Sunday Pins

Happy Sunday everyone.  It’s been a long weekend.  Which followed a long week.  Sigh.  I need a long vacation.  But with three major events coming up and my new side project, this is definitely not in the cards for me.  So my pins today are mostly just things that I want. And might buy. Because I can make almost any purchase seem reasonable.  It’s a skill really.

Want, want, want.  This is from Nautical Luxuries. Even the name makes me happy. A steal for $170!  Right? Uh, right?

Ava needs this in her life.  My husband has tried to enforce an owl ban in the house, because I’ve gone a bit overboard (so he says,) but this is so precious I’m sure he will forget.

Here’s the thing.  Steve Madden hates women.  No, he hasn’t said that anywhere, but I swear its true.  Either the shoes fall apart or they are incredibly uncomfortable.  But you can’t deny the fact that the guy makes a cute shoe.  I love these. My closet is starting to look like a Navy uniform, so what’s a little more? My favorite boots are Steve Madden. I’ve had to take them in to be resoled once already and it cost almost as much as the boots themselves, but they are my favorite and I will not hesitate to do it again.  Curse you Steve Madden.

Get in my life. I name you Grey Wind.  That’s right. I name all of my purses.  We have a special relationship. I had to put Hamptons out to pasture this season so I’m in need of a new summer go-to bag.

 

The husband took the child to his folks so I could have a few hours to myself this afternoon. I’m popping in Moonstruck in about five seconds.  It’s that kind of day.  Bella Luna.

 

 

 

 

Sunday Pins

I’ve been thinking about Easter quite a bit this week.  There’s a lot I want to make this year. But it all depends on where we are going.  With two families and one two-year old, holidays can be tricky.  We often have to celebrate two weeks in a row. My husband has two siblings that live in Texas and I’m the first-born so everyone wants to have Ava.  And then we often end up at my aunt’s house if we’re doing my side of the family and she’s a Martha Stewart type so I sometimes don’t bother doing anything if that’s the case. But here are my inspirational Easter pins.

I won’t lie to you.  I make an awesome deviled egg.  They get devoured every time.  But I hadn’t thought about using dyed eggs before.  I can’t understand why. It seems like a no-brainer.  So at the very least I’ll be making these.  I have a great egg platter that I am in love with.

This was done with crayons on still hot boiled eggs.  How easy is that? And they look really cute.  Here’s the tutorial that came linked with the egg: http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2011/04/melted-crayon-easter-eggs.html  I did something similar at Halloween and melted crayons over pumpkins. It was time-consuming, but the end result was pretty cool.

I gave up sweets for lent this year, so I will definitely be partaking in something delicious on Easter.  I’m actually going to try to stay off the sweets after that because it was embarrassing difficult to do.  But I am definitely having Easter cake.  The “nest” on this cake is actually made from chocolate shavings.

The might be the cutest placeholder ever. There is no tutorial linked with this, but it looks fairly simple. Clothespins, q-tips and construction paper. Voila.

And if someone do me a solid and bring me this bunny immediately, I would really appreciate it.  Really.

Sunday/Monday pins

A day late and a dollar short it seems.  But last week was so nuts.  Ava was really sick and I kept her home for a few days only to come back to work to further bathroom offenses.  Friday night I went to the Black Keys/Arctic Monkeys concert with some people from work (more on that later,) spent Saturday with my family, went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade with the in-laws and a two year-old who still isn’t 100% well on Sunday, and now I can toss in Daylight Savings so I’m pretty much done over here.  I won’t pretend that I’m not looking a little worse for wear this morning. One of the other mothers at daycare (who I’m already not terribly fond of) said to me “oh, are you on vacation today?” The only thing I could respond with was “no, this is just what I look like today.” So, here are my pins from last week a bit late.  Playing catch-up over here.

I love these colorful knobs.  They would look really cute on a kid’s white dresser.  The pin led me to her Etsy shop Sweet Mix Creations. I love the light switch plate cover.

There was no link with this one, but its pretty easy to do.  Put a glow stick in the balloons before blowing them up.  These would be awesome for night parties.

Speaking of parties, how cute are these tissue chandeliers? I really want to make these. Is it too early in the season to plan a bbq?

 

This dress has my name all over it.  Want.

But the best part of last week was my mini-me feeling better!

Sunday Pins

This week was super busy, but I always manage to find time for pinning.  Here is a random assortment of my favorites this week.

We all know that I don’t like cold, but this is amazing. I am dying to know who lives in there.  Or whether anyone lives in there at all. I couldn’t find any info linked with the pin. Who knows, maybe its photo-shopped. But I prefer to believe that someone awesome uses this as a weekend getaway.

We're going to need a bigger boat.

I’m really going to need a bigger house for all of the stuff I want to do.  How cool is this boat? I could entertain Ava for hours with this. So cute.

 

I really got a good chuckle at this. I can be a bit of a grammar snob. My biggest pet peeve is when people can’t determine the difference between “your” and you’re.” It happens more than one would think. The pin led me back to The Oatmeal, which is really a great site anyway. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that they have an entire set of hilarious grammar posters. Within the next thirty minutes I was ordering the set for the office. I am waiting for the frames to arrive and I’m hanging them up.  I’m that guy.

Does anyone recognize these shoes?   There is no link and I’ve fallen in shoe love. I really must have them.  If anyone knows where I can find these, please let me know.

Spring is upon us, so I’ve started my Easter pin board. I think this floral arrangement is so cute.  And easy, which we all know I love. For the record, I do not like Peeps.  I think they are gooey balls of gross.

Sunday Pins

Last week I had a dream it was summer. And I’ve been daydreaming about shorts and flip-flops ever since.  And the beach and picnics and sunshine and  my big floppy hat and everything else. It was 70 degrees twice last week so the idea of winter is over in my mind.  I was out yesterday without a coat.  I actually needed one, but that silly old brain of mine told me I didn’t before I walked out the door.  And then it snowed for a few minutes.  Sometimes that brain  does me wrong.  So I’ve been pinning images of summer and summer clothing all week.

I still stomp around in beat up old shorts like this. I don’t care.  I love them.  This outfit is pretty me.

This little girl is so precious.  She is so very into that watermelon.  She looks like she would raise hell if someone tried to take that watermelon from her. I just told Ava there were no more pancakes and I got that same look.

I wish someone had made a kid car wash for me growing up!  This looks like so much fun.  I’d probably ride through there with the kids.

I’m mentally placing myself into this image.  I am dying to get to the beach. Come on July!  I have a hat like that, but I am guessing it looks better on this chick than it does me.  It did not have the effect I was hoping for when I bought it.  I generally look stupid in hats, but I thought maybe this would be an exception. I wear it anyway though, because again, I don’t care.

I’ve never done this outside, but it looks like a lot of fun.  Actually, I don’t think I’ve played this game since I was 12.  Maybe all the Jillian Michael’s yoga I’ve been doing will pay off.

I’m just going to go sit here for a few hours.  See you guys later.

Sunday Pins

So I have to admit that Mommy had one glass of pinot too many last night. Not that it takes much these days. We had some friends over for game night last night and people stayed much later than I thought they would. I was thinking I’d be in bed by 11! I guess not everyone is on my lame schedule. I’m a bit all over the place this morning, so I’m going to have to keep this one short. But this image is powerful enough to stand alone anyway.

I almost regret pinning this one, because I struggle not to cry every time I see it.  Some pictures really are worth a thousand words.  This could be any one of us one day.  It really breaks my heart.

Sorry to be such a bummer this morning.  On the upside, I made the raspberries and antipasto kabobs from my Superbowl Sunday post last night and they were a hit, so I highly recommend giving them a try.

Sunday Pins

This year I saw Harry Potter in the movie theater not once, but twice. I never get to the movies. I just really love Harry Potter.  My girlfriend and I have been planning a Harry Potter party for at least two years but something always comes up.  I know what you are thinking – are you just afraid no one will come?  No, because there are a pack of us Harry Potter nerds and they’d all be happy to come over and celebrate with butterbeer.  My husband asked me what I will do if Ava gets older and doesn’t actually like Harry Potter.  I refuse to entertain this thought because I’m pretty sure all kids like it, especially a child of mine.  All kids need a little magic in their lives.

So, in true nerdy fashion, I have hunted down Harry Potter pins on Pinterest to assist in party planning:

Hello Hedwig

These are pretty much the cutest invites of all time.  I ave to admit that my artistic talent is minimal, so I’d need help drawing these guys.  Anything beyond stick figures and I’m out of luck.

 

This I could actually do.  This is a great idea if the weather is warm enough to leave your door open.

 

How cute are these cupcakes?  I am in love with all of them.  Especially because I think they are too cute for me to eat.  Any cupcake that keeps me from actually eating it is good for me.  I love how I’m kidding myself this morning.  Like there might actually be a cupcake out there that would be too cute for me to eat.  As if.

Butter beer is a must of course.  Instructions from another HP lover can be found here:

http://bakingdom.com/2010/11/butterbeer-oh-yes-friends-butterbeer.html

The only thing  about that butterbeer is that there isn’t actually beer in it.  So for the adults (especially the adults that have been dragged along to this event) that may want a little more, try these:

Just toss a bit of vodka and soda in there.  However, if you want to actually have the magical effect, follow the instructions:

http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/magical-color-changing-drinks-fid-1112172

Parties are always better with favors.  When they are in the budget of course. These could also be used for Halloween.  I don’t have instructions for these, but they look fairly easy.  Pretzel sticks, paper bags, a bit of twine and whatever you want to put inside.

 

Superbowl Sunday Pins

Ah, Superbowl Sunday.  Normally I would find some excitement in this, but this year I can’t say I care that much.  After last summer’s nonsense with the potential lock-out and the constant stream of unimportant football updates, I went into this season already annoyed at all of it. And as usual, my poor Redskins are the most disappointing team in the league.  Maybe the world. I gave up in the end and just stopped watching.  It was ruining my Sundays. This year I’m taking Ava over to watch the game with some girlfriends.  I think maybe one girl in the group might actually care about football, so it will be a different vibe this year anyway.  Hopefully it will be better than last year’s circus, but with Madonna as the halftime performance, its really hard to say.  I guess I wouldn’t mind seeing old muppetface Manning lose.  “Must hate the Giants” was placed into my subconscious as early as the womb, so I am always happy to see them lose.  So, go Patriots I guess.

But besides football, bad music, 1000 commercials, and general nonsense, what’s the most important thing about today?  Food of course.  So after all my blathering, here are my pins for the week.  All about party snacks. Maybe I’ll actually try to make something today when I’m finished.

Let’s start with an easy one:

What’s easier and more delicious than 7-layer dip?  These are more time-consuming than just making one tray of it, because you have to fill individual cups, but the result is super cute.

Yummmmmm.  Homemade mozzarella sticks.  I want one right now.  I don’t have a deep fryer and lord knows I am not going there, so I would try to bake these instead.  Instructions:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Mozzarella-Sticks-2?pmcode=IKLDC05S&_mid=838832&_rid=838832.650200.781355

Pizza bites. Easy, delicious and cheap. My husband would go nuts over these. Instructions are here:

http://penniesonaplatter.com/2010/02/15/pizza-bites/

My aunt makes an antipasto platter for every occasion. Birthdays, Thanksgiving, whatever.  So that’s pretty much a given for me.  I thought these kabobs were a cute update on that. These are a no-brainer for me. But for those  of you without relatives that think they are italian, can find instructions here:

http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/2011/02/antipasto-kabobs.html

I’ve made this a couple of times now and it’s always a hit.  And actually pretty healthy.  It’s not always easy to find fresh corn on the cob this time of year, but it’s actually a must.  I tried to make it with frozen corn once despite the instructions not to, because it was all I could find, but it just wasn’t the same.  Instructions:

http://www.onceuponachef.com/2010/08/black-bean-salad-with-corn-red-peppers-avocado-lime-cilantro-vinaigrette.html

These are cute and super easy.  And a great sweet treat for kids.  Ava would love these.  Just chocolate chips and rasberries. Clearly my theme for today is easy.

I just had breakfast and now I’m hungry again.  Great.

Sunday Pins

It appears as though Valentine’s Day is upon us. Every year it sort of sneaks up on me. For the record, Valentine’s Day is not a big deal to me.  And I’m not just the girl who says that.  It really isn’t.  We’ll go out to dinner this year, but we’re taking Ava with us. No big deal.  I told my husband that if he wanted to buy me anything this year, he could hire a maid to come clean the house.  I came home Friday and was already cleaning all of the bathrooms yesterday.  Sigh. I do however like Valentine’s Day decor.  And because I was such a slacker at Christmas this year and didn’t do Christmas cards, we are sending out Valentine’s Day cards with a new picture of Ava in it.  And here are my Valentine’s Day pins:

Cheesecake brownies.  Yum.  And these look really easy to make.  Instructions are here:

http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2012/01/marbled-red-velvet-cheesecake-brownies/

Although, is it just me, or do they look a little like raw meat? Maybe I’m just crazy.  But it may end up being a deterrent for me in the end.

I’ll have to make these for my husband for breakfast.  He’s nuts over those silly canned cinnamon rolls.  And these are an easy treat.

As much as I love Ava, I almost think it would be more entertaining to just send these cards out.  I’m going to print some out on card stock and send a few to my friends I think. Thank you for being a friend.

Now, what I would really like to do is have a little Valentine’s Day party.  But I don’t have time to pull anything together.  Not to mention that they still haven’t finished our floors and probably won’t for another two weeks.  But here is some party decor inspiration in case you plan on having one.

 

Sunday Pins

Tomorrow I head to my conference, aka, my first trip sans family. I’m incredibly nervous, but also pretty excited.  Didn’t lose that five pounds I had planned on, but I suppose I’ll get over it.  And I still haven’t finished packing.  Actually, that’s not true.  I packed and then I realized that I packed like a crazy person. Do I really need six pairs of shoes?  I had to reign myself in, so I pulled everything out.  I also thought to pack sweaters and then I checked the weather and its going to be 80 degrees and sunny all week.  I’m basically heading towards my heaven.  I’m bringing a suit jacket for the one day I’ll have to wear that and a jean jacket for night and calling it a day.  So today’s pins are all based on my imaginary wardrobe.  Basically the stuff that I wish I were taking with me.

I love this color combo.  As I get older I seem to acquire more and more shades of brown. I’m not really sure why, but I guess it’s better that wearing black all the time.

This outfit looks chic but comfy.  And these are actually good colors for me.  Gimmie.

There you are again brown. This would be perfect for one of my post conference networking events.

I love these shorts.  My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I wear shorts all year round. My office is super casual, as in, you literally wear whatever you want.  We just leave suits in the closet in case you need one.  I think that’s pretty common in tech oriented companies.  I was in the Facebook office not too long ago and it was like walking into Urban Outfitters.   So I have the constant internal struggle of not letting myself look like a complete ragamuffin when I leave the house. I am now an expert on dressing up jeans and shorts.  Nothing makes me happier than shorts, stockings and fab boots in the winter.  I honestly have more shorts now than skirts.  This outfit is very me for summer at work. Except I want to snag the chunky necklace from that girl.

I love this color.  I wish Pinterest would tell me where to find this because I’d go out and try it on.  I guess I should be glad it does not tell me for that very reason.  I could seriously just post outfits all day, but now I want to go shopping, so I need to stop.

Have a great Sunday everyone and a great week.  I’ll be back next week!