new year's eve Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

Sparkly Season

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Sparkly Tank: Forever 21 (old) – similar / White Blazer: Target (old) – similar / Leggings: Target – similar / Ankle Booties: H&M – similar / Hat: Habit (boutique in Brooklyn) / Lip: MAC Rebel

‘Tis the season of SPARKLE!!!! This was supposed to be my New Year’s Eve outfit, but I got excited and wore it on Christmas Eve instead. I planned on wearing my red dress, but decided I wanted to feel a little more casual…but not TOO casual. So I managed to dress up black leggings with nothing else other than a little sparkle, blazer, and a hat. And who knew my aunt would be bringing hats for each one of the gals at the party for a “funny hat” photo?! Guess I had a sixth sense or something…

Christmas was a blast as usual with lots of family craziness, keeping kids up late, some crankiness, tons of presents, cookies galore, and much much more. We had a great time…I wish it hadn’t felt like such a rush through it all. Nico really enjoyed himself and it was amazing just seeing all the excitement in his eyes. Oh how I love the magic of Christmas! Luca slept through most of the excitement of his 1st Christmas, but he was mostly his smiley self when awake (except when we kept him up past bedtime LOL.)

This week I am hoping to relax a little more, see some more family and friends, get back into a workout routine, ramp up some work time…and maybe even get a little date night or something. It’s hard with two kids, but we’re trying!

Hope you are all enjoying this wonderful holiday season!

XO,

Gina

Farewell 2013

I can’t believe it’s time to say farewell to 2013. It’s been a crazy year, but also a really fun one. I want to thank all of you for continuing to check out my posts every day. Your comments and kind words definitely keep me coming back here to this little blog of mine. Your favorite post was when I announced my husband and I were having a boy! That little boy sure has changed our world. You also liked my recipes for garden fresh tomato sauce and homemade pesto. Who knew I could actually be crafty with my DIY Nursery Letters, which you all also seemed to enjoy. And your favorite outfit post was this winter white number.

Now here is a little photo reminder of my trip to Maine, which is perfect for today’s celebrations. I will most likely be in bed before the ball drops this year, because when you have a baby, you can’t stay up until midnight anymore. Instead of drowning yourself in champagne and singing Auld Lang Syne while staring at the blurry fireworks…you sip some sparkling cider, cuddle your little one, put him to bed, and then climb into your own bed to catch up on sleep. The difference in Brooklyn is that us parents postpone celebrations for a chic daytime party with other parents and babies in the neighborhood at the local bar (which I am looking forward to by the way). So we will still be celebrating tomorrow, just during baby-friendly hours. 🙂

I am wishing you all the most wonderful New Year for 2014!

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

2012: A Year in Review

Ringing in the New Year in Playas del Coco, Costa Rica!

Hiking in the Cloud Forest in Monteverde, Costa Rica

Valentine’s Day Surprise at the Mary Poppins Show! I dressed just like her without even knowing.

Celebrating Zack’s 31st at crazy Mehenata Bulgarian Bar

14 inch hair chop! Bye Bye. Thanks Nikki!

Sweetlife Festival at Merriweather in MD featuring Avicii…AMAZING.

Seeing Emily Blunt and Jason Segal at the premiere of 5 Year Engagement at the Tribeca Film Festival

SKYDIVING!!! Thanks to my amazing husband – he surprised me on our one year anniversary with this bucket list item.

Dad FINALLY visits us in NY. With Zack, Mom, and cousins at their pasta shop in Brooklyn

Virginia Beach trip with friends for Shirin and Shahrum’s wedding

Testudo came to Zach and Jessica’s wedding! Go Terps!

Happy Birthday to ME! Love my new camera!

Girl’s Weekend in OC for Katie’s Bachelorette – Seacrets is crazy!

Dewey Summer Send off on Labor Day Weekend

A Naval Academy Wedding for Megan and JoJo

Visionary Art Museum Wedding for MaryBeth and James

Trip to Montauk for Mike and Abby’s Big Day

Katie & Adam tie the knot at Sagamore Farms

racejohn — Running with Patrick and Melissa for my late dear friend John Petrovick. “Inside all of us is HOPE.”

racejohn2 — Thanks to Gabbi for helping to raise money for John’s cause.

Camping trip with Erin and Rai to French Creek

End of the season pic with my JV High School Girls Soccer Team

ASHS 10 Year High School Reunion – man time flies

All my girls at the 5th Annual Pollard Potluck

poodiewedding — Alex and Seamus get married to end the year!

It may seem like a lot of photos, but this is just a small snippet of what took place in 2012. There were so many more fun memories of this past year. There were also some sad moments as well. I have learned a lot this past year, and I know that I am truly thankful for the family and friends that I have. I am incredibly lucky for the support and love that I have received this past year, and I hope I was able to return the favor to all of you as well.

I wish you all a Happy New Year’s Eve. Please stay safe tonight.

Bring on 2013!

XO,

Gina

Cheers

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

HOLIDAY FAVORITES

Favorite Laugh:

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Favorite Movie:

Favorite Family Photo:

guaragnafamilyphoto — Yes, this is my crazy Italian fam – Courtesy of Misa*Me Photography

Favorite Holiday Look:

polyvore holiday look — New Year’s Eve??? – Photo courtesy of Polyvore

Favorite Sweet Treat:

cookies — Grandma Sally G’s Italian Christmas Eve Cookies – a family favorite!

What are some of your holiday favorites? E-mail or tweet me your favorite holiday things by Friday, and I will feature them in an upcoming post!

Email: gina (dot) notes26 (at) gmail (dot) com – wrote the address this way, so I can’t get spammed FYI

Twitter Handle: @popcornpandas

Can’t wait to see your favorites!

XO,

Gina