Popcorn and Pandas

Feels Like Summer

Photos by: Al Guaragna / Edited by: Myself

Skirt: ASOS – similar / Tank: Nordstrom / Sandals: Dolce Vita – similar here, here, and here / Shades: ModCloth / Necklace: Baublebar / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Bracelet: Gorjana / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff / Lip: Lancome Groupie / Nails: Essie All Tied Up / Toes: Essie Midnight Cami

These snaps were taken on our first family mini-vacation to Florida last week. I was a little nervous for the trip, but we were treated like V.I.P. at the airport, and Nico flew like a pro on his first plane ride. The weather was beautiful, sunny, and in the 80’s the entire time. We stayed at my Grandmother’s condo in St. Pete Beach, which I hadn’t been to in 10 years. It was amazing to sit outside on the balcony overlooking the water in the Florida sunshine and just relax. Nico was a happy camper while we were there, and he got to spend lots of good quality time with his Grandparents and Great-Grandmother. The hubby and I even got to go on a little beach date alone while my parents babysat. It definitely felt like summertime down there, and I’m missing that weather! Here in NY, it’s time to bundle bundle.

Happy Friday ya’ll. Make it a good weekend!

XO,

Gina

Sweet November

So, when I had to remove my white blazer the other day, it was pretty chilly out, and I had nothing left but short sleeves. In my attempt to keep warm, we stumbled into a little boutique in Park Slope, Brooklyn called Habit. It was my first time in the store, and I was quite delighted! It was filled with lots of stylish clothing, jewelry, and great accessories at prices that don’t break the bank. I found this sweater wrap to keep me warm and decided to throw in this hat while I was at it. I’m sure they will both get plenty of wear this season and next.

Photos By: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Hat: Habit / Sweater: Habit / Shirt: Urban Outfitters (old) / Pants: Motherhood / Booties: Target / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff – sold out, but love this burgundy one on sale for fall! / Watch: Betsey Johnson / Bracelets: Guilty Jean and Wanderlust + Co. / Earrings: Swarovski Crystal / Necklace: Family Heirloom / Lip: Lancome Fearless

I am just about finished packing for our trip to Florida! Looking forward to a relaxing trip with my parents and grandmother at her condo in St. Pete Beach. We leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow and will be gone through Monday of next week, so you probably won’t be hearing much from me until we get back. Until then, you can follow our adventures on Instagram!

XO,

Gina

I Didn’t Listen

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Blazer: Target / Peplum Top: StyleMint – sold out, but also like this one and this one / Pants: Motherhood / Sunnies: ModCloth / Leopard Pumps: Liz Claiborne – on sale! / Necklace: Forever 21 / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Baublebar and Henri Bendel / Earrings: ALDO / Lip: MAC Candy Yum Yum

I didn’t listen. They told me not to wear white. “You’re a new mom. Moms just can’t wear white.” I despised this statement. I thought to myself, “I can rock white. Just because I’m a mom, now I can’t wear white? But I like white. Who cares what they say. I’m going to be a rebel and do it anyway.” So I flounced around in ivory lace skirts and more recently in this winter white blazer. Well, I’m sad to say, everyone was right. This white blazer lasted no more than an hour on our leisurely Saturday afternoon. I won’t go into details, but you can probably imagine a scenario or two that could have happened to my white blazer. The only upside was that I got to (had to) buy a new sweater to wear for the rest of the day. The take away from this experience: I am not going to stop wearing white. However, I will most likely save my white wearing days for those when I am back in the office with no little munchkins around.

It’s starting to get chilly here in New York City, and I am getting super excited for a little mini vacay we are taking to Florida on Wednesday! The weather is looking nice and warm for our trip, and I have a fresh mani/pedi for the occasion (thanks hubby for watching Nico so I could enjoy 90 minutes of bliss). It’s time to get packin’ over here.

Hope you all enjoy the week!

XO,

Gina

Lace Skirt on Repeat

This little lace skirt has become a staple in my wardrobe lately as I’m loving winter white, and it makes me feel better to not have to wear maternity jeans or yoga pants all the time. Again, this outfit repurposes a lot of older outfits in my closet. I’m looking forward to the day when I can start buying some new items back in my “normal” size, but for now, it’s been fun to recreate new outfits out of items I already own.

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Plaid Button Up: ZARA – similar / Lace Skirt: American Eagle (old) – similar here and here / (Faux) Fur Collar: Forever 21 – similar here – also like this oversized one / Ankle Booties: Kohl’s – similar here / Polka Dot Tights: Madewell / Sunglasses: Vintage / Bracelet: NY Street Vendor / Watch: Michael Kors / Earrings: Gifted / Lip: Lancome Luxe

Headed out for a walk today with the ladies and the babies.

I would also like to wish my amazing parents a Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary today! You are both an inspiration, and I love you so much.

Hope you are enjoying the week thus far!

XO,

Gina

Paint the Town Blue

This is one of my favorite jackets to wear for fall, and you can see I wore it last fall as well. I received this beautiful necklace as a new mommy gift from a friend, and I just couldn’t wait to style it! I have been reluctant to do a full shopping spree this season since I am in a bit of a limbo period where some of my old clothes still fit, but some of them are still too small. I am hesitant to go out and buy a bunch of new clothes in bigger sizes than my “normal.” (especially pants.) So all the items here have been recycled from my current closet. Everything you see here has been worn in a previous post, but I mixed and matched to create this new look for the season.

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Jacket: Macy’s (old) / Button Down: GAP – sold out – similar / Jeans: Motherhood / Booties: Target / Necklace: Coup de Coeur (gift from friend) – not available online / Sunnies: Vintage / Earrings: Forever 21 / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelet: Baublebar – similar / Lip: Lancome Fuchsia Clutch – similar

Hope you all had a great weekend. We celebrated Nico’s 1st Halloween party with the parents and babies in the neighborhood, carved a pumpkin, took a couple walks and did some things around the house. Nico has his 2 month doctor’s appointment this week (wow, 2 months already!) and it’s also Halloween! Not sure if we will actually walk around with him this year or we will just give out candy on the stoop. What are your plans this Halloween? Or what did you do to celebrate this past weekend?

XO,

Gina

Seven Deadly Sins {Link Up}

To celebrate this Halloween season, I’ve decided to link-up with Shane, who came up with the brilliant idea to share Seven Deadly Sins. I adore Halloween, dressing up (have never repeated a costume…see here for last year’s), pumpkin carving, and most importantly…candy corn.

PRIDE

Seven Great Things In Your Life

1. My amazing family including my fantastic husband, adorable baby boy, and my incredibly supportive extended family on both sides as well as in-laws. We are so blessed.

2. My phenomenal circle of friends that I have made throughout my life starting in childhood, and moving through middle school, high school, college, post-college in Maryland, Dewey Beach, New York City, and now in my neighborhood of Brooklyn.

3. This blog as my creative outlet. It’s a place to vent, a place to share, a place to (hopefully) inspire, and also a place to document my life, my fashion, my adventures, my friends, and my family.

4. My apartment. We are lucky to have a spacious apartment complete with parking, outdoor space, a garden, a grill, washer/dryer (practically unheard of in NYC), dishwasher, and wonderful neighbors…all for an extremely reasonable cost…and all within the incredible city of New York.

5. Speaking of NYC…I love my city and the fact that we have pretty much anything we could ask for at our fingertips…beautiful parks, museums, art, culture, a melting pot of people from all walks of life, delicious food, shopping, fashion, and even the beach.

6. My job. I am so thankful to have a job that I enjoy, wonderful coworkers who are fun to be around, and the stability that it offers to help provide for my family. And the fact that I am being fully supported while on maternity leave.

7. Soccer. While I haven’t been able to play in quite some time due to my little monkey…soccer has always played an important role in my life. It’s my favorite way to work out and de-stress, because I can run around without thinking about how tired I am every 5 seconds. I am excited to hopefully get back on the field again soon.

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ENVY

Seven Things You Lack And Covet

1. I know I said I loved my apartment…and I do. But I secretly covet the adorable Victorian mansions in my neighborhood, and it’s my goal to buy and renovate one of them one day.

2. A bank account that has no end. Okay, so maybe that doesn’t exist…so maybe just a bank account that has more money than mine does haha.

3. No matter how much shopping I do, I can’t seem to have enough delectable fashion in my closet!

4. Time. The days go by so quickly! It feels like there is never enough time to do anything.

5. The creativity and skills to draw and paint. We went to an artist’s open house over the weekend, and the artists were so skilled and talented. I can barely draw a stick figure.

6. The ability to let things go. I am super stubborn and must win every argument. Or at least get the last word. I should have been a lawyer…

7. Ultimate confidence. There are things I wish I could have/should have done in life, but ultimately didn’t have enough confidence to pull it off. I envy those who do everything they put their mind to.

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WRATH

Seven Things That Make You Angry

1. People who stop walking in the middle of the sidewalk. I don’t care if you are a tourist. MOVE OVER to the side to figure out where you are going, and stop blocking everyone from walking.

2. The fact that I practically have to stand on my tippy toes to reach the upper hand bar on the subway. One stop and I’m already exhausted from holding on. Don’t they know that not everyone is so tall?

3. Liars. The truth will always come back to bite you, so you may as well just be honest.

4. The fact that America is one of the few countries in the world that doesn’t give a shit about parental leave after having a baby. Don’t believe me? See here.

5. Bad drivers. I’ve seen my fair share in Brooklyn (seriously, stop honking your horn for no reason), Maryland (oh my God, it’s raining! Let’s all forget how to drive!), and in Boston (I mean, they just breed straight up maniac drivers), and they all know how to ignite my road rage.

6. Religious wars. I mean, to me that just sounds like an oxymoron…

7. People that are ignorant or close-minded. There’s a whole world out there people, and (gasp!) everyone may not be like you.

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SLOTH

Seven Things That You Neglect To Do

1. Floss. I will do it for about a week after I go to the dentist, and then it gets forgotten again.

2. Iron my clothes. I hate ironing. I’m not really sure why…maybe it’s because I end up putting more wrinkles in them than they started with.

3. Clean. Don’t get my wrong, I am tidy. I am good at straightening up. But ever since I got pregnant, and it became a huge burden to get on my hands and knees and scrub anything, and the cleaning got totally neglected. I haven’t exactly had much time since the baby was born either. I admit, we have been paying someone to come in and clean every few weeks these days.

4. Change the filter in the Brita. It should probably happen a few times a year I’m thinking, but it very rarely gets done.

5. Wash my car. I mean…it’s just going to get dirty again!

6. Cook dinner every night. Luckily, my husband enjoys cooking!

7. Tweeze/Wax my eyebrows. Yeah, I can’t tell you the last time I did that.

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GREED

Seven Worldly Material Desires

1. A Chanel bag. What girl doesn’t want Chanel?

2. My dream house. With dual staircases.

3. Weekly manicures. It takes forever to dry when I do them myself.

4. Unlimited airline tickets to travel the world. There are oh so many places I long to go.

5. Louboutins. See above re: Chanel bag.

6. A Canon 5D III. One day, when I really know what I’m doing, I will splurge on this.

7. Sparkly jewelry…preferably diamonds.

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GLUTTONY

Seven Guilty Pleasures

1. Ice Cream. Can’t get enough of it.

2. Reality TV. I watch waaayyyy too much of it. Especially the Real Housewives.

3. Singing in the Shower

4. Picking my skin when it’s peeling…I know, it’s disgusting.

5. Chick lit. Sometimes we all need a good beach read.

6. Hitting the snooze button

7. Online shopping.

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LUST

Seven Things You Love About Love

1. The way it sweeps you off your feet.

2. Those little butterflies during a budding romance.

3. Having someone that you can completely trust, be open and honest with, and tell them anything without judgement.

4. Knowing there will be someone there to support you through both good and bad times.

5. Not having to hold your farts in anymore.

6. Cuddling/Snuggles

7. The passion

Well, now you’ve definitely gotten a deeper look into me, and it was fun linking up with Shane this Halloween season. If you’d like to link up, you can do so here!

Hope you all enjoy any Halloween parties that you may have planned for this weekend. We have one in the neighborhood, and can’t wait to dress up our little one!

XO,

Gina

Autumn Days

Autumn is here, which means beautiful foliage to view in Prospect Park. We took a walk over the weekend and enjoyed both the beautiful colors and the warm sunshine. We sauntered over to Drummer’s Cove, which is always a fun place to view people from all walks of life coming together to create music. What are some of your favorite things to do in autumn?

Speaking of autumn…today almost feels like winter! Luckily, the sun is out, but it looks like it’s time to not only start layering but also bundling!

Happy Thursday friends.

XO,

Gina

Horsing Around

Photos by: Melissa DiGiulian / Edited by: Myself

Horse Sweatshirt: J. Crew – also like this one / Lace Skirt: American Eagle (old) similar here and here / Flats: Go Jane (old) – similar / Sunnies: ModCloth / Watch: Betsey Johnson (old) – also like this one / Earrings, Necklace, and Bracelet: Gifted / Ring: Forever 21 / Lip: MAC Snob

These photos were taken last Friday after a little Mommy Hour sesh at Bar Chord in Ditmas Park with my fellow new moms in the neighborhood. Yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to take your baby to a bar in Brooklyn…so long as you go before the regular patrons get out of work for regular happy hour time. Haha. It was a beautiful day, and their back garden was open, so a group of us got together for some drinks, snacks, baby talk, and funny stories. I’m very fortunate to have met these wonderful ladies and their adorable babies, and looking forward to more adventures to come as they grow.

Have a happy one ya’ll!

XO,

Gina

A Formal Affair

The Notes clan took our first family trip down to Maryland two weekends ago to celebrate the nuptials of our dear friends, Teri and Charlie. It was a beautiful weekend to celebrate a beautiful couple. The bride looked absolutely stunning, and she carried the most unique and amazing bouquet I have ever seen! Made completely of brooches, many of them were passed down from her family members to add to this masterpiece. The best part is that she can save this bouquet forever in it’s original form. I could see it making a beautiful decorative piece for their future dining or living room. Her lace dress was exquisite, and her cathedral veil was perfect considering their wedding was held at the Baltimore Cathedral. Teri and I have been friends since high school, and I was lucky enough to be chosen as a bridesmaid to stand up with her on her special day. My only regret with these photos is that I was unable to capture anything from the ceremony, since I was in the wedding. Typically, if I’m in the bridal party, my husband will play second shooter to capture photos of the ceremony, but he was on baby duty and was unable to play photographer. I am looking forward to seeing their professional photos, because that cathedral was just phenomenal. During the reception, our little one stayed with my mother-in-law at the hotel, and we are very thankful to have had our first adult night out since having a baby. It was also great to catch up with so many of my best friends all at once. Congrats to Teri and Charlie! Wishing you both lots of love and happiness for many many years to come.

Hope you are all having a great week so far!

XO,

Gina

Fall Wish List

LOVE Pave Bracelet – BCBGeneration / Burgundy Nail Polish – OPI / Over the Knee Boots – Sam Edelman / Military Boots – ALDO / Moto Jacket – French Connection / Burgundy Beetle Loafers – Tory Burch / Tuxedo Pants – AG Jeans / Burgundy Fedora – Miss Selfridge / Swag Sweatshirt – Miss Rebel / White Blazer – Roberto Cavalli / Leopard Pumps – Nine West

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Fall has finally arrived in NYC. The leaves are multi-colored, the air is crisp, and it’s time to start layering. I’m looking forward to (and already enjoying) everything autumn including apple cider, pumpkin carving, football, pumpkin spice lattes, and hiking outdoors.

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Now that I’m no longer shopping in the maternity section, this season’s fashion excites me even more than usual. Some of the current trends I am digging are the color burgundy (or bordeaux according to my sorority sisters), the tuxedo pant, winter white (no white after Labor Day is so outdated!), over-the knee boots, and more.

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What trends are you into this fall?

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XO,

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Gina