ABC, Easy as 123

I've seen this swirling around in the blogosphere and was in a mood to share. Enjoy!

A. Age: 27

B. Bed size: Queen. A beautiful sleigh bed if I do say so myself.

C. Chore you dislike: Washing dishes. We don't have a dishwasher, so there always seems to be a pile in the sink. Dirty dish water is the worst.

D. Dogs: Never had one growing up, but I can't wait to add a furry friend to our family. He will be a French bulldog named Freddie Coletti, regardless of my last name change.

E. Essential start to your day: A wake-up call from N. It's our routine and I wouldn't change it for the world.

F. Favorite color: Purple

G. Gold or silver: Both please!

H. Height: 5'6"

I. Instruments you play(ed): Clarinet. I thought I was too cool for the band and stopped playing when I went to high school.

J. Job title: Account Supervisor

K. Kids: Someday!

L. Live: Boston, you're my home.

M. Mom’s name: Arleen

N. Nicknames: J, Jen and Jean :)

O. Overnight hospital stays: A few.

P. Pet peeves: People who think their time is more valuable than mine. Dishonestly.

Q. Quote from a movie: "I think I'd miss you even if we never met."

R. Righty or lefty: Lefty, like my paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother.

S. Siblings: Younger sister who has turned into a great friend.

T. Time you wake up: 6:45.

U. Underwear: Comfortable and cute.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: I like them all!

W. What makes you run late: Not being able to get out of bed, this happens way too often.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Nothing serious.

Y. Yummy food you make: Fajitas, anything sweet and N tells me a make a mean pot roast :)

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Elephants!

Ballet Woes

Having spent years in ballet class, this little girl holds a special place in my heart. The video definitely added some laughter to an otherwise dull Monday.

via A Cup of Jo

Spring?

Last Sunday marked the first day of Spring and I woke up to snow on my car this morning. Even though I was hoping to break out my warm weather clothes and trade my Uggs in for flip flops, I'm putting on a happy face because Spring days are right around the corner.

To brighten my mood and add some color to our living room, I went out and bought a bouquet of pink tulips and a bag of Sour Patch Kids jelly beans. The jelly beans are addictive, so I only buy them at Easter time. They are a big hit in our house.

To brighten your day, check out my cheery coffee table!

I love the crystal bowl my Nana gave me. It's too beautiful to only bring out on special occasions, so I use it as a candy dish.

Here's to hoping that Spring comes soon!

Must-Have

The newest addition to my "must-have" list is a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. The Julian is what I consider an expensive wardrobe staple. DVF wrap dresses are timeless and can be worn to work or dressed up for a cocktail party. Who can say no to a little black dress?

I'm planning to pick up this lovely on my next shopping excursion.

If you own a DVF wrap dress, let me know if the splurge is worth it!

And the Bridesmaids Wore Aubergine...

They're really wearing "plum," but doesn't aubergine sound so much better?

Sweetheart neckline, ruched, dropped-waist bodice - the Alvina Valenta dress looks absolutely stunning on them and I couldn't be happier.

Little by little, the details are falling into place for the wedding and I'm getting more excited as the days go by.

250 days to go!

Magical Gun

Last weekend, N and I spent a full day registering for wedding gifts. He was a real trooper even in the 6th hour when I was second guessing my dinnerware design for the third time.

We started off the day at Crate and Barrel's Wedding Party Event. It was quite possibly the best shopping experience of my life (and I've shopped...a lot). The store was chock full of newly engaged couples and the Crate and Barrel team gave each duo a "magical gun" that allowed us to scan all the items we wanted to add to our wish list. I mean, I was living a fantasy. Oh but wait, that's not it. They also set up demo stations to show off a few key products and handed our mimosas, paninis and homemade donuts. Can you say, BEST.DAY.EVER?

We also made our way to Macy's and Pottery Barn to round out the spree. I'm really excited to add the new finds to our home and I'm looking forward to the next 9 months leading up to the wedding!

Otherwise Engaged

This Christmas was very special. Not only did I spend it with family and close friends, I also received the most precious gift: a super sparkley, ridiculously beautiful, engagement ring!

The proposal was very romantic and my sweet fiancée, with the help of my sister (pictured below), arranged for both our families to celebrate with us after the big event.

N and I are absolutely over the moon and diving right into the wedding planning. Right now we're trying to nail down a venue for our 200+ guests, hello my big-fat-Italian-wedding, but we're having a blast!

I'm bubbling with happiness and can't wait to say "I do!"

Birthdays!

I celebrated my 27th birthday this weekend and it was wonderful. As much as I hated the thought of creeping into my late 20's, my friends and family put in a ton of effort to make my day extra special. I'm truly blessed.

Top memories of the weekend:

Sweet cupcakes.

Spa day at Emerge.

Gift cards to my favorite stores. 1 and 2.

An (extra) chocolate covered fruit arrangement.

Dinner with N at Hamersley's.

Cards upon cards from friends and family near and far.

Drinks at Bokx and pineapple upside down shots.

Flowers from my favorite 2 year old.

Family brunch.

Two Oprah-approved pot pies.

Thanks for all the love!

I've Got the Blues

N and I are going to be doing a little redecorating. Before I moved in, N painted all the walls in our place and decided that the bedroom would be blue. It's a nice paint color, but everything in our room is blue. Not only the walls, but the bedding and curtains are also the same lovely color. We have fabulous furniture and it pretty much just blends into the blue camouflage background. N did a good job of making sure everything matches, but it might be overkill.

Soooo we're updating. New paint and new bedding. Keeping in mind that we have dark mahogany colored furniture, let me know what you think of my paint and bedding picks below!

Benjamin Moore, Manchester Tan

Pottery Barn Sydney Palampore Organic Duvet Cover & Sham

Love? Hate? Let me know what you think!

Perfect Thought for Today

I love this: "Live your dream, and wear your passion." Fabulous!

Via.

Traditions

I grew up going to my Nana's house every Saturday for lunch. Not many people can say they see their extended family as much as I do, and for that I'm thankful and truly blessed. The tradition still lives on and not much has changed over the years.

For lunch Nana serves meatball and sausage sandwiches, along with a few other weekly staples, but even as a non meat eater, there is no better comfort food than her sauce with bread.

Early Saturday morning, Nana makes the sauce and meatballs. I'm talking early. Like before the birds are chirping. No one in their right mind is awake at that hour, so no one has her recipe. I hope to teach my children how to make her sauce one day, so a couple Saturdays ago I dragged myself out of bed (got to her place at 6am) and got the tips and tricks from the master.

It was an amazing experience, one I will remember forever. Here are a few pictures of my early morning with Nana.

Mixing the meatballs

Browning the meatballs

Nana in action

Sauce simmering before Saturday lunch!

Danny and Annie

The video below brought me to tears this morning (fair warning), but I think everyone should be so lucky to have a love like Danny and Annie.

It is a MUST WATCH.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

A big thank you to Joanna at A Cup of Jo for sharing.

Online Shopping

I'm not much of an online shopper because I simply love going the mall. I like trying things on, feeling the quality of different fabrics and checking out what other people pick up that I might like too.

Jewelry shopping is a totally different story. There is no real need to "try on" jewelry, so that's why I'm all about ordering a few pieces off the site, Stella & Dot. So many beautiful options, but here are a few faves:

The Audrey Cluster Bracelet

Stella Vintage Link Bracelet - Gold

Sofia Pearl Bib Necklace

Belle Fleur Earrings

From the looks of it, it's safe to say I'm on a gold jewelry kick. My birthday is around the corner and I'd love any or all of the above :)

I'm not totally opposed to online shopping because I bought a Michael Kors down coat on Rue La La this morning - when there's a sale, there's a sale!

Photog 101

To learn more about my new camera and how to take artsy pictures that I can post on Facebook (aka show off on Facebook) and share with family and friends, I signed up for a photography class at a local high school. In six sessions, I'm supposed to learn "some technical aspects and some basic photographic compositional methods." By the sounds of it, maybe I should've steered clear of the beyond beginner class.

How much fun is this picture!? Maybe I'll learn to take something like this. I'll be sure to document my progress.

J.Crew Love

So once again, J.Crew has exceeded my expectations. I never check out the shoe selection when I'm in the store because I'm usually overwhelmed by the clothes and jewelry. HOWEVER, today I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the fall shoes (these, these and these) displayed in the front of the store.

Um hello...

I love you, I want you, but I can't afford you. Fingers crossed they go on sale.

Wedding Bliss

This weekend, I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding. Let me just tell you, she was absolutely stunning. So stunning that I cried several times throughout the night because she looked that beautiful (or maybe it was because I had one too many glasses of wine during the cocktail hour, who knows). I have never seen her look so happy and I couldn't have been more thrilled to watch her marry the man of her dreams. From the gorgeous venue to the delicious food - including a make-your-own sundae bar (my personal highlight) - the night was flawless.

Love you, girl friend, he is one lucky guy!

Springstreets

I just came across the most amazing gift for N. I saw it and I had to have it, I mean, he should have it. As most of our friends and family know, we are both huge Springsteen fans. Through Twitter, I learned about New York graphic designer, Dan Cassaro, and his recently released map of New Jersey. This is not just any map of Jersey. On this map, called Springstreets, all the streets, buildings, parks, etc. are named after lyrics from Springsteen songs.

Check it out!

Amazing, huh? I'm going to frame it for N, so one day we can hang it in our future "man cave" in our future house :)

Say Cheese!

Last night, N surprised me with the most beautiful, hi-tech camera I've ever seen. It's a Canon EOS Rebel T1i:

Amazing right? I've been talking about getting a fancy camera FOREVER and taking a photography class. Well, I now have no excuses. Please post comments if you can recommend a really awesome photography class in the Boston area. In the meantime, I'll be snapping shots like a mad woman!

Oh, and did I mention I have the best boyfriend in the whole world!?

Karma

One of my fave girlfriends was wearing the Dogeared Karma necklace when I saw her recently and I knew right away I had to have it. I ordered it that very night. It's a simple, elegant piece that is perfect to wear every day. Believe me, I've been wearing mine every day since it came in the mail!




















I particularly enjoyed the sweet message that came with the necklace:

what goes around comes around...
wear your necklace as a reminder to keep
the circle positive, peaceful and loving

Thank you, Dogeared, I will be back for more!

Delicious Honest Tea

While on a shopping trip to Whole Foods, my mom picked me up a bottle of Honest Mango Acai White Tea to try. I can honestly say, it was the most delicious iced tea I've ever had (pun intended). In a pinch, it's easy to turn to the likes of Arizona or the Lipton mix, but this tea did not have the overpowering sweetness that most iced teas have. How do they do it? Honest boasts that instead of accessorizing with high fructose corn syrup (so last century), they add a pinch of organic cane sugar, mangos and the superfruit acai. Refreshing and super tasty.

Thank you Honest Tea for making my new favorite drink of choice. Cheers!