August 21, 2019 FOOD 1 Comment

SHORTCUT THAI BASIL CHICKEN

This flavorful, spicy Thai dish requires only a few staple pantry ingredients and comes together in no time!

Shortcut Thai Basil Chicken.

Since I’m off during the Summertime, I like to use my extra free time to experiment in the kitchen and stray from my, oh, five dinner recipe regulars. 🙂 Barry’s absolute favorite dish from our beloved local Thai restaurant is Thai Basil Chicken (known as Pad Krapow Gai). One of my cooking goals this Summer was to try to recreate this dish at home, with a few tweaks to make it even simpler to prepare. I think I’ve done it with my Shortcut Thai Basil Chicken!… Read more

August 16, 2019 LIFE Post a Comment

HAPPY FRIDAY

White bridal shoes and bouquet in the grass outside.

We apologize for being a little MIA for these past few weeks…Summer has been flying by, and we’ve been enjoying every moment! I gear up to go back to work in a couple of weeks, so we’ve been savoring these past few weeks together and have done lots of fun “first” family outings (a local marina, the aquarium, the zoo, etc.) with Chloe!

This weekend, we’re attending our friends’ wedding (congratulations, Tara and Brian!) and are looking forward to a fun celebration with my closest friends from college. On Sunday we’re celebrating my brother’s birthday with a family lunch.… Read more

August 5, 2019 TRAVEL 2 Comments

PERTH AMBOY, NJ HARBORSIDE MARINA

Last weekend we were out running some errands, and we found ourselves at the Perth Amboy, NJ Harborside Marina. I am a lifelong resident of New Jersey, and until now, I never knew that this little gem existed! It’s complete with an ice cream shop, waterfront restaurant, and marina with beautiful views.

Perth Amboy Harborside Marina.

THE BAYSIDE CREAMERY

There is a free public parking lot, so we parked our car and first headed to what initially caught our eye – the Bayside Creamery.

Bayside Creamery in Perth Amboy, NJ.

We were super impressed with this ice cream shop – they had many delicious flavor options, and it was packed to the brim with people (always a good sign!)… Read more

July 25, 2019 FAMILY 2 Comments

HOMEMADE AVOCADO BABY FOOD

Avocado and avocado baby food puree.

After trying carrots and green beans as Chloe’s first solid foods (both were big hits!) we decided to give avocado baby food a shot. Funnily enough, Barry and I both HATE avocados (unlike the rest of the world, it seems 😉 ) but I just had a feeling Chloe would love them.

Avocado cut open.

The best place near us for avocados is Aldi – we can usually find them there for just $0.57 each! What a steal! You could just mash up an avocado and give it to your baby if he/she doesn’t mind the extra texture, but for our first time feeding it to Chloe, we wanted to puree it.… Read more

July 20, 2019 LIFE Post a Comment

HAPPY WEEKEND

Glass of birthday champagne.

We are a day late posting this, but happy weekend regardless! It’s supposed to be a scorcher in New Jersey (with a real-feel temperature of 110 degrees!) so we are planning on staying indoors most of the weekend to stay cool. It’s also my birthday on Sunday (the big 3-0! How did that even happen?!) so we’ll be celebrating with a lunch out.

What are your plans this weekend?… Read more

July 18, 2019 RELATIONSHIPS Post a Comment

FEATURE ON THE ZOE REPORT – WEDDING HAIRSTYLES

My high school friend Jessica Yarbrough and I recently reconnected over Instagram, discussing changes in the trends of wedding hairstyles. She asked me if I’d be interested in sharing a little bit about my wedding day hair, since I opted for the simple look of wearing my hair down instead of in a fancy updo.

Bride and groom dancing at their wedding.
My simple look on our wedding day in 2017.

She interviewed several other brides who also chose similar looks, and turned everything into The Classic Wedding Updo Might Be Dead – Here’s What’s Replacing It on The Zoe Report, which is one of my favorite fashion/lifestyle websites.… Read more

July 12, 2019 LIFE Post a Comment

HAPPY FRIDAY

We hope you have a wonderful weekend! This weekend, Chloe will have her first pool day. We’re excited to see if she likes the water (if bath time is any indicator…she’ll love it! 🙂 )

What are you up to this weekend?… Read more

FAMILY Post a Comment

HOMEMADE GREEN BEAN BABY FOOD

Green beans on cutting board and green bean baby food.

After trying carrots with Chloe as her first solid food (she enjoyed them!) we decided we wanted to give her a green vegetable as her next solid food. Because, well…it sounded like a good idea to go with something green? Hah! When you have a baby and you start solids, you quickly realize that you have a lot of freedom to choose how you want to approach everything, and we figured a green veggie early on wouldn’t hurt.

Green beans.

We chose to use fresh green beans for this puree, but you could also most definitely use frozen to save even more time.… Read more

July 7, 2019 FAMILY Post a Comment

HOMEMADE CARROT BABY FOOD

We got the go-ahead from Chloe’s pediatrician to start trying solids, and we’ve been having lots of fun with it! In the past few months, so many people asked me if we’d buy baby food and make our own. I’m not sure what we’ll do as she gets older, but for right now when trying simple solids (vegetables and fruits), I plan on making her food at home. Not only is it inexpensive, but it’s also super easy and you have total control over what’s going into your baby’s food. Our first choice for solids was homemade carrot baby food.… Read more

June 27, 2019 FAMILY 4 Comments

THE BEST NEW MOM ITEMS FROM AMAZON

New Mom items - collage of images.

After the initial few weeks following Chloe’s arrival, I finally felt the urge to be a functioning human being again. All of you Mamas out there know exactly what I mean, am I right? 😉 I was starting to feel better physically after delivery, and was getting some longer stretches of sleep. I also was able to relax more and ease into my new “normal” as a new Mom. Finally, I felt motivated to dress better and put on some makeup. (OK, only occasionally with the makeup 😉 ) It’s amazing how much better things get after those initial couple weeks of survival mode!… Read more

June 22, 2019 LIFE Post a Comment

HAPPY SUMMER WEEKEND

Happy Friday, and happy first day of Summer! ☀️This week was a busy one for us, so we’re looking forward to a relaxing weekend with some beautiful weather. We’ll be back next week with a few new posts. Until then…enjoy your weekend! ✨

What are your weekend plans?… Read more

June 10, 2019 LIFE Post a Comment

WEEKEND RECAP

Happy Monday! Sorry for the radio silence on Friday…it was a busy day! 🙂

We attended my cousin’s wedding on Friday, which was held at the beautiful Maritime Parc in Jersey City, NJ. The venue was stunning and located in Liberty State Park (<–where we had our engagement photos taken!), with views of the Statue of Liberty, New York City, and Liberty Landing Marina. The cocktail hour was held inside and outside on the wraparound balcony, and the weather was perfect.

Couple at a wedding with a view of the marina.
Overlooking the marina.
New York City Skyline from Maritime Parc.
City skyline view from the wraparound balcony.

The best part of the whole evening (besides the beautiful and happy bride and groom!)… Read more

May 29, 2019 FOOD 8 Comments

CACIO E PEPE

This comforting pasta dish requires only a handful of ingredients and a few minutes, yet is SO flavorful and impressive. Enjoy as either a main or side dish!
Cacio e Pepe.

Cacio e Pepe is a classic meal that I ate many times when I studied abroad in Rome during college. Until now, however, I never thought it make it myself. Now, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long! This simple pasta dish (the name translates to “cheese and pepper”) requires only a handful of ingredients, features the most delicious creamy sauce, and is just so, so easy to whip up in a short amount of time.… Read more

May 20, 2019 FAMILY Post a Comment

THE BEST NON-TOXIC STAIN REMOVER

Non-toxic stain remover clothing.

One of the biggest surprises about motherhood has been that I feel like I am constantly doing laundry. All of you seasoned moms out there may be laughing at my ignorance, but I really didn’t think I’d notice that much of a difference with only having one kid. Boy, was I wrong! Not only does the laundry quickly pile up, but it also often has quite a few, umm…interesting stains on it. Let’s just say that baby stains can be tough to get out! I quickly realized that unless I wanted to throw away several outfits a week, I’d have to find a strong stain remover…fast.… Read more

May 17, 2019 LIFE Post a Comment

ENJOY THE WEEKEND

Cherry blossom tree.

This weekend is supposed to be hot and sunny here in New Jersey, which will be a welcomed break from all the rain we’ve had lately (fourteen out of the first eighteen Fridays of 2019 have been rainy. Unreal!)

I’ll also be soaking up the last bit of my maternity leave before I return to work on Monday. It’s been an amazing five months of leave time, and now I’m ready to go back to finish out the school year. Luckily I have only about three weeks of work until I’m off (again!) for Summer vacation.… Read more

May 15, 2019 TRAVEL 1 Comment

SANDALS NEGRIL – RESORT REVIEW

Ocean view from the villa - Pinterest pin.

When planning our honeymoon, we knew we wanted to focus on one thing: relaxation. After planning our wedding for a year, the last thing we wanted to do was have an over-planned honeymoon. We absolutely didn’t want to feel like we had to sightsee and do all.the.things. Early on, we decided that traveling to an island was a must. From there, we decided to splurge on an all-inclusive trip, because…well, it was our honeymoon! After tons of research, we decided on Jamaica – more specifically, Sandals Negril – and we were thrilled with our choice!… Read more

May 10, 2019 LIFE Post a Comment

HAVE A GREAT MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND

Coffee, a card, and a bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day.

This weekend, we’re thinking of Moms, Step Moms, Foster Moms, Moms-in-waiting, Moms who’ve lost children, those who are unable to have children, those who choose to not have children, and those who have lost their Moms. We know that this can be a difficult holiday for some, and we are thinking of you.

Tomorrow we’re hosting a Mother’s Day brunch for our Moms, and on Sunday we’re enjoying my first Mother’s Day as a family of three. No matter how you spend your weekend, we hope you enjoy it.

What are your plans for the weekend?… Read more

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