emerald city diaries – Page 76 – family + adventures + the emerald city

my weekend in pictures.

{thank you for all of the sweet comments here & on instagram about our big valentine’s day announcement! we are feeling very loved & were so excited to finally {officially} share the happy news. I promise this blog won’t become baby-central, but I will be sharing updates for those who are interested.}

{last year I made aaron’s valentine card & decided to make it a tradition by making him one this year too. I also made the envelope & liner using these awesome templates from paper source: envelope & envelope liner.}

{aaron spoiled me with breakfast in bed on saturday with heart-shaped pancakes & eggs.}

{we visited an old favorite place for lunch while we were in fremont running some errands. if you are ever in that part of town & want a really good sammie or gelato, be sure to hit up jai over at royal grinders}

{we spent some quality family time watching the sochi olympics this weekend. sadie was fascinated with the cross-country team event.}

{I may or may not have had a number of cupcakes this weekend.}

{we also got to celebrate our friend steve’s birthday this weekend. he was surprised by a party & a dinosaur cake. happy birthday steve!}

what a wonderful birthday weekend this shaped out to be. it was a little soggy, but hard to complain. we went on a fun date night to serafina on friday to celebrate my birthday & to eat alongside many of the other seattle couples celebrating valentine’s day. the rest of the weekend was spent sleeping in, opening presents, running some errands, & enjoying our little family of three. how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love: {a valentine’s day announcement}

my previous friday I’m in love posts I have mostly been round-ups of things I am loving for that week {see here, here, here, & here}. this week though, I thought it would be fun to share this year’s family valentine.

for those of you not yet in the know {which is likely a lot since we’ve kept mum recently} we would like to share the LOVE & are absolutely thrilled to announce that our family is growing this year!

if that doesn’t make your valentine’s day happy, I don’t know what will!

{I would love to give a huge shout-out to jihan & geronimo balloons for making & sending over this gorgeous, fun, & festive balloon!}

be sure to check out what kendra is sharing! what are you loving this week?

my weekend in pictures.

{watched part of the opening ceremonies of the olympic games. not going to lie that the alphabet video was a little weird.}

{a fun valentine’s day prop for a photoshoot we did this weekend. I love how festive it is!}

{finally got to nordy’s to drop off some pants for alteration.}

{it snowed on saturday night! it was magical & so beautiful!}

{in the spirit of the olympic games I convinced aaron to watch cool runnings with me. #ilovethismovie #yeahmon}

{sadie takes her job of cleaning dishes & take-out boxes very seriously.}

{we dined out this evening with some friends at naked city. good times & good food!}

what a fun weekend! we had a beautiful sunny saturday in the morning & then snow by nightfall. we’ve watched a few snippets of the olympics here & there, but not going to lie, I am a much bigger fan of the summer games… we got to catch up with a few good friends this weekend which is always such a treat. I am in disbelief that we are heading into the middle of february, but also excited/terrified that I will be a year older by the end of the week. eep! how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

welcome back friday! be sure to pop over to kendra’s blog too to see what she’s up to. we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} the waterlogue app.

I rarely, read: never buy apps. all of my favorites – instagram, feedly, pinterest – are all free! however, when I started hearing rumblings about the waterlogue app, I had to look into it. you open up a picture in the app & it transforms it into a beautiful watercolor piece of art! seriously, it is amazing. I’m in love…

here are a few of my favs from my own pics:

{two} seahawks victory parade.

in case you missed it, the seahawks ~~crushed~~ beat the broncos in the superbowl last weekend. just yesterday there was a team parade downtown where the players & the team piled into the Ride the Ducks amphibious vehicles & cruised down fourth avenue to century link field. early estimates were that 300,000 people would end up downtown. turns out 700,000 {!} people ended up downtown cheering on the hawks. seriously. on a wednesday morning. if that isn’t pride, I don’t know what is!

{three} polar bear family.

family photos of polar bears? melts my heart. a mama & her triplet cubs. #savethepolarbears

what are you loving this week?

my weekend in pictures.

{sometimes when you just have a smoothie for lunch, you grab a bag of cheetos out of the vending machine at 3 pm.}

{on friday night I introduced aaron to the sandwiches at delicatus in seattle’s pioneer square neighborhood. he approved! thanks to amanda for sharing this spot with me last year.}

{after some delicious sammies, we joined ben & sarah at the comedy underground. hilarious!}

{on saturday morning, I breakfasted with an old friend & her new little one at the hangar café in georgetown. definitely check it out if you are ever in town. the crepes are amazing!}

{a girlfriend & I did some early birthday shopping in bellevue on saturday morning. the 12th man was everywhere, including at nordy’s.}

{nothing says date night like two glasses of ice water & a plastic table number. to be fair though, this was the second date night of the weekend, so I wasn’t complaining!}

{we picked up some beast mode skittles after dinner.}

{it is the beginning of february – seriously? – & my bulbs are already sprouting!}

{the laziness won over this weekend & our bringing a dish to share at the superbowl party turned into picking up a dozen donuts at top pot on the way over. no one seemed to mind.}

{the seahawks entering the field. that was before they went on to whoop the broncos! what a game! as much as I would have liked to see a better game – closer score – it was nice to not have to stress about whether the score was too close. from that first play of the game on it was all seahawks!}

this was a really great weekend. the sun was out, I got not one, but two date nights with my husband, we got to catch up with lots of friends, & the seahawks won the superbowl! doesn’t get much better than that! how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

welcome back friday! be sure to pop over to kendra’s blog too to see what she’s up to. we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} boeing & the 12th man.

boeing not only wrapped its new freighter planes with seahawks graphics, its newest jumbo jet also took its first flight in the shape of a “12.” if that’s not support, I don’t know what is. good luck seattle! go 12th man!

{two} cupid’s arrow cupcake topper.

I am loving all of the valentine’s décor & diy ideas that are floating around the interwebs {for obvious reasons}. I am particularly enamored with this cupcake topper that was featured over on the Oh Happy Day blog.

{three} julep freedom top coat.

I am pretty certain I have talked about my love of this product before, but every time I use it, I fall in love again. when I do feel fancy & go get a mani/pedi, I always go to julep which is my all-time favorite nail salon {bonus that it is 5 minutes away from our house!}. months ago the gals started using this freedom top coat after two or three coats of color. once it is on, you sit 10 or 15 minutes with your nails under a light {just any regular light} & like magic, the coat finishes almost like a gel polish! seriously. it isn’t perfect, but it does mean you can put on your jacket & pay for your mani without smudging your nails. I use it at home now when I am feeling not quite as fancy {& have to paint my own}. I just put on one top coat over the color & sit at the dining room table under the light for 15 minutes. you an even read a magazine as long as you keep your fingers facing the light. then, as long as you don’t really rub your nails, you are free to get along with your day. if that’s not freedom, I don’t know what is!

what are you loving this week?

my {long} weekend in pictures.

{I joined some girlfriends for some lift, tone, burn at the pure barre in boise.}

{in an effort to pack light I didn’t bring my own hairdryer & planned on borrowing my mom’s. little did I know that hers recently bit the dust & she has been using this one from the 1970s…}

{on saturday I had the great joy of showering a soon-to-be-mama with my best & oldest girlfriends. it was so amazing to see these ladies & makes me wish we all lived in the same city again. {sigh} maybe someday! thanks jen for throwing a beautiful shower & congrats to beth!}

{watch out world, according to my fortune I am about to unleash some talents!}

{this morning my mom & I caught up on the men’s final match at the australian open & did our best not to read any news. I felt so, so bad for rafa but excited for wawrinka!}

{I dined with my mom & dad at an old favorite, da vinci’s, this evening. really good italian food if you ever find yourself in downtown eagle, idaho.}

{hopped on a plane tonight for the quick trip back to seattle!}

this long weekend was spent in idaho visiting family & friends, & was much-needed for me. we didn’t make it over for the holidays, so it felt good to be home at least for a few days this winter. it is always such a treat to catch up with family & old friends, & this weekend did not disappoint. we got to see my brother, sister, sister-in-law, & nephews for dinner one night, & I got to see all of my very best & oldest girlfriends all in one place at once – amazing! even though I am sad that the weekend is over, it is great to be home & to see sadie!

how was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

welcome back friday! be sure to pop over to kendra’s blog too to see what she’s up to. we would love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} the jamaican bobsled team.

did you hear about the jamaican bobsled team? without a way to fund a trip to sochi, they weren’t even sure they could participate in the winter olympic games this year. but, thanks to crowdsourcing, they raised enough funds to go! this is just an example of how awesome humans can be sometimes. plus, what olympic bobsled competition would be complete without the jamaicans? “sanka, you dead?” “yeah mon.” *

*if you don’t know what the quote is referencing, please stop reading this post & immediately go rent & watch cool runnings. it won’t disappoint! I know I will be watching in at least once in celebration of the upcoming winter olympics!

{two} superbowl XLVIII.

not only am I super stoked to have the seahawks going to the big game this year, but manning {one of our favs from his legacy with the colts} will be there too! it is always a tough game when you want both teams to win, but exciting nonetheless. & a bonus this year is that we get to bet on how many times manning will say “omaha” & see what, if anything, sherman might have to say post-game.

{three} rifle paper co wallpaper.

in my last & non-sports-related love, word on the street is that rifle paper co is releasing a line of wallpaper this year. yep, seriously! its hard to believe I would even consider putting up wallpaper given the bad rap its gotten over the years, but yet I find myself searching for the perfect place in our house to wallpaper. & I can’t think of a better person to create super chic & desirable wallpaper than anna bond of rifle paper co. she is a genius!

what are you loving this week?

my weekend in pictures.

{my grandmother sends all of her sheets out to the cleaner. & they come back packaged in saran wrap. she is the only person on the planet that I know who does this.}

{marinating some salmon for dinner guests on saturday night.}

{sadie is so proper with her little paws crossed like that.}

{finally got some crafting done for a baby shower gift.}

{caramelizing the squash & grating the cheese to make this pizza.}

{sadie doing yoga in the kitchen this evening. #downwarddog}

{this is sadie’s “please mom will you feed me dinner now?” look. it melts my heart.}

{after seeing the broncos win, our nerves were up for the seahawks game. we are ecstatic that the hawks were victorious. superbowl here we come!}

what a great weekend catching up with family & friends! on friday we saw the secret life of walter mitty which we both really enjoyed, on saturday we had friends over for dinner & a much-needed catch up, & this morning sadie & I strolled around greenlake with a friend. despite the weekend being at its end {& me being so bummed that we don’t get tomorrow off!} it was a bit of a change that this weekend felt slow. at least to me. it was nice to feel like life slowed down for the past two days. definitely a contrast to the way the work weeks have been feeling recently. how was your weekend? M

p.s. you may notice some changes to the blog. I have been wanting to make some changes to the blog design for a while & finally found some time to start. I hope to have all of the changes finished soon!

friday I’m in love.

this will be a new series where I will write about things we are loving each week, whether it be a product we’re using, a recipe we’re eating, or something we’re doing. some weeks will be more exciting than others but this is a chance for me to share a little more about the small things happening and a chance to write more freely about whatever topic I choose. I hope you enjoy it! I am excited to see how it evolves over time. I am also excited that Kendra will be sharing the same each week, so make sure you pop over to her blog too to see what she’s up to. we would also love for you to join us! leave a comment and we’ll come check out what you’re loving each week!

{one} the sjp collection at nordstrom.

have you heard about this? I have been anticipating it since it was first announced this past summer & can hardly contain my excitement! I am a HUGE sjp fan, both as carrie bradshaw and as herself. {its really great to see such a chic gal who isn’t as tall as a super model!} plus, nordstrom? I can’t think of a better collab. seattle might not be the trendiest of cities, but it does boast the flagship nordy’s. the collection is set to launch of february 28th & I bet you can guess what will be on my birthday wishlist this year!

{two} caramelized butternut squash, crispy kale, & fontina pizza.

aaron has been making pizza for years, even making his own dough & pesto for a while there! we both like pesto-based pizzas {rather than traditional red sauce} but are pretty open to a wide variety of toppings. I am always interested when I see a new pizza recipe, & this one is no exception. butternut squash, kale, & pomegranate seeds on a pizza? count us in. we are planning on making {& enjoying} it this weekend!

{three} sadie had surgery last week {mentioned here} to have a growth removed. it grew so fast that we {okay, just me!} were worried. aaron got a call from the vet today & the growth was benign. yay! feeling very lucky that our sweet dog has a clean bill of health!

{four} beats by dre x beats pill “happy.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH1FCBmcNGg&w=448&h=252&hd=1]

uh, yes. this is a commercial. the first time I heard this song, I was hooked! plus, I sorta love those speakers dancing around…

{five} target threshold tufted bench.

I saw this bench from target’s new threshold collection & I am so in love! it’s a great looking piece for a great price {$99!}. it would be great at the end of a bed, or in a small entryway. now, where could I find a place for it…

what are you loving this week?