Personal – Page 68 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Week in Review January 19, 2015

Week in Review

Finally – sunshine in Houston! I can barely believe it – the past few days have been unbelievably beautiful, which is much-needed after a month of overcast skies. Given the change in temperature, Sasha and I spent much of the weekend outdoors, getting the house ready for the wedding shower that we’re hosting next weekend. Sasha is amazing, and he drilled holes and hung strung lights (six sets of these ones!) in our backyard for many hours on Sunday. I took care of well-overdue re-planting (all the plants I planted in the spring died) in our front entryway (see photo below!).

Some of the other highlights from this week include:

Catching up with two of my favorite co-workers over dinner at True Food Kitchen
Meeting with Amy of Eco Modern Concierge to discuss an organization project
Receiving the final pieces of Amanda’s wedding invitations – cannot wait to put it all together (and share details!)
Recording a vlog that I’ll share with you in a few weeks
Receiving the world’s cutest Janie and Jack outfit (that red bow!) from Jenny of Jenny Journey – the girl has style, let’s be honest here!
Taking photographs for Feather Thread – a fashion blog that is launching in February (two more sneak peek photos below!)
Wandering around Over the Top Linen and ordering the cutest runners and table cloths for the wedding shower
Having my older sister over for dinner on Saturday and playing gin rummy (and winning for the first time in ages) – we drank this Chandon sparkling red that we bought in Napa and it’s seriously my favorite drink of all time
Eating my favorite salad – the Insalata Fiorucci from The Original Carabbas on Voss – not once, but twice (food heaven)
Having both my dad and Sasha’s dad over to play with Isla and snapping cute moments of her with her granddads
Allowing Isla to nap in my arms once or twice, as she has a cold and needs extra mom-loving (so I tell myself)
Branching out into new foods, like broccoli, prunes and (sob!) chicken – Sasha insists, while I want her to be a vegetarian! I’ll pay someone to find research that giving babies meat is bad!

How was your week? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Lastly, congratulations to Courtney Carlton, who won the ‘Best Baby Items on Etsy‘ giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered. I hope you order some of these items today! You won’t regret it!

Baby January 13, 2015

The Best Baby Items on Etsy (Giveaway!)

I love Etsy. The fact that there is now a marketplace for entrepreneurial artisans all across the world to share their unique goods is just amazing to me. What did we do without it?

I have always been a big Etsy fan, but not necessarily an avid shopper. That is, until the moment I found out I was pregnant with Isla. Etsy is the mecca for adorable baby products – bows, leggings, blankets, teethers, birth announcements, baby shower decor, mobiles, etc. I’ve scoured the site over the last year and have ordered a number of baby products – some of which I love to pieces and want to share with you. And what’s even better is that my favorite seven shop owners (Les Petits Darlings, By George Baby Boutique, Nomad Floral Designs, Smiling Tree Toys, Baby Grace Houston, Max & Me, and Happiness Lives Here) have agreed to give away some of their amazing products to one lucky winner of the giveaway below (over a $200 value!). The giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday, January 18. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Colorful Leggings & Shirts from Les Petits Darlings

I first came across Les Petits Darlings (Etsy + website) on my favorite Instagram account – @kristygirl of The Benzer Bunch. Her daughter, Livi (Seriously? Could she be any cuter?) has lots of leggings from Les Petits Darlings, and I love them all. I decided to get Isla the cotton candy ones, because I am obsessed with how bright and whimsical they are. I can’t wait to order another pair – and I know I need the crowd pleaser t-shirt for Valentine’s Day. It is insanely cute.

I have to warn you – browsing this site is slightly dangerous, because if you’re like me, you’re going to want everything you see.

Sharon, the owner of Les Petits Darlings, is kindly giving away one of the brand new Valentine’s Day t-shirts to the giveaway winner!

Follow Les Petits Darlings on Facebook // Instagram

Week in Review January 12, 2015

Week in Review

Happy Monday! It feels like the rain has not stopped in months here in Houston, although it’s only been a few weeks. I do not know how people survive in a city like Seattle, where rain is the norm, as I’m about to go stir crazy. Before having Isla, I could still leave the house, knowing I would just dash out of my car and under cover. Now that I have to go around the side of the car, get her car seat out and sometimes her stroller too, I end up drenched if I try to brave the rain… so lately, I haven’t been. Dear mother nature, please stop.

Besides the weather, the past week was very productive. Preparations for the wedding shower we’re hosting at the house are underway, which unfortunately for Sasha meant scrubbing the grout in our kitchen on Saturday night and applying a new layer of sealant. Fun times at the Petrovic household!

Some of the main highlights from the week include:

Isla’s giggle fit at my terrible cheerleading jumps – watch here!
A trip to Thompson+Hanson for some flowers – I am obsessed with this nursery [as well as the attached restaurant – Tiny Boxwoods]
Finding a dress [option #1 at least] for the shower – the Aubrey dress by Equipment [this one, but in pink]
Meeting Alexis and sweet little Kevin at True Food Kitchen for the first time [it’s so good – definitely heading back again soon]
Isla asking McKenzie to be her Godmother [she accepted, thank goodness!]
Adding strawberries, raspberries and fusilli pasta to Isla’s current food menu [avocados, carrots, apples, bananas and sweet potatoes] – going to try broccoli and cauliflower next!
Hosting a dinner party and playing the most outrageously fun games – Cards Against Humanity and Head’s Up [Ellen DeGeneres’ iPhone game]
Receiving these gorgeous workout pants and this comfy top from Albion – you’ll see more of them soon!
Finally breaking into the winter diaper patterns from Honest Co. – the bears are my favorite ones
Celebrating Serbian Christmas Eve service in Galveston on Tuesday and then Serbian Christmas in town on Wednesday – it’s so nice to get to party twice in one year!
Receiving our three Little Animal Print Shop darlings in the mail and hanging them immediately in the playroom
Packaging up the invitations for the shower and getting them shipped out (nothing like being last minute!) as well as getting together with the hostesses to plan everything out!

How was your week? What were your highlights?

Personal January 5, 2015

Week in Review

The last two weeks have been a complete blur. I am obsessed with the holiday season (Thanksgiving through New Years Eve), but it’s definitely exhausting. I think we averaged three guests per day to the house during the last seven days (not exaggerating), and I loved it. Most visitors were family and friends who were in town for the holidays, and I am so thankful that I got to catch up with them. Sasha’s sister lives in San Francisco (works for Google and has the coolest job ever), and she has been in Texas (between Houston and Austin) for the past month and I’m pretty depressed that she left for California yesterday. It was so nice to have her in the same city as us again!

A few highlights from the previous week include:

Going to the Texas vs. Arkansas bowl game, although we definitely got our butts kicked…
Watching Isla pull herself up on the couches, chairs, crib, people, etc. – she’s on the move! This also means naptime is a nightmare, and she stands up all the time then cries for you to help her sit back down… so there have been a ton of naps in our arms recently
Meeting one of my sweet friends, Sydney, for lunch at Bistro Menil (it’s delicious – updated my Best of Houston: Restaurants & Coffee post!) and then strolling through the Menil Collection afterwards
Eating lunch at Tiny Boxwoods with Sasha and Isla – their beet burger is the best ever (as is their white wine mojito!)
Ordering invitations and envelopes for a couple shower that I’m co-hosting at our house in a few weeks (and doing lots and lots of planning!)
‘Baking’ even more delicious treats from the raw, vegan cookbook Mara bought me (there goes any weight-loss resolutions!)
Cooking dinner for my little sister, Jill, who is at med school in Houston – we haven’t had her over by herself yet, and she’s been in the same city as us for over a year and a half!
Buying a new bed and nightstands! More details about that here
Catching up with my friend, Andrew – one of my favorite people in the world – and hearing about his amazing new business venture (which I will definitely be sharing details of when it launches!)

In other news: Isla turned 7 months old on Sunday. Cue repetitive (but true) time flies comment! You can see Isla’s month-by-month photos here: one, two, three, four, and six. I skipped the five month update due to the Isla’s First Christmas with Carter’s series (but did snap photos!). I love this age so much. She is definitely a momma’s girl right now – if she starts to cry when someone else holds her, she reaches out to me and looks at me desperately, which melts my heart. Her favorite things include bath time with Tata, playing with Belle’s tail and collar (see photo below), sweet potatoes and avocado, standing up, crawling at a scary rapid speed, sitting up, going on runs with me in the morning, playing with the other kids at the Lifetime Fitness daycare (she squeals when older kids come up to her!), reading Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, One Ted Falls Out of Bed: A Counting Story and Goodnight, I Love You, playing with her new Hape bike and walker, when we do stupid dances, and chewing on absolutely everything. She is now sleeping from 6:30pm-5:30am, then feeds and goes back to sleep for another hour or so. I was up past midnight every night for the last week, so I haven’t really gotten to enjoy the whole ‘sleeping through the night’ experience, but plan on changing that soon! Isla is not keen on eating purees, keeping her shoes on, when I try to pick her boogers or wash her face, being awake past 6:30pm, sitting still, and missing out on fun (serious case of nap-time FOMO). She is very high-energy, and I love her.

What were the highlights of your week? Happy Monday!

Personal January 1, 2015

2015 Resolutions (And a Survey!)

Happy 2015, my sweet followers! I don’t think I’ve said this recently (or enough), so I now want to thank you so much for reading Snapshots & My Thoughts. The past six months have been rather exciting, not just because Isla has come into our lives and made us happier than ever before, but also because my little labor of love has had some fun partnerships (BABYBJORN, Rifle Paper Co., Carter’s, Honest Co., Dr. Browns, amongst others!) and more than doubled in readership. In addition, I recently created a Facebook page and a blog-dedicated Instagram account (are you following along?), and I have more exciting content for you in the near future.

In the spirit of New Years resolutions, I’m sharing seven of my own today (but have many more!): [1] Get more personal, [2] Improve my skills, [3] Prioritize my family, [4] Read more books, [5] Be more present, [6] Give up control and [7] Practice being content. I’ve explained all of these in detail below. What are some of your resolutions? I’d love to read about them in the comments below.

One quick favor to ask of you! Would you mind filling out this anonymous survey with a few quick questions (five, to be exact) about the blog content? I want to make sure that I’m giving my readers content they enjoy, and this survey will definitely help me do that.

This summer, I started my ‘Week in Review‘ posts, which honestly felt like an ‘easy out’ for a post. There was no research involved, no scouring the internet for photos, no design decisions to be made… it was just me (well, us). I simply recapped my previous 7 days, and I started to see a trend – these posts get higher views and comments than any other post in the week.

When I filled out the ‘Tour Through Blogland,’ one of the questions asked ‘what makes your blog unique?,’ and I struggled with answering that. I want to make Snapshots & My Thoughts unique in that it’s about me and my life, not in a narcissistic way, but I want to get more personal with my readers. Life is not always rainbows and butterflies, and I think it’s important to be transparent and more real. This is partly inspired by Brighton Keller (of Brighton the Day) – the other day she posted this on Instagram and started the hashtag #beBRIGHTbeREAL, and I love it.