Baby Showers

First of all, I want to wish my incredible husband a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Three years of pure bliss, right babe? 🙂

wedding

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I am crazy nesting lady over here but I quickly wanted to share with you some of my shower photos from this weekend. I had two showers and both were fabulous!

Cutting to the chase…

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So much love from family and friends, so much delicious food, and so many generous gifts! I am overwhelmed with gratitude. This little one has no idea how good he is going to have it!

We are getting closer!!

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Favs: Family, Baby Shower, & Fall

It’s Friday, oh yeaa oh yeaa. Yea. Woo! It’s Friday favorites time, so let’s get to it.

1. This was a week ago now, but packing up the car and heading up north for my brother’s wedding. I loved being able to pack as much stuff as I wanted, listen to music, chat with Dana, and take as many stops as needed on the way up. I was SO excited to get up north and relax.

packed car

 

2. The cool weather of northern MN, hot bonfires, sweatshirts, pontoon rides, and the view of Lake Vermillion.

 

blankets up north

 

3. Being with my family all weekend and welcoming my new sister-in-law to the family.

 

 

siblings scott and nicole wedding

 

4. Dancing…

 

dancing scott and nicoles wedding

 

5. My first baby shower thrown by my work ladies. This little guy is going to be so spoiled and so well-dressed!

 

mom and melanie baby shower

 

vest  baby shower

6. Fall decorations. They are all up and I am ready for the cool weather again. Fall is my FAVORITE! It officially starts next week! BTW Fall is one of those words that if you look at for too long it starts to look like it’s spelled wrong and just looks goofy.

 

fall decorations

 

Happy Friday to you all! I’m linking up with Katie and Clare today for Friday Favs! Thanks ladies!

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Love, Beauty, and Sincerity Up in Northern MN

This weekend we celebrated the wedding of my brother Scott and his wife Nicole up north on Lake Vermillion. The love, beauty, and sincerity of the weekend is indescribable so I am going to keep my words few, and instead show you lots of photos.

We stayed at Spring Bay Resort and I would no question recommend this resort to anyone!

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scott and nicoles wedding 1

 

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S’mores bar!

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Simply amazing. We are so happy and lucky to have Nicole as a part of our family. Thank you both for such a great weekend. It’s one we will never forget!

Continue Reading Love, Beauty, and Sincerity Up in Northern MN

A Friendly Weekend

It’s catch up time! How has everyone been?

My weekend was filled with so much fun that I just had to share.

Thursday: Katie and her cutie son Luke came over to my house with Panera and we enjoyed super good food and even better company. It was so good to see Katie (and Luke too!). I haven’t seen her since March! That’s not okay!

Friday:  Friday night was super chill. We got some stuff done around the house if I’m remembering correctly. Oh, and I made a delicious chicken teriyaki stir-fry.

stir fry

Saturday: We got to meet our friend’s new baby boy (!!), and then got together with a group of friends for a pool party! The sun was out for the first half and then went away. That was probably a good thing though since my since my skin is uber sensitive these days.

Once we got home I was completely wiped. I rested for an hour or so before getting ready for the night…

It was high school reunion time!

melanie 27 weeks

We met up with a group of friends at the Red Cow restaurant in Minneapolis.

red cow

We split an order of the caramel bacon puffcorn and OMG I would go back just for that stuff. I really do want to go back again some day because their burgers looked amazing. I didn’t get a burger because I had one for lunch and was trying to give baby some more variety and more veggies.

red cow caramel bacon puffcorn

So I opted for the Asian Chicken Salad.

red cow salad

It was good but not the best ever. Oh well you can’t win them all. I still want to go back.

Next up, the reunion at the Urban Eatery in Minneapolis. I was so excited to see my girls and my guys! This was one of the few photos I took the entire night. That’s a good sign I would say. 🙂

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It was a lot of fun minus the fact that it was really warm in the room we were in and Mrs. Preggo here was really sweating buckets. I was downing water like it was my job.

On Sunday, we celebrated an upcoming wedding with a couple’s shower for two of our friends who live in California. We ate insanely good food: quiche, monkey bread (which is my FAVORITE), yogurt parfaits, orange juice and ginger ale. Delicious.

It was a fabulous weekend full of friends! I loved it!

I am linking up with Becky‘s Treat Yourself Tuesday because I definitely treated myself to some tasty food and lots of friend time this weekend!

What is your favorite sweet breakfast treat?

I am torn between monkey bread and cinnamon rolls with lots of icing. I can go for a good doughnut from time to time too!

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Bridal Shower and Baby Room Crafts

Hey! Did this weekend even happen? It flew by so fast holy cow!

I thought I’d catch you up from some of my weekend events because it was seriously a GREAT weekend.

I had burgers two nights in a row, so that’s always good (says the baby). Plus, I manned the grill one of the nights! The other night Dana and I went out to Lucky’s 13 and I had an amazing burger with caramelized onions, peppadews, cheese, and bacon. So good!

burger

In case you are wondering I spread a laughing cow cheese wedge on the bottom bun. I WILL be doing that again.

I finished the paintings for one wall of the nursery. Those will be hung on the wall of course and not sitting on the crib ledge. 😉 I think these are going to look adorable in there! Plus I painted them myself, so the little one will hopefully appreciate that some day. Maybe.

baby room decorations

 

On Saturday, Dana and I went for a walk around the lake and I melted from the heat. This internal furnace has me real hot these days, and it didn’t help that it was 85 degrees and humid I suppose. 🙂 I was still happy to have gotten out for a walk but I was spent afterwards.

The rest of the weekend was dedicated to my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower. My oldest brother, Scott is getting married next month, and mom and I wanted to host one of her showers for her.

Here are some pics from the party!

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The company, the food, the games….everything was so much fun. But speaking of spent, I could hardly keep my eyes open the rest of afternoon! It was worth it though.

Is anyone else dealing with seasonal allergies right now? I know the weed count is high, and I am wondering if that is what I’m allergic too. I thought it was a cold at first but now I am almost 95% sure it is allergies again. We haven’t gotten rain in a while and I think that is part of the reason they are acting up again.

Anyway! I hope everyone had a FABULOUS weekend! I have lots of fun on the agenda this coming week again. It’s high school reunion time which means friends are flying in from around the country! Can I get a whoop whoop for that?!

Have you ever hosted a bridal or baby shower? Did you enjoy it?

Any allergy sufferers?

Do you go to your high school reunions?

Continue Reading Bridal Shower and Baby Room Crafts

Marathon Weekend Photo Recap

This weekend I was up in Duluth to watch Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorkland Half Marathon. Our friends Nate and Adam were running the half-marathon, Dana was running his first full marathon, and Kevin his second!  I was incredibly excited to cheer these guys on!

We got up there on Friday and took a stroll down to the water. We battled the wind and the cold air but still managed to steal a few beautiful views. Friday was chilly: high 40’s and drizzly.

grandma's marathon 2014

Friday night we all tried getting some sleep after an awesome baked ziti dinner.

Saturday morning it was time to get our cheer on. The temps ranged from high 40’s to low 60’s throughout the course of the day.

We watched the half-marathoners come in at the finish….

Nate!

grandma's marathon 2014

Adam!

grandma's marathon 2014

Then we made our way to the marathoner’s 19 mile mark.

grandma's marathon 2014

Kevi stopped for a quick little stretch…

grandma's marathon 2014

Dana at mile 19. I was so happy to see them both at this point.

grandma's marathon 2014

Kev at mile 24.5….

grandma's marathon 2014

At the finish!!

grandma's marathon 2014

Dana at the finish. Both guys looking great still!

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Seeing my guys come across the finish made me all emotional again. I am so darn proud of them. What an amazing achievement!

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Congrats to ALL of the runners this weekend. You rock my socks.

Continue Reading Marathon Weekend Photo Recap

Favorites: Sunshine, Weddings, Coconuts

It’s Friday the 13th and you bet it’s a Friday Favorites kind of day.

1. Long or short walks outside. I’ve noticed my pace has slowed down a bit (mostly when I go uphill) but I am still getting out for a walk nearly everyday. It is so peaceful.

flower

2. Weddings. It is definitely wedding season! We had the NY wedding last weekend and this weekend we have two (although we can only attend one). I love dancing, I love seeing two people in love being united in front of their friends and family, I love being with friends and family, I love dresses…so basically I love weddings. I love being dressed up for the occasion. I’m glad the laser hair removal miami prices aren’t too steep, or else I’d have had to forfeit my whole wedding season.

melanie and dana new york

3. Sunshine. I mean, is there anything better than basking outside in the sun with a book and a refreshment? Vitamin D oh how I’ve missed you.

sunshine reading book

4. My anxiety reliever: lavender.

lavender

5. Greek feasts out on the patio with my favorite coconuts (crazyforcoconuts.com). This is a group of us essential oils ladies who have joined together to start a business that helps us get the word out about the goodness of essential oils. Check out our website and our blog! They were both recently launched! www.crazyforcoconuts.com

greek dinner

6. And speaking of coconuts, I received a sample of Skinny & Co. Coconut Oil. Their oil is never heated above room temperature and goes through a slow manufacturing process to ensure the highest quality coconut oil. Their oil is 100% raw coconut oil, natural, full of vitamins and minerals and anti-bacterial components.

I use coconut oil as my lotion after showers (often with lavender eo mixed in) and I was thrilled when this company reached out to me. I really can tell the difference with this oil. It has a more subtle coconut fragrance and a smooth feel on the skin. It doesn’t leave me feeling greasy. I really like this stuff and it definitely deserves to be a Friday Fav. For more info: www.skinnycoconutoil.com

skinny coconut oil

 

Happy Friday my friends! xoxo

P.S. I know I need to get another pregnancy update on here again. I will soon! Our little man is doing great!

What’re some of your Friday favs?

Are you superstitious when it comes to Friday the 13th and full moons?

I would have to say that yes I am superstitious. The kids at work are always crazy hyper during the weeks of a full moon and sure enough, it didn’t fail this week. Friday the 13th—I’m usually lucky. We will see (knock on wood!).

Oh and I’m linking up with Katie for Friday Favorites!!

Continue Reading Favorites: Sunshine, Weddings, Coconuts

New York in 29 Hours

Holy cow what a great weekend! It was so completely exhausting but so incredibly worth it.

Let’s begin the weekend recap by showing off the fabulous items I won from Caroline’s giveaway a couple of weeks ago! I won a pair of new balance shoes which are super comfy and light weight, and a super roomy New Balance tote/gym bag. I still can’t believe I won. Awesome giveaway!

new balance shoesnew balance bag

On Friday morning, Dana and I were off to New York for my cousin Stephanie’s wedding. Our flight was at 6 am which means I was up at 3:30 am. YIKES!  By the time we got to our hotel, hung out with the bride to be and bridesmaids (btw I felt very honored to have been able to hang out with them as they got ready!), grabbed lunch with Dana, and finally got to check into our room, I was pooped. It was only about 3:00 and I knew that if I was going to survive the evening I needed a nap.

I napped, got ready, and was ready to go to the wedding! I realize I didn’t take a full on photo of my dress but in case you were wondering, the dress I went with (I didn’t go with Rent the Runway) was a black cap-sleeved adorable dress from Kohl’s. I felt it flattered my growing body very nicely and I felt pretty in it. I wore a white chunky floral necklace, cream heels, a red clutch, and even sported red lips!

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My drink of choice for the evening was sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice. 🙂

The ceremony and reception were so beautiful. The weather was perfect. The couple was stunning. The view was insane. It was a great wedding!

steph and jeff wedding ny

new york skyline

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Another huge congrats to Steph and Jeff! I am so happy for you both! xoxo

On Saturday we met up with the gang for lunch and then it was time to head to the airport. Back home we went.

I slept super well on Saturday night back in my own glorious tempurpedic bed. I woke up Sunday morning ready and raring to go and in some serious need of physical activity. My body was tired of being cooped up on that plane!

I soaked up the sun and got in a nice long walk.

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I’d have to say this was what you call an epic weekend. New York in 29 hours…done.

How was your weekend?! 

Have you ever taken a trip this quick?

Continue Reading New York in 29 Hours

Gender Reveal: It’s a….

I think I have finally absorbed all of the excitement from the gender reveal party last Sunday so that I am now able to share it with you all. It was the most incredible, exciting, and anticipated day.

Let’s talk about the food first because the food was just awesome. I decided to have a taco bar considering tacos are one of my favorite foods. I loved that I could do all of the prep before our guests arrived so that I could just relax while they were there.

We set up our bar area with the tortilla chips, tortillas, refried beans, and taco meat (I went with beef because that’s what I’ve been gravitating towards lately). We kept the beans and the meat in crockpots to keep them warm throughout the evening.

gender reveal

On the kitchen table I set out all of the condiments: onions, black olives, lettuce, jalepenos, cheese, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro.

taco bar

 

taco bar

 

When it was time to eat, everyone did their own thing and made their own tacos. It was perfect! The actual dinner portion of the party didn’t happen until after the gender reveal however, so this post is a little tweaked and out of order.

 

taco bar

I had zero appetite after our gender reveal because I was so hyped with adrenaline, so while I waited for it to arrive, I munched on some delicious desserts.

taco bar

Here is my plate of food that finally got eaten a couple hours after the reveal!

taco bar

Okay, now to the reveal…

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The ultrasound tech had written down the gender of our baby and put it in an envelope. I then gave the envelope to my girlfriend Stacy and asked her to do the honor of filling up a balloon with either blue or pink confetti depending on the gender of baby so that we could pop it on the day of the reveal. Needless to say she found the biggest, awesomest balloon in town! That big balloon stared me down until it was time to pop it!

Going into this, I really had no idea if baby was a boy or girl and I was SO ready to find out.

Dana and I both had our large safety pins and it took us a few minutes to get all settled in and ready.

gender reveal

gender reveal

 

We had our friends and family count down from three.

gender reveal

THREE……..TWO……..ONE……POPPPPPPP!

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We are having a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The excitement of this moment was so unexplainable. Having so many of our dear family and friends with us as we all learned the gender of our baby was so special. The pregnancy began to feel more real at this point (well actually it wasn’t until the next day that it really sank in that we were having a boy but still).

Thank you so much to everyone for supporting us and celebrating with us. And a huge thank you to Stacy for taking care of getting the most important item of the day— that balloon!

We are so thrilled to prepare our home, lives, and hearts for a precious baby boy.

Continue Reading Gender Reveal: It’s a….