Monthly Archives: April 2015

A Few of My Favorite Things (116)

Posted on by

0

[Stella & Dot outfit of the week:: Crescent Necklace // Rebel Pendant // Old Navy maternity maxi // JCrew cardigan]
unnamed
[triple date night at Dad’s]
unnamed (1)
[neighbors having babies]
unnamed (2)
[baby girl’s first shopping spree]
unnamed (5)
[Trunk Show Sunday]
unnamed (3)
[Stella & Dot weekend bump style:: Zuni Layering Necklace // Engravable Disc with monogram // JCrew chambray button-up // Old Navy maternity shorts]
unnamed (4)
Yay for a weekend at home in between two out-of-state weddings! We had a fun date night with some friends on Friday — pizza and a comedy show, complete with King of Pops treats. It was a busy Saturday with a baby shower for my neighbor (there are 3 of us on our street expecting babies later this year!) and a crawfish boil that some of Craig’s college friends threw. His buddy is from Louisiana and they’ve been doing an annual boil for years now, but this is the first time I’ve been able to go. It was a great time seeing some of his friends that we probably haven’t visited with since before our wedding — and the food was delicious! (Not that I tried the giant crawfish…)

I’m so looking forward to this short week, as we’ll be heading to the gulf coast for our friends’ wedding and a nice beach vacay!

travel:: Asheville, NC

Posted on by

0

Asheville, NC has been on our travel bucket list for years now. We finally had the excuse to visit last weekend for my college friend’s wedding, and we had a great time! It’s only a 3.5 hour drive from Atlanta, so it makes for an easy weekend getaway. Here were some of our favorite spots around town!

Tupelo Honey Cafe:: This was my favorite meal during our trip. Because we were invited to wedding festivities both nights, we didn’t have the opportunity to eat dinner in Asheville, but we thoroughly enjoyed our other meals. We had a brief wait for lunch at Tupelo on Friday, and we had a celebrity sighting within 5 minutes of being there. Jennifer Carpenter (Deb) from the TV show Dexter was also waiting for a table with a couple ladies – and she had the cutest baby belly!

Anyway, the food was worth a wait. We sat the bar and had great service, even though they were busy. I tried their homemade rosemary peach lemonade, and we started with the Pecan-Crusted Goat Cheese appetizer. Also – they brought out hot biscuits with blueberry jam, and I was sort of wishing I could just have a plate of those as my meal. But I’m glad I didn’t, because I would have missed out on this (below) – the Southern Fried Chicken BLT. So big, so crispy, and so delicious. And that mac n cheese… I’d like some right now. Craig also couldn’t get enough of their fried okra — he said it was some of the best he’s ever had.
unnamed (5)
Downtown Asheville::
unnamed (7)
Biscuit Head:: One of the best breakfasts we’ve had! The biscuits are literally almost the size of your head, and they don’t mess around with the number and variety of toppings for said biscuits. I ordered the Gravy Flight and got to choose 3 — I picked the Sausage, Fried Chicken, and Chicken Cheddar Chili gravies. We also hit up what I’d call the “jam bar” for honey, jams, spreads, and more. Craig got the Pulled Pork Biscuit Sandwich, and he ate every single bite. I’m not sure how he walked out of there. We’d both highly recommend visiting if you’re in the area — but be warned that the line gets long as the morning goes on. 🙂
 unnamed (34)

French Broad Chocolate Lounge:: I had my eye on this place for an afternoon chocolate fix since I couldn’t partake in any of the beer tastings around town. We waited in a short line and ordered hot sipping chocolate and a milkshake made with Costa Rican chocolate and coconut milk to take with us as we walked through downtown. We also picked up a few treats to take home to Atlanta — a couple of ooey, gooey, dense chocolate and coconut macaroon brownies and the Chocolate Snickerdoodle, which we deemed one of the best cookies we’ve ever had. 
 unnamed (6)
 unnamed (11)
Basilica of St. Lawrence:: This is where our friends Anna and Joe had their wedding ceremony, and I found out that it’s rated one of the top attractions in Asheville. I had no idea that there were so few Basilicas in the U.S., so it was pretty neat to not only visit one, but attend a beautiful wedding ceremony and mass there. The tile work inside the building is so impressive, and the stained glass is equally as beautiful.  
 unnamed (13)
 unnamed (15)

The Biltmore Estate & Gardens:: It was a rainy, dreary morning when we visited on our way out of town, but it was so worth it! We bought tickets to tour the home and I’m so glad we decided to pay for the guided audio tour. Otherwise, we’d have been wandering around not knowing what we were looking at. The tour was really thorough and included so much interesting information about not only the estate, but the Vanderbilt family through the years. It’s incredible to think that they had the technology to create a call system throughout the house to “ring” the driver or wait staff by the press of a button. And they had a huge indoor pool — complete with underwater lighting! The furniture, fixtures, and even the flooring are so ornate and grand. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to live there so many decades ago!

unnamed (33)
 unnamed (20)
The gardens were also incredibly beautiful, even in the rain. We only had time to explore the Walled Garden and Conservatory areas, but just the walk over to them was stunning. The grounds were designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park, so you can imagine the grandeur. Pops of pink, red, and purple were everywhere among the large expanse of green lawns. I wish we’d had more time to explore! 
 unnamed (22)
 unnamed (23)
 unnamed (30)
 unnamed (31)
The grounds are so massive that on the way out, they make you drive through all of what seemed to be the “public” areas, which led us on a 20+ minute drive over to Antler Hill Village. I see what they did there, wanting us to spend more time onsite time eating and shopping, but we didn’t succumb to their tricky ways. I did enjoy the beautiful, wooded scenery on our way out, though. The Biltmore is a must-see if you’re in the Asheville area!

bump watch:: 20 weeks

Posted on by

0

unnamed

# weeks: 20 — baby is the size of a mango!
Measuring approx 6.5 inches long and 10 oz.

Photo location: The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC
We spent last weekend in Asheville for my friend Anna’s wedding, and the #1 item on my list was visiting the Biltmore. I’ve wanted to go for a long time, but that almost didn’t happen when I tried to buy Saturday tickets online, and they were sold out. Who would have thought that grounds that large would sell out?! We decided to stick around Sunday morning so we could visit, and although it rained the entire time, it was worth the trip.

unnamed (3)

Best moment this week: Finding out the gender and sharing the news with our families and friends!!! Although it was obviously a 50/50 chance of having a girl or boy, I still can’t quite believe I get to have a little girl! We’re beyond thrilled – and Craig’s already making plans to find the nearest convent to send her to once she’s a teenager. 😉

unnamed (1)

Miss anything: While in Asheville, I missed getting to try beer from some of the many local breweries, but I made do with sipping chocolate instead.

Cravings: Nothing too notable this week!

Feeling good/bad: Feeling great! Life is good.

Baby purchases/gifts: We’ve made some more headway on the nursery… I found a really cute side table at Target, and I picked up a pair of airy, metal-frame bookcases from IKEA that we plan to spray paint gold and put on either side of the crib. I’m also currently eyeing a gorgeous white campaign dresser, so we’ll see if that makes its way to our house soon.

Looking forward to: Jumping into next week because we leave for Rosemary Beach!! We’ll be celebrating our good friends Erin and Chris as they join the married club. I’m also just thrilled to be spending 3 days on the Gulf shore, especially so early into the beach season!

A Few of My Favorite Things (115)

Posted on by

0

[Stella & Dot outfit of the week:: Kimberly Necklace // Renegade Cluster Bracelet // Enlighten Bracelet //Fabrik top // Tieks flats]
unnamed (35)
[treats from 1 of 3 little gender reveals for family]
IMG_8352
[Celebrating Anna + Joe’s wedding wknd in Asheville]
unnamed (10)
[hot sipping chocolate]
unnamed (12)
[wedding #2 this season]
unnamed (14)

[friends since 2001]
 unnamed (16)

[my wedding date danced – more than once!]
unnamed (17)
[19.5 weeks with baby girl Hayes]
unnamed (1)
Of course our biggest news of the week was finding out on Thursday that we’re expecting a little girl!! Click here to see the video we took.

What a fun weekend! We traveled to Asheville, NC (a new destination for us) to celebrate one of my oldest college friends, Anna, and her fiance at their wedding. We spent the weekend eating the most delicious food, wandering around downtown, and hanging out with a couple of my other Springbluff friends and their husbands.  Anna and Joe were married in a beautiful ceremony at the historic Basilica of St. Lawrence, and they had such a fun reception downtown – complete with a band that played everything from “Wagon Wheel” to Snoop Dogg covers, the cutest koozies and North Carolina cookie favors, and even miniature late night snacks! Before leaving town on Sunday, we toured the Biltmore Estate & Gardens, which was beyond impressive in its grandeur. I’ll have a dedicated travel post coming up later this week for those who might be interested in traveling there!

It’s a…

Posted on by

1

It’s a…

We had our 19 week ultrasound on Thursday and had the tech write the gender down for us to open once we got home. We got a good bill of health at the doctor, which was the first and most important concern, and this news was just icing on the cake!

We video taped it (press play above) and I’m so glad we have something to commemorate the moment we found out we’re having a GIRL!!! I think Craig’s still in shock, but I know he’s going to be great… after all, he already has two girls and he’s still alive!

We couldn’t be with our families to share in the excitement, so we had a little something sent to them to find out. My childhood best friend baked and delivered a cake to my parents, and Craig’s brother’s sweet girlfriend delivered cupcakes to his family over the weekend. It’s so exciting to finally be able to give baby Hayes an identity and start thinking of her as an actual little person! Let the shopping commence!

blog-IMG_2296

A Few of My Favorite Things (114)

Posted on by

0

[Stella & Dot outfit of the week:: Old Navy maternity maxi // JCrew cardigan // Charm Necklace w/Engravable ID Tag, Wishbone, and “H” Clover // Crescent Necklace // Bardot Spiral Bracelet]
unnamed
[National Sibling Day]
unnamed (2)
[spring pretties]
unnamed (3)
[up, up, and away for Hadley’s 1st birthday]
unnamed (4)
With Craig out in Arizona for a country music fest for half the week, I had a pretty relaxing, quiet weekend. I did fit in some work, 2 dinners with girlfriends, and a bit of shopping, though! I scored the cutest dress for my friend’s beach wedding coming up in just 2.5 weeks (not that I’m counting or anything). I also learned that sales people are not very understanding of what it’s like to try to shop for dresses in a non-maternity section while pregnant, and then not wanting to commit to something expensive that I’m not sure will fit in 2-3 months…

I’m looking forward to this week because we have our last Springbluff college girls dinner tonight before our friend and her family move to Ireland for the summer!! I just wish we’d be able to fly over and visit while they’re there. On Friday, we head to Asheville first thing in the morning for another one of the Springbluff girls’ weddings! We’ve never been, so if you have any suggestions or travel tips, please send them my way!

bump watch:: 18 weeks

Posted on by

0

unnamed

# weeks: 18 — baby is the size of a sweet potato!
Approx 5.5 inches long and 5+ oz.

Photo location: Atlanta Made mural in West Midtown
Fitting, right?

Best moment this week: Getting the nursery painted, carpets professionally cleaned, and the crib put together! Coco supervised the entire process, but I’m not so sure what she thinks about that crib in “her” room.

unnamed (1)

Miss anything: I’ve found that other than wine or a craft beer every once in a while, most of the things I can’t eat aren’t really that big of a deal (right now, anyway).

Cravings: I may have had one too many Peeps cupcakes and Reese’s eggs this week, but other than that… no real cravings.

unnamed (9)

Feeling good/bad: Other than allergies from everything blooming around here, I’m feeling great! But it’s spring, it’s warm out, and I’m happy.

Baby purchases/gifts: My sweet coworker Bill gave us a huge, helpful book about children from birth to 5 years — it’s like a super encyclopedia, which I’m sure will come in very handy over the next few years. And our friend Courtney just had a baby, so she lent me a bag of maternity clothes to wear over the next 5 months, which I’m so grateful for! Nobody wants to spend a lot of money on clothes they will only be wearing for a short amount of time, so this is much-appreciated.

Looking forward to: Our 19 week ultrasound next week, because we’ll finally find out if baby Hayes is a boy or girl!! On one hand, it seems like we’ve been waiting forever, and on the other hand, the past few months since we found out have flown by. I’m also really excited to be heading to Asheville, NC for the first time next weekend. We’ll be celebrating one of my oldest college friends, Anna, at her wedding! I’m so looking forward to a quick getaway to a new place — one that we’ve been wanting to visit for years!

**********************************
And just for fun, here are some gender predictions according to Old Wives Tales. The majority point toward a boy, so we’ll see!

1. Heartburn – Yes – Boy

2. Cravings – Sweet – Girl

3. Heartrate – Above 140 bmp – Girl

4. Chinese Calendar – based on mother’s age at conception and month of conception – Girl

5. Mayan Calendar – based on mother’s age at conception and year of conception – Boy

6. Acne – No – Boy

7. Moody – No –Boy

8. Clumsy – Yes (but not sure if it’s more than usual?) – Boy

9. Side I sleep on – Left – Boy

10. Morning Sickness – No – Boy

11. Headaches – Yes – Boy

12. String/Ring Trick – Circular motion – Girl

A Few of My Favorite Things (113)

Posted on by

0

[Stella & Dot outfit of the week:: Pop Geo Pendant // Engravable Bar Necklace with my name // Target maxi skirt // AE jean jacket from college]
unnamed
[biggest beer ever at our new local seafood restaurant]
 unnamed (3)
[nursery prep]
unnamed (1)
[sweet newborn Drew]
unnamed (2)
[BBQ + bball]
unnamed (5)
[Easter Piggy brunch]
unnamed (4)
After looking through these photos, we had a lot of really good meals out this weekend! We started off with trying out the new seafood restaurant near our house with some friends, and it was really good. It’s called Hook, Line & Schooner and the group owns another neighborhood favorite of ours, McCray’s. Yummy seafood, cool bar, and good atmosphere.

While I was spending Saturday morning with our friends photographing their new addition to the family, Craig was home painting the nursery. Yay — another item checked off the list! And for those curious,  it was painted baby blue by the previous owners, but it is now a very light grey. A perfect backdrop for the green crib we got!!

We attended a lovely Easter service on Sunday morning and had the most delicious brunch at Local Three. It’s buffet-style, and you walk through their kitchen to get your food. My faves were the smoky bacon, french toast with macerated berries, scrambled eggs, and the brownies. Yum! A giant Easter bunny was also walking around during our meal, but we didn’t stay long enough to get a photo with him. Hope everyone has a great week!