Los Porchs

I know you're supposed to put things out into the universe if you want them to happen, so I spent all of the past week talking about how beautiful the weather would be for the holiday weekend and acknowledged that while we may not get to use the new Oasis Island that Porch & I bought at Costco, we would be happy just to see sunshine.  Dang!  Wisconsin delivered!  We had sunshine and warm weather the whole weekend.  We didn't see any rain until we were on our way home! Source:  Amazon Saturday morning, the ladies worked on shower favors.  That task turned out to be... a little more time-consuming than anticipated.  Let's just say my mom and I have some "homework" to do before the shower!  We packed up the coolers and decided to unwind at the beach!  Porch inflated the Oasis Island and we actually got all six of us on it.  It needed more air, but it was a great time!  Went to dinner together and came home to have a campfire...

We ventured out tonight and enjoyed a nice dinner at Anna Maria Pasteria. Italian is always a sure thing. I got to wear my new LBD (though the maternity version of the little black dress is a little different). It made me super excited to see summer and break out the maxi dresses again! Not sure if this bump is baby or pasta? Doesn't matter. :-)  Pretend it's all baby. Xoxo

Porch & I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  We hope that 2014 brings peace, love, and much adventure to you & yours!  Carpe that diem!  We're currently enjoying the time away from work and will return to our regularly scheduled blogging in the coming days (seriously, I have so many pictures and stories to share, it's overwhelming at times). To our Chicagoans, enjoy the snow!  Stay safe and get out there & enjoy the fresh snow.  =)

Last year was the first year that Porch and I sent out Christmas cards we had made on Snapfish.  They were cute and made me happy.  So it made sense that this year, we'd do the same!  No problem!  I logged in and got to work, found a cute design, etc, etc, etc... and then I had to choose the picture.  And here is where we find the problem.  There are no "good" pictures of Porch & I from this year that I could readily find.  I say readily because I wanted to get this order placed so I could 1. benefit from the 55% off sale and 2. be done with this project because I have about a billion other things going on right now with work, school, and the holidays. Rest assured, I finally found 1 picture that got Porch's approval.  So the cards have been ordered and we're ready to rock!  Now I just need to get over to Costco to purchase 40+ stamps so I can mail these cards out when they arrive! Does your family send out Christmas/holiday cards? ...

I'll admit it.  While I love, love, love the feelings surrounding Thanksgiving and the food, I am waaaay more into the decorations for Christmas.  I'm not sure why that it; are there just no cute Thanksgiving decor options?!  That cannot be true... I went on a hunt and here's what I found!  But who are we kidding -- I'm still jonesin' to set up that tree!  The only thing holdin' me back is that we're hosting Thanksgiving here! Thanksgiving Decor by mrsniermann featuring handmade home decor Coir mat williams-sonoma.com Fall Colors Mug Stack with Metal Stand kirklands.com Tag pumpkin soup tureen allmodern.com Sur La Table turkey salt and pepper shaker surlatable.com Shea s Wildflower rustic home decor nordstrom.com Tag home decor allmodern.com Simon Pearce fall home decor bloomingdales.com Handmade home decor horchow.com

I may have to get over my fear of my sewing machine as well as my tendency to leave half-finished shit everywhere.   We just accepted a $20 Christmas challenge; we're only going to spend $20 on each person when we celebrate our Richmond Christmas.  Plane tickets have been purchased and we are super excited to spend some time with Porch's mom and sister. The $20 Christmas Challenge: Spend no more than $20 on a gift Must be air-travel friendly OMG.  I just realized what I agreed to & feel the compulsive need to get on Pinterest and find something acceptable to create between now and December. Wish me luck! xoxo,

Don't panic.  That's so far.... okay, it's really not. Kind of crazy, right?  Halloween isn't even here yet and I already have Christmas on the brain.  I always feel like I shortchange Thanksgiving.  Knowing this about myself, we decided to host Thanksgiving at our home this year and we are super excited about it!  My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and my parents are joining us so we'll have an intimate group size of 6 and lots of yummy food and drink options (I've been pinning away with great ideas -- see them all here & follow me on Pinterest!).  We're busy planning and considering how we'll accommodate the 6 of us for dinner and football -- PACK ATTACK! -- and most importantly, how to prepare this bird. Initial thoughts were to grill the turkey; have any of you ever done this?  We have a charcoal grill now so I'm not sure how well this would play out, but we're nothing if not adventurous!  And the side dishes, oh the side dishes!  ...

There's something about cold, crisp winter air that reminds us we're alive. And sadly, some of us need that reminder. I'm happy to receive it. It's easy to get wrapped up in daily routines & take little things for granted. Today, in our sweet city of Chicago, the temperature is a fabulous 27° & the air hits you with a force you can't ignore. As my lungs fill with cold air, I'm simply thankful to be alive. To have family & friends whom I love dearly & my basic needs met. I'm thankful to feel this air & the magic it brings. As we head into the new year, I thank you all for your presence in my life (be it as a blessing or a lesson) & wish you awareness, peace, and love in 2013. Enjoy growing old, it's a privilege denied to many. Cherish each moment. And go play outside. It's good for your soul. Xoxo Mrs. Porch

It's hard to believe that December will be upon us this week already... Because I've been doing our holiday shopping for a while now, it's hard to get into the holiday spirit.  Well, that and we just got back from 11 days on the road.  And I refuse to participate in Black Friday shopping.  Malls?  Tons of people?  A stampede for a deal I can find online on Cyber Monday?  No thanks. Tonight, we decorated our tree and hung our stockings (omg are they hideous) and it seems to have gotten us off on the right foot.  Also?  I jammed to some Christmas music at work today which was pretty great. The best part of putting up the tree is admiring all of our ornaments that family & friends have shared with us over the years. I received this angel the year my cousin Kristen passed away and she's been gracing our tree ever since. I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with Kristen in her short time with us. Best guardian an...

Ladies & Gents, The body at 29 does not respond to alcohol and Halloween fun quite the same way that of a 21 year old might respond.  How do you know this, you're wondering?  I got my butt whooped on Saturday evening.  The highlight of this adventure was carving pumpkins we had acquired from Jewel, one of which was moldy and just a little bit dead inside.  And crashing our upstairs neighbor's costume party. The low?  Finding a picture online of a girl who used to help me teach summer school in Wisconsin.  In the hallway of a very UW dorm (read:  cinder block walls).  In costume with friends.  Sadly, I wonder if we realized our freshman year of college that those who are our BFFS (o.m.g.) may not be the same people we consider our friends later in life... some will still be there, but others will drift away.  I digress.  I realized I have the exact same picture of my group of freshman friends and two things happened...