Guilty Pleasures

This post will contain mostly food...and by food I mean wine and chocolate.  It's my guiltiest of pleasures right now!

I picked up Trader Joe's version of French macraons a couple weeks ago and thought they were surprisingly good!  I mean, nothing beats the real deal, but they certainly work as a good substitue...especially for me since we don't have a shop that makes them here locally.

I prefer mine with a latte!  :)

I've recently gotten into pinots and Meiomi makes a great bottle...and it's a twist off too!  We've found it in stores for around $15, on sale.  Do you drink Pinot?  I'd love other recommendations.

One of my biggest guilty pleasures is dark chocolate covered almonds.  They are SO good and I somehow convince myself that between the dark chocolate and the almonds, they're quasi-healthy.  Right?!  Trader Joe's carries them but so does every grocery store.  Yum!

Have you heard of Dave's Gourmet?  They make super simple yet delicious sauces and I am especially taken by this butternut squash flavor.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love butternut squash?  It's become a regular ingredient in our dinners {as seen here, here and here}.  Yep, kind of obsessed!

And of course, I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention The Bachelor!  Did you watch the finale last night?!  What did you think?!  Of course, I follow Reality Steve religiously now, so I knew all about the finale.  Oh and thanks to Cassie, I also follow Sean's sister's cute blog too!

SO what are your guilty pleasures?!

xo natasha

Baby's First Easter

Sweater  | Basket | Bunny Teether | Bow Tie | Book | Bath Toy | Bib | Stuffed Animal Bunny

Easter marks the last of Ethan's first major holidays, so naturally, I'm getting a bit nostalgic and want to do everything I can to commemorate this special time.  My mom was always good about making a big deal about holidays.  I remember waking up on Easter morning to an overflowing Easter basket and then hunting for eggs around the house.  We would always go to church and then have an Easter brunch.  There are so many fun traditions tied to Easter and I want to give Ethan the same magical feeling that I had on Easter Sunday.

The one thing that I made sure to get right was Ethan's first {and hopefully only!} Easter basket.  We custom ordered a basket from Pottery Barn and had his name embroidered.  It was a tad pricey, but I know Ethan will use it for years to come.  Ironically, I didn't do this for Christmas...I really need to get on it with his stocking for this coming year!

I had fun ordering some gifts to fill his basket with.  The book above is one I remember from my childhood.  I can't wait to read it to him!  And of course, every first Easter needs to include a bunny rabbit....so there will be plenty of those too!

Do you make a big deal out of Easter?  Any fun traditions you want to share??

xo natasha

Diaper Bag Essentials

A couple weeks ago, Colleen asked me to share my diaper bag essentials.  Ethan's at an age now {over 8 months} where the diaper bag becomes more and more important!  Between feeding, changing, and keeping him entertained...if we miss something on a given day, we'll be sure to regret it!  So here's a breakdown of the essentials for our diaper bag.

First things first, my diaper bag is not a "real" diaper bag, but a gym bag from lululemon!  I was drawn to this particular bag because it's not overly feminine {read: my husband doesn't mind carrying it} and it's multifunctional.  Surprisingly, it has a lot of the same compartments as a traditional diaper bag...like bottle holders on each side, tons of compartments for organizing and it's weather/liquid resistant.  

The only thing our diaper bag lacks, is the built in diaper changing station.  The easy solution was buying this adorable pad from Skip Hop.  It's portable and includes additional compartments to stash diapers, diaper cream, and wipes!

As for the eating department...I swear by the food pouches, particularly the Ella's Kitchen brand.  They're great for on-the go!  Just squeeze them onto a spoon or right into your child's mouth, like Ethan prefers these days.  We also love the Aden + Anais bibs to keep our little guy clean and swear by the Dr. Brown's bottles. 

We always have a change of clothes {or 5!} on hand and make sure to include socks and a hat in case it gets cold out.  Or for warmer days, some sunscreen to protect that sweet skin.

Last, these days, we can't go anywhere without the trusty pacifier.  Ethan prefers the Avent brand...it seems to be the easiest to keep in his mouth.  And with cold season, Boogie Wipes are a must!  Seriously, these are the best!  They're super soft on the face and effective too!  Boogies have no chance against these things.  Oh and, lots of teethers and toys!  Ethan loves chewing on Sophie...she's been a great toy over the last several months.  And I have to include the B. Toys keys too...they have metal on them, just like real keys!

So there you have it...our diaper bag is a nutshell!  What essentials do you carry in your diaper bag?  

xo natasha

PS...would love to have you pop over and "like" Schue Love on Facebook!  Thanks and have a great weekend!!

Fantastic Florals

Wallet | Pants | Blouse | Dress | iPhone Case | Swimsuit | Flats | Scarf | Ring

I don't know about you, but I'm SO ready for spring to get here!  I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that it's currently snowing here in Tahoe...and of course Easter is around the corner too!

I'm loving all the florals out right now...there are so many fun ways to wear the trend!  You can wear it, carry it, and even swim in it!  ;)

Here are some of my favorite looks:

{cupcakes and cashmere}

{pink peonies}

{Collage Vintage}

xo natasha