loves this necklace!

Since getting married and having children, I've become more sentimental regarding my jewelry.

A piece I'm currently coveting is this calendar necklace by dalla nonna. The necklaces are customizable with choice of metal, finish, month, date and birthstones.




Wouldn't this be so cute personalized with a child's birthday or wedding anniversary.....


Until tomorrow,

is planning a Dr Seuss themed birthday party!

Although I am in total denial, it's true my baby Sophia is almost turning one....



While I was out yesterday, I came across this box of Dr Seuss stickers for $5.




I bought it and decided almost immediately that I would use them as inspiration for Sophia's first birthday party in July. I'm going to incorporate the stickers into the party favors but beyond that I'm not sure where this party theme will lead me.....


Time to start brainstorming...
Any ideas?









PS - I'm super happy for Lee DeWyze.


I've been rooting for him since back in this post on March 20th. What a super talented cutie!

loves an orderly fridge!

Welcome Wednesdays

"Everything has a place, and everything in its place."

I don't like to clean too much. Don't get me wrong, I love a clean house so I do it but it doesn't really do it for me. I would never spend a free day cleaning, however I could be perfectly content to pass the day employing new organization techniques throughout my house, closet by closet, drawer by drawer, cabinet by cabinet until everything had a home that made sense (to me).....

The Container Store has great ideas:

Slimline Fridge Jug

Freezer Labels

. I loved these suggestions from theMay issue of In Style magazine for a neat fridge:

Chikuno Cube - Eco friendly Compact Natural Air Freshener

Fresh Life Food Storage Containers

Do you like to clean or organize?

Until tomorrow,

brought out the fit flops!

Do you wear these?

I try to a couple times a week and boy can I really tell a difference the next day. Muscles you didn't knew you even had in your legs are sore (in a good way!) They aren't the most fashionable pair of shoes but for a day of running errands they are perfect!

According to their website, "walking in these sandals increases leg, calf and gluteal muscle activity, improves your posture, simulates aspects of barefoot walking but with more muscle load, and improves muscle tone. FitFlop sandals wearers have also reported relief from plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, chronic back pain, sciatica, osteoarthritis, RLS (restless leg syndrome), scoliosis and degenerative disc diseases."

In keeping with all the designer collaborations that are so popular these days, check out this FitFlop that Anna Sui designed. I'd rock them to Starbucks.....


Until tomorrow,

loves NYC in a bag

New York City in a Bag by MUJI - $15 at www.momastore.org

"As irresistible to adults as it is to children, MUJI's New York in a Bag comes with eight wooden city structures and six wooden cars. Included are New York City icons such as MoMA's original 1939 building, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Guggenheim Museum. The wood is from sustainable forests."

What a great gift idea paired with this:








Until tomorrow,

went to a Tinkerbell Tea Party

Today we went to a cute event at Olivia's dance school, A Tinkerbell Tea Party. They do these parties periodically, we missed the last one which was The Little Mermaid but we made it to the Cinderella one back in this post.

It's always cute to see the girls run around playing dress up, dancing to "Shake Your Sillies Out" and munching on teddy grahams and juice boxes. Ah, to be young again.....

Tinkerbell, Sophia (in red), Olivia (in pink)

Some of the other fairies

Magic circle time

One dad even came dressed as Captain Hook!

I can't wait till Sophia can participate more
but for now she was so content to just chew on this butterfly


I had Olivia wear her Tinkerbell pj's and she was a little under dressed...

Were you in Never Never Land today?

bought this dress

This morning after Olivia's dance class, I popped into Target to pick up milk, diapers and formula. While I was there I threw this Zac Posen for Target dress in my cart as well. I have fun trying out the different designer collaborations and this one was no exception. The bathing suits and dresses were adorable and the materials seemed to be good quality which is really important to me as my skin is more sensitive since giving birth.

I haven't tried it on yet, but I'm picturing it on a summer night with heels (minus the socks - I'm not that daring) and bright pink lip gloss.....

I love Target!




What have you bought at Target lately?

loves Sephora

A few weeks back, I took advantage of a 15% off promotion at Sephora and combined it with 2 gift cards I received for my birthday. I tried a few new products I've been eyeing and of course tried some new items courtesy of all those great samples.

Here's what I purchased:

Kim Kardashian Perfume - I like this scent, I've noticed lately I'm drawn to scents with tuberose as one of the notes. Here's what it says on Sephora about it: "The essence evokes Kim's sultry style with crisp top notes, lush mid notes, and a sexy drydown. Gorgeous, voluptuous florals reflect her allure, while soft jasmine, tuberose, and gardenia mirror her femininity. Tonka bean, jacaranda wood, and sandalwood add a warm, sensual base."


Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment - I have the original version of this and love it. I actually don't think there's anything from Fresh that I've tried that I haven't loved. This is a very thick but soft lip treatment that leaves your lips so soft and lasts for hours. It's also great as a lip gloss base. The Rose version gave my lips a slight natural pink color. Here's what it says on Sephora about it: "Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 is everything you love about the original Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15, but now you get the added benefit of a natural rosé tint that provides buildable color. With one slick, this stick provides immediate hydration and smoothness—instantly soothing cracked or chapped lips and diminishing the appearance of fine lines. It provides SPF 15 UVA/UVB protection to shield your lips from the damaging effects of the sun and delivers a hint of tint for a natural, universally-flattering look. It's packed in a travel-friendly, screw-top tube."

Clean Summer Perfume - I tried to like this perfume but after 2 days it had to go back. It wasn't my taste, it reminded me of citronella or bug spray. Here's what it says on Sephora about it: "CLEAN Summer Eau Fraiche is your first class ticket to the balmy, breezy, warm weather months. This fresh, floral essence evokes the exhilarating feeling of a bright, sunny day. Italian limoncello, crisp bergamot, and rose ice create a sparkling impression that mingles with graceful notes of Mirabelle plum, Lily of the Valley, and soft musk."



What have you bought lately?

is sharing her bedroom

Welcome Wednesdays

I thought it would be fun to start a new feature here on Today Hilary called Welcome Wednesdays. Every Wednesday I'll share an aspect of my house, whether it's something I recently designed, decorated, renovated, purchased, need to change, organized, like/dislike...



Ok, to catch everyone up to speed about 3 years ago Danny and I purchased the ultimate fixer-upper, a 5 bedroom and 4 bathroom craftsman style house in NJ.

Sounds great so far, right? Wrong.........

This house needed WORK. We've done 80% of everything we wanted to on a major budget and alot of it we did ourselves. I'm kicking myself because I don't have too many before pictures to really show the depth of this project but I think you'll get the idea.

Let's begin in the master bedroom:

I only have this before shot

bedroom furniture, The Door Store (from previous condo)
duvet from IKEA
throw pillows from HSN
curtain, West Elm

aries pillowcases from Urban Outfitters
(Danny and I are both Aries)

lamp from HomeGoods

water bottle from Starbucks
dream journal from Anthropologie
capri blue volcano candle from Anthropologie

vase, Crate and Barrel

good fortune bowl Urban Outfitters
kabbalah candle, White Barn Candle Co.


pot, Crate and Barrel


photographs, HomeGoods


fan, Lowe's

Let me know what you think!



How do you decorate your place on a budget?




Until tomorrow,

needs to excercise!

May's workout inspiration:




I love this video - love the choreography, love the 90's "ghetto fabulous" inspired outfits....
And seriously, could Ciara be in any better shape?!?!

Looking back and Looking ahead

Last week:

• I got a mani/pedi in OPI Pearl of Wisdom - so far no visible chips
• I went to Lambertville, NJ
• I finally watched Precious
• I predicted Michael Lynche would get kicked off American Idol (who didn't)
• I misread a recipe and added a stick of butter instead of a tablespoon and my huz still ate it

This week:

• I have a wake and burial to attend
• I have to finally finish switching over my winter to summer clothes
• I have some bday and graduation presents to buy - still getting ideas
• Might just be the week I start power walking
• I will make Turkey Marsala

What's on your to-do list?


Until tomorrow,

watches Parenthood

After my favorite HBO series (Sex in the City and Sopranos) went off the air, I didn't really follow any shows on TV. I netflixed a lot and caught some Food Network or HGTV randomly. I watch some of the usual reality shows like America's Next Top Model and Top Chef but I never got into Lost, Mad Men, Grey's Anatomy or any of those series that is so wildly popular. While flipping through the channels one night we stopped on Parenthood and have been dvr'ing it ever since.

I'm probably late to the game but I love this show. It's about four siblings and their relationships with each other, their children and their parents. They are so many characters, plots, subplots, twists and turns - it's so entertaining. More than that, the characters and families are real. They act out many big issues families deal with; divorce, autism, single motherhood, multi-cultural dating but also delve into smaller ones like children lying and wanting to have "cool" parent friends.



From the NBC website:

"Parenthood" is a one-hour drama inspired by the box-office hit of the same name. This re-imagined and updated Universal Media Studios/Imagine Television production introduces audiences to the very large, very colorful and imperfect Braverman family. Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham, "Gilmore Girls"), a financially strapped single mother, is packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting her two inconvenienced kids, Amber (Mae Whitman, "In Treatment") and Drew (Miles Heizer, "ER"), to make a big move back home to Berkeley to be closer to her family. On the home front, Sarah is greeted by her larger-than-life, headstrong father, Zeek (Craig T. Nelson, "Family Stone," "Coach"), and pillar-of-strength mother, Camille (Bonnie Bedelia, "Heart Like a Wheel"), who are privately dealing with their own marital issues. Meanwhile, Sarah's sister and complete antithesis, Julia (Erika Christensen, "Traffic") is a successful corporate attorney trying to juggle work and motherhood, alongside her stay-at-home husband, Joel (Sam Jaeger, "Eli Stone.") Commitment-phobe Crosby (Dax Shepard, "Baby Mama"), Sarah’s younger brother, must suddenly contend with accepting adult responsibility when an old flame Jasmine (Joy Bryant "Antwone Fisher") shows up unexpectedly and he must re-evaluate his priorities. However, it's Adam (Peter Krause, "Six Feet Under"), the oldest Braverman sibling, who must relinquish his preconceived expectations about what constitutes a "normal" family when he, his wife Kristina (Monica Potter, "Trust Me") and teenage daughter, Haddie (Sarah Ramos, "American Dreams"), learn that their eccentric son and Haddie’s little brother, Max (Max Burkholder, "Brother and Sisters"), is diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

I hope this show sticks around.....

Watch an episode here.




What TV show do you love?


Until tomorrow,

is loving garage sale season!

Truth be told I haven't been to a garage sale in a while. I grew up on them, my parents were always big on "green" living and thrift so it was a given we'd spend a free Saturday morning driving around checking out other people's discards. However, my husband doesn't like the unpredictability of them - which I get; a lot of times you spend the time but can't find a thing worth buying. Instead we usually spend our free weekends having brunch, going to the playground, relaxing around the house, etc

This morning Sophia woke me up at 6:45 am as usual, so I took the opportunity to be an early bird at a 40 family yard sale. Sophia and I were among the first people there and got first dibs on some fun items.

Some of my finds:

• Foo Fighters Greatest Hits cd- $1 and Kings of Leon cd - $1 (I bought both cds for Danny - he wasn't too impressed - what a tough cookie)
• Shopaholic books - $1 each - Have you ever read these? They are laugh out loud funny. Ten times better than the movie (sorry Isla).
• I also picked up some kids clothes $1 each - some new with tags. In my opinion you can never have too many kid's clothes.

But my hands down favorite find of the day was:

Teatro Olivia - $4

How cute is this paper doll kit,
complete with stage, backdrops and costumes to perform 3 operas?

I think it's official I'm back in the garage sale game........





What did you do this weekend?



Until tomorrow,

was close to predicting the winner!

America's Next Top Model - Cycle 14

I picked Raina as my choice to win this season of America's Next Top Model - Cycle 14 back in this March 11 post. Turns out I was almost right, she was the runner up and bowed out gracefully to Krista last night. I've been watching this show for many seasons already but this was one of my favorite finales. The Anna Sui fashion show was fun and playful with a slight 60's British rock band feel. Both girls looked beautiful. What a tough choice....

Here's the runner up Raina in her cover girl ad:

Here's the winner Krista in her cover girl ad:

Watch any good TV lately?


Until tomorrow,