october recap [monthly highlights]

i cant believe we are a month and a half away from Christmas and it seems like yesterday when i planned for my son's birthday last may and eventually started this blog! geez, can we pause life for awhile? can we stop for a moment and be thankful for everything? this coming month of november shouldn't be the only time to be grateful just because we celebrate thanksgiving. A life's worth of blessings warrants a daily dose of thankfulness and appreciation. with that note, let's look back at october's highlights. these are my new favorites, new found blog links and so much more.

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it'll be 2 years ago this december when we moved to a new house and i am in a constant mode to find the right mix of decor and design for the rooms that are still half furnished. i've read so many design blogs i love and i'd like to share a few ones that i've recently followed. check them out :



  {honey we're home} 

{three men and a lady}

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thanks to brandi of tweedle dee designs for this super moist and delicious chocolate chocolate chip sweet potato cupcakes recipe i so bravely tried. it's a semi-homemade recipe so i was all over it.  i brought this batch to the halloween bash we went to earlier tonight and i was badly contemplating on leaving them home.....

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sharnel's coastal chic dessert table made it to amy atlas' blog guest feature and i am not surprised. it is an amazing display and i am in love with so many creative details of this dessert table she had put together. table backdrop is a left over ralph lauren map wallpaper and the use of lantern centerpieces are genius. read more about it here.

{photo by naomi V swiped from my life my loves} 

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ok ever since a friend gave us a copy of their christmas cd, our family has been hooked with them. these guys are funny, talented and truly gifted (and they're from the hubs' alma mater) . this is our favorite (my son's current theme song), their version of 12 days of christmas! 

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looking forward to november and thanksgiving!

halloween past and present [trick or treat]

its the day before halloween and our little guy started puking as early as 3 in the morning. he's been moving rather slow today but he's a trooper. he managed to drink a little bit but we decided not to force him to eat. we're taking it easy watching non-stop noggin and sprout and praying he'll be better tomorrow. we've got big plans to attend a church fall festival and trick or treating with friends tomorrow, so we are hoping we can make it.

here's a look at our baby's past halloween costumes including our little fireman sam this year who's eager to turn out any fire! LOL

trying out his bear costume at 5 mos old

doctor in scrubs at 17 mos old

me and our litte race car driver, 2 yrs old at his montessori's fall festival last year

 

fireman sam at the school halloween parade, 3 yrs old

HAVE A FUN AND SAFE HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

friday faves [fashion]

i'm off the party path this week for my friday faves. i am in a bit of a fashion rut lately that i have to recently dig up old photos kept safely in a document folder just to find inspiration. i have been comfortable in my daily uniform of torn boyfriend jeans, tunics and ballet flats that i have no desire to dress up and wear heels. i am so bad. but if your constant buddy is an active three year old boy, you wouldnt be caught dead in anything tight, tall and tacky either. trust me.

plus the fact that weather is weird where i live, it gets cold and windy in the morning (when i drop my boy to school) and warm and humid by the time i pick him up! surely, the weather dictates what we wear but must it be that fickle minded all the time? i am sooo tired of this heat.....

here are some fashion lusts for the transitioning weather : light jacket or bolero, knee-length skirts, leggings and dress coats. we're still lucky to be wearing pretty sandals in fall and not freezing our toes but get it ready for the cool weather by wearing black tights with them and the look is young and edgy!

{photos swiped from TPF}

wedding memories [first anniversary]

last year one of my best friends got married and it was such a memorable occasion as old friends came from out of town and get to spend some rare time together with our children and families. in a few weeks, this special couple will celebrate their first year anniversary and i thought it would be wonderful to go back and take a look at that beautiful day they got married.

it was an intimate small day wedding that i love. the wedding color motif was a gorgeous vivid crimson - a perfect rich fall hue that was reflected through the the bride's bouquet, maid of honor's dress, and accents for the flower girl's dress and wedding cake. the solemn ceremony left me teary-eyed and even much more during the reception when the bride's only brother gave his toast and speech. i am such a cry baby but i didn't really care knowing that they were tears of joy. sigh. enough of my emotional rants and on to the stunning wedding photos taken by the amazing ben of sassani photography. he truly captured all the beautiful moments of the wedding!



{photography by sassani photography}

HAPPY FIRST ANNNIVERSARY, RAE & JEFF!

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breakfast at tiffany's [a bachelorette party]

when the bride-to-be has the penchant for the classics, it is fitting to draw inspiration from her style and panache and that's exactly what the bridesmaid and maid of honor did. with the alluring tiffany blue as the color palette and black and pearls for the guests' dress code, it was a swanky soiree destined for uber fabulous-ness (is there such word?).  

rachel of black is the new black is the bride-to-be and honoree of this glam bachelorette party. lucky for her, the bridesmaid (along with her MOH) in charge of the party planning is a talented event planner based in LA, chanel. everything was orchestrated perfectly ~ from the rooftop setting to the white floral arrangements accented with vintage-looking rhinestone brooches to the tiffany blue boxes everywhere! the setting is incredible and i can just imagine the ladies having so much fun dressing up and soaking up the camaraderie of what would be the last few days of rachel's single days....

to see more pictures from this dazzling party, visit rachel's blog!

 

{all pictures from black is the new black} 

holiday gift giving made easy [sweets open house]

still having dilemmas on what to give your family, relatives, friends or business clients this holiday season? four of houston's dessert/sweets vendors are teaming up for a big open house this coming nov. 6th saturday from noon till 4pm! 

FEATURING :

one green street

chocolate pizazz

michael's cookie jar

green eyed susan macarons

they will all be there on hand to assist you and give you gift ideas in the hopes you narrow your selections down (that'll be hard with all these delightful treat options). i cant wait to see their dessert displays! see you there!

fall/halloween dinner [last minute gathering]

an old college buddy came to visit this weekend from chicago and with a week away from halloween, i decided to host a short notice small gathering with our mutual friends from college and their families. with my last minute plans, i enlisted my sweet dear hubby to do the steak grilling and of course, i set up the dessert table for the little ones. halloween is not the same without candies, so i opened some of my stand-by yummy goodies from the pantry and dressed up my buffet table with some irresistible treats.

here are a few shots from this past saturday's dinner (pardon my amateur photography skills and crappy camera - i need a new one!) :

peanut butter oreo cakesters (that look like mini whoopie pies) are my new faves! and dont you hate it when you forget to hand out party favors? those fall-scented candles in canisters were treats for the adults! sorry guys. got carried away with the endless chatter and laughter!

coconut cake and monster lollies

 

vanilla oreo cakesters dressed up with free printables from paper glitter!

cups with free labels from living locurto filled with erasers, stickers, notepads and bacelets were favors for the kiddos

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it was a great night seeing friends we have not seen for awhile. it was fun catching up with them and getting reacquainted once more especially with everyone's busy schedule. it was really nice to take time and see each other again before the even busier holiday season is here!

how was your weekend? 

friday faves [from iomoi]

i love pattern and the brighter the color the better. if i can have my way, i'll do crazy pattern everywhere in our house but apparently too much of it is not good for your health. ha!

that takes me to our friday faves this week. i am featuring my favorite iomoi store specializing in stationary, cards, invites, labels and home accessories in modern chic designs that are constantly updated by season. i love the play of contemporary graphic patterns with bright colors and unexpected hue pairings. 

here are my top picks :

with these cute pens and pencils, i would love to do endless sketches and note-taking....

the lucite tray is yet another modern way to incorporate in your home decor by way of  holding coffee tablebooks, vases, urns, desk organizer etc. 

a customized ice bucket is a perfect hostess gift!

my son just completed a series of school pictorials and i cant wait to pick his photo perfect shot for our family holiday card this year. the holiday greeting card options are way too many and i cant decide whether to go traditional or modern (like the one above).

these canvas monogrammed bags with leather handles are so much fun. its fully customizable, i love that you can do initials, logo, pattern and size choices!

and of course lastly, their elegant invitations, announcements, callingcards, gift tags, paperweights, coasters, matches, plates etc ~ all evoke that classic with a twist design that is undeniably iomoi.

{all images from iomoi site}

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we have a WINNER for our $ 35 CSN gift certificate!
congratulations CHRISTINE (comment # 9), a fan of our new FACEBOOK page!

thank you all for stopping by as always and i do appreciate all the comments!

get your craft on [cabby crafter feature]

this past summer i met michelle when she visited houston from chicago and during our brief visit, i did witness her passion for photography but didnt realize she was into scrapbooking, crocheting and most of all creating beautiful cards and invitations too! i was blown away by her skills and creativity and i knew all about these just recently through facebook correspondence and by visiting her blog. her attention to detail is impeccable and each card is unique and different. best of all, she can customize handmade invitations too for your next party!

check out some of the photos of her completed cards here and hop on to her blog and flickr to see more of her cards and crafts and see how good she is at it! 

{all photos by michelle ~ thank you for letting me share}

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in case you have not joined yet, our current GIVEAWAY is ongoing till thursday oct. 21 and winner will be picked and announced on friday oct. 22! join now!