Uncategorized Archives - Page 34 of 50

Finley Friday: Vote for My Nephew Pup!

You may remember my adorable little nephew pup, Finley, from our photo shoot together in late November. We were just getting to know each other then as he was a new addition to the family. By now, Finley has been making us laugh and smile for months, and I think he is seriously one of the cutest pups I have ever seen (I’m not biased at all). Half maltese, half poodle, this fluffy brown haired stud makes me melt, especially with his little white paw. I’m obsessed!

My sister (Finley’s mom) has just entered him in a little contest that Louis at 14th is hosting for the “Dog Days of Summer.”

All you have to do is click on this link, and click “Like” on Finley’s photo for your vote to count. If you are so inclined, a Facebook share to your friends would also be appreciated!

I mean come on…how can you say no to this face?

After work today, I’m off to Maryland, and hopefully will get to see this little guy too!

Hope you all have a Happy Friday and an awesome weekend!

XO,

Gina

Sunrise on Branch Lake

It’s 4:13am and I am awoken in the middle of the night due to pregnancy and my inability to control my bladder from the urgency to relieve itself these days. So, I hop out of bed to make my way downstairs to the restroom in the lake house, when I look out the bedroom window. Holy sky. This is amazing. We had thought about waking up early to watch the sunrise, and had set our alarms for 4:55am since the sun was supposed to come up at 5:00am, but we weren’t really sure if we would be able to force ourselves out of bed at that hour. After waking up and taking care of business, I quickly grabbed my camera and took a few shots across the lake and into the colorful sky. It was eerily quiet, peaceful and serene. Just me and the lake and the brightly colored sky. I wrestled with the idea of whether or not to wake the rest of the gang this early, and ultimately decided that they needed to see what I was seeing at that moment. It would just be too selfish to exclude them from this view, and by 4:55am, they may have missed all of this. So I woke up Zack and our friends, Erin and Rai. They weren’t too pleased at first, grumbling and groaning, but when I showed them a photo I had taken of the sky, they knew they too needed to jump up before they missed this magical moment. Zack and Erin got so excited in fact, that they broke out the kayaks and enjoyed the sunrise from atop the water. Rai and I stayed behind taking in the moment from the lake house dock and capturing photos. I know photos can’t really do justice, but my memories and these photos are all I’ve got. Hope you enjoy.

If you were still unsure about whether or not you should visit Maine, then these photos probably did the trick. We were lucky enough to wake up to this view every morning, even though it might have been a bit earlier than we were used to!

Hope everyone is having a good Thursday. I am looking forward to a little girl’s night. My friend Jess is moving to New Jersey at the end of the month, so this will be the last one she hosts in her NYC apartment. I then have to go home to pack for our trip to Maryland this weekend for both my friend Teri’s bridal shower and my baby shower for the Little Monkey. We are trying to get the guest bedroom cleared out, and after this weekend it’s go time on that nursery!

XOXO,

Gina

Grecian Gown

I was able to snag this Ella Moss beauty on sale via Gilt, and I couldn’t be happier (again, not maternity)! I wore this gown on a beautiful night out to dinner in Maine. I love the ease and flow of this dress as I walk, and the jersey material makes it super comfortable as well. In these photos, I am 30 weeks pregnant, and this week, I just hit 32. Little Monkey will be here before I can blink.

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Gown: Ella Moss via Gilt / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff / Shoes: ALDO – similar / Earrings: ALDO / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: ASOS, Gorjana, c/o Guilty Jean, Henri Bendel / Toes: Essie In the Cabana / Nails: Essie Forever Yummy and Set in Stone

Oh, how I miss this little lake house already! Wishing I had the lake to jump into and cool off this week; it’s been brutal! Trying to stay hydrated and enjoy the AC indoors.

Stay cool ya’ll!

XO,

Gina

{13} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just finished What Remains by Carole Radziwill. She is one of the more recent additions to the New York City Housewife cast, although she wrote this book long before. Carole was a reporter for many years, a princess, and related to the Kennedy’s. This memoir is about friendship, love, and loss. It’s extremely sad, but very real, and Radziwill is an excellent writer. I just started Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks as I heard it was decent and was looking for a light summer beach read (even though I’m not at the beach).

writing Contracts. I’m no lawyer, and I can’t exactly say much yet, but it’s exciting, and I’m drafting, drafting.

listening I’ve always been an Avicii fan, but I’m really loving his new single Wake Me Up. It starts out with a folk/country guitar style, and breaks into the typical dance/house style of Avicii that we know and love.

thinking That all I wanted was summertime, and now I got my wish…but it’s so hot, I don’t know how this prego body is going to make it through August.

smelling Breakfast food…my favorite!

watching Holy Bachelorette! Some intense home visits and a sad goodbye. Go figure they are all in love with her, except the one she is in love with. I still can’t believe I got into this show this season…those to blame, you know who you are…

wishing That I could fly out to San Fran to celebrate my friend’s Trey and Suzette’s big day this weekend! I know it will be amazing, and I’m sad to miss it. But excited instead to celebrate my bestie Teri’s bridal shower and a baby shower for my Little Monkey.

hoping For good weather this weekend. We have a maternity photo session scheduled with Misa*Me Photography, and I’m hoping the weather will cooperate!

wearing Gray and blue striped cotton jersey dress that was handed down to me by Danielle, my college roomie and cutest little mama!

loving The new Up the Amp MAC lipstick that I got for free by turning in my 6 empties to recycle. Also loving the new Benefit They’re Real Mascara I got for my birthday from Sephora.

laughing At this awesome maid of honor speech I discovered on Zigi’s blog. I died laughing, and it totally made me think of my bestie Teri. Let’s just say this girl does a sick Eminem.

wanting To jump in a pool for my birthday (next weekend)…anyone know a place in the city that could throw a good pool party?

needing Air conditioning. Been blasting it lately! I’m dreading the electric bill.

feeling Incredibly lucky for my amazing family and friends. Everyone has been so generous, and we have already started getting lots of packages and gifts to the house for our little man, and I haven’t even had my shower yet! I cannot wait to get everything in order! Thank you everyone, I really appreciate it.

craving Chocolate and fruit. I have been wanting a little bit almost every day lately.

clicking Photography inspiration ideas for our shoot this Saturday.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Tuesday!

Love,

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.

Lake House

Happy Monday everyone! Just wanted to share some photos from our lake house that we stayed in at Branch Lake in Elsworth, Maine. The location could not be beat, and it was a dream come true. I took these on our first full day when we played on the lake all day. If you’ve never been to Maine, I would definitely suggest you check it out. Thanks to the Shaw family for opening up their cottage to us as the first renters ever!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

The hubby went away with his brother for a guy’s weekend, so my sister-in-law came to visit me in Brooklyn. We did girly/mom things like prenatal massages, high tea, hung out with college girlfriends, dinner, and brunches. The massage was phenomenal and extremely relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered. We went to Massage Williamsburg on recommendation, and it sure was a treat! Our delicious dinner was Korean BBQ at Dokebi, and we had brunch in my hood at Costello Plan. It was a lot of fun bumping both of our prego bellies together (me at 31.5 weeks and her at 29 weeks!), talking about baby things, catching up on life, and being girly. Looking forward to both my little one and my little nephew who will be arriving so closely together. It’s a really exciting time for the Notes Family!

XO,

Gina

Maine via Instagram

Blueberry pancakes with fresh fruit and blueberry syrup thanks to the homeowners of the lake house we stayed at

Pretty much ate blueberry everything…also the popovers here were fantastic!

meanderinmaine — Me and my Munchkin at Jordan Pond

A little Fourth of July manicure – Essie Forever Yummy and Set in Stone

Homemade blueberry pie from Gale…found her through a local inside tip!

30 weeks pregnant smoochin’ my honey – this photo by Rai Pollard

Wow!! What a trip! Well, here is your first sneak peak into our Maine adventures! While I took many photos with my “real” camera on the trip, sometimes it is just easier to run around with your iPhone instead of lugging around the big heavy camera all the time. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen some of these photos, but you may want to read on if you plan on visiting Maine. If you haven’t planned on it, you should still read on, and you may want to afterward!

We picked up our friends Erin and Rai from the airport in Boston on Tuesday morning and started our journey to Maine. Along the way to our lake house in Elsworth, we decided to take the longer scenic route through Camden, a town we had visited for a wedding a few years prior. I have to admit, another main reason for taking this route was for the amazing lobster rolls at Red’s Eats! We ate here last time we were in Maine, and it’s absolutely amazing. They pile on the lobster, add some drawn butter, throw it on toast, and it’s ready to chow down. Although, the lines here are typically and famously long, we have gotten lucky both times and have arrived with no line. The first was at closing time, and this time it was for opening. We arrived 30 minutes before opening and were the first group in line. Not 2 minutes after we arrived there was a ridiculous following behind us. Talk about perfect timing!

After Red’s Eats, we continued on to Camden, where we drove to the top of Mt. Battie, picked some Maine blueberries, walked along the water, and ate blueberry ice cream. It was the perfect little day time stop through on our trip.

We eventually made it to camp at the Branch Lake house, Shaw Cottage. We met the owner there who gave us the grand tour, and we found out that we were actually the first people to ever rent the house! He even left us blueberry pancake mix with blueberry syrup as a little welcoming gift. How sweet was that? We stocked the house with groceries for dinner and breakfast and played Cards Against Humanity while we cooked. So fun!

The next morning, we hung out at the lake, took the motor boat and kayaks out for some fun, went swimming, and had a ball. That night, we gussied up and drove down to Bar Harbor (which surprisingly seemed closer than it did on the map) for dinner at Havana. It was an adorable little spot with fantastic seafood and Latin cuisine. And of course we got ice cream after at Mt. Desert Is. Ice Cream. Yum! After returning to Branch Lake, we did another one of my favorite Maine activities, which is looking at the stars. I don’t know whether it’s lack of pollution or being closer to the top of the globe, but the stars just look amazing in Maine. I could literally see the Milky Way Galaxy outline; it was unreal.

Day 3, we started off the morning bright and early (and I mean early) around 4:13am to watch the sunrise. I cannot wait to actually share these photos with you soon. Zack and Erin went kayaking to check out the morning sights and the sunrise from the water, and Rai and I stayed behind to capture the view from our floating dock. I don’t know if I have seen a sunrise so beautiful! It was picture perfect. Once the sun was fully up, we were actually still exhausted so we went back to sleep for a few hours before really starting our day.

Once we were fully up, we headed down to Acadia to check out some easy hiking trails. Unfortunately, we ended up “hiking” by a golf course and the side of the road for an hour instead of on a “real” trail. That was kind of a bummer, and it was super hot out, so we decided to then hit up Sand Beach quickly before lunch. Sand Beach was really beautiful and had gorgeous rocky cliffs on either side of it. The water was so cold, I don’t know how people were actually swimming in there, but it was at least refreshing to dip my toes in. After Sand Beach, we headed to Jordan Pond, which was a really great restaurant within the State Park. We treated ourselves to their famous popovers, lobster stew and sandwiches while taking in the views of the water and mountains around us.

That night, we headed into town at Bar Harbor for their Fourth of July fireworks show! We have seen fireworks in Manhattan for the past couple years, which are always fantastic…but there is something about sitting on a big lawn overlooking the water with the band playing patriotic tunes that just makes you feel good ‘ole American on the Fourth of July! We were all really impressed with the pyrotechnics, and we headed back to Elsworth that night with big smiles on our faces.

Our last full day in Maine was spent lazily enjoying the peaceful lake. The early morning and the hustle and bustle of the previous day made us all exhausted, and we wanted nothing more than to relax and enjoy the serenity. We kayaked, sunbathed, took multiple swimming dips in the lake, read books and magazines, and had long chats on the floating dock. I think we each had a little nap that day as well. We ended the day with a delicious tapas dinner at Cleonice in Elsworth, although I have to warn you, there is no AC there, which was pretty brutal! Luckily, the food was good enough to make it worth withstanding the heat.

We definitely wish our trip to Maine could have lasted longer. We had a great time with great friends, and a trip back is definitely in our future! Stay tuned for the rest of my photos next week from the “real” cam.

Happy Friday ya’ll!

XO,

Gina

Mid-Coast and Islands on Dwellable

Chesapeake Bay Beach Love

Let me set the scene. It was a beautiful sunny day in Annapolis. We headed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge by shuttle for a lovely church ceremony, followed by a gorgeous reception on the water at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club. We watched Kurt and Tiffany say their long-awaited “I do’s” and the love was radiating between the two of them all day and night long.

I have known Kurt since college. He was roommates with my high school friend Mike at St. Joseph’s University in Philly, and my cousin Marisa and I took many of those two hour trips throughout our college years up from the University of Maryland to visit them as well as another one of our besties at UPenn. We really got to know all of the St. Joe’s guys, but especially Kurt as he and Mike stayed roommates and best friends for years to come. We spent many crazy summers in Dewey Beach fist pumping, dancing to techno, screaming Taylor Swift at the tops of our lungs and taking a gazillion photos. We also spent many fun nights hanging out in Baltimore in the off season for all different kinds of events or just random weekend nights. I remember when Kurt first met Tiffany, and her first trip to Dewey Beach. I think I may actually have it on video. She seemed a little nervous (because let’s be honest, my friends are crazy), but she was sweet as could be and fit right in with the gang. I knew she would be sticking around for the long haul.

Kurt and Tiffany have such a special relationship that you would have to be blind to not notice. I hope the photos below capture the beautiful and awesome wedding day that June 29th was. They are a wonderful couple and I am happy to call them my friends. Congratulations Kurt and Tiff, and I I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together!

Hope you enjoyed the photos from this magical day. Doesn’t Tiff just look stunning in this last photo?

This week has been a good one…been busy with multiple errands, catching up with blogging and e-mails, and enjoying a little peace and quiet around the house. I have a doc appointment for Little Monkey today for our 7 month checkup. I still cannot believe we are almost there! Things have been piling in for the nursery…he is already spoiled thanks to my family and friends. We are getting super excited for his arrival, and I’m pretty sure the “nesting” bug is going to hit me soon.

Hope you all are having a great week so far!

XO,

Gina

Wedding Wear

The last weekend of June, the hubby and I headed down to Maryland to see our good friends Kurt and Tiffany tie the knot on the Chesapeake Bay. I struggled with whether or not I should buy a maternity dress for this event, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth the expense for one night, since this is the last wedding I am going to be able to make before the Little Monkey gets here. Instead, I decided to wear this number I purchased from Forever 21 a few months ago. I wore it to another wedding earlier this year, and because of the stretchy middle material and the flare underneath the bust line, it works perfectly for my prego shape. I topped off the look with earrings from Amrita Singh (a bridemaid’s gift from my friend Katie’s wedding), and these gold sparkly bow pumps. My husband calls them my “Wizard of Oz” shoes, but I absolutely love them. Before you think I am insane for wearing 5 inch heels while 6.5 months pregnant (ok, so maybe I’m a little insane, but heels just make a girl feel prettier, right?), I did end up changing into flats for the dancing portion of the evening. No one needs a pregnant woman falling over on the dance floor.

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Dress: Forever 21 (now on sale!) / Sparkly Glitter Bow Pumps: ALDO / Earrings: Amrita Singh – this pair is also similar / Watch: Michael Kors / Gold Clutch: (old) – similar here / Lip: MAC Candy Yum Yum / Nails: Essie Boom Boom Room

We got back from our mini-vacation to Maine this weekend, and wow did we have an amazing time! I have so much to share from our trip, but first I want to share some fabulous wedding photos from Kurt and Tiff’s big day. I have lots to edit and catch up on from my time away, so stay tuned this week and next for some exciting posts to come!

XO,

Gina

Family Reunion

fam·i·ly

/ˈfam(ə)lē/

–

Noun: A group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.

–

Now, this gigantic group of people above may not all live together in one household…but I certainly consider them all family.

–

After at least a 10 year long hiatus, my Italian grandfather’s side of the family got together at the end of June for a family reunion in Davidsonville, MD. My cousin, Valerie, was kind enough to open her home to 100+ crazy Italianos from all over the U.S. Some as far as Maine, Iowa, and Washington state. I expected maybe 40-50 people or so, but to have over 100 just blew my mind. It proved to me that I was not the only one who saw a larger definition to the word “family.”

–

We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day, a pool for the kiddies to enjoy, delicious BBQ, and a lot of fun. We had a large family tree diagram to trace each bloodline back multiple generations thanks to my Uncle Art. People brought tons of old photos. One of my favorite moments was sitting with my Uncle Danny (my Grandpa Frank’s 1st cousin) while we looked through an old photo album of his life from childhood to the present. He had so many stories of growing up with my Grandfather that really just made my day. Everyone brought tons of desserts, and many of them were family recipes. I think I ate more dessert than actual lunch food! Oops.

–

We had such a great time catching up with each other that I really wish so much time hadn’t gone by since our last reunion, and I’m hoping that the next one will be sooner rather than later.

–

When I think of family, I think of love, respect, sacrifice, holidays, being there for one another, having a shoulder to cry on, people to laugh with, those to get crazy with, honesty, trust, friendship, acceptance, support and care. Family shapes who we are as people and changes us for the future. I realize that not everyone may have this same definition of family depending on their life experiences, but I am so grateful for the amount of love in my family.

–

You can’t choose who is in your family, but you can choose whether or not you want to spend time with them. The fact that so many people came out for this reunion shows how much we all care about each other even after so much time had gone by. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of such a greater whole, and I’m looking forward to when my Little Monkey will be able to join this amazing group of people that I can call my own.

–

XO,

–

Gina

America’s Playlist

Wanted to wish you all a Happy 4th of July week! As you may already know, we are taking a mini-vacay in Maine, and I will also be taking a little break from posting on popcorn and pandas. Although, rest assured, I will be taking many photos while on my trip of course, and will have lots to share when we return.

I decided to put together a little playlist of some of my favorite patriotic American jams. Hopefully you can use these ideas for a BBQ or however you happen to be celebrating this year.

1. God Bless the U.S.A. – Lee Greenwood

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E]

2. American Child – Phil Vassar

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c1x3wcbvAc]

3. American Woman – Lenny Kravitz

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWHE32IxUc]

4. American Boy – Estelle feat. Kanye West

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic5vxw3eijY]

5. Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZD4ezDbbu4&oq=born%20in%20the%20usa&gs_l=youtube..0.5j0l9.59101.60371.0.61884.15.13.0.0.0.0.138.1150.10j3.13.0.eytns%2Cpt%3D-35%2Cn%3D2%2Cui%3Dt.1.0.0…1ac.1.11.youtube.NSProT_-o3Q]

6. Independence Day – Martina McBride

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VPpAZ9_qAw&oq=independence%20day%20ma&gs_l=youtube..0.5j0l9.37455.41797.0.43532.19.10.0.1.1.0.1302.4006.3j1j0j4j7-2.10.0.eytns%2Cpt%3D-35%2Cn%3D2%2Cui%3Dt.1.0.0…1ac.1.11.youtube.fKC5U7bc-x8]

7. Rockin’ in the Free World – Neil Young

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdiCJUysIT0]

8. American Pie – Don McLean

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U&oq=american%20pie%20don&gs_l=youtube..0.5.130478.133372.0.134948.16.9.0.2.2.0.793.1970.5j2j5-1j1.9.0.eytns%2Cpt%3D-35%2Cn%3D2%2Cui%3Dt.1.0.0…1ac.1.11.youtube.u1FnLcTufeA]

9. American Girl – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WBWov6nd6E]

10. Pink Houses – John Mellencamp

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOfkpu6749w]

11. Born on the Bayou – CCR

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIjUY3pjN8E]

12. Everyday America – Sugarland

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntQPddLf97g]

13. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. – John Mellencamp

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dO_QKwtko4]

14. Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue – Toby Keith

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXSK3iDeAI]

15. Party in the U.S.A. – Miley Cyrus

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA]

16. America the Beautiful – Ray Charles

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUjr8EVgBg]

Hope you enjoyed this little mix of classic rock, country, and a little dance to celebrate America!

Happy 4th!

XO,

Gina