Don’t mind if I fondue
Hi friends! How are you? How was the weekend?
Ours was packed with fun events, and in between the activities and parties, we managed to get a lot of things done around the house.
I FINALLY finished Livi’s little photo collage I’d been working on, and think it came out pretty well.
(She gasped and said, “I love it” when she saw it, so I’ll call it a win.)
This may have been a simple project, but some serious logistics went into the frames. First, I found this gorgeous Rapunzel mandala last summer on Etsy, but haven’t been able to find a frame for its unique dimensions. Finally, we took it to Michael’s to get framed, and picked out plastic instead of glass and a super light wood border. For the other pics, I found this cute “O” print (also on Etsy) and some family photos.
In my brain, the photos were going to go above the headboard part of her bed. After thinking about it, the thought of hanging them above her headboard freaked me out, especially since she has a tendency to do gymnastics and prop her feet against the walls. We decided to hang them to the side of the bed, and opted for incredibly light plastic frames. This way, if weather or tiny hands manage to knock them off, no glass will be shattering.
I painted the Ikea frames,
the Pilot secured said frames,
and it was good to go! I was excited to add something new to Livi’s room since we’ve been working so much on finishing the baby’s room.
Friday night, we had dinner at Jess’ house, which included fondue. It made me realize how much fondue has been missing from my life. Melting Post used to be our classic anniversary spot, and we haven’t been back in way too long.
(Dessert fondue with pound cake, strawberries, and mini Oreos. I know, right?)
I made a fall salad to take over to her house with arugula, pear (with a squeeze of lemon on the slices so they wouldn’t brown), feta,
spiced pecans,
(butter, maple syrup, sea salt, pepper, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne)
and this delightful homemade fig balsamic vinaigrette.
In the container (my fave dressing shaker from Pampered Chef):
1/4 cup fig balsamic vinegar (any fruity or balsamic vinegar would work; I found this one at home goods)
3/4 cup olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
We had the salad along with cheesy fondue + dippers, chicken, and the above [insanely delicious] chocolate fondue. The girls ran around and played while the adults hung out; it was a great night.
Saturday morning was Livi’s ballet class, an interview, errands, and Winston’s 2nd bday party! Little man is obsessed with tractors, so I’m sure he was pretty stoked to have one in his driveway.
We hung out with friends, enjoyed amazing food,
and the kiddos jumped like crazy in the jump house.
Love this little lady so much. <3
Sunday was packed with the usual to-do rotation, and ended up with a date night in Little Italy.
Workout-wise, I got in a 21dayfix workout and a barre class. Motivation has been lacking with the heat -I’m ready to be complaining that I’m cold haha- and just feeling slow/lethargic in general. I just remind myself how amazing I feel when it’s over, and it’s usually enough to get me going. (The group motivation in our 21dayfix group has been so helpful, too!)
Going to get in a quick sweat session before it heats up and head into the day’s adventures. 🙂
Hope you have a very happy Monday!
xoxo
Gina
Workout of the day: this standing core workout! Get in a total core workout without having to get on the floor.
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That is a great idea with the “tractor” I have never been to the melting pot, it is on my list of things to do. Have a great workout!!
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it’s a fun date night spot, and the dessert is INSANE
Do you know I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a pear? I used to make a similar salad with apples and balsamic with olive oil dressing. I haven’t made it in years, but it’ll give me a good excuse to try a pear. Glad to hear you had a good weekend!
no way!!
hope you have a great morning. <3
You have me totally craving fondue now! haha! Looks like a really wonderful weekend, love the photos for Liv! So sweet to include her while also getting things ready for the baby. I love that <3
thank you! i’m trying to include her as much as we can. she’s been sneaking toys out of the baby’s room hahah
hope you have a great morning!
Oh I love fondue so much! We used to make it a lot but I kind of got over it. The Melting Pot is so yum! Cute idea with the frames. I have these great photos for Cooper’s room but I’ve been way too lazy to get them framed!
it’s easy to burn out on it, but we haven’t had it in way too long!!
That salad looks amazing! I’m kind of mad that I don’t have the ingredients to make it right now!
it was so good! i definitely need to make them more often 🙂 let me know if you try it!
I’m going to sub as close as I can for lunch–kale, Irish cheddar, pears, and pecans will still be delicious!
that sounds perfect!
This salad looks soooo delicious! 😀
Love that navy dress of yours! Also, where do you usually get your feta? It looks so creamy in that photo of the salad! I usually get the block of feta from Trader Joe’s, but maybe I need to try something else. Looks like a fun weekend!
I’ve been really into photo collages, too, lately. I hung one in my son’s room, but two of the frames don’t even have photos yet. I guess I get one point for hanging it and negative points for failing to actually print photos, so it all evens out. 🙂
thank you! it’s one of the few that fits me right now 🙂
trader joes! it’s in a yellow package from israel, and it is THE BEST
I love all your pictures! Looks like such a great weekend. That salad dressing looks so delicious, I can’t wait to try it out.
thank you so much! hope you love the dressing 🙂
FONDUE and YUMMY Salad! Looks like a great weekend 🙂 My little cousin is obsessed with tractors as well, too cute!
Mmm fondue! I’m glad Liv liked her new wall collage!
I have that same salad shaker- amazing salad!!
the best!
Livi is such a sweet heart her room decorations look so cute! You look amazing too by the way.
thank you so much! <3