Ailee Petrovic

Baby October 2, 2014

Dream Playrooms

The dream home series continues! This week, I’m sharing dream playrooms (see previously posted dream kitchen, master bedroom, and living room). I seriously dislike bright colors, which is why Isla’s nursery is decorated with such neutral, cool colors. I feel similarly about the style of a playroom, but I know that kids like bright colors, so I may have to get over this disdain at some point in life.

I’ve put together a collection of my favorite playrooms – some which I would copy exactly and others which have elements I like. See my inspiration below!

Baby October 1, 2014

Creative Gender Reveal Cards (+ Confetti)

Sasha and I decided against a gender reveal party, as we were scheduled to find out the baby’s gender while we were in Bali, and there was no way in the world I would wait two extra weeks to find out. We opened the email from my ob-gyn in our hotel room and literally squealed, then rolled around the bed, giggling with excitement. It was so sweet and intimate – I couldn’t imagine it any other way. We had told very few people that I was pregnant at that point (16 weeks), so decided to do a big bang reveal and tell people that I was pregnant and expecting a baby girl.

Recently, I’ve seen some very cute and creative gender reveal options that don’t involve cake and a big party, and I think we’ll use one for baby #2 (don’t get any crazy ideas, this won’t be for awhile).

My favorite announcements are featured below. Have you seen any other cute and creative ways to announce a baby’s gender?

Lauren Chism

Once again, Lauren Chism creates the cutest card. See other favorites here! I love the cute little envelope within an envelope – an extra level of secrecy. All of the confetti is so pretty too!

City Guide September 30, 2014

New York City Travel Guide

New York, New York: Definitely one of the most overwhelming cities to visit because there is just so much to do and so much to see while you’re there. I’ve visited three times, and during each trip, we packed in a ton of fun activities and delicious restaurants. My nine days in the Concrete Jungle feel like at least three months, as I’ve covered miles and miles of the city by foot (lesson learned the first time: pack comfortable shoes!).

“The glamour of it all! New York! America!”

-Charlie Chaplin

Instead of creating a City Guide like I have in the past, where I outline my favorite restaurants, activities and sites, I’ve created a three day itinerary which includes all of my ‘must do’s’ for NYC. I’ve also made a Google map of these locations, which you can access here. I find the city can be challenging to navigate, so I hope this helps!

Also, if you’re up for church on Sunday, you should definitely go to Hillsong NYC and C3 Brooklyn. I’ve been to the former (it’s incredible), and the latter was started a few years ago by a sweet couple I traveled to Manila with three years ago.

Three perfect days in New York City

Day 1

Eat breakfast at Pastis in the Meatpacking District
Shop at nearby boutiques (favorites include Kate Spade Saturday Pop Up and Rebecca Taylor on Gansevoort Street)
Walk through Chelsea Market – spend time at Artists & Fleas (great vintage jewelry finds)
Get on the High Line and walk it to the end (amazing photo opportunity)
Walk or cab to the Gramercy Park Hotel and have a cocktail in the intimate lobby bar
Eat lunch at nearby Barbounia (never ending bellinis for around $17) or Gramercy Tavern
Take the subway or a taxi to the Empire State Building and go to the observation level (very touristy, but totally worth it), then take a cab to the hotel to get ready for dinner
Enjoy dinner at Market Table (reservation highly recommended)
Get frozen yogurt at nearby 16 Handles
If you’re up for it, take a cab to get a cocktail at PDT (reservation required – I’ve never been, but heard it’s quite the event)

Week in Review September 29, 2014

Week in Review

Week three in Houston has passed, and life is showing no signs of slowing down. This past week, we visited lots of family and friends whom we hadn’t seen in almost three months – some who hadn’t met Isla yet. I was talked into doing back-to-back classes at Life Time Fitness with a close friend, and my body is still recovering. Overall, this week had many highlights, which I’ve captured below:

I went to Anthropologie, J. Crew, Carter’s, Kendra Scott and Baby Gap – ugh, feels good to be back). I subsequently ended up at The Container Store again for more slim-fit hangers.
We ate at Ruggles Green and Mary’z – two of our favorite restaurants (see full list of favorites), and I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods for the first time in months!
The weather is finally getting more bearable, so I was able to run outside on multiple days.
After going to the Durango Farmer’s Market all Saturday, we decided to head to one of the big ones in Houston (and bought lots of Sinfull Bakery goodies)
We went to my parent’s house for lunch to celebrate my dad’s birthday (happy birthday!)
Isla went to church for the first time (Bayou City Fellowship) and behaved swimmingly! Thank the good Lord.

Most importantly, this week marked the official stomach-to-back-to-stomach rolling and consistent, deep belly laughter from Isla. The former has me slightly nervous (she’s now getting tied into her changing station), and the latter has my heart smiling. That sound is pure joy.

Lastly, the winner of the Freshly Picked giveaway is Wendy J! I will be emailing you shortly. Thank you to everyone who entered.

How was your past week?
Her happy morning face // A friend lent us a mamaRoo – why didn’t we have this sooner?

Favorite Looks of the Week September 26, 2014

Favorite Looks of the Week

You can definitely spot the New York City and San Francisco bloggers in this week’s ‘Favorite Looks of the Week,’ in that they are dressed for fall while others are still enjoying the last days of summer weather. It is still pretty toasty in Texas, so I spent most of my week in shorts. I know I’ll regret saying this as soon as it starts to get chilly, but I’m ready for cooler temperatures. I love our nightly family walks when I get to put on a jacket and scarf.

I struggle to pick a favorite look from my top ten, but if push came to shove, I’d go with Wendy’s bow top. I am in love with it! Which of these looks is your favorite?

Have a great Friday and weekend. Don’t forget to enter the Freshly Picked moccasin giveaway. It ends at midnight tonight!

1. Pink Peonies // 2. Sequins and Stripes