Friday

{easy antipasto platter}

It's snowing slightly in NYC today and supposedly we are getting some real snow for Monday. I'm not sure that it will be of Snowmageddon levels, but perhaps another snow day is in the works? I'm not counting on it, but I wouldn't mind it either :) This weekend we will celebrate Penelope's 2nd birthday with a small dinner tomorrow evening and Sunday we'll curl up on the couch with chips and dips for the Superbowl. I don't have any skin in the Superbowl game this year, however, I can't help but root for the Seahawks. Regardless of who's playing, I always enjoy the food. I'm not sure what we'll be making this year, but I know for sure that a cheese board and pizza dip will be on the menu! I hope you have a wonderful and warm weekend!

What are your plans for the Superbowl?

Though I didn't do five things this week, here are some links I loved!

this bacon jalapeno cheeseball would be perfect for the big game

buzzfeed ranked the bravermans

...and i really loved this series finale post-mortem with parenthood producer jason katims

i had to laugh at this red wine vs. white wine drinker differences. red wine 4E!

love this list of 10 things you'll never do again once you become a mom

21 books to read before they become movies this year; i've only read 50 shades, insurgent & mockingjay so it seems like i have some work to do!

this giant chocolate chip cookie sandwich cake looks amazing

i am definitely going to try this smoky cauliflower mac 'n cheese

and these chocolate coconut cream cupcakes

TBT: 2 Years Ago Nostalgia

Monday marks Penelope's 2nd birthday. I have such nostalgia this time of year for 2 years ago when I was awaiting her arrival. Couped up in my apartment while Shaun drove to work every morning, I had set up a back pillow and towel on the couch and enjoyed my last days of alone time. I took short walks in the mornings for a decaf coffee at Dunkin and a little treat, often a brownie batter donut, afraid to venture too far away from home should I unexpectedly go into fierce and quick labor. I worked from home and answered daily texts from friends, family and co-workers, asking if I thought maybe today would be the day? I joyfully gave my symptoms of the day and wondered the same myself.  It all feels like a lifetime ago, yet I remember it like yesterday.

For today's Throwback Thursday I thought it would be fun to link back to some of the posts leading up to Penelope's birth day, and her actually birth story.

My due date + final nursery reveal

Penelope's birth story i/ii/iii

These citrus loaf cakes that I made to freeze before her arrival

Evidence of my crazy nesting

What I packed in my hospital bag

What I packed in baby's hospital bag

We decided not to have a big party for her birthday this year (we did that for her 1st birthday last year) and instead will have a small dinner and birthday cake with our parents and siblings this weekend. We are also planning a Frozen movie viewing with a few of the kids in our building, but that's about it.

It's crazy how fast time flies and I keep trying to pinpoint when Penelope began becoming more of a little girl than of a little baby. I feel so lucky and my heart overflows with love for this little girl. I never knew how much I'd love being a Mom until she came along. And so for the next few days, I can't wait to celebrate my sweet little P and shed a few happy tears for the light she's brought to my life.

Happy Throwback Thursday!

Snowmageddon That Wasn't

We've had a whirlwind bunch of days. If you've heard anything about the recent weather in the northeast, then you'll know that things were expected to get crazy. I worked from home on Monday, bracing for another superstorm sandy-esque pummeling. I had a stocked fridge, a full rack of wine and flashlight and candles on hand in case of a power outage. 

Well the snow was anything but life altering. All told we got about 6 inches, so not very much. Enough to have a snow day at home but not enough to do any real damage. So everyone is back to work and school today.

I did enjoy working at home in sweatpants and slowly downing a nice pot of coffee. I did not enjoy the desire to eat everything in sight, a definite downside of working from home! 

My work set up looked something like this:

By Tuesday, we all had a little bit of cabin fever (some of us more than others). I attempted to take Penelope out in the snow for a little while however she was less than thrilled. She screamed from the time she got her snow pants on until we came back inside, save for just a few minutes when she actually thought the snow was mildly fun.

It nice starting the real work week on Wednesday , but on the other hand I'm completely thrown off because it feels like Monday! I hope those of you hit hard by the storm are doing well and warm!

Have a great hump day everyone!