Cupcakes anyone?

Yeah. You wish.

Mckinlay and I had the pleasure of spending the day with Erin yesterday! She was in town for a conference. We had a lot of fun strolling around down town.
We were walking down Newbury Street when we both spied "Johnny Cupcakes". Being as we are both Hallstroms, it was a natural stop and suddenly we had the overwhelming urge to eat a cupcake (or two, let's be honest here.) We walked in only to be disappointed. Not a cupcake in sight! You'd think it would be safe to infer they would have cupcakes being as the name of the shop is Johnny CUPCAKES. So misleading! You walk in to find a giant mixer and mixing bowl in the middle of the room, pastry display cases and cooling racks lining the walls--but they are all filled with T-Shirts and undies. How Rude! We did a quick survey of the room to make SURE there were no hidden treats and then quickly exited. We're sure the gal behind the counter could see the disappointment on our faces when we came in. I wonder how many times a day they get that? Erin and I are thinking of setting up a cupcake stand right outside their door to catch all the disappointed cupcake lovers who exit.

Although we did have one failed attempt at food bliss, we were in luck with our other choices. We went to Wagamamas at Faneuil Hall. I love that place! When I did my study abroad in London that was my favorite place to eat out. I was so excited when I heard it was crossing the pond and coming to Boston! And to satisfy our treat craving we went to Athan's. Thank you Athan's for never failing to disappoint.
I think Mckinlay found a new favorite person. Thanks for spending your extra day with us Erin! I hope it was more fun that you would have had exploring the wonders of Waltham, MA--even though we never did get our cupcakes. We love you!!

Fact:

The Office season Premiere was last night. And we loved it--especially Dwight.

In preparation for it, Ty came home to find his keys in Jello. Well, sort of. I'm not so much a pro at making Jello and getting it out of the mold intact. So it turned out like this:
But he got the idea and it was quite funny. Fillmores, of course, came downstairs and joined us. Melanie brought fudge brownies (an office party favorite) and then we had a little awards ceremony. Everyone was presented with a "Dundie" and one "Schrute buck".
Good fun! And hooray for another season of laughs. Isn't it so fun having something to look forward to every Thursday night!?

A bunch of Maine-iacs

Our Maine adventure was fantastic! Maine is such a slow paced relaxing place to be. We almost felt like we took this vacation about 40 years too soon (lots of old people in Maine), but all the same, we loved it!
Our first stop was York, where we went to Cape Neddick Lighthouse. The coast is so beautiful! The combination of the ocean, the rocks and all the fantasticly large homes makes for a really picturesque drive. Ty tried his first lobster in the form of the famous "lobster roll" (basically lobster meat in a hot dog bun) and loved it. I, of course, did not venture to expand my palate and stuck with a nice plate of birthday chicken fingers per usual.

After York we headed up to Kennebunkport where we stayed in a bed and breakfast called the Waldo Emerson Inn. When we walked into our room I had flashes of "Gilmore Girls"--the episode where they stay in the "B&B" (P.S. we loath that abbreviation) which of course is decorated in the typical fluffy style and Loreli and Rory are afraid to go down stairs because they don't want to be cornered by the other "B&Bers" and trapped into playing boardgames, and such, with them. We felt so funny at breakfast the next morning. All our fellow house mates were at least 40 and up and were all very chatty and here were Ty and I with our little daughter who was playing with the dog on the floor. Anyway, in short, we decided maybe next time we'll stay in a motel. It was all part of the experience though! :) We had a great time exploring the little town. We drove out to see George and Barbara's place, but it was too foggy to see it from the rode. Sorry Babs! We'll have to pay you a visit next trip. The beach there is so pretty! Mckinlay had a ball playing with the rocks and loved getting "stoned":
On Saturday we drove up to Freeport and did a little shopping at the outlets up there. That was fun!! And of course we took our picture by the big shoe at the L.L. Bean mecca while there. We had the best clam chowder we have ever tasted at a place called the Clam Cookery. It was so good AND it was free!! Ironic that the best meal we ate on our trip was free! Speaking of food...

Mckinlay made a new friend. She loved Daddy's lobster. She just thought it was the funniest thing and just giggled and giggled, although the picture doesn't look like she's giggling.

I giggled too when this was placed in front of Ty. Crazy to think that this little guy was alive and pinchin' a few moments ago...

And thank goodness we happened to sit in the booth that had this gem hanging on the wall. Otherwise Ty would have had a hard time tackling this meal.
To finish off our trip we stopped in Ogonquit. It's a cute little town that has a scenic path you can walk along the shoreline. So beautiful, and the best homemade wild blueberry and chocolate almond ice cream we've every tasted. Next time you find yourselves in Ogonquit be sure to stop in at "Sundaes at the Beach". Yummm!
And our li'l lobster was such a trooper that she deserves the golden traveler award.

Wicked awesome!

Last night was time to cash in on our anniversary present. We went to Wicked!! You know when you are so pumped about something and you know it's gonna be good, but then you actually see it and it doesn't live up to the hype? Not the case here. We so loved it!! "Ga-Linda"--you kill me! I don't think I have ever heard Ty laugh so hard as he did during "Popular". He leaned over to me and said "all I can think about right now is Maci." (Hee hee. I see it too.)

We got downtown early so we decided to take a stroll through the Public Garden. Ty has never walked through it before!
There were a bunch of movie trailers around, so we were trying to look around for the filming site and look for anyone of note. We didn't see anyone famous but we did see this couple get engaged. We snapped the pic a second too late. He was totally down on one knee and everything. So classic right next to the pond and everything. We wish them well.
In a last ditch effort to see someone famous I made us walk completely out of our way passed all the trailers to see if we could peek in or see anyone. I was totally playing it cool and trying to be nonchalant about looking over my shoulder and such, and then I look behind me to see Ty stopped and gawking at someone. I was so embarrassed that he was blowing our cover until I realized it was one of Ty's classmates. She was an extra in the film. Kinda funny. (I guess it's a movie called "The Women" and Meg Ryan is in it.)

Anyway, last night was Wicked fun! And it was so nice to be out on the town without the babe! Thanks Hartvigs for babysitting. Tomorrow morning we are headed up to Maine for the weekend to play and celebrate my birthday! Hooray for me!

Enjoy your weekend!

She's so vain....

I bet she thinks this post is about her.
This is Mckinlay's new favorite spot. She crawls to the mirror, pulls herself up and then steps up on to the shoe rack for optimal self-viewing. It's pretty funny.

But can you blame her? I'd want to stare at myself too if I had jammies that cute! ...And if they looked as cute on me as they do on her, which isn't very likely. I always wish I could have her clothes in my size, but really, if I did I'd probably look like a big fruit cake. So maybe we'll leave the footed onesies to the babe.

How 'bout a little makeup?

A few months ago, while Alison was visiting, she asked if she could borrow some makeup to get ready to go out that night. She laughed when I pulled out my teeny little makeup bag and wanted to know where "the mirror" was (Anytime any of our roomies had to get ready for a date, they would come down to my room and use my makeup mirror that sat on my desk).

Al's reaction made me realize a lot of my "fluff", lets call it, went out the window after getting married. In college, "getting ready" consisted of a lot more than throwing on my clothes, maybe some mascara and chap stick routine now. Back then I was all about the eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss, smelly lotions and perfumes. I guess once I wooed Ty, I had no use for them? Not like I just let myself go or anything, it has been a gradual process that has been accelerated by my now mom status. A couple of month ago, I put on more makeup then usual one day. Ty totally noticed and asked what the occasion was. He was so shocked and said "Woah! You look pretty." Kinda funny.

This morning I got an email from my friend Melissa about ELF cosmetics (Eyes, Lips, Face) I guess this line has been features on OPRAH and is getting a lot of hype!? But everything is $1 and if you enter promotion code "carolina" you get 50% off on orders up to $20! So, I did it. I bought me some make up. Hopefully I get it in time for our big anniversary date next week. Maybe I'll be able to get another "Woah!" out of Ty!?

"Got a whale of a tale to tell ya lad..."

Mom and Dad Loveless came out for a visit this weekend. We went on a whale watching trip on Saturday. It was so great! We got lucky again and almost saw as many whales as last time. This trip we saw a huge group of dolphins too (I'm sure there is a scientific name for a gathering of dolphins, but I don't know it). The were jumping and twisting out of the water (again, I'm sure there are real names for that too). Pretty cool.
Mckinlay loved the boat! The jury is still out on whether she liked looking out at the ocean or crawling on the deck and bonking her head on the floor (over and over) better. It was such a pretty day out on the water and our timing was prefect because it started pouring rain about an hour after we got off the boat.
We also went to Mt. Auburn cemetery, on a duck tour, Harvard Square, played around down town a little, ate out a lot and we finally got to see The Bourne Ultimatum (SO good!). Mckinlay gets the trooper of the year award for letting us drag her all over.
Thanks for the fun visit Grandma and Grandpa! We love you!!

I've been tagged.

Thanks Marie! Here goes:

4 jobs I've had:
1. Hogi Yogi /"The Hoge"
2. Copper Rivet/"The Riv"--RIP
3. Mimi's Cafe
4. Elase Clinics (I took that picture! And Ty painted that painting on the wall!)

4 movies I can watch over and over again:
1. Pride & Prejudice (either version depending on how much time I have)
2. One Fine Day ("I know your name Mel." It kills me every time!)
3. You've Got Mail
4. Newsies

4 places I've lived:
1. Honolulu
2. Utah
3. London (Only for 2 months, but that counts right!?)
4. Boston

4 favorite TV shows:
1. The Office
2. LOST
3. So You Think You Can Dance
4. Matlock

4 places I've been on holiday:
1. Florida
2. Scotland
3. Ireland
4. France

4 favorite dishes:
1. Chicken Green Chile Salad @ Bajio (I hear ya Marie! That is where I go as soon as I step off the plane to Utah)
2. Chicken Fingers
3. Magelby's French Toast
4. Jamba Juice (Aloha Pineapple to be exact)

4 websites I visit daily:
1. Friend's blogs (see links in the right column)
2. Dealsea
3. iGoogle
4. Several different craft blogs

4 places I'd rather be right now:
1. Hawaii
2. Target
3. At Ira's pool with my fam
4. With Mckinlay and Ty going on a fun day trip...Oh wait! We're doing that today!!

now here are 4 people I'm tagging:
1. Kristen Harmon
2. Emily Hartvigsen
3. Whitney Whitehead
4. Aubrey Shaw

Sewing bug cure

I got a sewing bug this morning...So, I whipped this little baby up during Mckinlay's morning nap. So cute and so easy! I found this great pattern here. There is a template for a baby, child and adult size headband. Headband fun for the whole family!
I had to add the flower 'cause it was looking a little too Ramboesque. But I think it was only looking that way because I made it out of dark fabric. I'm sure any other fabric would be able to stand on it's own.

(OK--so I know it doesn't look like Rambo if you make it in other colors...I made one in red too. What!? I couldn't help myself.)

Happy Birthday Happy Jo!

Thanks for being here when I was born! Thanks for outfitting me for the first 2 years of my life! Thanks for talking to me over the webcam! Thanks for showing me off to all of your firends! Thanks for my favorite blankie! Thanks for my "McKFam" book! Thanks for my cute curtains! Thanks for all the cuddles, hugs and kisses! And thanks for being such a great grandma!!

I love my Happy Jo!
XXXOOO,
Mckinlay

Crane Beach

Yesterday was first themed FHE of the month time again! And since the first Monday of September is always gonna be Labor Day, we can have a morning FHE breakfast out! So we grabbed some breakfast sammies on our way to Crane Beach. What a fun way to finish off our three day weekend. I woke up this morning thinking it was Sunday again. That always seems to happen to me after Monday holidays.Crane Beach is definitely our favorite beach we have been to in Massachusetts. We caravaned up there with a bunch of friends (it's about an hour away) and spent the day in the sun.
Mckinlay realized there is more to do than just eat sand at the beach and was getting pretty daring crawling face first into the waves. She didn't want to miss a thing and wanted to do and see everything that all the "big kids" were doing. They were all checking out a little hermit crab and I doubt she even saw it, but she got super excited and was standing up with everyone else. It was pretty cute.
Cute, and now "famous", Madi was loving Mckinlay (I had to make her hug her again so I could take a picture)! Madi is just what I picture Mckinlay to look like when she is 2. Same body, and same amount of hair.
And what is a beach trip without a muscle man in the sand? Marcus seemed pretty please with his new ripped self.
As you can see, Mckinlay was pretty pooped by the end. It took her exactly 4 mins to fall asleep once we got her in her car seat (We know 'cause we placed bets--and I won).

Fun friends and fun day!

A Thoreau-ly enjoyable day

Today has been one of our very favorite Massachusetts days, ever! We went to Walden Pond and the DeCordova Sculpture Park. Did anyone else know that Walden Pond was the most fabulous place to swim? If not, now you know! And if so, we're mad at you for not letting us know sooner. The water is crystal clear, not super deep and the perfect temperature. I don't know if you can really see in the picture, but there is a beach and a roped off area for kiddies.
We left home at 8:00 and got there at 8:30. There was hardly anyone there except for a few old swimmers who were "swimming the perimeter." It almost made me want to run a triathlon (key word almost)! This would be the PERFECT place to train. Georgous surroundings, you could swim, run the peremiter of the pond and there are lots of biking trails too. We walked half way around the pond and then headed back to the car so we could get to the the museum (because it is free to walk through the sculpture park if you get there before 10:00 or after 5:00). We spent about an hour at the park, then headed back to the pond to explore and have our picnic. Then we were home just before 1:00 so Mckinlay could go down for her nap. It was the perfect morning trip and it only cost us $5. Total!! I think this is the cheapest day trip we have been on!? Mckinlay was so stoked the entire time! She was so content to chill and squeal in the Bjorn.

Here are some highlights from the morning's adventures:
This was our favorite little sclupture. It took Mckinlay a minuet to warm up to it. I think it scared her at first. You can tell she still looks a little unsure of it.
Oh wait. I take that back. The little guy was our second favorite sclupture. This was our favorite. It really spoke to us and it looked so real. If we didn't know better, we'd swear it was real power box.
And who doesn't love a giant piggy on wheels?
This is my favorite pic of the day. Gotta love snuggles from your girl! Especially by the beautiful pondlet...or is it called a sub-pond!?