family – forEVR and always

Florida

February 26, 2016February 26, 20161 Comment

We were lucky enough to spend this past week in Florida with Jay’s family! We went to the ocean, swam in the pool, went on walks and bike rides, were able to go out to dinner (a few times without the girls!), we got to go to the movies, and most importantly spend time with everyone all together.

Here are some pictures from the trip, more on traveling with the tiny monsters next week…

(girls first time seeing the ocean)

(i love this one so much)

(what twin life is really like…trying to make one happy while the other one eats my hair)

(these are the first onesies i bought them when i found out they were girls)

(love that boy)

(the high chairs we rented were HUGE, made E look super tiny)

xo-j

6 months

January 4, 20163 Comments

Well, as you can imagine life has been a bit crazy here, doesn’t allow for to much blogging (or anything) time! In a few short days our girls are going to be 6 months old, and I’m truly not sure how that happened. Everyone says time flies, but it really has…not to say there weren’t some long days…such long days (like when our ac broke and we were sleeping on our living room floor right after coming home from the hospital, healing from my surgery, all crazed up on blood pressure meds, and driving an hour+ each way everyday to see our girls for 3 weeks…but those are all their own separate stories).

V & E grow every single day, they are rolling, laughing, grabbing, eating, and constantly wanting to play and snuggle. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the amount of insane love I could have for not one, but two people. These past 6 months have been the most insane, complicated, tiring, and fantastic of my life. So here are some of my favorites from these past few months, I can’t wait to see what is coming next.

FullSizeRender

xo-J

Thanksgiving (video)

December 1, 2013December 1, 20132 Comments

This weekend was a blast, it was tiring, but man was it fun! Both Jay and my family came and celebrated Thanksgiving here at our house. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family (on both sides). Everyone pitched in and it turned out to be a really enjoyable day. We got some shopping in on Friday, saw Hunger Games, had a fun dinner out with the family, and by Saturday were totally and completely wiped. Thank you family for traveling here, helping me as I panicked the past 3 weeks about the turkey (Mom!), and making so much food I won’t have to cook again until Monday!

Below is a quick video of Thanksgiving – the prep, family, and then getting our Christmas tree! It’s crazy how quickly Christmas will be here.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

xo- j

Easy Bean

October 9, 2013October 9, 20132 Comments

I have said this time and time again, my Mom is the most amazing cook. She makes the simplest things beyond delicious. This is one of the easiest recipes to make on a weeknight and it is not only healthy but really tasty! Mom, I’m sorry to tell the world that you are the queen of easy cooking…but it’s all so good who cares!

BEANS & VEG RECIPE

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 cans of beans (sometimes I use kidney sometimes black, other times a combo, does not matter)
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
A bunch of vegetables (different every time, but ALWAYS diced tomatoes):
Frozen broccoli
Frozen greenbeans
Can of corn
Water chestnuts (seriously anything you have)
Can of diced tomatoes
Cooked Rice (I use trader joes ready rice that you cook in the microwave)
1 cup or so of mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat up all those vegetables…that’s right, throw them in a pan together frozen or canned who cares and cook them. The only thing is make sure anything canned has been drained. This will take about 5 minutes.

2. Add the beans (make sure they are drained)

3. Stir it all up and add the garlic & onion salt (do this to taste, I use more like a tbsp of garlic salt, and I use a lot of red and black pepper)

4. Let that cook up for about 10 minutes or until you see some bubbles. And in the meantime cook up your rice. Trader Joe’s is seriously amazing for this, it’s 2 minutes in the microwave. Once you see bubbles, do a taste test to see if you have the right amount of seasonings. Then mix it all together…

5. Now top all that mixture with cheese (again, I use a ton)

6. That is it! It seems like it would be bland or boring but it is hearty and extremely delicious!

Enjoy this amazing weeknight meal!

xo- j

Julie is amazing

August 20, 2013Leave a comment

We were in Newport last week with Jay’s family and as you can see I posted some (meh) pictures below from my phone. Julie just posted all her pictures and they are so fantastic (she’s an amazing photographer). I am so lucky to have her as my future sister-in-law and, regardless of Jay, one of my favorite people on earth. Anyways, here are some of her pics that I love…

xo-j

New York I Love You

July 15, 2013Leave a comment

I can’t believe that tomorrow night I will get on a train, leave my job, family, the city, and go start our new life in Mass. I’m beyond excited and wildly nervous all at the same time. So many huge changes are ahead of us…

The past couple weeks I have been trying to appreciate New York as much as I possibly can. Walking to work instead of taking the subway, looking up at buildings, and pretending to be a tourist everywhere I go. New York, thank you for everything you have given me…my first real job, where, hey, I ended up meeting my future husband, my first apartment, meeting some of my best friends, the crazy weekends and weeknights out way too late…if I named everything I love we would be here for a month. NY, I will miss you, but it’s time to go…

xo always and forever ny – j

My boys

June 17, 2013June 17, 2013Leave a comment

I know I always say we are busy, but this weekend was really crazy…and for us to say it’s crazy is something. Friday, I ran into a friend who was moving the very next day (by chance on the subway!) and ended up getting to say goodbye to her at her apartment, went to meet Jay (who had been celebrating his last day of work!) and then stayed out way too late with friends.

Saturday we went to Smorgasburg, a bbq with friends, and Postal Service at Barclay’s. It may sound silly, but having things that both Jay and I were loving long before we loved each other (like PS) makes me so happy!

Sunday I went home to celebrate my other main man, Dad! We had a yummy brunch, family walk, relaxed in the house, and went to the fruit stand. Dad, love you, you know this. (see ridiculous cat pet below)

When I got home Sunday night, we decided to go to see a late show of Superman. Yes, I’m tired today, but it was worth it! Nothing like a summer superhero blockbuster!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

xo-j

Mother’s day

May 13, 20132 Comments

We had a wonderful Mother’s Day as a family at home in Flemington this weekend! I managed to go to the same grocery store 4 times in 36 hours…amazing. Sunday we had a family breakfast where we all pitched in (except for Mom of course) and then had a relaxing day all together!

(baked french toast can be found here)

(Goofing around with Mom on Shop Rite trip #3. Dad and I searched for Bacon for 15 minutes with no luck…the master showed us where we missed!)

(beautiful sky from the parking lot)

Love you Mama!

xo- j

city birthday

April 29, 2013Leave a comment

This weekend Mom, Nick, and Mom’s cousin Susan came into the city for a fun tourist day! We went to see the reflecting pools at WTC, visited the museum, and enjoyed lunch and a walk in Williamsburg. The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful! Besides my tummy, it was a perfect day. Plus, it was the first time family got to see Jay and I since our engagement…so fun!

Sunday was Mom (and Susan!)’s birthday! We celebrated with a ton of junk food, presents, and a drive around home. How lucky am I to have grown up here…

Then we watched the Celtics finally win a game, and I was back to Brooklyn to be with my boys.

The most important take away from weekends like this is how lucky I am to have my family. Mom, happy happy happy birthday. I love you so much!

xo-j

egg cupcakes

March 29, 2013Leave a comment

Last night jay had a basketball game, and when I am home alone….I go crazy after a while. I can’t stand having idle hands! I decided to try and make Easter cupcakes in eggshells. They turned out great and I thought I would share the how to!

WHAT YOU NEED:

12 large eggs (you will empty them out, and if your cupcake recipe calls for eggs you can use the inside of the ones you empty)
Corkscrew
Foil
Plastic Bag
Cupcake mix or recipe of your choosing (you can fill these with any cupcake batter)

1. Wash your eggs!

2. Take the corkscrew and make a pin-sized hole in the bottom of the egg. Then slowly make the hole larger so that it is around the size of a dime. Don’t be afraid to press hard into the egg!

2. Empty the contents of the egg into a bowl using the corkscrew to ease it out. When you are done rinse the eggs well inside and out, then put in a saltwater bath for 30 minutes (make sure to let the saltwater get into the egg so it sinks)