Now that I’ve been using it consistently for about 10 weeks and amthrilled with the results, I feel as though it’s something I must share! It’s hard to tell people about how you’velost weight without sounding like you’re bragging (in fact I almost wrote afacebook status but decided I was just begging to be judged). I figured if I posted aboutit on the blog I could go into a bit more detail-- as well as assure you that Istill have a ways to go. Besides my blog friends would never judge me right?! ;) So here it is…

As I posted before, the premise of Lose It is prettysimple. It’s basic caloriecounting. I’m sure there are somenutrition buffs who are thinking “duh, of course it works.” But for me, who has never attempted to loseweight and actually lost it (hence the 12ish L-Bs I’d slowly put on sincecollege), I was astounded at how easy Lose It makes it. What I love is it’s not complicated and therearen’t all these rules about the types of food you can eat and how this food orthat food affects your body or your weight loss efforts. Do you all know what I’m talking about? Let me give you an example. Fiber is good right? But oftentimes whole wheat fiber (i.e. pastaor bread) is higher in calories than regular pasta or bread. But it doesn’t matter because it keeps youfull longer so you eat less right? Or isit because your body burns more calories digesting it? See what I mean? I am not a scientist or a doctor or anutritionist (or whoever studies these things) and honestly I don’t want tothink about all that stuff –at least not right now. I’m aware that all of the nuancesabout diet ARE important and it’s about more than just being thin- it’s alsoabout heart health, muscle building, and avoiding harmful toxins/chemicals in our food. I’m not saying we (or I) should ignore all that. However, with 2 kiddos--two andunder, I don’t have time to figure out all of those nuances. I want to be able to just eat a low fat andlow calorie diet and lose weight. Mynext goal (perhaps a New Years’ resolution?) will be to begin focusing on foodsthat help my body rather than just calorie count. So I’ll get there…

Lose It is all about calories and if you track themaccurately, you WILL lose weight! Myscale is crap so I’m not entirely sure exactly how much I’ve lost but all of myold jeans are too big. I believe I’ve lostbetween 10 and 15 lbs in the past 10 weeks. I think nursing has helped also. And now I plan on nursing Nadia until she’s3 or 4. What is that weird? ;) Ok, I’m kidding, but I do have a sneakysuspicion I may put on a few pounds when I stop nursing. I’m hoping I’m wrong of course.

The husband has also lost weight. The last time I asked, he’d lost 10 lbs. He set his goals more aggressively than I didbut he is also thrilled with how easy the app makes it. Oh and I should say when I say “easy,” I’mnot talking about easy. Let me explain—it’snot easy to eat less or eat veggies instead of carbs or fat. It’s hard. Sometimes I’m a little hungry (though I feel compelled to say you don't have to be hungry if you make good choices. I always save room for snacks ;). And all the time I want to just eat what I want without thinking aboutit. But it’s easy in the sense of what Idetailed above. It takes out the guess work and tells you how muchyou can eat and when to stop. You obey, you lose the weight. Easy right? It's also changed the way I think about food when groceryshopping. For the most part I am eating"everything in moderation." But there aresome foods that you can eat SO little of that it’s not evenworth it. Chex Mix, and Pillsburycinnamon rolls are the first items that pop into mind. Who stops at a ¼ cup of Chex Mix?! That’s just cruel! Or who eats only one cinnamon roll forbreakfast? Ok now that I type that, eating one cinnamon roll does sound normal. oops. When you’re counting calories you realizethere are other foods that you can eat enough to satisfy the craving and nottotally ruin your diet.

It’s also helped me see patterns with my eating. First of all I thought I was being “good”most of the time until I started tracking. Turns out there’s a reason I’d gained the weight- it’s called lack ofportion control! I also realized my plan of "being good" (which wasreally barely ok) Monday through Thursday and eating whatever I wantedFriday through Sunday wasn’t really working. First of all Friday through Sundayis almost half the week, stupid. (Stupidme, not you). So if you’re eatingterribly half the time that’s not a good diet plan. Second of all you can easily wreck yourentire week by going over your calories on Friday and Saturday. So now I eat a little less all week to beable to relax on the weekends. Or Imight just have one cheat day instead of 3. You can play around with the numbers to get the results you want. That’s the other thing I like about loseit. Believe it or not, it's kind of fun to see howmany calories are in the food you eat and then try to maximize your eatingwhile minimizing your calories. It’skind of like a game. How can I eat atleast some of what I want, but still stay on track and lose weight? It’s extremely eye opening to see how muchexercise it takes to burn off one bad choice. Right now I’m barely exercising but when I do, I can eat morecalories so there’s an immediate pay off. That said I also see if I eat a fun size snickers (a whopping 135calories), it will take me an hour of aerobics to burn it off. Not so fun anymore right?

Ok I should stop now [is this my longest post EVER]? I just have so much to say about thatlittle app! If you have a smart phone(or even if you don’t—my mom uses loseit.com), and you are looking to shed someweight (anyone go a little crazy over the holidays?) Lose It is totally foryou! I can say I’ve met my goal weightand have officially changed my goals to "maintain." Now I can focus on toning up—Lose It isn't magic; I still have ~~fat, cellulite, grossness,~~work to do—and losing the belly. HOW can I weigh the least I've weighed sincecollege and STILL have a belly?! It’sjust unfair what having a baby does to your body, but that’s another post foranother time. So believe me when I say, I still havea ways to go. But I am happy with myweight and clothes size and now my dilemma is deciding wether to hang on to oldpants/jeans just in case or toss them and go shopping? If you ask me, that a hell of a way to startthe New Year!

Now it’s your turn—what weight loss tips do you have for me? Is there any low calorie but delicious snackfoods I should know about? Please share…

Photograph Your Baby

2011-12-13T09:01:00.002-05:00

In follow up to Friday's post, I wanted to post a few tips on taking pictures of your little one. First the disclaimer: I am not a professional by any means! But I do photograph my kids...a lot. And I've been told the photos look professional (I believe the name Anne Geddes was mentioned- though I laughed at the comparison). I've learned some tips and tricks I wanted to share. Because I'm not a professional, these tips are not mechanical (i.e. what shutter speed to use, how to use aperture, etc) but more circumstantial... Ok here goes.

1. Happy baby makes pretty pictures.

This might seem obvious but I test this one all the time. I think "Now's a good time...for me" but is it a good time for baby? I find that the morning works best for my kiddos; they are not overstimulated and well rested. I also find after nursing (but not immediately after to avoid blow outs and huge spit ups--we are talking about babies after all) works well.

2. Choose a place with lots of natural light.

Nadia's room has two windows which is great. I take a few test pictures first to see how bright the room looks. I also find that if there is a ton of natural light I may be able to get away without using a flash (helps with red eye or frightened expressions!). Again, these aren't technical tips but you can find a lot of tips/tricks online (pinterest is a GREAT source) for adjusting your camera's settings.

3. If you like natural, keep it natural.

In other words, props aren't really necessary for babies. Their cute baby faces and baby chub is enough. Try nude if they are really young (in my humble opinion nude photos are best at 6 months or younger). Either way try to have them in as few clothes as possible. Elaborate outfits detract from the baby- if you don't like the idea of nude (or the potential mess), then choose a simple onesie or diaper cover...see next tip.

4. If you like props, keep it simple.

I'm a prop girl! They are basically like accessories. But avoid tons of stuffed animals, frilly outfits, big bows, etc. I hate it when the tutu is bigger than the baby. Just sayin. (and this coming from the girl who put the HUGE flower hat on her baby- but I did realize the error of my ways pretty quickly!). I like a hat, diaper cover & booties, a cute blanket/scarf, a basket, or a pretty tutu. Clarification: NOT all together! Choose one or two and go for it.

5. Take close ups.

How does the song go- "You have the cutest little baby face?" Close up pictures are the easiest to fake (i.e. make look more "professional" than they really are). Don't get a lot of ~~crap~~ items in the background that scream 'random snapshot.' Try to clear out the background and keep it simple.

6. Work with your baby's phase.

Nadia is just able to hold her head up and I couldn't wait to get pictures in front of her, at that angle. I probably could have waited another couple of weeks in order for her head to be up straighter and longer. This goes for sitting shots as well--or any skill that they develop at a certain age.

7. If possible, use an assistant.

No, I'm not talking about hiring someone! My mom used to help me out- she'd run and grab stuff or adjust the baby and jump out of the way quickly, etc. Obviously it's not always possible to have a helper but if you can, it's awesome-- even an older sibling could help. And I have to say, the older the kid gets, the more necessary a "helper" is. I think I've given up on photographing Genevieve after my last attempt at 2 years old!

8. Keep the room very warm.

Usually you're not taking pictures of them with lots of clothes on (at least if you are following tip number 3 and 4) so make sure it's warm. I usually use a space heater or turn the heat way up for the 20 or 30 minutes I'm taking pictures. I wear a tank top and I'm still ~~breaking out in a sweat~~ ahem, perspiring after!

9. Do as much prep as possible before pictures.

If you need to clear a space, or have props on hand, or have the heater nearby, etc--do it before you grab the baby. That way once you start taking photos, you're ready to go. Because if your baby's anything like mine, you have 20 minutes (maybe 30 if you're lucky) from beginning to end.

10. JUST DO IT!

This is the hardest part- I get it! But it's also the most important. It's hard to stop the busy-ness of life to take pictures. But you'll regret it if you don't. I literally made myself take pictures of Nadia Friday- when you have kids, there is always a nose to wipe, a diaper to change, a shower to take (mine!), a house to clean- you get my drift. But I literally took a deep breath, held those things at bay and grabbed my camera...

Last but not least, if you're not interested in all of the above, hire her ;)

Happy photographing!

It's Not Too Late!

2011-12-10T10:01:00.001-05:00

It's not too late to order Holiday Cards! If you're afraid you won't get them out until after Christmas, have no fear- just oder a "Happy Holidays," or "Happy New Year," or "Happy Everything" card! There are so many cool, modern options to choose from...or classic and traditional if that's your thing! Right now you can get 40% off with the code MERRY40. You can't beat that! Kinda makes me wish I would have procrastinated this year ;) "

Wishing You Merry Christmas Card

Shutterfly Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

The Reason Why

2011-12-09T19:43:00.001-05:00

So I haven't posted in a loooong time. And I'm sorry about that. But I wanted you to see the reason why. I mean, if you had this deliciousness all to yourself, would you tear yourself away to blog? ;) Ok that's only been the truth lately. Prior to that there was this phase of desperation sprinkled with some colic and a dose of sleep deprivation mixed in. But now we are getting a cool 8-10 hours of sleep a night and my Nadia is happy 85% of the time. See?

I quickly realized this hat was a bit too big (are you thinking "duh?") and switched:

And the MONEY shot:

she's so worth it!

Nadia's Nursery. [Finally].

2011-10-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

Nadia is 8 weeks old and I am finally finished her nursery. Actually I'm lying. I still have one more tiny task to take care of but it requires shopping around for the perfect thing and I don't know how long that might take (I mean it IS me, after all!). But more on that later...

Nadia's Nursery was such a fun adventure. I really wanted to create a fun, unique, functional nursery on a budget. I wanted it to reflect my style but also be suitable for a baby/toddler and a happy place for Nadia. I have a love/hate relationship with decorating. On one hand, I love it. I love all things pretty and the thought of creating a space that makes me feel a certain way is a welcomed challenge. On the other hand, I am very indecisive, can have a hard time visualizing the finished project, and am painfully aware of my shortcomings when it comes to interior design. But when all is said and done, I love learning about design and learning how to execute my ever evolving style.

my inspiration.

Initially I had several different design schemes I really liked for Nadia's nursery. One involved a palette of beige, cream, taupe, and white...a peaceful, natural vibe. One involved Joel Dewberry's aviary line with a rustic woodsy feel (I have to admit part of the draw here was using owls which despite their trendiness, I think are simply adorable). The next involved a modernly shabby chic feel with florals and distressed furniture in a palette of bubble gum pink, red, and aqua. The last was a girly room of bright colors- aqua, pink, and yellow, with an ethnic vibe- based on Dena Fishbein's Kumari Garden line. Hey, I warned you about my indecisiveness! I dropped the Joel Dewberry version and then showed photos and described my 3 ideas to my super artistic sister and my designer friend and they both gave me the same advice: combine all three. At first I wasn't sure if I could do that--I'm a bit of a design schizo and I felt like they were all so different. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I could totally take my favorite elements from each scheme and make it work. So that's what I did. I did give one priority and that was the Kumari Garden inspired room.

I had crib bedding made from it and the rest flowed from there. From the peaceful beige palette, I took the natural elements and used DIY drop cloth curtains, the cute hamper, the natural blond wood shelves, and woven accessories. From the shabby chic scheme, I took the aqua and pink, used a painted yellow dresser, and painted and distressed an antique dry sink to re-purpose as a changing table. I also used the ornate (and yes, ubiquitous) ung frame. The goal of "ethnic" might not have been achieved. I ordered a Moroccan Pouf from Morocco (yes straight from Morocco) and it ended up being a total NIGHTMARE!!! I ended up returning it and since I can't afford the $400 version and am now deathly afraid of ordering a cheap one after my experience (let's just say it involved goat urine. yeah that happened), I had to give up that dream. I also ordered a cool coffee sack pillow that I thought gave it an ethnic vibe, but that too didn't pan out. I won't give you the boring details...I did however create this cool (if I do say so myself) Chinese lantern, pom, and lace lantern mobile and order this beautiful print from Jones Design company--all of which I think contribute to an ethnic feel. And the Dena Fishbein print which was the entire inspiration, is one of the beautiful prints in her Kumari Garden collection which invokes an ethnic bohemian vibe. I also used her Tarika in gem as well as the Sujata in pink prints.

One last note and then I'll shut up! One of the most fun things about this room was doing it on a budget (Not as super tight as Genevieve's nursery but not nearly as expensive as many of the nurseries I ogled on design blogs). Many of the items in her room came from thrift stores, yard sales, and even the side of the road. I loved upcycling the changing table and painting the $20 yard sale dresser a cheerful yellow.

So here are some photos for your viewing pleasure (sources for almost everything at the very end)...

The details.

One of my absolute favorite features! Lantern and pom mobile inspired by hers and hers.

Upcycled changing table. Handmade changing pad cover in another coordinating print- Sujata in Pink.

Ha- she wouldn't wake up!

Natural wood shelves-- styled but functional.

The box is one that a toy came in. I held onto it because I thought it was too cute to throw away. I thought of lining it with scrapbook paper and using it for diapers. I'm bummed I didn't take the photo when she was in tiny newborn diapers!! Now she's in size 2s. How fast time flies right?!

How adorable is the rag doll?!

I love fabric hoops--I wish I'd done more of those. Easy, cute and cheap! I lined that frame with burlap and then used a decal I purchased for the month by month pictures as decor. The flower is what she wears in those photos. I stuck it up there just so that I wouldn't lose it between those photos and then thought it was cute, so it stayed.

The photo is of Nadia and Genevieve's feet Genevieve is doing "this little piggy" on Nadia's toes. So cute!!

I love this 'fruit of the spirit' art. :) UnfortunatelyI didn't know what I planned to do with these frames when I bought them soI only bought six. One would think that was enough right?! Well later I thought of using the fruit of the spirit but there are9 fruit. So I had to choose my favorites (sorry God- I know they are allimportant) to frame. Kind of silly but I couldn't let go of the idea onceI started on it...This is also the last task I need to complete- I plan to useone big frame (either thrifted or handmade) around all the little frames...

The centerpiece of the room :)

Love thishandmade pillow! This is where I will use the coffee sack pillowas well...

Other side of the handmade pillow. Iused a coordinating print for this side- Dena Fishbein's Tarika in Gem.

This was a simple DIY- I used pom pomfringe on a store bought lamp. How cute is that?! Incidentallynow I want to add pom pom fringe to....like everything!

DIYdresser in "cheerful" yellow. Both the dresser and mirror werefrom yard sales. Originally I was looking for a dresser with better lines but since I found the mirror with the finial it made me feel better about the somewhat plain dresser and reminded me of this inspiration piece..

View from the door.

View from the door. (I need to find a bigger rug but that one will do for now).

DIYdrop cloth curtains. So simple. Buy drop cloth, hem (sew or hem tape), buy rings androd, embellish (pom pom fringe!), and hang. voila!

Another crib shot. Just because I love it.

Cozy nook for nursing. I love it here. (Well not at 3 am, but y'know) ;)

Can you believe I found this chair on the side of the road?! A modern rocker like this would easily cost $800 to $1000 new. I had it reupholstered for less than half the cost. I love it.

Well there she is ladies (and our one male follower) ;) See below for resources. And if you've decorated a kid space recently, what tips or tricks do you have? What are your favorite sources for design? Do tell...

Sources (in no particular order):

scalloped side table- Walmart.com

pom pom fringe- Trimko Etsy store

crib pillow- Habitation Etsy store

custom crib bedding- Handmade by Elena Etsy store

ornate frame- ung drill from IKEA (burlap and cardboard letter from Hobby Lobby)

Dena Fishbein fabric- Hawthorne Threads

drop cloths- Lowes

pink, yellow, and white frames- Christmas Tree Shop (CTS)

magazine rack- side of the road :)

mobile- Amazon

rise and shine print-Jones Design Company (frame from CTS)

lamp- Target

laundry hamper- TJ Maxx

lantern & pom mobile- Amazon, Amazon, Walmart (for tissue paper), Lowe's (for dowels and hooks).

shelves- IKEA (not sure if it's that exact one but it was $5).

decorative items for shelves- TJ Maxx, Homegoods, CTS, Hobby Lobby

rocking chair- side of the road :)

fabric for rocking chair- fabric.com

reupholstered by- 2 NH Guys' furniture repair (No website but I can get you their contact info if you're interested. Reupholstering is PRICEY but they were the cheapest I could find).

knobs on dresser, closet, and changing table- Hobby Lobby and Hobby Lobby

pillow on rocking chair- Festive Home Decor Etsy store

throw on rocking chair- Amazon

ottoman- Morocco. (ha, just kidding). CTS

rug- HomeGoods

chandelier- Diapers.com

changing pad cover- handmade

changing table- thrift store
crib- Target but discontinued (which may be why I paid $67 from $270!!!)

Nursery Sneak Peek

2011-10-13T20:16:00.001-04:00

So Nadia is 5 1/2 weeks old and yes, the nursery is still progressing. I have a few more tasks to accomplish. But just so you don't think I'm lying about it, I figured I'd post this photo that Melanie of Simply Mella was kind enough to take when I wasn't even looking. I love all of these elements she captured and if I could have chosen three items to take pictures of in a room full of stuff I would have chosen these three! So take a look...and I promise a full nursery reveal is coming....

[click photo if you'd like to see a larger image].

1. Inspirational Print. 2. Fun chandy. 3. Lantern and Pom cluster (to be detailed in a later post :)

There's an App for That: Clean and Skinny

2011-10-12T12:13:00.001-04:00

Back in this post I mentioned a few other smart phone apps that I've been finding useful. Thought I'd take a minute to tell you about them now (you know since Nadia's holding me hostage or at least the fear of her waking up if I dare get out of this rocking chair is!). Anyway, the first is "Lose It." "Lose It" is a calorie tracking app. You put in your weight loss goals (I tried pitting in "Heidi Klum please" but apparently you have to use numbers) or you can choose "maintain" if you're not trying to lose weight. Then you simply put in your snacks and meals as well as any exercise activities. In the past I've tried using spreadsheets, websites, lists... you name it. But to go back to my desktop/laptop at the end of the day and try to remember everything I ate?? Forget it! (Literally). Besides my general forgetfulness it's also way too easy go conveniently forget that chocolate chip cookie, 160 calorie soda, or that donut I purchased in a moment of weakness. But I always have my phone on me (in fact, tracking my calories in the app has become a convenient past time while nursing). The other thing I love is that there are many more food options in the app than in similar websites I've used in the past. You can search fast food, grocery store brands, and if all else fails, create your own food item. It keeps track of "your foods" so you don't have to keep looking up the same items over and over again. I love looking at it midday and seeing that I have tons more calories I can eat (bring on the ice-cream) or that I need to slow down (baby carrots anyone?). Hopefully this app will help me be able to wear a swimsuit with pride come June. Until then, I'll be tracking away...

The second app is similar to the Motivated Moms app I blogged about earlier. It's called Home Routines. I just visited the site and loved the creator's philosophy: "Housework doesn't have to suck." Well said! It's only 3.99 vs. 9.99 (a huge plus in my book) and it's editable. I like that it seems a bit more realistic and less daunting than the MoMo app. I also like that you can add tasks or delete them daily. I think the MoMo app is more comprehensive with every task you can think of ("clip children's nails" for instance) but if you're using an app for housekeeping in the first place you may be the type of person who gets overwhelmed with too many tasks....so in that way, I think Home Routines is a bit more balanced. I also like that the app includes "zones" so you can see the big picture of your "deep cleaning" progress. The premise is to spend 15 minutes (at least) doing deep cleaning (think spring cleaning or if you're like me, think "every other spring cleaning") daily, you won't have to set aside days to clean the entire house from top to bottom come spring. I absolutely think it helps to have the accomplishment of checking tasks off of a list so you can see what you've accomplished that day.

Now for a few words of encouragement on both fronts:

First, in terms of the weight loss app....NO one has the perfect body. No one. And if you look at someone who seems to, one of two things (or maybe both) is true--they don't think so and can pick out a flaw in 5 seconds or less and/or they work extremely hard to maintain that physique. (Disclaimer: I'm not talking about 19 year olds). There will always be something about our outward appearance that we can complain about but try not to obsess over it. By the way, I'm totally preaching to myself right now. One thing I thought of when Steve Jobs died is that I take so little time to be thankful for my health and this vessel God has blessed me with. I might have some lumps and bumps I'd rather not have but, hey my body works and has served me well these last 31- er 29 years. No amount of fame, fortune, beauty, or brains can replace good health. I'm trying to thank God daily for my body- the good parts (yay for being 6 feet!), the bad (I thought only kangaroos had pouches) and the ugly (cellulite on the front? really?!). And for those of us who have had kids, we should be even more in awe of what our body can do.

Second as far as the house. This is my Achilles heel. In my 8 years in corporate America I've probably only felt like a loser once or twice. In my 8 years of maintaining a home, I've felt like a loser perhaps every week. It's quite sad. But the thing is no one--or no one I know anyway-- can do it all. Be an amazing and present mom, work 50 hours a week, and maintain a spotless home. Something's gotta give. I have other qualities (and so do you) that come natural to me that I am blessed with. Having a perfectly clean home is simply not one of them! But if we are trying, who can fault us?! And you know the old adage "quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep; I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep" comes to mind. The cobwebs will be there and eventually I'll get to them. My 2 year old will be a day older tomorrow and my infant will be a toddler before I know it. If I have to give up something, I'd rather it is work or housecleaning, than time spent with those beautiful girls.

My point is part of living a Taste{full} life is being content! Hope that made you feel better. It sure made me feel better!!

As always, feel free to comment-- any apps you think we should know about? Any encouragement or helpful tips on the weight loss or housekeeping categories? Do share!

Documenting the Mile[style]stones.

2011-09-20T13:08:00.001-04:00

I am having fun trying things with Nadia that I didn't with Genevieve. Since I was unemployed for Genevieve's first 9 months, had my mom here to help for most of it (yes, I was super duper spoiled!), and didn't have another banshee- um, I mean toddler running around, I had plenty of time to take pictures of Genevieve. I made her a scrapbook, journaled throughout my pregnancy (loved this book), took maternity photos and at least bi-weekly belly shots...and more. My fear has been that I will never be able to live up to that for baby number 2 (don't consecutive kids always get the shaft?!)! But I am trying to do the things I missed doing for Genevieve so they will both have fun memories to look back on as they grow up. I already posted about the newborn photos we did for Nadia, and now I want to talk about documenting the milestones.

I've seen this done with such amazing style and clever ideas. Sherry at Young House Love actually did weekly photos and the finished product was simply amazing! I considered that idea (loved the fabric element), but was afraid of the commitment it required. I plan to keep it simple with monthly photos in the same chair with the same backdrop and outfit,- white onesie with a pink flower headband. I'm a bit bummed because I meant to take her first one in Genevieve's adorable pink chair but forgot before she (Genevieve- the banshee I referred to earlier) ripped the sticker off of Nadia. Have I mentioned how much fun it is to have TWO kids?! ;) Anyway, I love that YHL added the dates en post via photoshop but if you are not that technologically savvy or ambitious (I'm neither!) head over to Etsy where you can buy fun labels in tons of fun patterns and colors to achieve the same effect. After searching for a bit I settled upon this seller. She was very professional, great customer service, and created the labels in the color of my choice. [I didn't choose the labels pictured above but how cute are they?!]

I love how the first couple turned out. Hopefully I can keep it up and at the end of her first year, I'll have an adorable collage that I can hang on her wall, put in a scrapbook, feature at her 1st birthday party, or all of the above.

Inspiration:

From Young House Love.

from Making it Lovely.

My little cutie at just over 2 weeks (if I hadn't procrastinated I could have gotten the 13th label to say "newborn" or "brand new" but it's me... uber procrastinator!) in the first of 13 photos. Labels from here. Banner Bow from here.

How did you document your kids' growth? Any creative or fun ideas to share?

Simply Incredible.

2011-09-19T12:11:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share our latest photography venture with you. I was determined to get newborn photos of little miss Nadia. I didn't do that with Genevieve and regretted it. On the flip side I took SO many pictures of Genevieve and made that awesome (if I do say so myself) How Fast Time Flies scrapbook for her, so I also liked the idea of Nadia having at least one thing that Genevieve didn't! Is that weird? ;) Anyway, I really wanted something affordable since I'm no longer working (cutting our income nearly in half--ouch), but quality. I try so hard to like places that I won't name (i.e. in the mall) but I just can't do it. I like the more natural approach to photography...you know- the expensive kind. I also have gone the other direction- getting portraits done by fabulous photographers only to agonize about spending $50 on a print. The reality is, I just can't afford that (Dave Ramsey's advice to "act your wage" resounds in my head). So imagine my happiness at discovering Simply Mella Photography. 2 words: Simply awesome. She doesn't have a studio (I assume that's one reason she can be affordable), but she'll come to your home, or an outdoor location where lighting is plentiful. So if you can imagine two exhausted parents, one extremely "high energy" toddler (high energy sounds so much nicer than little spaz doesn't it?!), and one newborn who refused to sleep for nearly the entire shoot, and turn that into awesome photos...then you'd be Melanie of Simply Mella! I wasn't sure how the photos would turn out based on the the factors listed above but she got me previews the same day and I love them! If I'm being honest I'm kinda scared to tell you about her...there's a part of me that wants to keep this magic all to myself. (yes, that is a bit weird. ha). But I just can't help myself...

I'll post more photos on facebook at a later date, but for now, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of what I'm talking about.

My little family of FOUR.

Genevieve was saying "wee wee wee" as in "This little Piggy..." :)

Me and my baby. Well really, my big girl. How fast time flies [insert sniffle here].

Do you have any photographers in the area that you love? Have you spent tons on family portraits and regretted it? Or thought it was totally worth it? Do share your photography tales...

There's an App for That

2011-09-16T08:58:00.000-04:00

As I fully embrace being a SAHM, I’m realizing I needhelp! Not mental help—at least not yet ;)but organizational help. I am just notnaturally organized. I don’t mindcleaning (I mean it doesn’t compare to shopping but it’s not torture either)but I am in such a rush and get so overwhelmed with what needs to be done thatI end up constantly surface cleaning and even that is spotty. Not to give the impression that I’m a dirtyperson…I’m really not! That’s what’s sofrustrating. Before I can relax I have toat least straighten up or my brain can’t function; but between the busy-ness oflife and the clutter…it’s just too much at times. Especially while working full time (though I havea hunch that it won’t be much easier with an infant and a 2 year old but a galcan hope can’t she?!)

Anywho, I figuredthere must be an app for that. Isearched and found the Momo-Motivated Moms app. Now I don’t think this is my answer necessarily but it’s a start. Every day there is lists of tasks- they rangefrom everyday tasks such as clean the kitchen sink (which really is very cleversince you can't clean the sink without first emptying it. And you can’t empty it if the dishwasher isfull. You little smart app, you) toweekly or even monthly tasks like defrost and inventory the freezer, or de-clutter yourdesk. Since I love checking things off of alist it really motivates me to squeeze tasks in here and there. I also like that the tasks are manageable- rather than"clean the bathroom" it will tell you to "wipe the bathroom sink," so you can do a little at a time. I’ve been using it for a few days and alreadymy house seems a bit less messy. Now,with that said come its flaws. First of all, it’s$10.00 per year. This to me is a bit much for anapp! I am using the “lite" version whichis free but is only a trial version. I’m notsure I’m prepared to pay $10.00 for an app so I will probably try other cheaperor free housekeeping apps before settling on this one (anyone heard of or use the Home Routines app?). Also, it seems like it would be impossible to get all the tasks done inone day unless you don’t have a life (orat least don’t have a job or kids!). I typically do what I can and then I’ll go back to previous days and mark tasks off as I complete them later. Also, you can't prioritize tasks or add tasks. Nor can you hide a task on one day- only on every date. However, even with it's flaws, it’s a start. And if it was free (or less expensive), I'd for sure continue using it as I kept researching other options.

Stay tuned for 2 other apps I’m finding super useful rightnow. I’ll give you a hint of what theyare—one will help me get back into my skinny jeans and one will help meremember to feed the baby. ;)

Your turn: any apps that you can’t live without? They don’tnecessarily have to be related to housekeeping! Do share!

Nursery Progress: Dressing up the Dresser

2011-09-10T10:22:00.002-04:00

For Genevieve's nursery, I went with an old dresser (see this post) and loved the idea of repeating that for Nadia's nursery.  You can usually find something less expensive and with a bit more character and better quality than one you'd find at a furniture store or even a box store. In a happy coincidence, I found the matching dresser to the one I bought for Genevieve at an antique store. It was exactly the same down to the adorable heart cut out at the bottom, but was small enough to fit in the room with the changing table. But when I went to the store the bottom drawer wouldn't open and I knew that would drive me crazy. I was so sad but in the end this other number was cheaper and actually works perfect with the space. It's not quite as high quality- it's basically one of those affordable pieces you'd find at an unfinished furniture store like a the mill store. But at only $20 at a yard sale, it was good enough to do the trick.

So now that I'd found the piece it was time to choose a color.  The primary colors in my inspiration 'piece' were yellow, blue, and pink. I knew I wanted a cheerful yellow. I'd gone back and forth about painting a jenny lind crib a bright yellow (see this post) and love the look of yellow against aqua or pale blue (the color of her walls). Since in the end I decided I didn't have the stamina to tackle a crib project, I figured I could get the same effect with the dresser. I picked the happiest, truest yellow I could find and went to town. I ended up doing a couple of coats of primer (tinted for the last coat) and then two coats of the yellow paint. For finishing touches, like in this project, I skipped the pricey anthro knobs for Hobby Lobby ones. And they were on sale! This project cost a total of $52. That's a fantastic price for a decent quality dresser, especially after adding unique touches in a fun paint color and 'custom' knobs).

I've included before and after pics, as well as a couple of my inspiration pictures for the dresser. Even though I'm a big fan of paint, I'd never gone with such a bold color so it helped seeing someone else do it with such success. I LOVE color so I don't think I'll tire of it and I could totally see it growing with Nadia or in the girls' playroom later on for extra storage. (uh because right now, we don't have a playroom, or wait, are toys strewn about the house considered a play room because if so, than yeah, we totally have one). I also included the 'better' pics I promised in this post.   Oh and please ignore the super close up off center photography. If you want the honest truth I was zoomed in so tight so that I wouldn't have to sweep the trash up around the dresser. Yes I was that ~~tired, exhausted, busy,~~ lazy.
As you can see, I've had a ton of fun pulling together old and new pieces for her room. So far, the magazine rack was from the side of the road, the dresser from a yard sale, and the changing table from a thrift/antiques store. Totally loving the re-use, re-purpose, recycle approach to design!

Inspiration:

Click here for details and to see the before. This girl is amazing!

Click here for details- once again, from HiSugarPlum!

Love the yellow crib against the blue wall. Just darling! From here.

and now MY work of art. Ok that is a bit of a stretch. ;)

What do you think? Have you painted any furniture (or anything) a bold color lately? Do share!

Please Welcome...

2011-09-08T10:21:00.000-04:00

Nadia. Sophie. DeLangie.

8 lbs 9 ounces.

21 1/2 inches.

Arrived at 4:29 am.

A few random facts (I'll spare you the play by play):

Nadia is named after Joe's nana, Nadia. She's from Italy (moved to the US after marrying his grandpa) but the name is Russian and means "Hope."
Sophie means "wisdom" and was on my names list (well as Sophia) when Joe and I got married in 2004. However it is now (or maybe it was then and I just didn't know it?) VERY popular so I never wanted to use it as a first name....but never stopped loving it! I love the shortened version even more.
I literally pushed Nadia out in 3 pushes. Totally made up for the 2 hours and 38 minutes it took to push Genevieve out.
It was also completely in keeping with the entire delivery. Contractions started (or at least I started noticing them) at 10ish pm. It went like this [on phone with mom] "I think I'm having contractions...but it feels different than it did with Genevieve. Am I the only woman in the world who has a baby and still doesn't know what contractions feel like?!" Mom: "Honey why don't we start paying attention to the time. And call your husband" This was at 10:09 pm. I was at the hospital by 1 am and had her at 4:29 am.
If she hadn't come on her own, I would have been induced on Joe's birthday, September 7th. Instead she came on my brother's birthday. She was also just 4 1/2 hours shy of being born on her namesake's birthday (yes there are tons of September birthdays in my family and Joe's).
This labor was completely opposite of Genevieve's. It was still hard (please note: "fast" does not equal "easy." ;) I've never felt so much pain. Ever. BUT it was totally worth it to only have to push for 10 minutes. No denying that part was easy!!
Nadia looks very much like her sister Genevieve. It's honestly quicker to try to find differences than it is similarities. One major difference- her adorable, raspy cry. If you can love a cry, I love this one.

I am totally in love with my two girls. I'm still sleep deprived and overwhelmed at times. But I'm also in awe of God's grace and love...to bless me with a second miracle. "Hope," is very fitting. Welcome to our world, little Nadia. We love you more than you will ever imagine.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and well wishes!!

Taste{full} Deal Alert- Amazing Sale at Banner Boutique

2011-09-02T20:17:00.001-04:00

I've blogged about Banner's headbands before. They are well made and simply adorable. Turns out they are launching an awesome new site (No, I haven't seen it--I'm just assuming it's gonna be awesome) and in preparation (or celebration?) they are having a 40% off sale on some of their best sellers. Although I love their stuff, I'm also a cheapskate er, I mean frugal (does that even sound any better?), so I only have one headband from them. Until now. I have like 10 in my etsy cart but I'm sure by the end of the checkout process I'll have whittled it down to two. okay, maybe three. This sale is just in time as I try to figure out how to dress new baby for her newborn photo shoot. (cocoon? knit "bowl?" cheesecloth? knit diaper cover and beanie? ruffle butt bloomers? Petit lace romper? Oy. So many possibilities!!!) In any case, these are super cute, fit newborns through adults, and make great gifts (new baby is due any day now, hint, hint). ;) Check out their blog with all the details here. Oh and please let me know if you have an opinion or source for what to don new baby in for her first pictures!

yes, this one is in my cart. :)

Happy Shopping!

Make Your Own Changing Pad Cover

2011-09-01T14:18:00.000-04:00

A while ago I posted about finding instructions on making a changing pad cover on Chic & Cheap Nursery. I'd been daydreaming about re-learning to sew anyway and this seemed like the perfect, simple project. Of course I initially wanted to make an entire crib bedding set--sheet, bumper, and crib skirt--but then it dawned on me that I'm not freakin Martha Stewart. That said, I figured I could still manage a changing pad cover. I bought the material from Hawthorne Threads and Fabric.com. They have an amazing selection and reasonable prices. This post isn't really a tutorial because a) I am such a beginner that I am in no way qualified to walk you through this process and b) there is a perfectly swell tutorial posted at Prudent Baby that I followed. I will offer one piece of advice- Make sure you sew the tube big enough for the elastic. I didn't on my first cover (yeah that's right, I made two- are you impressed?!) and it was the most agonizing process using a tiny safety pin to string through the elastic. What took me 5 minutes or less took me at least 20 minutes the first time around. Oh and the fact that I made two should tell you that this is definitely a project you can handle. I haven't sewn since I was 13 or 14 and had no idea what I was doing--but I followed the instructions and the cover came out fine. The first one is a bit rough if you look at the details but the reason this is such a perfect project for beginners is that none of those details show! The second one came out much neater and though still not expert quality, a little more polished looking. The other thing I love about this project is that a 'designer' changing pad cover or a custom cover from a site like etsy usually will run you $40+. Here is the cost breakdown for this one:

2 yards of fabric: $21 including shipping
elastic: $0 already had
thread: $0 already had
Total: $21

As for the final cost, it could cost even less...the tutorial calls for a bit less fabric, you could buy locally to avoid paying shipping, and you could also use less expensive fabric, so this number can be whittled down. Also, for one of the two covers, I ordered the material from fabric.com with another fabric purchase, got 20% discount, and didn't pay for shipping so that brought the price down.

So, I think I will keep at it. I really like making stuff. :) If you try this you MUST email me pictures (tiffandmeg@gmail.com) or post a link to a photo. I'd love to see it!

Taste{full} Featured!

2011-08-30T13:52:00.000-04:00

Wanted to let you know Taste{full} was featured on {live the fancy life} today! While we've been featured on blogs after endorsing or reviewing a product, I think this is the first time we've been featured for ~~our amazing creative DIY genius~~ a before and after/DIY post! ;) Like many others, I stumbled upon Jessica's blog after her nursery was featured....well to be honest I can't remember because it's been featured everywhere!! Her adorable son Bodhi's nursery is an awesome modern creation and was my first inspiration to create a lantern mobile (more on that later if I can actually pull it off) for new baby's room. Check out her blog here, the post here, and her son's chic nursery here. Enjoy!

Nursery Progress: Changing Table Transformation

2011-08-19T09:44:00.001-04:00

The biggest project I accomplished during my week of vacation was painting the changing table. This project was a little scary for me. First of all, it involved real paint, not spray paint. Secondly it involved an antique dry sink. Yes, rather than purchase the expensive changing table I'd been eyeing, I encountered an incredibly talented saleswoman at an antiques/thrift shop who suggested the dry sink as a changing table. I suppose in hindsight I wasn't really a tough sell. I was in awe of everything in that store and wanted desperately to buy something. We'd found out new baby was a girl and the modern changing table I wanted fit better in my 'boy' room--the one I'd been unconsciously designing in my head while convincing myself I wasn't convinced that it was a boy. :) Anyway, I loved the idea of using something completely out of the ordinary and I loved the price-- $80 which I bargained down to $70. Apparently dry sinks are one of the easiest "antiques" to replicate and fake so I have absolutely no idea if it's a real antique. Lucky for me, I don't really care. But the fact that it was this knotty pine and had a...country look to it was the scary part. I'm all about modern, or shabby chic, or even contemporary/traditional, but "country" is the one style I am not a big fan of. Since I constantly am perusing etsy and various design blogs however, I saw it's potential to be more shabby chic or even farmhouse chic. [Note to self: anything sounds cooler with "chic" added to it]. I also have been desperate to try distressing furniture (I've always loved it, but my recent obsession is mostly due to these gals. Check out better pictures of their stuff in this post over at HowDoesShe) and thought this would be the perfect piece to try that on. A fun color, a little distressing, and a cool anthropologie knob would do the trick right?!

Hobby Lobby Version

Anthropologie Version

I won't give you the play by play because it was really quite simple. But here are a few things I learned. I'm new to painting furniture so I didn't know about zinsser. But now I do. It totally saves you from the sanding part which is really the worst part. I'm learning sometimes it still helps to sand for other reasons than paint adhesion but for this project I got to skip that part. I also have learned to prime, prime, prime. So I did. I also tinted my primer which totally helped. Not only did it help with fewer coats of the color paint but it also helped me see where the wood (specifically around the knots) was still bleeding through. After 3 coats of primer and 2 coats of Sherwin Williams "Belize" (tinted 25% darker), I was almost done. Next came sanding. I'm not gonna lie; I was scared. The thought of sanding paint off of a piece that you just spent hours painting is quite scary. But I conquered my fear and did it anyway. I used my father in law's sander again, which was easier than sanding by hand (though by hand is totally doable). And as the fancy farmgirls say, it's quite addicting!! It looked so much cooler after the sanding. I did mess up at one point but I just painted over it and you couldn't even tell! That's the beauty of distressing. Obviously more is less since you can always go back and sand some more but re-painting may be tricky. Lastly, I added this cute little knob from anthro. Ok, I'm totally lying. Rather than spend the $8 + shipping for the knob at anthro, I scored this just-as-cute version at Hobby Lobby for $2.99! So that was it. Well technically that's not it--I still have to poly it to resist scratching. But that's it for now. (I'm trying to convince husband to poly everything I'm painting so I don't have to. I'll let you know how it goes). Now for the finished result:

detail:

Now it's your turn; have you repurposed anything lately that you want to share? Do tell...

Quick and Dirty DIY

2011-08-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

Last night I was too tired to do anything too meaningful...but I desperately wanted to mark something off the to-do list that somehow doesn't seem to be getting any shorter! So, I decided to line new baby's dresser drawers. This isn't really a project you have to copy but because I'm obsessed with blogs, I did review this post at Hi Sugarplum! and this one at Young House Love for tips and suggestions. After going back and forth I'd planned to go the Modge Podge route for durability. But Alas, could not find my sponge brushes so I ended up going the spray adhesive route instead. Unfortunately we live in a city where cool paper stores aren't in abundance so I didn't really know where to find heavy weight premium paper. I ended up just settling on 'normal' wrapping paper from the Hallmark store in the mall. It doesn't necessarily match her bedroom but it matches the dresser, is super cute, and despite the pink could maybe pass if the dresser ever gets passed down to a boy. Which is a huge IF at this point. But I digress... I cut each piece to size (does anyone else have trouble cutting straight lines on fabric or wrapping paper and if so- tips please?!), and then glued to the drawer. My measuring wasn't perfect and as I've mentioned before I tend to rush [I just can't help myself!] but it still looks pretty cute and the imperfections aren't that noticeable. I just love the idea of a cheap and easy DIY project (wrapping paper + spray adhesive = done) that will add a little peek of happiness each time I open her drawers. Won't that make doing laundry more fun? No? C'mon don't burst my bubble! Oh and speaking of cheap, here is a cost breakdown:

wrapping paper: $3.00 (when you buy 2)

spray adhesive: $3.60 (used a 40% off coupon)
Grand Total: $6.60

Any tips and tricks on lining drawers, cutting in a straight line (I know- how lame am I?), or anything else relevant? Do share!!

P.S. sorry for the lame cell phone picture. When I blog about the dresser itself I will take better photos, I promise.

Words

2011-08-15T10:48:00.007-04:00

This is just a quick post to show you my most recent purchase for new baby's room:

I am such a believer in the power of words. I am not always so good at it, but I try to "speak life" and positive things over myself, my family, and my circumstances. I love the thought of reminding new baby to give God glory every day. To glorify Him in her actions, her behavior, her words, and simply who she is. To me, it's never too early to start teaching, instructing, and confessing good things over our little ones. There are so many negative messages aimed at young people and children. I want to do all I can to combat those messages for my kids. It's really just a poster but it might be so much more! I found this print via pinterest (totally addicted to that site) and purchased it here.

Do you have any cute posters/prints in your kids' rooms? Do you have any positive message posters? Do tell...

My To-Do List = Future Blog Posts...

2011-08-08T15:09:00.003-04:00

I'm totally behind in posting details of my projects... I blame husband because in order to take "after" pictures, I have to move furniture...which I can't (or at least shouldn't be doing). And I refuse to take pictures of newly painted did-it-myself treasures in the most disgustingly crowded and disorganized garage you've ever seen. seriously. EVER. (ok maybe not if you watch hoarders. Wow, am I really comparing myself to a hoarder now?!). But I felt compelled to post my to-do list so you can see that I am in fact making progress and plan to post about every last one within the next month. After that, new baby will be here and I make no such promises to do anything. Except multiple feedings per night, nursing all day, and changing tons of tiny diapers. Which sounds exhausting, but I actually just got a pitter patter of excitement in my heart of when I thought of my new baby girl and her little tiny bum. [happy sigh].

To Do:

~~Paint samples in Genevieve's room~~-- I have all but dropped G's room off of my radar but I did get this done. I can't wait to re-do her room and show you what I've ~~copied~~ come up with! It will be so cute...but not just yet. I can only do so much and things are dropping off of my list at an alarming rate!

~~Paint rocking chair for Genevieve's room~~-- posted about here.

Make lantern mobile-- I've gone back and forth between a couple of different types but can't actually make this until the room is partially put together... more to follow!

Sew changing pad cover-- I actually did this! I am very proud of myself. I didn't end up doing it as described in this post with that crappy machine but I did end up sewing not one but TWO of these babies! Will post soon...

~~Paint changing table~~-- have this post all written- just need to add photos! Definitely my proudest project!!

~~Paint magazine rack~~-- posted about here

~~Finish painting lamps~~--one of the few things on the list that has nothing to do with the nursery. I LOVE how these turned out! Stay tuned...

Paint frame for baby's initial-- can't do this until the room comes together...not sure what color to go with just yet!

Paint side tables for living room-- one of the things that totally fell off the list. Not likely to happen any time soon!

To Buy:

~~Dresser for new baby's room~~- got a lovely little dresser at a yard sale and will post about it soon!

Dresser for Genevieve's room--still looking for this one. I want a good quality wooden dresser with nice lines for less than $50 (of course I plan on painting it). Is that too much to ask?!

Curtains for new baby's room--thinking of going with the drop-cloths-as-curtains trend...more to follow!

PS-these nurseries are just eye candy- not anything like new baby's other than blue walls...and pink elements (of course). Picture 1 from here. Picture 2 from here.

Whooo Wants the Look for Less?

2011-07-29T15:16:00.002-04:00

I know I do! That's why I was psyched to find an adorable Owl lamp for less! The original one I spotted was at west elm for a whopping $99. If I had the cash, I'd easily spend $99 on something that I loved. But there's something especially satisfying about finding that same love for less. Find below the eclectic, modern yet whimsical owl lamp from west elm in both white and gun metal.

It's beautiful right?! And then check out the Target number in white and brown for only $39.99 and free shipping. It's clearly not the exact same but the same concept and perhaps even more appealing if you're using it in a child's room or nursery. (owls are still a very hot trend in the world of kids' decor and in fact this find/post has inspired me to write another post on the hottest nursery trends so stay tuned for that post)!

Love these guys. I already have a lamp for new baby's nursery (nothing fancy, just a Christmas Tree shop $8.99 find), but I am very tempted to buy this brown version for our desk at home. So cute! Let me know what you think--is this look for less even close? Is the west elm version so worth the extra $60? Do tell!

Nursery Progress: Look for Less Lighting

2011-07-25T10:38:00.002-04:00

Random thought: I find it funny that my posts used to center around clothes and shopping and now they tend toward children and babies. I guess it's just a natural progression. I'm also guessing most of you don't care about the latest in maternity wear anyway. ;) Hopefully regardless of where you are in life (single [free], married no kids [fun], or a full brood [um, fulfilling?]) you can find something interesting or fun or useful for now or the future. And if all else fails maybe you can laugh at me for how ridiculously obsessive I get over whatever phase I am in-- clothes, kids, shopping, decorating... Regardless of one's lot in life, I'm all about living it as taste{full}y as possible...Now, on to lighting...

I am making huge progress on new baby's nursery. I still have not painted the room yet [sigh], but I did get her dresser painted this weekend. As far as purchases, all I really need are a rug and a light fixture. I really wanted this one (left). However, it's a whopping $79 + shipping and a shipping surcharge! While I am not scrimping as much as I did on Genevieve's nursery, I'm also not in the position to splurge so much on a light fixture so I sadly decided to forgo the fun gypsy chandy.

Then I came across this one...which just about wiped my sorrows away! Only $60 and free shipping. Now, that I can get on board with! It's' the same color (or close enough) as the nursery walls and I can't help but love its sparkle. However when it arrived it was a bit bigger than I imagined. Our ceilings aren't very high (and husband and I are both six feet tall) so I'm concerned that I may have to hang it in the corner or somewhere other than the middle of the room. No matter how cool it is, do I really want to bang my head against it at 2 am just before feeding new baby? Um, no thank you. But I was (am) determined to have a pretty light fixture in her room (clearly I'm still getting over the fact that Genevieve has a boring 'ol ceiling fan).

And then guess what happened?! Last night, while browsing cheap and chic nursery, I came across a design board that featured my long lost friend! Only this time, it was on diapers.com for a mere $59 with free shipping. As far as I can tell it's exactly the same as the $104 number! Score! It's smaller than the blue one, and just as cheap. I'm still a bit torn as I'm going with a lot of color in her room and I don't want to be over the top...not to mention I was planning on going with the simple swag option of the aqua chandy above to save my husband the grief of installation and I'm not sure that's an option with the gypsy light. So I'm not 100% sure which direction I'll go in but I love that I found it for cheaper--never thought that was possible!! I'll keep you posted on what I choose and continue posting about my nursery progress along the way! Meanwhile, let me know-- which light do you like? Or are there any other cheap ($75 or less) options I should know about?! Do tell...

♥ Tiffany

Toddler Room Progress-- I Rock

2011-07-14T09:04:00.002-04:00

Can you guess what my next project was? (Hint: cheesy pun in title). You guessed it smartie: a rocking chair. The rocking chair in Genevieve’s nursery was given to me (i.e. FREE) which is always good….and since I was unemployed, even better. However it was never super comfortable so I knew I wasn’t going to use it for new baby’s room. And for Genevieve’s toddler room, I wanted something a little smaller since now I have to actually configure space for toys and play things. Well of course I wanted something modern (i.e. expensive) like this Eames knock off to the right. And that's the knock off price! The original Eames is well over $300. However being the frugalista that I am I thought perhaps I could find a cheaper alternative…at least for now.

I came across this cute little wooden number at one of my favorite thrift stores—Family Outfitters. You may remember it’s where I got this adorable dresser from. They have great stuff, great prices, and a great cause which you can read about here. They were having a furniture clearance sale and this little chair was only $2! Now I'm not blind--I know it looks nothing like the modern chair I originally wanted so this is no 'look for less' find. But I love its shape and it totally goes with her bed. Plus the size is right and I like that it rocks (I haven’t given up rocking her just yet—especially when she’s sick or needs a little extra love at bed time). I figured with a bit of paint and some bright pillows, it would do the trick. Not to mention that for only $2, I can always justify getting rid of it and upgrading later when I have extra cash lying around because that happens so often. So without further ado, before and after:

Just like here, I didn't prime or sand. I did however take my time. I tried to get every nook and cranny and look at it from different angles and in different lighting. I even got down on my pregnant belly to look at the bottom and make sure anything I could easily see while on the floor, was covered. Why? Because when I painted the chair for Genevieve's nursery, there were a few spots I missed that bug me every single time I see them over the 20 months that have followed. That's a whole lotta buggin! I also did a topcoat since that was another thing I failed to do last time which resulted in lots of scratches on the arms. Since I went over some spray painting tips in this post, I'll spare you the same paragraph here. But here is a cost break down for you:

Chair: $2
Paint: I used a few cans but already had the top coat and one can of paint so for the 2 I had to purchase: $8
Green cushion: on clearance at Christmas Tree Shop for $3.99
Blue cushion: Also from Christmas Tree Shop for $6.99.
Grand Total: $21.00

Not bad for a 'new' chair! And a lot less than $124.99 + $25 shipping for the Eames knock off. I may change the cushions out eventually--I made the mistake of leaving a perfect one that was onlly $5 at Christmas Tree Shop only to find it gone when I returned a couple of weeks later and that blue one is a bit small for the seat. But it'll do for now!

So now my To Do list looks like this:

Paint samples in Genevieve's room (I'm trying to decide on the perfect shade of gray for her big girl room).
~~Paint rocking chair for Genevieve's room~~
Make lantern mobile
Sew changing pad cover
Paint changing table
~~Paint magazine rack~~
Finish painting lamps
Do laundry
Clean [insert every room in the house here]
Paint frame for baby's initial
Paint side tables for living room

I love comments--let me know what you think or what suggestions you have for spray painting!

♥ Tiffany

Nursery Progress- I Heart Spray Paint

2011-07-13T09:57:00.003-04:00

Many of you are my facebook friends so if you pay any attention whatsoever to my status updates, you basically have a sneak preview into what I may be blogging about. Perhaps I'm being presumptuous and you don't read my status updates (Do you mean to tell me that reading about Genevieve's milestones isn't riveting?!) If not, the fact that I had all of last week off and primarily worked my butt (I want to say a$$ but my husband (and my Lord and Savior?) may frown upon it) off painting and cleaning with some Genevieve love and CHASING thrown in for good measure is news to you.

Well I promised to post some photos of the few projects I accomplished. My to-do list looked something like this:

To Do:

Paint samples in Genevieve's room (I'm trying to decide on the perfect shade of gray for her big girl room--more on that later).

Paint rocking chair for Genevieve's room
Make lantern mobile

Sew changing pad cover

Paint changing table

~~Paint magazine rack~~

Finish painting lamps

Do laundry

Clean [insert every room in the house here]

Paint frame for baby's initial

Paint side tables for living room

To Buy:

Dresser for new baby's room

Dresser for Genevieve's room

Paint for changing table

Paint for both girls' (wow, freaky to say girlS) room

Paint for dresser(s)

As if I could get all of this done in one week--and really 4 days because the 4th of July and the weekends on either end of the holiday were shot. On those days, I can't ~~get rid of~~ drop Genevieve off at daycare for a few hours to work and the idea of trying to paint with her around is pretty much ludicrous.

So I didn't get the entire list checked off but I did make considerable progress. One of the first things I did was to finish painting the magazine rack. I got this magazine rack off of the side of the road (yes I am one of those people). So that means it was FREE! I love FREE. It's totally worth the effort to spruce it up when there was no initial outlay of cash in the beginning! And to make me feel even better about my dumpster dive (ok it wasn't actually IN a dumpster), I saw a very similar one at a consignment shop for $25 a few short days later.

The other great thing about this project was that I have been very, very tempted to get a used Jenny Lind crib and paint it a bright fun color (as discussed here). Painting this Jenny Lind style magazine rack would give me a tiny taste of what a crib painting project would entail. The end result: hell no. Sorry for the potty mouth today but seriously I need to get across how adamant I am that I just couldn't handle that project in 90 degree temps at 33 weeks preggers. No matter how stinkin cute painted Jenny Linds are!! So anyway, here is another before shot:

And a few cans of spray paint later:

A few more pictures for the full effect:

What a difference a bit of color makes huh?! This project was fairly easy--if it wasn't for all the spindles (especially those little annoying ones in the middle!) I'd label it super easy. I didn't sand it or prime it or anything. I figured since I wasn't painting it white, priming wouldn't really afford me the convenience of using fewer coats anyway, and although priming is always a good idea, I think in this case it was totally worth skipping. I did take the time to do an acrylic top coat. I've learned from spray painting other things that scratches occur pretty easily if you don't do enough coats and/or use a top coat. I've also learned to follow the recommendations for repeating coats. I used both Krylon and Valspar for this job (not surprising, the Valspar was a bit better) and both had guidelines as far as waiting 10 minutes between coats but not longer than an hour. If you wait longer than an hour, you have to wait 24 hours...I think this is because of the wrinkling that can occur when you're doing multiple coats. (I've learned this the hard way also). The main thing to remember about spray paint is the thinner the coats the better (even if that means you have to do a lot of coats) and to take your time. One thing I've learned as I've gotten more into crafting, upcycling, etc, is that I don't take my time on anything. Ever. It's a really bad habit and rushing through something (especially at the tail end of a project) is really, well dumb! You can ruin hours of work, which I almost did by rushing to get it complete. So there's my two cents on spray painting. And here's a cost breakdown:

Cost:
Magazine rack: free
Spray paint: approximately $12 (2 cans of valspar, 1 can of krylon, 1 can of krylon top coat)
Total: $12

Stay tuned for my post about painting Genevieve's rocking chair...and the biggest project I accomplished, refinishing the changing table.

If you have any spray painting or refinishing tips, success, or horror stories, please share them!

Pick your Plum!

2011-06-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

I finally picked my plum today. Hmmm, that sounds kind of gross. What I mean is, I made my first purchase on this fun flash sale craft site! This site features the coolest craft supplies from drawer pulls to vinyl to ric rac, at killer discounts. Today I purchased this "a few of my favorite things" vinyl and I'm so excited to use it! I've been obsessed with vinyl for a while now (I like to blame it on her) but have yet to delve into this fun area of DIY crafting. If you're a serial crafter (which I'd like to become one day!), sign up now and let me know what amazing deals you score!!

Check out their "who we are" section for more info.

Mobile Alert

2011-06-16T12:03:00.002-04:00

I am 29 weeks pregnant...as in I only have 11 weeks left (if the little bugger doesn't come early, which believe it or not, I'm hoping she doesn't)! It is so insanely crazy how different life is as you're preparing for baby number 2. No journaling, no weekly belly pics, no....TIME! The world just doesn't revolve around being pregnant. (I'm sorry new baby, I really, really am). But I am trying my darndest to plan her nursery and make it just as lovely (or if I'm being honest, even more lovely) than little miss Genevieve's.

I feel a bit guilty that I haven't bought her one thing--wait that's not true-- I bought her 3 items of clothing from a garage sale. oh sad. But I made my very first 'real' purchase for her last night. This. Adorable. Mobile. It makes me smile every time I look at it. And I can just imagine her beautiful baby face being mesmerized by the bright colors, shapes, and movement. I love that this mobile is modern but it has that 'old school toy' feel. It's really difficult to find a modern mobile that doesn't cost $500. And by $500 I mean, over $50 because I like to exaggerate. :)

But here are a few others I considered priced between $40 and $65...which seems cheap when the one you love (wait for it) is $162!

I considered these when I was going for a woodsy theme. Changed my mind but I still love these options!

modern birds of a feather mobile. $65. petit collage bamboo jungle mobile. $46.

I reallly want to like butterflies...but I just don't. I do however like the price and this etsy store has adorable cloud and rain drop creations definitely worth checking out!

whimsical fairy butterfly mobile. $40. This chandelier mobile was a favorite. $54.

and let's be honest--at $162 I never really considered this one, though I did consider a DIY version. But how beautiful is it?!
modern bird mobile. $162.

More to come on decorating a nursery on a [slightly higher since I am employed this time] budget. :)

Gymboree Sale Alert

2011-05-31T08:16:00.006-04:00

So I successfully avoided Gymboree this weekend for fear of going crazy and spending tons of money on oh so cute dresses that miss Genevieve would only wear once or twice. But I visited the site this morning "just to see what they have" and somehow could justify my purchases--it went something like this...

a) Genevieve is past the point where she has tons of clothes from gifts and grandmas. Dare I say she actually "needed" a few dresses for church?!

b) The prices were fantastic...not mindblowing (has to be under $10 to fall in that category for me), but still great!

c) New baby is a girl--can we say "hand me downs"?!

d) Who cares, it's all SO cute!!! (hey, just keepin it real)...

Check out what I purchased--all items were 12.99. This purchase would have rung up at a whopping $154.75 + S&H but I only paid about 40% of that. Plus I can return to the store so if I have buyers' remorse I can remedy it with a quick trip to the mall!!

Man, I love a good sale!! Head to the nearest store or gymboree.com now!!!

Genevieve's Big Girl Room

2011-05-26T15:24:00.001-04:00

So remember the list, I posted in the New Year? Yeah, I kind of forgot about it too... I can't say I have marked anything off of it (guess this blog will never be younghouselove)! And the year is nearly half over. And I'm expecting baby # 2 in 97 days (but who's counting). [Insert deep breath here]. Well there's a saying: "do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do." I'm not huge into home improvement (I'd hire anyone and everyone I could if I was one of the real housewives of wherever), but of have vs. want, I'd say cleaning the garage, cleaning out the sunroom, and cleaning the basement--all things we actually have accomplished this year-- were on the have list, while re-decorating has fallen to the want list. I tell you all that by way of a long winded explanation. BUT the exciting part is, I get to start doing a little decorating now...and new baby's nursery and Genevieve's toddler room are where I intend to start. Since I can't make up my freakin mind on new baby's nursery, and am waiting for like 6 fabric swatches to help me do so, I'm focusing on Genevieve's big girl room right now. And it all started with the search for her big girl bed! I wanted something vintage modern (as usual), so of course I looked on CraigsList. I immediately found 3 beds I LOVED. Sadly one was really far away (and unfortunately I didn't save a picture of it to include in this post and the ad has long since been deleted), but the other two were right around the corner. Here they are:

I was so torn that I sent a desparate email out to a few friends (including my designer friend) for help but got differing advice; all good points--which one is sturdier, the brown one is more gender neutral, etc, etc. In the end, I ended up going with the white one. I just can't get away from the ultra girly style I'm accustomed to...although the Jenny Lind craze (more on that in a moment) and this amazing inspiration, nearly made me depart from my ultra feminine ways. And the best part? It was only $45! Add to that the fact that new baby is a girl (no immediate need to go the gender neutral route) and that the guy who owned the spindle bed wouldn't negotiate to my satisfaction (obviously he didn't know that I am the bargain master and would totally walk away...yeah; I'm hard core) and the final decision ended up being an easy one. I LOVE this bed and can't wait to paint it...you know what I'm going to say...don't pretend you don't...PINK. :) A fun, super bright pink though. And don't worry; her entire room won't be pink like her nursery. I plan to layer it with gender neutral colors and modern accents that will grow with her...and Genevieve can pass it on to her sister when she's officially outgrown it! So there you go-- a decision made and now on my way to planning and choosing fun and modern bedding, toy storage space, a cool wall color, and another dresser re-do. This oughtta be fun!!

(This is kind of like 2 posts in one...enjoy). ;)

Now on to the Jenny Lind craze. I am STILL a big fan and in my crazy, indecisive thoughts on new baby's nursery I have gone back and forth about ditching the $70 (from $270!) crib I got from Target and going with a cheap Jenny Lind crib like this one. When I initially spotted the cribs, I thought they were too traditional...but since seeing them featured in many a nursery since then, I realized with the right decor, or color (if you're so daring to paint it!), it can look quite shabby chic, vintage, and even modern. And it's really, really, hard to find a vintage crib or bed for less than 6 or 7 hundos, like pretty much impossible. I love that the spindle style can be found in beds as well. Take a look at these images, and the cool finds on craigslist that follow and let me know what you think! Cool or lame? Traditional or vintage? You be the judge!

Oh my...just seeing these all in one place is weakening my resolve NOT to take on another painting project!!

they come in kid sizes too!! How adorable are they?! And just check out this amazingly creative, unique, modern yet vintage toddler room design board! You can see it all come together here.

If you're inspired, Craigslist has it all from $20 to $200 (links at the end)!

This one is already freshly painted and only $50!! What a STEAL!

At $200 this is the priciest of the bunch but it's a "real" Jenny Lind. They don't make em like this anymore! Check out the ad for the official JL stamp!

Cheap but adorable JL cribs...

And if you're too snobby to buy used, oops, I mean if you are particular about your purchases, ;) you can get a new Jenny Lind crib from here or a new Jenny Lind style toddler bed from here or here!

Lastly, Link Love:

Inspiration Pics: here, here, here, and here.

Craigslist finds: here, here, here, and here.

Love, Tiff

Baby's 1st Birthday: Party with the Princess

2011-05-06T09:05:00.003-04:00

Recently my little princess turned 1 (obviously I am terrible at posting in real time. Please don't be mad)! I began thinking about her birthday party somewhere around 8 weeks after she was born. ;) I knew I wanted to do something fun, girly, and unique. Well despite my intentions, I couldn't get 'princess party' out of my head even though that theme for a 1st birthday party is hardly unique. And of course, pink just naturally goes with princess!! In thinking about how to give it a little twist of my own however I realized that damask print has been a recurring them throughout her first year- It was used at my baby shower, in her nursery, and at her dedication luncheon. So I ended up settling on a vintage damask princess theme. Here are a few of the details:

Decor:

I knew the centerpiece would be the dessert buffet--a la Amy Atlas. I love using food as part of the decorations for a party--so fun and serves two purposes! I already had apothecary jars I'd purchased for my sister-in-law's shower and I have to say, I've used them at every party I've hosted since then!! I made sure to use vintage type dishes whenever I could (i.e. apothecary jars, and damask/crown/princess mugs, and homemade tiered trays).

I used damask table runners that I made with no sewing machine (stitch witchery baby!), and Disney princess curtains for the backdrop of the dessert buffet.

I made tulle poms and tissue poms to hang around the house. When a party is indoors, there's a lot of space to fill (why couldn't she have been born in June?!), so this is an easy and cheap way to do that.

The banner was my FAVE. In damask, black, and hot pink, it added to the theme. In addition to the banner Megan made food labels, and signage ("How Sweet it is to be Genevieve" for the dessert table was the cutest thing ever!) which in my OCDness I adorned with little gems. I love printables and think they can totally make a party. If you're not as lucky as I am to have fabulous Megan Ayers as a BFF, then for a small price you can get party printables from a number of sellers on etsy.

Ornate frames also added to the vintage feel. And pearls strung with photos of Genevieve from about 3 months to 1 year did the same. I also bought a high chair off of craigslist and painted it pink both with her one year photos and this party in mind.

Food:

(sorry for the lack of photos...I promise it looked yummy :))

I wanted to feed a crowd...cheaply. I have to give myself a pat on the back for thinking of a mashed potato bar. My mother in law makes the best homemade mashed potatoes and I included cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, salt and pepper, jalapenos, and nacho cheese (ok, that's a lie. I was supposed to make nacho cheese but was running an hour behind and didn't get to it. I'm still getting this hostess gig down!). I also made spinach and pancetta grilled panini (mmmmmmmm), along with turkey avocado panini. My mom made the best Greek pasta salad ever and a tossed salad with candied walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese, as well.

I really didn't want to make all of the desserts from scratch but didn't want to use candy either (in my experience unless it's chocolate or there are a ton of kids no one eats the candy--it just sits there looking pretty which really isn't the point!). The dessert buffet included homemade peppermint patties, peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes, cherry cheesecake bars, cake pops, and a cake. Semi homemade included: dipped pretzels and chocolate covered strawberries. I used store bought yogurt dipped pretzels, powdered donuts, and strawberry wafers. I have to say the homemade peppermint patties were a pain but I got the most positive feedback from those! Figures right?! The cake pops were my FAVORITE to make and were so delicious. I liked [and ate] every single dessert on that table!!

Activities:

I'm not big on activities (can you tell I'm a first time mom?). So that, coupled with the fact that the sitters Megan used were unavailable, and most of the guests/kids were pretty young, I figured I could get away with not planning structured activities. Side note: I found these awesome paper castles kids can put together and decorate but el Cheapo (that's Joe) wouldn't let me buy them! BUT I did get knight's armor for the boys and princess tiaras and wands for the girls (and mini baby dolls and princess onesies for the baby girls), so I figured the kids could play with those toys. Besides, my mother in law has plenty of toys at her house to keep the kids occupied in a little hideaway refinished basement area, so I think the kids did ok. For future parties I definitely plan to follow Megan's lead and get sitters. I too think that was a genius idea!

All in all I think the party was a success! Of course I was a bit behind and there were certain details I missed but at the end of the day Genevieve was happy, full, and loved and that's what really matters.

Now, I only have 10 months until her 2nd birthday. I'd better start planning!!

PS: Check back later for some DIY guides for some of the homemade items mentioned...

Deal Alert! $40 off any $40 purchase from Paper Coterie

2011-05-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

For a limited time, visit the Launch Party of the new site Paper Coterie and get a $40 credit to use towards anything you'd like! You only pay shipping!! Just use the code OPENHOUSE when checking out. What a great deal, and I promise you will fall in love with the adorable collection of customizable photo books, journals, posters, swatchbooks and more! As for me, I'm finally going to make that recipe book I've been wanting! The credit is good through tomorrow night, Friday, May 6th. (However, on the home page there is a note that the Launch Party is extended through Sunday, May 8th... just not sure if that applies to the credit!)

What's For Dinner? Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork!

2011-04-30T10:33:00.002-04:00

With three little ones and a crazy schedule, I'm always looking for easy dinners that taste like I spent far more time on them than I actually did. Here's a new favorite I found recently from one of my favorite bloggers ever, The Pioneer Woman. (Her blog is seriously addicting... don't say I didn't warn you!) It's for Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork, and it's utterly uh-mazing. It's also insanely easy, and a nice twist on traditional pulled pork. As an added bonus, your house will smell positively irresistible to any meat-loving man within a mile!

This is one you will need to thrown in mid-day, as it takes at least 6 hours to cook, so it's a great Saturday or Sunday dinner! A few notes... You can find the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the International section of your grocery store, with the Mexican items. Don't substitute anything else, their smoky flavor is crucial! However, if you are not a big fan of spice, DO NOT USE THE WHOLE CAN OF PEPPERS!! I use only half of a 7 oz. can, and there is still a nice amount of heat, nothing major. If you're looking to really clear your sinuses, I would at most recommend the full 7 oz. can. For toppings, I love using shredded pepperjack cheese, pico de gallo and fresh cilantro. Roll it up in a warm tortilla, and you're done! Enjoy!

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Ingredients

1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Toppings (Pepperjack cheese, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cilantro, Avocado, Salsa, Etc.)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.

Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese (pepperjack!), avocado slices, fresh cilantro, salsa, and whatever else you’d like.

Recipes & images from The Pioneer Woman

Taste{full}: What's for Dinner?

2011-04-27T12:23:00.000-04:00

I'm learning that I am not a good homemaker in so many ways...Take dinner for instance. I love to cook and try new recipes, but only in ideal circumstances that usually don't play out in real life. For instance, when I have enough money for the crazy expensive ingredients Giada uses...or when I don't have a 16 month old crying to be picked up or hanging on my ankles (true story--we have both ended up on the floor after my tripping over her on at least several occasions)...or when I don't have a job that necessitates I be out of the house for 10 1/2 hours a day. SO, I'm left with vain ambitions of finding something quick, somewhat cheap, easy, and not terribly bad for me. You can probably guess which of those factors goes out the window the fastest--yes ladies, you guessed it. Hence why I had such a hard time finding a hides-all-my-imperfections swimsuit last year! In any case, I was happy with my dinner last night and since I love you :), I decided to share it...

An American classic--grilled cheese and tomato soup... but hold on, this ain't your mamas grilled cheese (with the "cheap cheese" as Joe's mom once labeled the cheese in the fridge for a family party--we will never let her live that down!), white wonder bread, and the soup right outta the can. Read on sisters.

Grilled Cheese with Spinach and Pancetta

mmmmmm. I have made these on numerous occasions and they always turn out good (well except that one time Popeye took over and I overdid the spinach but at least that made them healthier!). I have to say I'm not always good at exactly following the recipe but you can play with the amounts in this one and it still works. I've used pancetta before which is really yummy but substituted plain ol' American bacon last night. I also used already shredded cheese and olive oil in addition to the canola. And since I had Joe do the prep for me (Mr. Mom gets out of work earlier so he picks Genevieve up, gets her settled, and starts dinner all before I arrive home), we ended up with much LESS spinach than the recipe called for and much MORE bacon. which I'm totally ok with. :)

Creamy Tomato Soup

wow. This soup was gooooood. Even Joe liked it and he doesn't really care for soup, much less tomato soup. After having Panera's tomato basil (or is it tomato bisque?) soup the other night I was dying for a re-do, sans the trip or the cash. I went to allrecipes.com--one of my main go-to sources for easy and yummy recipes and this is the first one that came up. Seriously it was REALLY good!! Now I hate it when people recommend a recipe but they changed like everything in it (who else gets overwhelmed reading reviews that go on and on about their substitutions?!) but I will tell you I did make a couple of my own. I used mostly milk but also heavy cream because I wanted it to be really creamy (totally making sense why swimsuit shopping is so difficult, huh?!). In hindsight that wasn't really necessary because of the cream cheese it calls for. I also used Rotel (i.e. diced tomatoes with green chiles) instead of plain diced tomatoes. This wasn't me being inventive; it was just what I had on hand. I am so glad I did- it gave it a spicy kick that was oh-so delicious and I think was a major factor in winning husband over. If you have kiddos eating it, I wouldn't recommend that move because it definitely made it spicy. Lastly I took advice from numerous reviewers and used a little less cream cheese than the recipe called for. To finish, I topped it with grated Parmesan cheese. Some reviewers also pureed the mixture to make a smooth soup. I didn't so it was kinda chunky but I might next time. I also wished I had fresh basil on hand because that would have been soooo good. Croutons woulda been a nice addition also. Ok, now preggers is just dreaming.

All in all I was really happy with both recipes. Easy, delicious, and definitely fits in the comfort food category (if, like me, you are exhausted from 'making' a baby- don't be dirty, that part's already done;) and need all the comfort you can get!

Try this recipe and tell me what you think! OR if you have other easy, delish recipes or creamy tomato soup alternatives, let me hear about 'em!

New Hampshire's own GROUPON

2011-04-25T10:54:00.003-04:00

I love sites like groupon, groupdealz, livingsocial, etc. Oftentimes the fabulous deals offered can't be beat...and I love anyting that helps me justify spending cash on something fun. (Don't you?!) However unless you live in a 'major' city, it can be more disappointing than fabulous, when you see deal after deal that requires a 60 minute drive to Boston. Anyone else go to Boston all the time in your head, but in real life, only go once or twice a year (not includiing the hell I like to call the airport)? And now that any outing includes shelling out cash for a babysitter in addition to whatever fun filled evening we have planned, I'll be lucky if I get there once a year going forward. That's where The NH Daily Deal comes into play! These deals are for local businesses right here in scenic New Hampshire. Now, I'm not gonna lie...I'm not necessarily drooling over every single deal I've seen on this site. But the beauty of these sites is that one day you may get a coupon for mustache grooming (totally not my cup of tea), but the next day it might be for a fancy bistro downtown (totally up my alley and purchased promptly!)...so if you simply open the e-mails you get daily, you're sure to find something to tickle your fancy eventually! Right now I'm debating purchasing the deal for half off golf in Amherst for husband for father's day. See, how handy this site is?!

Personalized Pretty-ness

2011-04-11T14:57:00.000-04:00

I guess I have Zulily on the brain. If you're not aware of this site, it's a flash sale sight specializing in baby and kid stuff (though they often have womens clothes, intimates, and accessories as well). The deals are pretty good and the couple of times I've ordered from them, they've left me with no complaints (which I can't say about hautelook, but that's another story). Today they have a $30 credit for $15 at Frecklebox. Now we love personalized stuff, as we discussed here and here. But usually I'm too cheap, as I discuss in nearly every post :) to buy the stuff, except perhaps for gifts. Well this adorable little lunchbox which I'd never pay $30 for, would only be $15 with your zulilly purchase. Which I could totally live with. If only Genevieve was 5!! (oooh that means new baby would be 3 and I'd be done with diapers! OR it could mean I'd be pregnant again...this is a dangerous road to travel down so I'll stop here!) I think this would also make a great gift--unique and cute and something the parent probably wouldn't purchase on his/her own! Go take a look see at both Zulily and Frecklebox--they have all sorts of personalized kid stuff--and let us know what you think!

Cute or Weird?

2011-04-11T14:34:00.001-04:00

I can't decide (and do none of us--our our little ones--have brown feet?! Just sayin...)

If you vote 'cute,' you can buy them here! (sorry, a little late with this since they were on zulily today for 9.99. If you're not a subscriber, do it!)

Consignment Awesomeness

2011-03-27T12:29:00.001-04:00

As for the title, just wanted to call it like it is...I love garage sales, consignment galleries, thrift stores, 2nd hand shops, antique malls, etc. (as mentioned here). Unfortunately for me, the options in the Manchester area are limited but I happened to stop by Sharon Ann's Consignment Gallery in Hooksett yesterday and absolutely fell in love with this beauty:

Upon first glance it may not look like much...but if you look closer you'll see that it's miniature! Not as in doll house but as in perfect-for-32 inch-Genevieve size. It's the most adorable thing. ever. I want it. I need it. I have to have it. BUT there's this stupid budget thing that both Joe and Dave Ramsey keep ramming down my throat so I can't have it right now. But as God is my witness I plan to stalk that consignment store until I can work $99 into the budget OR until it's marked down ($99 is a bit steep if you ask me!). Whichever comes first. Hopefully my patience will pay off like it did this time...because this cute little desk is just dying to be painted pink or bright red or stark white or sunny yellow and screaming for some anthropolgie-esqe knobs. And I am so the one to give it what it wants.

Ok, now that that's off my chest...

TomKat Giveaway

2011-03-23T09:02:00.000-04:00

You all know how I love party planning inspiration...and pretty things. Well The TomKat Studio has oodles of both. Every Friday they do giveaways and I wanted to share this one because A) It's awesome B) There is a coupon code to go along with it (so everyone's a winner!) and C) it's just in time for Easter!! (But hurry because it ends at midnight tomorrow!).

TomKat is giving away $100 shopping credit for Banner Boutique on etsy. If you don't know about Banner Boutique, what's wrong with you? Ok, just kidding. But if you have a little girl (or if you are one), you will love the beautiful floral headbands Banner Boutique offers. And what better way to accessorize that adorable Easter dress you're planning to don her in?! While there are tons of headbands on etsy, I have to say, Banner Boutique's are so beautiful, made with such quality, and come in such adorable packaging (what can I say? I'm a sucker for marketing), that they typically are head and shoulders above the rest. or should I say headband and shoulders above the rest. Oh my gosh. I kill me. Anyway, head over to TomKat for the details and coupon code and take a look-ie at Banner here. Here are some of my faves! and by the way, you can see the adorable Gracie wearing one in this post.

Marc. Marc Jacobs, that is.

2011-03-07T16:48:00.008-05:00

So remember my swimsuit dilemma I posted about here. And the AH-mazing swimsuit my bff scored for $40 at TJ Maxx that evoked a deep sense of envy?! Well (drum roll please), my patience and persistence paid off just like mama said it would. Guess who scored this beauty for less than $50 on a little thing I like to call eBay?!

Just had to share my oh-so-happy and delicious news.

Now I just have to book that vacation...

Sew Excited!

2011-02-26T13:29:00.003-05:00

Ok, I couldn't help but use this silly pun...But seriously I am so excited about my most recent purchase!! I JUST ordered this mini sewing machine from Amazon. I was totally inspired by this post at Prudent Baby via Chic and Cheap Nursery. I figured if this gal can make a crib sheet and changing pad cover with this cheap and tiny sewing machine, when she doesn't even sew...I might as well give it a whirl. I mean, I haven't sewn since I was 13 and made tons of scrunchies to match every outfit (which was a 13 year old girl's dream by the way), so I am certainly no expert (oh and I feel compelled to tell you that every time I type "so" I'm tempted to use "sew" but I'm sparing you my lame pun humor). I also ordered this. And Chic and Cheap Nursery mentioned an amazing site that carries THE most AH-mazing fabrics that I will choose from...sew hopefully I'll have everything I need. (ok, totally couldn't resist).

In any case you can be sure I'll post any projects I attempt and my review of the sewing machine. Until then, I'll be researching other easy sewing projects and be eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new toy!

Taste{full} Deal Alert-- FREE offer today only!

2011-02-24T09:19:00.003-05:00

Head over to Walgreens and redeem their deal of the day-- a FREE 8*10 collage print. It doesn't get any cheaper than FREE!! HURRY-- offer ends today!

Free 8x10 Collage Print
Thanks for being a great customer! Enjoy your Free 8x10 Collage Print ! Valid today only.*
Choose multiple photos
Printed on high-quality photo paper
Ready in as little as an hour

REDEEM NOW
Valid for 1 use per customer. Order must be placed by logged-in customers by 2/24/11. Timing is determined by Walgreen server clock. Only 1free 8x10 collage print per customer. Does not apply to single image 8x10 prints, previous purchases, taxes or shipping charges. Multiple coupons may or may not be used based on cart content. Cannot combine with other offers. Customer must click REDEEM NOW on this page to receive offer. Credit will be applied to account page & visible in cart at checkout.

P.S.- I just made mine! $0.00 and I can pick it up today. :)

Will You Marry Me (again)?

2011-02-17T10:56:00.000-05:00

I'm waiting for my husband to ask me ...again. I told him he needs to do it soon. So that I'm still skinny. I want to throw a party, buy another dress, be creative and whimsical and fun. I want...well I want a wedding. These thoughts surface from time to time and usually I stamp them out. (Wasn't one wedding and $13,000 or $15,000 or $18,000 (the number grows each year as I exaggerate) enough?!). Well just when I am over it...and content with my beautiful original wedding and original dress, I come across something like this.

White by Vera Wang. For David's Bridal.

I'm sorry--WhAt?!

Wait a minute...did I just see VERA WANG and DAVID's BRIDAL in the same sentence?!

Just take a look at these beauties and tell me it doesn't make you want to buy a white (or blush colored) dress...just a teeny bit?! These beauties range in price from $600 to $1300 (sans the gorgeous embellishments and horsehair sashes) which is simply amazing! Head over to David's Bridal to lust after these, er I mean for details...

Start Spreading the News...

2011-02-16T14:28:00.004-05:00

So, most of you are my facebook friends and saw my "announcement" that our little family is growing...Joe and I are expecting a bundle of joy (we ordered a boy bundle) on August 31st. I am 12 weeks today and so decided to finally spill the beans!

The first time around, I suffered a miscarriage which was the saddest thing that's ever happened to me. And though God has given me beauty for ashes and turned my mourning into joy (hello? Has anyone met my perfect daughter?!), some sadness will always linger. Like when you find out you're pregnant, you worry...incessantly. Even after having a healthy, happy pregnancy with Genevieve, I still worried and fretted about telling people before I reached 12 weeks, when the chance of miscarriage decrease drastically. And you just know that when you tell the world, you will later regret it and have to back pedal and explain that for some inexplicable reason it just wasn't meant to be. Wow, I'm surprising myself with this post--I hadn't intended to discuss my loss...just to talk of my unspeakable joy and spread the news...but it feels good to be open and honest about something so many women have experienced. In any case, due to the miscarriage, with Genevieve and with this little peanut, we decided to wait the 12 weeks...

...and then we talked about how we wanted to share the news. I am not so creative when it comes to things like this...I couldn't think of anything fun or original...I just wanted people to know already! With my family, I kind of let it just spill out, as in we were at dinner and a friend of my mom's said "Can I have Genevieve? You can just have another one?" to which I, seeing this as a golden opportunity, replied "We will...in September." Now at that point, I thought my family would start jumping up and down and hugging and kissing me. Instead everyone stared at me for what was probably 30 seconds but felt like 10 minutes. Did anyone kiss me? No. Did anyone congratulate me? No. Instead my mom asked about a bajillion times if I was kidding. She then looked at Joe...who I have to admit was a bit shocked himself at my diarrhea of the mouth. At Joe's expression my mom knew I wasn't kidding. I think it was one of my nieces who finally said "No, they are really having a baby...in September." Finally about 5 minutes later, I got a hug from my sister. So...that went terribly wrong. LOL. For Joe's family, since we couldn't think of anything crazy unique we decided to get the whole family together and to have Genevieve wear this adorable shirt. So, the shirt arrived, we planned a movie night...ready to share our secret, when...cut to the next scene. Everyone cancels and no one can make it! Finally, we end up just going to Joe's parents to tell them...So we dress Genevieve in her little shirt and about 7 minutes into our visit, Nannie reads her shirt and realizes grand kid number 7 is on the way. A little anti climatic but now the secret's out!

A special shout out to Zoey's attic for their adorable HIGH quality announcement shirts. It's so soft, and there are no peel ons, iron ons, or embroidered stuff. Good ol' fashioned "digitally printed t-shirt means that the fibers of the shirt are actually died with eco-friendly water based inks. There is no iron on, heat transfer or other material that can be scratch, peel, crack and fade.
That = awesomeness!"

I'm curious-- How long did you wait to tell people about your pregnancy? And in what unique or fun ways did you do it?!

Do Tell...

10 Things I Love About You

2011-02-14T10:41:00.001-05:00

10 Things I love about Valentine's Day

Dear St. Valentine,

1. I love that you force me to do something nice for or say something nice to another human being...Let's face it, if left to our own devices, we would often forget to tell our husbands how much we love and appreciate them (even when they forget to take the garbage out).

2. Whether we're single or in a relationship, you remind us that we love someone...that someone might be our boyfriend, fiance, or husband...but it could also be our sister, best friend, or mom...and that's awesome.

3. You make me go through my panty drawer and get rid of anything purchased (well I'm embarrassed to say just how long) but too long ago...and you give me an excuse to go into Victoria's Secret.

4. One word: CHOCOLATE.

5.Two words: Fancy Dinners.

6. You are an excuse to dress Genevieve up in red and pink (as if I needed another excuse for that girl to wear pink), such as this adorable graphic tee and the cutest pair of red sweatpants that look like a miniature version of my Victoria Secret PINK sweats...dressing her never gets old.

7. You were the impetus to the beautiful dozen red long stemmed roses sitting on my desk. (Thank you honey).

8. You make me love love.

9. You give us another excuse for a last minute run to Target.

10. You make us realize how blessed we are to have people in our lives who love us and who we love dearly (Husband, Genevieve, Mom, Dad, In-Laws, Sisters, Brother, Megan, Abby, Angela, that means YOU among others).

I lied. One more.

11. You remind us that...

Forever 21 for Girls!

2011-02-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

Forever 21 never ceases to amaze us. Megan's written about it before and I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll mention our favorite source of on trend affordable fashion. It's our go to for not only cheap, cute fashionable finds, but with their ever evolving market reach, for our inner sophisticated fashionista (twelve by twelve), our chic and modest goddess (love 21 contemporary), our curvaceous bodice (forever 21 plus), our relaxed persona (heritage 1981), the mama in us (love 21 maternity) and the men in our lives (21MEN). Well in case you thought it couldn't get any more diversified, they have now introduced forever 21 girls! I must admit I was a bit scared I'd see bustiers and minis in the tiniest sizes but lo and behold, the fashions are adorable and quite age appropriate. To be honest, I need a reason to wish Genevieve would grow up because I'm guessing trying to stunt her growth so that she's my "baby" forever, just isn't my greatest idea...with adorable (and cheap!) fashions like these, I might just be ok with her turning...FIVE one day! (oh my...my eyes almost welled up...)

Change Me!

2011-01-27T12:08:00.004-05:00

So hey, first of all I feel I must apologize for the lack of posting lately...and to tell you that it's probably not going to get much more awesome any time soon, as Megan adjusts to life with baby number 3 (i.e. lack of sleep, double the diapers, and feeding, bathing, or changing someone around the clock) and I adjust to being a full time working mom with no nanny (i.e. my mom moved out--insert heaving sobs here). Wow, my 'adjustment' doesn't look so tough after compared Megan's. Nonetheless I'm still feeling a bit daunted (is that a word?). Add to that my lack of creativity of late and you get, well...weeks between blog posts. I'm so sorry but I hope you'll bear with us because we love Taste{full} and we [heart] you guys and we're not going anywhere any time soon.

SO, now that that's off my chest comes the purpose of this post. And it's a desperate cry for help. I need change. I am feeling quite crummy about my personal appearance for a variety of reasons, with which I won't bore you. And while some things will take time, money, or plastic surgery to get under control, I'm thinking my hair is something I can change with a 2 hour salon appointment and less than $100.

I am so sick of this conservative bob type thing I've been sporting. And since I haven't come into any unexpected cash (why can't I be Oprah's half sister?!), I won't be getting Tyra's hair stylist to weave me up something nice any time soon. So, I guess that leaves me with one option--a cut. I'd like a cut and color but my hair...oh my hair...I could write pages and pages about my hair woes. My basic problem is that I go completely against its natural texture and relax it. Why? Because it's so nappy (what do white people call it-- kinky? super curly? You get my point) that I just do not have the time or patience to deal with it. There's a lot of "debate" about why black women straighten their hair but I'm not going to get into that right now. For now, suffice it to say it's both for form and function. BUT as a result of the chemical process that is 'relaxing,' as much as I'm tempted to add a fun color (I seriously want to be blond--I mean Beyonce does it, Tyra does it, Iman does it, Keri Hilson does it...oh wait, they all have fake hair. Right), I have to accept that I can only do one chemical process at a time. (or else I may end up like this. Which maybe wouldn't be so bad?!). Maybe in the future I'll experiment with extensions in a different color for a highlighting effect. But for now, I'm going to have to stop at a cut.

When looking for a cut I have to keep in mind that I have a 14 month old, so the Halle Berry cut that is my usual go to when I'm in need of something fresh, just isn't going to cut it. It's a bit too much effort. I need something that's still easy but a little edgier than my current look. I really don't want to look like a soccer mom any earlier than I have to. Here are a few options. What do you think? About my cut? About hair maintenance? About straightening or coloring our hair? About anything related to hair, really?! Let me know! I'm giving you the power to ChAnGe Me!!

Keri Hilson obsession. I ♥ these looks! I loved my bangs when I had them and the swooped bangs in the first and fourth photo are a bit less of a commitment than the blunt edge bangs. The "bowl cut meets the bob" is so traditional that it's kind of retro.

If my hair wasn't the slowest growing hair on Earth, I'd consider one of Rhianna's bolder looks but since it is(and I work in a corporate environment) this one is more suitable. It's super cute though and I love the long strands in the middle...

I don't even know who this girl is and this one is kind of out of the blue...but I like the simplicity of an angled bob with bangs. Although it's definitely the 'safest' of the bunch...

I love this cut and color. If I could color my hair (and wasn't brave enough for Keri's blond bob above), I'd go with this gorgeous bronz-y shade! The cut is fairly similar to my look now but a little more style and definition. If it makes me look even a tiny bit closer to Iman, I'm in! ;)

New Year, New "To Do"

2011-01-06T14:00:00.004-05:00

The New Year always brings with it the promise of new beginnings. That's what I'm most excited about this year. I only wish I wasn't so OCD...because once I decide I want to accomplish something, I can't sleep until I research all the options and run myself ragged trying to do it...Don't get me wrong-- I'm not an overachiever. If I were, my abs would be flat and my house would be clean. Yet, that doesn't exactly stop me from zeroing in on that one thing I HAVE to do and looking at researching every site under the sun until I've done it. Then playing Monday night quarterback and going over and over what I did right, but mostly, what I could have done better. And then demanding a do-over. OK, that glance into my psyche may have been a bit too much... I'm saying all of this to basically say, I want to accomplish some big goals this year! In all areas, but right now I'm obsessing over my house. You know, the one that I have not done a thing to for several years (besides Genevieve's nursery). For whatever reason (unemployment, pregnancy, the combination of the two?) I just haven't had the finances or the time to do it. But now that Joe and I have decided we will not be buying a bigger more beautiful house any time soon (sniff sniff and damn you Dave Ramsey!), I have decided that I must make some updates to my current home or I might die. Or kill someone. SO here are just a few projects I've listed out for this year. I plan to use this blog to walk you through these tasks as I complete them...and seek your advice along the way!

Update the living room decor.

The "drapes" from Target and the Christmas Tree shop just aren't cutting it anymore!! And blue and brown is sooo last year (or a few years before that?)!

Create a play space for Genevieve.

We literally have all of her riding toys "parked" outside of her bedroom door...right in the middle of the walkway toward the kitchen. In other words, waiting to be tripped over. With a birthday in November and Christmas last month she went from having a few baskets full of toys to having toys everywhere!

Re-do Genevieve's room.

Why did you guys let me paint it PINK? I'm over it!! And it's so much more of a 'nursery' than a toddler room. I need it to be way more functional. But of course, pretty!

Finish...well everything.

OK, not everything...but you know how it is--you move in, and you do what you can and you get all excited and you go shopping and you paint...and then slowly you run out of cash or steam or whatever and things remain undone. I have a half spruced up bathroom, a dining room with no art...etc, etc.

Mantle, Mantle, Mantle.

Paint and decorate. I need it to be fresh and modern with a bit of vintage appeal. Why is that so hard?

Curb appeal.

My husband has worked really hard to grow grass. There's not a ton of it but it was entirely dead sod and mulch when we moved in so it's progress! Nevertheless I have put zero effort into shrubs, flowers, mulching, etc. It looks a bit sad.

Create a pantry.

As in, kind of make one up where it doesn't exist. That's what happens when you buy a 60 year old house. You have to create space.

Did I say just a "few" things? I lied. I could go on and on but I'll stop for now! I know I need to narrow this list down and then focus on one area at a time. But something about writing it all down makes me feel better...like it's going to happen eventually.

Inspiration.

Link L♥VE: Pictures from here, here, here, here, and here.

Ruffle love. and Boot envy.

2010-12-17T11:52:00.005-05:00

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I look at things (and subsequently lust for things) that are just out of reach?

My heart skips a beat when I look at this French Connection coat. Why, oh why wasn't it on sale when I made my Christmas list?!

Original Price: an unaffordable $368. Sale price: an attainable $195.99.

So you can imagine the somersaults my heart does when I look at these amazing DKNY over the knee boots.

Original Price: an unaffordable $375. Sale Price: an attainable $199.20.

ok, now that that's off my chest....

:) Tiffany

PS- I have to admit that I almost nixed this post. Because I didn't want you to think I'm poor because I can't afford these items. Isn't that silly? I mean seriously, someone isn't 'poor' because she chooses not to spend $200 on something she doesn't need! That's prime time television, movies, and the fashion industry talking! And if I was poor, so what? Would you love me any less? Ok, sorry to spoil a fun carefree post with deeper more personal thoughts. But that's the dichotomy of Tiffany. One half fun-fashion obsessed-shopaholic, the other half thoughtful-overanalytical-rational being. ;)

Fun, Easy, and Thoughtful Last Minute Gift Idea

2010-12-14T11:26:00.003-05:00

Go ahead. Admit that you're not finished Christmas shopping. Admit that there's that one person on your list for whom you have zero creative, thoughtful, or unique gift ideas. Admit that you're THIS close to drowning in despair. Enter How Fast Time Flies. There is still time to give the gift of memories. Ok that was super cheesy...but also super true!! There are some people who need a little push to get their memories in some format they can enjoy (anyone else saddened by the gazillions of pictures that never made it off your camera, never mind off of your hard drive?). Well I made a book of my daughter's first year at How Fast Time Flies that I am in love with. It's captured some of my favorite memories of her and some of her cutest shots. It's something our family will cherish forever. Plainly put: It's better than a gift card! SO, how can you treat someone to such a special gift? Well if you have enough photos of the recipient and her family, you could make it for her, but you're running short on time. A more realistic alternative is to purchase a gift card and with the gift card include one page that you did make. If it's for a good friend or family member you no doubt already have a super cute picture of her or her kid(s) in your e-mail, or on facebook, or in a shared York/Shutterly/Snapfish/Kodak album, right?! Well take a couple of those photos and make a quick page. It will seriously take you less than 10 minutes! Couple that with a gift card and voila! You have a sweet and thoughtful gift for a friend. You don't have much time so do it NOW.

And just for you (ok, just for you and all their other customers) you can save 25% on pages and gift cards. With this deal you might as well get one for yourself while you're at it (Is it just me, or does the "one for you, one for me" mode of Christmas shopping make it so much more fun)?!

Enter the code SAVE25 to receive 25% sitewide on all orders under $75.
Enter the code SHIP75 to receive 25% sitewide PLUS free shipping on orders $75 or more. Your choice! Offer expires at 11:59 PST December 16th, 2010, which is also the date all page orders must be in to be guaranteed by Christmas. These discount codes also apply to gift certificates, but hurry because supplies are limited.

Click here to see the book I made (still need a couple of pages to complete it!). Click here to see my prior post on the subject.

For Inspiration: