This Week On "Charlie In Charge"

Hello beautiful people!! T.A.I.F!! I hope everyone had a great week. I started my modified work schedule this week, and it feels great. I only work 5 hours a day now, and spend the rest of my hours stalking the Michael's craft store dollar isle elevating my feet. Truthfully this is what I NEEDED, my friends. Having my cankles elevated in the afternoons has helped my Frodo Baggins feet immensely.

Here are some things I've been up to this week:

1. Planning my outfits for this weekend...

I have two pretty major things to attend this weekend. On Saturday night the school Joel teaches at will be hosting their annual Garden Party. It's this great event for parents and faulty to eat, drink and enjoy the beautiful campus. Last year it was so cold and rainy! My dress barely made an appearance because I was wrapped in a coat all night.

(Sidebar: I tried to find a pic of my dress from Anthropologie and I had no luck. But I did find these two gems....


  

Sign me up for these beauts post pregnancy!! via Anthropologie )

This year it is essential to look good, but also FEEL good. And because of Canklegate 2010, I am limited in my outfit choices. I will not, under any circumstances, be wearing CRC (cankle revealing clothing).  It's definitely a dressy event and most women will be in a skirt/dress. BUT this is what I'm going with:

The Garden Party by charlie25 featuring a knit maternity

I'm hoping that great hair, makeup and accessories will take away from the fact I'm wearing pants. (Anyone reading this who will be there Saturday-- avert your eyes!) I'm secretly happy that I'm wearing pants. With a skirt you have to worry about looking tan, shaving, etc. (Soooo I guess I'll just be super pale and hairy and getting the last laugh? Yes.)

Sunday afternoon is my baby shower and I'm so excited!! But I am all confused about what to wear! I will definitely be sporting pants (black) but I wanted to wear a colorful, fun top. I have a lot of black shirts and honestly that's so morbid for a baby shower! (At least for ME to be wearing. If anyone is planning on wearing black to the shower I salute you. And I am jealous of you.) So I am currently on a mission to find a baby shower approps outfit. Any thoughts?

I have this shirt (which looks way better on/in person):

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

It's flattering, comfortable and with the right accessories will get the job done. But like Ariel says,  I WANT MOREEEEEE!!! I'm not looking to break the bank, but if anyone knows of shirts that fit the bill let me know!

2. I've been pushing fall in a big bad way...

I just want it to be cooler already! Yesterday was the first day of fall (how do I know this? Because my dotmine planner told me! HEYOOO), and we put up our fall wreath!! I had been promising myself that I would have it up for the first day of the season! It's from Pottery Barn and I pretty much love it.

I tried to take a picture of MY door, but it didn't look as good! Via

I also hit up Bath & Body Works and got a few little items.


Creamy Pumpkin Hand Soap



"Leaves" Candle

If you know what's good for you, you will go purchase these things too. They are delicious smelling and they will get you in the fall spirit!

OK and then something bad happened. I got alittle crazy with my fall scents obsession. I had read (here) about this limited edition Febreze called "Pumpkin Harvest & Fall", and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I went to Giant, Safeway, CVS...none of them had it! This only added to the allure. Was it so good they were sold out? Is it so limited that only a few lucky noses would be able to take a whiff? Have I set out on a quest for the 8th wonder of the natural world? All logical questions. I decided to do what any freak show savvy gal would do, and I took to the streets. EBay. There I found more bottles of Febreze Pumpkin Harvest & Fall then I could shake a fist at! But no one was selling just ONE bottle. So I bought three.

And no I haven't even smelled it yet. And yes I think paying $22.47 is redic. And no I didn't tell Joel. And yes when he reads this he will be hearing about it for the first time. (Love you long time, babe!) And no I'm not proud of it. And YES I am looking forward to spraying it liberally all over my home.

Come. To. Mama.

3. I gave myself a mani with this color...

Glitzerland

It's great! Get it. Wear it. Love it. It's a fun fall transition color! (I would have taken one of those pictures where I hold the bottle while showing off my nails, but I'm almost pos that pale-preggo-sausage-finger-man-hands need not apply for that kinda thing. Sooooo you're welcome.)

The plan is to take a lot of fun pics this weekend, and post them next week! I hope everyone has a fun, fab and safe weekend. A week from today we will reveal our next giveawayyyyyy!!

XO,

Charlie In Charge (Yes, I know the show was actually called "Charles In Charge", but whatevs!)

P.S. Here is a T.A.I.F. gift from ATOTS to you:


Via

 

Cankles, Chicken and Mullets. My weekend.

1. Sorry for the No Post Weekend, my friends! Lulu was dealing with Koenig's health (yay for dogs who make quick recoveries!) while I, among other things, was getting laughed at by a team of medical professionals. It's true. I went to the doctor's office the other day because Asia legit made me nervous about my fat feet and ankles. (Evidently Asia's opinion is held in higher regard than my own husband's, parents', and sister's opinions? Woopsies!) Anyway I went in and my fears were confirmed, I have issues.

It's so weird. I've only had the doctor I saw one other time (I rotate between 5 different docs), and she is just so blunt. Which normally I can get on board with (just call me Blunts McGee!)(Sike don't call me that. I sound like a drug dealer.), but not when it has to do with my vanity health.  She asked me why I was there, and I told her I'm not feeling 100%, and being that this is my first pregnancy I'm just trying to be overly cautious etc etc, and I showed her my gordo ankles. And this is her response, "OH MY WORD! THOSE?!?! ARE CANKLES!!!!" And sort of gives an elbow to the nurse in a, "Damn! Would ya look at those bad boys?!" way. Wait. Really? However accurate it may be, I'm pretty sure CANKLES is not medical terminology. Anyway long, and traumatic story short, I have really bad Edema in my feet/ankles/legs/soul. It may require me to go on a modified work schedule (read: more blogging! yay!), because sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day is making my anks worse.

As I was leaving I asked her if the next time I come in I should make the appointment with her. (Being that now we've bonded. And by bonded I mean she insulted me, and I sat there like a boob acting like it made sense.) And she's like, "That won't be necessary. Because ANYONE could see THOSE." And she points to my cankles (who are now weeping in the corner, wearing a dunce cap).

In the end my cankles and I took our business elsewhere. To Starbucks, duh. Where you cannot be judged based on race, creed, or cank size.

2. In more uplifting news, I made delicious tacos the other night. The recipe for the chicken is so simple (my bestie the crockpot helps) and definitely was a crowd pleaser! I served the tacos with sour cream, cheese, lettuce, etc and it was really easy!

Here is the recipe for the chicken (can't remember which blog I saw it on...sorry! I need to get better at that.):

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken
serves 4
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2) [Personally I don't think two breasts is enough. I did four because my cousin came for dinner. The guys each had two, and I had one. Always take into consideration that growing men eat twice as much!]
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
-1/3 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes [Kick it up a bit if you want more spice. I did 1/2 cup and ours were pretty darn spicy.]

Put chicken in the crockpot. Combine tomatoes, brown sugar and red pepper flakes in a bowl and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and serve on  soft tortillas.

Done and done! Sooo easy. Sooo tasty. Sooo makes you look like you know what you're doing.

3. This weekend was so nice. Friday night we went to dinner with one of our favorite priests, Father Ivany. He is the priest who celebrated our wedding and guided us through pre-Cana. He is the BEST! Saturday Joel went to a friend's bachelor party, so I was left to my own devices. A couple girlfriends (whose men were also at the bach party) and I decided to hit up the DC Big Flea Market at the Dulles Expo Center. We cleared out the car, loaded up on Starbucks, and made our way down to the show. It was the first time the three of us had been to something like this, and we were totally in sensory overload! SO. MUCH. STUFF.  And we made out like bandits!

(Unfortunately my computer is acting a fool and won't let me upload pictures right now. So I have to wait until tomorrow to post all of my sweet purchases.)

In the mean time I will leave you with this beaut...

Business in the front, party in the back.

You like how my sis-in-law and I are pretending to be super enthralled with the antiques so that this crazy beast could be captured on film?!

Sunday our cousin's family invited Lulu, me and our hubbies down to Fort Belvoir for some golf and relaxation. The men played golf while the ladies lounged and chatted. It was a great time! We had delicious Cincinnati chili, brownie sundaes and watched the heartbreaking 'Skins game :( They lost-- but it wasn't for a lack of effort!

The weekends are going by so fast, and the countdown to baby Sellier is getting lower and lower. 50 DAYS UNTIL MY DUE DATE. In the grand scheme of life, 50 days might as well be tomorrow. AYEYEYEYE!!!

Enjoy your Monday!!

-Charlie

P.S. Look at the cute pillows I won from Christina's Adventures!

I feel pretty lucky! Thank you so much Christina!! Here at ATOTS we endorse giveaways and everything they represent. If all goes well, Lulu and I will be hosting our own pillow giveaway at the beginning of October!

P.P.S. A bunch of people with super awesome taste have been asking me where I got the shoes I talked about here. The answer is DSW, girls! Click this link-----> Penny loves Kenny flats They come in black and copper too!

Natalie Dee You Complete Me

Hope everyone had a nice and relaxing long weekend! Here at ATOTS HQ we are still recovering from the extreme relaxation that took place (read: going to the movies, eating cake, sleeping late, going to dinner with friends). Have no fear, I plan on getting a post up about Piperlime's Top 10 Trend guide later today!!

But until then enjoy the goodtimes provided by Natalie Dee

And don't forget to enter our dotmine planner giveaway!!!

-Charlie

P.S. Did anyone see The Real Housewives of NJ part deux reunion last night? It literally made my stomach hurt. My palms were legit sweating. Those ladies are SOOO STRESSFUL to watch. Yet I can't seem to turn away. Wahhhh!!

Weekend Recap! + I Need To Stop Buying Stuff For The Baby's Room

So I achieved three of my four goals this weekend, and I feel pretty darn good about that! The only thing we didn't do was put together that circuit candleholder thing. Indeed, we took naps instead. Priorities people. That's really what it's all about.

Basically I did all of the FUN things I had planned for the weekend. Friday night we had fondue and it was amazing! I was a skeptic at first, but Joel is the Fondue Master, and handled the whole thing. He definitely brought The Melting Pot to us :) :)

Hurrah!

Saturday I went out and got those prints framed for the baby's room. I'm really proud of myself that I just DID IT, and didn't talk about it for a fortnight first. I have trouble pulling the trig on home projecty type things, but thanks to my friend Olga at Michael's I was able to get it done in one sitting. Let's pause and talk about Olga for a second, shall we? She is the lovely Russian lady who works in the framing department. I seriously wish I had taken her pic. I totally could have because we bonded.

I've never really framed anything (at least anything legit) before so I walked up with a total "deer in the headlights" look on my face. In her sweet ass accent she asked me what I needed. (Sidebar: Is it me or does everything said with a Russian accent sound scary? She was commenting on how cute the lamb in the picture was and "What a cute little lamb!" said in a Russian accent literally sounds like, "Boris and I will break your knee caps, and pour vodka in your eyes.") I told her I needed white frames, and to save money. Obvi Olga understands me because before I knew it everything was picked out, framed and beautiful! And not too costly.

I said her, "OLGA!!! You are seriously the best! Has anyone ever told you how awesome you are?! Do you know what she said? "Yes." Word, girl. Word. No need to be modest...let that confidence flag fly.

Long live Olga! Prints from Etsy found here and here

I kind of want to squeeze that little rabbit. He is so damn cute.

On Saturday night I wasn't feeling so hot, but we (we as in Olga and me. Just kidding. She is way too cool to hang with me.) managed to reward ourselves with a batch of funfetti cupcakes. No pics were taken because we made them and literally inhaled them within 4 seconds of being taken out of the oven. Joel got a serious sugar rush right before bed and totally had these wild funfetti eyes. I'm pretty sure there is nothing FUN about them, and I'm pretty sure I saw them in my nightmares that night. Sweet.

On Sunday afternoon, while I watched The Rachel Zoe Project and other fab Bravo TV, my loving husband put the crib together! Go Joe-L!!!

Hard at work. With Renard's help, of course.

The finished product!!! (I'm sure these pictures are super boring for everyone but me. Sorry.)

Crib + mirrored closet + yellow walls= GREAT SUCCESS!

We are on our way, my loves! It sure is coming along nicely. Can't wait to see how it all comes together!

P.S. Just got these for the room too...

In grey, white and yellow. Via

That is my last baby room purchase for awhile. (I've gotten other little items I haven't mentioned. Woopsies!) This is getting crazehhhh!

-Charlie

Goals of the weekend

Charlie's Weekend Goals

1.

Make fondue!

The only time I ever fondue was at my friend's birthday party in 8th grade. Considering that was MANY MOONS ago, I think it's time to give it another try. We got two fondue sets for our wedding, so Joel went out last night and got all the ingredients for us to make a fondue dinner and dessert! The idea of melting chocolate makes me really nervous (I've had a bad experience or two in the past), so hopefully this time will be successful. Truthfully Joel will probably be running the show on this one, while I sneak chocolate covered strawberries! ;) Yippee!

2.

Crate and Barrel Circuit Wall Candleholder

We bought this months ago and it's been sitting in our garage waiting to be loved.  Sitting and waiting for a few reasons. A- It's intimidating looking, and the thought of putting it together makes us want to take a nap. B- I don't know where to put it! Ideas? We have TONS of wall space, and I was thinking maybe the entry way? It's definitely a cool way to welcome guests.

3.

White Frames

Mat and frame the pics for the nursery. I'm thinking Michael's will be able to get the job done for us. I need 4 white frames with grey matting. And then I'm going to hang the pics! That's where the rubber meets the road, my friends! And TAKE PICS. I always forget to take pictures of things. (I need to have my blogging brain ready at all times!)

4.

FUNfetti, indeed!

Make funfetti cupcakes. Eat funfetti cupcakes. Everything is better when funfetti is involved!

So hopefully I'll have some fun things to report on Monday! Have a nice weekend! Fall is starting to come around, and I'm SOOO happy about it!!!! :)

-Charlie

Weekend Round-Up + Things I'm Excited About

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Things were pretty low-key here in NoVA! You might be wondering (or you might not care at all, which is totally acceptable) what the heck I was up to this weekend. Lulu informed me that My Weekend Plans In Pictures pictures were redic and left too much to the imagination!

Allow me to break it down...

The bishop hat-- Friday night my husband's parents were kind enough to invite us to dinner with the Bishop for the Diocese of Arlington. The hub's parents have formed a friendship with him, and we jumped at the chance to spend time with the bishop in such an intimate setting. It's a pretty big deal to be able to have dinner with the bishop at his residence because not only do you dine with him, he also says a private mass for you and your family! It feels really good to know that someone like a bishop is praying specifically for you, your family, and your intentions. It was lovely!

The dogs and Mr & Mrs Smith-- Joel and I had been housesitting since last Wednesday for a family friend. It's a pretty easy gig (I mean they have a pool and all you can eat Raisin Bran Crunch so they are good peeps in my book). They also have two golden retrievers and a cat we were taking care of. We have two cats of our own, and I think we are spoiled by the fact that taking care of a cat requires like .5 brain cells. Dogs on the other hand are a lot of work. They have to go to taken outside like all the time...and they eat so many bones! Actually these dogs were super cute and loving, but we are happy to be back home with our easy peasy cats!

While housesitting on Friday we watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I stinkin' love that movie and have seen it like 3x. The hubs hadn't seen it before, so I was pumped to watch it again. I am not a big Brangelina fan BUT the chemistry they have in the movie is muy caliente! Ayeyeyeyeyeye!

The pool-- Pretty self explanatory. Too bad it was overcast!

The naked people under the sheets-- Relax! This is not one of those types of blogs. They are just sheets made to look like naked people. Pretty sweet, eh? This was merely to represent the fact we went to the store to buy new sheets for our awesome new bed. It's now in full working order and we love it!

Legally Blonde-- Lulu and I went with our mom to see Legally Blonde the musical at Wolftrap this weekend! OMGosh you guys it was soooo cute! I'll let Lulu post (she may even have a pic or two). The show is so clever, and in my opinion, better than the movie.

The cross-- Church. Duh.

Paint samples-- Yesterday we went to Home Depot to get paint samples for the baby's room. Hurrah! (More on that later).

Foot Massage/Pedicure pic-- Well I wanted to get a pedicure yesterday but I just didn't find the time. I went to HomeGoods instead, which we at T.O.T.S. headquarters will ALWAYS consider a win!! Despite not getting a pedi, Joel did give me a foot massage which was wonderful! My feet are seriously ughhh these days with being preggers. Swollen and achy (so hot right now)...I needed it :)

***********************************************************************************
Mondays are so slow at work and sometimes Mondays can put me in a sour mood. So to combat that feeling this morning, I decided to make a list of things I'm excited/ looking forward to! Here are a few things I'm pumped for:

**Wearing Fall Clothes**

i love fall by charlie25 featuring The Sak bags

Fall may be my favorite time of year. I love it so much! I am a big fan of cooler weather, and I'm looking forward to jumping into a nice leggings slash riding boot combo as I enter the homestretch of this pregnancy.

**Friday Night Lights on ABC Family**

Starting September 6th, ABC Family will be showing reruns of the first season of Friday Nights Lights every night at 5 pm! This is awesome for a few reasons... One- the show is excellent!! Two- I tried watching the current season of FNL this year and I had no clue what was going on. I watched the first season and a half, and then stopped. I'm happy I will have a place to TIVO everything and start over. Three- I am always looking to get the hubs into a series. I am A Serious Series Watcher. Right now we are working on LOST, which can be confusing and totally heavy. Friday Night Lights is a perfect combo of sports (for Joel) and drama (for yours truly!).



**Decorating the Baby's Room**

There was much debate betwixt Joel and me on finding out the sex of our baby. He didn't want to, and while there was part of me that wanted a surprise too, the bigger part of me wanted to find out so we (read: I) could mentally prepare. I am justttt neurotic enough that I needed to know for planning purposes. In the end we found out the gender with the deal that for the next baby we'd keep it a surprise until the end. Fair enough! Even though we know (and keeping it a secret for pretty much everyone), I'm still doing the baby's room a gender neutral color as I think it will stand the test of time better.

mellow yellow by charlie25 featuring Anna Molinari skirts

As a lot of my friends know, I am pretty obsessed with the color grey. My wedding colors were hot pink and grey, my bedroom is aqua and grey and now the baby's room will be yellow and grey! Hooray! Down by the bay! OK! Anywayyyyy (HAHAH even that rhymed) I digress...Grey tones down bold colors without creating a stark contrast, and it's modern. I am loving this color combo for the room. Hopefully my vision will come to life. I will post pics after we paint (which we are planning on doing this weekend)!

**Football Sundays**

Any Given Sunday by charlie25 featuring Victoria's Secret

OK so I will admit I'm not the biggest football fan in the world. Like I'm not super knowledgeable about the game, nor do I even know all the rules. (Sidebar: The girls who DO know everything about football and try to be "one of the guys" about it are annoying. It's cute to wear a fitted jersey and drink a beer while watching but that's about it. Don't be THAT girl who wants all the guys to think she's like the Ask Jeeves of football. They don't like it that much, trust.) What I do like about football is how homey I feel when watching it. Nothing is better then being cozy on the couch by a fire with your man, half watching a game as you paint your nails and catch up on magazines. YAY loveeee it!

So those are some things I'm really happy and excited for!! What are some things YOU are looking forward to?!

xo,

Charlie

Friday the 13th is for fools

Happy Friday (the 13th) all!

It doesn't have the same sweet ring to it when Mr.Lulu is still half way around the world...but weekends are not to be scoffed at under any circumstances so I will have a stiff upper lip and get through as many DVR'd shows as possible, in his absence. Taking one for the team has always been my hallmark.

In general, today's glaring lesson was that trying to operate without my datebook with me at all times is foolish. I have a very sweet little iPhone but I really still prefer my pencil and paper datebook. And when it slides underneath the seat of my car and hides there...it's trouble. But yet, it's the time management method do best with. It's a vicious cycle-

I did get over to the National Shrine today with my mom, I kept that appointment;) It's a beautiful place, I love attending Mass with tourists from around the globe and in a perfect world I'd have loads of time to spend in their amazing bookshop. I am always sorta rushing...trying to get back out of DC before rush hour...HOV traffic lanes etc etc. But the time I do have to spend there is always fulfilling. And I will include a picture of the shrine purely to counter balance my sister's earlier Allah post...

Sooo, what else is blog-worthy, post-worthy....Charlie and I are headed to Legally Blonde the Musical tomorrow night!! It's at Wolftrap which is such a fun place to see a show....I'm very excited!!!! Does this picture make you happy?

And in other obvious news, today is Friday the 13th. Knew that without the datebook. I am not really a superstitious person but I did a fast search at found that A LOT of people fear this day. Some refuse to go to work, fly on airplanes and basically function normally. National Geographic did some sort of study that estimated $800-900 million dollars are lost today in business--just because it's Friday the 13th. And no one I know can even really explain why there is a stigma with this date--other than the obvious thriller movies. (umm, no haven't seen'em, never will)

Went to another favorite place this afternoon--Home Goods! Wouldn't it be soo cool if Home Goods had a website, and you could pre-search each and every new item. Maybe that would ruin the fun of the experience though...I love the thrill of the hunt while I am there. Ooohh...the LAMP section. So fantastic. I sometimes literally feel my adrenaline kick in when I get my shopping cart, put my purse in the kid seat, make a wide left turn into the glassware aisle and start stalking my prey. [OK, take it easy there killer.] Anyway, we went to a bigger Home Goods, a little farther from my house and shockingly I spent no money...woah, wait a second here. Maybe there is something to the Friday the 13th business. Today had to have been a fluke. I hope I didn't jinx my Home Goods luck---

All in all a good day. Reheated last night's pizza and got two meals for the price of one outta Pizza Hut--heyo!

xoxo

Lulu

Time to relax!

T.A.I.F.

A stands for Allah (and that's good enough for me!) I know, I know...Allah? Well you see...Lulu and I have a brother, we will call him Matt NixonSleeve and he is in the Army. He's done tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan (he's our hero!!) AND he's really hilarious. He picked up this witty little phrase overseas and brought it back here to the US of A. I am easily amused think it's really clever. So I'm running with it. On behalf of T.O.T.S. headquarters I say....Thank Allah It's Friday!!

Because I'm feeling really lazy...let's play a game called My Weekend Plans In Pictures:

                                            Friday

      Saturday

                     

 Sunday

[Note: This is what happens when it's an EXTREMELY boring day at work/ you're still trying to figure out how to make your posts not look so ghetto (clearly I gave up on that).]

Do you know what I'm doing this weekend?? I'll be extremely impressed (read: slightly disturbed), if you can guess any of the days correctly.

Have a good weekend, peeps :)

xo,

Charlie