One More Question to Pop...

Will you be my bridesmaid/groomsman?

Since Marvin and I don't live close to any of our bridesmaids or groomsmen, we wanted to come up with a special way to ask them to be a part of our big day.  I decided to make my ladies pretty little boxes to pop the question and Marvin used cards with an attached cigar to ask his groomsmen - Marvin obviously took the easy way out. ;)

Marvin's cute self before sending out his groomsmen requests.

Of course, chocolate cigars for young men.

I ordered plain cigar boxes, painted them, and stuffed them with information, bubble bath, confetti, nail polish, and a mini bottle of Rose Moet (cheers!).  It was at about the 4th box that I considered cutting my bridal party in half because the painting had suddenly become less exciting.  Is it just me or does painting always take 4 times longer than you predicted?  The reaction for all of my bridesmaids was well worth the work!  I'd do it all over again just to see those smiles and some happy tears again!  Or to hear my sister scream in the middle of Granite City restaurant!

Finished product!

I flew to Iowa last weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday.  It was a fabulous trip and I was thrilled that I had the chance to catch up with some of my favorite ladies!  It was perfect timing for me to also give some of my ladies their bridesmaids' boxes.

My baby sister's box :)

My mom's surprise birthday dinner.

Now that's a birthday girl, my gorgeous momma!

So, how stoked are you all for St. Patrick's day?  I wish I was in Iowa to celebrate my Irishness (just made that word up!) with my crazy Irish mom, Ms. Farrell, but I have some fun things planned for the kids!  I think Marvin and I deserve a nice ice cold green beer too - yum!

Love Is All You Need

I have never understood why some people are so negative when Valentine's day comes around. I LOVE this holiday. Even when I was single, I loved Valentine's day. It's fun, adorable, filled with red and pink, and chocolate! I realize it's a made up holiday. It's just fun to recognize the ones you l-o-v-e! I don't believe that one day should display the love you have for someone. This should be displayed year round - February 14th is just a fun day to celebrate your love. Don't put pressure on this date. Just enjoy it. And that's what we did! We had a "fancy" dinner at home with Paris & Sophia. We ordered takeout from Capital Grille (one of our favorite steak restaurants), dressed up, and decorated.

The girls woke up to teddy bears, balloons, bracelets, flowers and baseball gloves from dad. I woke up to lots of roses, love letters, jewelry, and other surprises.

Hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's day! xo

Sophie did her own make up. :)

Typical gift from dad, right? lol

Paris & Sophia's valentine's for their friends - Hershey chocolate bars!

What a Few Glasses of Wine While Watching "Marley & Me" Will Get Ya...

Meet Dax.

I said to the kids that we will never get a dog.  Like, sat them down and told them to quit asking because it was NEVER going to happen. They've been asking since we moved to the east coast.  

I asked Marvin to have a glass of wine and watch Marley & Me with me one night last week.  It's probably the only movie that I had already seen, but he hadn't.  It's one of my favorite movies and so adorable.  So, we snuggle up and start watching.  Marvin interrupted the movie a trillion times with, "Oh, can we please get a dog?".  I laughed and told him to hush up and watch the movie.  At the end of the movie he asked if he could just go look at puppies. Oh, you can look all day long, honey. We. Are. Not. Getting. A. Dog.

Then, he sends me this picture.

Melt. My. Heart.

And one week later, here he is in our home...to stay. Forever. 

I absolutely adore him. Now, of course there were some negotiations before I said yes.  

#1 I will never pick up doggie poop 

#2 I will never pick up doggie poop 

and 

#3 I will never pick up doggie poop

He's a sweet and playful pup and the perfect addition to our family!  Plus, it's fun to watch Marvin train Mr. Dax!

Presh.

Watching the Puppy Bowl on Beyonce Super Bowl Sunday.

Worn out pup!

In other news...

We booked our wedding ceremony and reception venue!  It will be at the beautiful, bella sala.  I'm getting so excited to begin wedding planning!

Shake Them Dice & Roll 'Em

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but I'll give you a brief overview of what happened while we were there!  First of all...SO MUCH FUN!  Our time went by way too fast, so I can't wait to get back and really experience Vegas.  We literally stayed at our hotel the entire time we were there.  There was a brief 30 second look down the strip, but it was freezing, so we hibernated at MGM Grand.  We had delicious food and drinks, gambled, and relaxed.   Our hotel was enormous and our room was stunning.  Absolutely stunning.  Marvin had picked out a gorgeous suite, but the hotel messed up our reservations.  With a tongue lashing firm display of disappointment and disapproval from yours truly to the hotel staff, we were upgraded to the Skyline Marquee Suite!  It was waaaay too big for us, but it was definitely fabulous!  

We didn't take a lot of photos, but here are a few:

 

Oven Mitts & Saki.

Vogue.

In the words of 'Ye, "Sunglasses and Advil, last night was mad real".  Truth.

The best part...coming home to these two cuties!

Happiest Place on Earth (Close to It)

Last weekend we had a blast taking the girls to see Disney on Ice: Rockin' Ever After in Philadelphia.  Disney always puts 100% into what ever they do and the show was perfect! The costumes, actors, and choreography was amazing! I think that Marvin and I ended up enjoying the show more than Paris & Sophia.  We recalled what characters we love (Me: Jasmine & Belle...oh, I just remembered how much I love Tinkerbell too! Marvin: Simba, Mufasa and The Beast) and our favorite Disney songs. I cannot wait until we have a chance to go to Disneyland or Disney World as a family.  I know the girls will fall in love!

Isn't Minnie adorable?

Me & Paris

The $4,543.57 Snow Cone.

Princess P & Dad

Dreams Come True.

Before we went to Disney on Ice we had lunch a Max Brenner's.  It's a restaurant that we've been to a few times located in downtown Philly. It's a chocolate restaurant...yes, a chocolate restaurant.  It's kid-friendly and the atmosphere is hip and fun!  I indulged in a chocolate martini with a coconut chocolate-covered strawberry and chocolate syrup! DELISH.

When we go to restaurants we have the girls order on their own to practice their manners and gain confidence in speaking.  Paris was the last to order and I wasn't really paying attention while she was ordering.  Sophie had ordered a peanut butter sandwich with chocolate dipping sauce, I had a BLT, Marvin ordered about 57 different meals, and Paris, well, she got this....

 Max's Palace Famous Chocolate Mess Party.

Smooth Operator

Here's the description of the Mess Party taken directly from their menu: (for 2 children) Warm chocolate mud cake in a chocolate swimming pool, whipped cream mountains, ice cream bowling balls, chocolate rocks and toffee sauce from candy bees. Served with jungle bananas or strawberries from the rainbow fields.  

Nice, healthy lunch, huh? Yeah...time to start talking about healthy food choices.

Speaking of healthy, Marvin and I are jumping into eating healthier after our trip this weekend.  I'll be posting our goals next week!  We are headed to VEGAS! I'm way thrilled to have an adult mini vacation!

I'll leave you with these beauties...

Roses & Peonies (swoon!)

New Year. New Blog.

The past year has flown by so fast and within that time I have had so many amazing experiences.  I want to capture and record as much of it as I can, so I have decided to begin a blog for my family: Mixed McNutt's. Our life is just like a bowl of mixed nuts - you never know what's next...something I had to definitely get used to!

In the past year I have gotten engaged, went from office to home office, moved from the midwest to the east coast, curly to straight hair, moved into a new house, survived Hurricane Sandy, visited Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  I have watched my daughters grow, learn, and sparkle.  My relationship with Marvin grows daily.  I've watched Marvin go from NFL training, combine, NFL draft (STRESS!), practice squad, to that 53-man roster!  We have amazing families that have grown into a family as well this past year.  Oh, I also became a Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader...not an official cheerleader, but I have the spirit of one when my man is on that field!  In the last year, my relationship with God has grown stronger, I've become more organized, I've been a decorating mad-woman, and a stronger person in general.  I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store for me and my family.

Follow Mixed McNutts for a slowed down version of our fast paced life!