Holiday Decor Ideas

I need to get going on my Christmas decor! The tree is still in the garage, the decorations are in a box in my mom's basement and the wreath is wrapped in plastic under one of the beds. 

I did, however, clean off the mantel and the dresser in the family room to make way for Christmas stuff...... that's progress, right?

Anyway, there's a great holiday link party going on in the blogosphere right now that I wanted to share with you. It's sure to be a great resource for ideas as you get ready for the holidays.

Click here and it will take you to a post with each blogger's link.

We Are Thankful

.... for the brand new arrival we're expecting in May. We're having a baby! And don't worry, we won't be naming him or her "A-Da" which is what this little one suggests every time we ask her!

This is an outtake from our Christmas card photo shoot this weekend. She's such a ham.... I mean, seriously, this girl LOVES an audience.

By the way, I'm so excited to show you our Christmas card. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I don't want to give the goods away before I send them out, so you'll have to wait until closer to Christmas to see it.

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was nice. I've been feeling so sick - (I'm talking 24/7 morning sickness for the last two months, which explains my absence.) but I was able to enjoy dinner on Thanksgiving.

Don't let that smile fool you. This is what Ana really thought of Thanksgiving dinner:

When did she become a picky eater?! (And yes, she did eat without clothes on. All I can say is her clothes ended up in the wash much earlier in the day than expected. Things never go as planned with a one year old!)

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving weekend too.... and aren't yet overwhelmed by all the things that need to get done before Christmas!!

Halloween Fun

We took our little chick to the Indianapolis Zoo this weekend for some Halloween festivities:

 It was amazing to see how much more aware she is of the animals than in previous visits!!

Aside from our little chick, this baby elephant was the cutest thing around! I could have watched him all day!!

Then today we put the costume back on for some trick-or-treating!!

 

(Our dog is supposed to be a hockey player courtesy of my husband)

Is this why we were short on candy by the end of the night!?!

Showing off her loot as we walked to the next house!

Update

I know - I've been a terrible blogger lately. I'm still not feeling well, which explains the lack of posts. (Can you believe I haven't checked my email in more than a week!?)

So I've been doing a lot of lying around the house.... and babes is such a good girl. She so easily entertains herself:

This was all her doing! I guess she decided the basket works better as a place to read the books rather than store the books.

We're in trouble - I think she knows how cute she is!

Here are some random thoughts I've been wanting to share with you:

Do you watch Parenthood? I love this show.

Honestly, it's my favorite TV show, and I love that it's back with new episodes. It's so nice to have good TV to watch with all the garbage that's on right now. (I won't name names.)

Oh, did anyone see the Dear Genevieve episode today on HGTV?

She did a navy dining room! Yes, I said navy!! (see my obsession here.)

So, once I'm feeling better I'm 1. getting my hair cut 2. getting a mani/pedi and 3. going shopping.

I'm thinking my wardrobe staple this fall will be the scarf. BUT I'm not talking plain scarves.... I like a little something extra to them. I saw this one at Ann Taylor a couple months ago, and I'm still kicking myself for not buying it.

The coin detail is what makes it stand out. Here are some other options - both of these have a pom pom detail that I also like:

Pinterest

Saks

All this cold/rainy weather has me in the mood for a new pair of boots. I think this outfit is perfect for fall:

Via

Are you ready for Halloween? I just came across this costume on Pinterest. How adorable is this!!!

Via

With as many trips to Starbucks as we make - this would be perfect for baby when she's a little older. In the meantime, her costume arrived in the mail the other day. You'll have to wait till Halloween to see it!!

I hope to be back soon - bear with me!!

Pumpkin Party

Last weekend we headed to Chicago for a first birthday party for my cousin's baby. They had it at a pumpkin patch. It was so much fun!! Here are some pics from the day:

Ana and the birthday girl.

The pumpkin patch had a lot to do besides picking out pumpkins - like this huge bouncy thing.

The desserts were perfect for a Halloween themed party!

This ride in the cornfield was so bouncy - and babes LOVED it.

Petting zoo

Wondering what happened to my husband?.... we were rushing to the party and somehow the car door hit him in the head!! poor guy.

Thinking Navy

Ever since I saw this picture in the Crate and Barrel catalog, I've been obsessing over the color navy.

I honestly have never thought about putting navy in my home. Who knew it could be so sleek, modern and bold!

Here's some more inspiration:

Elle Decor

Decorpad

Michaela Noelle Designs

Jill Rosenwald via Elle Decor

Decorpad

Massucco Warner Miller

Friday Fashion File

I can't get over these new shoes I bought babes for fall:

 (Gone are the days of her stopping and posing for my pics!)

They're Minnetonka Fringe Booties.

I ordered these adorable shoes after spotting them on The Little Style File.

And guess what - they came the same day as my new J.Crew catalog. Why does that matter?... well look at what just happened to be on the back cover of that catalog...

Yes - Minnetonka moccasins!

AND in my InStyle magazine in the "Shop Like a Fashion Editor" section:

My brother thinks they're weird - my mother totally gets it. My hubby is head over heals for anything on his little princess.
I think one stylish baby: check.

P.S. She's now in cahoots with the stray cat outside:

If that cat ends up inside the house - we know who did it!