Category Archives: family

our first philly christmas

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The first holiday in our Philadelphia home got off to a great start. We usually cut down a tree but this year we kept it simple and found a local spot that had trees fresh from a farm (we’ll be giving it to goats when it comes down). I wanted to honor the age of our home with 1920s inspired decor and wrapping, and focused on Art Deco vibes. I used mostly vintage items as accents, ribbon I’ve had for years, but did purchase some handmade paper (we’ve carefully saved each piece so that we can repurpose it next year, which is a small way we can reduce our waste). We added this special ornament to our collection, in honor of our first city christmas. We had exciting plans, but 2021 was getting ready to test us in a big way.

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poconos summer scenes

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We were very fortunate to have a summer vacation at our favorite place in the Poconos. While we lived there for well over a year, we only recently moved back to Philadelphia and didn’t expect to be back so soon – it was a pleasant surprise! We were so thankful for glorious weather (as usual, ten degrees or more cooler than the city), perfect lake temps, and our own private space to enjoy summer safely. It blows my mind to see how much they’ve grown at the lake, and how many core memories have been made here. You can see all of our Poconos memories here, and click through for more!

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minecraft themed birthday

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Our babies are nine!! What?! I asked them what they wanted for their ninth birthday, and the answer was both unanimous and instant – MINECRAFT. Marie and Henry discovered the game late last year and quickly developed an obsession (as many understandably do). I was immediately impressed with the endless possibilities of the game, to include the educational factor. I refer to it as AutoCAD with monsters, because the structures and interiors they create in-game are insanely complex and cool. While the theme is not “on brand” for me, lol…I love a challenge and had so much fun pulling it all together. Perhaps this could help inspire your Minecraft-themed fête! More photos + sources below…

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snow days are the best days

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Snow days are the best days…especially in our family! I’ve been quiet here on the blog (although active on social), as we’ve been savoring the season. I grew up in the Northeast and so many of my childhood memories are connected to the fluffy white stuff that falls from the sky and turns the world into a magical wonderland. My parents used to have to literally drag me inside after hours in the snow with a chapped face, nearly blue lips, and snow-filled boots. After a few decent winter storms, the “big one” came along a few weeks ago here in the Poconos, and gifted us with over thirty inches (yes, 30″). It started the day before and then got super heavy overnight…we woke up in Narnia and it was breathtakingly beautiful…

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winter at the lake

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We just returned from a lovely long break in the Poconos, and mama nay made our winter wishes come true with the gift of a magical snowfall + frozen lake during our stay! Since we’ve had a mild season (hardly any snow) in our neck of the woods, we headed north to find some – thankfully this trip had been planned since last year. We got our fix of winter fun (and then some)…and stayed super cozy thanks to good friends of ours lending us their lake house. If you follow me on Instagram then you know a little bit about our trip (although I stayed mostly unplugged). It was truly a vacation-—pages replaced screens, the fire stayed stoked, and hardly anything was planned except for rest and relaxation.

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