The weather outside is frightful

...that lonely tree is our Christmas tree. We put him on our porch after deciding, on the day after Christmas, that we needed the space in our living room. Maybe I should crochet him a sweater? ;) Mirabel seems to be enjoying the view from inside.

Our last fall in New England

Gloucester

If you love fish, you'll love Gloucester. It's a fairly small town right along the Atlantic, with a few beaches and plenty of fish restaurants, including my new favorite: Lobsta Land! I can't decide whether I like it more because of the name or the actual fish they serve ;). We visited about two weekends ago and I inhaled the cod. So good, so fresh. No fishy taste whatsoever. I ordered it without the butter sauce and it was still delicious, with just a little lemon and salt.

...these two lobstas got away, and the one in the background was attempting to escape too, I think ;).

After visiting Lobsta Land, we stopped by a castle built by the guy who invented the remote control (with all that money, he had to invent something fun...like a castle, of course :P). It was gorgeous. Amazing ocean views. Check out the photos from our trip below...

Weekend Projects and Sunshine

When it comes to boutique items, I am guilty of wanting to purchase more than I should. I can easily spend hours browsing all of the colorful handmade items on Etsy. Whether it's a pair of button earrings or an adorable purse with fun fabric, it's all delicious eye candy to me. Sometimes, to save a few bucks (or many ;), I actually try to make these items. I usually don't have the "skillz" or materials, but I work with what I've got.

I just don't feel right splurging on little treats like this very often, especially with a kiddo on the way. And I really don't see myself spending $60 on a sweet looking handbag.

Oh! But Little Odd Forest has such cute handbags and totes, click here to see what I mean. Who can resist? (I can, honestly folks, but let's just say I can't. ;)

Problem? Yes. Solution...

This past weekend I TRIED to make a similar handbag/diaper tote for Mirabel. I have so many random scraps of fabric. And sometimes I give in and buy a fat quarter or two of irresistible/adorable Japanese fabric, from Etsy, of course. I just so happened to have a little more than a fat quarter of pink nesting doll fabric, purchased earlier on in the pregnancy for Mirabel (you see, I was justified in making this "wise" investment ;). But the fabric was so cute, I was hesitant to cut into it... until I spotted the Odd Forest handbags!

Definitely not perfect. It's got its flaws and I'm still learnin'. But, by golly, I had a whole lotta fun making this bag. I will add that my seam ripper came to my rescue many times; it's my new best friend :).

Here are a few close-ups of the final product, including the nesting doll fabric. I added a few big pockets to the inside, too (can't have too many of those, especially with a baby!). The orange buttons came all the way from Bulgaria! They're from one of last summer's Etsy purchases :).

After finishing up the bag, Jose and I felt it was time for a sunshine break! Thankfully, we've got plenty of sun these days :). A nice change from the dreary weather. I think it's safe to say that spring has sprung.

I love pink trees. If only they tasted like cotton candy!

I almost forgot! We have a new neighborhood pal, meet Al. He's the albino squirrel that lives on our block :).

Fall trip

Things have slowed down a bit around here. We decided to get out of the house last weekend (we've been cooped up for about 2 months!)... it was time for a trip, a low-key one. The fall foliage is at its peak, the weather is crisp and things, really, couldn't be better. I appreciate all of your comments and kind words/thoughts/prayers. Thankfully, everyone's doing well. The appointment last week went smoothly; we got to see our kiddo wiggle, he was asleep but the nurse insisted on waking him up so we could catch of glimpse of the baby in action. It's so cute and little! This ultrasound was from last week, I took the picture with my phone which is why it's a bit blurry:


I have a feeling I'm going to be one of those moms that takes too many pictures of their kids :P... but at least he/she doesn't mind now :)!

So our trip last week... it was so fun and relaxing. We wanted to go apple picking again this year, but with the clot issue creating a need to rest/not walk around so much, Jose and I thought an adventure to the Berkshires would be appropriate.

Stockbridge, MA

Located in what I'd call the East Coast countryside/mountains, the Berkshires, home to a group of small cities, is the place to visit when you're in Massachusetts. We spent most of our time in Lenox and Stockbridge, where we wandered over to the Norman Rockwell museum. (FYI, this is where Rockwell's Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas painting comes to life every year around Christmas time.) Then we headed over to The Berkshire Scenic Railway for an old-time train ride. Literally old time! No heating, rickety and a little rusty... the whole shebang, so fun! The scenery distracted us from the bitter cold :), especially during the train ride.


The drive up there was an experience in itself; it's going down as one of the most scenic drives I've ever taken. Ah... and dinner! Instead of staying over night and spending more money, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice but affordable meal. I just can't wait for Thanksgiving, so I had turkey, veggies, cheesy mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce and the best butternut squash soup! Jose enjoyed a yummy pork/date stew with a potato cake, veggies and broccoli/bacon soup.


The restaurant is part of a cozy bed and breakfast! It was freezing outside when we arrived (I was wearing long underwear, makes a big difference!), so the warm vintage cottage-like restaurant/inn was extra inviting. We made reservations, got there right at 5, and had the whole place to ourselves. Mr. A and I got to chat and enjoy a good meal, with tea and hot chocolate... I love dates :). So what's the name of this restaurant I keep going on an on about? It's Rumplestiltzkin's (cute name), located in Lenox, MA!

View during the train ride.

Weekend Trip

This past Sunday, we took a trip to Gloucester and Rockport. So far, they are the most beautiful East Coast cities I've visited (haven't been to that many places yet!). New York City was fun, but Jose and I both enjoyed this trip a whole lot more. Gloucester and Rockport were peaceful and relaxing; no anxious crowds and noisy city streets.

We went to Halibut Point first then visited the lighthouse featured in The Perfect Storm. We wanted to try some fresh lobster at Roy Moore Lobster Co., but, being complete out-of-towners, it didn't occur to us that it'd be closed for the season. We're definitely going back, though :).

Our trip ended on a sweet note at Nichols Candies, where we loaded up on salt water taffy and tons of chocolate. Nichols chocolate is THE best; I loved their truffles. It's such a cute candy shoppe; the place is divided in two by a wall with a big glass window. The first room consists of the actual store and customers can view the little 'factory' in the adjoining second room through the dividing window. The old candy-making machines they've been using for years are on display there :).

This house (pictured below) is kind of hard to see (click to enlarge), but we both took turns snapping shots of it because we liked it so much (...getting ideas for our future home :).