... ring in the new year

via

How's everyone spending New Year's Eve/Day this year?

New Year's Eve will be super low key as we'll be spending it at home, just the three of us.
Then New Year's Day we're trekking to the East coast gambling mecca, Atlantic City.
It's been awhile since we've last been, and it'll be nice to return for an overnight stay.

... Blessed

We were blessed this year to have our bundle of joy arrive right on time for all of the major holidays - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day, and New Years Eve/Day.

What we're even more blessed for is awesome family and friends who have showered her with nothing but love and lots of gifts too!  We're not all about materialistic things but who am I kidding.. I'm happy that she has received so many clothes, shoes, and toys to fill up her closet.  :)  She's a budding fashionista, what can I say?  hehe

... holiday sweets

My favorite holiday sweets.  Nothing compares to having yummy holiday cupcakes during... well the holidays.. lol

... oh Christmas tree

What's Christmas without a tree.  Below are beautiful images of unique Christmas trees as well as beautifully decorated ones.

... festivus

Nothing I love more than festive Christmas things. This includes festive, Christmas wreaths.

... baroque

I love the look of baroque furniture, especially when it's a mix of "old" and contemporary.
Here are a few pieces that I love.

... edible gifts

Isn't this the cutest idea for an edible gift or just a dessert to serve at a party, in general?

I saw this on the above linked blog, and thought I'd share this awesome giveaway idea for the holidays with you.

... getting into the spirit

The Christmas spirit that is.
If you caught the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center, you'll see how magical Christmas is in New York City.  Everything lit up, and makes Christmas that much more grand.

I can't wait for Christmas this year especially because it'll be our daughter's third official holiday of the year.  She was born on Halloween.  She just celebrated her first Thanksgiving.  And my favorite holiday of the year, Christmas, is upcoming.  And, then she'll celebrate her first transition into the New Year as well.

Lots of things to be thankful and grateful for, and she's definitely one of them.  I love Christmas because it puts me into a great mood and good spirits. :)

... How wonderful life is ...

The past 6 days have been crazy, hectic, busy, but in a good way.

I was due on November 6th but we received an early Halloween treat.. On 10/31, our beautiful baby girl was born. It was the most strenuous 18.5 hours of my life, but i look past the pain and pushing & am in awe of our creation.

... How wonderful life is now that you're in the world. :)

... a little sparkle

To brighten your Sunday morning.
Thank you Man Repeller.

... grey

These pictures from Habitually Chic remind me of why I love the color grey.


Grey bedroom scheme


Men in cozy grey jackets. I would love to buy my husband either jacket. Look so comfy and warm.


Digging the elbows on this gentleman's coat.


Loving the pants/shoes combo.

... versace x h&m

These are my favorite pics from the Versace for H&M line that's coming out on November 17.

My absolute favorite H&M store on Fifth Avenue will definitely carry these items, but I'm wondering if the locations closest to me in NJ will carry them.  

... i'm a little excited

for early January 2012.  See the below video on why I am.

... at that stage

I'm at that stage where I'll use anything to distract me from my anxiety of giving birth.  That's why a lot of this blog is about fashion and other random topics like furniture, decorating, etc.

We are 2 weeks (officially) away from our due date, and we can't be any more happier knowing that our little bundle will be arriving soon.  The thought of her being here, in our arms, and being outside of the womb excites me.  The process of getting her here in terms of labor pains, that's the part I'm worried and anxious about, naturally.

Thanks to childbirth class and watching videos on BabyCenter, it has somewhat prepared me with techniques on how to ease labor pain.  Hopefully those techniques will help stop my anxiety during the process, and with backups in place (aka dear old faithful epidural), our actual childbirth will be less nerve wracking than I think it will be.

My top distractions hopefully will be dim lights, breathing, circular yoga movements on floor or on yoga ball, lavender scents in the room, and soft music.  I would blog and read, but I have a feeling that won't distract me at all.

My main focus will be the end product - having her here finally and doing stuff with her as a family. :)

... In a heartbeat

I would buy these three items from T+J Designs.

Item 1

Item 2

Item3

I think they're worth the price tag and are very chic and luxe.

... true

My husband.  What can I say about him without totally embarassing him in "front" of family, friends, and strangers.

It's obvious that I loved him for a long time now.  This strong feeling of liking someone to transitioning to loving them then being in love with them.  It has been quite the journey of feelings for me towards him.  I knew he was a nice person.  I knew he was a good friend.  I knew he would be a great boyfriend and later husband.  But now I know that he'll be an even greater father.

There's nothing that this man won't do for both me and the baby.  He works hard day to day to make a living for the both of us.  Then he'll spend endless amounts of hours doing hard labor around the house to prep it up for little girl's arrival.  He won't stop there.  He'll will cook meals for us to make sure we're eating well + making sure mommy and baby are eating dessert (our favorites right now are cookies & cream ice cream & Italian ice).  He'll also help me get up when it's difficult, massage my back and legs when I'm sore, and will give kisses and hugs to my tummy/his daughter.  He'll spend endless moments putting his warm hands on my tummy & talks to her and will always laugh and giggle at every movement.

I see the way he looks at me, and it's different.  It's still the same love that he's had for awhile, but now it's grown even stronger especially because I'm carrying his second best friend in my tummy.  I know he'll be a great father to our daughter because of all the above & much more.

Our love for one another has always been real, but it's become an even truer love throughout our pregnancy journey. 

... sentimental

As of yesterday, I've reached my 9 month mark and we have 4 more weeks to go. 

I can't believe how time has flown by so quickly.  I feel like yesterday, we announced to our families that we were pregnant during Easter Sunday & to our friends via Facebook shortly after.

It's been a whirlwind, and I've enjoyed and soaked up every single moment.  I love the fact that I can eat whatever I want and as many times I want.  I loved feeling every single flutter that I felt in the beginning.  That's how I knew my baby was there in my womb and growing.  Each and every ultra sound made me so excited to see what the baby looked like and see the baby growing.  Then that one ultra sound on our 20th week, when we found out she was a girl.  Her kicks started growing stronger, and it was an amazing feeling knowing she was still there & growing stronger by the day.

As the weeks and months flew by, I knew that my love for her was growing stronger as well and I loved her more than the world (even from inside the womb).  Now that we're at 36 weeks, I can't wait to have her in my arms and to love her more outside of the womb.

She already has begun her descent, and all we can do is soak up the last 4 weeks (if we make it to that point) of pregnancy before our little baby arrives.  Baby girl, I knew I loved you before I met you.

... so cute and not 100% necessary

Why I must like things that are so cute and not 100% necessary?

Take for example, the below Rosette Door Knob Tie Back. This would look ultra cute in baby's room, but I don't need it and can't justify spending $12 on it even though it's on final sale at Urban Outfitters right now.



Oh why oh why do you have to be cute and not 100% necessary?

... A to Z

Found this neat little survey on Fasshonaburu's blog, and thought I'd partake and do the same.

A.  Age: 31 :)

B:  Bed size: Queen

C: Chore that you hate: Folding laundry.  I like washing laundry, but I dislike folding laundry.  I don't mind putting it away though.

D:  Dogs: Can't say I have one, but I do love Scottie Terriers, Yorkie Terriers, and anything less than 10 lbs minus a Jack Russell. lol

E:  Essential start to your day: Snooze the alarm once, then another time, then get up 5 minutes later.  Definitely not a morning person.

F: Favorite color:  Blue for sure :)

G: Gold or Silver: Silver with gold coming in a close second.  I have begun to start liking rose gold.

H: Height: 5'1, on the way to 5'0.. I feel like I get smaller and smaller.

I:  Instruments you play: None whatsoever. Does the recorder count? lol

J: Job title: Client Services Coordinator aka HR/IT Staffing Coordinator

K: Kids: Soon to be mommy in 5 weeks!

L: Live: Central Jersey girl now, but Bergen/North Jersey girl at heart.

M: Mother's name: Carmen

N: Nicknames: Annie, Anne

O: Overnight hospital stays: Only once when I was 6 and really sick.  I was in the hospital for a month.

P: Pet peeves: Fake people and people that lie to make themselves look good. 

Q: Quote from a movie: "AAAAAAAAAAAAH" - Macauley Culkin - "Home Alone" - Easiest quote to remember. lol

R: Right or left handed: Right handed :)

S: Siblings:  One and only sister who's 2 years older than me :)

T: Time you wake up: 625am is the first alarm; 655am is the second alarm; 710 is the latest I'll get up

U: Underwear: Boy shorts all the way!

V: Vegetable I hate: Bitter melon, an Asian vegetable that tastes nasty!

W: What makes you run late: Getting up late for sure.


X: X-rays you've had: Rather not say, but I've had at least a handful under my belt

Y: Yummy food that you make: Simple stuff like steak and pork chops

Z: Zoo animal: Chimps!  So cute :)

... Party on!

Yes, I'm organizing one of these for Mikey.

I hope he has a slamming good time. :)

... 30 to 31

The transition from year 30 to 31 has been quite the blessing for me and my husband.
We bought our first home just after I turned 30.
We then found out we were pregnant in early 2011.
Then we celebrated our 1 year anniversary in March.

The year has been eventful with lots of time spent with family and friends, which I wouldn't trade for the world.
It was a great year.

My birthday was low key and fun filled at the same time.  Once I past my mid 20's, I preferred to keep things low key.

On Monday of my birth week, my parents and I went to UYees Sushi for some cooked sushi and tonkatsu.
On Wednesday, I went to Sushi Palace with a good friend of mine.
On Thursday, my husband and I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  That restaurant never disappoints me.
On Friday, we went to see Zarkana, a Cirque du Soleil show, at Radio City Music Hall.  Capped off the night with some chicken and rice from the Halal Guys at 53rd & 6th.
Saturday, we spent the entire day at childbirth class.  It was actually a very interesting class, and we both enjoyed it a lot.
And, today was spent with my family at an all you can eat Korean BBQ Buffet in our area called Picnic Garden.

As long as my birthday involves food, I'm very happy.  Anything else additional is a bonus.

31 isn't so bad so far. :)

... ribbon & flower pearl pomanders

Last year when putting decorations for our wedding, I thought the ribbon pomanders that we put together a la Weddingbee were genius, which they were.

Now, my love for ribbon pomanders have been taken down a couple of notches, and now I'm in love with these flower pomanders a la Pizzazzerie. I discovered these on Bump Smitten, who discovered them from Pizzazzerie.

VS.


Which do you fancy more?

... i'm sorry

but this made me giggle just a minute ago. LOL

... asos

Asos said it well in the email I received this morning. Why buy one bag, when you can have two? Buy one small bag and buy a large bag.

Out of all the bags that they've posted on the Shop the Trend page, I like this little green cross body and it's larger sister bag the best.

... so comfy

Toulouse Chaise

Tell me you don't want to just sit in this chair and take a nap. Wish I had room in our master to fit this chair. Beautiful piece.

... sherlock cape

While on the subject of Gryphon, I spotted this other awesome Gryphon coat on Shopbop.



I couldn't find an image of the back of this cape, but you can see the images here.

... man repeller

Another great find while reading Lucky.



The Man Repeller designed this beautiful jacket along with Aimee Cho, a designer from Gryphon.

I absolutely love A line coats, but the best part of it is the back part of the coat, which has splashes of bright gold on it. Sad to say but this jacket is sold out on Shopbop.

This jacket is so droolworthy.

... sequins part deux

As if you can't tell that I love anything and everything sequined, this Matthew Williamson dress caught my eye while reading the September issue of Lucky magazine.


Buy me!

Isn't she a beauty?

... pretty sequins

Back in 2005 when hubby and I started dating, we had taken a trip out to San Francisco. This was my first trip with a boy (lol), and I couldn't wait to partake in everything that San Francisco had to offer.

We had met up with a pen pal of mine (my mother's college classmate's daughter A). Her style is super unique and fashionable, and I admire it. During the one time we met up, she was wearing these cute sequins flats from Brass Plum, a line that is sold in Nordstrom.

When we came back from San Francisco, I went to scour the cheaper shoes stores in Jersey and Philadelphia for a pair of sequins flats similar to the Brass Plum ones that she had. I eventually found a really cute rainbow sequins pair at a store on South Street in Philadelphia. My feet pretty much wore out its welcome in those shoes and eventually they had to be thrown out because they couldn't last longer than the few years that I had them. Since then and recently, I've wanted to rekindle my love for sequins shoes, but can't seem to find a pair. Glitter flats seem to be more present, but not sequins flats.

I did however find these cute flats from Elie Tahari. They're so cute, but not so affordable. :(




Zappos link

If anyone finds sequins flats similar to these at a more affordable price, please let me know! :)