Weekend Recap

This past weekend was so, so good.

Despite the fact that initially I wasn't exactly feeling pumped about turning 33, getting to spend a long weekend with the people I love the most really put things into perspective for me... not every day is perfect around here... we have certainly dealt with our fair share of temper tantrums, and 3 am wake up calls lately, but entering my 33rd year, there is no place I would rather be.

On Saturday we hit up the fair, where Max literally could not get enough of the animals, and kept asking if he could ride them, as in... "I wanna ride the pig", "I wanna ride the donkey", "I wanna ride the cow"... you get the idea.

Ella was a little reluctant at first but eventually decided she liked the doggies... to Ella, at the moment, every animal we come across is a doggy.

On Monday, we decided to head to Saratoga Springs for my birthday, and check out the racetrack.  It's a pretty big deal around here during the summer months, and we were dying to see what the hype was all about.

It was certainly an experience, and though it might have been more enjoyable sans double stroller and 90 degree heat, it was still a really good time.

We had our first Shake Shack experience (which also lived up to the hype), bet on horses (Mike won, I did not), and the kids enjoyed ice cream, checking out the horses, and playing at the playground.  Mondays are family day at the track, so it worked out great.

Now we're heading into our first heatwave of the summer, with temps in the 90's all week long... trips to the lake/splash pad/pool, will be a necessity to survive I'm sure.

I hope the week is off to a great start for all of you!

                                              

Swoon Worthy

Happy weekend friends!  Mike and I spent our Friday evening watching a riveting (insert sarcasm here) documentary on the making of Sriracha, while sipping on summery cocktails.

The paloma was our beverage of choice, and though it was my first time making/drinking them, they turned out to be the perfect selection, seeing as it was #nationaltequiladay. 

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a day dedicated to literally everything now?  Either way, I was totally on board to celebrate this one.  Ella has given up her 2nd nap, and is down to 1 a day, and Max seems to have given up napping all together this past week... meaning no more napping at the same time.  Translate that into I'm-losing-my-mind-and-tequila-was-the-perfect-anecdote.

Alright, enough with my incessant ranting... Let's get down to it.  Here's the recipe for the palomas, as well as the list of things I am currently swooning over...

1.  The paloma... an incredibly refreshing, citrusy, summertime cocktail.  Here's how we made ours:

Ingredients

tequila blanco

grapefruit juice (generally fresh, but we used Simply Grapefruit juice)

simple syrup

fresh lime juice

club soda

lime for garnish

ice

mix 1-1.5 shots of tequila, 1/4 cup grapefruit juice, .5 shot of simple syrup, and squeeze of fresh lime juice.  pour over ice and top with 1/4 cup club soda. garnish with lime.

2.  Beyond in love with this shop's beautiful prints.

3.  I may be late to the game on this one, but were you guys aware that H&M sells stuff for your home?  I had no idea, but they have some great stuff!

4.  If you follow me on Instagram (@contemporarydomestics), you might have caught this dessert dip that I made this week.  It. Is. So. Good.

5.  One of my favorite stores is offering 20% off all weekend, time to stock up on more of my favorites, like these, and these.

6.  This water bottle might just be the perfect companion to take along on my runs while I train for my half marathon.

7.  This shop is offering some great discounts this weekend.  I am dying over their mini hi-lo maxi dresses.

8.  I'm fairly positive that I have posted the link for this recipe before, but we had these tacos again this week, and I was reminded of just how yummy they are!

9.  I love this super simple, but genius idea from Pinterest.  Max would be all over this!

10.  I would like one of these dresses in every color.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  We're off to the fair...

                                              

Summer Favorites

It's been awhile since I've posted a "inspiration board", and even though I'm completely aware that my summer mom uniform is hardly inspirational, I thought I'd share a few of the pieces that I literally can't live without this summer.

They are casual pieces... mostly for comfort... easy to slip on and run out the door while wrangling two kids, and great for everyday wear... but they are my go-to favorite pieces this season.

1//2//3//4//5//6

                                                

Crocheted Mini Bunting

I recently whipped up this mini bunting to hang in Ella's nursery, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the way it turned out.  I love the touch of whimsy and the punch of color it adds to her room.

I wanted to share the super simple pattern that I came up with, if any of you just so happened to want to create one of your own.  What I love most about this project is that it can be made in an endless amount of color combinations, and that you can really make the bunting in any size.

I wanted this one on the smaller side, but it can certainly be made larger, and longer.

The best part?  If you can crochet a single crochet stitch, and a slip stitch, you can totally make one of these... and if not, there's always Youtube.

materials

yarn in colors of your choosing

appropriate size crochet hook for the thickness of yarn you will be using

*** I used a size F crochet hook and Caron Simply Soft yarn

pattern

start by chaining 2

in first chain from hook, make 2 sc. chain 1 and turn.

make 2 sc in each stitch (4 sc). chain 1 and turn.

*make 2 sc in first stitch and 1 sc in each stitch across. chain 1 and turn.*

continue from * to * until bunting is desired size (I ended mine when I had 12 stitches across).

break off yarn, and weave in ends.

for crocheting the bunting pieces together...

chain stitch until you reach desired length, then slip stitch across the top of each piece of bunting, continuing at the end, until number of stitches matches the number you had before first piece of bunting (mine was 20 chains on each end of the bunting).

I am certainly not an expert pattern writer, so if you have any questions about the way this one was written, please feel free to ask me.  Happy hooking!

                                                    

Weekend Recap

Another weekend has come and gone, and true to form, it seems that summer is flying by!

It was super hot and steamy here the last few days... the kind of weather that turns my naturally frizzy hair into a hot mess the moment I step outside (#curlyhairproblems).

Besides the usual lounging and lazing around that comes along with the weekend, we took a mini road trip on Saturday to do some outlet shopping in Vermont.  It was the prettiest, most scenic ride through the mountains along backroads, and I couldn't get enough of all of the charming New England homes that we saw along the way.  We scored some great stuff at the outlets, and shopped as long as we possibly could with 2 toddlers and a double wide stroller, but all in all, it was totally worth the trip.

On Sunday we hit up the pool for some relief from the heat, and then headed home to grill up a feast, and to celebrate National Ice Cream Day... which coincidentally, I didn't even know was a thing, but if Martha Stewart tells you to eat ice cream via Instagram, you do it.  No questions asked.

Happy Monday friends, hope you all have a fabulous week!

{sunglasses}

{monogram hat}

                                                

Swoon Worthy

Cheers to the weekend friends, and welcome to yet another Swoon Worthy post, where I list, in no particular order, some of the many things that I've come across recently, and am currently swooning over...

I'm jumping right into it today, and sharing some of the things that I'm crushing on as of late...

1.  I adore so many of the items in Hen & Co.'s shop on Etsy, but, these super cute leggings, dying!

2.  Among my most recent purchases from Target, is this trio of decorative mirrors... I'm loving the way they look on the wall in our family room.

3.  We're just about to hit that point in the summer when fall clothes start to hit stores, even though it's still 90 degrees outside. This sweater is perfect for the crossover between the seasons.

4.  I know a certain little three year old boy who would go absolutely crazy over these funfetti popsicles!

5.  pom poms and citron, this dress is so incredibly beautiful!

6.  I'm absolutely certain that these succulents are the only ones that I am guaranteed not to kill... but for the real things, these terrariums are to die for!

7.  I picked up one of these snack packs at Target the other day... OMG!!!

8.  Our favorite books can now be found in versions that depict some of our favorite states, and they confirmed that more selections are on the way... I can't wait!

9.  I am always delighted by a good tassel necklace.

10.  I MUST make time to take on this little diy project... One can never have too many tote bags!

That about wraps up this Swoon Worthy post.  I hope you all get to enjoy a sunny and relaxing weekend!

                                                 

DIY Faux Zinc Letters

You know those super trendy zinc letters that are all the rage in home decor?  The ones you see on Pinterest, Instagram, and about a zillion other places?

I, for one, happen to love the look of them... what I don't love?  The price.  At $18 a piece; depending on the initials, name, or word you're looking to spell out with them, the resulting bill could be apretty hefty one.

Awhile back, I was fortunate enough to find a knockoff version at Michael's, and purchased an "M" for Max's room.  However, recently, whenever I have come across more budget friendly options, they never seem to have the letters that I am looking for.

{zinc letters}

So... I decided to take matters into my own hands.

The end result:  3 letters, that with coupons/sale prices (and a few materials I already owned), cost me less than $10!

This project is just about the easiest DIY ever.  So easy, that I'm not even sure that it is worthy of a tutorial, but I figured why not share the steps!

Materials

black acrylic paint

silver acrylic paint

cardboard or wood letters

paint brush (straight edge preferred)

First things first, you want to paint your letters with the black paint.  Be sure to cover all of the sides/angles that you will be able to see.  Then, once the letters are dry, with your silver paint, using large back and forth brush strokes, begin to paint over the black.

Depending on the look you are going for, you may want to apply more then one coat of silver paint.  I applied two, but didn't have any issues with this covering the black coat of paint 100%... you want it to still show through a bit.

There you have it friends... I think when you compare these to the (much) pricier version, the look is pretty darn similar.  I know I'm pretty pleased with the end result.  Plus, I can use the money I saved towards buying more latte bowls.  HUGE win!

                                                

Ella's Room | Part 2

I promised when we moved, that I would share photos of our new home as soon as we were settled in, but...  as much as I'd love to do a BIG reveal and give you the full tour of our new place, the truth is, that it's not quite ready yet... We are still working on the getting settled part... you know how that goes.

{pink drawer knobs | basket (homegoods) | moccasins | changing pad cover}

It seems, that our "reveal" is going to have to go down as more of a one-room-at-a-time type of affair. So, seeing as M&E's rooms were major priorities of mine when we arrived in NY, because it was important to me that they immediately felt at home, it seemed only appropriate, that I shared them first.

 I'm kicking it off with some photos of Ella's nursery, along with my best attempt at providing links for many of the items along the way.

Our sweet girl's room is by far one of my favorite in the house. It is bright, cheery, and full of color... Just like Ella herself!

{book ledge (ikea) | bunting (diy)}

{quilt (diy) | pillow (target, old) | pom pom curtains (diy) | lamp (homegoods)}

{moccasin print | barrette print }

{cloud mobile}

{blanket (diy, pattern here)}

{gold wall stickers | crib sheet (diy) | baskets (target, old) | anywhere chair}

{rocking lamb}

{artwork (hobby lobby)}

{moccasins}

I can't wait to share more as it comes along!