Easter Recap

It already feels like oh so long ago, but we had such a lovely Easter weekend that I don't want to let it completely pass by without a recap.

We started the weekend on Good Friday with all of us at home for the day. Penelope's daycare was closed and Shaun and I were both off for the day. This worked out well since the sinus infection I'd been trying to fend off for the previous three days hit me in full force. It was nice to be home and taken care of for the day.

We were also home to receive our new headboard and media console, both of which I'll post updates on soon.

Friday evening we headed off to church for Good Friday services with Penelope in tow. Let's just say that a 14 month old + church = complete chaos.

We arrived home later than planned and tucked P straight into bed while we enjoyed a nice dinner and a few episodes of Justified.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a busy day ahead. We started with Penelope's music class. Some of the parents in our building got together and brought in a Music Together class every Saturday.

 

This has been a superfun class for us to do with Penelope, albeit a bit pricey. She loves music and the chance to play with different instruments, her favorite being the maraca-like egg.

Right after class we went down to the car and headed out to Shaun's parents church (and the one he grew up going to) for an Easter egg hunt. There were almost 100 kids, plus story time and a sing-a-long. Though still so young, Penelope totally got into opening the Easter eggs and finding little treats inside. The eggs for her age group had stickers in them and Penelope's grandma and grandpa made some special eggs just for her with her favorite yogurt melts inside.

 

The church also had a photo booth and we of course partook in the fun.

After the hunt, we headed home for a little relaxation time. And Penelope found that the Easter bunny had made a stop at our house a little early for her!

I had bought a couple things for her over the last month and was saving them for Easter. Frozen and Tangled on DVD, two of her favorite touch and feel books, a mini gardening set and some more yogurt melt-filled eggs.

After snuggling up for family movie time with Frozen, we got ready and headed out to Brooklyn for pork shoulder fest at Kim and Nicks place.

Such a fun night of delicious food and friends, and Penelope walked around like she owned the place. Also, she ate a lot of hummus.

 

We called it an early night since we had such a long day and another one ahead. Penelope partied til she passed out.

 

On Easter Sunday, we headed back to church with Shaun's family for a lovely celebratory service.

Afterwards, we went back to their house for brunch, relaxing, and some outdoor time. Once again, Penelope got to do a little Easter egg hunt and stretch her legs in the sunshine.

It was really nice to be outdoors on a gorgeously sunny day after such a brutal winter.

 Afterwards, we took her to the park. Though she was so not down with the swings:

She totally adored her first few trips down the slide!

 

She jumped off, looked up at me and smiled. Then she tried to run right back to the ladder to go again. After playground time, we headed over to my parents for late lunch/early dinner. Linner.

We dined on a traditional Easter feast of spaghetti and meatballs, followed by lots of cakes and treats.

Penelope got after the dip yet again.

 

She's a girl after my own heart for sure.

It was such a long yet fun weekend and it was really tough going back to work that Monday! Loved having so much time with Sweet P and the whole family.

The only solace? Our girls weekend in Charleston coming up the very next week...

For more Easter fun, here's my recap on our first fEaster celebration!

Home Work

Lately I've been obsessed with redecorating our apartment.

We've been in this one for almost 4 years (pinch me, please), and much of our furnishings came with us from our last apartment. This is a photo from a few years ago, where our dining/living room area looks downright sparse, compared to now, which is overrun with Penelope things. In fact our entire media unit became consumed with her toys (though that was also recently updated):

Our last place was our first home and so we made so many purchases without really thinking them through for the long term. Not that I have regrets, but do I wish I could tell my 25 year old self to purchase a black, brown or navy couch, rather than dark mossy green...? Yes, yes I do. But you live and you learn, right?

It also doesn't help matters that I am the most indecisive person EVER when it comes to decorating, updating and redoing anything in my home. I'm so fearful of making the wrong decision that I end up making zero decisions. Which is why my living room and bedroom walls remain barren after almost 4 years. The only space that's gotten some wall love? Our entryway:

Our place isn't big by house standards, but for an apartment it's not too shabby. We own our loft-style apartment in Jersey City and thus I'm a little more comfy making edits to it. Clocking in around 1,000 square feet, our home has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, some significant closet space (for apartment living), and a nice sized terrace to boot. It also has soaring 14 foot ceilings, which makes it all feel bigger too.

With that in mind, are we bursting at the seams with two full grown adults and a precocious toddler up in there?

Kind of.

But I love our place and am determined to stay there for as long as we can make it work.

Recently, I've been on a rampage to update it all, both aesthetically and functionally. Things just aren't the same with an almost 15-month-old in tow. Now, I'm all about utilizing every square inch of space we have and to look good doing it.

I keep a running list of everything I want to do, room by room. I've had this list for about two years before I finally decided to start tackling it. And so, if you're interested, I'll take you on our journey of home updates. After all, don't you want to see how far we've come since these mismatching bedroom days?

I'll give you a hint. It's significantly more awesome - and matching - now.

I'll also leave you with some fun go-to blogs that have me inspired daily by their design and organizing prowess!

Young House Love

IHeart Organizing

Bower Power

Making it Lovely

Where do you go for home improvement inspiration? 

Are you tackling any home projects lately?

Tea + Thrones

I'll be back in later this week with an Easter weekend recap, but wanted to pop in today and say hi!

We had a nice three day weekend and it was brought down only slightly by the appearance of a sinus infection for me, in all of its glory. I've been sipping tea and popping Advil cold & sinus like it's my job, and it seems like today may finally be a turning point. While I'm still feeling foggy and stuffy, last night was the first in a few in which I could actually breathe slightly through my nose, causing less overnight wake ups due to severe dry mouth.

It's pretty. And sexy.

Meanwhile, I'm excited to power through this week because on Sunday morning, I leave for Charleston with my mom and sisters for a long overdue girls weekend and to belatedly celebrate my mom's birthday. I'm so thankful that I'll be healthy and ready to shine by then (here's hoping!). And so in The Great Shoe Saga of 2014, I've been ordering shoes like mad to find the perfect chic yet walkable pair for the trip. I'll keep you posted as to what I land on.

We've actually got a lot coming up over the next few weeks (or months, actually!), including Shaun's birthday next week. Any suggestions for some great guy gifts?

Lastly, are you all caught up on Game of Thrones? We caught up last night and all I can say is...wow! I don't know where this season is leading us, but I was happy to say buh-bye to a certain someone...though I'm really concerned over who's going to take the fall for this one...leave your thoughts in the comments! Entertainment Weekly has all kinds of GoT goodies, if you're interested.