Hello there!

Hello there!  It's amazing how one week turns into two, next thing you know a month has gone by.  Especially during the summer when we're all trying to soak up every last ounce of beautiful weather as summertime is so short here in Minnesota.  Anyway, the point of that ramble was just to say that I know it's been awhile, but I'm back! :)
That being said, we spent the day up north recently in Duluth and Two Harbors, MN.  We brought a little picnic with no real plan in mind.  We stopped anywhere a long the way that looked like fun!

Sometimes going without a plan is the best plan.  The sun was shining, the weather was perfect...it couldn't have been nicer.

We stopped at the most beautiful garden of flowers along the way and Veronica couldn't get enough of it. She takes after her Grandma with her love of flowers.  I had to convince her not to pick every last one of them.

We ended our day in Two Harbors, MN before heading home.  We had a nice little picnic where Veronica spent the whole time yelling at the seagulls that were anxiously awaiting our departure.  She was convinced they were going to come and snatch up her "sam-ich" right out of her hand. (Which they just might have if we didn't keep shooing them away.  I have the feeling they eat well up there ;)  

A beautiful day with my two loves.  Couldn't have been better.

Until next time,

Abby

Warm Weather Favorites!

V-neck slub pocket T / Chambray shortalls / Canvas Ballet Flats  / Bedtime short sleep set / Knot bow headband / Eyelet fluter T / Printed slip-on sneakers / Denim Bermuda Shorts with Stars / Snorkel kitty one-piece

I'm just itching for the warmer weather to stay.  It's been quite a tease lately giving some really beautiful, warm and sunny days  and then the next day it's cold and dreary.  I cannot wait to be able to break out some of Veronica's summer clothes (although she is growing so fast I'm going to definitely need to do some serious shopping!)
These are just a few of my picks for the warmer weather.  Is anyone else as excited as I am to get to the beach?

Happy Wednesday!

Abby

A Beautiful Easter Sunday.

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful Easter Sunday!  The sun was shining all day, it was warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

We started out the day with an Easter egg hunt in my parents back yard and Veronica was old enough this year that she really had fun with it!

The Easter egg hunt was a huge success and in fact Veronica even wanted us to hide some of the eggs again (which we happily did - anything to keep a 2 year old entertained, right?)

After the Easter egg hunt it was time to eat!  The table decorations that my mom did this year were by far my favorite - simple and sweet.

After completely stuffing ourselves on the wonderful meal that my  mom had made, we all felt like a walk was definitely in order.  So we all walked to the little park literally right down the street in the beautiful sunshine.  We brought Veronica's trike and let her have free rein of the tennis courts which she absolutely loved!

We had such a lovely Easter Sunday.  It reminds me how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family to spend beautiful day like this.

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

Abby

"Cole" the Fish...

As part of Veronica's Easter basket goodies we decided to include a pet fish (not literally obviously ;)
At her school/daycare they have a couple of little tanks, one with fish and the other with hermit crabs and Veronica just loves them!  Every time I go to pick her up she insists on showing them to me and her face just lights up!  So we decided it would be fun for her to have her very own little fish.
We picked her up from daycare yesterday and headed over to good old Petsmart.  She picked out a blue beta fish and when we asked her what his name was, she responded "Cole" without the least bit of hesitation.  (Where the name Cole came from I have no idea...haha).

She came home today and literally pressed her face up against the side of the glass telling him all about her day and then in typical toddler fashion, he was history for the rest of the night.  She did remember to tell him night night though at bedtime which I thought was pretty cute.

I hope you all are gearing up for a wonderful Easter weekend!

Abby

Easter Basket Goodies!

For the first time in I don't even know how long, I have actually planned ahead for a holiday!  Don't get me wrong, I always have my lists and ideas of what I want to do and buy - but somehow time just seems to slip away and I feel like I'm always scrambling at the last minute.  This year I managed to pull together Veronica's Easter basket in record time.  I found some really cute things and some great deals!

As I've mentioned before Veronica is obsessed with coloring.  I found these Crystal Crayons and the Fancy Scissors on sale at Land of Nod and I think she's going to love them.  (I'm sure I'll be finding cut up paper shavings around the house for the next decade but totally worth it, right?)  I also found the adorable little Woodland Bunny Nightlight at Land of Nod too and I think it's going to be so cute in her room.
I also got a couple of books - Veronica is obsessed with Golden Books and loves putting them in her little Owl Skip-Hop backpack and carrying them around with her.  I think it's something about them all being the same size and easy for her to maneuver in and out of her backpack.  The two books I found are also Golden Books but Easter themed.  I think she'll love them too and hopefully they won't end up as coloring books like some of her other books seem to have...
The stripe shirt is from good ol' Target and so is the cute straw cup.

I shouldn't give myself too much credit because I'm not completely done.  I still need to get a little bit of toddler appropriate "candy" and maybe another book or two.  I'm thinking I'll put a cute bow on the basket too just to dress it up a bit, but all in all, I'm pretty well done!

(I ordered this dress from Zara for Veronica for Easter too and I just need to find a cute little cardigan for her to wear over it since Spring here in MN is laughable until around the beginning of June...).

I hope everyone is surviving their week - I could NOT be more happy that tomorrow is Friday!!

Abby

It's the Little Things: This girl and her babies...

Veronica and her babies.  One minute she is loving and adoring them and the next they're being tossed to the floor (and it happens in literally seconds).  The moments that she is "loving" them though, are some of my favorite!
She has one in particular that she favors (the one she's holding), but she loves all of them.  I always melt a little when I hear her playing all by herself and talking so sweetly to them. "It's okay baby, don't cry" as she rubs their back.  She gives them kisses, tucks them in at night, sits them beside her at her table when she colors...she won't sleep without her favorite baby doll bed with her.
On this particular day we were cleaning the dining room and had moved some of the chairs to mop and she took the opportunity to line up all the chairs and then sit her babies on each one of them.  The funniest part about theses pictures is that she asked me to take them (which is extremely out of character because usually I can't get her to sit still!).  She said, "Mommy, look - they're all lined up in a row."  She was so proud of herself that she actually wanted a picture taken and then refused to smile.  She looks so nonchalant and even a little worried!

These babies were all tossed to the floor moments after this picture ;)

Watching Veronica play and imitate so much of what she hears and learns from me as her mommy makes me so happy and thankful.  I think it's easy to take so much of day to day for granted and often times I find myself happy when she's actually playing on her own, so I can quickly get some things done.  But when we stop to take a moment and realize just how much they are absorbing and learning from you, it makes you really want to slow down and savor every moment.
This girl and her babies is something is the little things that I never want to forget.

As always, thank you to Ashely from Words about Waverly and Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique for this link up and happy Monday!

Abby

A few of my favorite nudes...

Hi Everyone!  I hope you've all had a nice weekend!  It was absolutely gorgeous here in Minnesota (finally) with temperatures reaching the upper 50's.  I had the windows open and Veronica and I even did some running around outside!  She was in heaven!

We had a pretty low key Sunday and during Veronica's nap-time I decided to paint my nails (which I rarely seem to do these days since time is sparse with a little one).   As I was rummaging through my stash looking for a color, it dawned on me that I rarely actually choose a "color".  I definitely have a thing for nudes and always gravitate toward really neutral colors.  I don't know what it is, but I always think they look so neat, clean and polished.

I thought why not do a quick post on some of my favorites?  Here is the lineup:

From left to right: Essie Au Natural, Essie Mademoiselle, Zoya Minka, OPI Bubble Bath

These are my most reached for nude polishes.  They apply really nicely with no streaking, go opaque within two coats and look great on any skin tone.

I'm sure as the weather gets warmer I'll be reaching for some brighter and more colorful colors that look good with a tan ;) but until then, these are my favorites.

What are your most reached for polishes?  Any recommendations?

I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Abby

It's the Little Things: Catching her Red-Handed.

This is my first week linking up with Ashley from Words About Waverly and Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique for the "It's the Little Things" link up and I couldn't be more excited!

Veronica is going through a stage of insisting on picking out her own clothes.  When I say insisting,  I mean INSISTING.  At this age with Veronica I've learned to pick my battles.  Most of the time when I know we have to be somewhere I let her have a few choices of outfits and then she can pick from those.
When we are just at home is when I let her have free rein of her dresser.  (I fought this at first because I love for things to be neat and organized).  But ever since Veronica has been in a big girl bed one of her favorite things to do during "nap time" is to go through her drawers and "try-on" clothes so I've come to accept that it's kind of a losing battle and in some ways I've kind of come to enjoy it.  She looks so cute in her mismatched outfits, shoes and as the second picture here shows - her hair accessories ;)

As much as I sigh at re-folding her clothes over and over - I love that she is asserting her independence more and more by the day and growing into such a fun, smart, wonderful little girl.  These are the moments that I never want to forget.

Thanks for the link up Ashley and Jess!

Abby

Warm Weather Recipe Ideas.

Whenever the weather starts to warm up and I've had the chance to crack open the windows of the house and let the fresh breeze in, I can't help but start thinking about spring and summer recipes.  Immediately I think of grilling, cool salads and drinks, fresh herbs...pretty much anything that sounds nice and refreshing after being holed up all winter.

I thought I'd share a little bit of the list I've got going for recipes that I'm wanting to try, along with a few that I've already made and really liked.

Barefoot Contessa at Home Cookbook

So here are a few that are on my list to try!

*Ina Garten Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad: This salad looks right up my alley.  I love orzo, I love shrimp and adding in some bright vegetables and refreshing lemon sounds perfect.  This would be great for a lunch or even a light dinner.

*Caprese Pasta Salad: I love anything caprese and I'm sure this salad will be no different.  I am already itching to get my herb pot planted because fresh basil is a staple for me during the warmer months.

*Grapefruit Mimosa:  Another thing that I am an absolute sucker for is brunch and this little drink seems like the perfect accompaniment.

And even though they don't call for a recipe, I have to of course mention the good old fashioned grilled hamburgers and hotdogs that inevitably come with the warmer weather and I cannot wait!

Here are a few that I've made already and give a big thumbs up!

*Williams-Sonoma Baked Ziti: This dish is so, so good.  I will say that it's a bit hearty, but it's perfect for the cold weather that just won't take the hint lately and makes for a really filling dinner.  I definitely recommend it!

*Honey Lime Chicken:  I found this recipe via Pintrest and I'm so glad I did.  This recipe is the perfect answer to the same old boring chicken.  It is really flavorful and really good. We even broke out the grill early for this one and it was so worth it. The only thing that would make this recipe better would be to enjoy it outside on the patio with a margarita in hand.

*Creme Brule French Toast Casserole:  You need a sweet tooth for this one!  I made this last weekend for Jimi and Veronica and it was unbelievably good.  If you like sugary, sweet things - you'll love this.  If you prefer a more savory breakfast, this might be a bit much for you.  I would definitely make it again!

Cooking is one of my favorite things to do so I feel like my list could go on and on.  How about you? Are there any recipes that you're waiting to break out for the warmer weather ahead?  Or any that you would recommend?

Hope you've had a great weekend!

Abby

Wishing for Spring...

J.Crew cross strap sandals / MICHAEL Michael Kors mirror sunglasses / J Crew j crew belt / Jo malone perfume / J Crew nail polish

The weather is getting warmer (kind of anyway ;) and I was even able to have the windows open for a bit this past weekend.  It was the first feeling that Spring might actually be on it's way!  I'm just itching to get outside with Veronica but in the meantime I've been accumulating quite a little wishlist for the warmer weather ahead.  I'm always a sucker for pastels in the Spring and this list is no different.

What about you?  Is there anything on your Spring wishlist?

Happy Monday!

Abby

A Birthday Weekend.

Today is my husband Jimi's birthday but we celebrated with our family this past Saturday night.  We went to a little Caribbean Barbeque place close to our house that Jimi loves and it was such a fun time.  (They have the absolute best Jerk Pork Tacos I have ever had - so good!) Veronica was such a good girl and only started to get antsy just before we were about to leave.  One of her favorite things to do is "cheers" and you can always count on doing it at least 3 or 4 times in the course of one meal.  Here's the first of the night...

We went back to our house for cake afterward which was probably Veronica's favorite part of the night.  She even helped Papa blow out the candles.

Sunday ended up being relatively quiet and we spent most of the day at home, but that didn't stop Veronica from picking out her own "ensemble" or in this case - lack there of... ;)

I hope everyone had a great weekend and happy Monday!

Abby

Bits and pieces from our weekend...

A few random bits and pieces from our weekend...

Putting on a show with her mouse puppet for me and out of no where saying, "That's kinda weird..." This is one of her favorite things to say and she says it about everything...dinner, clothes, pictures, coloring...pretty much everything.  I think she just likes the reaction she gets from me.  It never gets old and I laugh every time!  Something about a two year old describing things as weird...ha!

Veronica picked out her own outfit on Saturday.  I don't know but I think she has a thing for polka dots...

Helping papa with dinner on Saturday night.  She LOVES helping in the kitchen and never misses an opportunity to drag in her chair and bang some spoons off of a bowl repeatedly ;)

Last but not least, Veronica ready for the red carpet.  For those of you wondering who she is wearing: Gap, Old Navy, Target and accessorizing with a puppy purse, bunny ears and a nice assortment of plastic jewel necklaces.

We had a nice little Oscars party at home with cheese and crackers and somehow I even managed to stay awake for the whole thing!

I hope you all had a nice weekend!

Abby

I've got a thing for blue...

Flutter-Sleeve Chambray Dress / Jersey Leggings/ Printed slip-on sneakers / Crisscross cork sandals / Printed bubble shorts / Short-sleeve graphic Tshirt / Striped & Polka DotSwimsuit

The weather here has been so awful lately that I've been taking to a lot of online browsing.  It seems everywhere I looked is of course promoting spring clothes in their new arrivals which is really more of a mean joke than anything for those of us in states like me (in Minnesota).  We have another good couple months of winter left before we can even think about spring clothes.  Oh well,  I couldn't help but make a list of a few things that are on my list for Veronica.  If it wasn't already apparent, I have a thing for the color blue!

Have any of you been doing any shopping for the warmer weather?

Abby

Current Makeup Favorites.

I've always really liked makeup and enjoy following beauty bloggers but my makeup routine has always been really simple and natural.  Since having Veronica my makeup routine hasn't changed too much, but I will say that I do it much quicker than I used to.  I've pretty much mastered the 5 minute face.  (Sometimes even quicker when Veronica is pulling a Stewie moment,  "Mommy, mommy, mommy, momma, mommy, momma...you get the picture).   These products are the perfect combination for quick and easy every day makeup:

MAC Warm Soul Blush

NARS Lhasa Eyeshadow

Real Technique Makeup Brushes: This one is the powder brush and is one of my favorites.  The bristles are so soft and it picks up just the right amount of product.

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Plus:  Like the powders I try something else here and there, but this is definitely my favorite.  I have oily/combination skin and the consistency of this foundation couldn't be more perfect.  It's not too thick, but not so sheer that you feel like it isn't giving enough coverage.  It leaves a nice satin like finish and has really nice lasting power.  A couple of other foundations that have made it into my makeup favorites at one time or another are the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation and the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation.

MAC Blot Powder:  This has been a long time favorite of mine.  Occasionally I'll venture off and try something new but I always come back to this one.  A couple of others that I really like the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder and the Clinique Loose Setting Powder.

Almay Clear Complexion Concealer:  I have re-purchased this a couple of times but am always looking for the next best thing.  I like this one because it's great for under eyes as well as spots and blemishes.  It has a nice creamy consistency and blends out really nicely.  The best part about this one is that it's under $10 at the drugstore!

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller:  I only use this when I'm going for the full 5 minutes face ;) but I do really like it.  I think I make the effort to use it even when I'm in a hurry because I love the cooling sensation it gives under the eyes as you roll it on.  Again, this is affordable and totally worth the money in my opinion.

MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul:  I love this blush.  It's so easy to use and it looks like a natural flush on my olive tone skin.  Blush is one of my favorite make up products to buy and so I have a lot of other favorites too, but this one is one I know I can use in a hurry without too much effort.

Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in 03 Roast Coffee:  A nice classic brown liner.  I like that it's a twist up pencil because although I like a nice sharp pencil, whenever I do it the tip always seems to break off.  For an amateur like me a twist up is perfect.  The other end is smudge tip and works really well to smoke out or even just "messy up" your eyeliner.  I can never get that perfect straight line so being able to look like I tried to "smoke it out" on purpose is right up my alley.

NARS eyeshadow in Lhasa:  The perfect greyish taupe color.  It's easy to sweep right across the lid without giving too much thought.  It has really nice payoff and is very buildable.  It looks great paired with the Clinique Roast Coffee liner too.

Buxom Lash Mascara:  This was a sample I received from a Sephora order at some point and I love it.  I never thought I was picky about mascaras but the more you use the more you realize what you like and don't like.  I like this one in particular because it's not clumpy and it gives nice length.  It doesn't transfer and is easy to remove.  I'll be buying this in a full size once the sample runs out!

I don't really do too much in the way of lipstick or gloss - for some reason or another I cannot stand the feeling of anything on my lips and always end up just wiping it off.  

What are some of your makeup favorites?  Any suggestions or recommendations?

Abby

"Organizing & Re-arranging"

Hi Everyone!  So last night I was going through the tons and tons of pictures on my cell phone trying to clear it out a bit and I came across a few of these pictures.  *(Side note - I'm not the only mommy who has way too many pictures of their little one on their phone am I?)  Anyway, there are a couple that made me laugh out loud and I decided they're too funny not to share!
When Veronica first got her big girl bed, nap-time really became hit or miss.  Naps were pretty much non existent for a good week or so when she realized that she had free rein of her room.  By free rein of her room, this is what I mean....

She would completely unload the dresser drawers that she could reach (which happened to be her pants drawers) and lay them out all over the floor.  Apparently she loves "arranging" things because another time I came up to this...

Every one of her diapers from the basket beneath her changing table lined up in little stacks right along side one another.
I can always hear her on the monitor when she wakes up playing around and chatting with her babies. Sometimes I go up there and she is just sitting on the floor reading her books or playing in her bed and everything in it's place. I always figure even if she doesn't actually nap it's good for her to at least have some quiet time and just maybe she will fall asleep - and now, most often she does.  But just every once in awhile I go up there and find her room in a similar state to the pictures above.  The funniest part is that when I open the door and ask her what she's doing she always says..."This is mess!"  "This is mess momma..." as if someone else came in and did it.

Luckily for me these post-nap "re-arranging" sessions seem to have lost their luster.  Re-folding pants nap after nap gets old!

Does anyone else have little ones who like to get into things during nap-time?

Happy Friday!
Abby

On the Wishlist...

Hi Everyone!  I hope you're all having a nice start to your week.  As per usual we started out our week here in Minnesota with another dumping of snow which is a big eye roll.  On top of that both Veronica and I were battling some sort of flu last week so overall we were feeling like just one big blehhh (if that even makes sense) at our house.  

Anyway, on a less debbie-downer note I thought I would share my current wish-list with you all.  I love doing online "shopping".  I put it in quotes because one of my favorite past-times at night after Veronica goes to bed is to fill my shopping cart with all of the things I'd love to buy and often times the total is jaw-dropping.  Not to worry, only a couple of those items make it to actual purchases from time to time.  It's fun past-time anyway and here are a few of the things that have had their turn in my shopping cart.

1.  I saw this Suzette the Fox doll initially on the Little Baby Garvin blog and I instantly fell in love with it.  Not only are fox one of my favorite animals, but this one couldn't be cuter.  This is definitely next on the list of gifts for Veronica.  (Don't worry...I'll come up with an occasion ;)

2.  How cute is this pink garland from Etsy?  If you've read any of my previous posts you'll know that I'm kind of in the process of an update on Veronica's room.  This pink garland would be a perfect addition.  I'm not exactly sure how I want to use it yet, but it's so versatile I know I'll find a spot for it. The best part is that it's really reasonably priced!

3.  One of my favorite shops is Anthropologie.  I happened to have a browse on their site last night and of course had a cart with a total of a bajillion dollars by the time I was through...but if I only could pick a couple of things it would be the Alphabet Canvas Bags and the Sewing Basket Kid's Apron.  The Alphabet Storage Bags would be perfect for attempting to hide Veronica's ever growing toy collection.  *(Side note - I always swore I wouldn't be one of those mom's who had their childrens toys out everywhere.  Yeah, I take that back...there are toys all over this place!) But I do think that these bags would be perfect to "hide" them from time to time.  

The apron isn't really a necessity by any means but how adorable is it?  I think Veronica would look adorable in it and I certainly can't sew to make her one myself...so this one seems perfect right?

4.  Okay, the last one is something for me.  Not that that happens that often once you're a mommy right?  But I love these bangle bracelets from Etsy.  They're fairly simple and understated - just the type of jewelry that I love.  I especially like the one that can be personalized.  

So there's the list for now...maybe a couple of these things will make it as actual purchases! Ha!  In the mean time I'm working on getting my little sickie feeling better and hopefully we'll be in for a heat wave in MN to melt some of this snow.

Happy Tuesday!

Abby

Veronica VanGogh

One of Veronica's favorite things to do is make a mess ;)  -  so you can imagine "painting" is right up her alley.  She loves digging right in and getting her fingers dirty so needless to say the brush doesn't last long.

One of her favorite things about painting is that she gets to wear her painting "smock" which is conveniently one of momma's old shirts - and I have to say it looks pretty darn cute on her.

"Look momma, look, look momma..."

The best part is now I have a great new piece of fridge art!

I hope everyone is having a good start to their week ~

Abby