tales of our mini road trippin' Sunday.

On Sunday David and I took a mini road trip to Hershey to have brunch with my parents. It was nice to just drive somewhere for the day. Well, I thought it was nice. After one too many renditions of Whitney Houston's songs and listening to Whitney's best songs of all time cd made by yours truly; David had enough of me...but there was some pretty scenery to pass the time.

 What was even better....we found some ahhhhmazing little antique stores/malls on our way home. I for one...absolutely love antiques, old trinkets, and could walk around these places for hours just going through everything. My dad is the same way. Throw him in an antique store and you will find him a few hours later sorting through old license plates and vintage lighters. We are two peas in a pod, that man and me. 

(some pretty antiques--like this telephone...that I wish I could find a place for in my home)

My mom and David are quite the opposite but they did seem to find some amusement in my dad and I, slowly walking through each aisle and marveling at all of the old treasures we would find. Frank Sinatra was playing in the background in one particular antique shop and I jumped on a 1960s purple Schwinn cruiser....not wanting to leave it. David then, brought me down from my crazy antique hysteria, broke my heart, and said it wouldn't fit in the car. Bummer. I'm on a mission to find one just like it. 

Me- on my future purple 1960s Schwinn cruiser...that I plan to own in the near future. 

Sadly, I didn't get my cruiser, so you won't see me riding around on that thing any time soon. I do promise I will have one some point in the near future though. Anyway, I did leave with some pretty fun trinkets. I went home with a few vintage mason jars to fill up with my some daffodils and sun flowers, some beautiful milk glass candle sticks for the candle-less dinner table in our home, and a vintage woven basket for our bathroom. I guess I should get some candles now and do some laundry so I can fill that basket up with pretty towels : )

It was a fun day and a relaxing weekend. I'm retiring the Whitney cd for a while...I promised David that. Oh yes, and he wanted me to tell you all he bought the "coolest" vintage lighter (that he flicks open like a true 'greaser' (movie reference) while walking around with a content smirk. The things that amuse him....why I love him so much ; )

Hope you all had an equally enjoyable and relaxing weekend!

Obsessed.

Yes, I've decided to do a post a week about one thing I am obsessed with..currently.

This week....(and for many weeks now) I am completely and utterly obsessed with....

Ed Sheeran. 

I love his popular song on the radio....

but even more....I love this one...

and this one...

Listen to them all. Please.

spring things.

The beginning of a new season always makes me so abnormally excited. I can't really explain it but it is almost a 'fresh' feeling, where new things are ahead, and...new clothes. 

Spring for me, means longer days, sunlight on my drive home, green everywhere, flowers starting to bloom, and the warmth starting to set in before the heat overpowers.

There are certain 'spring things' that will always remind me of this season.

They will never get tired and I don't think I will really ever grow out of them. 

1. I remember the carnival coming right around the same time that lacrosse season started. We'd all go home after practice, take showers (most of the time), get dressed, and head to the carnival. Funnel cake and my personal favorite ..... caramel apples, and the rides. Even though it was a school night, we'd stay late enough to eat as much as we could and barely make it off of the gravitron without getting sick.

2. Running at night. I vividly remember dragging my little brother with me to jog around our neighborhood in the spring nights. I'd keep going and going, while ignoring my brother's complaints as to why I would make him run for so long. RUnning was my escape and unfortunately he was taking the ride with me.

3. Sweatshirts. Spring nights were always the best. There was still a slight chill to the air and you could throw on one of your most worn sweatshirts to go driving around with your friends. We'd all look like an army of sweatshirt wearing, sometimes obnoxiously loud, ice-cream eating teenagers. Oh yes, sweatshirts with your name perfectly stitched on the back. Everyone had them and if you didn't, you most likely joined a team just to get one, even if you couldn't make that mile run to save your life.

4. Ritas. Dairy Queen. You name it. We ate it. We'd sit outside at the tables with our blizzards and gelatos at least once a week. You wouldn't go without your free Rita's on the first day of spring....no matter how long the line.

5. Phillies Games. Baseball games. Hot dogs. What more can I say?

6. Daffodils. When they start growing, spring is here. I would snatch the daffodils that would grow outside of our house as a kid. My grandmother, good ole yiayia would chase us around the house after she would find out we picked the flowers. I just wanted them to decorate my pretend house. Now I want them in my real house : )

There are some more but these are my 'spring things' for tonight. 

Oh and long walks with Romeo are becoming my new 'spring thing'. 

Two spring posts in a row. I know, I know. 

spring, spring, spring!

Happy first day of spring!

It's finally here. 

I couldn't stare at my spring clothes any longer without wearing them.

So here are some pretty photos that made me happy today.

and...that also made me wish I had an enormous bank account solely saved for a new spring wardrobe, oh and a really pretty bike and free days to ride around in it with flowers in my basket, and a pink door. 

I can dream.

(all photos credited : pinterest.com)

pretty colors, flowers, sunshine, warmth, dare I say white pants!, ice cream, breeze.

I am so happy Spring is here!

xoxo

I love.

(Photo: Pinterest.com)

1. Tea every night before bed. I'm partial to chamomile before bed but sometimes a little berry detox tea is nice too. I love collecting tea, or as David calls it...hoarding tea. I stalk Whole Foods tea aisle every week. I make my aunt bring me back tea from India when ever she visits. I hoard Greek mountain tea like it's nobody's business. David has me giving away some of my tea collection because he says it's getting to the point where it's scary and our pantry can't fit it anymore. Oops.

2. Baths. I don't know that there is much more to say about this. In the dead of the winter, I'm miserable and cold. At night, all I want to do is sink into a hot bath, with a good book. Within minutes the book falls to the wayside, as I just sit there listening to the water running and almost falling asleep; only to be rudely awakened from what ever beautiful dream (involving myself starring in the role of Ally in the Notebook), by David banging on the bathroom door making sure I didn't fall asleep again. Such a charmer, that boy. 

3. Blankets. Do you see a pattern here? I love all things that are warm and cozy. I love blankets. I have an obsession with blankets and buying blankets. I love cozy, warm blankets. I almost sound like a crazy cat lady but....crazy blanket lady. If only you could see my bed. 

4. Milkshakes. Switching it up here. I love milkshakes. Especially chocolate milkshakes. I go through periods of time where I will not have milkshakes, only to then revert to several week periods where I let myself have a milkshake once a week. It's such a terrible cycle but who can resist so much chocolate-y goodness? Yeah, that's what I thought. 

5. Movies. The same rotation of movies. Some nights when I have too much on my mind and it is racing entirely too much where sleep feels like it may be ages away...I do this thing where I put on a movie....not just any movie...Bridesmaids or the Wedding Planner. Don't ask me why it's just those two movies, but it is. I pop the movie in the DVD player, watch a few minutes of it, then turn the volume down a little, turn it off, and then fall fast asleep. Maybe it's the motions, maybe it's the comfort in taking my mind off of what ever it is obsessing over for a few short minutes. Who knows. It helps me. 

I think I am going to do this more often.

What are five things you love? 

Romeo is One!

Romeo is 1! 

the very first day we rescued him : )

best friends/ love at first sight.

so little!

helping his best friend propose : )

going out to dinner with his fam fam.

his other best friend, gumby!

love our little boy!

Happy birthday Romeo.

Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth.

It's not really Queen Elizabeth's birthday. I apologize for the confusion but we did just celebrate the birthday of a very special lady in my life, my yiayia (grandma). Since I was little, my grandmom always had a shiny gold crown keychain dangling from her keys. My great aunt would call her Queen Elizabeth, as they'd take off in their car and go off to the casino to play at the slot machines all day...to then return home with full stomachs (from the buffet), stories to tell of how they lost each other, and of course empty purses ....(but smiles on their faces).

So, it was my Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday recently. 80 years old....yikes. It's hard to believe that the strong woman who would chase us around the backyard as kids, as we sprayed her with the water hose, and stomped on her flowers....is 80 years old. My favorite roommate, who made the alligators under my bed go away, who clapped her hands at all of my living room performances, and who had a warm meal ready every day for us after school is 80 years old.

My strong lady, who is more excited for my wedding than I am, who loves David more than even I do (kidding, kinda!), who has helped in raising ALL of us, cradled us all, sang us her silly greek lullabies while bouncing us on her knee, and who has reprimanded us all one too many times than we'd like to remember (!) is 80 years old. 

We had cake, cupcakes, dance parties, and the birthday girl even let us fatbooth and pregobooth her, as she burst out in laughter at us, while trying to understand how a small phone could possibly take a photograph and make her look 6 months pregnant. She's my favorite. 

To the lady that loves her shiny gold coins and dessert : ) 

You are my favorite and I love you : ) 

Happy Birthday Yiayia xoxo

dessert first, please.

Cupcakes have consumed my life lately, which brings me to my point....cupcakes are so much better than cakes. They fit perfectly into your palm, just the right amount of sweetness without overdoing it, and they come in the prettiest little get-ups. Don't you think?

Dessert has always been my most favorite part of any meal, well besides breakfast ( I love me some breakfast), but yes, I love dessert. I would rather eat dessert when David and I go out to dinner. Most of the time, I look at the dessert menu first, while silently noticing David's subtle shaking head and smirk, peeking over the menu. Yes, I'm the one who will order a hot chocolate with the works before even ordering what I'm having for dinner.

Last year, out of sheer boredom, I decided to start baking. I started baking all different kinds of things: brownies, cakes, cinnamon buns, and more. I, then decided to attempt cupcakes and gourmet icing. After weeks of watching you tube videos for different frosting ideas and how to frost the perfect cupcake tutorials, I decided to do it myself. Now here I am, up to my elbows in frosting and fondant and absolutely loving every minute of it.

So this is what I have been up to lately. Baking and decorating. Trying not to lick any icing off of my fingers. 

Cupcakes for my grandmom's 80th birthday. She loves her gold coins and she is the shiny gold coin in my life, that lady : ) 

So many cupcakes. It's too much fun but I promise I will do better with this little ole blog here : )