christmas – Page 2 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Favorite Looks of the Week December 19, 2014

Favorite Looks of the Week

This week has seriously been a whirlwind, and I didn’t have much time to peruse my favorite fashion blogs until Thursday night after Isla had gone to bed. My gosh – I love fall fashion. I die over Blair Eadie’s skirt, Rachel Parcell’s red coat, and Lauren Murphy’s sequined top (all linked below).

These ten favorite looks of the week all make me want to go shopping, which is not a wise idea right now after ordering a million Christmas gifts for family and friends. I went to buy a dress for Isla’s Christening, but after trying on a million and not being satisfied (a milk-filled chest creates cleavage in everything – not a fan!), I decided to wear a dress from one of my wedding showers. It’s classy and conservative, and I’m glad to get another wear out of it.

Which of these fabulous looks is your favorite? Hope you have had a great week so far! xo

1 Could I Have That? | 2 Atlantic-Pacific 3 The Teacher Diva | 4 Brooklyn Blonde

Personal December 15, 2014

Week in Review

I really enjoyed the past week, as it was filled with fun friend get-togethers, last minute Christmas shopping, a hair appointment to take me back to being a brunette, and lots of sweet Isla moments (think big, poufy pink tutu play time!). I feel so fortunate to have been able to take a leave of absence from work for the past six months, and I am soaking up as much time as possible with Isla before returning to work at the end of February. My childcare search is ramping up heavily this week! I’ve been procrastinating because it makes me want to cry. Sasha is an amazing dad and wakes up at 5am to workout so he can get to the office around 6:30-7am and gets home around 4:00-4:15pm, which is perfect for two hours of family time before Isla’s bedtime routine starts at 6pm. We do a 1.5 mile walk every evening with Belle, our dog, and I look forward to this outing all day long.

Some of the major highlights of the last week include:

Getting my hair colored by Eric at Estilo Salon – I decided to go ombre 9 weeks ago, and I’ve been dying (no pun intended) to go back to my original hair color ever since… finally did it! (see awkward makeup-less selfie below)
Isla finally got the swing of eating food vs. just licking and spitting… which led to two days of constipation, which wasn’t all that fun
Planning our trip to Paris and St. Petersburg – down to the hour, metro stops, restaurants, coffee stops, etc. (and reading Comment le Grinch a Volé Noël and This is Paris)
Getting so many Christmas/holiday cards in the mail – I am obsessed! I seriously chase the mailman down every day when he comes to our cul-de-sac
Eating a delicious brunch hosted by Christie of KiKiMac – lots of pretty pictures below!
Catching up with old co-workers-turned-friends at The Tasting Room
Hosting a Christmas dinner with three of my friends from childhood – seriously was crying laughing at numerous occasions… love those ladies! We drank these delicious peppermint cocktails, which I’ll share tomorrow!
Prepping for Isla’s Christening on December 27 – she’s going to wear the same Christening gown that my grandpa, dad, and I all wore (think long gown à la Prince George)
Buying lots and lots of peonies for the house – not sure what this winter season is all about, but I am loving it!
Finally putting lights on the trees outside (thank you, sweet husband!)

I hope you had the best week as well! I’d love to hear some of your highlights too in the comments below. xo

Gift Guide December 9, 2014

Gift Guide for the Outdoorsman

Last week, I published a Gift Guide for the Gadget Guy, which involved lots of research and consultation with my dad and Sasha. I had to do the same with today’s guide for the outdoorsman, which, conveniently, is what both these men consider themselves. While in Durango this summer, we got to test out a lot of outdoorsy products, as we spent the majority of the day outside. We bought these Bunjo chairs, which are seriously amazing. We tried them out at Sports Authority and sat there for quite a while – too comortable to get up!

My dad has this CamelBak water purifying bottle, which after watching endless episodes of Naked and Afraid (guilty!), I wish the contestants could have! It’s genius. We recently bought our good friend this cordless Dewalt drill, which Sasha geeks out over (and Brett did too!).

Events November 25, 2014

Gift Guide for the Hostess

With the holidays coming up, there are a lot of meals to be shared together with family and friends, and someone will inevitably be playing the role of hostess. I absolutely love cooking for others, and therefore, was excited to have our good friends over on Sunday for a Friendsgiving celebration. Since most of our friends don’t have children, it’s now easier to have people over to our house than to get a babysitter and go out to eat, so the role of hostess is one I’ll be playing more and more often.

Isla's Christmas with Carter's November 14, 2014

Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s: Relaxing Family Time

As I mentioned yesterday, we tuck into a delicious meal cooked by my very talented mother almost immediately after opening the gifts from under the Christmas tree. When we finish our Christmas lunch, everyone admits defeat, and we normally go to the living room and lay on the couches in a food-induced coma. After being all dolled up for a few hours in fancy clothes, we will change into more casual, comfortable outfits to ‘play’ with our new gifts. Last year, Sasha gave me an iMac, and I stared in awe at this big screen for hours and hours, never wanting to leave its side. Most of Isla’s presents this year will be stuffed animals (she already loves this laughing monkey that she got to ‘preview’ and BabyLit’s A Christmas Carol) or developmental toys, so I know she will want to lay and play too.

The perfect outfit for Isla to change into after being in a dress all morning is the 3 Piece Long-Sleeve Body Suit (love the solid red and floral pattern), with the adorable Sparkle Pants and this amazing Fuzzy Faux Fur Vest from Carter’s Holiday Collection. In fact, I’d love to be a baby and wear that entire outfit.

There is a park less than a quarter mile from our house, so we will bundle up and walk there (burn off those Christmas cocktails!) with our sweet dog, Belle. Although it’s not freezing cold in December in Texas, it’s definitely cardigan weather. I adore this sweet Shimmer Cardigan. We love seeing extended family and friends on Christmas after spending the morning and early afternoon with my parents. How sweet is Isla’s friend, Kevin, in the Stretch Jeans, Poplin Plaid Bodysuit, and also that adorable Polar Bear Tee (found in stores, not online – similar here)? Carter’s entire holiday collection (boys and girls of all ages) is so perfect for relaxed play.

How do you spend Christmas afternoon? Do you eat? Play with gifts? Travel to visit family? Please share your traditions in the comments below!

In case you missed it, you can read Monday’s post our annual family photo tradition, Tuesday’s post about the Christmas Eve candlelit church service, Wednesday’s post about opening stockings on Christmas morning, and yesterday’s post about gifts under the tree and Christmas lunch.

Make sure you enter to win the $100 Carter’s gift card and free outfit of your choice from the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series! The deadline is tonight at midnight.