Philly Weekend

It was the weekend that almost didn't happen (our sitter got sick!) but she ended up getting over it quickly and the trip was back on at the last minute! We had a great time in Philly - a lot of good food, pampering, and we hit some of the historical stuff while we were there too. The actual night of my 30th ended up being a little wilder than I expected and I woke up the next morning feeling more like a 60-year-old, but Philly treated me well! I know the city sometimes gets a bad rap, but we had nothing but good times and fun people. Here's the weekend in a nutshell via my Instagram feed:

If you're planning a trip to Philly I would highly recommend any of these places (and would go again myself in a heartbeat!):

Accommodations: The Westin Philadelphia
Food:
Monk's Cafe
Miel Patisserie
Jim's Steaks (South Street)
Audrey Claire

So long twenties, you were good to me, but here's to decade number three!

xo, Lauren

Recipe for a Neutral Nursery

It's no secret that I love color, but I have a spot in my heart for neutral spaces as well. Although it seems like it would be easy to pull off, I think you have to have the right mix of texture, pattern, and whimsy to keep neutral spaces from becoming yawn-worthy (especially for a child's room) Here are a few pieces that I think strike the right balance for a neutral nursery:

Sources can be found at my ideabook over on Houzz.com -xo, Lauren

Mini Meals

I'm pretty excited about our mini meal this week. It may seem kinda boring to you all, but we have finally found a bread the Violet can eat! (Read about Violet's allergy issues here) It's dairy and soy free and it's from Panera (their white whole grain bread). This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for us with meals. We still can't do cheese and haven't tried peanut butter, so I have to be a little more creative.

For this meal I made 'guacamole sandwiches'. I desperately wanted Violet to like her first real sandwich experience, so I thought guacamole would be the way to go - it's her favorite food! I used it to make a kind of chicken salad - I chopped up grilled chicken, tomatoes, and spinach and mixed them together with a single serving packet of Wholly Guacamole. I spread the mixture over the bread and grilled it in olive oil.

Now I'm not much of a cook but let me tell you it was DEE-LICIOUS. I thought so, the Hubster thought so, and Violet certainly thought so. She wolfed that sandwich down so fast I couldn't believe it. And perhaps more importantly, she asked for more! I don't know if she's ever asked for more of a meal before (just snacks, and, of course - guacamole!)

It was a great feeling. I even called my mom to tell her because I was so excited about it and, I'll be honest, kind of proud of myself. It sounds so ridiculous saying I was proud of creating a grilled sandwich for my kid, but that's how I felt. And do you know what? I think we need to celebrate those small victories when we can. I've been feeling kind of tired and down lately (maybe the winter blues?) and it was nice to have something to feel excited about, silly as it may seem. Anyway, I'll stop rambling because I want to see what you fed your little ones this week! You can link up below...

xo, Lauren