Susan, Author at 2 Cats and Chloe

Five on… Saturday?

November 14, 2015 by Susan 7 Comments

I need to write. It’s an outlet for me. There is so much swirling in my mind and it just needs to get out. So I need to write. About different things. And since I make the rules around here, I figured a “Five on Saturday” would just have to make sense this week. Just to warn you, this isn’t the most uplifting post… feel free to skip down to number four, things begin to lighten up there!

One // On Tuesday my family experienced a tragic, unexpected death. My mom’s cousin, who was more of a brother to her than her real brothers ever were, went to bed fine on Monday and didn’t wake up on Tuesday. As the terrible story continues to develop, we are learning that he died of a brain hemorrhage due to the medications he was taking, prescribed by his doctor. Even more tragic, his wife was a widow before she married him 5-ish years ago. Her first husband passed (due to cancer) this same time of year many moons ago. I cannot even begin to grasp what she is going through. You know, when it comes time to say goodbye to loved ones, I know the how or the when is outside of my control, but I selfishly hope no one else dies suddenly, overnight. I have found myself struggling with the usual questions and thoughts of disbelief: “Why didn’t we call more often? When was the last time we all had a real conversation? What if we had realized… I wish we could’ve said good-bye.” That being said, many thanks to all of my friends, family and readers who have been following me on social media and has been praying along side of my family.

(I grabbed this image from Facebook. It does not belong to 2 cats & chloe. If you know the source, please let me know!)

Two // I am absolutely speechless and feel utterly devastated about the attacks in Paris last night. I could write about it… I could write a lot about it. But it would never be enough. There is just so much unnecessary, evil hatred in this world. We need to all band together, pray for humanity and smear the world with as much love and kindness as we possibly can. We just need more love.

Three // To wrap up this week, my cousin had some major complications last night while giving birth to her second child. Both Mommy and Baby are still in ICU. The baby went way too long without oxygen and was rushed to the children’s hospital after the emergency c-section. I heard my cousin is doing a bit better today but the sweet, little babe still isn’t in the clear. Both of them will be in ICU for quite a while, so again, we all appreciate your prayers of healing and peace.

Four // Now on to something a bit more fun?? Next Sunday is our gender reveal party! I am excitedly surrounding myself with pink and blue everything! I am passionate about parties and entertaining. Just having a party to focus on and a new little life to celebrate gives me so much joy. My poor family puts up with me and overbearing planning mode - probably more now because it keeps me from crying!! Considering I have zero local friends, I am over-the-moon thrilled that we have 25 people coming into town for this party and tons of family and friends who will be joining us virtually via google hangout! #ThanksTechnology! Have you heard what we are doing for the actual reveal? It involves paints, a canvas and a ton of egg shells! Stay tuned!

Five // This past Monday was our two year wedding anniversary! Surprisingly, despite work, the house, being pregnant, and living with my 91-year-old grandmother, Michael and I actually got to spend the day together! Along with about 30 other wedding coordinators from the East Coast, I was invited to the Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia for 24 hours of wining, dining and oysters! Luckily, our family members were invited too! While I didn’t partake in any wine or any oysters (darn you pregnancy!) Michael and I both received complimentary spa sessions, a delicious dinner and an day at a nice resort with a beautiful view! More snapshots from our time at the Tides Inn later this week!

If you read all the way through this emotional and random post… I want to leave you with one last thought:

Be thankful for memories. Hug your loved ones a little tighter. Make the effort to reach out to someone who has been on your mind. Give flowers and write notes to be shared and appreciated today. Trust that, even when we cannot understand the “why” - God has a plan and a purpose that is bigger than we can even comprehend.

18 Weeks

November 2, 2015 by Susan 9 Comments

I have mentally gone back and forth over having weekly pictures taken of “my bump”. I have so many friends who are also pregnant right now. Some of them are doing the cute weekly post with the chalk board. Some are doing the artsy thing, wearing the same outfit and documenting their belly/baby grow. Some aren’t doing anything.

Then there is me, who wants to do something but I don’t know what. I spent the last three years eating clean and getting healthy, so right now I am really not comfortable with the not-so-flattering changes that my body is going through. But like I said, I definitely want to document this experience. For all I know, it may be a one-time-thing!

That being said, I still do not know how I really want to document being pregnant. So I figure, at 18 weeks, I may as well just bite the bullet and start doing something. I can always mix it up along the way, right?

Two years ago Michael and I tied the knot and partied the night away at The Chamberlin in Hampton, VA. This famous building is an absolute gem. The inside shouts historic, southern elegance all the way from the hallways to the ballroom to the rooftop. We got engaged on the rooftop in January 2013 and then had our wedding reception in the ballroom in November 2013. Shortly after our wedding, The Chamberlin decided to close their ballroom to weddings. (Maybe because of our excessive glitter??) This building is now strictly a retirement community with a stunning view.

The cool thing though? The Chamberlin offers a huge Sunday Brunch every week. The day after our wedding we started a yearly tradition of “Anniversary Brunch.” Michael has to work next weekend so we bumped our annual brunch up a week. And it was quite lovely. They offer everything from traditional breakfast food to waffle and omelet stations to seafood to roasts to two tables worth of desserts. #nom.

Unfortunately, this year I couldn’t eat a lot. I have found that I have to eat small but consistent meals all day long. So an all you can eat buffet isn’t really my cup of tea right now. But the company was wonderful and the ballroom is one of my favorite places ever.

With that, I give you my first “#BabyMagotes Bumpdate”:

How far along: 18 weeks

Gender: It’s a secret! Michael and I know. We ended up going to one of those 3D ultrasound places at 17 weeks. I know, I know. It’s kinda frowned upon to go so early. But my cousin was in town from Switzerland and we wanted to find out before he left so that I could send some “gender reveal gifts” across the pond. I am going to mail out a few more of these gifts to our non-local family and friends with the fine print that they cannot open them until November 22, the day we are having a big gender reveal party!

Weight gain: Last time I checked (3 weeks ago) I had gained 17 pounds. UGH. I know right?? But my diet has 100% shifted in a sour direction. I went from eating completely clean to… not. My body cannot handle paleo right now, it makes me puke. #sadface

Sleep: Just okay. I did order a pregnancy pillow that Michael hates, but it has helped immensely.

Best moment this week: Brunch with Michael. Our schedules are crazy and we rarely see each other. So this was nice.

Worst moment this week: When Michael left just one tiny spoonful of milk in the carton for me. I lost it. Ugly cry and all. I blame the hormones and the fact that I have to eat first thing in the morning. (I ended up eating my must-have cheerios with water. Bleh!)

Miss anything: Wine. And my cute fall clothes.

Movement: None yet. I was told (and then we saw for ourselves) that Magotes is extremely active. Flipping upside down and basically tap dancing. But I haven’t felt anything yet. The technician said that baby is kicking the placenta so it may be awhile before I feel him/her.

What I’m Wearing: I finally caved and bought some real maternity jeans and sweaters. I really miss my “real jeans” though! Why don’t maternity pants have pockets?!

Cravings: White potatoes. Preferably baked or chick-fil-a’s waffle fries OR salads smothered in ranch and hot sauce. Crazy combo right?

Symptoms: Morning sickness. It has let up a bit… the vomiting has gone from 6-ish times a day to every other day, as long as I take all my morning sickness meds and eat every few hours. Also, my earring holes keep closing up. I’ve never heard of this happening to anyone before… but it is happening!

Happy or Moody: Moody. Hands down. Lots of moods. Lots of emotions. Lots of crying.

Looking forward to: The gender reveal party on November 22!

2 cats & chloe: 18 week bumpdate

There ya go guys and gals! I promise I won’t be flashing my belly all over facebook (it’s just not my style) so this is the only place my friends and family will find all the details! Hope my readers don’t mind too much!

Halloween Camping!

November 1, 2015 by Susan 2 Comments

Can you believe it is November First?! Where in the world has this year gone folks? (Don’t get me wrong, my current situation is not ideal, so I’m okay with time flying by right now - but a good friend, who is about 60 years older than me, once told me to not wish time away because you will never get it back… That being said, SLOW DOWN TIME! JUST HURRY UP THE HOUSE BUILDING PROCESS!)

For the last three-ish weeks we had one of my cousins in town from Switzerland. I’m pretty positive we did more local touristy things in the last three weeks than we have done in the last three years. It was great. But exhausting. I feel like I have so much catch-up to do, yet I am lost at where to start.

So here I am, blogging. Because what better way is there to avoid real life chores, other than the obvious, netflix or cheesy christmas Hallmark movie binging??

Last week my husband and I packed up Jellybean, our Shasta camper, and hit the road. We planned on taking the pups along, but unfortunately, we had to attend my grandmother-in-law’s funeral. And I am pretty positive the dogs would not have been welcomed. Chloe went to stay with our old neighbors in Newport News and Olivia went to play with her Gran-daddy in Chesapeake. (Truth be told, Chloe needs breaks from Olivia from time to time!)

Friday morning we rolled out of the camper, put on our funeral clothes and hit the road before the sun was up. Thankfully we did not run into any fellow campers because we were extremely overdressed for camping. Fun fact, traveling through the state of Virginia in the fall is one of the prettiest times to see our state. However, being pregnant while traveling through rolling hills laying in the midst of freshly manured farms is enough to make a girl vomit. I spent a portion of our ride inhaling scents from our chipotle lunch.

Did I mention we saw the sunrise and the sunset while on the road? While it was an emotional day for everyone, seeing God’s artwork all around us was a great reminder of the joy that surrounds us daily.

We arrived at the campground after dark, only to find our friends and family already there, with dinner and a campfire waiting for us. While our dinner was good, the dinner that really smelled great was wafting from the site across the way from us… I think my mom was so tired of her pregnant daughter craving whatever it was that they were cooking that she went across the way (at 10pm) and offered them breakfast bacon for a bowl of their stew. #ThanksMom

Saturday started with breakfast over the fire… a paleo brekkie of bacon, bacon and some more bacon. Oh, and eggs with gluten-free pancakes for everyone else.

We all hit the road and did our own things for the day. The boys went go-carting. I dropped the ladies off at a wine festival and then went on my merry little way to look for maternity clothes. (I finally decided I should not walk around with unbuttoned pants anymore…)

Believe it or not, the picture above was their sobber-selfie.

When shopping, drinking and carting wrapped up - we worked on the fire, the paleo dinner, the halloween decor and the football streaming.

Have you ever made tin-foil dinners? These are the absolute best dinners for camping. Easy to pack ahead of time - simply bring tin foil, olive oil, meats, veggies and spices, then let everyone make their own dinner foil ball of food! Toss the ball over the coals for about 20 minutes and then enjoy! We had steak, chicken, peppers, potatoes (pre-poached in the microwave since they take a long time), onions, garlic and tomatoes. This dinner is always a hit! I promise you and your family will love it too!

The coolest part of this festive Halloween camping trip was when all of the kids and adults dressed up in costumes and went from camper to camper, trick-or-treating. I kept my costume simple and was a “Pumpkin Smuggler” with #BabyMagotes.

All in all, it was a great weekend with the family and friends. Three campsites, tons of candy and lots of laughs. Such a fun way to spend the holiday. I cannot wait until Magotes arrives and we can continue camping traditions with the next generation!

What did you do for Halloween? Did you dress up or go to a party? Better yet, did you enjoy the smell of a campfire and roasted marshmallows?

Black & White Fall Fashions and Fun Hair

October 17, 2015 by Susan 7 Comments

Some days I wake up and think I’d love to be a fashion blogger. They all look so fun, put together and legit. I could do it right? I mean I love trying to put together outfits and pairing accessories with random looks. Then I realize I haven’t showered in 3+ days, I’m wearing the same yoga pants I’ve been wearing for 7+ days and I’m lucky if I’ve brushed my hair in 10+ days.

2 cats & chloe: black and white pregnant outfit

Now that I am pregnant, it has gotten even tougher to feel motivated, when nothing really fits. I am also at that in-between stage where I am obviously bigger than “Normal Suz” but I don’t think I necessarily look pregnant to strangers. I just look pudgy… maybe?

This was the first week that I have begun to embrace the belly though. I have decided that I hate the maternity jeans I bought from Target (after one wear, I feel like I’m wearing a circus tent because they are so stretched out and baggy). I spent most of last week wearing my American Eagle jeans (that I purchased shortly after I discovered I was with-child, that are a size larger than my norm) completely unbuttoned underneath my shirt. #WhichIsExactlyWhyICannotBeAFashionBlogger. I’m sure truly fashionable people don’t walk around in public with their jeans unbuttoned… or do they??

I was recently asked to review hair extensions for Irresistible Me. At first, I thought No Way! What in the world would I know about hair extensions?! But since they claim to make you irresistible… I figured why not! Ladies - before I give you my thoughts on my new long locks, let me tell you that I never do anything crazy with my hair. I’ve never colored it. I’ve never highlighted or treated it. I only use real, natural products to wash it and then every few months I get it trimmed. That being said, when I ordered my extensions, my hair was already pretty long and thick. So I went with the longest, heaviest option they had (so it wouldn’t get lost in my real hair).

When they arrived I was pleased at how well the color blended with my real hair. I was also thrilled (and quite surprised) at how quick and easy these extensions were to use! I went from long hair to really long hair in a matter of 7 minutes! At first (because I had never worn extensions before) it felt weird. However after maybe 10 minutes of wearing, I didn’t even notice the slight extra weight. I think next time I will curl both my hair and the extensions a bit to help them blend better. But like I said earlier, it’s a big deal to get dressed these days. Curling the hair probably would’ve pushed this mamma-to-be over the edge.

If you want more information on Irresistible Me Hair extensions, head on over to their site! They have tons of options and their customer service was super helpful for a newbie like me!

And speaking of mamma-to-be - I know several of you have asked for a “Bump-date” picture. Well, I think my black and white Chico’s top does a decent job of hiding my unbuttoned jeans and the baby belly… but you can definitely tell I’m a bit wider in the picture above! One of these days I will give you a real update on all the pregnancy news!

Also, don’t you just love all the black and white accessories I used in this outfit? The purse, the shoes and the border collie?? Maybe I could handle a fashion post every now and then after all…

Full Disclosure: Pieces of this post were either gifted to me in exchange for this post or I was compensated by Irresistible Me for my time. But everything that share are all my own thoughts, feelings and lack of fashion sense! Cheers!

Second Trimester: I’m ready to #FeelGooder

October 12, 2015 by Susan 1 Comment

This post was sponsored by ZonePerfect - but the thoughts, pictures and love for chocolate treats are all my own!

Y’all, pregnancy is tough. I always thought that I wanted two or three kids, but the thought of having to do this all over again makes me physically ill. And I can say that because I am pretty much nauseous all the time. I was told “Oh, at 12 weeks you will feel better!” Then it was “14 weeks is the magic week - you will definitely feel better this week!”

Hellooooo week 15. Shouldn’t this morning sickness, which I am beginning to know as “mourning sickness” - shouldn’t it be letting off soon?! Yes, I guess, technically, it has gotten a bit better. I have gone from force feeding myself every hour and a half, to now, a full three hours! It may not sound like much to you but THAT’S A REALLY BIG DEAL! (If I go one minute past three hours though - look out world.)

So with such a strict, must-eat-or-else deadline, I have had to seek out something quick, easy, healthy and delicious to carry with me at all times. Please allow me to introduce the ZonePerfect Perfectly Simple nutrition bars. Before I proceed, let me stress that these are not paleo and they are not Whole30 compliant. But they are delicious! (Unfortunately paleo foods, while I am 100% craving and wanting them, baby is not. So I have had to seek alternative, healthy options like these bars!)

Not only are they gluten free, but these healthy treats are loaded with protein and are only 200 calories. While they have a handful of flavors, the two I am most obsessed with are the Almond Toffee Crunch and the Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk. (The other two flavors you can try are Bing Cherry & Almond and Roasted Cashew & Dark Chocolate.)

As I was snapping these pictures, my mom came in and wanted to try both flavors. She tried one bite of the Almond Toffee Crunch and quickly proclaimed “THESE ARE GLUTEN FREE?? These are soooo good!”

Wanna try these for yourself? ZonePerfect is offering my 2 cats & chloe readers a coupon so that they can try these delicious treats and and #FeelGooder too!

Which flavor Perfectly Simple bar do you want to try? What can you recommend to me to me to help with the “mourning sickness?”

Many thanks to ZonePerfect for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to try Perfectly Simple nutrition bars!