Gigi's Reading List

Gigi's Reading List by deniselopatka on Polyvore

Hardcover
amazon.com

The Going-To-Bed Book : Sandra Boynton:...
amazon.com

Dear Zoo A Lift-the-Flap Book
amazon.com

I Love You, Stinky Face: Lisa Mccourt, Cyd Moore:
amazon.com

Guess How Much I Love You
target.com

One of G's favorite things to do these days is "read."  She will sit for literally 30 minutess and just go through her books turning the pages.  Sometimes she will then hand you one for you to read, and then it's off to turn some more pages.  She especially loves "reading" before bed time after bath.  It's her way of prolonging her night night I believe.  Whatever the case we have our favorites, and by we I mean the baby lady.  She gravitates towards the same books and when we open them, it is like someone told her the biggest joke- she breaks into a belly laugh.  Above are our absolute favorites.  Pretty much anything by Sandra Boynton or Nancy Tillman are gold in my opinion.  Tillman's illustrations with kids and animals seem magical and Boynton's silly stories make G smile.  Dear Zoo is a new favorite of our's and the flaps are already worn from G constantly lifting them then looking back at me with a grin.  I Love You, Stinky Face and Guess How Much I love You are two of the first books I ever read to Goergia.  I still read them every day and I truly enjoy them just as much as my little one (Matt and I have also both memorized each of these books! ha!).

What about y'all?  So your little one's have favorite books?  What should we add to G's collection?

if i didn't have a baby bump...

if i didn't have a baby bump by deniselopatka featuring petite tops

1. romper

2. dress

3. shoes

4. shorts

5. dress

6. dress

If I didn't have a baby bump this summer I would be purchasing all of these beauties above.  A little but of maxi dresses, a little bit of leather and a little bit of lace.  All stunning, and all need to be in my closet.  Only my growing belly isn't so sure it agrees.  So until July 29 (or sooner?) I will be lusting over these lovelies online.  

PS - If any of you are lucky enough to snag one, please send me a pic so I can live vicarioulsy through you! K thanks!

xox

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valentine's day must-haves

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies!  I love this day so much - getting all mushy with the hubs and eating lots of sweets.  It's the best.  I don't know what my Valentine's Day will look like next year but I know that it will be extra sweet.  I know that I'll probably be exhausted.  And I know that I'll have two loves of my life instead of one.  So until next year I will leave you with my must-have's for this day of love.  These are things that Matt and I do every year and things that I must have or do.  Enjoy!

valentine's day must-haves by deniselopatka featuring embellished sandals
sources found on Polyvore

1.  Kisses from my love.  And cuddles.  Lots of em.  Need I say more?

2.  Hot chocolate.  I don’t know what it is about hot chocolate but I love sipping it during a romantic night in with my hubby.  And over the weekend I bought this adorable cookie cutter so we tonight we will have some sugar cookies resting upon our hot chocolate mugs. Yummm.

3.  Girly dress, ruffles preferred.  I always wear a dress on Valentine’s Day.  Always.  And yes we always stay in.  But a dress is a must.  And the girlier and frillier and pinker – the better. 

4.  Sweet treat.  I mean duh.  I have a huge sweet tooth and so does my hubby, so Valentine’s Day is wonderful at our house.  He brings home some sweet treats, I whip some up and viola!  A dessert bar that could feed a small village – all for us.

5.  Chick flick.  We always watch a movie on Valentine’s Day.  And I always get to pick.  Before we got married I would pick The Notebook, without fail.  The past 3 years as a married couple on Valentine’s Day I’ve picked our wedding video.  Not sure where I’ll go this year.  Maybe I’ll get crazy and pick Sweet Home Alabama?  You neva know… I’m crazy like that.

6.  Something pretty to wear under that girly dress.  I prefer these and these.  But pretty undies are a must, and not just on Valentine’s Day.  I’m a believer in a woman feeling more confident and more beautiful when she’s got on some pretty panties.  So this is really a must-have all year around if you ask me, but especially on the day of love.

7.  Sexy Heels.  Aside from wearing a dress every year I also wear heels every year.  Yup.  Around my kitchen and during dinner (I usually kick them off for the movie).  I don’t wear heels often in my little beach town, but oh how I love them.  So tonight you will find me in my tallest, sexiest, most beautiful heels… at home.

8.  Curled hair.  Not really sure why this is a must-have for me on Valentine’s Day but it always has been.  Probably because I feel prettiest when my hair is curled, but whatever the reason, I always curl my hair on this day.  To work, to the gym and date night.  My hair will be big and it will be curled.


Do you have any Valentine’s Day must-have’s or traditions with your sweetie?  Do share!

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Valentine's Day Gifts for Your Sweetie

Valentine's gift ideas for your Man! by deniselopatka on Polyvore

Tomorrow is February 1!  The month of love.  Valentine's Day is on my brain for sure and it's got my wondering what to get my sweetie.  If y’all are like me, you love shopping for your husband.  Sometimes it’s tough, don’t get me wrong, but I love picking out things I think he will love and wrapping them all pretty then watching his sweet brown eyes as he opens them.  Love it!  Well we aren’t big Valentine’s Day gift-givers.  We’ve never really done gifts for each other on this holiday other than some chocolate (OK lots of chocolate – and not just for me) and a sweet date night.  But this year with baby coming and all I wanted to get him a little man-gift.  Just a little something to remind him that I love him for who he is and what he loves.  A little something to make him feel special, because trust me, he’s been doing a lot of making me feel special lately, and I think it’s his turn!  So this year, these are the top of my list for Matt and I just so happened to be giving him one (or maybe more) of these items.  Hope this helps you if you’re shopping for your man!

1.       Omaha steaks.  A shipment for the man’s man.  They have tons of varieties from burgers, to filet mignons, to chicken and even some side and dessert dishes.  My man loves his grill, so this is the perfect gift for him as the weather begins to heat up.  And really ladies, who doesn’t love dinner on the grill with no clean-up on our parts?  That’s what I thought.

2.       Golf Lesson.  I actually got this for Matt for Christmas but he loved it so I thought I’d share.  He loves golf and the idea of spending an hour with a professional to “sharpen” his skills gets him all giddy inside.  So if your guy likes to golf, get him a lesson, or a gift card for a round or two with his buddies!

3.       Wake Forest Paraphernalia (substitute your man’s alma mater or favorite team here).  New shirt, hat, lamp, book, blanket, you get the picture.  Anything that has to do with Wake Forest that he can put in his man cave is a win-win. 

4.       Tickets.  To anything.  Well, not a Celine Dion concert (hello, Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days).  But tickets to a sporting event or man-friendly concert.  I live in a college town and every now and then Matt and I will check out a basketball game or two.  Don’t like basketball?  Take him to a football game, a professional soccer game, shoot – his old high school’s game on Friday night.  If your man likes sports like mine does, he’ll be happy watching any type of sporting event.  Not into sports at all?  Get tickets to a concert he’d enjoy!  You get an experience with your guy that he’ll appreciate.

5.       “Man tools.” Things he needs for yard work, a new tool he’s been wanting, or grill utensils.  As boring as these things sound to most of us ladies, some men eat it up.  Lucky for me, my guy is one of them.  So go to Lowes, Home Depot or Target and pick up something that he’s been eyeing but feel bad buying for himself.  Even if you get the wrong brand or size (he can exchange it), the thought behind trying to get into “his world” will mean enough.