of course it would go this way

I have been waiting for this day, forever! When Megan found out we were in town, she wanted to get together, and I was overly excited trying to plan the day. It ended up having to wait until today, the day before our last day on vacation. I envisioned it all. My hair would be perfect. I'd have my makeup done, I'd look different than I usually do when I am in mom-mode. I wouldn't have my hair in a ponytail. I would have some sort of makeup on. I would have a put together outfit. And....... I'd take pictures. Geesh. Why would I think I could take pictures of the photographer of all photographers?!

 So, this is how it went. Last night my one clean pair of pants left had a bottle of formula spilled all over them, which meant they needed to be cleaned. They weren't dry by this morning, which meant I had to take my hair blow dryer and dry them the rest of the way part of the way.  Yes, it meant my pants were a little bit wet. Okay, so now I have my wet pants on and I go to do my hair, wash my face, put some makeup on, etc, to then realize that all my toiletries were left in Mami's car from our night spent at Nina's. So now my excitement of being semi-dolled up went out the window and this dear friend of mind was going to be seeing me, the real me these days. I won't even go into the rest of the things I didn't get to do... or had to do to get myself ready. If you call this ready!

With all that put aside though, I was so happy to be seeing her, having lunch and topping it all off by being surprised by a photo shoot! Besides Megan being a dear, sweet friend, her talent amazes me. All the time. I never expected her to offer to take our pictures. The boys had sweaters with dribble all over them, Gus just had a sweatshirt on, and well, I just told you how I looked. But, how I could I turn an offer from her down? She photographed Gus and I for our engagement. She photographed our wedding and now, she photographed us as a growing family.

And then she asked for a picture of her and the boys. And not only did she hand over her iPhone, but her camera. You know, the real thing. Not a piddly thing thing or a kit lens. None of that. It was the real deal. I was beyond nervous. I was taking her picture with her camera. Yikes. I was so nervous, I chopped her legs off midway. I centered her in the photo. I am positive I broke all the rules. All of them. Absolutely positive.

I was a bit stressed going into the restaurant to meet her for lunch, for lots of reasons, but I had an amazing time. I wish we had more time. I hope we can visit again soon. No time restrictions. And previously showered! 

Megan, you are the sweetest as always.

Thank you for everything. For meeting us. For the pictures. For being a sweet friend. For everything.

And give that sweet Mom of yours a little kiss from each boy!

twelve months of creativity

Between blogs, Pinterest, and my own ideas I always have something I want to make. I haven't had much time to create in a long, long time. When we got married, I was first busy settling us in our new home. Then just a few months later I was pregnant with a lot of morning sickness and although I wanted to be creative, I didn't feel well enough to do much of anything. And then bed rest came and I was huge and couldn't do anything. And then they came and I really couldn't do anything. These two scrumptious boys keep me more than busy right now. But in this new year, I would like to try to make one thing each month. To have one project a month should be doable. And if I can carve out more time for a second or third (or more) project, that will just be a bonus! 

Some months I may pick something very small and others it may be a more intricate project.

I also need to finish working on a painting I started while I was pregnant.

I am so critical with my paintings and sometimes I just don't finish them.

I don't want this to be one of those unfinished pieces in the closet.

I wish I knew I could make time for one project a week, but that may be a bit more than I can pull off. We will see. Maybe I will make more than one per month.

I can't wait to start project one!

I'm not completely sure what I will do yet.

Maybe I will write down twelve projects and pick out of a jar each month and it will be a surprise.

prosecco + manchego

I feel so busy these days. So many days go by that I am in a pony tail, sweats and we eat grilled cheese for dinner. I dislike this very much and it is something I want to change for 2013. I want to spend time planning and preparing meals for dinner, I want to deliberately love on my family and friends with the food I prepare.

I want to simplify my wardrobe, morning routine and daytime routine to allow for more time to get myself ready for the day in the morning, get my tasks taken care of, dinners made, healthy and thoughtful dinners, all while taking care of my boys. 

I know this won't happen every day, but I want to enjoy some nice moments.

While we were in New York we stayed with my cousin, who made us fabulous meals and appetizers every day! I want to make nice little meals like she did, even if it takes me all day to prepare a little bit here and a little bit there. And then when we stayed a night with Mono's great aunt and uncle, who are both in their 80's, Tia Ali prepared us appetizers, a delicious four course meal, and then a nice, healthy breakfast the following morning. We had prosecco (Italian wine) and manchego cheese (my fave!). For dinner we started with a nice bowl of fresh cut fruit, followed by a salad with homemade dressing, then a wonderful roast chicken with carrots, potatoes, and fennel. Our meal was complete after we ate a delicious homemade cake/tart with fruit topped with carmelized almonds. Tia Ali is in her 80s, still goes to the gym, still wears heels and still cooks these amazing meals!

So after the time spent with my cousin and family and then Mono's great aunt and uncle, it made me crave to simply and take the time to do more cooking or even just serving nicely laid out food. A nice cheese and crackers, a simple salad or a nice cake.

servant

it's amazing how God gets through to me sometimes. i have a lot on my mind and in my heart for this new year. i am loving being away and on vacation visiting family, but all the going from here to there has really held me back from getting into my routine for 2013. i decided not to really stress over it and enjoy the time we have here. the food, the schedule, or lack of one. but, i do truly look forward to a quiet moment in my home, praying about the things i want to change and work on this coming year. i try to work on things all year long and don't need to wait for the start of a calendar year, but for me, it always feels like a good time to start fresh. a new year, a new planner, a new calendar hanging on the wall, etc.

a dear friend of mine made a virtue jar this new year. each member of her family picked a virtue, written on paper and folded up, from the jar to focus on in 2013. she offered to her friends a virtue from their jar and so i jumped at it! my word for 2013 is servant. God must really want me to have more of a servant heart because it is something i was thinking of. i want our family as a whole to be more servant oriented. i want to help others more. i think it is really important for our boys to learn how to be geared to serving others, loving Jesus that way.in the home and out. i think we need to start in the home, how we treat each other, how we give to each other in our home, etc. and then let it overflow to others outside of our home. 

now not only as a wife, but as a mom of two boys, i have many ways to let my heart be servant oriented, though i will need more grace. i get tired and want help, but i am going to try to live simpler and have more time to do for others.

g.t.c.

While we were making our way through New York City, we wanted to stop for a cupcake. My go-to is Georgetown Cupcake and I had yet to see their new location. I thought about stopping in a few other little cupcake shops, but being that it was New Year's Day, some were closed. Between the hours and the locations of some of them, GTC was the way to go. And they never disappoint. It's very good I don't live nearby. I would happily stop in each day, or eat handfuls at a time. My wallet would be thin and my waistline would be wide. Mono wanted to try two different flavors. I think maple something and mocha. And I chose my favorite, chocolate cupcake, vanilla frosting. Yummm.

 Cheers!

 I wish I could have bought a dozen... each.

behind the card

Mono and I take our own Christmas card picture. We decide on the look we want, pick the location and what outfits we want to wear and venture out to take a lot of pictures. I take a few pictures to see what angles I want, and then set the camera on timer on the tripod and snap away! Last year it was fun, stress-free, and easy peasy. This year? A bit different. It was quite the challenge. Two babies and a dog! Thankfully my Dad came along so he could help hold one of the three babies while I set things up. He ended up taking the pictures for me instead of dealing with a wobbly tripod on uneven ground. Everyone told us how lovely our card was, and each time I would laugh at the memories of the more candid shots Dad picked up on. I thought I'd share a few.

We dealt with people in the background and the boys not looking at the camera.

 We had crying babies and a Momma that looked a bit crazy trying to calm them down.

 Blowing hair out of my face was the only struggle I had to deal with on my own. The guys all had it easy with their short 'dos.

 We had little boys all sticking their tongues out!

 We took turns blinking and dealing with too much light in certain faces.

We took many pictures. Many. And we ended up with a few really nice choices.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

New At This

Today is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas! He stopped at our home last night and filled all of our favorite shoes with goodies! The boys left out their Janie and Jack's from Aunt Erin and Uncle Alex, Mono Sperrys, and my wedding shoes, and even though Jimmy doesn't wear shoes he was left a gift too. The boys got teddy bear ornaments and new Christmas books, Mono got a nice t-shirt from one of his favorite stores, I got a new coffee mug since I am so tired and have started drinking coffee, and Jimmy got some of his favorite treats! Happy Feast Day! Prepare your hearts for Jesus' birth!

 St. Nicholas knew the perfect gift for this Momma! I am loving all things gold right now and have picked up the coffee mug many mornings! I'm still really new at this job as a Momma. Though sometimes I don't remember life before my little babies, it's only been 3 months. I love it. Yes, even the sleep deprived nights, scream filled, fussy days, and many many dirty diapers. I would rather this than anything else! I wouldn't change this for someone else to take care of my boys and give me a break. Some days I do like a little extra helping hand, but I wouldn't want a nanny for sure!

While I write this, I have my little Gus on my lap talking up a storm to all of my readers. He says hello and wishes you all a Happy St. Nicholas Day... and many more things too!

Some days I'm exhausted and I walk from one side of the room to the other, completely forgetting what I was doing. Or I write a list of all that I need to do, buy, etc. and before I get to the fourth line, I am lost, forgetting the 97 other things swirling through my brain to remember. But this one morning in particular, I really wanted some coffee. I am not a coffee drinker. I like Cuban coffee, but not regular coffee at all. At all. I have some French Vanilla flavored from Dunkin' Donuts that is good with chocolate flavored cream and some sugar that I have been drinking. But making coffee is something new to me too, along with being a Momma. I made myself a nice cup of coffee and it was the best I had ever made! I leave the coffee grinds in the machine (open) for a little extra aroma when it is done brewing. Later that day Mono came home and took out the coffee grind filled paper filter to notice I forgot to put the other plastic filter in the machine! He looked at me and laughed and said, "Mare! You're supposed to put this in there!" I just smiled and told him I didn't notice. I always keep it in there so I didn't even notice he had taken it out from a previous cup he made himself. I said, "Well, it's the best cup I've ever had so it was a good mistake!" My days are filled with lots of lost thoughts! But I'm still plugging along... most days with a smile!