It's Carnival Time!

It's Carnival Season in New Orleans, one of my very favorite times of year!  The city is so full of fun, festive energy, and even though we are a month away from Mardi Gras, the parties and balls are all in full swing! 

My nieces and nephew are riding in their very first parade this year, and their Krewe is having its annual Mardi Gras ball this weekend.  I never miss an opportunity to dress up in black tie!  This year I was wondering how dressing for the ball would change being that I will be 19 weeks pregnant, but I was able to find a very Audrey-esque floor length black column gown that fits like a glove, and I feel fabulous in it!  Lots of pictures to come next week after our upcoming fun-filled weekend in the city.

In the meantime I have been indulging in all sorts of King Cake related goodies (in moderation of course, ahem.)  Last weekend Melanie and I visited Sucré for a delicious cup of coffee and their to die for macaroons.  The rainbow of colors and flavors were all so tempting, but it was one flavor we were on a mission for.  The weather was delightful and we were able to girl talk and enjoy our King Cake macaroons on the beautiful patio.

Melanie picked up one of their fabulous King Cakes for our visit with Jen and her sweet little baby girl Jane :)  Isn't it beautiful?!

In other Mardi Gras-related goodness, I recently had Mardi Gras pancakes for breakfast at a local restaurant...

Tried out Blue Bell's Mardi Gras King Cake flavored ice cream....

(which for those who are taste test connoisseurs like me, this is one of the best I've tried!  The king cake chunks taste like snicker doodles.  Yum!)

I left up one of my Christmas trees again this year, and turned it into a Mardi Gras-themed tree.  I think it came out super-cute and will be sure to take more photos soon of all our festive decorations.  Matt has been begging me to start taking baby bump pictures, so on Saturday I left him snap a quick picture next to the tree.  Here we are, 18 weeks and counting!

Happy Carnival Wishes to all!

xoxo

(All images by me via iPhone)

Cravings: Salty + Sweet

Pregnancy Cravings....we've all heard the pickles and ice cream myth, and I must say I was curious what my typically easy to please palate would come up with now that I am expecting.  Alas, here we are at Week 17, and other than flavored seltzer water, fresh fruit and a lot more sweets than I typically indulge in (soft serve frozen yogurt with fresh strawberries is my current bliss,) I haven't really had any serious cravings. 

Then I came across this recipe for Chocolate Covered Potato Chips and nearly fell out of my chair.  Don't get me wrong, I am curious as you probably are...but like many salty and sweet combos (peanut butter and chocolate....popcorn and M&M's) I have a good feeling this is going to be a match made in heaven.  I will be sure to let you know how they turn out!

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

by Spoon Fork Bacon

Makes 1 (15 ounce) bag

Ingredients:

1½ cups chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, dark is your choice)

1 (15.25 ounce bag) bag ridge-cut potato chips

Directions:

1. Place chocolate chips in a heat resistant bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl)

2. Completely melt chocolate until smooth and begin dipping the chips, about ½ way.

3. Shake off any excess chocolate and place chips onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

4. Allow chocolate covered chips to dry completely before serving.

5. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Do you have any salty/sweet favorite treats?  Ever have any really strange cravings? :)

Bon appetit!

xoxo

Baby Cakes

(Image via Sprinkle Bakes)

The good news?  Baby cakes sounds great with a lovely, lovely heartbeat ranging between 150-160 bpm!

The bad news?  Waiting a few more weeks until the pink or blue news...

My doctor's appointment went great today, but since I am no longer considered high risk, I have to wait until closer to 21 weeks to have my full ultrasound scan, at which time we will find out whether this baby is going to be pink or blue.  I was of course a little disappointed, but I completely understand the reasons why. 

Back to the great news...The baby and I are no longer high risk!  So far all is so good, and I am trying to focus on the positive, that all of the best things are worth waiting for, and baby cakes is just waiting a little bit longer to make his or her announcement.  This just gives more time to plan a fabulous gender reveal party too!  (I was seriously going to try to pull something off by this Wednesday - haha!)

Thanks for the happy thoughts and your guesses for pink or blue too...and feel free to keep the guesses coming, it's so fun to read your feedback!  As long as this little one is happy and healthy, that's really all that matters.  I already feel so blessed to be his or her mommy!

I'll be back to regular blogging soon...can't wait to catch up and hear about all the fabulous things going on in your worlds too :)  Have a great week!

xoxo

P.S.  How adorable is that cake?!

Oh Baby! Boy or Girl?

(Image via)

Happy New Year sweet friends!  Hope that 2012 is off to a remarkable start for you.  Thanks a million for all the wonderful wishes on our happy baby news :)  We are still overjoyed and at times it still feels a little surreal!  Baby cakes definitely got spoiled with treats this Christmas and it was really fun being able to celebrate with our friends and family, knowing next Christmas season there will be a little bundle of love among us!


My sixteen week ultrasound is on Monday, and there is a good chance if the little one cooperates we might find out BOY or GIRL!  Eeek!  We will both of course be happy either way, and as much as I would love to have a little mini-Trishy, a sweet baby mini-Matt would be a ton of fun too. :)


My sweet friend Sara posted these old wives' tales on her blog a few weeks ago, and I thought it would be fun to play along too. Here goes!


Chinese calendar (based on mother's age and month of conception): GIRL

Heartbeat (faster than 140 bpm = girl; slower than 140 bpm = boy): 170 - GIRL


Morning sickness (very sick = girl; not so sick = boy): BOY


Skin (breakouts = girl; clear skin = boy): GIRL


Leg hair growth (no more than usual = girl; lots of growth = boy): GIRL


Cravings (sweet = girl; salty = boy): GIRL


Feet (hot = girl; cold = boy): BOY


Bump position (high and wide = girl; low and centered = boy): BOY


Breast growth (lots of growth = girl; not much = boy): GIRL


Mayan calendar (if mother's age at conception and year of conception are both even/odd = girl; if one is even and one is odd = boy): GIRL


Sympathy weight (if your husband gains weight during the pregnancy = girl; if he doesn't = boy): GIRL


Ring test (ring swings back and forth = girl; ring swings in a circle = boy): BOY


My "mother's intuition" says:  this is so hard...I have not really had strong feelings one way or the other...and ALL of my pregnant friends are either having boys or are pregnant with boys....but if I had to guess, I say GIRL


Matt's "father's intuition" says:  Matt has been dead set since week 5 that this baby is a GIRL


***


So....what do you think?!  You're invited to weigh in with your vote on the poll on my sidebar :)  Fingers crossed for a gender reveal on Monday!


Happy weekend wishes to you!
xoxo

Happiest Christmas Wishes

Christmas came early, and Santa said we’ve been especially good this year! With hearts full of joy, Matt and I are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first baby in late June!

  We have dreamed of this day for a long time, and are so very blessed to have had such an amazing year.  Now in my second trimester, so far our little baby cakes is looking beautiful and I am feeling great!  I cannot wait to share this next chapter in our lives with you all :)  2012 is going to be filled with even more happiness and excitement!

 Happiest holidays to you, and all those you love the most!

xoxo

Warm & Cozy Afternoon

I couldn't be more excited for a warm and cozy afternoon off from work today :)  I made my own cafe mocha at home by combining Keurig's Donut Shop coffee and Milk Chocolate hot chocolate, a splash of milk and lots of whipped cream.  Pure heaven!  All bundled up to run a few errands, followed by a candlelight pizza dinner tonight at home by the fireplace with my sweetie, some bluesy-Christmas music, and wrapping presents by the Christmas tree.  Friday nights sure have changed a bit over the years, but I am positively giddy about our lazy plans tonight :)

I'll have lots of pics on Monday from our ladies' Christmas tea tomorrow!  The Dickens Christmas Tea includes a full meal Tea in three courses with scones, tea sandwiches, savories and canapés, ending with dainty tea desserts.  Each course is served with a different Christmas tea.  Doesn't it sound delightful? 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

(Images via, via, via)

Pink & Green Thursday - Christmas Edition!

Happy Thursday everyone!

I am the Suburban Princess of The Life of a Suburban Princess and Royal Ribbons and I am so happy to be writing this week's Pink & Green Thursday post on Trishy's blog!  I have known Trishy for almost as long as I have been blogging and she is always so much fun to chat with!  I knew when putting this post together it had to involve lots of sparkle...so here we go!

First things first...we need to print some stickers and tags!  

Here are some adorable Pink & Green printables for you!

 

There is no way I can get ready for Christmas without a big pot of tea!

 

One lump or two?

In an effort to look like SuperMom I will let you think I made these myself, from scratch.  

They go perfectly with a cup of Christmas tea!

Now to sit down and get all of my Christmas cards written.  

My list changes every year, and that's ok.  

Some people come and some people go...it's the ebb and flow of life.

No house would be complete without a fabulous wreath!  

It let's people know you are a nice person!

 

And crafty too!  Or know crafty people!

 

Now that I have the tree up I need to get all the ornaments on it!

 

Of course a little glitter goes a long way!  I love getting the ornies out each year, I forget about some so it'a always a nice surpise!

It has to be time for a cocktail by now!  Right?!

Hmm I better have a cookie or two...must keep my energy up!

 

Three cocktails in, I decided to finish the tree and set the table!  *hic*

Fortunately with just two colours to handle, wrapping presents is easy peasy!

Now to get them under my beautiful Pink & Green Christmas tree!

 

I will hang my stocking by the fire place - because I've been a very good girl all year!  *hic*

We can't forget Santa!  You know going around the world in one night is hard work!

Cookies are perfect for Santa and his reindeer!

I hear they especially love cupcakes!

 

Now that my work is done I think it's time for a cocktail!  

Don't you agree?

Looks like Santa beat me to it!

Merry Christmas everyone!   I hope you have a wonderful holiday and wish you all the very best for 2012!

Thank you Trishy for inviting me to guest post!  

I had a great time and look forward to getting to know all of your readers!

The Life of a Suburban Princess

Royal Ribbons - Personalized Ribbon For Every Occasion

Have a fabulous day!