the winner is….
#1 - Angela
Congrats lady! I will send your gift certificate through google friend connect. I would love to see what you decide on, please put it in the comments
Thanks to all who participated!
xoxo
random thoughts on a tuesday
I think i may make this a weekly thing. My random thoughts. I just have so darn many of them, and i think its kinda fun. So here we go folks, ready…
currently loving:
-animal crackers as a midday snack
-the tons of sunshine lately around here
-the snuggle hugs i get from Blake when i pick him up after work
-the yummy homemade organic recipes I've been trying lately -YUM!
not so much:
-the infestation of stink bugs. i find one and put it outside and i swear it sneaks back in when i shut the door. AND multiples as a HA you can't get rid of me that easy!
-giving leila (our mutt pup) a bath. i swear its got to be one of my least favorite things to do…all that dog hair and water flying everywhere…ugh.
-the lack of sleep i get when blake decides he wants to not only sleep with us, but to then use our bodies as an adjustable bed sleeping sideways with his head on my legs and his feet on daddy's
-my skin acting like I'm still a 13 year old with crazy hormones. I thought approaching 30 might be signal to the body to STOP the crazy skin stuff.
Oh and wouldn't it be fantastic to have a "laundry maid" who comes in like once a week just to do laundry. thats it just laundry, nothing else. Just when i think I'm caught up…dun dun duuuuun.
ANNND - later we shall have a winner…for the first ever giveaway!
What are your random thoughts today?
mmmm pho soup
I have to rave about the yumminess of vietnamese pho beef soup. It's quite amazing.
We had it the other day for lunch as a that when i got home from work. It is so nice to sometimes have the husband working from home. Ah the perks. Its these days that i look forward to when the boys go down for nap easy and we get to spend dome time having out (even if he is working still)
Have a wonderful rest of your week!
date night - with unexpected visitors
Last nights date night we got a surprise visit from my grandparents, which just happened to be the night we were going to do date night. Well it turned into such a nice evening visiting with them - since we are so far from home and where my family is, it was such a great little surprise to have them join us. We aren't able to see them often and when we do its usually in the midst of visiting with other family (to squeeze them all in) all in one weekend.
We had to kids at the Y again for parents night (oh my gosh can i stress how much I love the Y and all its 3 hours a month of parents night glory! - oh and did i mention its free to members!! FREE!)
Anyways - we ate at Seasons 52, which if you have never been it is a treat. Whole menu under 475 calories, menu is always with seasonal veggies and the specials menu changes every week. (hence the name Seasons 52)
Thought id throw in a fun flashback…Jeff got me this little black dress when we got engaged in Paris in 2004, and I wore it last night to dinner. (yes it still fits, If i haven't mentioned…I'm kinda freak of nature - my metabolism is quite ridiculous…)
In Paris - heading to the Moulin Rouge - 2004
Seasons 52 date night - 2012
Don't forget tomorrow is the last day to enter the GIVEAWAY!! Good luck to you all!
Happy Sunday loves!
random thoughts on a tuesday
In one day i have so many ridiculous thoughts that go through my head…all of which are completely random. And now i plan to share them with all of you lucky ducks.
{cape - anthropologie, camera bag - DIY, jeans - thrifted, belt - Jcrew}
Here it goes:
- i am currently obsessed with putting cucumber in my water
-i am pretty sure i put my contacts in the wrong eyes. And wore them like that for 3 days straight.
-i can't be mad at Porter when he tells me he is "cross at me" (for those who aren't purvey to boys cartoons - its what sir top em' hat says to his the trains)
-it needs to be spring already.
-yellow is an awesome color.
-i think washers have it out for me. I get hurt almost every time i do laundry.
-i'm more crafty then i thought i was. DIY project post comin up soon. (hint - storage for jewelry)
-husband is obsessed with making the perfect latte (and latte art) - can we all say yes please!
-making sheet tents with the boys is one the most fun things we do with them. we usually turn the lights out and bring the twilight turtle in for some stars under the sheets action.
-date nights with the hub is way underdone. needs. to. happen. more.
-frozen yogurt was necessary on date night regardless of the 32 degree temps.
and for those who may be interested….and if not too bad...
random weather fact:
boulder, colorado - wind gusts today up to 100 mph!? What?! thats the same as an EF1 tornado or a category 2 hurricane…
just saying.
xo-steph
Attn all you mamas! GIVEAWAY monday
You have a chance to win a $20 gift card to Little Texas Cuties Quilts good toward anything in the store! I have personally purchased a one of a kind monogrammed quilt - and it was beautiful! Lil miss has some talent. So go ahead i dare ya not to find something super cute in her shop. dare ya!
Heres whatcha gotta do to enter:
1. follow {fall with} us blog. Click here comment below telling me which item{s} you'd spend your gift card on.
2. blog about this entry and tell me about it.
Good luck loves! Winner will be drawn at random, next Monday.
xo-steph
im a double agent
{jeans - Anthropologie, shirt - Acquired here, cardi - AE, shoes - buckle, hat - target}
Well not really but I am doing a double post today! The very talented (check out her shop) and awesome Lacey from {Lacey in the Sky} has asked me to do a guest post for her on her blog today since she is mega busy with babies being born all around her. How exciting for her!
So about the outfit - I scored these fabulous yellow jeans on my Philly trip last weekend. My first colored jeans and i didn't hold back with the mix of colors. I wanted it to be completely ridiculous. Why not. Have some fun, besides it was pretty warm and i was feeling the spring like weather.
In other super news, I am hosting my first ever giveaway, and its pretty fantastic actually. Check back Monday. For now - heres a sneak peek. All's I'm gonna say is, if your a mama, you may not want to miss this opportunity. Its a good one!
xo-steph
philly photo class
Hiya. Happy late Thursday. Heres the Philly shots i promised. It was a fantastic day. Just me, my camera, shopping, and some super yummy peanut soup for lunch from the farmers market. Oh and did i mention, shopping?! That semi awkward pic of me was at Anthropologie, and nope i did not walk out with that outfit, was a bit bunchy…one of those cuter on the hanger types. I did how ever get a very cozy and cute cape. (So excited to style it - think it will make its debut this saturday for date night with the husband.)
Best. Day. Ever. Husband says i can do it again. I am thinkin class number two this summer. Only thing that was not so happy that day was my wallet. The man (Okello Dunkley) has made me see the fine ways of a better lens. And who am i to say no to better munchkin pictures. The 18-55 mm i have now just doesn't do it in low light fast moving situations, which just happens to be most of time when i have time to take pictures of my little guys. 50mm you will be mine.
Oh and apparently, being a meteorologist does NOT have its perks for weather forecasting, because i (on a pretty usual basis i might add) forgot my umbrella - hence the rained on look in the last photo.
Silliness.
I know.
xo-steph
hi - i have yellow legs
{top - banana republic, skirt - target, tights - kohl's, belt - H &M, shoes - kohl's}
So yes I do have on yellow tights, and yes i did wear them to work today. And you guessed it, i was definitely asked why i had on yellow tights - by the men folk of course. They said i had jaundice legs. Why yes that is exactly what it is, thank you. I tell ya.
My inspiration for this little number happens to be the Jason Wu dress the husband got me for vday. Yellow, pink, and charcoal combo.
Of course i did ask the husband his thoughts - he says "it's cute". SO it was a keeper.
xo-steph
my lovers day outfit
Alright so i know I'm not sporting the typical red and orange put together outfit or the pale pink oh so chic outfit - but friends - this sweater, oh this sweater, i have dubbed thee my official lady lala week must wear. Its comfy and roomy and VERY forgiving. It is exactly everything i need for that special once a month visit.
And yes - i wore it for valentines day, because its green which happens to be Jeff's favorite color on me. It matches my eyes, he says. He is a sweet one.
Oh and it has pockets.
{Sweater - UO, belt - Zara, leggings - target, boots - Vince Camuto}
from us to you
We celebrated with home made red wine (its my hobby!), a little hunt started off by the kids helicopter with a hanging heart clue attached flying towards me randomly, and dinner for 2 ala our kitchen table complete with strip steaks, asparagus, baked potatoes, and sushi as an appetizer. Dessert = strawberry in chocolate fondue. YUM!
It was fabulous.
Hope yours was too-
Happy Valentines Day!!
photography class teaser
All I will say is, the man is a genius. I took a class in Philly Saturday from Okello Dunkley. I learned so much from my class. I will post more pictures later, but for now here is one of my fav's i took after class. It's official i shoot only manual now, and i am getting pretty good at it!
Next up - class 2. Gonna schedule this one for late spring. Until then, one thing i need, a new lens. Bett start saving my pennies, since i am trying to be good and save, save, save. Oh what to sell? Anyone want a cheap photoshoot to help support my lens need?
philly car show
Since Jeff is into cars and racing his own car - every year for the past 3 years we have went to the Philly car show. This year we got really lucky and while waiting in line to pay for tickets someone gave us free ones! Yay! I always say if its free, its for me! In the past years it seems like theres always been something that throws off our car show day, whether its Porter getting sick and on the way home throwing up or Blake throwing a fit causing a scene. (well that almost happened this year). But really, this year turned out great! We found out last year that if you park in a certain garage and get a validated ticket from reading terminal market you can get discounted parking ($4!). So we made out pretty well for a fun filled day.
xo-steph
a brisk morning walk
{dress as skirt - trifted, button up - Macy's, shirt - target, coat - Obvi boutique, tights - target, boots- DSW}
My Friday consisted of a nice short and cold morning walk with Blake and Leila and some not so deep cleaning of the ol' casa. Blake likes to play what i call broom hockey - where he has his own little broom and while i am sweeping the floors he trys and steals my dirt by sweeping it in all kinds of directions. I have to be a good defender of my dirt. If not, dirt goes flying. Its a fun game for my little guy.
PS those boots…sooo comfy. I could wear them all the time. And thier wedges - awesomeness.
xo-steph
making goals
{skirt - anthropologie, shirt - F21, belt - thrifted, boots - vince camuto,
coat -present from me mama- Modcloth }
Jeff and I decided (well maybe mostly me) decided to take more control of goals in our lives. We sat down last night and each made a list of goals.
Steph's Goals:
Blog more. Make new blogging friends, and document life's little treasures more. Create even more new unique combinations of out of my existing closet. Goes along with goal numero dos.
Save Save Save: Basically for a house - we would like to be in a different school district for Porter's sake and to do that we have a long term goal to save as much as we can in any way possible. This means setting an actual budget for my clothes spending. BUT my friends lucky for me i have a number of gift cards i can still use. Yay for gift cards!!
Take more photography classes: Im not a pro. There i said it. But i would love to become a better photographer and actually maybe sometime in the future become a semi pro. I have the creative eye - i just cant seem to get my camera to do what i want it to. I even say nice things to it…doesn't help. SOOO gonna start taking more classes starting this month - Im signed up for one in Philly!!
Jeff's Goals:
Save Save Save! - Just like me. He has a budget too. We have a pretty little goals list with all the number worked out so we know what our long time goal is.
Market his business. He has a beautiful mind to do crazy awesome thing with computers. He works magic people. But alas - not so many clients. So - he and I are both looking forward and as starting to plan out new strategies for new clients. Cross your fingers! (or email me if your in the Philly area!)
So in an effort to stretch my closet i went for mixing prints today. Green skirt with blue flowers and a blue striped shirt. It was a fun match to make :)
xo-steph