winter Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

Post-Holiday Winter Bucket List

WOW!

Is it really 2020, you guys? Can’t believe we are in a new decade.

Now that the holidays are over, it’s typically what I refer to as the “time of the year where it’s so cold that I can’t wait for it to be over and for spring to arrive.”

This year, I honestly can’t say that. It’s been the warmest winter we’ve had in maybe my whole lifetime…truly…and maybe we won’t have a chance to do half of this bucket list after all….but alas, the boys and I are usually scrounging for things to do this time of year. We go into a little hibernation mode, get a little bored trying to think of things to do, and we get a little stir crazy too.

So THIS year, we decided to come up with a Post-Holiday Winter BUCKET LIST! We normally do one for summer, so why not do one NOW and make this winter season a little more exciting with fun things to look forward to?

We wrote ours out on paper a couple weeks ago, and we’ve already crossed out ice skating and making pasta fagioli! Our list is fairly specific to our family, so in order to create one for sharing, I tweaked this printable list below to make it a bit more universal. It does tend to sway to a “family style” bucket list. However, there are lots of ideas for winter things to do that everyone can enjoy, with or without children. I also included a space to add your own ideas as well!

I hope you enjoy, and I hope this makes your winter season a little less mundane!

XO,

Gina

{30} Lately…

*Just a note on this photo. My boys spent the day together at the grocery store on Sunday so I could get some work done. I received this text message while they were gone! Nothing better than knowing my baby is happy and smiling while he is away from me 🙂 Okay, now onto the rest of the post…

Lately I’ve been…

reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. Great for any entrepreneur or entrepreneur in the making.

writing Down my goals for 2015. 1) Get fit and stay healthy. 2) Start a successful business as a Beachbody Fitness Coach. What’s this, you ask? We basically motivate and help others achieve their fitness goals. Happy to share more information with whoever is interested. Please feel free to e-mail or message me! 3) Travel more. So far I have been keeping up with my workouts and doing my best to motivate the challengers I have in my groups thus far. I also have a trip to Tulum, Mexico on the books, so here we go 2015! Bring it on!

listening I’m still singing Christmas music in my head. Is that weird?

thinking As I sit here in my neighborhood cafe working, I have run into three moms I know, and I am so grateful to have such a wonderful community here.

smelling Not much right now. It seems my cold has returned and I’m currently stuffy and drinking loads of hot tea.

watching Maleficent. As an avid Disney fan, this was a must see for me! I was very much impressed with the animation and graphics, and I enjoyed the switch on the storyline from the traditional Sleeping Beauty! It reminded me of the show Wicked in that regard.

wishing Upon a star.

hoping For warmer weather. Oh wait, it’s only January…sigh.

wearing My new Panda sweater. Unfortunately this one is sold out, but this vintage sweater from the 80’s is pretty darn amazing. I’m also wearing a heavy scarf, because this coffee shop I’m in is FREEZING.

loving My new snow boots from my mother-in-law. Thank God for them, because I have already needed to wear them twice this year.

laughing At these doorbell notes from Moms. I can’t believe I haven’t resorted to one of these notes yet! This is real life!

wanting A massage. These workouts are no joke!

needing To go through photos from Nico’s first year and pull out his monthly chair photos to put in a frame. This has been on my to-do list since he turned 1 (he’s now 16.5 months old), and I still haven’t gotten to it. This week is the week!

feeling Sick at the moment. And a bit tired. But happy I still got my workout in this morning.

craving Caffeine.

clicking Through photos of Tulum, Mexico and dreaming of our paradise vacation that is only 43 days away.

What have you been up to lately?

XO,

Gina

***I was inspired by Tina of Like Ordinary Life to create this post, and she was inspired by Lauren of siddathornton, who started The Sunday Currently.

Dusting of Snow

Aztec Blanket Wrap: c/o Moon Cats / Denim: Paige / Top: Express / Boots: Steve Madden / Earrings: Stella & Dot (on sale!) / Bracelets: Guilty Jean / Watch: Michael Kors / Lip: MAC Rebel

We had a lovely holiday weekend in Maryland with family and friends. We also experienced our first dusting of snow for the season. If this winter ends up anything like last year’s, I am going to be in serious need of some cozy, comfy clothing. I received this Aztec Blanket Wrap courtesy of Moon Cats, and it is so snuggly and warm. Not to mention the fantastic print and fringe it has going on. I plan on rockin’ this wrap all season long.

This scarf company has a killer sale going now ($20 off all orders of $50 and above) with the code BLACK20POPCORN. I wish I could fill my closet with their amazing scarves, but if I have to choose my favorites I would include this Snowy Day fair isle infinity scarf, this fabulous Polka Dance scarf, and call me old fashioned, but I love this oversized Grandma’s Favorite piece as well. If I don’t end up buying out the store for myself, I will at least pick up some gifts here this season.

On another note, I am finally taking care of this trigger thumb problem I have going on, and I have decided to get surgery tomorrow. Apparently, it shouldn’t be too difficult or long, and hopefully recovery will only be a couple weeks. The pain and popping/sticking of my thumb was getting too unbearable, and the cortisone shots worked well, but only temporarily. I’m not exactly sure how I will take care of a toddler with one hand, but thank goodness for my mother-in-law who is coming to town Wednesday night.

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving, and hope you are enjoying the week so far. Our Christmas tree is already up in full-force, so ’tis the season!

XO,

Gina

Winter White

This ivory jacket and polka dot tights were amongst some of my favorite Christmas gifts I received this year. Paired with an ivory and gold shimmery dress and a gold clutch, this made for the perfect New Year’s Eve outfit this year. I also had the opportunity to break out my old wedding shoes for the first time since the big day. Who knew I would be ever wearing these babies again?

Photo by: Zack Notes

Ivory Coat: Express (sold out) – other ivory coats I adore from Nordstrom (here and here), Theory via Saks, Michael by Michael Kors via Victoria’s Secret, and Victoria’s Secret / Dress: Forever 21 / Tights: Madewell (currently on sale!) / Shoes: Nina (brides, there is a ridiculous sale on these beauties!) / Sunnies: Ann Taylor LOFT / Clutch: (old) / Bow Bracelet: BaubleBar / Bow Earrings: ALDO / Necklace and Rings: Family gifts / Lip: Lancome Groupie / Nails: Essie Metallics Good as Gold

Had a fantastic time this past weekend in the city. Friday, I said my farewells to a good friend who is moving back to Connecticut to go to grad school. My second bedroom is open whenever you want to come visit!

Saturday hung out with the hubs during the day, made some yummy breakfast, took down the Christmas tree (wahhh), and…wait for it…went to see Les Mis!!! Oh my gosh, it was so amazing. Bring your tissues! I have never seen the show, so I didn’t really know what to expect other than that it would be quite depressing. However, I really enjoyed the movie, and thought Anne Hathaway had a spectacular performance. After the film, I met up with a few friends in the East Village, and ended the night with the deliciousness of Pomme Frites. If you have not been here, this place is a must for fabulous french fries dipped in more sauces than you could ever imagine. Yum!

Sunday, the boy and I got in an awesome workout at the gym, went to Home Depot to pick out some paint colors for a new DIY project (and by DIY, I mean my cousin will be DIYing for us haha), and finally sat down to a fabulous home cooked meal while watching the Redskins game. Unfortunately, our team did not pull out a win, but they gave a valiant effort. Some decisions were pretty questionable, but what can you do. The Skins had a great season, so still HAILING!

Hope you all have a great week!

XO,

Gina

Foxy Lady

My long time bestie, Meg, owns a house on the water in Pasadena, MD and I could not resist the opportunity for a photo op on this sunny day. During my holiday break, Meg and I spent the night before making homemade pizza with friends and dancing the night away in Baltimore for another friend’s birthday. The hubs and I stayed the night at her house, and we woke up in the morning to this beautiful view. Thanks for having us Meg; we love you!

Outfit Photos by: Zack Notes

All other photos taken by me.

Fox Sweater: Old Navy (unfortunately sold out) – cute alternatives at ASOS, ModCloth, Dorothy Perkins and Peter Jensen / Red Coat: Tulle via Nordstrom / Chambray Button Down: GAP / Black Skinny Jeans: ZARA / Shoes: Nine West / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Buckle Bracelet: Wanderlust + Co. / Bow Bracelet: BaubleBar / Lip: Lancome Luxe

Don’t you just love this cute little fox? I had to have this adorable sweater, even though they didn’t have my size. A nice British tourist in the store convinced me that it would might “look cute a bit baggy,” and that was all I needed to hear before swooping it up.

My holiday break has been fantastic. I can’t believe we have survived the “end of the world,” had an amazing Christmas, a fabulous family wedding, and that we are now into 2013. Big thanks to my boss for giving me one more day off today to get my life together in NYC before going back to the office. Here’s to unpacking, organization, and a work out for today to kick off the new year. And if I get everything done today, then maybe I will treat myself to a little Les Mis tonight? We shall see.

XO,

Gina

Hi

HI!!! While browsing for sparkly sequined outfits to wear for my AC trip a couple weeks back, I also came across this adorable sweater. I love the color palette, the comfiness, and the “Hi” lettering that speaks volumes to my personality. I am the type of person who will pretty much talk to anybody, even strangers on the street. While of course every now and then I like to have my “me” time, I usually love being around others, the overall energy of people, meeting new friends, and hearing their stories. My family and friends know that if we go somewhere, I will most likely run into somebody, and they will have to drag me along to keep me from talking to them all day.

Speaking of meeting new people, I went on my first “blogger date” this past Saturday. I would like to introduce you all to Alex of She Is Red. We have been “blogger friends” for a couple months now, and it was fantastic to finally meet her in person. She is an Oregon native who recently moved to New York City from just outside Copenhagen. She has a wonderful blog featuring fashion, food, and sparkly things. You definitely need to check it out!

We met at The Farm on Adderley (one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood) for a delicious brunch, and then did a little photo op in Ditmas Park. Five minutes into our photo op, we were just getting warmed up to photographing in front of someone other than our close relatives when we were screamed at by a psycho lady! This woman came storming out of her house yelling at us to stop taking photos of her house, because there was no sex offender living there and this story and these lies had ruined her life for the past 10 years. Umm…WHAT?!?! First of all, we are fashion bloggers taking photos of our outfits. Second of all, your house was not even in our shot. Third of all, we had no idea about this “sex offender” story and had no plans to broadcast it (until now of course). And lastly…you are PSYCHO! It was a little bit of a shake up for our first photo op together, but we nervously shuttled off to another street with normal, sane neighbors to finish our shoot. I suppose as weird as this incident was, it does make for a great crazy story!

Alex and I had a wonderful day, and I didn’t even notice how quickly the time had passed. I am happy to now call her a real friend instead of just a blogger friend. We realized we have a mutual love of karaoke, so I’m thinking that will be our next adventure!

Photos of me taken by Alex. Photos of Alex taken by me. Photos of us taken by a nice neighbor 🙂

Please excuse our messy manes…it was rainy and humid!

On me: HI Sweater: Forever 21 / Floral Print Dress: H&M (old) / Boots: ALDO -similar on sale here / Tights: Urban Outfitters / Bag: TJMaxx / Butterfly Ring: nOir / Bracelets: Wanderlust + Co. and BaubleBar / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Earrings: ALDO / Lip: MAC Snob

On Alex: Pendleton Coat: Vintage / Faux-fur Scarf: Vintage / Skirt: Forever 21 (sold out, but other pleated skirts I love here and here and also here) / Watch: Caravelle by Bulova / Necklace: Forever 21 / Bag: Forever 21 / Shirt: H&M / Boots: Acne

And how cute is the back of the sweater too!?!? I just love it. BYE! (for now!)

Enjoy the phenomenon of 12/12/12 today!

XO,

Gina