JQ Lounge

A Closer Look

2012-01-26T14:09:00.006-05:00

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler are having a baby! Not the news one would be expecting from them, but I'd totally be down for relocating to Chi-town to throw myself into the PTA drama zone with KCav when our little ones go to school together. Come on, anyone who didn't love her on Laguna beach is a snooze fest.

Speaking of K's. Kris Humphries is trying to keep his 15 minutes of fame going. Moves like whoring out your bachelor pad to Life & Style magazine are probably not the smartest move. Reality TV proved you have nothing to offer us. The best is the commenter on Refinery 29 saying "I can't help but wonder if Kris Humphries has confused himself with a fresh-faced college (female) freshman who has her monogram above her bed - and on everything else she owns" Agreed, also, I can't really picture a grownup seeing that as his vision for his bedroom!

BuzzFeed brings you the 53 most ridiculous outfits from Fashion Week. In case you were looking for the perfect outfit for those spring barbecues that are just weeks away! But for real, scroll through if you have a moment, highly entertaining. I'm actually considering buying look #27 (NSFW) for the next PTA meeting me and KCav have in Chicago!!! wocka wocka wocka

The Ides of March: I was so excited to watch this movie.. Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman (random fact, I think PSH is the 2nd dreamiest out of all 3 of those guys.. don't ask). Let's just say, it was GREAT acting, but just the most boring PT (Tough Guy's phrase for Political Thriller) around. But then again, no one should listen to my opinions, because I then watched the Drew Peterson Lifetime movie and thought it was fab.

And finally, a closer look at my new favorite TV couple*: Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally's video for Collegehumor.

* Funniest TV couple that is, until Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy get together.

Like mother, like daughter

2012-01-20T13:56:00.003-05:00

me checking my twitter during 'the waddle'

lil c, checking her imaginary twitter at m's 1st bday party lunch

no words.

Stripes and Whites: a DIY Closet Makeover

2012-01-15T16:25:00.014-05:00

I've been bitten by the craft bug! There are so many fabulous blogs out there that I've been pining over lately with projects I want to try out.. well this weekend I tackled my first one inspired by Jen at Tatertots and Jello: making a striped closet.

We have this closet in our house that is basically our hamper. Its boring and dull and ends up being 'that place where you throw random things'. Well no more. It started with a trip to the Home Depot at 7am on a Saturday morning, picking up the following:
I opened up the closet door and tried taking a picture. Since my computer desk is about 5 feet away from the closet door, I couldn't back up enough to take a picture of the before. Have no fear.. with my photoshop skillz I was able to puzzle it together for you by taking a bunch of pictures and grouping them together.. and here you go.So after emptying the closet and washing the walls and sanding it a little, I applied the frog tape and crossed my fingers it would come out straight... [along with using a level of course].
And then it was paint time. It was hard to screw up the paint job with the frog tape being there. I did 2 coats of Martha Stewart Glidden paint in Lagoon [waiting an hour or so between coats]

I removed the frog tape immediately after the second coat was applied to reduce the risk of paint going through the tape and ruining my stripes ~~and dreams~~.

With only a couple of hiccups in the corners-- apparently I didn't apply the tape as well as I should have for the corners-- I was extremely happy with the results!

Although this was entirely a Julie DIY.. I asked Tough Guy to put up the new wire shelf and the iron caddy on the walls, which he was a doll and did.

Let me know what you think!
Obviously I'm bummed that I couldn't get enough room to take a full picture of the new laundry closet.. and the jumbled group of pictures doesn't do it justice.. so each of you will just have to come by the place to see it, and we can talk amongst ourselves while I do some laundry for you ;)

What has been your favorite DIY project?

Katniss + Q

2012-01-08T17:31:00.008-05:00

I never read Harry Potter or Twilight or any real series besides The Baby Sitters Club (Stacey was my fav!) and Encyclopedia Brown.. Then my dearest Erica sent me a simple email (a couple of months ago actually) only stating that I MUST read The Hunger Games. And then this Friday, for some strange reason, US Weekly and EW did not show up as they usually do. I dusted off the Kindle and was transported to the country of Panem.

I will leave you no spoilers. But book one is done, and book two is being started as soon as I press publish post on blogger.com.

Read it. Movie comes out in March. Unfortunately Michael Fassbender was not cast, but it still looks amazing. I'd link the trailer but advise you not to watch it until after you read the book!! I feel like the nerd at the sleepover. I'm totally going to go see it on IMAX!

And for those worrying throughout this post, US and EW came first thing on Saturday am. All is well.

What to watch, 2012 Volume 1

2012-01-02T14:29:00.010-05:00

The most exciting thing about the holidays being over? NEW TV is back in our lives!!!

But there were a few shows that I let slip by in 2011 that I luckily got a chance to catch up on..

Enlightened, on HBO

I think since this series premiered around the same time Entourage was ending, I placed it in the crappy HBO shows category (consisting of Entourage, Hung and How to Make it in America), so I passed. But Tough Guy read a good review on Grantland.com so we checked it out, and after watching the first 4 minutes of the show, I knew it was going to be something special. The acting in it [mostly by Laura Dern] is phenomenal.. if you are sick of watching The Office, I would give this show a shot. I'm sorry, but its just not the same without Michael Scott. Andy Bernard is an excellent supporting character, but this new synopsis is just not meant to be. Getting backed to Enlightened, you cannot turn away. Since each show is only 22-25 minutes, it's really easy to find yourself getting caught up to speed. And I have a new found respect for Luke Wilson.. this is the first thing I've seen him in since Royal Tenenbaums that I've enjoyed.

Portlandia, on IFC

Since Season 2 is starting up this week, there were a lot of writeups about this show. I have no clue what channel the IFC is, so I just did a quick search on Comcast on Demand and sure enough there were a few episodes from Season 1 to check out. IFC's website describes it as "Each episode's character-based shorts draw viewers into "Portlandia," the creators' dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon." Its a bunch of sketch comedy bits mixed together from Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein with some awesome cameo's. And I absolutely love all the banter.. you can tell most of its improv.. you will be giggling the entire time.

Downton Abbey, on PBS

I am the most random person when it comes to TV. I can change the channel from 60 Minutes to Millionaire Matchmaker without any hesitation and vice versa. It wasn't until the Today Show had the Downton Abbey cast out on the plaza collecting Christmas Gifts for charity that I'd heard about the show. It then seemed to pop up every because they are also gearing up for Season 2 on January 8th. If you like period films like Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre, you will love this show. You can watch them online, here. If you saw my tweets yesterday, I kept on comparing it to the Kardashians, but with not as much makeup (men included).

MOVIES.

Young Adult, in theatres now.

Go see it. Its snarky, its funny, and its so fun to talk about after you leave the theatre. Basically Charlize Theron who is living the 'fabulous life' in the big apple (make that.. the miniapple) goes back to her hometown to get her high school sweetheart back. Only problem is? He's overjoyed with his life including the birth of his first baby girl. Charlize and Patton Oswalt are too much. She's way too beautiful, even when she's giving the evil eye, as she does for about 85% of the movie! I cannot wait to watch it again when it comes out on video.. Tough Guy and I are still debating over the ending and what the outcome was.. much like we did after The Social Network. (Mark Zuckerberg did not screw over his friend, I say!)

I was obsessing over Charlize's sunglasses the entire movie and after a quick google search, I was more excited over learning that there is a website that figures these things out for you!!!

Did you see any great movies or catch up on any good shows over the Holidays???

Gwen totally gets Baby Q

2011-12-30T10:05:00.013-05:00

So I've been such a bad blogger not posting all of the awesome things I got when Missoni for Target debuted back in September. I promise I will grab a picture of all said items, its just that most of them got stowed away in C's closet because I wasn't ready to use them yet!! But now I just want to run back to Target and pick up stuff from Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Mini for Target collection, because if we took C on a baby spring break to some place not freezing? This is what I would dress her in.. [yes, I know how odd a baby spring break sounds]

This adorable Anchor Dress, $18:And this navy dot dress on a different day, $18:

Throw some Anchor jeggings into the mix for $17:

I have a weakness for hot pink nautical jackets! $20.00:Annnnnd some hipster hot pink sunglasses, $6.99:

Even though we're only thinking about baby girl clothes, if the day comes where I ever have a baby boy to dress, I told Tough Guy he'd wear nothing but sailor outfits, madras and baby tuxedos every day.

Sailor romper, available in stores:

Happy Holidays from the JQ Lounge!

2011-12-23T13:49:00.006-05:00

Hope everyone has a safe and fabulous holiday with the ones they love! Its been so fun getting Lil C ready for the holiday season. Although its true what they say.. all you really need is wrapping paper and empty boxes, and your baby will be amused for days.
A Special Thank you to Tiffany & Co for the gorgeous Holiday Card.. Also, blogger friends Christmas cards are probably 14% of why I became a blogger in the first place ;)And to Nintendo for the best T Shirt ever!!!
And to Tough Guy, who always knows how to keep that fine line between Christmas decor being classy and tacky when preparing our goodies for Christmas Eve that we are hosting..Hope Santa is good to everyone!

Champions for Children's

2011-12-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Champions for Children's Event at the Seaport World Trade Center as Tough Guy's plus 1. This is considered one of the ultimate fund raising events of the year for Children's Hospital Boston. They raised over 3.5 million dollars this year!

It was a "Victory Parade" themed gala, and it replicated the parade route in the room complete with the Duck Boats! The beginning of the night there was a silent auction, that had everything from Golf packages, Spa packages, Designer Clothing, Tropical Vacations, and even a visit to the Jimmy Fallon show...which was obviously valued at 5 billion dollars in my eyes..

I believe this was Miss Teen NH.. my research department is on vacation this week.

After a lovely dinner, the live auction began, and that's when the big donations showed up. I've never been to a real auction before, it gets very intense and exciting! Throughout the night they also showcased so many great stories about some of the patients and its so nice when you see the athletes spending time with the children and lifting their spirits.

The Bruins received a special tribute and a table (of ballers) even bid $25,000 to have the 2011 Stanley Cup at their table! Which was pretty hilarious because that meant basically most of the room would be walking up to you to take a picture of your table all evening. The auction items were pretty cool- one was a mega packed trip to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, another was a Red Sox game and your date would be Mark Wahlberg (Tough Guy had to hold my arm down from raising my hand for that one!), and some other cool events like a private plane to Vegas to go see Elton John (they handed out 2 of those packets for a cool $70,000 each! -- we only be $55Gs so sadly we lost. hahahahahahaha righto)

It was an awesome night and it was so cool being at an event with all the Bruins. Tough Guy even got mistaken as one at the bar. Next year that baseball game with Marky Mark is mine.. I'm going to put $5,000 in savings every week until then.

Have you ever been to an auction??

I feel like I would be the best auctioneer ever.. I am excellent at fast talk mixed with jibberish and shopping ;)

Winter Warm-up with Vicks

2011-12-10T13:31:00.012-05:00

Its as if Vicks knew Lil C was having her first cold when I received an invitation to attend a Winter Warm-up event this week with some other local mommy bloggers.

It was held at Finale Bakery in Boston, which is known for their famous hot chocolate. We nibbled on a delicious lunch while listening to Dr. Meg Meeker speak... who had me sold at:

'You may have seen me interviewed on the Today Show by Meredith Vieira'

Come on.. chatting with MerVer on the Today Show couch is my DREAM COME TRUE right there!

Dr. Meg has four grown children and has been a Pediatrician for 25 years. She has written a few books, one which I just started reading called 'The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers'; I'll share a full review when I finish it.

She was very helpful explaining the different types of humidifiers and vaporizers to keep your little ones healthy among other things..

Could not decide on which one I liked the best. The GermFree Cool Mist Humidifier eliminates up to 99.9% of mold, bacteria and fungi in the water ensuring the freshest of moisture through a patented germ-killing UV light chamber. That just sounds completely reassuring when you are feeling vulnerable while your baby has a cold.

And the Vicks Starry Night Cool Moisture Humidifier (above) boasts a light machine that fills the sky (aka nursery ceiling) with stars! Plus if you usually use a sound machine to sooth your baby to bed, the humidifier is a perfect solution.

Either way, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using a cool mist humidifier through the winter months to help relieve congestion and coughs of your baby. And it came in VERY handy with Lil C's first cold a couple of weeks ago.

As always, it was so fun to see Stephanie and her son, Mr. R who is already best buds with Lil C

And they would not let us leave without having some dessert!

Vicks was kind enough to send us home with a wonderful bag filled with goodies to help make this winter a healthy one. The Behind Ear thermometer is extremely helpful because you can take their temperature while they are sleeping. Also, it has a color coded screen to tell if your child has a fever or not.. Green- no fever, Yellow- temperature is slightly elevated, Red- fever; The Humidity Monitor (mentioned in the helpful tips section above); A Mini-Waterless Vaporizer that you can plug in near their bed and let the vapors help comfort them through the night; and Vicks BabyRub which is another great way to sooth your baby when they have a cold.

For more information, click here!

Boston Blogger Christmas Craft Night

2011-12-06T10:24:00.017-05:00

Leave it to the Boston Bloggers to come up with the great idea of a Craft Night for Christmas goodness! Susie, Becca, Kristen and I headed over to Chelsee's place on a Monday night for glitter, drinks, treats, more glitter, and laughs.

Chelsee just whips this up!! This plate was a gift from Tom Colicchio when We Are Not Martha attended an event in NYC. Too cool.

And then it was time to craft, damnit![It was live tweeted as well]There were yummy holiday brews, considering we were among the presence of Massachusetts Girls' Pint Out ladies!

Basically if you could hold it in your hand, you can glitter it.

I'm pretty sure Becca only got this tattoo to model her glitter ball..

Susie 'Vanna Whiting' her sparkly Mason Jar.

And then we created Twitter Mittens!

Craft night was so much fun! Thanks Chelsee for making this happen. But it has to happen more than once a year.. Valentine's Craft Night next??

The Best Holiday Bling for $20!

2011-12-02T09:41:00.007-05:00

When I was flipping through the Sephora December Catalog, love was already in the air by page 5.

This model's nails were simply divine. I just had to have them. I ordered the 2 colors, waited patiently for 2 days and finally began to play around with it. And it was MUCH easier then I thought!

The first coat is Keep me on my Mistletoes and the second coat is Don't be Eggnog-ious and you can find them at sephora.com.

I highly suggest you buy these and try it as well. I can't stop staring at my nails now.. and even if you are terrible at painting your own nails like I am, its a fool proof look.

You will look like a million bucks sipping out of your champagne flute at the holiday party!

Who are we kidding, Mom?

2011-12-01T09:57:00.006-05:00

this is the "Mom, we all know you took this "8 month" picture of me 3 days before I turn 9 months.. who are we kidding?!?

The other 7 monthly pictures were so easy to take!! She didn't like to move at all! Now she squirms and immediately rips off the monthly sticker's Auntie Becs got her as soon as you put it on her..

Parent tip #49, just when you think you've got the hang of things-- a new development pops up every day and chaos starts all over again :)

This week, its the discovery of the Christmas tree.. more pics to come..

Treat YO Self: Part 1

2011-11-23T10:42:00.003-05:00

This video from Parks and Rec says it all:

A few fab things I think you should treat yo self to...

Neuma Hair Product: When I was getting my hair did last week, I could not get over how amazing the shampoo and conditioner smelled during my wash. Peppermint and freshness. My stylist then told me all about Neuma and how its a Sustainable Product that launched in the summer of 2010. Their products contain no synthetic fragrance – only 100% pure essential oils and naturally derived plant extracts. My hair has never felt so shiny and healthy. It was quite the splurge at $48 for Shampoo/Conditioner and a Bonus 'Style Extender' spray (aka renews your hair for another day if your baby girl decides Mama is not going to wash her hair that morning) but its completely worth it when your hair smells that amazing after a shower. TREAT YO SELF

Dior Addict Lip Glow: So winter is coming, and your lipstick just doesn't cut it when you try to put it on your dry cracked lips. Nothing in the world is as embarrassing as looking in the mirror and realizing your lipstick turned crusty. Christian Dior Addict Lip Glow is probably the fanciest most expensive lip balm you will ever buy (its a whopping $29) but you will feel like a queen every time you put it on.

I've only been using it for a week and its absolutely magical!

Holiday Cards: Some years I remember to put a little photo shoot together for a Holiday Card, and its the years where I forget (or am too lazy) I get so envious of all my crafty friends who remembered and are awesome enough to send our family one. This year, there are SO MANY awesome deals going on, so TREAT YO SELF and send some holiday cheer to your friends and family. Tiny Prints, snapfish, shutterfly are just a few places to shop.

Super Mario 3D Land on 3DS: When Nintendo sent me Super Mario 3D Land for 3DS, I screamed! You don't know how obsessed I am with Super Mario Brothers 3. In college, one of our roommates brought her old school Nintendo from home and all 4 of us girls would play it on and off for hours. We would just leave it on, and then whoever was home would chime in. And not to set girls back or anything, but we would be SO EXCITED if we actually beat the game (which didn't happen as often as we would like). Now that I have it on my 3DS, its such a fun treat when I get some time to play it. The 3D aspect of it is intense and took some getting used to (I'd get scared if Mario had to jump from way up high because I literally felt like I was falling). This is the perfect gift to TREAT YO SELF with. Tough Guy still gets a crack out of how I'll go back to the first level just to stock up on coins and 1ups.

My Curls post: for real, if you haven't tried out the youtube curls tutorial from my Curls, Curls, Curls, post.. you MUST treat yo self and do so. I've gotten so many emails and texts of friends who have done it, and its 100% amazing results so far. Above is a pic from earlier this month when I was in upstate NY for a friend's wedding!

Shapin' Up

2011-11-20T10:29:00.005-05:00

I've had this blog for 6 years, and scrolling through all the posts I've written over the years.. I've come across quite the pattern. I blog when I'm happy. I don't blog when I'm not. Don't get me wrong.. I love snarkiness.. but I guess when I'm happy, things seem more blog worthy. Not even just personal things.. everything seems more interesting enough to share with my readers.

I also didn't blog a lot when I was pregnant.. it was a super happy time, but also the most anxious I've ever been in my life. For reals.

Finally having the motivation to starting to workout again has helped. I did Stroller Strides over the Spring and Summer which was monumental in making sure Mom didn't get the Baby Blues, while bonding with other new moms. But that was more social and fun and the baby was involved. Now I've finally turned to my family and said "Here, you watch the little one" while I go jump on the elliptical or stepper. Or taking advantage while the baby naps, and getting a sweat in. Once the workouts started again, that's when I started thinking more about the things I was eating. This is all still a work in progress.. with a long road ahead of us ~~no more getting mad at my double chin that Baby Q forgot to take with her at birth~~! But its nice to have all this spinning around in my head again. 2008 was the last time I'd been excited about eating healthy.. how the HELL has it been 3 years???

And even more random? Pinterest has been awesome for motivation to work out again [all the images in this post are cute things I've seen pinned] There are so many more great images and resources on that site if you have to time to check it out (just search 'health' and you'll see about a thousand different things to look at). My favorite time to 'pin' is at night after dinner. Check it out, its highly addicting and follow me at Julie_Q!

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2011-11-17T09:32:00.023-05:00

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to have Breakfast at Tiffany's. The special occasion was to welcome the newest store at the Chestnut Hill Mall! Being a new mom, you find that the malls become your new BFF in the winter time. Its a great place to walk around while staying warm with your baby and meet up with other moms and "window shop" and I say that lightly.

When walking into the new Tiffany & Co, I immediately think I'm in Charlotte York's Park Avenue apartment.

And the timing was perfect since the holidays are upon us!

As always, its such a treat to walk around the store and look at (and try on!) the pretty pieces. I could not get over the crisp clean glass, because when taking pictures of the jewels, you couldn't even tell there was glass in between. And breakfast while you shop? I could get used to this..

My absolute most favorite ring in the world: The Lucida

Also on my wish list? This $22,500 Schlumberger 36 Stone Bracelet, modeled below, by yours truly.

It wasn't even the jewelry that caught my eye. It was every single detail in the new store!

The wall art, the sitting area, all of the little details were so fun and perfect.

This Private room right here is a woman's version of a Champagne room. Actually, you can sip champagne in this room to celebrate the beautiful jewelry that will soon be yours, so its not too far off ;)

These bows are my absolute favorite.. wink wink nod nod.
I saw some familiar blogger faces, but also met some new ones. Martini of Beyond Boston Chic, Annelise of Quarterlife Lifestyle, Smita of HOGGER & Co, and Noelani of mon petit chou chou to name a few!

Thank you kindly to Carrie and Taylor and to our hosts at Tiffany & Co. The Breakfast at Tiffany's book is a nice addition to my coffee table!

My Kardashian Problems Solved

2011-11-13T13:36:00.006-05:00

So I listened to you all and hit up The Container Store for my makeup organization (or lack there of) problems. While they did not have my dream Kardashian Acrylic makeup tower, I was able to pick up two things that helped a lot.

And then...

AFTER!

After first I'd picked up a couple of plastic shoe drawers that I was going to stack because they seemed much bigger than that tiny 3 Drawer box.. but after seeing the acrylic cosmetic tray, I realized I wouldn't need that space for the Drawer box, so it ended up working out fine. Of course I picked up the one box that was cracked.. but for $11.99 I'll pick up another one and just use the cracked one for toiletries in our linen closet.

My next youtube research project? Learn how to paint my nails like a professional! I have way too many bottles of nail polish not to be doing it myself.. I just suck at it.

Getting ready to go out is a lot more entertaining now that I know where everything is! Someday I will totally splurge and get the huge one that Kim has, but until then this is glamorous enough :)

Two things I took away from the Kardashian Wedding Special

2011-11-09T21:05:00.010-05:00

1. Kim and Kris were not meant for each other. And this is coming from the girl who thought Vienna and Casey had a chance on The Bachelor Pad.

2. I must have Kim's makeup organizers.

I completely forgot about both these things until Kim filed for divorce. Thankfully that reminded me to be researching where to buy those makeup organizers that Kim has set up in her bathroom.

For only a small price of $290 , you can have the exact model that Kim has! $290? And she has 2 of them! I literally thought it would be $25... maybe $40. I cannot justify this purchase. But now its all I can think about. I tried googling other ones, because all I see is 4 walls of plastic glued to one another. With about $3,000 worth of MAC & Nars makeup on the inside

There will be a follow up post when I figure this one out, as I have a night of research ahead of me.

THRILLING BLOG POSTS THESE DAYS, RIGHT?

[they are to me.. oh yes, there are to me]

New Hour, New Bedding

2011-11-06T19:17:00.005-05:00

An extra hour in bed? Well, not really considering my 8 month old is so confused by this day light savings time. Pretending like I will get more sleep out of this ordeal, I cashed in all of my American Express points for some Pottery Barn Gift Cards.

I brightened up our bedroom with the Keira Palampore Duvet Cover and Pillow Shams, and changed up our sheets and pillow cases with a cute black and white patterned set from Home Goods. The sheets might not match exactly with the new duvet, but I love it. Maybe I'll rack up enough points to hang some curtains in our room, too! Someday.

Basically this is what I'll be hiding under once the snow starts showing up...

Winter is coming. But hot pink flowers make it doable.

May the Force be with you this Halloween

2011-10-31T08:50:00.004-04:00

This year Tough Guy got his way for his little love bug's first Halloween costume!

But as soon as that wig came off, we noticed an even more striking resemblance..

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! What's been your favorite costume so far this year?

Howlween Winner & Friday Fun.

2011-10-28T14:41:00.008-04:00

Thanks for all your tweets & comments! The Patento Pet Dog-e-Lite goes to Angie! Congrats, and send me your address so I can get that out to you.

I know I've already tweeted and tumblr'd these two videos, but they are just too awesome not to share considering I still tear up laughing at the first one every time I watch it.

This clip from a Beyonce concert is hilarious, yet touching at the same time.

This lady is so happy she's in the presence of greatness. I feel like my voice would be the same exact way, just not as pitchy.

The second is a Trick or Tweet raving miracle (via Jackie).

Party Rocking club scene on someone's yard. Flippin' awesome. I don't know how they did this... and I can't wait to see what they'll be doing for Christmas.

And the best new internet meme around? Who's cuter.. Ryan Gosling or a puppy.
My favorite from the bunch:Check out the tumblr page for the rest!

Have a great weekend! I can't wait to dress up my little munchkin in her first Halloween costume! Will share it with you soon..

Howlween Giveaway!

2011-10-25T09:30:00.010-04:00

Since Lil C has blessed this household, we still have two other babies that still need (and deserve) all the attention in the world.

They have embraced this new little tiny person and love giving her kisses and have yet to eat one of her toys, which is quite the accomplishment because a lot of her toys look like scrumptious dog toys.

Patento Pet asked us to try out their Dog-e-Lite product which is flash light that attaches to your leash. If you are a dog owner, you are already reading this thinking "That's brilliant!" Its set up so an innovative solar powered flashlight attaches directly to the leash so that it always shines in the same direction your furry friend is walking. You can detach the light as well, so if you want to all of a sudden go rock climbing or freestyle walking with your dog at night, you can still see them if they aren't on the leash.

My husband has been using it all week with Rocco, since Rocco always leads the pack on walks, and has had nothing but great things to say about it. Yes, you read that correctly, I am a terrible dog walker since having the baby (and arguably.. before the baby), but Lil C and I still tag along.

You can find this product at Petco, Pet Supply Plus and PatentoPetUSA.com

For all you dog lovers out there, Patento Pet would like to give you one as well (with a leash included)!

Since its Halloween, just leave a comment with a link to a hilarious dog in a costume.. it doesn't even have to be your dog.

Tweets mentioning this giveaway count as a double entry too! Tweet me @julieQ

I'll pick a winner on Friday, so hopefully you can receive your prize before trick or treating next Monday.

TV Review: Sweet Home Alabama

2011-10-23T14:54:00.012-04:00

The premise.. take ABC's The Bachelor & Bachelorette shows, and give them a little southern twang. I watched the first season of CMT's Sweet Home Alabama earlier this year when they had a blond hair gorgeous southern belle, Devin, find true love via reality tv when they introduced her to a bunch of southern gentlemen, and then brought in some damn 'yankees' aka city guys. My only problem with the first season was the guys they used as 'city folk' were your typical stereotypes. You have the Jersey Shore Guido (who literally was Snooki's ex from 2 years ago who is Mr. Meatball), you have the 'wall street exec' and I should use double quotations to emphasize the sarcasm, because you really should just say 'tool bag in suit'. Of course the girl was going to pick a Southern Gentlemen. That's like asking someone if they want to be fixed up with an Abercrombie Model or The Situation. FYI, I would choose an Abercrombie BAG over The Situation.

Well the new season started up this past week and now it was time to make it The Bachelor-esque, finding true love for last season's runner up. A guy named Tribble. Now, don't feel bad for Tribble because he came in 2nd place. This guy was voted Cosmopolitan magazine's 50 hot bachelors in 2008, and was a star football player at Clemson.

First they introduce you to the southern belles. And of course they are all melt-your-heart-girl-next-door-pour-you-a-glass-of-sweet-tea-fabulous. I could not wait to see what they would drag in as the City girls, but I have to admit, it wasn't as 'stereotypical' as one would expect. Except for OC-licious aka a Snooki wannabe. The rest of the City girls were pretty cool. You had a blogger from Cali, a couple NYC ladies, NO ONE from Boston, some ladies from Florida- even though I was confused how they weren't part of the Southern girls crew after I stared at a map for awhile.. and yes, Florida is in the South.

Oh wait, I take that all back. I forgot to tell you one of the girls is Hailey Glassman from the Jon & Kate Plus 8 scandal. She is the wildcard, has no charm and wants you to feel sorry for her because she got 'played' by Jon. Tribble will probably keep her around for a couple weeks though because she's good tv.

Anyhoo... I give it this show two thumbs up. Its on CMT Thursday nights. I actually enjoy the set up a lot more than ABC's style, because:

1. There is no Chris Harrison. I know, I know, I'm usually a Chris Harrison fan, but after seeing a format without a host like that- it's so nice not to have the most redundant questions and observations expressed all the time. "Tribble- there is one rose left" "Ladies, this is the last rose" "Tribble- have you made your decision" "Ladies, if your name is not called you must grab your belongings and leave"

2. There is no rose ceremony. While all the girls are hanging out drinking beers with red gingham ribbons covering the beer label, Tribble sends his old trusted friend (I think his name is Buck) to tap a girl on the shoulder and bring them over to a quiet area (inside a barn, or down a country road) to have a one on one conversation with Tribble. BUT, the twist is... it doesn't mean you are automatically sent home. Sometimes its just Tribble asking you to go on a date.

PS. The only reason why I used the Jason Mesnick rose ceremony picture was because of my encounter with him and Molly while we were on vacation!!

3. Its not as dramatic, which is something I have grown to appreciate these days (I am currently burnt out by this past season of Real Housewives of New Jersey). The girls seem to get along a lot better ~~although we are only one episode in~~. Plus as someone who has lived in the North East her whole life, its a fun watch, much like Hart of Dixie.

Baby Blogger Playdate

2011-10-21T09:05:00.006-04:00

Annelise of Quarter Life Lifestyle said "Do you know @Sabbespot? She's pregnant too!"

This was when I was about 7 months pregnant. I clicked on Stephanie's blog, and the first post I saw was of her husband setting up their soon to be baby's crib, and I knew I adored them already! We tried to grab coffee while we were both still pregnant (decaf, obvi) but it just never worked out due to work schedules and the tiredness that takes up the rest of your time! Mr. R was born exactly a month after Lil C, and yesterday we finally met up and had our first baby blogger playdate!

Looking forward to many more fabulous play dates!

Afterward, I snuck in a mini photoshoot with C because it was so pretty outside and the sun was out.

Have a great fall crisp weekend!

Blog Pink - October 2011

2011-10-19T10:01:00.005-04:00

Every October I love to highlight a few items that donate a portion of their sales to Breast Cancer Research. Before I share some of the items, my best wishes go out to Giuliana Ranci, who announced earlier this week she has Breast Cancer. I was absolutely crushed when watching the Today Show and hearing her talk about it.. it was such an eye opener that this can happen to anyone, there had only been one case of it in her family. She has a tough road ahead of her and won't be at it alone, since she is so well loved by her family and the public.

Online custom jewelry site gemvara.com will donate 20% of all October jewelry orders (where the primary gemstone is pink) to the Ellie Fund.

Ellie Fund is a non-profit organization that fights breast cancer and eases cancer's effects on patients and families by providing childcare, housekeeping, groceries, nutritious prepared/delivered meals and transportation to medical appointments free of charge to hundreds of women and family members across Massachusetts each year. What a great thing they do. Seriously.

And all the jewelry on gemvara.com is dazzling and gorgeous!

I've always adored Lacoste's Pink Croc collection that donates 10% to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in October. Especially the Pink Stripe GOA watch.. it's perfect.

FYI, Lacoste is having their Friends & Family 20% off sale online only til Sunday.

Another way to prep out for a good cause? The Lilly Pulitzer Full of Hope Charm bracelet, pictured above. Lilly is donating $10,000 to The Breast Cancer Charities of America this month.

All this shopping has me hungry. Good thing Edible Arrangements has a few delicious packages that celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness, including Pink Dipped Strawberries and Heels for Heeling with pink dipped pineapples. 10% of those orders goes towards the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

And since we know makeup is my favorite thing in the world, I end with Bobbi Brown's lip duo set. $10 from the sale of each set to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.For more fun and fabulous beauty items, check out Harpar's Bazaar list for Breast Cancer Awareness 2011.

Curls, Curls, Curls.

2011-10-18T09:28:00.006-04:00

I've always had long hair, but have had no clue how to curl it. Naturally my hair is thick and straight... with an awkward wave thrown into the mix if I air dry it. I've owned many curling irons, and even dabbled with the 'straight iron curl' which had pretty decent results.. but I finally have found the best way to curl my hair and wanted to share with you!

I discovered this on Youtube, which has become my go to for 'how-to' videos... yes, I'm sure I've discovered this about 4 years later than the rest of society.

I'd watched about 10 videos before stumbling across this one. And as trying as it was to get through this video with some of the babbling, its by far the easiest one to follow, and the results were amazing. I'm talking.. 2 fulls days of gorgeous hair.

tips
* Always wash/dry your hair the night before. The oil in your hair will help save the curl.
* I used a heat spray that I got for $5 at CVS, and this Cristophe Shaping Spray ($9.99)
* The back to front method, along with which way to curl your hair with the curling iron were the big pointers that I'd been previously doing incorrectly
* Amount of time to do this varies.. since I have a ton of hair, it can take up to 40 minutes aka the entire duration of a baby Q nap.

Next time I do it I will take a picture of day 1, but here is a picture of day 2.

Let me know if you try it out!! I highly recommend it.

I look at glossy magazines the same way!

2011-10-14T16:18:00.002-04:00

This totally made my day. This lil girl in France cannot get over how this iPad made out of paper doesn't work as she wants it to.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Bus Driver.. MOVE.. THAT.. BUS!

2011-10-11T14:25:00.012-04:00

After a lot of blood, sweat and tears.. we are finally ready to unveil the new kitchen!!!

Thank you to those who let BabyQ and I crash at your place when it was too dusty to sleep here (3 weeks we spent out of the house at 4 different places). I'd like to think this sweet ass kitchen has magically made me a talented chef, but we're getting there.

The curtains that I'd asked for your expertise on during an earlier post? I ended up going with some pretty ones I spotted at potterybarn.com. I am still in love with the charcoal Z Gallerie ones though, so I may still order them for our bedroom. But even putting new curtains in our bedroom seems like 10 years away after this renovation!!

Its time to relax and enjoy the new digs.

More Julie and Jennifer and Missoni please.

2011-09-16T09:11:00.000-04:00

Can I just say I'm obsessed with More magazine? I'd grown out of Cosmo cover stories years ago, though still love my Glamour subscription that I believe goes til 2013, but More magazine is 'more' my jam right now. HA! Especially the Julie Bowen September Issue. My favorite quote is "Children are like crazy, drunken small people in your house." Well said Julie. PS. The cover image is absolutely beautiful

Here's my drunken lil lady passed out in her jumper.

Oh, and I'm annoyed with Brad Pitt. "Blah blah blah my marriage with Jennifer was boring." (direct quote.. maybe) Such class. Its been over 5 years, but there's no need for that. I still remember where I was when I learned Jen & Brad broke up. I was at a college party, and did want any normal blogger does at a party- goes on people.com on one of the roommates computer because I have a sixth sense about this type of stuff! And then I drowned my sorrows in some Zima and played Kings out of respect.And I know what you're thinking.. a couple that highlights their hair together, stays together.

But Jennifer, you're better than that. Just look at how gorgeous you are, rocking this gorgeous new Tiffany & Co Reversible Tote. What I really want to know is how such a bag can make her legs look so amazing? That's pure craftsmanship.

And finally.. the Missoni for Target craze. When watching the segment on Today Show the morning after mentioning how the Target website had crashed due to pandemonium, Tough Guy just turns to me without saying anything. But we knew what he was thinking

So I responded.. "Please.. those people are all amateurs. I bought all my Missoni for Target items at 6am the morning of the launch.. and then I made ANOTHER order."

SO EXCITED! I know the haters on twitter kept on talking about "ohhhh Zig Zags, big deal" but they are a big deal to me. A really. big. crazy. deal. And all 12 or so items are being shipped early next week! Will post it all when it gets here!

Movie Review: The hotness that is Mr. Jane Eyre

2011-08-26T12:03:00.008-04:00

I wish I'd paid attention more in high school.

It wasn't until last year with the Nintendo Book Club tea party where I revisited Pride & Prejudice by reading it on my Nintendo DSi XL. I realized how much I loved the story. In high school the only appreciation was towards how the cliff notes could earn me a B- for not reading the actual book.

And this week I watched the new Jane Eyre on Apple TV and loved it so much I watched it again the next day (since I finally understood the plot after the credits were rolling the first time!). I'm totally going to read the book now the DSi XL, since I didn't want the love story to end.

But there's more to this point, and that is the allure of Michael Fassbender. He played Mr. Rochester in the 2011 Jane Eyre movie, and he brought the dreaminess. And usually I don't like plain jane (no pun intended) heroines, but the chick, Mia, from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland was a nice fit.

After a small amount of stalking on IMDB, I learned he was in Inglourious Basterds too! [Another favorite movie] Plus a few new movies coming out.

JQ Lounge gives 2 dvr thumbs up to Jane Eyre. Watch it!

Adventures in Remodeling

2011-08-14T10:35:00.011-04:00

After my huge comeback to the blogging world, we've hit a road block that is kitchen renovation. We've lived in our house for 3 years now, and had the goofiest kitchen in the world. It just didn't make sense. I tried to make it fun by painting a wall Salmon. If we had to look at a silly kitchen, at least I could enjoy the color. The Salmon color was also a good reason for the wheels to start spinning for my husband so that we could someday just gut the entire thing and make it fabulous. Apparently kitchens cost money?

We'd dealt with some bedroom renovations during my pregnancy, and it was not pretty. Plastering and a hormonal Julie make quite the bitchy mocktail. So we figured the most convenient thing to do is wait until the baby had arrived (raises hand for sarcasm). Between summer trips and moving out of the house during demolition, Lil C has slept in about 8 different locations within the last 2 months. (babies don't need a schedule, right?)

Thanks to friends and family members, being a gypsy has gone by pretty quickly. We're going to move back to the halfway finished kitchen and rough it for the rest of the month. Can't wait to share with you the finished project though, because its been fun picking out all the pretty things! And mazel to my husband who has been putting blood sweat and tears into this place while refusing to take any vacation days. Your wife can't wait to start cooking (or rather.. brushing up on some basic cooking skills). Thankfully the professionals are doing the rest of the room.

But I need your help. We took down a wall to combine our dining room to our new kitchen. I'm obsessed with grays on walls, but and looking for a fun curtain to tie everything together. My twitter pals recommended a bunch of awesome places to look online and we've narrowed it down to 2 different options -- but I threw in 1 more I just saw.

Anthropologie: This gorgeous flower print comes in a navy blue that is bonanas (if you watch Million Dollar Decorator- you get it). A little pricey, but only because you have to buy two of them. THAT'S WHERE THEY GET YOU! Having a baby makes you consider your budget now.. super fun.

Z Gallerie: I'm not sure they have stores around here, but Tia told me to check out their website and I am totally in love with this print called Mimosa Panels. I love the charcoal but just wish it was a tad lighter. So far this is my pick, but I can be easily swayed. And with a name like Mimosa you can't get any better than that.

West Elm: I totally didn't see these cotton printed leaf ones when I went to the store, but they are very low key and chill.

And on a random side note, I am secretly obsessed with these purple ruffled curtains from Urban Outfitters but would clearly be vetoed about putting them in our bedroom :)

Please, please, please let me know your thoughts on the ones I shared!! Thank you!

Pure Genius, that Suri

2011-08-06T05:32:00.008-04:00

Thanks to the faboolooos @katelin & @laurenb, I was introduced to Suri's Burn Book on tumblr. BTW, my daughter almost has as much hair as Suri in that picture above. And I heart those sunglasses.

There are many LOL occurrences on this tumblr.

Such snarkiness and fun.

Oh, Suri. We would be besties.

Crafty Lil Lady

2011-07-25T14:51:00.006-04:00

Today we stopped into the Paper Source to visit one of my favorite bloggers, Chelsee of We are Not Martha. She's one of the most creative ladies I know (um, hello, you can figure out that in 2 seconds reading her and Susie's blog!) so I was excited to pick her brain about some crafts I've started up with recently. Since my lil girl was blessed with a TON of hair, I've started making little bows for her. Might even start selling them on etsy, but we're thinking more of a Fall 2011 launch ;)
So far I've explained to my husband that it will be right up there with Susie Green's big creative rhinestone football jerseys on Curb Your Enthusiasm..

I'll share some of them with you soon!

Do Not Read List

2011-07-21T12:15:00.006-04:00

Another installment of one of my favorite segments on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I cannot believe these books actually exist.

Jimmy's favorite excerpt from the book "Well in a little over 7 yrs I have been out on 116 first dates, I've had 94 second dates, and I had actual sexual contact of some kind with over half of those women" SO CREEPY!

It has way too many pictures in this book.

A complete guide to caring for bitches.. except.. I don't care for bitches.

And I saved the best for last...

Check out more, here!

A Closer Look..

2011-07-20T19:16:00.007-04:00

Oh, JLo and Marc Anthony. Your split is boring. Now JLo's split with Chris Judd was the juicy one. When Ben Affleck sent her those flowers at her restaurant opening while she was walking in with Chris? That's before the TMZ days when we didn't have that much real time media. Nowadays its not that interesting. And that's coming from a gossip queen!

Hi, Gaga.. what a beautiful performance you did on the Howard Stern show this week. He declared it “one of the best performances we’ve ever had on the show.” I'm a little obsessed with the Google commercials too featuring this song. Go gaga.

Garnet Hill you have broken my heart. All I wanted was this preppy Minnow bath curtain for my birthday, and it is SOLD OUT! Why do shower curtains make me so happy?!? So then I wiped away the tears and decided to look at a possible quilt instead for my bed, and obviously that is sold out as well.

And yes, I know I probably have the same taste in decor as an 11 year old boy from Nantucket. Boo to you Garnet Hill! [call me when its back in stock! xoxo]

Design*Sponge featured a DIY wall paper file cabinet and it is the coolest thing I've ever seen.

And finally, lean closer to your screen because I'm going to tell you about a very special recipe. You take half a glass of red wine (preferably Chianti or whatever your local wine shop recommends), pour it into a glass full of ice and you top it off with Pomegranate Soda (Whole Foods has an excellent one). You then squeeze some orange goodness in there and throw in a slice for presentation. Its easy to make and its the most delicious summer treat ever.

Your welcome.

So many movies. Some awesome, some not.

2011-07-17T11:01:00.001-04:00

I've seen way too many movies lately and wanted to share...

Soul Kitchen: Not since Amelie has there been a subtitled movie that I've enjoyed so much. Its based in Germany, and it is awesome. Its about a Greek guy named Zinos (*such a selling point right there*) who owns a tiny little restaurant that he's trying to get rid of so he can follow his girlfriend across the world. He then finds a crazy wild card chef that ends up reinventing the place. Its kind of like Empire Records but with a fryer. You will love all of the characters in this movie. Even though there is no Rex Manning day, it was far from a chick flick so you wouldn't be pissing your significant other off if you made them watch it with you. Tough Guy approved.

Horrible Bosses: Some genius theatre nearby plays a movie for new moms once a week. In the theatre, you can bring your baby and their car seat in, and there is a CHANGING TABLE right there in the venue. It is amazing. I checked it out this week and could not get over all the moms and babies there. Plus its a great way to socialize with your new mommy friends and get all the ladies and babies together. Oh, and we watched a movie too! Honestly, this movie could have sucked and I still would have been happy considering I got to see it in a real life theatre (pretty much the only thing I miss about life before LC). Jennifer Aniston was fun- but it was hard to buy the acting. She's too typecast for a Rom Com, so it wasn't that believable. I'd say wait for this to come out on video. Or see it at the theatre, I really don't care. PS. Colin Farrell was hilarious in this. And Jamie Foxx too!

Another Year: I feel like for every slapstick comedy, there is an indie flick thrown into the mix. I'd seen the previews for this movie, so was stoked to rent it on Apple TV. Its based in London showing the 4 seasons of a happily married old couple, and all the friends and family around them. I guess not everyone will enjoy this movie- it is a little slow- but I loved it. Even if you are not old, everyone can relate to this movie with the company surrounding this couple.

The Adjustment Bureau: The commercials tricked me into thinking this was like an Eternal Sunshine movie. I felt like I got slapped in the face when I watched it. There was no point to it. At all. But I would never consider watching Matt Damon for 2 hours a waste of time, so I give it an 'ehh'

And ALL 7 Harry Potter Movies leading up to the one that just came out. Yes, I caught up on all of them. Its easy to do that when you are in a Cabin in the woods in VT for 4th of July weekend with a Tough Guy, 2 dogs and a baby. Wow, there is a lot to Harry Potter. I completely missed the boat on these books. I will definitely read them to LC some day. But the biggest shocker was learning that ROB PATTINSON WAS CEDRIC! No wonder he had a cult following before Twilight. I did think it was very cool to see all those guys grow up on the screen throughout the movies. Emma Watson is fierceness. And Voldemort is a hottie.

Any good new movies on demand that I should watch??

Fakes are Never in Fashion

2011-07-15T13:52:00.011-04:00

When I first came across the f akes are never in fashion website on Harper Bazaar's home page, the first thing that popped into my head was 'It's a center to help kids read good' from Zoolander.

I'd never really considered what had gone into this 'fake trade'. I just figured they made the bags like any other purses, and threw on a Chanel label.. and its not only bags, its shoes, wallets, watches, sunglasses, and even perfume. How the heck do they copy perfume?!

Even more disturbing is a report where they found fabulous ingredients like URINE, BACTERIA, and ANTIFREEZE in these counterfeit fragrances. And no, that was not the R.Kelly one.

I'm just assuming there are no good people behind counterfeit luxury items, but this campaign is a great way to learn what's behind said scumbags who sell these ripoffs.

And I'm no angel. When I went off to college, I was the queen of fake purses. I wanted so bad to have a Gucci and Dior of my own (thanks to Carrie Bradshaw), I searched eBay and local shops to scoop up my little trendy totes.

Finally working after college, it was so much fun be able to afford the real thing. Well- not afford it, but skip a few 20 nights out to help save up for one.. some of those nights consisted of babysitting and having to sit through High School Musical.. And then when I actually got a real 'big girl job' and sites like Rue La La entered my life.. it turned into a tiny obsession. Half of my big fancy bags are packed away in big fancy bag holders never to see the light of day. You know its ridiculous when you don't want to bring a bag out because you are afraid it will get dirty- WHAT IS THE POINT OF OWNING IT?

Anyhoo, check out the site and think twice about buying that questionable deal online.. I don't care how red the bottom of the heels are.

It's been decided..

2011-07-15T12:10:00.008-04:00

Blog Maternity leave is officially over. My baby girl is almost 20 weeks old and loves rocking out in her Exersaucer (think of it as an equivalent to a Sephora shopping spree but for babies) so I now get some time to type type type away.

Over the past 4 months, I've not wanted to think about the JQ Lounge. I've been having a blogger identity crisis. "No- can't write about that or else it'll be a mom blog" is pretty much all that's been popping up in my head lately.

Mommy blogger was a 4 letter word in my household.

Don't get me wrong, some of my favorite people in the world are mommy bloggers! Its just a big adjustment when you become a mom because literally your life turns into 100% about your little one.. while at the same time.. trying to remain your fun and sassy self doing the things that make you happy. Its hard to remember what it was like before. And its the same with blogging.

But forget it (forget is my new terminology for the 4 letter word since I really don't want LC to think her mommy swears like a sailor), I've turned into a.........

Now that does not mean every post is going to be about babies.. I'm still JQ from the Block who watches an embarrassing amount of Bravo TV, reads US Weekly like its the Wall Street Journal, cracks up at goofy things, won't ever give into being a Justin Bieber fan, will somehow still be a magnet for celeb sightings, will always be on the quest for the perfect bronza, will never give up a chance to grab sangria with the girls, and will learn to curb (not kill) her love of shopping and all things pretty and fabulous.

Admitting it is the first step.

Happy Father's Day!!

2011-06-19T08:04:00.000-04:00

Currently..

2011-06-13T16:02:00.008-04:00

hanging out with a gorgeous 3 month old! How the heck did this time go by so quickly? She is a very fun baby who is in the smiling and laughing stage which melts my heart every single second.

aching! My wrists started bothering me during pregnancy but they just assumed it was Carpal Tunnel. Welp, after the baby was born and 2 months later my wrists where still hurting, I went to see a Dr and it turns out I have Tendinitis in both of my thumbs (awesome side effect of pregnancy). I get to rock some sweet thumb splits which makes me want to be far away from a keyboard - thus the rare blog posts. But hopefully they will be feeling better soon! There's even an NYT article about this 'New Mom Syndrome' so I don't feel like I'm taking crazy pills and making it up.

glamming up Lil C's changing station. The magazines say to put colorful pictures or mobiles around the area for the baby to look at. So I took the pretty look book that I got at the Tiffany & Co party, started cutting and there you go: Princess Poop Station! Speaking of T&Co, I love their new website www.whatmakeslovetrue.com. Totally lost myself looking through pretty things and cute love stories.

watching mucho summer television. Summer by Bravo? So far so good. Real Housewives of Jersey needs to drop the Teresa/Brother Teresa story line though because its now taken up about 15 episodes. Unless he is married to Danielle there is no reason for him to be on the show. TrueBlood coming back in less then 2 weeks? Awesome. Jerseylicious back in action? Okay, fine I'm hooked. Single Ladies on VH1? Yep, got sucked into that. Mob Wives? Am scared of it, but I watch. Million Dollar Decorator is my favorite treat so far. Its way too ridiciulous, I actually had to make sure I wasn't sleeping/delusional and that it was an actual show.

Date Night.

2011-05-22T16:20:00.005-04:00

The scene: Friday night at a nice restaurant. Tough Guy orders a Margarita... and a GIGANTIC drink arrives.

Me: You know, if this was our first date, I would totally have judged you with that choice.

Tough Guy: Honey, if this was our first date, I would also have judged you with bringing an 11 week old baby along.

Me: Well played.

A Closer Look..

2011-05-10T11:31:00.013-04:00

that I am totally jealous of Rachel Zoe and her Push Present. People.com reports her hubby Rodger gave her a $250,000 cushion cut diamond ring. Dazaaaaaam! I need to see more pictures of her baby to see how she is styling him these days.

that Sonja and Ramona are now my two favorite Housewives of New York. Between Ramona's Pinot Grigio needing to be present in every scene and Sonja's one liners into the confessional camera throughout the show, they absolutely bring it. I will dust off my toaster oven and buy Sonja's new cookbook. RAMONA WHEN IS YOUR WINE COMING TO BOSTON? I might need Angry Girlfriend to smuggle a bottle or two up when she comes to visit me and the baby!

that Real Housewives of OC has lost its appeal to me. They may be the first ones, but they are pretty boring this season. Maybe its because Jim doesn't want to be on camera anymore?

at the funnest blog I've come across in awhile. print & pattern.... shows... wait for it... prints & patterns!!!

and last but not least.. a very happy birthday to Yummy Mummy!! She's one of the most glamorous pregnant ladies I know :) and btw that is my new official jq lounge birthday picture.. it incorporates everything a lady should have on her day!

If a Sheep Shears in the woods...

2011-05-02T15:27:00.010-04:00

This weekend we made a very tough decision. We picked a Sheep Shearing festival over the Bacon and Beerfest. It was a tough call, but it would have been awkward rocking my kid in the little carrier while in line at a beer tent (actually, I'm sure it would have been somewhat acceptable).

The price was almost like a beerfest at $15 for each adult, but it was shocking that they didn't hand us any drink tickets when we gave them the cash. Apparently you go to these things sober?

So the first thing we did was walk around and get a feel for the event. It was spread all across the Gore Place and there were a bunch of different sections and tents with fun goodies.

But eventually we ended up where they sheared the sheep. I think that sounds correct. All I could think of was Babe the pig, and I wanted to go talk to all of them and see what's up. But Miss Lil C was passed the heck out the entire time we were there, so I let Tough Guy go up and take all the pictures while I hung out by the stroller.

This guy freaks me out a lil bit.

If I was a farmer, I would skip this goat, cos he looks bad ass.

And then we saw a Llama!!!! Llamas also get sheared.. but unlike Sheep, I noticed the Llama puts up a little fight during this process.

Who has two thumbs and thought this was a real bird for about 10 long seconds? This girl.

While Lil C was sleeping in her stroller, another love connection was made with O and E!

Q's nuts are the best in town!

We also saw an awesome presentation of how the dogs make the sheep go to certain places. Hi, I'm an idiot and didn't really listen to the part of why the dogs do this. I'm guessing its to make them go out into the fields for exercise and then back into the barn at night to sleep? Is this my application to 'Are you Smarter than a 5 grader?' Probably.

So it was a little goofy and a lot to soak in, but it ended up being a fun time! And we then went back to our house and had a little BBQ. Would it have been amazing had the weather been 10 degrees warmer? Yup. But I've accepted that Boston will continue to have this crappy weather after such a crappy winter...At least the Sheep and Llamas will now be comfortable with their wool coats removed. And that now helps me sleep at night.

The Finer Things Club, for a 7 week old.

2011-04-28T14:13:00.024-04:00

This week I was extended a lovely invite from Tiffany & Co to visit their Natick Collection store to see what gorgeous gifts are in store for Mother's Day! "Bring Lil C" they said, and immediately I envisioned the Reece Witherspoon scene in Sweet Home Alabama.. but just throw in a little baby just shy of 2 months old.

As soon as we arrived to the party (the store had been closed for the event), we were greeted by Hope. She immediately bonded with Lil C and took us all around the store to show us all the pretty things that makes up Tiffany & Co. Hope was so knowledgeable of every single piece of jewelry and was great to talk with all evening.

I'd seen the new leather goods in the Catalog but finally got to see them in person. They are so chic with the solid brass hardware and signature color. Plus, I loved their presentation for the collection, because it made me feel like a professional photographer when snapping the above picture.

We then headed over to see some rings! Since I still have pregnancy fat fingers, my pinky was the model for the evening. Hope almost watched mamma and Lil C have a temper tantrum in a Tiffany's because I fell in love with these eternity bands! Hey, Tough Guy, our 5 year anniversary is this year. Just sayin'

I don't even want to talk about how much I love this picture, above. The next picture is a favorite too, appropriately.

And fellas, if you are every confused about what type of jewelry to buy a lady. FACT: you can't go wrong with diamond earrings.

In hot water? Get her some ice.

And as a pleasant surprise, they cleaned my T&Co jewelry that I was embarassed to bring since the necklace was for my 18th birthday (4 yrs ago. ha. right.) and it pretty much looked brown and tarnished. Within 5 minutes, it looked brand new (along with my bracelet)! You can bring your old Tiffany's in for a cleaning. DO THIS. Trust me.

I ran into Sarah of www.ShopSarahMac.com aka Boston Stylista who is even more fun to talk to in person (usually a hard fete in the twitter world) and got to meet some old twitter friends and new.I'd like to note, my daugher did not cry once at the event.People told me to enjoy these early months, because babies travel like luggage!

The ride home was torturous because I'd spotted a little blue box in the Tiffany & Co gift bag, but did not want to rip it open until I got home.

It was a night to remember, and I definitely got some great ideas for Mother's Day.. as well as birthdays and anniversaries. Check it out, because Tiffany's has something for you or mom no matter what your budget is.

And some day I'll pass this key necklace down to Lil C and show her these pictures of her first trip to Tiffany & Co.

PS. That cookie was delicious as I had it for breakfast the next day.

Do Not Read List

2011-04-27T16:10:00.009-04:00

Jimmy Fallon has an awesome segment on his late night show where he adds books to his Do Not Read list. Every time I see it, I make a mental note that it is completely blog worthy. YES, these are actual books.

A few of my favs..

And my absolute favorite...
"Better a sweater from a dog you know and love than from a sheep you'll never meet!"

Check out the rest of them here!

JQ Lounge Credit Card: Volume 1

2011-04-23T14:22:00.002-04:00

Post baby, my shopping has pretty much come to a halt due to me having to consider 'do I want this or do I need this'. By the way, that's the worst phrase EVER and I should become a lawyer because I can justify ANY purchase to being I NEED THIS.

But that doesn't stop me from window shopping online, especially with my new fancy credit card that allows me to purchase said items in my head...

Lilly Pulitzer Dress. So cute for summer!

Just pair this dress with match Lilly Beer Koozies!

Tiffany & Co I Love You ring. Love the beaded edge on this ring..

These little pockets on this Anthropologie Half Arc Bag are just screaming for diaper bag accessories.

Since we're racking up charges on my imaginary jq lounge credit card, lets throw in a pair of LouboutinsBut let's pretend like I'm going to wear heels anytime soon. Tory Burch flats are my best friends. And I have three pairs of best friends for spring since the idea of carrying a Lil C in heels is ludicrous!

And of course I can't forget my wonderful daughter. Except, I'm still shopping up a storm for her in real life, but of course I'll treat her to something extra too! But yeah, it's obviously more for me..

Does anyone remember the scene in 'How to lose a guy in 10 days' when Kate Hudson busts out the Scrapbook where she photoshops her and Matthew's face onto the 'family picture' where they are all dressed up in Burberry? Yeah, I don't remember that either.

Also? My new favorite thing is Pinterest. Its basically like a twitter/tumblr-esque site where you just post pictures of things you like and it bookmarks it in a pretty way. You can then follow other people and their pictures pop up on your home page, and you can click on the original link if you wanted to buy a specific item (works great for when its clothes or bags).

I don't think I'm explaining how cool it is, but take a look at it if you have a couple minutes. I'd be happy to send you an invite, and you can view such categories of mine titled 'Boats'n Hos' aka nautical + preppy items, duh.

What would you like me to buy you with the JQ Lounge Credit Card?? My treat.

A Charmed Marathon Monday coming up!

2011-04-10T08:39:00.005-04:00

Am I the only Bostonian who thought Marathon Monday was tomorrow?

Apparently its next Monday on the 18th, but at least it will be almost 80 degrees in Boston tomorrow! I'm sure the runners are stoked that they don't have to trek 26.2 miles in that weather, so that's good.

Last year I wrote about my amazing and treacherous training for a 5K but more importantly, the adorable charms Tiffany & Co launched for Boston Marathon runners. I wanted to point out that they are doing that again this year, offering a sterling silver four leaf clover tag charm ($100.00) engraved with "Boston 2011" on it. All week long you can pick up one for yourself or someone special to say good luck and that you love them even if they don't come in 1st or 2nd place this year!

Tiffany's Master Engraver Larry Devenny will be in the Copley Place store both Saturday, April 17th from 10am until 6pm and Sunday, April 17th from noon until 5pm to hand engrave Tiffany jewelry to personalize your marathon experience.

Maybe Tough Guy will pick one up for me asking Larry to engrave 'jq runs the city* in 2012'

[busting out the B.O.B. jogging stroller as we speak]

*diddy runs the city will always sound catchier

Bravo to Bravo!

2011-04-01T13:27:00.002-04:00

Bravo programming is such a treat these days. And after this weeks announcement of programming for 2011-2012, I am the happiest TV junkie out there!

Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis: our favorite grumpy yet sweet house flipper is back as he redesigns people's homes and personal lives. I'm already a big fan of flipping out- and a big part of that is because of his interactions with clients.. now that its fair game to meddle in their personal lives? Genius and snarkalicious.

Its a Brad Brad World: NNNOOOOOOO! Was what went through my head when it was announced last year that Brad Goreski and Rachel Zoe were breaking up. Now we don't have to worry about losing our Brad fix, he's getting his own show! Plus don't feel bad.. it was an amicable split (unlike the Tay Tay fiasco) and Rachel's show is still going strong and coming back for a new season.

Mad Fashion: I'm probably one of the only few people who don't get crazy about the fashion shows (ie: project runway) but I'm sure this will be kosher.

Most Eligible: Dallas: Um.. this will be a treat that I'll hide on the DVR from Tough Guy so he doesn't judge me. Its basically like Gossip Girl but based in Texas. Sign me up.

Million Dollar Listing: New York: I wish we could throw those easy going LA realtors (besides Altman because he's a fellow Masshole, therefore invincible) in the Big Apple. Because I'd love to see the difference in how much business they do aka I don't think they would be able to last that long.

Project Soulmate: Basically the Millionaire Matchmaker of NYC. Patti, I love you, but you were not meant for NYC when it comes to matchmaking. This past season was alright because of Patti and her crew, but in terms of the people she featured on the show- they were all pretty horrible. Project Soulmate features Lori Zalsow, who's considered New York's most devoted matchmaker. Cannot wait to check this one out.
PS. I still love Patti, but just as long as she's on the West Coast.

Ready to Wear: Inside a fabulous NYC Consignment Shop, it showcases some of their most fabulous finds (ie: Chanel Suits and this season's hottest Jimmy Choos'). THIS SHOW SOUNDS FUN!!!!!!

Tabatha Takeover: Now Tabatha is now helping out other small businesses, not just Salons anymore. My take? Anytime Tabatha walks into a business, all y'all should be scared. But for viewers? I want to scream like Oprah right now saying 'Please welcome TTTAAAAAAABATHA to your office. You are about to get fired or promoted.'

Top Chef Just Desserts, Tabatha's Salon Takeover, RHOBH, Bethenny Ever After and RHOATL. Hooray!

Real Housewives of DC. I'm sorry, but that show/season was absolutely horrible. I literally did not like one person on that show. Even the gay hairdressers were unlikeable.... Actually no. The person they edited to be the big villian, Kat.. was actually pretty decent as the season progressed. She was just British so it came across as cold and dry. I'm glad they made this cut. RSVP to that one, Salahi's!

What new Bravo show are you most looking forward to watching???

ALSO: Sarah brought up an excellent point in the comments. I forgot to mention Pregnant in Heels! Looking forward to that show starting up on Tuesday and will probably blog about it after the first episode. It wasn't on the list because it's already taped- but its definitely a new show. More to come on that :)

Zach Looks for a New Assistant

2011-03-14T19:52:00.003-04:00

This is adorable. Zach G killed it this weekend hosting SNL.

My favorite was the handshake.

NurseryQ

2011-03-12T08:28:00.009-05:00

Lil C's Nursery debut! (have had this post for months but was superstitious about posting til she was chilling in my arms)I was inspired by twitter when we found out we were having a girl. Every time I see the twitter bird, I smile. Then I discovered cute owls (little did I know, owl themed nurseries are very popular.. and one pregnancy magazine said they were 'so 2010'... the nerve!). I bought the Pottery Barn Kids 'Hayley' bedding (above) and basically designed the room around that. Tough Guy gets credit for doing EVERYTHING in this room since I didn't want to be around the paint (or work.. who are we kidding). The Behr 'Ice Flower' paint gave the feeling of a bright blue sky, and of course it couldn't be a little girl's room without a splash of hot pink. And let's just say www.etsy.com is the best website in the world. All the framed 8x11 prints are from there. And pretty much 90% of the rest of the hanging art work.

I LOVE the built in hutch that is an original part of our house. Back when this was our bedroom, it was my makeup wall. There are some pretty pieces from Anthropologie as well (the Tree Stump Vase in the hutch, a plate hanging on the wall, and Lil C's first Anthro-frame from Aunty Becca.)

You can tell this picture, above, was before Lil C's arrival cos I'd repacked those overnight bags about 5,000 times when I was bored and waiting for my water to break...... (yup. a watched pregnant belly never boils)

HomeGoods was also an awesome resource for very good priced nursery items, as always. And the Frog Humidifier Auntie Gennylite got us is the cutest thing EVER. The Owl Bookends located in the hutch? Less than $10 for the set at HomeGoods. On Etsy, a similar set cost $60!!!

So far she's had no complaints about the decor..

She's finally here!!!

2011-03-11T16:15:00.009-05:00

JQ Lounge is proud to announce its newest correspondent.. Little C! I think I'll call her Lil C on the blog. Don't need to mess with her Google ranking (i'll let her do that on her own) by putting her real name on the interwebs, so if you already know her name, please refrain from mentioning it in the comments. xoxo. But definitely send me an email if you'd like to know what we named her!!
So as you can tell by the last post, I had something ready to put up on the blog when I went into labor.. This blog isn't the type of place for an actual Birth Story, but it was a magical day.. and now I know exactly why its called labor. But as soon as she arrived 14 hours later, that was a mere afterthought, and all we could do was stare at this new little life... and a HUGE head of hair!

We had lots of visitors in the hospital although the visits were quick since the nurses were always reminding the new mom it was already time to feed the baby again, and look forward to seeing more this weekend! Lil C is a healthy happy beautiful little baby and within one week of knowing her, has SO MUCH personality.

The dogs have adjusted well to her. Rocco loves giving her a big kiss and always sits by her bassinet. Lexie is still getting used to someone else getting attention in the house, but she likes to fall asleep at my feet when I'm feeding Lil C.
Tough Guy and I have had a really nice week getting into the swing of things with this whole parenting thing. He's been a rock star with taking care of both his girls. And every time I'm nursing the baby, he comes running into the room with the iPad playing the Baby Genius soundtrack for her to listen to and solve quadratic equations in her head. I then change it to Jack Johnson once he leaves the room.. because I get overwhelmed with quadratic equations..

The grandparents have brought lots of meals and sneak in as much as they can for some baby time. Lil C already has her aunts and uncles wrapped around her little finger as well as all our friends who've done way too much spoiling before she was even here!!

Just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of my friends out there who reached out with congrats on twitter, facebook, texts, cards, phone calls, and thankfully no skyping, because no matter how much makeup you pack in your hospital bag.. I couldn't even think of applying a lip gloss on after giving birth. haaaa

#babyQ

2011-03-04T13:39:00.001-05:00

THE 2011 OSCARS covered by the experts

2011-02-28T09:06:00.003-05:00

And the E! Live on the Red Carpet special started with Best Actress nominee, Jennifer Lawrence. She killed it! I hope she does some more movies soon! Because there's a good chance I'm not going to watch Winter's Bone.. too rugged. And I don't like squirrel soup.

Ohhhh nooooo! Mandy Moore looks like a vampire who was left out in the Twilight sun. Boo.

Lil Hailee Steinfeld totally reminded me of a young Gwyneth (from Seven) princess moment on the Red Carpet.

Michelle Williams - bringing her BFF Busy as her date. SO AWESOME. Michelle looked flawless in Chanel. One of my favs. The guys didn't understand her fashion though.. but they are meatballs when it comes to couture.

The Bale Beard. So necessary. Mark Wahlberg as your arm candy? Priceless.

Tough Guy: What movie was Halle in this year? Me: Ohh, it was Custody Battle. (regardless, this woman has not aged one second) And is probably the only woman there who could pull off such a fantastical dress (Mandy tried.. and failed)

The guys on Reece Witherspoon: She's bringing it, huh?? Me: Yes. Yes she is.

Her dress was a little too Julia Roberts circa 2007 in Valentino. But I loved the high ponytail. She looked youthful and fresh and happy - Jim Toth.. keep doing what you're doing! Granted I would have used that for a Golden Globes look.. but I have no talent so don't have to worry about organizing my red carpet looks for future awards shows

Oh Mila, you are sssoooo purty! And you know I love me a Lilac dress (brunettes can pull anything off, duh!) The pasties had the guys in my living room taking your look very seriously..

[The guys thought Nicole Kidman was dressed up as a priest.]

ScarJo's dress photographed a lot prettier than it looked on the Red Carpet. So its grown on me. Plus, I love her hair and makeup.

Camila Alves. Va va voom!! Stunning and flawless. I wish I could show her makeup to an artist and ask them to recreate that for me. Um, yeah you know you don't look like her one bit, right? they'd say. Le sigh.

"Don't worry, Julie.. I'm sure you'll bounce back just like Penelope Cruz two weeks after you have BabyQ" - my loving brother [silence in the room]

Overall? Where was the glamour???? Everyone seemed so casual. Its the Oscars, people!!

Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts. I though it'd be a lot smoother. I'm not sure if Anne was nervous or what, but she was totally awkward throughout the entire night. James was James.. but it just wasn't Oscar-worthy in my eyes. I almost missed Billy Crystal when he came out to talk (about what? still don't know). My biggest pet peeve of the entire broadcast? Hathaway doing the Real Housewives of OC Vicki's 'WOOT WOOTS!' after every single announcement. Completely inappropriate (gee, Julie, when did you become such an old fart???) I know I know.

Rachel Zoe did an excellent job though- I thought Anne looked stunning in her wardrobe changes, even the lacey number at the end.

The big winners of the night? No surprises there. Speeches were okay. Melissa Leo sounded like a train wreck up there though. I swear like a sailor myself, but the F bomb at the Oscars? Rubbish. Colin Firth, I think all women hold him dear to their heart after Bridget Jones Diary! (i do)

I might be the only one who appreciated what was the white tuxed beautifulness that was Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem.

Something bugged me about Sandra Bullock this year. She just looked pissed off the entire time she was on stage. Can makeup make you look mean?? I can't put my finger on it what it was..

Welp, folks.. there you have it. Oscars 2011. For some snarkier shenanigans, tweets are always the way to go. With blogging, you have a lot more time to think about it and edit it :)

OSCAR SUNDAY aka Christmas Morning at the JQ Lounge

2011-02-27T08:59:00.004-05:00

This evening, the usual suspects will be gathered at JQ Lounge headquarters (my living room) to talk everything OSCARS. You can find me tweeting live at @julieQ, unless I decide to go into labor (which is all good cos I'll still be tweeting about the Oscars)

And then, as usual, a full recap tomorrow here on the blog!

Happy Oscar Sunday!!!!!

A Closer Look

2011-02-23T08:48:00.012-05:00

- Bridget Moynahan's MORE cover story finally no longer has me stressed out about the Giselle-Tom Brady- Baby's Mama Drama saga that's been going on for the past couple of years. She definitely got a bad rap in the press... and maybe some of that also had to do with her playing Natasha on Sex & The City. Okay, maybe its more the latter. Still, the lady is gorgeous and I'm happy that everything is kosher. Plus, now BabyQ has 2X the chances of marrying a Brady Boy and Tough Guy getting some box seats for the Pats!

- Speaking of BabyQ, we've reached the home stretch and now its just a waiting game. Its pretty uncomfy being 9 months pregnant. Thankfully I have me some DVR so its easy to rest.. but then I drag myself out for a long walk to try and get things going. The dogs have been following me around all day so maybe that's a good sign?

-Showers galore! I've been blessed with some fabulous people around me. A month ago my mom and MIL threw a big shower where we got presents galore, and it was nice to see a lot of family that you don't get to visit with often. Work threw a surprise shower with lots of goodies and my favorite part was the Hollywood Baby Game: a board with starlets and you had to match their baby's names with their pictures. With about 20 people watching on, I went to town and completed the puzzle within a minute. "its like watching Rain Man" was a comment overheard during the game. *editor's note - the above picture is the 'before'. obvsAnd finally, had an amazing brunch with the original Boston Bloggers I first hung out with 2 years ago (maybe 3?? I dont even know). Chelsee, Susie (of We Are Not Martha), Becca and I went to Charlies at Chestnut Hill and there were way too many presents for BabyQ. I've learned that Bloggers outdo themselves when it comes to cute gifts! Her nursery is officially stocked.

- We saw Cedar Rapids this weekend and it was hilarious. Its about a small town guy going to an Insurance Conference in the Mid West. The cast was perfection.. John C Reilly was my favorite. I definitely recommend going to see it.

My Valentine's Day Wish list

2011-02-02T09:36:00.014-05:00

I told my husband not to send flowers to my office this V-day, like he's done so sweetly every year since we've been married. The best was the first year, due to a snowstorm I didn't even make it into the office on the 14th, but as soon as I walked in on the 15th, low and behold a gorgeous bouquet of roses sitting on my desk. Since I'm weeks away from BabyQ arriving, I'd much rather skip the work flowers for something a little outside the 'flower' box.

Edible Arrangements: Fruit and chocolate beats flowers any day of the week. Do people not realize they can treat themselves to a lovely bunch of roses for $9.99 - $14.99 any day of the week if they go to Trader Joe's or Wholefoods? Edible Arrangements are ahhhhmazing. And now instead of Chocolate Covered Strawberries, you can get Chocolate Covered Green Apples? Done and Done.

The New Tiffany Locks: We know I love all things Tiffany & Co. I was invited to go preview the New Tiffany Locks in Boston a couple weeks ago, but due to me usually going straight home from work to rest and be pregnant, I sadly did not make it over to play with the pretty jewelry. They did send me some lovely pictures though that I wanted to share!

These locks range from $100 to $125. Not too bad! And look! Blake Lively loves them too..

Anthropologie: Okay, anything you get at this store is hard to go wrong with! So many different things to choose from.. but I narrowed it down to a couple....

Anthro, A Friend at Hand Pen ($8.00) 3 to choose from.. all adorable

Anthro, Farfalle Bag ($198)

Alright, maybe only Blair Waldorf could pull this off. But I can't keep my eyes away from this red bag! Its more of a statement piece.. seriously.. I love this bag.

Paper Source: My favorite email this Valentine's Day season has been from two places.. Paper Source & someecards There are so many cute V-Day card kits you can pick up at Paper Source, and my favorite is the Mustache Valentine Card kit ($16.95). It makes 21 cards, so you have more than enough people's day you can make.

These kits are sold out online, but you can still pick them up in a store near you.

And yes, someecards has done it again. Captured a woman's true feelings.

Love it!!! And now an even better question.. what do you usually buy a guy on Valentine's Day? Last year I got Tough Guy his first pair of Ray Bans which have since been ~~lost by me~~ misplaced. eeek!

A Nintendo Enthused Bump Watch

2011-01-13T09:23:00.006-05:00

The scene: this lovely morning before leaving for work. I needed to grab a picture with me and my fabulous Nintendo DSi XL to send over to Brand About Town so they had a picture on file.

Justine has been awesome and so patient because I was supposed to send this in before the end of 2010, but I wanted to put on a few more pregnancy pounds before actually taking the picture. Ahhh its not even funny to joke about anymore at this point.

Tough Guy grabs my camera phone and starts clicking away.

"Julie, why aren't you smiling in any of these?"

"What are you talking about? I AM SMILING!"

"No you aren't, you can't even see your teeth, what is this awkward half smile pose you're doing?"

"UGHHHH. That's just how the way my face looks now. I've reached Tori Spelling Pregnancy Fat Face phase."

"I'm don't even know (or want to know) what that is... but I'm telling you that's not the case" [Tough Guy is a good sport]

"FINE. Here's a smile"

Click.

So there you go. BabyQ has my mind so scrambled that my grey cardigan is inside out AND I forgot to wear lipstick for this impromptu photoshoot. But at least we got a couple of laughs over it before heading off to work. And remind me to cut salt out of my pregnancy diet.

Also amazing? The Today Show retweeted me this moring.. because of my excitement for Al Roker being stuck in Boston for our Blizzard.

To EW or to US, a Winter TV Post.

2011-01-09T16:32:00.008-05:00

For the first time in while, I found myself completely drawn to this week's Entertainment Weekly instead of US Weekly. I skipped over just about every single 'big story' in US this week. Ryan and Sandy? Um, obviously that'd be amazing if it was true.. but they are so secretive, not even US will be able to crack that one until she opens up to People Magazine to say they are getting married! Selena Gomez and Justin Beiber? I'm ~~1.5~~ a couple years away from 30 and do not give a poop about a girl who looks like she is 12, and her little heart throb tween with a bowl cut who seems so wholesome that he must be pure evil. Taylor getting burned by Jake? Tay, I flippin' love your music, but this banging Hollywood hunks to get your song writing mojo is starting to get old. Teen Mom Amber Portwood getting into more trouble? I never experienced morning sickness until realizing how much $$$ this tasteful lady makes.

Yes, US Weekly. This week you made me bitter.

But EW?? EW made me happy happy joy joy! Not only did it try to prove that American Idol might actually make it without my favorite British Bloke.. but it also had NEW WINTER TV GUIDE! I even scanned in the page with the new episode premiere dates because I love you that much...

CLICK on it for the full image. This blog is not a center for ants that can't read good.

Parks & Recreation (Jan 20th, NBC). I'm telling you, if you haven't seen it already, you are LUCKY! That means you can watch Season 1 and 2 in one weekend and get to experience this awesomeness for the first time. The cast is awesome, and Adam Scott & Rob Lowe are coming back! Pure greatness.

Royal Pains (Jan 20th, USA). Confused as to why its coming back in the winter time- since all it does is glamorize the Hamptons over the summer. But at least it'll be fun to pretend like warm weather is almost around the corner.

Glee (Feb. 6th, FOX) 5 words I'd never thought I'd hear: "Julie, is Glee new tonite?" asks Tough Guy when he sits down and flips through the channels in our living room. I don't have to sell this show at all. Its hilarious, witty, bitchy and sassy.. oh, and they sing too.

RHONY (Feb 15th, Bravo). Not going to lie, they are going to need to have some Dr Phil this is how ladies be nice to each other sessions to win me back after still being stressed out from last season. I like TV Drama just like the next girl, but it was almost unbearable to watch Jill Zarin be a mean girl. Maybe with Bethenny moving onto her new show all will be civil in the land of the upper east side.

Perfect Couples (Jan 20th, NBC). Part of NBC's Must See TV Comedy night, anything can be new that is better than Outsourced. Granted I'm still bitter at that show because it tooks P&R's spot for debuting in the fall- but even after trying to watch 5 minutes of it? I busted out the Kindle and decided to read instead. Perfect Couples had a sneak peak episode a little while back, and it was actually pretty cute. Looking forward to see if it turns into a hit or not.

Tosh.0 (Jan 11th, Comedy Central). Daniel Tosh is back and he screens the entire internet and brings you the funny and ridiculousness so you don't have to. Season 3 starts this week, and all I have to say is his first web redemption guest is.. Antoine Dodson. It will be a magical night.

the height of her shopping was writers blocking me

2011-01-04T18:43:00.011-05:00

As soon as I heard those Kanye lyrics, this post was written in my head.

Happy 2011! Along with many bloggers, I always think at the beginning of the year, I will blog more. Its been hard to blog lately because Baby Q is literally on my mind 24/7! Obviously I take breaks to ponder other important things, like why did Taylor and Jake G breakup.. when are all my shows coming back on tv, and how Baby Q will be born before Brad hands out the final rose this season..

I know this will only appeal to a few ladies out there who enjoy hearing about corny baby stuff, but wanted to share a few outfits I've picked up and also some other clothes that family and friends have spoiled the little peanut with already..

Baby Gap, Marshalls/TJ Maxx & Carters have been the main shopping destinations.. And then I got caught up in the Burberry outlet and had to pick up a sweater. Did I pay more than I'd pay for a Julie sweater? Yes. Am I aware she'll probably only wear this once? Yes.

Baby Gap awesomeness. I wanted to buy that onesie, below, before we found out the gender but didn't want to jinx it! Luckily it was still there the day after we found out it was a girl. And the bathing suit? Psycho JQ bought 2 different sizes in the same suit just to make sure it'd fit for all the pool time we'd get in this summer (now we just need a pool!)
The aunties have already come out full force with spoiling this one, which are spread throughout this post.

Plus there are fun sites like Zulily with super sales on baby gear, blankets, pretty dresses and more (like the green plaid one below) Let me know if you want an invite..

Polos and Polos
And OWLS!

If it was a boy, he'd be rocking sailor outfits. And if you ever see pants with bows on them? Just assume its PERFECTION.
Lexie tried modeling the Ducky Bathrobe..

I picked up this adorable outfit at Peek Boutique when we were out in Scottsdale.
Its never too early to start thinking about college.

Baby shoes are like crack.

And then I caved and bought the stroller I saw Bethenny using on one of the gossip blogs. Britax Cowmooflage print is adorable. I believe you don't use this type of stroller until a few months in though.. I'll be waiting :)

Still finishing up a few touches on the nursery (and trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with my elliptical machine that's currently taking up a corner of the nursery). And getting excited for the baby shower in a couple of weeks! For the nursery, I've been glued to sites like Etsy, Land of Nod, Pottery Barn Kids - as well as HomeGoods and Target. Plus all the Grandparents-to-be started spoiling us on Christmas so figuring out where to put the Babies R Us franchise we have in our living room is actually a fun chore.

Its been pretty good ride so far, I've been lucky. Although, I got Carpal Tunnel as a bonus pregnancy symptom, so I get to rock some sexy hand splints so my wrists don't feel like they are popping out of their socket every time I grab a dish or type on my keyboard. They say it will go away after the baby is born. Third trimester resorts back to first trimester symptoms (except just add 20ish+7 lbs and a thoughts full of OMG there's going to be a baby here soon). Speaking of baby, we got to see her at a 3D/4D ultrasound appointment my mom got us for Christmas. She's just chilling there doing yoga positions and has cute chubby cheeks!

She's now kicking all the time, and when I was watching (aka live tweeting) the Bachelor last night, it looked like an alien had taken over my tummy. She was moving all over the place- and you could actually see my tummy bouncing around.. Trying not to believe she was boycotting the show and asking me to change the channel.

Its now the part in the pregnancy books where they start talking about labor, so I've just skipped those chapters and bought new books to read about bringing home baby. I'll wait for the Lamaze class to hear about that fun stuff.

8 months down!

The Time I went food shopping with Joey Tribbiani

2010-12-28T09:42:00.006-05:00

The Scene: Day after Christmas at Whole Foods in Newton + Day before the first New England blizzard of the year = pandemonium in this grocery store.

Tough Guy decided to go get in line since they were already reaching down the aisles of the store and I had to pick up a few last items (prepared fruit being my biggest pregnancy craving since McDonald's French Fries). I have to walk all the way by the meat section since the baby bump is unable to get through large crowds and grocery carts. Don't worry, I always open up my jacket so people can see the baby bump to pick up any points I can.

So there I was, walking by the meat when all of a sudden I look up and it looks like one of my friends. (oh JQ puns are too much!) He looked very familiar and was wearing a black jacket and a gray hat. I do a double take, and keep walking to go pick up my freshly cut pineapple.

When I reach Tough Guy in line (still about 20 minutes away from reaching the cash register) I say "OMG I'm 97% sure I just saw Matt LeBlanc from Friends" to which he responds.. "That's so funny! OMG I just got back from having cappuccino with John Krazinki and BJ Novak" ** Note all these famous people are from Newton** So maybe he did not believe me, but then he goes.. "Oh, the guy with the black jacket and gray hat?"

So I wasn't crazy and only seeing things because I wanted to see them :)

Still with 3% doubt, it was hard to further my research. There was no way this pregnant lady was going to get past 2 feet in this check out shit show that was going on. Oy vey.

Until, I see someone from Whole Foods escorting Mr. Tribbiani over to a register that """just happened to be open""". By then we were checking out in our line and he was 4 registers down. As soon as I looked over and saw him smiling and talking to the cashier, it was 100% him. His facial expressions alone proved we were among greatness.

FYI - I don't know what Perez is talking about, Matt is a VERY handsome guy these days!

Tough Guy and I walked by him on our way out, and I wanted to scream 'HI MATT' and ask him if he needed any help with his grocery bags that I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU! but c'mon, even I have enough class to let stars do their food shopping in peace.

But did I make Tough Guy drive slowly by the exit on our way home to see if I could snap a stalker picture? Obviously, but the TMZ Gods were not on my side that day, Mr. LeBlanc was no where to be found.

Boston Swan Town

2010-12-19T18:49:00.010-05:00

Weekends are much more enjoyable when your house isn't under renovation!!!!! A few finishing touches before the Nursery reveal!

Friday night- low key night but it was better than usual because Erica came over for some pizza and gabbing. I love when friends understand that you have no extra energy to go out on weekend nights and come to you. xoxo :)

Saturday- Becca has been running Massachusetts Girls Pint Out (GPO) for the past couple of months, and for obvious reasons I haven't made it to the first couple of outings. Saturday was the 'Holiday Shopping Break' at Rattlesnake Bar that afternoon, so I thought it'd be a great excuse to go into Boston to do some shopping on Newbury Street before stopping by and showing everyone the huge bump I'm rocking (while sipping on Ginger Ale of course). Gennylite and I hit up Charlies on Newbury Street for some lunch and then stopped into a few places to get some last minute shopping in (ie: Anthro, Mulberry Road -- a cute baby shop, H&M & Marc Jacobs to be exact).

A few good stocking stuffers found at Marc Jacobs (okay.. so its my stocking) and yes, that is a $3.00 Lipstick Pen and a Marc Jacobs sharpie.

Sunday- FINALLY SAW BLACK SWAN! I'd be waiting for this movie to come out to a few more theatres outside Boston, and told Tough Guy we would see it today. Wow, this movie was hard core. It wasn't as scary as some of the reviews I'd heard prior, but we both really enjoyed watching the craziness that is professional dancing. Its kind of a cross between Center Stage meets Sixth Sense meets the Shining. hahahaha OR not.. but those were the first 3 movies that came to mind. BTW, Tough Guy thought the movie was really good- so don't feel bad dragging a boy to it.

What do you do after watching a crazy ass insane movie? You come home and catch up on a Lifetime movie you had dvr'd. 'Marry Me' was a Lifetime (<-- used as an adjective) goofy but cute romantic comedy (4 hours long though!?!), but it made me feel sad for Lucy Liu thinking she was once an A more likely B list actress.

Since Tough Guy came with to go see Black Swan, he requested that we watch The Town on Apple TV. I loves me some Jon Hamm working in Boston so I did not object. The movie was entertaining, but a couple things came to mind.

1. It reminded me of Good Will Hunting except it was Ben Affleck as Will Hunting.

2. It also reminded me of a 2 hour episode of TNT's Rizzoli and Isles. Very fun to watch but completely not believable. I did want to steal Blake Lively's look in that movie..

3. Blake Lively was actually really good in it. I thought it was going to be an annoying Serena VanDerWoodsen.

4. I was kind of happy they were robbing Fenway considering how expensive Red Sox tickets are.

5. Boston is the best city in the world. Obvi.

Oh, hello there.

2010-12-08T10:56:00.004-05:00

Third trimester starts today!

Will be back to regular blogging shortly. We've (aka Tough Guy) been renovating our house the past month and a half and will soon have a cute nursery to share with you! Being pregnant + having renovation going on = Charlize Theron from Monster (fyi)

Picture courtesy of my Yiayia.

Hollywood is blowing up this week!!

2010-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nick and Jessica are engaged, Eva is getting a divorce, A Royal Wedding is among us, Pink & Rachel Zoe are pregnant.. and LEEZA GIBBONS IS ENGAGED!

I'm glad I have not reached that fame level (yet) where gossip blogs compare my engagement ring to my hypothetically ex husbands new fiance's ring. BTW.. Vanessa wins. Absolutely hands down. And its not because Jessica didn't go for the traditional diamond. Because I think Kate Middleton aka Princess Di's emerald engagement ring is absolutely gorgeous.

Jessica Simpson totally paid for her own engagment ring. Dlisted said it best. Eric Johnson is from my home town. I was a freshman in highschool when he was a senior. I was excited to think maybe she'd be around for Thanksgiving, but she'll be in NYC for the Macy's parade, so there goes that celebrity encounter at Cafe Fresh Bagel.

Eva Longoria is the cutest person in Hollywood. How could Tony cheat on her? They got married in France, gosh damnit! But come on, are we really suprised here? 1. they are a hollywood marriage 2. they are an nba marriage 3. she's friends with mario lopez, so i highly question what she must be like in real life.

Rachel Zoe. SO happy for her and Rodger. I love watching the Zoe Project. Even in her 9th month of pregnancy though, she may get up to wearing a Medium shirt size. Cannot wait to see her maternity style, but she always wears baggy clothes so we shall wait and see.

William and Kate. Good for her! I used to dream about marrying Prince Wills. Well, my friend Erica was much more obsessed with him than I.. Kate looks like a british LC! And I hope she becomes a little more fiesty, like Diana. And my final thoughts? Prince Harry is about 10 times more gorgeous.. talk about growing into a real Prince Charming.

Like how I didn't specify that Nick and Jessica are actually engaged to other people? I did too.

Bump Watch

2010-11-17T06:07:00.002-05:00

Less than a few months to go, here is a proper bump watch update.
feeling kicks, buying girly baby outfits (some day soon i'll embarrass myself with a post of all the stuff I've purchased), telling Tough Guy the outfits only cost like... $5 each, people noticing the bump - usually after a double take staring at your stomach - and saying congrats, getting to board first on an airplane.. ehh. well after first class passengers, seeing other little babies and your heart just melts, GAP maternity jeans, guilt free cupcakes getting up to go pee every 2 hours in the middle of the night, psychotic mood swings saved just for Tough Guy, anxiety, normal shirts turning into belly shirts, roc'n'lex thinking they can jump on my lap as usual except now i shriek and say 'watch the belly!', having part of your house being renovated while pregnant, eating lean cuisines for lunch and being hungry about 2 minutes later, 24/7 stuffy nose, going to bed at 8pm every night (actually that's very fun because of the golden dvr box in our room!)

But all of the fun magical things far outweigh the not so fun!

Scottsdale!

2010-11-15T18:37:00.016-05:00

Massholes shouldn't be allowed to travel anywhere. Tough Guy and I literally packed all summer clothes for our trip to Scottsdale, AZ last week- where he had a conference at the gorgeous Westin Kierland Resort, so I got to tag along! Basically I considered it a BabyMoon since we didn't get to book Aruba early next year with our friends due to a small little detail :)

This was the first time going to Arizona. And its only the 2nd time I've been on the West Coast- a couple days spent in San Fran for work back in '08. Oh, and I once had a layover in San Jose on my way to Cabo San Lucas back in college. That was fun.

As mentioned in this post, its freezing at night in the desert. Luckily the Kierland Commons were only steps away, so J.Crew sweaters on sale came through for the win! During the day, it was only mid 70's.. but the sun was so hot- it was fun sitting by the pool. I didn't know places without humidity existed! It was magical.

Apparently the Barefoot Contessa was rocking out at Sur La Table signing books? There were about 500 people camping out for the signing (i was not one of them)

The conference wives went on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West (aka his summer home). Our tour guide was absolutely awesome, and she made the 1.5 hour tour pretty damn interesting. The compound is neat to walk around, and there were so many great pictures to be taken. I highly suggest you stop by there if you find yourself in Scottsdale.

I felt big kicks for the first time when we were in Scottsdale!!!! It now feels like there is a fish flapping around in my tummy.

The rest of the week was pretty relaxing. There were fun places to eat, shop, and chill out at. Tough Guy even took an extra day so we wouldn't have to rush back right after his conference. My favorite restaurants were Tommy Bahamas for lunch and The Greene House for dinner on the last night!

He got to enjoy those Mojitos. I settled on water with lemon. And Ginger Ale when I want to get a little crazy...

My only complaint about Arizona? Getting used to all of my gosh darn television airing one hour earlier (despite the time change) because of Central time. You know when it says 10pm Eastern time? Yeah, that affects people. It really does.

My favorite things of the moment

2010-11-03T19:43:00.010-04:00

Makeup: Too Faced Pixie/Fairy setsI absolutely love these boxed sets. I picked up both the Glamour to Go Pocketbook set ($19) and the Too Faced Natural Eye Natural Eye Shadow Collection ($35)

Thanks to the Sephora Friends and Family 20% coup I went to town with earlier this week. Stocked up on my regular faves (nars, makeup forever, smashbox) as well. These would also make perfect gift ideas for the holidays!

Pretty events: This gorgeous Wedding Shower from Hostess Blog looks simply lovely! Sure I can't drink, but I can drool over this Champagne Bar they put together for the party.

The Good Wife: I'd watched a couple episodes last year but never really got into it. This season I'm SSSOOO HOOKED! Maybe I just wasn't ready to turn into a CBS old person demographic, but you should check out this show if you haven't.

GAP Maternity: Maybe I'm spoiled because there is one within steps of my office, but every single thing I've gotten from GAP Maternity has been super super cute! No moomoo's, no mom jeans, just fierce regular cute chic clothes (all with a kangaroo pouch included). Maternity pants are the new fancy ass sweatpants!

iPad: Little Things on iPad is the funnest waste of time! I love playing it before I go to bed. If you have an iPad- check check check it out. Download here ($7.99)

I have the Golden Ticket! A Halloween Party

2010-10-31T11:03:00.011-04:00

So Linabeau made me RSVP to her Halloween Party months in advance, so I could clear my schedule and not bail on this party because I don't like Halloween! I like to think I'm a creative person, but when it comes to Halloween, I think I peaked in Costume Design back in sophomore year of Highschool, when me, Kelly & Meg were the Spartan Cheerleaders (Kelly's mom made the costumes so it was the main reason they rocked).

I was about to bail on this party again due to coming up with no costume- but its been forever since I've seen Caroline, and I knew she only throws the best parties. When I googled pregnant costumes, basically it was just plus size version of 'sexy costumes' which were just gross. Then you see the 'Bun in the Oven' ideas which made me want to blarf.

Well, it wasn't until the wonderful and brilliant Angry Girlfriend sent me this tweet:

Ohhh if only we lived in the same city!!! Victoria, FTW!

The costume was picked. Now it was up to get Tough Guy on board. He could totally pull off KFed! It was a much easier sell than I thought. "Oh, I totally look like a model anyways.. that's fine" he said. "Just make sure you get me some bling."

Welp, Kfed's props were about 10X the price of Brit Brit's! I got an $8 Old Navy Tank Top, and hit up Michael's for some Iron-on letters and puff paint galore. We got Tough Guy a blazer from the Good Will for $8, and I attacked it with hot pink puff paint. We then got a gorgeous Kardashian-like wig, that I did not want to cut! But we chopped away and gave Kfed his gorgeous locks. Throw on ten pounds of eye shadow and spray tan for Britney and we were ready to go! NOTE: I tried on some blonde wigs, but I learned quickly I was not meant to be a blonde. It was almost offensive!

NOTE: That was Kaballah water, obviously..

Bistro du Midi was the perfect location! The service was spectacular, and you can tell Caroline is a VIP client there..

LOVED Paris and Lindsay.. they were super fierce
Another favorite costume of the night. Except she needed a PBR in her hand!

There was also preregistration for the 3rd annual 'The Waddle', the infamous pub crawl the day after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I will not be able to participate in this amazing event- but you never know.. the pregnant lady in a bar might make another appearance (stay classy julie). But only if Tough Guy rocks his Kfed wig, because it kinda looked dreamy! xoxo

Bloggers, Cake, Bling, Open Fly jeans & more Bloggers. OH MY!

2010-10-24T16:31:00.018-04:00

'FINALLY.. so many things to actually blog about' passed through my mind as I attended a couple Boston Blogger events this weekend. The blogger scene has quadrupled in size since our first Happy Hour meeting over 2 years ago!

Thursday was Boston Blogtoberfest, held at Ginger Park in the South End. It was a huge turnout. Which is good and bad. Good because its awesome to see so many people involved, bad because it was way too crowded to meet any new bloggers.

But I'll settle for the ones I already know any day! I caught up with Becca, Peter, Kori, Alicia, Steven & Alison.. and finally met some twitter friends in real life! (hi, NPW, WTFhaveIdone!) Although I may have snuck out a little early due to being super duper tired.

Friday was a low key evening, as most of my Fridays usually are now a days.

Saturday we started renovating our house to get ready for a nursery. Lots of fun manly work going on, while I caught up on Four Weddings and entertained Rocco & Lexie all day. That evening, we headed over to the Q for a Surprise 30th Birthday Party for my girl Ali's fiancé!

Speaking of which, lots of fun wedding stuff going on with her, including a gorgeous wedding dress already picked out (the first one she tried one!!!) and some sexy fierce bridesmaid dresses that will be rocked by yours truly next Fall.

FUNNY NOTE: watched SNL on dvr this morning, and LOVED the spoof on Brett Favre, had to share it.. ps. loves me some Emma Stone. Stay in rehab and the clubs Linds, you've been replaced with a cuter much more charming version.

Sunday I was lucky enough to see some favorites at We Are Not Martha's Stella and Dot trunk show! Joann was the Stella and Dot Stylist and there were many beautiful pieces. If you want to shop online, go here and click 'Find your hostess' and put in We are not Martha (note: i just typed in we are as the first name and that worked!)I LOVE LOVE LOVE Stella and Dot jewelry. I finally learned that some of the former creative directors with Banana Republic and J.Crew are behind this line, which is why I pretty much adore every single piece.

Always great seeing Chels, Sues, Susan, Becca, and Kristen. Plus I finally got to meet Fun Fearless Bean!!! Boston Bloggers are always a good time..

We Are Not Martha is taking over the Project Food Blog Challenge. They've now made it to Project #6 and could totally use your support! Voting starts Monday morning at 9am, stop by and make sure you vote for them HERE!

Leaf Peeping & Alumni Reunions

2010-10-18T19:10:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we headed up to Rochester, NY to go visit RIT and see some old friends. Upstate New York is gorgeous this time of year!

Saturday was the big day in the ROC. Tough Guy headed over to campus to go beat up some of the young RIT Wrestlers on the mat for an alumni event, and Legno (our good friend from college who lives in New Jersey) and I headed over to Pittsford to go visit our favorite place in the world. The ducks.
It used to be called Fingerlakes Coffee when we would go visit the ducks, but its now called Basin Cafe. Basically the same inside selling Fingerlakes Coffee (phew!)

So after you grab a delicious cup of coffee (decaf for me) you head outside and wait for the ducks to visit!

Yes, they always show up in a Flying V when we are there!

Legno even managed to step in some souvenir duck poop.. tehehehe

This place is beautiful. Seriously. Anytime you need to clear your head during college, this was the place to go! Also, when we were bored, we recreate the Good Will Hunting scene between Robin Williams and Matt Damon sitting on the park bench.

After visiting the ducks, we headed over to campus to meet up with Tough Guy and head over to their Fraternity House because they were having a cookout for the alumni.

I found this gem below on the Frat House wall showing a freshman Tough Guy while he was pledging. Funny note: we met back in fall 2000 in a frat house basement when Tough Guy was selling jello shots, and I told him I should not have to pay for one, because I was a freshman girl aka a hot commodity. You could say we grew eyes for each other after that extremely unromantic meeting. Another funny note: he was completely sober since you didn't drink all through out pledging. I, was not. Another obvious note: The jello shot was free.While the boys reminisced, the ladies headed over to campus to go see some of the amazing upgrades they made to our campus. OMG, RIT's campus is amazing.

Was a little bitter walking around, knowing there were actual bars on this 'used to be dry' campus. Imagine how awesome it would have been to drink some Margaritas before Intro to Programming? Granted- I still did that, i just had to go off campus.

Me bump posing with President Al Simone..... 's statue

And last but not least, while some of our friends went to go cheer on the RIT Tigers Hockey team at Blue Cross Arena (they were even playing UMASS) the rest of us ended up going to the best place to eat in Rochester - Dinosaur BBQ. They have quite a few locations in New York, and hopefully all of them are as cool as the Rochester landmark.

My favorite thing in the world is Fried Green Tomatoes (the original one, not the fancy one)
And of course they did NOT disappoint...

Happy Hubby.

Pregnancy meal.. asking for 4 sides to equal one entire meal. At this point I was so excited and stuffed from the fried green tomatoes, I only got through about 1/4 of it.

Some of the boys asked to take a picture at this ridiculously mural'd bench outside the Hockey Game. Let's just say there were laughs the entire weekend with this crew.

Its like Rochester knew I was coming to visit!

Bump Watch

2010-10-12T09:13:00.003-04:00

I spy a baby bump!

Would like to note- the picture was taken in Faneuil Hall this weekend when our friends Meg and Brian were in town visiting, and a bird targeted Tough Guy to drop a love poop on. I'm taking that as good luck :)

Early Christmas List? xoxo Neiman Marcus

2010-10-06T20:22:00.009-04:00

Neiman Marcus revealed its 2010 Christmas Book this week. Lots of fun 'little' treats to buy your loved ones for Christmas. Although I'd take every single item- I've narrowed it down to a few favs...

$250,000 His & Hers Luxury Houseboat (click here)

Basically this boat is pimped out.. plus it's a boat. So that's cool.

An edible Gingerbread House from Dylan's Candy Bar! Only $15,000 (click here)

Yes, you read that right, you can eat this entire house. All 318 lbs of gourmet gingerbread and 517 lbs of royal icing.

And speaking of Ice? Why not some pretty gorgeous jewels thrown into the mix?

The Silver and Gold Links Iolite & Rhodolite Bracelets $2500 - $3200 (click here)

These pretty bracelets are made in Greece, and will dazzle guests at your Holiday Party

And for a stocking stuffer? This MacKenzie Childs picture frame is delectable! $90 (click here)
Plus this year they have an iPad app to view the book.

So much fun virtual shopping and thinking about Christmas! Except this year, the only thing I plan on shopping for is the little sweet pea growing in my belly :)