Surprise!

Some may say it's a little early, but I've already started planning for my birthday (in January). My current wishlist includes wine (red and white, please), a wine club membership, sushi (which I don't even like), a cold turkey sandwich, and rides on lots of roller coasters.

You may see where this is going......... or you may not. Allow me to clarify why I'm daydreaming of things I will be able to have in approximately 6 months.

Surprise! Our family of two will be a family of three, come late December (fingers crossed for a 2015 birthday - mama wants that tax write-off!) Baby W's birthday is currently projected for December 31 - one week after Christmas, and one week before my birthday. Happy holidays, indeed. :)

April Showers Bring... A Surprise!

This was our last weekend out of too many in a row that was booked with some big plans - which included back-to-back showers on Saturday. Why have just one, when you can have several?

I started out by hosting a French-themed brunch baby shower for Stephanie on Saturday morning. Aileen and Molly helped put together a lovely event that came together so simply and easily - I fully recommend having brunch for any shower, because the food is easy to make in advance, allows for a great combination of sweet and savory, and... who doesn't love mimosas??

Aileen made an adorable banner, and Molly brought beautiful bunches of hydrangeas to set out around the living room and kitchen. Along with a huge spread of food and a mimosa bar with various flavors of juice, we had the doors and windows open for some fresh air, and Aileen made delicious Macaron favors. It was perfect.

It was fun to see the girls from our book club, and also get a chance to meet some of Stephanie's older friends: she had several come from Northern Virginia that she has known since high school! So sweet. We spent the morning talking, eating, and oohing and awwing over adorable baby clothes and gifts. Tiny outfits are the best!

After the party, I had just enough time to get the house cleaned up and semi-back together and hang out with C for a few before heading up the road to Woodbridge: it was time for Brittany's bridal shower! Her mom put together a beautiful shower with friends and neighbors old and new, and we got another chance to celebrate Brittany's upcoming wedding.

Unfortunately, my phone was dead and I completely forgot that I had my real camera with me, so I didn't manage to get many pictures. Bummer! At least I was busy being "in the moment," right? Hard to believe that the next big event will be the wedding! It'll be here before we know it.

While that probably would have been enough excitement for one weekend, what's a little more? April showers bring... May flowers a big surprise! I've been saying for weeks now that I just needed to get through this weekend, and then C & I could have some down time and wait for our niece to be born. This was the last weekend with things we had to do, and then I intentionally left several weekends in a row of no plans, so that we could be available whenever the baby decided to come.

Well, she apparently took my advice to heart, because I woke up Sunday morning to some unexpected news: it was baby day! Baby Girl waited exactly as long as I wanted her to, and not one day more. She made her grand debut on Sunday night, and the whole family is just over the moon about it. She is such a precious little pumpkin! I can't wait to dress her in pink and sparkles and do every girly thing there is with her - she is already so loved! And I am thrilled to have several weekends coming up with no plans so that we can snuggle and adore her. Funny how that worked out!

Hockey bookends

Well hellloooooo there. Happy Monday! How are things looking in your neck of the woods? It was still pretty chilly when I left the house this morning (34, I think), but they are saying it could wind up in the low 70s this afternoon!! We are soooo close to Spring, I can almost taste it. I did spend a good part of yesterday with the back door open while I cleaned and lounged, which is always nice, but it was super windy yesterday and my wind chimes were clanging like crazy. I am ready for the long days of nice weather!

This weekend started and ended with Capitals games, with all kinds of things packed in between. The home team ended up with a win and a loss, so that's not so bad, I suppose. A nice set of hockey bookends for the weekend!

Friday night, we headed into DC with our friends, Stephanie and Chris, to catch a Caps game in person! This was only the second game of the season that we've been to in person, and it is always so much fun to be in the arena. We started with a quick dinner at Penn Quarter Sports Tavern, where we braved the wind and opted to eat al fresco. Might not have been our smartest decision, but it was where there was a table open, and we all had jackets... so we made the most of it and kicked off outdoor-eating weather! (PS - I had the Guacamole burger, with guac, cheddar, and pico de gallo, and loved every bite. Highly recommend!)

Hockey games are always way more fun in person than they are on TV, and I love the atmosphere of being at a game live. Unfortunately, the Caps couldn't get us a win this time around... but we still had a great time with friends and enjoyed our night in the city.

On Saturday morning, Stephanie and I went over to a local event that was going on: the Weecycled Children's Consignment sale! We had no idea what to expect when we got there, but it turned out to be really well organized, and the prices were pretty good, too. I told myself that I was just going along as moral support, but once I got inside and saw all the tiny baby girl clothes... I couldn't help myself! I have so far avoided buying anything clothing-wise for our niece (due next month!), but the dam finally broke. Once I gave in, it was really hard to stop!

I texted my sister-in-law to find out what items they actually still need for Baby Girl, and tried to limit myself to only those categories. All those tiny ruffles and adorable dresses are so tempting, though!

Yes, that is a tiny onesie that says "I love my auntie" - !!!!

After several hours of shopping, I stopped at home to grab C, and we headed to Wegmans for lunch and grocery shopping. We are really exciting, aren't we? In case you've never been to Wegmans (I'm sad for you!), they have a huge prepared foods / hot & cold bar area, and you can get all different types of cuisine. We each piled up a container with the foods of our choice and enjoyed a little lunch date in their upper dining room. It was a good rainy afternoon activity!

Saturday night consisted of binge-watching season 7 of Parks and Rec - we are halfway through and I never want it to end! #saveJJsDiner

On Sunday, I did the taxes - whoop, whoop! Not. But our taxes are quite simple at this point (two steady jobs and one mortgage, done) so it only took me a couple hours to have them completed and filed. No refund for us this year... just handing over more money to the IRS. Cry. That was a depressing-enough way to spend the morning, so I let myself lounge for most of the afternoon. Yesterday evening, we headed to our local Buffalo Wild Wings to meet up with C's cousin and his family to watch the second Caps game of the weekend! The outcome of that one was much better, and it was fun to catch up! C's cousin and his wife have two super cute little boys, and we love getting to see them. Plus, babies in Caps jerseys! So cute!

I ended up with a horrible stomach ache by the time we got home, and pretty much put myself to bed immediately. So that part kind of sucked... but the rest of the weekend more than made up for it. We are about to have a solid month of booked weekends, so it was nice to be able to enjoy one that was spent mainly at home before the madness starts. Everyone needs a little time to rest and relax - it's good for the soul!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? Have a great week!

Break out the cake & balloons!

Happy birthday to me! 

Stick some candles on a birthday cake and sing the song... I'm 27 today! (Fun fact: It's Elvis's birthday, too. The King and I share a day - didja know?? Wisdom provided by my 9th grade English teacher, and I've never forgotten it!)

Let's take one very small second and say this together: twenty-seven. That can't possibly be my real age, right? Actual adults are 27. Ummmm... that can't be me... wahhhh!

Moving on.

Gratuitous baby birthday photos

To celebrate, C & I are going out to dinner tonight (no idea where - it's a surprise!), and then we are in the midst of planning a winery excursion with some of my favorite people for this weekend. Can't think of a better way to enjoy the occasion than food, lovely people, and wine. Cross your fingers that the 50% chance of rain goes away!

In honor of this fantastic day, I've decided to do something BRAND NEW and EXCITING... my first giveaway! That's right - for my birthday, I'm going to give you (or someone) a present! I'm not entirely sure what, yet, but I'll put together a little package of some of my favorite things for the winner: probably a Starbucks gift card, a snack or two, my favorite chapstick and / or nail polish, maybe some fun socks... it'll be a surprise, like all good birthday presents should be!

Entering the giveaway is easy - just use the widget below. No crazy actions required - you don't have to follow me on 17 forms of social media, you don't have to promise me your first-born child, you don't have to paint my toenails on the third Wednesday of every month. Just enter if you want to win! The contest is open until midnight tomorrow, and I'll announce the winner later this week :)

YAY, birthdays!

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Baby love.

I truly, truly meant to blog every day this weekend as part of Blog Every Day in May.... But then on Friday, I got unexpectedly busy. 

Meet the newest love of my life: Brady, my best friend Lindsey's brand new baby boy. I am smitten! He was born late Friday night, a week early, and is about as cute a baby could possibly be. So, one again, you'll see why blogging every day took a backseat to real life... Some things are just more important <3

L2, I'm so proud of you for bringing this sweet little boy into the world! Thanks for letting me be a part of this new life adventure. So happy for you and your precious little family :) xoxo

A Tale & A Surprise

So I have a little story to tell. As it turns out, there was another cat trapped in that bag I mentioned before...

Once upon a time, there was a princess. (This is my blog, I can tell whatever version of the story that I want. Go with it.) The princess's name was Lindsay, and the princess had a best friend, who's name was also Lindsey (aka L2).

There she is.

The princess and her best friend had taken to making each other cards for various occasions - taking a card for a specific occasion ("I miss you!") and turning it into a card for something else ("Happy birthday!"). It's actually quite hilarious... but anyway.

So one day, L2 tells the princess that she's going to come visit, and she asks the princess to make her a delicious dinner. This is relatively normal, so the princess agrees, and they make a plan for a Friday night.

Friday night comes around, and Princess Lindsay makes a delicious dinner of chicken enchilada casserole. L2 arrives, and helps the princess in the kitchen as she finishes dinner. While the casserole is baking, L2 tells the princess that she has something special for her. The two girls sit down on the couch, and L2 presents the princess with a card. The princess is very confused, because there is no occasion for a card, but she opens it anyway. Inside the envelope, this is what she finds:

Can you read that? It says "Guess what?"

The princess is still confused, but she has a feeling she knows what she is going to find inside the card...

Can you read that one??

!!!!!

That's right.... the princess is going to be Aunt Princess! L2 is having a baby!!

In case you can't read the inside of the card, is says "Confession: I'm pregnant! ...and I'm not lion!" (The card was originally an "I miss you" card - very funny.) 

The princess almost falls off her couch with shock and excitement, and then tackles L2 for a giant hug.

The end.

And so there you have it - the other secret I've been sitting on, and another reason it's been a bit quiet around here - between changing jobs and getting this big news, there's been a lot going on that I couldn't really write about, and a lot going on that has kept me busy. I am beyond thrilled about the little half-Brit that's going to be born next May, and I can't wait to love the heck out of my little neice or nephew.

So far, everything is perfect - L2 is healthy, the baby is healthy, and she's having pretty much the easiest pregnancy of anyone I've ever seen. Lucky girl!

BFFs <3