Starting to Feel Really Real

This is currently sitting in our living room:


With this sitting in our house, the baby thing seems really real. Not that it didn't before...but now it feels REALLY real. Like no joke real! Our wonderful neighbors, Kim and Chris Newland, loaned us a few baby items including this bassinet (thank you guys!!!) so we have officially started collecting baby gear. Lucy is not sure how she feels about it...but she'll sniff it all the same.


Tomorrow is a BIG day in the Mangiaracina house. The gender of the little peanut will be revealed and we can hardly wait!! Any predictions? We have no idea and will be happy either way as long as Baby M is healthy. Lots of you have placed your bets based on how I look, how I have felt and how I am carrying. Man there are LOTS of old wives tales out there! There is even a test where you can tell the sex if you combine Draino with my pee. Um...no thank you. We'll wait. :)

Jammies

Lucy and I have this little ritual every night when it is time to go to bed. I head up the stairs and say to her "It's Jammie Time!" and she comes running up with me as I get out of my binding pregnancy clothes and into my comfy PJs. Lucy's real role in this nightly ritual is to be by my side as I get comfortable...but not anymore. Now she has her own jammies!!!!


Look how cute her butt is in these!!!


I couldn't resist when I saw these in the catalog at the Red Dog Spa when we were there for our little VIP party. I've been dying to get some for her, but never could find her size. Not anymore. :)

Unfortunately, her excitement does not equal mine when it comes to this new addition to her wardrobe. Her face reads "Really, Mom? Do I have to wear these?", similar to the face that Ralphie makes in A Christmas Story when his mom makes him wear the bunny suit.


Aw well...what are Mom's for it not to embarrass the hell out of you with ridiculous pajamas!

Ed's Crazy Obsession

I'm a very lucky lady. I married a guy that does not ditch me and spend his weekends in front of the TV watching sports or out on the golf course or getting drunk at poker games. Instead, I married a man that is obsessed with light bulbs.

That's right. Light bulbs.


For some reason, when we moved into this house, Ed became a man on a mission to ensure that we had ample light bulbs and that each fixture had matching light bulbs. We have a big bucket in the basement filled with light bulbs in case we run out. And even when one blows, we head to Home Depot to buy more.


I think we have the most beautifully lit, energy efficient house on the block thanks to my light bulb-obsessed hubby. Good work, Bubby!

A Little Fall Clean-up

We took advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend to get things ~ meaning landscaping things ~ under control. With all the rain we have had, things were getting a bit unruly so it was high time that we took back control. We don't have a lot of property, but we did inherit lots of bushes that grow wildly no matter how much we wish that they didn't. Here's a look at the before:


Like that butt shot of Ed? He is very happy with me about that one. :) With my gardening gloves on and my gardening shears in hand, I went to town. It was time to trim back those mother's so that we could actually see the numbers on the house again! We also bought some mulch and weed killer for the front garden to spruce things up a bit. Take a look at my handy work after a few hours:



There is nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment after a good day's work. :) With the addition of some beautiful mums and some Fall fun, it looks like we are ready for the Trick-or-Treater's come Halloween!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Doesn't this mirror look so GOOD in the latest West Elm catalog??


Doesn't it look even BETTER ON OUR WALL?!!!??!??!!!


I have been looking for a mirror for the front entrance hallway for a while and drove my loving hubby insane in the process. There were many contenders like this beauty from Ballard Design (too big):


...and this lovely from Belfort Furniture (too ornate ~ actually considering for over our bed).


But alas my heart went out to the Antique Tile Mirror at West Elm (my go to for all things decorating). It was a bit of a pain to hang being that it was so heavy, but my talented and loving hubby made it happen and I am in LOVE with how it looks. It is perfect for the location and adds a bit of flare to the entryway.


Now we will always be able to check our hair status before we leave the house...in the most stylish way we can. :)

Fall Festival Fun

The smell of Fall is something that can't be matched. From the apple cider to the pumpkin patch to the hearty mums you can smell the season in the air. It is hard to believe that the sweltering heat of the summer is behind us and the crisp days of Fall are here. We have been so busy around here that Fall kind of snuck up on us and before we knew it, it was time for the annual Fall Festival in Fairfax City.

We happened upon this festival last year (check it out here) and had a really good time so we decided to hit it up again...only this time we brought the Lucy girl so that she could share in the fun. It happened to be a beautiful weekend so we were pretty psyched about checking out all the local vendors, sampling the carnival food and taking in the sites.


Since it was so nice out, it was PACKED so Ed had to hold Lucy most of the time so that she wouldn't get trampled. Talk about lucky...I was hoping for a piggy back ride, but no dice. :(


The best part about it is that even though it was so crowded, we did manage to bump into some friendly faces including one Miss Mary Molloy and family (Suzy Q's best bud from elementary school ) as well as Jessica Bush (fellow Chica from WTW).

After weaving through the crowd and purchasing some yummy treats for Lucy, we made our way to the important stuff ~ the food! This year Ed dined on some traditional carnival fare (cheeseburger and cheese fries) while I went gourmet with a wrap from Doug the Food Dude's food truck. But not before I got my hands on some kettle corn. LOVE ME SOME KETTLE CORN!! We found some shade and shared our eats with Lucy.


The day at the festival ended with a few new collars for Lucy, a fun lawn sign for the house and some soft serve.


This year, Gonzo's Nose was playing but we were too hot and tired to stick around for their set. Instead, we came home and enjoyed a late afternoon nap on the couch. I have a feeling that next year's festival will be a little different with the addition of a baby stroller. :)

Travel Routines

I just got back from a week in Dallas. I was down there for one of our two biggest events, Fall Toy Preview and I have to say, it went really well. My sponsors and advertisers seemed happy as did the boss so that's a good time in my book.

I realized on this trip, that I have a set of travel routines that I tend to stick with to make my time away from home not so bad. I bet a lot of us have travel routines we can speak of. Here are a few of mine:

1. I have a bit of a packing ritual. I first make the bed so I have a smooth surface to work with. I then go through each day and choose my outfit - from socks to pants to unmentionables, I lay everything out on a day-by-day basis. When I pack toiletries, I go through my morning routine and think about what I need. For instance, "In the shower I need shampoo (check), conditioner (check), body wash (check), face wash (check)..." and so on. It's a little OCD, but I rarely forget something. And of course, my sidekick Lucy keeps me company while I do all of this.



2. When flying, I always wear shoes that are easy to slip off so I can scoot through security quickly. But more importantly, I wear socks. I definitely could have gotten away with wearing my flippies on this trip, but the thought of putting my bare feet on the cold, dirty floor of the airport is enough to make me have morning sickness here and now. I'm sorry to say, the Kardashian's don't share my phobia of airport security germs.


3. When I get to my hotel room, the first thing I do is rip apart the bed to check for those little critters known as bed bugs. NYC is notorious for their infestation, especially this summer, so I am now trained to look for these little suckers. I also make sure to pack many Ziploc baggies in all sizes to protect my stuff. I definitely do NOT want to bring any of these guys home with me.

3. Yup...I'm that person. I take hotel toiletries...when they are worth taking that is. :)


4. At night, I need noise to help me fall asleep. At home, we have an air purifier that we run to keep things fresh and I have gotten very used to the white noise. So, since I can't pack the air purifier, I instead use the White Noise App on my phone. My favorite sound - the Airplane Mode. Puts me right out!


So there you have it. A little bit of my craziness is now out in the open. What travel routines do you have? Are you aisle or window on the plane? Do you call for extra pillows in your room? Do you ever really use that iPod docking station clock that they sometime have? Fill me in...don't let me be crazy all on my own!