Swooning

I know, you've been waiting anxiously for an update to on the changes to our bedroom ;) I finally cleaned a bit, and decided tonight I'd take a picture to share. I am 100% totally swooning over our new bed, and have been since we got it about a month ago! Like swooooooning. I got the duvet for Christmas, and with the blue and white undertones, I've been loving finally having these colors in our room. The mattress and bed, came a few weeks later, and we are so happy with how it all came together.

As I mentioned in this post, we debated upgrading to a king bed for a while. Now, that we have it, I wish we'd made the change sooner. It completely transformed the feel of our room. I hemmed and hawed over an iron bed, and we love that too! In addition to polishing off our room, we are over the moon about our mattress. We did a lot of research, and extensive testing of different mattresses until we decided on this one, and we can feel a difference already. I don't wake up sore and Brian is getting a better nights sleep. I feel like I'm on a mattress commercial, but its not an exaggeration... Best money we've ever spent, this whole update was a complete win-win!!

I was just about to order my prints and frames for over the bed, when I started thinking something round might be better. We have a lot of straight lines in our room, and I don't know much about design, but I know mixing shapes and textures is suggested. So, I think back to the drawing board on that for now. Any ideas or suggestions welcome!

Night - night!
XO

Love

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

Valentine's is certainly a commercial holiday, but I'm not ashamed to say, I've enjoyed the holiday for as long as I can remember. I'm not an overly romantic person, and I don't think of the day as a romantic holiday. To me, it's a day to celebrate the love in my life. Friendships, family, etc. When I was single, it was an excuse to get together with girlfriends and cheers to friendship. Now, it's about celebrating with smiles, hugs and kisses with my family. 

I make a point as often as I can, to tell those closest to me how I feel. It's something that we were open about as a family in my childhood, and I hope to create for our girls as they grown. So hugs, kisses and "I love yous" are important to me on a daily basis, and all the more reason to celebrate on the day of love.  I'm not referred to as a "smother mother" for no reason :P But honestly, it's important to me for the girls see the expression of love between Brian and I, and with them and be open expressing all feelings. 

This year, we had a family celebration and it was perfect. Saturday night we went out to dinner as a family, to one of our favorite burger places. I was planning on a nice dinner at home with the girls, all red food, a red table and candles... but then I sort of lost my motivation. So, a dinner out it was, and I was psyched  :) Then on Sunday, we went over to my parents - where my mom totally spoiled us. Little treats for the girls, an amazing steak dinner for us, good wine, a beautiful table and tasty little desserts - it was awesome! Top that all of with the fact that we didn't have to get up for work on Monday - and the weekend was a real home run!

Hope you had a great weekend!

XOXO

They asked to watch TV in my parents basement and when we checked on them, they'd cuddled up together and were lying like this on the floor:

 

Matching heart pj's - and refusing to say cheese to me

making Valentine's cards for Uncle B

 

Recipe share

I rarely do this, but this recipe is just too good, it deserves a share. I've been making this chili for a few years now, and no matter how I alter the recipe, it's always a crowd pleaser. If you like chili, you must try it, and to be honest, even if you aren't a big chili fan, I'm confident you'll enjoy it. I've had a lot of different chilis over the years, and this beats even the best restaurant versions.

I've made it with beef and turkey and both are as good. Sometimes I do less meat than it calls for, I usually leave out the beer unless I have a bottle of GF beer in the fridge, and I never use bacon. I cook it in the crock pot, and the recipe makes enough for multiple meals worth. So, like Wednesday night, when it was our first day back in the grind after vacation and I was not prepared or in the mood to cook, I pulled it out of the freezer. Next time you are jonesing for chili - give this one a try! Nomm Nomm

Happy Friday! XO

Seriously January?

It's Thursday, which is normally my favorite day of the week, but it's been feeling like the end of the week, since Tuesday. Longest.week.ever. To be honest, I can't quite remember a time that I've been so tired. For much of the last 4 weeks, the Gergi have been sick in some way shape or form, so exhaustion has set in. Brian has somehow managed to avoid the germs per usual, but not moa! I suppose I shouldn't complain, because we had a great fall and holiday season, completely avoiding any illnesses around us, but these last few weeks have been a challenge.

It started right before Christmas when M had a fever virus and on Christmas Eve I got a bad cold. Then it sort of snowballed - Anna got pink eye and a double ear infection, Madelyn got pink eye, I got pink eye, my cold got significantly worse, then I had a small stomach bug, and Anna started a 2nd round of treatment for an ear infection and pink eye, my mom got pink eye and the bug - and now Anna has a fever virus. Oh - my - goodness! There have been little breaks in between and Anna especially has been on meds for the last 3 weeks, so fingers crossed, we're almost in the clear. We've been to the doctor more times than I can count, not to mention all the co-pays. Obviously, I'm thankful its nothing serious, but its tiring nonetheless. The disrupted sleep, and the constant worry about your kids - how they are feeling, trying to make them comfortable, timing medicine doses, and making sure they are drinking enough, etc - it's exhausting.

Thankfully Madelyn has sort of toughed it out, and she's hanging in there now. Hope we can keep her healthy in the coming week, then we'll be in the clear. However, she been waking once or twice every night needing to be put back to bed. Anna is usually up crying once or twice too - sometimes they wake each other, and all three of us are up for a mid-night party. Like last night :) We've been spoiled with great sleepers in the girls since early on, so these off nights just really mess up my game. There isn't enough coffee in the world to help me through the fog at this point.

Not to mention, we (finally) got our new bed, and while we are completely obsessed and feel its helped us sleep better already, it's sort of hard to tell because I haven't slept through the night in a month! Momma mia! I'm secretly hoping for a big snow storm this weekend, so we can all just hang. Maybe sleep in? (yeah right!), take a nap? (no chance) and get the R&R we need to be healthy in the coming weeks! I hate to wish time away, but the way 2016 has started for us, I'm looking forward to February already!

If all else fails, we're headed to Florida a week from tomorrow. So the vitamin D, warm weather and swimming will hopefully heal us, and get us back on our feet! While I'm thinking of it though, how many weeks until Spring? :)

Hope you and yours, are well! XO

My {random} thoughts on 2015

One of my favorite things about turning the calendar year, is reflecting on the year past. It's a good time to look forward and get a fresh start, but I also like to take a minute to look back. The first word that comes to mind when summing up our year, is discovery. It was a year of change and some challenges, sprinkled among a lot of fun adventures. I am thankful for all the lessons and feeling refreshed as we embark on twenty-sixteen. One of the best things about this little space, is it allows me to share what's on my mind and for the purpose of this post, pull out some highlights from the memory reel. Here are my (very) random thoughts on 2015:

* I can, and I did, break the habit of my morning coffee run. I can actually drink coffee from the Keurig. I'm not a coffee snob, but since I hadn't perfected making my own cup of joe, I just couldn't fathom not making that stop in the morning. However, I've made the switch and I kinda love how I make my coffee now :) Plus, the $20+ savings a month and extra 15 minutes at home, ain't so bad either!

* We don't have to take a car over to the Vineyard - it is possible to pack light, manage the kids, stroller and dog with our luggage on and off the boat for our trips there! It's stressful, but it can be done ;) A goal for this year is to actually plan our trips far enough in advance though, that we can get a ferry reservation to take our car over!

* I survived breaking up with my hair guy, and salon. I have found someone who does a really good job, for a fraction of the price I was paying. She works out of her house, and will take appointments on very short notice, too - a win-win in my book!

* As much as I love home renovation TV shows, I am the worst at living through a renovation in real life. I better get over the idea of being a flipper, because there is no way I could handle all of that. I'll stick to watching HGTV :)

* A cleaning lady has become a more regular visitor in our house, and I'm pretty sure she saved my sanity.

* After 4 years of being a working mom, I've finally feel like I've found my stride. To me, finding balance has helped me be happier at home, and a better employee. This was my biggest hurdle in recent years and I'm thankful for twenty-fifteen for getting me to where I am.

* I'm about 15 lbs away from my wedding weight and I'm actually proud of that. I haven't figured out how to work exercise into my routine, so after my two beautiful babies... I'm happy with the fact that if I want to get back there someday, it's not that far away. #halffull

* A long weekend at home, can be just as wonderful as a weekend away. I truly believe "it's not where you are, but who you are with that really matters"

* I am a big fan of social media. It's a scary larger-than-life resource and it's easy to get caught up in it, but I take it for what its worth. I enjoy sharing peeks at our family through IG and I love to see what family and friends are up to.  In addition, I learn things about our town from a forum on Facebook, and get life tips and advice from other people I follow on each site. Like everything, moderation is key. So, when at home I try not to be on my phone too much, but I'm a fan nonetheless.

* Terrible twos - is nonsense, and should be removed from common vocabulary.  In my opinion, "terribleness" extends far beyond 2yo, and can start way before the second birthday. It's not fair to new parents, to think of it as such a set timeframe because that's a lie and we continue to live through it :) And, consistency is key, that's all I know about terribleness.

* trust your instincts, always.

* Last but not least, cherish the moments because they are fleeting. Little ones, big ones and everything in between, always #begrateful.

I am excited for this year, and the lessons to be learned. We've all been a bit under the weather lately, but turning the corner now. So, bring it 2016.

Happy New Year!
XoXo

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas, 

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! 

Merry and Bright!

It's the most wonderful time, of the year! There really is something magical about the weeks after Thanksgiving until the end of the year. There might be stresses about gifting or holiday cards, or the perfect party outfit and what not, but the excitement around all of the celebrations is energizing.  For obvious reasons it's an exciting time for our little ones, but I feel like a kid too! I love the decorations, the lights, the tartan plaid, watching TV with only the tree lights on at night, and all the activities of the season. Add to that the increasing excitement in the kids, especially Madelyn and there's little not to love about this season! I wasted no time switching gears to red and green, after Thanksgiving and doing so has actually made the time between the two holidays seem a bit longer (to me) this year.

Two weekends ago we took a last minute trip to the mall, to get out of house and walk a bit. We were pleasantly surprised to find a new toy store there, and the girls had a blast going through and coming up with a list of gift ideas for Santa. It in turn was a productive trip for Mom and Dad, too :) For the first time, we then came home and wrote a nice note to Santa to send in the mail. I may have used the "I wont send the letter to Santa" threat a few times that week after, and holy cow did that work. Madelyn would stop in her tracks, and clean up her behavior in a snap when I mentioned that letter! (is that wrong?!) We haven't actually visited with Santa yet, because I wasn't sure the girls would be in to it. I didn't really want to put ourselves through that screaming torture if both were sure to cry (just for the photo). However, Madelyn told me last night she wants to go and sit on Santa's lap with her sister. So, we might try this weekend.

We went to our town Stroll last weekend, but the girls didn't last too long. It was a Friday evening at 6pm, and while they really are troopers, it was cold and they were hungry, so we missed seeing Santa and the carolers. Maybe next year ;) The following day, I went down the PA with my mom and sister for our annual shopping trip. We shopped til we dropped (almost literally), had a great dinner and stayed the night before heading back home on Sunday. Numerous times we laughed until we couldn't breathe - it was so awesome!

 Since then, it's been in the 60's and I have been leaving my jackets at home - craziness! I think for a few days, the weather tricked me as it felt more like May then December and I fell behind on some Christmas stuff. We had our annual trip to NYC yesterday to see the tree, etc - and it was just beautiful. It wasn't any busier than its been in past years, and it was awesome to be out and about without all the bulky layers! Madelyn was so intrigued by St. Pats and "who built this place?" and all the big buildings and taxis. Later that night she said "thank you Mommy, for taking us there" Such a sweetie - it truly warmed my heart.

Some pictures from our adventures! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and your days have been merry and bright! XO

Beautiful Saturday in DECEMBER at the park!

 Bathtime sillies

  M was really into helping me decorate the tree

Our tree

Our brief stint at the Stroll in town

Matching holiday outfits - one of very few photos where they actually cooperated and posed ;)

My new mantle flair

Santa and Mrs. Claus at the park

Trip to NYC

M helping Mimi light a candle at St. Patrick's Church

\

Anna very happy to sit with Uncle B at lunch!

Lunch at Bills Burger Bar - ymm

the tree - Rockefeller Center

We ran into a few friends on our adventure!

Family <3