A Chicago Weekend

Never fails. We are sad leaving Chicago but for a quick short weekend, we had a wonderful time especially when the perfect fall weather sets in. Sunny and in the high 60s. Crisp cold air and the smell of early fall, glorious weather indeed!

how was your weekend? 

Father's Day Weekend

We had a wonderful time celebrating the special men in our lives this weekend. We took my father out saturday for lunch and shopping (nordstrom still have their half-yearly sale!). They had some really great sale at the men's department. Ben scored a pair of really inexpensive driving shoes and a couple of shirts at amazing discounted prices. For their gifts, I was lucky to chance upon free engraving at macy's with purchase of any calvin klein scents, so i thought that was really neat. On top of that, the gifts with purchase is always a great plus (in this case, koozies and a canvas duffel bag)! 

Earlier in the week was also my father's birthday so we had a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. We are so grateful for his good health and strength. Yesterday we also celebrated my niece (and goddaughter) Jillian's  high school graduation party. She was our flower girl thirteen years ago and surely it was surreal that she's heading off to college this fall! 

Summer camp and activities is wearing out this momma and this boy. The heat is too much to handle and I have the honor of driving him around. I'm already tired just thinking about it. BUT, i wouldn't want it any other way :) 

It's monday again and I hope you all had an amazing father's day weekend celebration! 

Our Family's Easter

It was a nice long weekend Easter break for us. Spent with family, it was simply perfect. Here are a few images to recap the weekend. 

We discovered baby bunnies in one of our flower bushes. Three of them were cuddling and keeping warm under the leaves and our landscaping lamps! Super cute! 

Aston with his grandparents. Love that he can spend most of his time with them. They're not getting any younger and I know he treasures all his moments with them. My sister-in-law also flew in from Indiana and he get to play with her! 

After early Easter mass, we bribed him for a series of Easter poses before heading out for brunch. This is how it turned out. Ha - crazy boy! 

There was a good amount of spring rain Sunday afternoon that left a cooler early evening cast. So, we took advantage of it and had post-dinner dessert outside with this funny little man. Check out the random house shirt and fancy jacket he refuses to take off way after Easter mass :) 

I hope you all had a great Easter! 

Spring Fever

We spent a few days in San Antonio/Hill Country and stayed at one of our favorite resorts. We just chilled and hung out to enjoy the last few days of spring break. This is us waiting for the valet to bring up our car to head out and explore downtown San Antonio. Aston being as silly as he can be! 

How was your spring break? 

Weekend Scenes

Last Thursday we flew to Vegas to join my husband who's attending a course out there. Aston's spring break was about to start (officially starts today) so we decided to tag along. Here are a few iPhone shots to share : 

It was a pleasant trip despite the unfamiliar cold and rainy vegas weather. The Bellagio Conservatory is always a must-see everytime we go so we headed out there to admire the spectacular spring flora display ~ it was so gorgeous! We are flying home today, go back to work for a few days and then head out again to end the spring break week!

How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap

Still having super bowl hangover? Or can't get enough of beyonce's halftime show? Safe to say, amidst the lights out drama, the B mini-concert and the almost comeback of the SF 49ers - it was a pretty exciting night!

Here's what went down this past weekend : got my February julep maven box and I cant wait to try the colors and the top coat that everyone's raving about. One of our staff made me try greek on the go - tiny granola bites with yogurt and they are addicting!

I have some of the sweetest online friends, laurel of go against the grain sent me the cutest valentine's package ~ cupcake toppers and chocolates ~ can't say no! Thanks laurel!

More weekend highlights : a surprise package from my newest blog sponsor, chic peek. read all about their fabulous membership subscription program here.

I finally busted out a new candle - a gift from the holidays - that smells amazing, voluspa suede blanc. It's got a fresh musk scent that's perfect for winter. More scent report, I picked up a new cologne, calypso's bellini eau de toilette. I love the sweet scent with it's hint of citrus and jasmine. Can't wait to wear them for spring and summer. 

And the weekend does not end without me baking my most requested gluten-free peanut butter cookies. It has become a family favorite. this time i skipped the nutella, still yummy. You can get the recipe here. 

Ok, let's get this week started! 

My Birthday Weekend

Here's a quick look at my birthday weekend shindig! 

 <photos from friends nina and rae>

Our Christmas Holiday weekend

Here are a few scenes from a wonderful weekend and Christmas holiday spent with friends and family!

I hope you all had a great time too! 

Our little family is gearing for new hopes and dreams for 2013! 

Holiday Break

I am looking forward to this holiday break. We'll be focusing on spending time with the family ~ joining the little guy's school christmas party, preparing for christmas eve, last-minute shopping, delivering gifts, enjoying some hot chocolate with marshmallows, driving through beautifully christmas lit neighborhoods and ultimately making memorable moments with loved ones this season of giving! 

So before I sign off for a long weekend break, this was how my week started : 

• tying grosgrain ribbons on design darling gifts (no need for a box ~ so pretty!)
• hanging our latest inexpensive T ornament (from michaels!)
• singing carols with kindergarteners last monday at their annual christmas sing-along
• driving through river oaks
• painting my nails nude again (chanel frenzy is a new favorite!)
• dining out with my girlfriends and having fun exchanging gifts
• holding tight the special christmas project aston did at school (adorable)
• and dressing up candycanes with washi tape flags (fancy!)  

Also, don't forget our ongoing 

DRESS SOCIAL SHOP GIVEAWAY

details on how to join here

we will pick a winner on Christmas eve! 

FRIENDS, i sincerely hope you all have a wonderful time with your families! 

i'll see you back here next week! 

Vegas Report

Hello friends! 

We just came back from a very quick visit to vegas. It's always fun to witness the extravagant colorful fare that is las vegas and especially at this time of the year, it was over the top fancy to say the least. We accompanied the husband to his annual conference there and for a short visit, we all had a great time. Unfortunately, I had to endure travelling with a severe head cold and congestion and despite my foggy head, we had fun! 

While the hubs attended his meetings, me and my sweet sidekick aston had the perfect time bonding over brunch, shopping and treating ourselves with delightful desserts over coffee for me and milk for him. Although I'm sure he was disappointed we were not in Disneyland, on our way home he had the time of his life meeting our plane's pilots and crew - he was so excited and can't stop talking about it! 

It's great to be back home. I've got my to-do list on pause-mode because of our trip but I am determined to cross those out this coming week!  How was everyone's weekend? 

Wedding Preps

Our weekend was packed, a birthday party and a wedding. I was surprisingly able to manage and take quite a few shots before heading to Ben's niece Maggie's wedding. But there will be a whole blogpost on the fun kid's party we went to earlier before the wedding.

Here are a few shots before we left to go to church and a picture of aston with his cousins. It was such a fun night being with family and just hitting the dancefloor and enjoying the open bar! 

Isn't he cute in his little striped jacket? Cuteness galore. 

Crafting with Splendid

Splendid's store grand opening was last Saturday and we attended the fun-filled crafting + shopping event at their Highland Village store. For the full recap, visit my other post HERE. 

With blogger Audrey and the boys // my bracelet made of gold and blue beads with Splendid fabric 

Aston enjoying his treat post-escalantes lunch // button station where kids get to pick and make their own

Crafting Comunity for Splendid

Local Houston blogger Audrey and her friends will be hosting a fun family event for the grand store opening of Splendid in the Highland Village this Saturday October 6th at 11 am!

Unfortunately, the hubs has an all-boys outing this Saturday so only Aston and I can come out and play. If you are in the Houston area, please do come out for a crafting community event which will be great!

See you there! 

Glow in The Dark Party

Our weekend ended with an exciting glow in the dark party Aston attended for buddy Aiden. Such a super fun birthday party the kids and adults enjoyed. Glow in the dark necklaces, bangles and eyeglasses were a must-have and the colorful glow all around make for a cool party scene!

Aston rocking the necklace as a headband! Such a ham!

  

Out of this world fun!

Weekend Scenes

Hello Monday! 

Tought I'd start the week with a few scenes from the past 2 days. 

It was a lovely weekend and we got a little tease of the nice weather. Although very brief, it was still a treat. 

Our little family enjoyed an al fresco lunch at our favorite burger joint, Guru. After that we indulged ourselves with starbuck's salted caramel latte and i discovered they also offer them in cakepops. we had both - double trouble! So yummy! 

Then on Sunday after church, we had brunch at Blu while waiting for the Texans game and had fun cheering them on on one of their best games ever. I had their french toast, which I think was pretty good. 

I'm in a pink kick lately. a few weeks ago my seashell pink vaio arrived and just had to order a monogram decal for it. I absolutely love it! I also happen to see this pretty pink Nikon at a recent Best Buy trip and I think I found the first item on my christmas wishlist! So cute! 

We have moved to our new home almost 4 years ago and I am now just ordering my drapes. We currently have roman fabric shades in our family room in a beige neutral color and we wanted to add some color and pattern to our walls. the two fabrics above are what we picked at High Fashion Home and can't wait to share how it's going to look when it's all done.

 The celadon patterned (right pic above) one will go into our formal dining which will pick up some of the green of our antique chinese wooden screen (see pic below). The galatia brown will go in our 2-storey family room, it's dramatic quatrefoil-like pattern will add an elegant look to that bigger room. 

And speaking of home decor, I finally busted out some mini gourds and pumpkins along with a few crystal turkeys and displayed them on the  tiered wire tray i previously used here. The turkeys may be a little premature but hey, they're cute. I'll be redecorating, moving furniture and sprucing up our whole place in anticipation for the holidays. So excited for the cooler weather, football season and the holidays in general. And here was last year's home decor display as well as this one !

i hope the week has started great for everybody! 

Snapshots From the Weekend

I hope you all had a wonderful three day weekend with friends and family. We surely did. in a whim, we decided to take a long drive trip to san antonio-hill country for the weekend and i'm glad we did. it was a great way to unwind and quietly celebrate our wedding anniversary. 

We stayed at this beautiful resort and spa and they are never out of engaging kids activities, poolside fun, spa luxury treatments, family entertainment and great hotel restaurant dining experience. 

For the labor day weekend, they even had foodtrucks come park in their sprawling lawn area and had live band entertainment to the delight of everyone. There is just something magical about dining on rustic tables and benches enjoying texas BBQ under the gorgeous sunset and then the sparkling stars!

 

We totally enjoyed the lazy river and pool slides and spent an early morning there to witness the fun
lazy river rubber duck race. At night, it was nice to hang out at the lobby lounge, had a quick bite and a cocktail and enjoy the live music provided by a really talented musician.  
The weekend was full of laughter, hugs and kisses and a short window shopping to scout holiday weekend sales. overall, it was what we just needed ~ a quiet laidback celebration of our wedding anniversary and the labor day weekend!

Oh, and i still owe you our Disneyland adventure post! Stay tuned!

Insta-Lately

Another weekend over. Another week ahead. August is here and school will be too!

Some images here and there. Glimmer nailpolishes and lemon bars ~ just a few things that make me smile. 

Matching boat shoes for me and the little guy and a welcome packet from our friends at Disney. Yay!

Pretty pink pattern explosion and orange sailboats are perfect for summer. And so is delectable Magnum ice cream bars and the preppy pink and green combo!

How was your weekend? 

Las Vegas according to my iPhone

We are still traveling this morning and should be back home at the end of the day. Let me share some images from our las vegas weekend. We all had a grand time and i'm not looking forward going back to the routine work grind.

Have a great Monday all!
And if you follow my other blog, don't forget to join our summer faves giveaway. It ends this Wednesday, july 25th!

Father's Day Weekend Recap

We actually started celebrating father's day weekend Friday night as we went out for dinner with my folks. We again hit the lunch scene for some steaks on Saturday and I cooked corn and pork bbq for dinner on Sunday night. After Sunday mass, Aston and I treated daddy to a movie and we watched Madagascar at the fancy Star Cinema Grill by our house. Great food and chic swanky interiors - the movie was great too! 

 It was a great weekend celebrating the men in my life - my father and my husband. I had to search for some really memorable photos that truly meant a lot to me. This was heartwarming looking back at old photos. 

My father walking me down the aisle on my wedding day, Sept. 2 2000

 Ben holding Aston the first day he got home from the hospital. So precious. May 2007

Daddy and baby Aston, he's about 3 months old here

And big boy Aston (looking like he's 6 months while he's only 3 months old) with my father. 

How did you spend your Father's day weekend?