My other love

My other love, Wil, is another year older! we celebrated his birthday last week - both in NJ and in MN. in MN, we had an impromptu dinner with our close friends and family and had such a great time catching up and just hanging out like old times.

in NJ, we ate at a famous filipino chain, Max's in Jersey City. The food there was amazing. It was a bittersweet meal since, aside from Wil's birthday, it was also our last family dinner in NJ. After being there for 3 weeks it was so hard to leave my family. The thing that keeps me going is knowing that i'm going to see them in a few weeks for our fam trip to the Philippines! Can't wait!!!

Happy Birthday, my love. I love you so much.

famous filipino dessert - "halo-halo"
our little family
Gabriel Viggo 9 months old
Jersey City, NJ

Lady Liberty

Liberty House, Jersey City, NJ

This post is a bit late, but last month I had an amazing dinner with Wil, and my sister and brother-in-law (Christine and Eddie) for Valentine's Day. As much as I love dressing up, I usually prefer hole in the wall restaurants to high end, trendy places. I love eating from street vendors, mom and pop eateries, and true home cooked food. But of course in honor of Saint Valentine and in honor of a day of free babysitting (courtesy of my parents) we wanted to do it up.

Wil and Eddie planned a romantic dinner at Liberty House in Jersey City, NJ. This venue is famous for its beautiful views of the NYC skyline since its right along the Hudson River. But what makes it a diamond in the ruff is its impeccable view of the Statue of Liberty. Romantic views, great food, wonderful company, an amazing husband,all made for a night to remember.

Wil, Christine, Eddie and I enjoying our 3 course dinner. (at first glance this picture looks like a split screen duplicate)I enjoyed a delectable fish entree (sorry for flash)

How adorable are these heart shaped desserts - a perfect ending to a perfect dinner.

Pieces of New York

Last time I came home to NJ, i reserved a lot of my time for family. Mainly because both of my sisters were here and we're never ALL together at the same time. This trip, I made it a point to catch up with a lot friends i haven't seen in awhile. This week, I spent a whole day in NYC and caught up with friends and colleagues of my past. It was a great day to say the least. Amidst a long, snow-filled winter, my day in the city was sunny, bright and 65 degrees. Who could ask for anything more? I roamed the city streets at my own pace, walking in and out of shops along 8th Ave. I sat down at a corner Starbucks and drank my tall caramel macchiato while sitting along the window facing ledge - people watching.

I had a great lunch catching up with my girlfriend who i haven't seen in literally 4 years. we wandered through the brick walled building of Chelsea Market. Imagine stalls of various foods, fresh cut flowers for sale, stores selling cute knick knacks, organic stores selling home made jams and honey.

My next stop was Billy's an adorable, small bakery with CUPCAKES!!

After sharing a cupcake and taking a little coffee break with one of my fab friends we started our trek to soho.

Along our walk we couldn't help but stare at the Catherine Malandrino window. We couldn't resist the temptation and we walked inside. Beautiful clothing, beautiful designs, hefty pricetag....

We stopped my the Marc Jacobs store - loved all their accessories, their bags, jewelry, rainboots. Right across the way was BookMarc - their bookstore. This was my heaven. As much as I love accessories, i don't know why, but nothing is as beautiful as a large, colorful, coffee table book. This store had everything from The Louis Vuitton book, the YSL book, everything for all the major designers. I want!! My only problem now is, since Gabe can reach on top of the coffee table, he has access to all my books, so i'm going to have to temporarily put them away. So for now, no new books for me :(

I loved visting Tommy, Zara, Forever21, Intermix, Apple, as well as small indie boutiques. After basking in the sun, walking, and shopping in the west village and soho, i ended my day eating falafels and baklava in the park benches of Washington Square Park, by NYU.

I love my friends, I love my life. Life is good.

Rice to Riches

One of my most favorite dessert places in NYC - Rice to Riches. Its been so long since I've had rice pudding so I was craving these delicious bowls of goodness. Everyday there are about 20 different flavors of rice pudding. You can mix and match, add toppings, and customize as you please. Tiramisu is always a staple for me. My new flavor of the day was cheesecake rice pudding...it tasted as good as it sounds. The store is cute with its retro colored decor. Witty signs adorned the walls and ceilings helping ease the guilt you feel for eating all those carbs.
The minute i put that spoonful in my mouth - i was happy. Guilt did not even cross my mind :)

Serendipity

Serendipity - by definition from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
3. An instance of making such a discovery.

Life is all about making discoveries. Going down different paths of life opens doors for different opportunities. I completely believe that everything happens for a reason. Circumstances and situations push us to go down certain paths and towards a certain destiny. Its up to you to find happiness in that destiny. Don't take anything for granted. Appreciate life and where its brought you.

I'm so fortunate to be where I am today. Of course, I have a supporting family with a beautiful baby boy. I have so many friends in different states that I never thought I would meet had i not moved around a bit. It always bring me joy to see my different groups of friends together.

One of my fondest memories was from March 2009. My closest girlfriends from Minneapolis came to visit NYC so I could show them around for a few days. Not only did I play tourist with them, but my closest friends from NJ came too! It was such a blast. The weather, although gloomy, was surprisingly warm and we had so much fun wandering the streets of midtown, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city. There's an energy within those streets that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. I remember passing through Rockerfeller Center, Radio City, St. Patricks Cathedral, Tiffany's on 5th, Magnolia's Cupcakes, Central Park...so many great landmarks all shared with many great friends.

As much as I had fun, i didn't truly appreciate it until we were all sitting in the famous Serendipity cafe. There they all were, friends from different states, in my favorite city in the world, all laughing, bonding, having fun all while sharing their famous "Frozen Hot Chocolate." I literally took a step back to soak it in. I was lucky, I am lucky.

Well, although i'm faraway in Atlanta, yesterday, i was able to recreate a piece of that in my mind. I took my first spoonful of Starbucks "Signature frozen hot chocolate." It was divine to say the least. I'm happy :)

Snow Day

(image from www.weheartit.com)

I have to admit i was laughing prior to today. The state of Georgia had a "winter weather alert" for today. Everyone's facebook status's and tweets were talking about stocking up and getting ready for the "big storm." I even heard there was a line just to park at the grocery stores yesterday because everyone was panicking to get food. When i checked the weather to see what was expected, it said 3-4" of snow was expected.....I literally thought this was a joke. 3-4" in MN or NJ is nothing!! we drive in 3-4". Here, before the storm even came, they announced that school was closed and that flights for today were cancelled. Don't get me wrong. I understand that the south is not used to this type of weather and isn't equipped to handle snow removal, but its just funny in comparison.

Anyway, i woke up this morning to winter white outside, while the snow on my deck railing only shows about 3" of snow, its still nice to think of it as a snow day. Luckily its Wil's weekend so he, I and Gabe are spending quality time at home lounging around in our pjs. Perfect day for hot chocolate :)

I love the feeling of being in our home watching our baby play. Gabe is so cute crawling around the house. As i was cooking he crawled into the kitchen, crawled by my legs and sat down. It was such a priceless moment for me. I love snow days in with my family.

Here's to many hot chocolate happiness days.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Cupcakes

I made the most amazing treats to celebrate Gabe's 6 month birthday and I wanted to share the recipe with you. I got it from:


http://picky-palate.com/2009/08/17/chocolate-chip-cookie-stuffed-cupcakes/

Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Cupcakes

1 box butter/yellow cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 Cup water

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

1/2 Cup sour cream

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 stick softened butter

3 Cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and sour cream into a stand or electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for close to 2 minutes or until well combined. Scoop into 24 paper lined cupcake cups just over 1/2 full. Next, press 1 Tablespoon prepared cookie dough into the center of each cupcake batter. Bake for 18-24 minutes or until toothpick comes out mostly clean from center. Let cool completely.

2. Place cream cheese and butter into mixer, beat until well combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar until good frosting consistency then spread with cream cheese frosting or chcolate ganache.

Enjoy this tasty treat!!

Half a year of Happiness

I can't believe I'm even saying this but our little Gabriel is now 6 months old!!! Where the heck is time going?? People always say it flies by fast but you really don't realize it until it passes you by. He's growing right before our very eyes. Every morning when i pick him up from his crib i swear that he grew overnight.

He's doing so many fun things now:

- he can sit up on his own now for a few seconds

- he grabs for things on the table or toys that are farther than arms length

- he giggles all the time

- he sits in his highchair and eats his rice cereal

- he bounces around in his Baby Einstein jumper

- he can hold his baby bottle

- he loves being tickled on his tummy or being kissed a million times on his cheek

- he can squirm from one of the room to the other in less than a minute (i don't think i enjoy this very much though - lol)

- he loves reading books

- he talks and babbles all the time

- Wil and I think he says mama and dada but we have no clue if he knows what it means or if he's just saying jibberish

Its been a half year of learning so much from such a little person. But we can't wait to see what the other half of the year will bring.

So in honor of Mr. Gabe's birthday I baked CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE STUFFED CUPCAKES. They were amazing. I'll post the recipe for them as soon as I can.

Happy 6 months to my son Gabriel. Words can even explain how much i love you. Thank you for being our angel.

Stripes

I'm all about stripes. I think my whole wardrobe i packed for my NJ/NY trip consisted of stripes - even Gabe's wardrobe and blankets had a lot of stripes - lol.

Here, Gabe and I are, at Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ with my close family and friends. It's one of my absolute favorite places to go. Its a large asian grocery store with various japanese food stores/stands next to it. You can get sushi, Udon, teriyaki, fried icecream. My new food for the day was black sesame icecream. Don't knock it til you try it. It was amazing. I'm wearing a cotton top from H&M. Gabe's in a Giants onesie - of course he couldn't get away with without wearing it - he's in Giant's/Yankees teritory.

Here I am with baby Gabe at Burger Palace - great burger joint in Bergen NJ. I'm wearing a wool jacket from Tommy Hilfiger, grey pashmina, David Yurman cable bracelet. Gabe's wearing a l/s onesie and jeans from Old Navy

Here I am at Pinkberry (big smile) with my great friend, Cheryl, and my baby sister, Christine. I'm wearing a dolman striped sweater from H&M.

Here Wil and I are sitting like an old married couple. It was a beautiful fall day for pumpkin picking with our friends in NJ. The trees there were gorgeous - nothing beats fall in the northeastern part of the country. Wil's in a button down shirt and shorts from Banana republic. I'm wearing Marc by Marc Jacobs sunnies, Club Monaco jacket, striped shirt from H&M, oragen pashmina, Michael Kors watch.

Sweet Tooth

I just found my new favorite spot here in Atlanta. The Atlanta Cupcake factory. Its located near the Virginia Highlands area -

and its absolutely adorable. You literally feel like a little kid

in the store staring at all the amazing colorful and yummy looking cupcakes.

I went there to other day to order some cupcakes for Gabe's baptism.

I went in thinking this was going to be like every other bakery.

But when i saw a flavor called, peanut butter chocolate bacon cupcake,

i knew this place was different. Wil of course tried this one. I got a

sugar-cookie caramel flavored cupcake. All i can say is,

i literally died and went to heaven. Both flavors were amazing.

I know, I know, you're asking, bacon?? on a cupcake?? i thought the same thing.

But i promise you, the mix of the salty and sweet flavors complimented each other. It really was that good. Atlanta Cupcake Factory, 624 Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GAPeanutbutter, chocolate, bacon cupcake Sugar cookie caramel cupcake

Mother's to be Day

I loooove Mother's Day! Now i realize a lot of people are skeptical to celebrate mother's day when they are expecting - maybe they think it will jinx the delivery, i get it. But for me, we're taking care of a baby - whether's he's inside or outside already, he's still a life that we have to take care of and think about in everything we do - then we're already a mom. Especially for me, being so close to my due date, its been 9 months with this mentality so i let myself celebrate this mother's day.

First i woke up to a huge present next to me. It was a Brookstone foot massager!! It had a flower on it and a handmade card :) so sweet!!

I couldn't ask for a more beautiful day. Its been unbelievably hot here in Atlanta, we're takin 90 degrees, so when it was 75 degrees on Mother's day, that in itself was a treat. I get hot so easily now so days that are cooler and breezy really make my day.

Wil, Sushi, and I walking around Avondale Estates

Wil, Sushi (our shih tzu), and i had a great lunch at Sushi Avenue in Avondale Estates. We were able to eat outside so sushi was able to hang out with us. We each ordered a bento box with salmon teriyaki. I was craving a sushi taste so i ordered mine with california rolls. Thats usually my sushi menu when i'm pregnant, either california rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, or eel rolls. Even though i miss sashimi, it still hits the spot for now. Wil got the same thing, except instead of the rolls he got shrimp tempura. oooo boy -it was sooo good. Sushi even got a little doggie bowl for her drinking pleasure. It was really a great experience.

Me at 37 weeks ready to get my grub on at Sushi Avenue

sunglasses-Marc Jacobs

necklace - JCrew - gold dogwood necklace

top - HM floral sheer top

jeans - Gap jeans

shoes - Steve Madden -white and gold sandals

watch - Michael Kors gold menswatch

My Wilitano

My SushiBear

Sushi Avenue on the Square

Sushi at a sushi restaurant

Yummy bento box!!

Then, afterwards, we got a large mango flavored icee - we just happened to pass by this small icee shack while we were driving. And it definitely hit the spot on that day.







We took a mini drive to the Tanger Outlets a little bit south of Atlanta. It was nice walking around -Sushi was a hit with everyone. And it helped that i bought a few fun things from J Crew :) i'll post pics when i can. Plus i got these amazing sandals from Banana Republic.

LOL - i think wil was celebrating mother's day too!