adventures Archives - Page 14 of 29

Hester Street Fair

IMG_0054_Layers_v1 — Guilty Jean Jewelry

I’m so happy I finally made it down to the Hester Street Fair this past Saturday to see my favorite ladies from Guilty Jean Jewelry. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I certainly liked what I found. A small, highly curated, outdoor market, the Hester Street Fair, located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is full of unique jewelry, vintage clothing, pop up shops, and delicious food. I browsed each artist’s collection and sampled a few of the different dining options. I scored fabulous bracelets from both Guilty Jean as well as Stella and Sparkle Jewelry that I have already donned this week. I enjoyed the margarita pizza from Ludlow, and a Red Velvet Cream Cheese Ice Cream Sandwich (I’m not joking; this actually exists) from Melt Bakery. I’m drooling just thinking back to how amazing it tasted. Overall, I would say this was a trip worth making! Their summertime night market runs every Saturday through the end of August from 12pm-10pm and features live music and fabulous DJs…because who doesn’t love dancing while shopping? If you don’t make it there before the end of August, the fair will still be running through the end of October every Saturday with daytime hours. I definitely recommend checking it out!

IMG_0061_Layers_v1 — Proud owners, designers, and hand-crafters of Guilty Jean

It’s been a bit of a crazy week here…personally, I heard some horrible news about an old high school friend and hometown neighbor of mine, so that has been a bit rough. Work has been crazy as our new employee started yesterday, and I’ve been busy training while still trying to get my work done. We met our third and final pediatrician yesterday, and I think we have come to a conclusion about a doc for our little guy. I hit the 37 week mark (FULL TERM!) yesterday which is a major milestone! We completed the nursery over the weekend, my hospital bag is packed, and we are ready to go when Little Monkey is! So things have been a bit nuts, and my head is spinning a little, but trying to keep my sanity as much as possible.

Hope you all are having a good week so far!

XO,

Gina

{15} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just finished a couple books including Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan, and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Maine was an okay beach read, but I honestly didn’t care for the characters all that much. They were a bit bitchy and whiny, and while they were all family, it was pretty tough for them to all get along. It was a decent read, but not a must for me. Sharp Objects on the other hand was a really good book. If you liked Gone Girl, then you will like this book as well. This mystery/thriller is an easy read that captures your attention, and makes you unable to put it down.

writing Finished all of my thank you notes for the many wonderful gifts we received for our little guy! I’m also writing up my to-do lists for how to train our new employee who is coming in next week and will be filling in while I’m on maternity leave. Can’t believe it’s almost that time!

listening Loving this summer jam, Reload by Sebastian Ingrosso, Tommy Trash, and John Martin. Makes me wanna dance.

thinking It’s been a beautiful week here in NYC, and that I am incredibly lucky the weather has been kind to me this August.

smelling The new Bath and Body works lotion I got for my birthday, Rio Rumberry.

watching A French, indie film called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I read the book a few years ago, and have been wanting to watch the movie ever since. It’s a true story about well-known man in the fashion industry who became a paraplegic and learned to communicate and write a novel with the blink of his eye. Fascinating.

wishing That the rocking chair/glider that just arrived for our nursery didn’t feel like it was taking over the entire room. I swear it didn’t look that big in the photos! I think I’m starting to get used to it, but when it first arrived, I was in a bit of shock!

hoping For a fun, yet productive weekend ahead! Planning on finally checking out the Hester Street Fair (for real this time), attending a Brooklyn Cyclones game with friends, and putting in some more work on the nursery.

wearing An old blue/green maxi skirt from American Eagle that I’ve had in my closet for awhile now paired with a coral and white striped maternity tee from Motherhood. Old Navy white flip flops for comfort, and my vintage sunnies.

loving These sexy, fall booties from ALDO. Gah, I can’t wait to wear heels again!

laughing We’ve been listening to all the comedy stations on XM Radio during our past few long car rides. I’m usually the driver, but Zack has had to drive a bit this summer due to my pregnancy sleepiness. We find that laughing while driving is a good way to stay awake.

wanting To be with my family this week in the Outer Banks, NC on our annual vacation. It’s the one time of the year when both sides of my family all get together, and it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year. However, I know I’m staying put in NY for a very good reason! Luckily, the weather has been so great here, and I have been keeping myself distracted with a busy work schedule and prepping for the baby to arrive. I just flash forward to next year when we will have an almost-one-year-old running around with us at the beach!

needing To get my hospital bag packed. Next week I’ll be full term, and they say you could go at any time between 37-42 weeks. I know that is a big, open time frame, but you also never know when the little one will want to make his debut! Therefore, that is on the top of my list for weekend priorities.

feeling Pretty good! Sometimes it’s hard to get comfortable, and I have to pee at all times, but overall, I am feeling pretty good in these last few weeks of pregnancy.

craving Sweets. It’s probably not good, and I typically have a sweet tooth anyway…but I’m finding myself wanting something sweet almost every day now. I guess I can milk these last few weeks while I can 😉

clicking Through many animated commercials that our new clients have done. Been trying to familiarize myself with their work as much as I can.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a great weekend!

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.

Homemade Pesto Sauce

Our garden has been a hit this year! Especially for fresh, homemade pasta sauces. This was my first venture at making my own pesto sauce, and I have to say, it turned out pretty darn good! Not to mention, it was super easy to make. Thanks Mom!

What you need:

2 cups fresh basil leaves

3 or 4 garlic cloves

olive oil – I don’t really measure…enough so that the mixture ends up like a sauce and not chunky

1/4 pine nuts

1/2 cup Romano cheese

blender or food processor

1/2 cup heavy cream (if you want to make pesto cream sauce)

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How to make it happen:

Put about half of the basil leaves in a blender or food processor with the olive oil to grind up. Once it’s smooth, add the other ingredients (except the cream) and remaining basil and olive oil to grind up. Make sure it is all well blended and smooth.

You can either freeze or use fresh.

Transfer the sauce to a small pot to heat it up. If you want to make pesto cream sauce, you can whisk in the heavy cream right before turning off the heat.

Boil up your favorite type of pasta, and top it with this delicious sauce! Once the pasta is boiled, I drain it and then coat it with a layer of the sauce so that it doesn’t dry out and stick together. Serve it up in bowls, and then top with as much added sauce as you like. I also add some extra grated Romano cheese to the top, because I’m a cheese fanatic.

Delish!

Hope you enjoy, and would love to hear if any of you try this recipe out.

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Happy Monday. Have a great week everyone!

XO,

Gina

Friday Favorites

1. Favorite Summer Drink – The Smoothie

I have been downing one of these almost daily. They are super refreshing and hydrating for my prego body, not to mention tasty. I love to mix it up with different fruits including watermelon, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, and more.

strawberry-smoothie-187x300 — Photo from KristenHadeed.com

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2. Favorite Recipe – Beer Can Chicken

My husband made this receipe from Bon Appetit Magazine last week, and it was absolutely delicious! In the middle of cooking, the chicken actually ended up falling over on the grill, and he was convinced it turned out burned and terrible, but I beg to differ! It was juicy and flavorful, and I would definitely request we have this again!

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3. Favorite Wedding Hairstyle – Beautiful Top Bun w/ Headpiece

My beautiful cousin, Alex, adorned this stunning hairstyle on her wedding day last December courtesy of Creations-a-la-Nikki. I love how super-chic and classy her look is, captured by the wonderful photographer Abby Grace.

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4. Favorite Blogger – Keiko Lynn

I have been following Keiko’s blog for awhile now. I absolutely love her retro-yet-modern, punkish-yet-feminine chic style. Her blog is definitely one of those that I go to for inspiration. And her make-up tutorials are phenomenal!

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5. Favorite Funny Video – Dad Life

This video actually reminds me more of my own Dad, than of my husband, but who knows, it could only be a matter of time once Zack starts rockin’ the Dad Life style as well! Haha.

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

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Hope you all have a fantastic weekend. We are headed down to Maryland for one last quick trip (before we hibernate in NY until the baby gets here) for my sister-in-law’s baby shower for my future little nephew! We are so excited our boys will be born right around the same time. It reminds me of growing up with my cousin, Marisa, and I hope our boys create the same type of long-lasting friendship that we did throughout the years.

Happy Friday!

XO,

Gina

Maternity Photos By Misa*Me

On the weekend we went back to Maryland for Teri’s bridal shower and Little Monkey’s baby shower, we were lucky enough to squeeze in this maternity photo session with the lovely Marisa Crider of Misa*Me Photography. I was looking for a sun drenched romantic setting with tall grass for the backdrop of this shoot, and Marisa found the perfect location! The sun more or less cooperated for some of the time, and we were able to get the beautiful field shots I wanted as well as some surprise shots on a nearby beach. Marisa never fails to impress with her talents, and she truly captured our excitement for our arriving baby boy. We cannot wait to meet him and share these photos with him one day.

Outfit 1: On Me – Dress: Target Maternity / Necklace: Cheerfully Charmed (similar) / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelet: Baublebar / Lip: MAC Venomous Villains Heartless / Baby Shoes: Luvable Friends — On Zack – Button Down and Linen Pants: H&M

Outfit 2: On Me – Dress: Ella Moss via Gilt / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Henri Bendel and Baublebar / Earrings: Borrowed from Misa*Me / Lip: MAC Venomous Villains Heartless — On Zack – Shirt: H&M / Shorts: Target / Shoes: Sanuk – similar here, here, and here

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Thank you so much to my amazing cousin, Marisa, for taking these photos for our little family. We really appreciate it, and cannot wait for our little man to get here!

If you’d like to see more photos from the shoot, then please head on over to Misa*Me Photography to see the rest.

Hope you are all enjoying the week so far.

XO,

Gina

Garden Fresh Homemade Tomato Sauce

It’s that time of the year! The time when our tomatoes are coming up in the garden, and more importantly…time for fresh pasta sauce! I typically make my own homemade sauce (carrying on the family tradition) all year long using cans of tomatoes, but there is something about those fresh tomatoes that really make the world go ’round. I have tried both all fresh and all canned versions of this recipe, but my preference is actually a 50/50 method of half fresh, half canned. For some reason, that packs the best punch of flavor in my book, and it’s just the perfect combo for an amazing sauce.

The recipe is quite simple. Most of it is all about taste and preference. I hardly measure anything, and I kind of pinch and throw in as I go.

What you need:

4-6 cloves of garlic chopped (or whole, but I chop mine)

chopped yellow onion (or white or spanish) – I use about 1/4 of a medium size onion

extra virgin olive oil

fresh tomatoes from the garden (I used about 12)

canned tomatoes (my favorite brand is the Sclafani crushed, I used 1 can for this batch, because that was about how many fresh tomatoes I had, and I wanted it to be a 50/50 mix)

fresh basil from the garden to taste (I used about 10 leaves)

salt

pepper

dried italian herbs (if you have more fresh, the better!)

sugar (my secret ingredient)

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How to Make it Happen:

First prep the fresh tomatoes by dicing them up to remove all the seeds (the more seeds you have the more bitter the sauce is, so I remove them all from the fresh tomatoes). Then, you can either put them in a food processor to blend or keep them as is (again your preference of texture!) and put them aside.

Saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat for a couple minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Add the fresh tomatoes and the can of tomatoes to the pot and stir, stir, stir. Lower heat so it’s not popping bubbles of sauce all over the kitchen.

Next, stir in the basil, salt, pepper, extra Italian herbs, and sugar to taste.

Let it sit, stirring frequently, and tasting frequently. You may find you want to add a few herbs, a little more sugar, etc. as it cooks. You can really cook it as long as you want. The flavors will change a bit as time wears on, and you may want to add more to it. I am all about the quickness, so unless I have a very large pot of sauce, I don’t really cook mine for more than 20-30 minutes. I am usually just cooking for two, so it can cook pretty quickly.

Boil up your favorite type of pasta while you are waiting for the sauce. Once the pasta is ready, drain it, and coat it with a few large scoops of sauce so that it doesn’t dry out and stick together. Serve it up in bowls, and add as much extra sauce as you like! I top mine with grated Locatelli Romano cheese as well, and voila! Dinner is served.

Buon Apetito!

XO,

Gina

Skirt the Issue

Got an ever-growing baby bump, and can’t really wear sweats and a t-shirt to the office? No problem…skirt the issue! Luckily, I can pretty much wear whatever I want to work on a daily basis. However, when I have meetings or lunches with clients or advertising creatives, I do like to look presentable! This particular day, we were having a birthday lunch at the Mandarin Hotel for my boss and I, who both have our birthdays around the same time. The meal was delicious, and the view overlooking Central Park was even better. I scored this outfit at Motherhood Maternity, and both top and skirt are quite comfortable, yet presentable for the workplace.

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Skirt: Motherhood Maternity / Top: Motherhood Maternity / Shoes: Sam Edelman via Nordstrom Rack (sold out) – also like these / Sunnies: ModCloth / Bag: Longchamp / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Henri Bendel, Baublebar, Gorjana / Nails: Essie Rock the Boat / Lip: Lancome Groupie

My husband and I had a BUSY weekend. Unfortunately, we never made it to that Hester Street Fair (don’t worry girls, we will make it before August is through!). However, we made LOADS of progress on our little boy’s nursery. I completed all of my thank you cards, Zack installed the carseat and built the stroller. We figured out how to use all the stroller seats and attachments. We built the bassinet stand, swing, rock and play, and activity gym. We cleaned out the entire living room (so we can now sit on the couch), and found a place for almost everything, set up his dressers and started decorating the room. We decorated his name in wooden letters, adorned an entire wall in monkey and tree decals. We built a crib…loaded up shelves…I think there is actually more we completed if you can believe it, but my brain is too tired to think straight anymore! Not to mention my body. All this while 8 months prego, and a husband running a fever. I have to say, we were pretty proud of ourselves.

After all our hard work, we decided to treat ourselves to a little dinner out last night at a new restaurant in the neighborhood called Wheated. They boast fresh Neapolitan pizza. Let’s just say we will be returning! This whole area on Church Avenue is actually booming with new businesses and restaurants, so we discovered a whole slew of places that we need to try in the near future.

It’s a gorgeous day in NYC. If every day in August is like this for the rest of my pregnancy, I promise to never complain! It’s amazing. Hope you all had an awesome weekend, and wishing you a very wonderful week ahead!

XO,

Gina

{14} Lately…

Lately I’ve been…

reading Just finished The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby’s First Year by Dawn Dais. I’m not sure whether or not it was a good idea or a bad idea to read this book. It was quite terrifying, although I suppose I am grateful for the dose of reality and preparations. Just started reading Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. Stumbled across it last week while browsing at Barnes and Noble and figured I would read it since I went to Maine this summer. It’s more of a beach read about family summer drama.

writing Well technically, I haven’t started yet, because my apartment has been a disaster zone since the baby shower, and I haven’t even been able to sit on the couch. HOWEVER, I plan on starting to write out some thank you notes this weekend for all of the lovely gifts we received from our family and friends.

listening I think I am late on this song, but I heard it a few weeks ago, and honestly it reminds me of my grandfather who always used to say, “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.” Ain’t that the truth, Grandpa. The song is Cups by Anna Kendrick from the movie Pitch Perfect.

thinking That every time I think my belly can’t possibly get any bigger…I wake up, and it’s bigger.

smelling The Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels Heavenly that I put on this morning.

watching The Challenge: Rivals II. I know it’s ridiculous that I still follow these shows, but I just can’t get enough of the drama that unfolds with every new season of a challenge. I also constantly wonder how I would measure up in these challenges. Something tells me I would give those girls a run for their money.

wishing That I could fly out to Missouri to celebrate my friend’s Cris and Kate’s big day this weekend! This is the second big wedding we have missed this year, and it’s definitely a bummer to not be there, even though I know it’s for a good reason. Wishing Cris and Kate a magical day and lots of love!

hoping To make a lot of progress on our little boy’s room this weekend. I’m really excited for my vision of how it will look when it’s finished, but it’s a long process to get there! I’m hoping we can get a good chunk done this weekend. Am I in nesting mode perhaps?

wearing Mint green shorts and a gray and orange striped top (different color here), both from Motherhood Maternity.

loving The maternity session photos that Misa*Me Photography took for us! She gave us a little sneak peek, and I am so excited to share them with you all in the next couple of weeks. She did a wonderful job, as always. Stay tuned!

laughing At this rendition of Ice Ice Baby that my co-worker shared with me earlier this week. Props to the editor for stringing together 280 movies worth of clips to create this.

wanting To swing by the Hester Street Fair on the Lower East Side this weekend. My friends, Nicole and Maria, have a booth this summer for their handcrafted jewelry company, Guilty Jean, who you may remember from these previous posts. (Spring Has Sprung, Preppy With a Twist, Spiked & Studded, and Boho Spring). Looking forward to checking out their latest line!

needing Water, water, water. Hydration is key for this prego mama.

feeling Alien-like movements coming from my belly. He’s kicking and squirming more and more every day. I swear, it’s the weirdest feeling ever that something is alive and moving inside of you! But it’s also pretty cool.

craving Watermelon. Nothing like this delicious fresh fruit on a hot summer day.

clicking Through resume after resume. Trying to find someone to fill in for me at work while I’m away. I think we are getting close to making a decision!

What have you been up to lately?

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a great weekend!

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.

Monkey Business

When we came up with the name “Little Monkey” for our future babe, we never realized how much this name would take off! When we started using the name, we didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl. Once we found out, we decided we wanted to keep his name a surprise until his arrival, so again the nickname, Little Monkey, stuck. It seems that is has stuck with everyone else as well! My mom, sister, and aunt threw us a beautiful monkey themed baby shower for our little boy, and I swear, I didn’t know this much monkey stuff existed! Monkey cake, monkey diaper tower, monkey onesies (for many different months and hardly any duplicates!), monkey sheets, monkey towels, monkey blankets, monkey backpacks, monkey toys, and the list goes on and on. At this point, it literally looks like a monkey exploded all over our living room. Our family and friends have spoiled us with many wonderful gifts for our little guy. We are so grateful and appreciative to have so many great people supporting us and loving us and our little one on the way. And one thing is for sure…he is either going to really love or really hate monkeys at the end of his first year! Here are a few photos from the shower. Hope you enjoy!

IMG_0009_Layers_v1 — The ladies behind it all! Thank you so much!

We had our second prenatal pediatrician consult this morning, and still have one more to go before we decide on a doctor for our little guy. Had a good doc appointment yesterday, and it looks like he is growing strong! Still working on “project nursery”, and think it’s going to take quite some time before it’s complete, so hopefully he continues to hang out inside for a little while before making his grand entrance.

Hope you are all having a great week!

XO,

Gina

A Summer Shower

Recently, the matrons of honor along with the bridesmaids (myself included) and close family threw a beautiful wedding shower for our dear friend Teri that was all about the details. Starting with the “guestbook” above made out of a Jenga game, the delicious mimosa bar with fresh fruit, customized “Rome” (her future new last name) gift bags for the guests, handcrafted custom made gifts, and carefully designed centerpieces, this shower definitely showed both creativity and care in every aspect of the event. All of the bridesmaids are currently married, and Teri was involved with each one of our weddings. This was truly our chance to give back to her and show her how much we appreciate having her in our lives. A custom slide show was designed with photos of her and her fiancé and their loved ones, and we also played a little game where we interviewed her fiancé, Charlie, on camera to see how many questions they could answer the same. It was a great time, and we hope that Teri enjoyed being showered with love on her special day. The countdown to the wedding in October is getting close, and I am definitely getting excited to see these two tie the knot!