Five on Friday...

Friday, January 30, 2015

Well this has been a pretty exhausting last couple days...little Gus has been home from school since he was feeling a little over the weather. I figured it would be best to keep him home since the sniffles are going around his class anyways. 

And he hasn't been sleeping well this week....I'm seriously hoping this trend isn't here to stay. because this lady right here doesn't function well without her sleep.

 Okay, so I haven't done a five on Friday in some time now but here we go...

I know I am not the only one jumping up and down with excitement that Friday has FINALLY come!!!! 

one || I'm totally in love with this mirror. it's from Target. I can't decide if it would go in our bedroom or in a more common area. but i'm feeling that i'm going to pull the trigger sometime in the near future. 





two || Gus' personality is flourishing more everyday. Once they turn three that have a lot more to say than in the two's. It's a good and bad thing. I love being able to carry on a conversation with him. And that he completely understands everything I am saying to him. It's wonderful. 

But then he wants to talk. all. day. long. I think he's going to be a talker ;) Bless his heart. I love him. 

Him and Olivia are the best of friends right now. Having them so close together (16 months apart) has been tough but I am so glad they have each other. They really are like almost twins. I actually get asked that all the time. 





three || A couple weekends ago my brother in law was in town and brought a friend of his along who happens to be a photographer. He snapped this picture of Olivia and my father in law in the pool area of there building that overlooks the bay. Such a great photograph!! 





four || Yesterday, since we had nowhere to be before 9am, like we do every other day of the week, I had some extra minutes (also rare) to play around with my hair. Tried parting it differently and not flat ironing it. I was pretty pleased with the results. 

Although, I'm pretty sure this only worked because it has been cooler down here this week. When the humidity kicks back in...yea. that will be a different story.






five || Taking Olivia's bottle away has been such a success!! Tomorrow it's a week without a single bottle. Such. A. Relief. I was really starting to get worried about her teeth growing in correctly. She will be two in March. So after having a bottle for almost two years...it was really starting to effect her teeth. 

These tommee tippee sippy cups have been a lifesaver. totally recommend them because the part the drink out of isn't hard (which she hated....tried multiple different cups), it;s soft but not soft enough to the point where she can bite through it. 

Cheers!!
Hope you have a great weekend!! 

xoxo

Elda 




Tomato Soup

Tuesday, January 27, 2015







I found this AMAZING Tomato Soup recipe by The Pioneer Woman and made it for dinner last night. It is too good not to share! 

The best part is that it is just soooooo simple! 

I served the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and it was absolutely delish! Especially for this winter weather that has hit just about everywhere! 


Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, Minced Fine Or Grated
1 whole Onion, Finely Diced
3 whole Large Carrots, Peeled And Finely Diced
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
3 cans (28 Ounces Each) Whole Tomatoes
32 ounces, fluid Vegetable Or Chicken Broth
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
 Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil
Instructions: 
In a large pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat, then add onion, garlic, and carrots. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir it in, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add canned tomatoes with their juice, broth, and water. Stir together and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, longer if you have time. Use an immersion blender to puree, still leaving some texture to the tomatoes. Add cream, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil, and simmer for another 5 minutes.



Here is the link to the original recipe ... She has step by step photos along with the instructions! 

**please make a note that the recipe is for 12 servings. That was way too much for my little family for one meal so I halved the recipe and that was more than enough...we have enough leftovers for another meal. 

Enjoy!! 

xoxo 

le weekeende || miss universe + no more bottles

Monday, January 26, 2015

Our weekend consisted of Gus working most of Saturday, an urgent care visit, several movie nights with the kiddos (they saw Brave for the first time), Grocery Shopping and of course, Miss Universe viewing. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw I went to the Universe Prelims Wednesday night since it was held here in Miami...Attending Miss Universe has always been one of the top things on my bucket list. You can only imagine how excited I was for this!!! 

Now I can scratch that one off the list!



It was such an amazing experience. 

Fun Fact: Olivia is named after Miss Universe 2013 Olivia Culpo who was also Miss USA that year. I was pregnant with Olivia at the time ;) 

I love beauty pageants can you tell?! I competed for awhile, myself, in high school and college. 







I was kind of shocked Miss Colombia won. I really thought Miss USA or Miss Argentina were going to take the crown home. The other countries in the top 5, Netherlands, Phillipines, and Ukraine completely caught me off guard. Did not think they would make it to the very top. 

On a side note, I am in love with Argentina's gown!!!! 

okay next. Before Miss Universe, I was able to take a trip to the grocery store and get everything I needed for the week. I typically don't make it to the grocery store before the week starts because we have so much going on. This morning I woke feeling like I could punch Monday in the face. Shocking i know. not Normal. 



I think the bright pink lipstick helped ;) 

I forgot to mention we took Olivia off her bottle this weekend!!!! This mama was jumping up and down with excitement. Saying she was attached to her bottle is an understatement. We made a huge deal about her getting a new cup for her milk and she was in love!! 

She hasn't asked for it all weekend so I'm knocking on wood she has forgotten about her bottle for good. 

Hope you had a good weekend!! 

xoxo


Brights to Fight Winter Blues

Monday, January 19, 2015

Winter Brights






Hope you've all had a great long weekend! I sure have! I got to sleep in until 9:30 this morning, which never happens!  Just with that i've the happiest mommy in the world today! Sharing a few brights to get you through those winter blues  still around across the country, minus in Miami!! 

Also, did you notice my social media buttons are back up on the side panel?! Be sure to check them out! 

xoxo

Elda 

PSA: Kate Spade Baby Bag SALE Alert

Friday, January 16, 2015

Happy Friday Gals!! Another week has come and gone and I am so excited this weekend has finally come! We have very little on our agenda and it's a long weekend so that's a plus.

 I just wanted to come on here and let you know that Kate Spade has several Baby bags on SALE (Including one that's very similar to the one I have) so if you're expecting, need an upgrade or even of you're not a mom and want a carryall tote---(because that's exactly what mine looks like), now is the time to pull the trigger!!! 

I love that all three of these bags are nylon and can be simply wiped down. There's nothing worse than a cloth/ canvas diaper bag. I've learned the hard way, they get dirty very quickly. It's not pleasant.  And these don't look like diaper bags. They simply just look like a purse or carry all tote! 




Girls this one is very similar to mine but it looks a tad smaller than mine and it has more pockets which I actually like better. And leopard is a great neutral. I wear it with everything!! And the best part---it's 60% off!!!!!! you can't beat it!!! 





Who doesn't love polka dots??? This one is around 40% off!!! Again, another neutral, goes with everything, perfect! 



This beautiful classic is also 40% off!!! 


I'm done rambling about how much I love these baby bags. 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones!

xoxo

Elda 

Golden Globes 2015 || Favorites

Monday, January 12, 2015

Well, Hello there!! Merry belated Christmas, Happy New Year and everything in between! I decided to come back today from my blogging drought! There was so much going on during the holidays it was a little tough for me to keep up with my little blog so I temporarily put it on the back burner. I hate doing that but sometimes I just have have more important priorities. 

Did you watch the Golden Globes last night?! I did!! Well just the red carpet portion hehehe. That's the best part. I sat a home curled up on the couch in sweatpants with the hubs ;) and a glass of Cabi. (The best way to watch the red carpet). 

I rounded up some of my favorite looks from last night. There were so many great ones but my number one fave was definitely Emma Stone's Jumpsuit!!! I am in a jumpsuit phase right now (If you follow me on IG, You'll see I wore one for New Years). She nailed it with this number!!  


Emma Stone- Source 




Jennifer Anniston - Source 





Reese Witherspoon - Source 






Camila Alves - Source







Emily Blunt - Source






Jenna Dewan- Tatum - Source






Kate Beckinsale - Source 



What did you think of everyone's attire?! Which were your favorites?!

xoxo

Elda 
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