week in review

Week in Review January 19, 2015

Finally – sunshine in Houston! I can barely believe it – the past few days have been unbelievably beautiful, which is much-needed after a month of overcast skies. Given the change in temperature, Sasha and I spent much of the weekend outdoors, getting the house ready for the wedding shower that we’re hosting next weekend. Sasha is amazing, and he drilled holes and hung strung lights (six sets of these ones!) in our backyard for many hours on Sunday. I took care of well-overdue re-planting (all the plants I planted in the spring died) in our front entryway (see photo below!).

Some of the other highlights from this week include:

Catching up with two of my favorite co-workers over dinner at True Food Kitchen
Meeting with Amy of Eco Modern Concierge to discuss an organization project
Receiving the final pieces of Amanda’s wedding invitations – cannot wait to put it all together (and share details!)
Recording a vlog that I’ll share with you in a few weeks
Receiving the world’s cutest Janie and Jack outfit (that red bow!) from Jenny of Jenny Journey – the girl has style, let’s be honest here!
Taking photographs for Feather Thread – a fashion blog that is launching in February (two more sneak peek photos below!)
Wandering around Over the Top Linen and ordering the cutest runners and table cloths for the wedding shower
Having my older sister over for dinner on Saturday and playing gin rummy (and winning for the first time in ages) – we drank this Chandon sparkling red that we bought in Napa and it’s seriously my favorite drink of all time
Eating my favorite salad – the Insalata Fiorucci from The Original Carabbas on Voss – not once, but twice (food heaven)
Having both my dad and Sasha’s dad over to play with Isla and snapping cute moments of her with her granddads
Allowing Isla to nap in my arms once or twice, as she has a cold and needs extra mom-loving (so I tell myself)
Branching out into new foods, like broccoli, prunes and (sob!) chicken – Sasha insists, while I want her to be a vegetarian! I’ll pay someone to find research that giving babies meat is bad!

How was your week? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Lastly, congratulations to Courtney Carlton, who won the ‘Best Baby Items on Etsy‘ giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered. I hope you order some of these items today! You won’t regret it!

Week in Review January 12, 2015

Week in Review

Happy Monday! It feels like the rain has not stopped in months here in Houston, although it’s only been a few weeks. I do not know how people survive in a city like Seattle, where rain is the norm, as I’m about to go stir crazy. Before having Isla, I could still leave the house, knowing I would just dash out of my car and under cover. Now that I have to go around the side of the car, get her car seat out and sometimes her stroller too, I end up drenched if I try to brave the rain… so lately, I haven’t been. Dear mother nature, please stop.

Besides the weather, the past week was very productive. Preparations for the wedding shower we’re hosting at the house are underway, which unfortunately for Sasha meant scrubbing the grout in our kitchen on Saturday night and applying a new layer of sealant. Fun times at the Petrovic household!

Some of the main highlights from the week include:

Isla’s giggle fit at my terrible cheerleading jumps – watch here!
A trip to Thompson+Hanson for some flowers – I am obsessed with this nursery [as well as the attached restaurant – Tiny Boxwoods]
Finding a dress [option #1 at least] for the shower – the Aubrey dress by Equipment [this one, but in pink]
Meeting Alexis and sweet little Kevin at True Food Kitchen for the first time [it’s so good – definitely heading back again soon]
Isla asking McKenzie to be her Godmother [she accepted, thank goodness!]
Adding strawberries, raspberries and fusilli pasta to Isla’s current food menu [avocados, carrots, apples, bananas and sweet potatoes] – going to try broccoli and cauliflower next!
Hosting a dinner party and playing the most outrageously fun games – Cards Against Humanity and Head’s Up [Ellen DeGeneres’ iPhone game]
Receiving these gorgeous workout pants and this comfy top from Albion – you’ll see more of them soon!
Finally breaking into the winter diaper patterns from Honest Co. – the bears are my favorite ones
Celebrating Serbian Christmas Eve service in Galveston on Tuesday and then Serbian Christmas in town on Wednesday – it’s so nice to get to party twice in one year!
Receiving our three Little Animal Print Shop darlings in the mail and hanging them immediately in the playroom
Packaging up the invitations for the shower and getting them shipped out (nothing like being last minute!) as well as getting together with the hostesses to plan everything out!

How was your week? What were your highlights?

Personal January 5, 2015

Week in Review

The last two weeks have been a complete blur. I am obsessed with the holiday season (Thanksgiving through New Years Eve), but it’s definitely exhausting. I think we averaged three guests per day to the house during the last seven days (not exaggerating), and I loved it. Most visitors were family and friends who were in town for the holidays, and I am so thankful that I got to catch up with them. Sasha’s sister lives in San Francisco (works for Google and has the coolest job ever), and she has been in Texas (between Houston and Austin) for the past month and I’m pretty depressed that she left for California yesterday. It was so nice to have her in the same city as us again!

A few highlights from the previous week include:

Going to the Texas vs. Arkansas bowl game, although we definitely got our butts kicked…
Watching Isla pull herself up on the couches, chairs, crib, people, etc. – she’s on the move! This also means naptime is a nightmare, and she stands up all the time then cries for you to help her sit back down… so there have been a ton of naps in our arms recently
Meeting one of my sweet friends, Sydney, for lunch at Bistro Menil (it’s delicious – updated my Best of Houston: Restaurants & Coffee post!) and then strolling through the Menil Collection afterwards
Eating lunch at Tiny Boxwoods with Sasha and Isla – their beet burger is the best ever (as is their white wine mojito!)
Ordering invitations and envelopes for a couple shower that I’m co-hosting at our house in a few weeks (and doing lots and lots of planning!)
‘Baking’ even more delicious treats from the raw, vegan cookbook Mara bought me (there goes any weight-loss resolutions!)
Cooking dinner for my little sister, Jill, who is at med school in Houston – we haven’t had her over by herself yet, and she’s been in the same city as us for over a year and a half!
Buying a new bed and nightstands! More details about that here
Catching up with my friend, Andrew – one of my favorite people in the world – and hearing about his amazing new business venture (which I will definitely be sharing details of when it launches!)

In other news: Isla turned 7 months old on Sunday. Cue repetitive (but true) time flies comment! You can see Isla’s month-by-month photos here: one, two, three, four, and six. I skipped the five month update due to the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series (but did snap photos!). I love this age so much. She is definitely a momma’s girl right now – if she starts to cry when someone else holds her, she reaches out to me and looks at me desperately, which melts my heart. Her favorite things include bath time with Tata, playing with Belle’s tail and collar (see photo below), sweet potatoes and avocado, standing up, crawling at a scary rapid speed, sitting up, going on runs with me in the morning, playing with the other kids at the Lifetime Fitness daycare (she squeals when older kids come up to her!), reading Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, One Ted Falls Out of Bed: A Counting Story and Goodnight, I Love You, playing with her new Hape bike and walker, when we do stupid dances, and chewing on absolutely everything. She is now sleeping from 6:30pm-5:30am, then feeds and goes back to sleep for another hour or so. I was up past midnight every night for the last week, so I haven’t really gotten to enjoy the whole ‘sleeping through the night’ experience, but plan on changing that soon! Isla is not keen on eating purees, keeping her shoes on, when I try to pick her boogers or wash her face, being awake past 6:30pm, sitting still, and missing out on fun (serious case of nap-time FOMO). She is very high-energy, and I love her.

What were the highlights of your week? Happy Monday!

Personal December 8, 2014

Week in Review

This past week has had very high highs and very low lows. The Petrovic household got hit by a stomach bug that seems to be making its way around Houston, which was less than fun. Sasha, unfortunately, was in Austin for a workshop (and sick, not fun), so my mom spent most of the week at our house.

We celebrated Isla’s 6-month-iversary on Thursday, December 4. She is getting so much bigger, and she is a very big wiggler now. She loves going on runs with me in the morning, grabbing Belle’s tail, playing peek-a-boo, crawling, bath time, throwing her toys off the highchair, licking everything, mirrors, eating her hair bows, breastmilk and only that, being held by Mum and Tata, being read to at night, building blocks, doing the downward facing dog position, and will now stand while supported until she reaches for something else and tumbles (see photos below). She doesn’t like her crib at least once a day (other naps, she’s fine), solids (just disinterested), getting put into the car seat, randomly getting her diaper changed (but most time, she’s fine), and being hungry (she’s like her parents). She is a bundle of joy, and we love her so much. She still can be fussy from time to time, but her temperament is normally happy. She still wakes up around 3am to eat, but slept from 6pm (bedtime) to 6:30am this week… yet to be repeated! Once she is eating better, we may have to do CIO to get rid of the night feed. I am not excited about this.

There were quite a few other exciting moments in the week though, which include:

Going to the Justin Timberlake concert – I think I’ve seen him five or six times now, and he keeps getting better and better. Plus, our friend, Brittany, got the most amazing seats!
Planning our trip to Paris and St. Petersburg in May! We’re taking Isla on her first overseas adventure and have her passport ready. I am so excited and am already building our itinerary.
Getting the West Elm Riad Rug ‘for Christmas’ from Mimi and Papa for our new playroom. We’re going to add a little easel, some poufs for seating and Isla-sized bookshelves from Land of Nod, some additional toy buckets and call it a day for now. I originally wanted a tent or teepee, but we decided that can wait until she’s old enough to get excited about it!
Celebrating a long week and lots of shopping with a vegan cupcake from Sprinkles!
Partying at my nephew’s pirate themed birthday party! Arrrgggh.
Letting Isla nap with me for the first time… I was sick, she was sick, so we snuggled. This never happens, and I loved it.
Attending the Tinsel and Tables workshop (a few photos below, but more to come soon!). It was so much fun and inspirational.

Did you have a good week? I’d love to hear what your highlights were!

Personal November 3, 2014

Week in Review

A wonderfully busy week, filled with lots of preparation for family photos on Sunday. I literally bought ten cream shirts from Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, J. Crew, J. Crew Factory, and Anthropologie to wear in the pictures, then decided (very last minute) on a pink sweater that I already owned! How fickle. And of course, lots and lots of returns to make this week.

We took our photos with Paige of Awake Photography – you can see a sneak peek of the pictures on her Instagram here. I cannot wait to share the photos with you, along with other Christmasy ones, next week.

Other highlights of our week included:

Calming Isla down by telling her “No more fussing!” while shaking your finger – she thinks it’s the funniest thing ever (see video here)
Swimming with Isla at Life Time Fitness – she is a big, big splasher
Painting (i.e. mushed berries) in her BABYBJORN highchair
Getting a blow out at The Dry Bar (I am obsessed)
Meeting Sasha’s cousin’s wonderful fiancé for the first time (and getting to walk the 3-mi loop while getting to know each other!)
Isla’s first halloween – we didn’t make it trick or treating (this girl takes bed time seriously), but got some cute strawberry pics
Having a trick-or-treater tell me they love my succulents (really??)
Helping my friend Amanda (her engagement photos here) get ready to be the world’s most convincing Elsa (see photos below)
Eating out twice at Ruggles Green (sorry Houston ex-pats!) – once with Brooke, one of my most favorite people on the planet
Taking Isla to Biscuit Home for the first time – although she slept the entire time
Trying a new food truck (Simply Greek) that is a mile from our house
Having Sasha’s classmate’s family over for dinner yesterday evening – such cute kiddos

What were the highlights of your week?

Finger painting was a fun, but very messy, activity