bunnies and eggs..

though we're not hosting this year i love to keep an eye out for holiday ideas and inspiration.

this little egg tree is the perfect centerpiece..

..and i am always a sucker for napkin magic!

introducing isaiah ..

he was born on sunday.. absolutely precious and i can't wait to jump on a plane to meet him and touch his babysoft skin!

my 3rd nephew... so adorable!

it's madness!

march madness that is... ou bobcats winning in the tourney 
for the first time in 45 years!

they just lost to tennessee in the second round,
but i couldn't be prouder! ou.. we love you!

st. patty's day= stevie day

for many, march 17 is exclusively green beer.. guinness and shamrock necklaces.

while i definately enjoy *all* of the above, it's also the day that we celebrate the birth of my little brother steven patrick.

he's much bigger now, but wasn't he a cute little baby...

 he's getting married in august- and i'm so excited to be a part of his big day! check out these great engagement shots by my dear friend kimberly potterf of kimberly potterf photography

happy birthday steve!

st. pats.. past, present and future...

it ranks right up there as one of the best adult holidays for socialization and revelry- at least in my book.

i think back to the days that i scheduled off work to hang out at byrne's pub with friends and the great memories that insued- one of which that still hangs on a wall at the bar. 

though my celebrations are a little more tame these days, its always fun to wear green, and you can't go wrong with a drinking glove.

what are your favorite memories?

top o' the mornin to ya!

looking for some green erin-go-braugh inspiration on a rainy saturday?

here are some great ideas from marthastewart.com to add some flair to your st. patty's day.

{cute little boutonniere}

{guinness float.. yum, yum!}

{st.patty's cupcakes}

... eager to try the guinness float myself!

alice!

fish fry, beers with friends + family...

and a 9:15 viewing of alice in wonderland at studio 35 in clintonville! what a way to spend a friday night!

although i was originally holding out for 3D IMax, the appeal of a local theater w/ Mad Hatter on tap won out.

loved the movie. johnny depp and helena bonham carter were both great. still may see it again in 3D though.. I could tell that the visual effects would have been great!

sunshine day...

great weather, short-sleeve shirts and my new spring jacket..

what could be better?

maybe some of these delicious warm weather treats.... yum, yum and yum.

find them here.

and the winner is...

after a fabulous dinner (delish cornish game hens) + a day of glorious sunshine, the academy awards were the perfect cap of a great weekend.

loved the john hughes tribute, james taylor and these gorgeous gowns...

date night!

..a much-deserved night out with my hubby!

last night we braved the massive crowds- gathered in the arena district/short north area for the arnold schwarzenegger classic- to enjoy some delicious italian fare at basi italia.

though this little restaurant has been around for awhile, we've never quite made it there. i think we had reservations for both john's 29th and 31st bdays, but he always ended up wanting to cancel for pizza. needless to say, i was very excited to finally try it out.

the atmosphere was awesome. it was small and crowded but in a good way- reminded me of some of the cool little restaurants that i have been to in atlanta, nyc and san fran. while we were waiting, they had a cool little covered patio bar in the back with candles. we both agreed that it would be a fun place to take out-of-town guests for a drink.

the food was good- but not great. it won't be finding a place in my "top 10 meals of all time". i got a salmon appetizer and a shrimp scampi and lump crab risotto. maybe I am spoiled by my summers in mass., but none of the fish seemed even close to fresh and I think i make more flavorful risotto. the hubby got a caesar salad that had way more anchovies then he would have preferred, but he *loved* his rigatoni salumerie. all of the food prices were really reasonable though, so between that and the atmosphere- i'm sure we'll give it another try.
the wine was really incredible i have to say- of course the wine we picked out was as expensive as the whole meal! :)

great, fun night out with my favorite guy. looking forward to a sunny saturday in c-bus!

ahhhhhh.. chhooo!

a puppy sneeze.. or little man just startled by mom's camera flash?

luckily i'm told that human cold germs are not contagious to animals- but perhaps Kingsley was feeling a little bit of cold-sympathy for me yesterday.