Pretty in Plaid

This past weekend was a pretty low key weekend for us.  Anyone else welcome those types of weekends?  Ever since we had kids we have been constantly on the go!  Sometimes it is good to relax and not have much on the calendar!

I've been thinking about July 4th weekend coming up.  I love these summer holiday weekends because there are always fun activities to do as a family.  My 4 year old is now into fireworks so he keeps asking if he can sit on the beach and watch them!  So cute!  I can't wait to watch his eyes light up as he sees them!

 This plaid shirt and shorts combo from Goodnight Macaroon is so adorable!  I love plaid!  Maybe it's the influence of that private school uniform!  Plaid is so classic and really never goes out of style. This outfit would be great for a 4th of July picnic or BBQ!

Loving my cat-eye sunglasses from LOFT!  They are under $20 (currently on sale) and totally worth it.  Rose is one of my favorite colors for accessories!

Outfit Details:  Shirt & Shorts Combo (Medium) // Sunglasses // Shoes (Similar)  // Watch (Similar) // Fitbit :)

Here are some of my plaid & 4th of July favs:

Hope you have a beautiful week!

Fresh or Fake?

I have a love affair with flowers.  I love the way the look, the way they smell, the impression they give when you see them, and the message they send when you give them to someone.  Should my husband should be jealous?!

Seriously, I do love flowers and I try to fill my house with them.  However, although I love them so much I'm constantly in reality check when I realize I don't have time to purchase or attend to them the way I should.  So, what do I do?  I fill my house with fake & fresh flowers!  What?!!  Yup, I admit it.  I do.  And although some people may find it cheesy I feel like fake or fresh flowers can add something to a room.

These peonies added a pop of color to my dining room!  Just what I was looking for in my mercury glass vase.  Fresh or Fake?  FAKE

Photo Details: Pottery Barn Vase (Similar) //  Silk Flower (Similar) // Chandelier (Similar) // Wallpaper

If you didn't know already, my name Kataliya is the name of an orchid, my favorite flower!  Orchids I am told are easy to take care of.  But when you live in varying climates and not the hot/humid climate orchids thrive in keeping them viable can be challenging.  These orchids add a focal point when entering my house.  Fresh or Fake?  FAKE

Photo Details: Silk Flowers in Vase (Similar) // Console Table

These peonies added height to my eat in kitchen area.  I did a post on the outcome of our mini renovation of our eat in kitchen area and this antique singer sewing machine table here.  Fresh or Fake?  FRESH

Photo Details: Vase (Similar)  // Bistro Chairs // Bench

 These hydrangeas and roses add some interest and anchor the brightly colored vases sitting on my mantel.  The corner adds color to a neutral area.  Fresh or Fake?  FAKE

Photo Details:  Mirror (Similar) // Vases (Similar) // Silk Flowers (Hydrangeas & Roses)

These hydrangeas add a pop of color to an otherwise neutral bedroom.  I wanted something that would stand out from the wallpaper and these did the trick.  Fresh or Fake?  FAKE

Photo Details:  Vase (Similar) //  Hydrangeas // Photo Frame (Similar) // Lamp (Similar) // Headboard  (Same one in Ivory) // Side Table (Similar)

Can you tell I love hydrangeas?  They are so full and yield a lot of flower for your money.  They are also easy to take care of and last a long time.  Fresh or Fake?  FRESH

Photo Details:  Vase

My point is this, whether your flowers are fresh or fake, they add a little something special to your space.  When thinking about using fresh or fake flowers you must consider budget, time, and availability of what you are looking for.

May flowers bloom in all corners of YOUR world!

Hooked on Crochet

This past weekend we finally went out to a semi-nice dinner with the kids!  Success!!  It was the type of restaurant that didn't have a kids menu but could make certain kid friendly foods for them. For those of you who are parents, you know what I'm talking about...yes, the restaurant we are all afraid to take our kids to (wink, wink).  Luckily, they were well behaved, loved their dinner, and had a great time!

Our trick when looking for a place to eat is finding a restaurant where we can easily walk to get dessert close by (like an ice cream shop) and/or a place that is close to a park or playground so they can run around a little after dinner.

I wore these cute crochet rimmed shorts for under $15.  Similar versions are here and here.

I love crochet!  It reminds me of my grandmother who did a lot of crocheting and knitting when I was growing up.  I talked about another crochet shirt in a previous link here.  It's also so feminine and pretty!

I was looking for a shirt that would go well with the shorts and wanted something more flowing and chiffon like material instead of cotton.  This tank is great, very light, and not too dressy.  Similar styles are here and here.

I blogged about  these shoes in a  previous post.  So comfy and I love the studs!

We absolutely love being by the water!  If you've seen my other posts you'll notice a water them...ha!  It's just so healing.  If you live in Westchester, NY Pierson Park in Tarrytown is one of our favs!

Overall, a beautiful weekend and an amazing night out with our kids!

Outfit details:
tank // shorts // shoes // watch (similar)// sunglasses

Here are some crochet pieces I have my eye on:

Magical Malta

If you have not yet considered visiting Malta then this beautiful country should be on your bucket list!  Malta is by far one of our favorite places and we were lucky enough to take a weeks vacation there in the early spring a few years ago before we had kids.  It's not the easiest place to get to but I promise, it is worth the trip!

Mgarr Church, Malta

Malta, also known as the Maltese Islands, is made up of 3 islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino.  It is nestled in the Mediterranean with it's closest neighbors Sicily (to the North) and North Africa (to the South & West).  It's proximity to different countries has made Malta a melting pot of customs & cultures with traces of history from many different empires.  I'm no historian, however, one of the reasons we love Malta so much is due to the melding of influences throughout history.  It made for a unique and historic visit to this small European country!

For this trip we decided to rent a car driving on the wrong (or right side) of the road.  That was an adventure in itself!  If you've ever been to Europe then you've experience their love of the "roundabout" or "rotary".  The roundabouts were in definite excess in Malta and combining that with driving on the opposite side of the road, well, let's just say it was interesting!  Renting the car allowed us to explore the island on our own which we usually prefer to do at our own pace.  We found so many nooks and crannies and it made us feel more immersed in the day to day life.

RABAT

One of our first stops was in Rabat and we were lucky to be there for Feast of St. Joseph.  Malta is a Catholic country and they take their religious festivals very seriously!  We had so much fun watching & being among the parade of people.  You really couldn't avoid it!

Walking through the narrow streets and alleys hung beautiful chandeliers and lanterns.  I also have a love for European doorways and these were amazing!

MDina

This fortified city has a lot of history and was the capital of Malta up until the medieval times.  Mdina retains most of its original architecture and boosts narrow alleyways and centuries old buildings.  It also sits on top of a hill lending to beautiful views of the island.

Mdina is a sleepy village and easily walkable.  It's really like nothing you've ever seen and the architecture is outstanding!

We stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral, which like many churches in Europe, was built within a small square.  St. Paul's really just seems to jump out of nowhere.  It was pretty impressive with beautiful interior!  A must see during a stroll through Mdina!

Marsaxlokk Bay

Marsaxlokk was one of our favorite destinations in Malta!  It's located on the water and has a very popular open fish and food market on Sundays until around 12:30 pm.

The fishing boats were painting bright beautiful colors and stood out in the bay.  We ate lunch at one of the local restaurants and had one of the most delicious seafood meals!  This scenic waterfront town should be a definite to do on your Malta list!

Valletta

 

Valletta is the current capital of Malta and a UNESCO World Heritage site.  There is a lot of history in Valletta with beautiful architecture and art influence.  We primarily walked around Valletta, admired it's architecture, and visited St. John's Cathedral.

We people watched in Palace Square which houses the Grandmaster's Palace, the government center.

At dusk, we found our way to the Upper Barrakka Gardens with a beautiful view of the 3 cities.  I highly recommend this view.  It was gorgeous!

Overall, this was an amazing trip!  Highly worth it and like nothing we had ever experienced before!

Happy Travels!

 

Beach Bummin': Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

This weekend we spent time in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.  The kids love the beach as you may have seen in my previous post.  There is so much to do in Point Pleasant Beach and if you haven't been there already the beach is only one of the highlights of the area.  It's only about an hour and half from New York City by car if you don't hit traffic.  Get their early and stay the day or overnight at one of the the motels!  It's a hot spot for families!

I used this extra large canvas tote to cart around my boys' stuff!  OMG, do kids have a lot of "stuff". It can take us up to an hour sometimes to get ready!  This was a great buy since it is so cute, extra large, and a price point at around $30.

This straw hat and these sunglasses are from KMart people!  Both priced under $10 and totally cute! I do like accessories but I have a hard time spending a lot of money on them since I tend to change my taste often enough.  So, these were right up my ally!

My bathing suit/tankini is an older one similar versions here and here.  The ruching is very sliming and you can pair the black top with virtually any bottom.  Since I've had kids I've been less comfortable in bikinis and although I still own a few I've been purchasing more and more tankini and one pieces.  Anyway, one piece bathing suits have become very popular and styles have also become more flattering and sexy!  The linen pants are from Thailand (via my mom :).

The boys had so much fun playing in the sand!  They were totally fighting over their sand trucks.  Those sand trucks (or any truck really) are crazy popular in our house!  Little T is wearing this bathing suit bottom which was under $10!  Love that since these kids go through clothes so quickly!  All the other outfit pieces are hand me downs from big brother or older items. Here are links to Little T's hat and Little J's hat.  I always have a hard time finding good toddler/little boy baseball caps that don't cost a fortune so I was so excited to find these under $10 and they LOVE them.

After a day at the beach the boys were excited to go check out the rides at the Jenkinson's Boardwalk! We took them in style in their personalized cart which they totally prefer over the stroller these days.

Even Daddy got in on the rides!  My boys were not leaving without a turn on the trucks!

Here are more beach accessories I'm loving this season:

Don't forget your sunscreen!