A Weekend in Pictures

This past weekend went by in a blur of laughter and stories, baby smiles and squeals, so much good food, two parties for two sweet babes, porch swings, and wonderful moments with friends. 

So so good.

{high school buddies + our friends amazing new home. hello! that wall!}

{#reallife: pjs, an unmade bed & no makeup}

{obligatory first birthday cupcake face!}

xoxo

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Independence Day

A {very overdue} few photos from our long July Fourth weekend.....

The weekend of the fourth was a long one for me as I had four days off work -- it was glorious! We started out with an outdoor BBQ at a friend's lovely modern farmhouse. We ate grilled chicken, delicious veggies and splurged a bit on this gal's smores bars (divine I tell you), chatted with old friends, made new friends (one of whom apparently grew up in the same county as us!), watched the kiddos play, lit sparklers, watched fireworks and went to sleep so pleasantly happy. It was so fun to see our friends who are at the same place in life as us.. the kiddos hung in pretty well, too! Elliot slept in his carrier for the majority of the party and woke up to see he fireworks, which he actually loved! 

Saturday morning we had a delicious breakfast with friends and headed up to the mountains. We spent most of the day outside in the gorgeous cool-for-July weather and had dinner with old friends. Elliot got to sit in his first tractor and absolutely loved the open fields and beautiful blue sky. Sunday morning we took E for a long walk at the park across from our friends' house before heading back home. On a small side note, we absolutely love our Stokke Scoot that my friend Jodi so graciously sent us. I love having E facing me so I can talk to him while we walk! I also love that I can sit him up and then easily transition him to lying down when he finally falls asleep. Sometimes, it's the little things that make life so much easier!

All in all it was a perfect weekend spent celebrating our independence, family and friends. Hope you had a wonderful weekend as well!

xoxo

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Week Ending

{via}

How was your week?

Mine went by pretty quickly and was a mix of ups and downs. I'm definitely feeling pregnant {read: huge} these days, so after a discouraging doctor's visit* on Wednesday morning, I spent a little time with my mom. We decorated my Christmas tree {pictures soon!}, placed fresh greenery all around the house, drank cinnamon coffee and chatted. It was so uplifting.

Today I am so incredibly grateful for the encouraging people in my life -- my girlfriends who can always make me laugh, my twin star who reminds me to never allow other's opinions to determine my fate, my sweet mother and sister who know just what I need, my father who tells me to 'be careful' on my morning commute, my husband who is a constant source of strength and encouragement and who knows when I just need to cry and when I need a little tough love. 

I am really looking forward to the weekend! We are having some friends over Saturday night to hang out and eat dinner and play with all their new babies. So fun! I'm going to try and make a paleo key lime pie and coconut whipped cream to compliment our shredded chicken tacos, fresh salsa and guacamole. 

xoxo

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*Everything is just fine. Little bean is healthy as can be and so am I. No worries!

Holiday Hosting

{I love this simple, rustic table. I also LOVE the idea of relocating our farm table outside, but we will most likely end up just eating in the dining room and venturing outside after our meal.}


The holiday season is definitely one of my favorite times of year, possibly second only to the cool mornings and changing leaves of fall.. that promise the start of the holidays in just a couple short months. In keeping with our new tradition, we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for K's family. Last year was the first year that we did this, and it was so wonderful having everyone over to our home. (We live the farthest out from the city, so it is rare that K's family comes over.) I am really looking forward to hosting again, even making the Thanksgiving turkey! Recipes and decoration how-to's are in the near future, but for now here are some of my inspirations for our Thanksgiving dinner.

{A simple but festive place setting (that will smell delicious) + GF iced oatmeal cookies for the kids... and me, who am I kidding!}

{Rosemary roasted carrots + roasted cauliflower with whipped goat cheese}

{Homemade spiced apple cider + pumpkin icebox cake (not paleo, but delicious and easily made GF)}

{I think making stars out of sticks would be a great project for the kids. We can collect sticks from the yard, make the stars, and then have the kids hang them on our tree. For our tree this year, we are doing a smaller one (maybe 3-4 feet tall?) placed in a galvanized bucket and decorated with white and neutrals.}

xoxo

{all links, recipes and images can be found here}

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mad hatter's ball

this past friday evening husband and i joined my fellow pharmacy school ladies for a wonderful night of well-mannered, alice-inspired frivolities. a very merry unformal, if you will.

given the short notice of our attendance, i tried to throw together somewhat appropriate attire.
my original idea for a hairpiece included both feathers and playing cards, but it didn't work with the dress, so i just used the feathers. {my sweet friend kayleigh, however, had a most incredible display of cards and feathers in her hair. unfortunately, i did not get a picture of it...}

although we didn't get any pictures together, husband looked quite handsome in his shirt & tie, dashing even. unfortunately, when your husband is the photographer & you forget the tripod, it is quite difficult to get pictures of you as a couple.

the evening was full of delicious food and desserts, quite a bit of dancing, over-sized top hats, lovely red roses, and some really incredible friends. given our rather large stress level at school, it was quite wonderful to talk, drink, eat, and dance the night away ensemble...

i had an enormous amount of fun just dancing and being silly with husband. so much in fact, that my cheeks were hurting from all of the laughing we were doing {one of the reasons i married the man...} as i attempted to teach him some of the dances that i learned at sickle cell camp, and he good-naturedly tried to keep up.

i do hope that you had a very merry weekend as well.
xoxo


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blair & serena take on atl*

*aka a night in the city with kindredly & party preppy recap

this past weekend's preppy festivities for a certain someone's bday were definitely a hit.

i finally decided on pastel jeans with a cardigan and tons of sparkle. it was an outfit that i felt was somewhat serena-esque, but i didn't actually have to buy anything just for the party. i loved kindredly's dress, however, and wish that it was still available in my size. also, don't you love her clutch?!


husband {sweetly} offered to be our driver, so kindredly, husband and i started the evening off at TAP for pub burgers, fried pickles, and drinks. so so so good. the burgers were served on english muffins {!!} and included a teeny tiny chocolate milkshake.

after TAP we headed over to whiskey park at the w hotel in midtown where we were greeted by sweater vests, khaki pants, cardigans, ralph lauren polos, and a ridiculous amount of plaid.
love it.

{somehow all of our best photos are from the parking garage}

with husband taking the driver seat, kindredly and i really got to play the part. there was a lot of laughing and a lot of stories shared. we had a great time together and with husband. {he's so laid back and can have a good time just about anywhere.}

thanks to all of you lovelies for your comments, suggestions, and ideas about party preppy and possible serena-inspired outfits for the occasion!
xoxo


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"i'll be your serena"

so my girl kindredly invited me to a birthday bash this weekend for one of her co-workers, and when i say birthday bash, i mean it. apparently it's a really big to do, and each year there is a different theme. this year's theme happens to be "preppy."

enter kindredly's new-found obsession {and my longtime love} of gossip girl, and you have two incredibly excited gals. for her outfit, kindredly is channelling blair waldorf circa summer-in-the-hamptons, so she clearly needs a serena by her side!


i only have a couple concerns...
i really like serena's style, but it's not as preppy as most of blair's outfits, and i definitely want to play the preppy role. also, the items in my closet don't exactly resemble what a real-life serena might own. i was thinking about trying to pull off the plaid skirt look, but i don't really own any plaid. so, i'm not sure what exactly i will wear, but i am having fun looking for inspiration. {as if i needed another excuse to watch gg.}


so, my lovely readers, i need your advice/opinions! what would you wear to a preppy {but oh so fabulous} birthday bash?
xoxo


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right on time, rodarte

just in time for all of those holiday parties,

target is releasing a collection of edgy items by rodarte.

the collection is full of statement pieces that will pair perfectly

with more conservative skirts for an office party

or with lace tights for new year's eve with friends

or even with jeans and heels for christmas with the family.

we're talking lace and tulle dresses and skirts,

leopard-print sequin frocks, netted legwear,

silk camis, and bow belts.

although the styling of these images isn't exactly my cup of tea

{ie, doc marten style boots, leopard and lace together, straight dark hair with a middle part}

i can definitely see the potential in all of the items in the rodarte collection.

what is your opinion?

will you be perusing your local target for holiday apparel?

xoxo

images courtesy of laforce + stevens

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halloween 2009

this year husband and i spent halloween with two of our faves:
my girl kindredly and her husband JG.

husband, JG, and i know each other from high school,
and kindredly and i are like two peas in a pod,
{as my grandmother would say}
so it's always a good time when the four of us are together.

JG smoked a pork loin and made bbq sauce from scratch.
it was heavenly!

then they handed out candy to very few trick-or-treaters.
i think their doorbell rang a total of seven times.
it was a weak showing this year, i have to say.
{don't worry, that's not JG's real hair}

i tried on the creepy mask, but i wasn't too convincing,
so i left the majority of the spooking to JG.

it was a really fun night,
although, i wouldn't recommend watching the strangers
at midnight on halloween.
it tends to make ones imagination run wild....

i hope you all had a spooky but fun halloween!



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A Night of Nintendo Frivolities

When the marketing firm Brand About Town contacted me a few months ago to become a "Brand Enthusiast", I was extremely skeptical and shrugged off the email as spam. After meeting with one of the firm's representatives, Justine, however, I changed my mind. Justine was everything that I had not expected... completely at ease, honest, laid back, and genuinely interesting and interested in Hiking in Stilettos. Here's the gist of it... Nintendo is trying to reach the young, professional female market. Let's face it, most of us wouldn't think twice about video games of any kind. (I know that I definitely didn't. In fact, I often rolled my eyes at the mention of an X-box or Play Station.) Also, much like my fellow bloggers the AsianCajuns, I wasn't drawn in by the celebrity commercials, although they are quite cute. Like the AC said, you don't get this market just because Liv Tyler stars in your ads. However, after playing games like Brain Age 2, Mariokart, and Guitar Hero, the Nintendo DS has changed my mind.  

So, last month I hosted a "Girlfriends Guide to Gaming" party in Atlanta, and we had such a great time! The GGG party was sponsored by Nintendo, and came complete with delicious (veggie-friendly) snacks, yummy desserts, bubbly drinks, wonderful ambience, and very helpful Nintendo "Girlfriends" dressed in adorable black mini dresses and heels. Also, every lovely lady that attended the party received a free Nintendo DS, the game Brain Age 2, and a really cute charm bracelet! Basically, we talked, hung out, played Mariokart, Guitar Hero, Brain Age 2, and Crosswords, snacked and sipped for three hours. (Honestly though, it seemed like only a few minutes!) 

I love the adorable charm bracelets that we received.. a charm for each game that we played! Plus, the vintage tee shirt pillows were cute enough to steal! Just kidding, although you can expect a DYI post sometime in the future about those....

One half of the Asian Cajuns, Lauren, and Becca writing wonderful notes on my chalkboard!

Lovely ladies deep in thought at the Brain Age station.

Yours truly, Becca, Kat, Catherine and Lauren of AC, and a Nintendo Girlfriend as they were receiving their own DS's!

My blackboard with sweet things that my lovely friends had written.

Playing Guitar Hero with my beautiful boss! (You would never believe that she has two children and survived radiation and a double mastectomy from stage 3 breast cancer... talk about an inspiration.)

Me, Becca, Kat, Catherine, and Lauren... Agnes Scott alumnae group!