Happy Friday!

I hope everyone had a beautiful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, yummy food and great wine. Today is Black Friday, meaning lots of sales- and I’ll be sharing some of my picks over on my Instagram stories throughout the weekend.

Happy Monday, kids.

I fully intended to have a fresh post up for you this morning, but our weekend away got the best of me. If you follow along on Instagram, you likely saw some snaps of our two nights in Tiverton, Rhode Island. Its just about three hours away from home in Connecticut- making it a pretty doable trip with the family- including Georgia. And we had the most beautiful couple days a few some close friends and our little family.

I’m happy to report that this past weekend, it finally felt like fall here in Connecticut. And the Matkovics were happy to welcome the crisp air with open arms.

Friday night Phil and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with dinner at one of our favorite local spots, Lugano- followed by a fire pit and a bottle of wine and lots of laughs at home, just the two of us.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a book review here.

I was really hoping to have five for you all for this next roundup; but I’ve been struggling to start/get through another one, and I wanted to make sure to share these goodies before the chaos of the holidays takes over for all of us.

Where, oh where, did September go? It feels like this month has flown by- and I can’t believe that in just one week we’ll be welcoming October. If you’ve been around for a while, you know this is my favorite time of year. There’s just something so refreshing about the start of the school year; about the weather changing and the welcome of crisp nights, football season, bonfires and chunky knits.

At the beginning of this year I decided to get back into reading.

I've never been much of a habitual reader, per se- Bravo almost always beats out a good book- but the amount of books I had read in the past few years was borderline embarrassing. And I had watched all the Bravo. 

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In like a lion, out like a lamb? Not too sure about that one this year. This sunshine is deceiving and it’s still cold as a mutha. And we’re expecting {yet} another winter storm later this week. Let’s just say my fingers are a little numb from googling vacations down in the south and I’m ready to board that jet plane towards sunshine.

Another week, another crazy case of Connecticut weather.

This winter just won’t quit; and this mama is just about over it. That being said, snowfalls and cold aside, the sun has been shining; and there’s nothing quite like the sun peeking through over a morning cup of coffee.

Another short week that flew by quick. And even graced us with an unseasonably warm winter day. Wednesday brought us all the sunshine and blue skies, making me itch for spring and summer even more. Maddie returned to school after a week of vacation, and she was more than happy to get back to her routine.

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After weeks of anticipation, our Aspen girls’ trip has finally arrived. Yesterday we headed west for a weekend of ski, spa and lots of toasts in celebration of my baby sister’s upcoming wedding.

Valentine's Day is just a week away; so to get in the spirit this past weekend,  I invited a few girlfriends over for a little ladies' brunch. 

I wanted to create a sweet party that was equal parts girly and unexpected- lots of bright pinks, balloons and bubbly combined with pops of black, gold tones and all the cold brew coffee.

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It has been a WEEK, folks. But we made it. 

Potty training is no joke, people. It is certainly ranked as one of the hardest things we've done in parenthood so far. Boy, did it take a lot out of me; and I can only imagine how frustrating it can be for a tiny two-year-old. 

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The first fever-free week we've had in a while, and boy, did it feel good.

 Madeline was so happy to get back to school and art class, and mom was more than pleased to get back to our regular routine. It's amazing what I can get done around here during a few hours of preschool and an hour or two of nap time. 

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It’s been a long while since I’ve sat down with a good read. To be honest, I’ve never been one to prefer a book over Bravo; but ever since I’ve had MM there has been a vast decline in my time spent thumbing through the pages of a good ‘ole fashioned story. Besides a few great parenting books, I’ve basically neglected reading altogether; so this year, I’ve made a conscience effort to get back into the groove.

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This week- the first week of the new year- flew right on by.

We dipped our toe in getting back into our routine- Maddie's school started back up, we enjoyed a few early breakfasts at our favorite local bakery, and she had her first art class of the year. 

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Wow. The past week has flown by. It's been a whirlwind filled with a few ups and downs- don't worry, I'm working away on a post about it all to share very soon.

And while there have been a few tears recently, they've all been overshadowed with the joy of soaking in the holiday season.

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