^^After school snuggles!
M and I went to Sweethaus to pick up some buttercream frosting for our trip. You’ll have to wait and see what it’s for!
I mentioned packing cubes in my lunch post and got a few “what are packing cubes?” comments. These are the ones I got, and they arrived just in time for my trip! The set came with three cubes and 3 pouches for laundry or smaller items like underwear. Here is the contents of my carry-on suitcase. I am a huge over-packer, so this is only 3 night’s worth of clothes, but I have to fit in all the categories: daytime clothes, dressy clothes and shoes, layers if it’s cold, workout clothes (the WORST to pack with the shoes included), sleepwear, underwear, toiletries.
Here was my first attempt to pack them in:
Haha! – look at how many didn’t make it! #fail
Attempt two went stacked instead of sideways, and I made lots of progress:
And then I realized I could go above the zipper because my suitcase expands.
Success! My suitcase is Jessica Simpson’s brand from TJ Maxx which I bought about 6 years ago. I love it!
Mazen played “airport attendant” for a good 30 minutes, loading and unloading our suitcases into the trunk.
I said goodbye to him for the night when Matt came to pick him up for one last visit before we leave tomorrow morning.
Thomas and I went out to dinner to Tavola to celebrate his mom’s birthday!
We had mussels, and crusty bread, and white wine to drink.
I had the most AMAZING gorgonzola angel hair shrimp dish. Seriously, SO good!
And we shared a few desserts, including this delicious tiramisu and a flourless chocolate orange pie.
Hope you guys enjoyed a day of meals in real time! I really enjoyed it, and I hope to make this a weekly, or at the least bi-weekly, event. It’s nice to get back to the “what I ate” style! Stay tuned tomorrow for a little “what I drank” review : )
Carrie this fit chick says
Fun to see you 3 times today in my Feedly! Wow, I really need those cubes. I am the worst packer. I literally just throw everything in there.. I don’t even fold it. My thinking is that I’m just going to unpack it anyways in a few hours, so why spend time making it all nice in there? hah
Andrea says
The BEST packing cubes are the two sided eagle creek ones. You put your clean clothes on one side and transfer clothes to the other side as you wear them – built in laundry bag! They also have some compression cubes that are useful for us over-packers. 🙂
http://shop.eaglecreek.com/packit-original-clean-dirty-cube-medium/d/1318C2946?CategoryId=330
KathEats says
Cooool!!!!
Julie says
Oh my gosh, that tiramisu!! I really enjoyed the triple posts today!
Laura says
same here! I really hope this becomes a weekly thing. 🙂
And even though I already ate AND had a cookie I am drooling over your entire meal – everything looks delish.
LN says
Really enjoyed the triple posts!!! Brings me back 🙂 it’s fun to get a real time peek into someone’s life
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I use packing cubes when I travel too. Mine are from Muji. They’re so convenient and make everything so organised!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Annie says
Everything you had to eat in this post looks amazing! The frosting, of course, but the mussels and that pasta?! Yum! I love how Mazen has no shoes on in the luggage pics. Best way to be!
Christina @ montessoriishmom.com says
I LOVE those cubes. Adding them to my amazon cart now. I always try to keep my things organized when we travel, but it’s so hard, and I really hate the feeling of stuff being everywhere / not being able to find what I want. These look so useful, thanks for sharing!
Jess says
I love the real time updates! So fun!
Jessica says
This was so lovely! I used to read your blog back in the day when this was every.single.day for you which now makes me marvel at how you must have been constantly uploading/editing photos urgently! Must have been such a grind some days. Have a fun trip!
ellie says
I feel you about packing! I travel for work, and I find it easier sometimes to pack for 2+ weeks on the road than I do for a 2 day weekend trip. Your packing cubes look a little bulkier than mine, but they are definitely cuter – mine are purely utilitarian. Have so much fun this weekend!
Alana says
Packing cubes are a game changer! I traveled around the world for two years and don’t know how I would have kept my sanity without them!
Nancy V says
You need to get some compression cubes! You’ll be able to pack lots more stuff in that carryon! Especially for things like underwear and things that won’t wrinkle. Eagle Creek brand are great, at Container Store or other places. Other brands too! I like their folding Pack-It Folders for stuff like shirts/pants. Make a huge difference in the suitcase.
Rachel says
Ahhh, thanks for this, I do miss these days! I’ve been reading since about 2007 or 8 (yikes!). Probably sounds weird to you since I’m a stranger, but I myself would feel 100% comfortable having you over for dinner, I feel like I’ve known you for so long! Ha! 🙂 And I vote an enthusiastic yes to bringing this style back as a new occasion!
KathEats says
I feel the same about many of you guys!
Amy says
I love packing cubes! I’m a (recovering) overpacker, and I’ve found that rolling anything that goes in the packing cubes makes it look more organized, and I can fit so much more! Have a fun trip 🙂