Decorating a house I don't own...

The bad news: In about a month, my parents will be moving out of the house they've lived in for almost 20 years, leaving behind a 100+ years old farmhouse on five acres in the middle of nowhere Indiana, complete with pool, pool house, and pond, and moving into a much smaller house located in town, where all of the things we've always loved to do at my parents' house will no longer be available to us.

Sad.

The good news: In addition to this smaller house? They're also in the process of buying a townhouse on the beach in Florida.

Not as sad, anymore.

I, of course, immediately started a Pinterest board to decorate the place, like it's my very own beach house or something, and headed off to the Pottery Barn outlet for a little bit of window shopping, too. A few of my wishes?
It's hard to tell with the iPhone pictures, but this is the color palette I want her to use in at least one of the bedrooms. It just screams BEACH!!%$#%! to me.

Seashell pillow. Because, of course.
Starfish pillow. See above.
Coral candle holders? Same.

I'm trying to talk my mom into a nautical themed family room, with navy blue furnishings (because they're planning to rent the place out for the next few years, and light colored furniture is kind of a no-no in a rental, I think) and a pale gray wall, so I think rope accents would be perfect, right?
Green and light blue. Just like the ocean!
Linen picture frames, with beach scenes in them would fit perfectly on a shelf in the family room, I think.
I love the look of distressed wood in furniture (even though I think this distressing is most likely factory made), so I will be on the look-out for some new side tables when I hit up the antique stores on our Florida vacation in September.
Bedroom number two, perhaps?

Seriously...this is almost as much fun as decorating for Christmas, you guys!

Friday Round-Up

So, give it to me straight...am I the only one who loves to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, but then can't watch any of the actual Olympic competitions because seeing people lose what they've been working so hard to win for so many years is just more than my hormone addled heart can handle?

Yes?

Ok. Carry on, then.

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Friday links, anyone?

I love these gift ideas, both in the post itself and in the comments. I know what EVERYONE is getting from me FOREVER from now on!

I couldn't find this exact candy corn wine bottle pin on Pinterest, but I found something pretty similar to add to my Halloween board. I think maybe if I can keep the paint kind of thin, I can shove some batter powered lights in there, too, for a little extra something. (Did I mention I start decorating for Halloween over Labor Day weekend? Because I do...)

I intend to make this tomato sauce, if Steve and I ever get around to growing tomatoes again. Which we will. I think.

I ABSOLUTELY intend to pick up a pair of these bracelets, if we can ever get around to naming baby number two at any point in the near future. I already have a couple of Alex and Ani bracelets, and I love them!

I may or may not have hit up Ebay for the J Crew bubble necklace, the minute I saw this post go up.

I love this story, because it just goes to show that there really ARE good people in the world, even though that can be hard to remember sometimes.

And this one, because sometimes I need to remember it's not always what I get accomplished in a day that defines that day for me...

Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!

Wishful Thinking

I have reached the point in this pregnancy where I don't mind looking at myself from the front, but I have looooong since given up on trying to make myself look ok from the side. Especially when wearing a dress, my butt and my stomach kind of combine into one, large, round mass that more or less makes me look like I should be giving birth tomorrow instead of 4-ish months from now.

You know how there are some people who do the cute, belly-only pregnancy?

(Like the very, very skinny pregnant girl I was with in the elevator yesterday? The one who looked like I could eat her in one sitting?)

Yeah, I am not one of those people.

But the end result is worth it, so it is what it is. And in the meantime, I will make myself content with pinning adorable fall outfits on Pinterest that I won't be able to wear until next fall, since I won't be fitting into any of my cute sweaters this year.

It's a good thing I'm resourceful, y'all.

 

Dress: Motherhood Maternity

Tank (which is actually mustard yellow, but looks nothing like that in my lovely iPhone pictures): Target

Shoes: Kenneth Cole (outlet)

Bracelet: Target

Necklace: Old Navy

July Birchbox

There was a little bit of Birchbox drama around these parts this month because I got my shipping notification at the beginning of the month, but it was showing that it would be two weeks before it was actually delivered. And that was annoying to me.

But THEN! After only a few days, my tracking information showed that the box was delivered in a much shorter time period than that two week estimated window, which was great...except for the fact that I still hadn't seen anything actually delivered to me. Because the mailman had, on one particular day, tried to give us the mail for our neighbors up the street, he figured that our mail had been left for our neighbors down the street.

You know, the ones who had just left for a week-long vacation.

Luckily, my dear, sweet husband is not as worried about mail-related felonies as I am, because he had no problem getting into their mailbox to rescue my Birchbox.

(And, really, they'd put a stop on their mail delivery while they were gone, so the only thing in their mailbox was our stuff, anyway.)

(AND and, they don't have a covered front porch, and we got a lot of rain while they were gone, so I rescued two packages that had been delivered for them, and stored those in my garage until they got back, to keep their stuff safe. So it all evens out, right?)




Anyway, the delivery...

GLOSS Moderne High Gloss Masque for hair: It definitely made my hair softer, but I don't know that I really noticed much of a difference in the shine when I used it. Of course, that could be more because I am about six months overdue for a hair cut and less because the product doesn't work quite as well as they say it does, but whatever...

Harvey Prince Hello: This officially qualifies as the first time I've liked a perfume scent they've sent me in my Birchbox. It's light and flowery and makes me want to spend all day outside in a garden. It's possibly my new favorite summer scent, I think.

Ada Cosmetics Bronzer: I needed a new bronzer, so excellent timing on this delivery! I like how it works, but I much prefer a compact bronzer to a loose powder, just because I ALWAYS make a mess with loose powder. I'm not so graceful with stuff like this...

Stila Lip Glaze: I don't think I've ever met a color of this stuff that I don't like. They are some of the most universally flattering lip glosses, ever.

And then if you throw in a Larabar and a pair of headphones? Well, you have the makings of a good box o' samples, right there. I think this is two or three in a row where I have been extremely happy with what I've received, and considering the first one or two weren't the best selections ever, I'm finally starting to think I'll be really sad when my subscription runs out. I LIKE new make-up, you know?

I'm glad Steve rescued this one for me from the neighbors, that's for sure.

He's just lucky I love him...

My husband's comment when he saw me getting dressed this morning?

You look like the 1980s. Or maybe early 90s. I swear, I had a windsuit with those colors in it. But I mean that in a good way!

And this is why my husband should stick to 'you look nice' in the mornings, and leave it at that.

 

Blouse: Motherhood Maternity (outlet)

Sweater: Express

Skirt: Motherhood Maternity

Shoes: Nine West

Belt: Came off of a different maternity dress

The Party Works Giveaway Winner!

And the big winner of The Party Works party pack giveaway is...

Congratulations, Jen...I'll be in touch by email shortly!

Friday Round-Up (Sort Of)

As mentioned only a million times before in various locations, my parents were visiting this week, so all of the hard work I'd done last week to finally get caught up on my Google Reader list?

Gone in a sea of late nights spent watching HGTV with my mom and dad.

Totally worth it.

But, I did have one or two things to round up before the weekend...

1) Today is the last day to enter my giveaway from The Party Works, so you should totally go do that if you haven't.

2) eShakti is not only having an up to 40% off sale right now, but they want to give you an additional 10% off of ANY order (including those sale items!), with the code LA28PZE. The offer is good through July 31st (on anything except overstock items) and can be used as many times as you'd like within that period.

(Disclaimer: The company is offering me a site credit worth 10% of all orders placed using this code. I'd offer the code to you with or without this offer, because I really do love this company, but, you know...transparency and whatnot.)

3) This post from Elizabeth sums up my feelings on fashion and raising a girl in an image obsessed world MUCH better than I could ever hope to do myself. So...you should definitely read it, I think. It's just that good.

Have a lovely weekend!

*ahem*

My pregnancy, in pictures...








My doctor would be so proud, yes?


My parents have been in town for the past few days, so I've been terrible about promoting this, but you should ABSOLUTELY go enter my giveaway for an eight person party pack from The Party Works by tomorrow, because your chances of winning are EXCELLENT right now!

Giveaway: The Party Works

Who wants to throw a birthday party? Or a fancy-pants themed picnic? Or maybe a dinner for 8 of your closest friends? Or even a Bachelorette party?

Well, the folks at The Party Works would love to help you out!

From now until next Friday (midnight, EST), you can enter to win any Party Pack for Eight of your choice, simply by leaving a comment on this post telling me which theme is your favorite.

Maybe you know someone who is really into tractors?

Maybe you're planning for a big summer luau?

Or maybe you're just as excited for the start of football season as I am?

Whatever the occasion, this site has you covered. Each pack comes with dinner and dessert plates, plus napkins, cups, and silverware. Depending on the set, most come with some combination of balloons, crepe paper, invitations, and a table cloth, as well.

I will pick a winner at random next weekend, and contact that winner via email, so make sure you include your address in the entry.

Good luck to all!

Please note: The prize can only be shipped within the US. The party pack will be provided to the winner directly by The Party Works.

Sponsored Post: GlassesUSA

While you wouldn't know it from most of my pictures, I've been wearing glasses since about fourth grade, and I more or less can't see anything without them. If you were to stand three feet in front of me when I'm not wearing them? I would have absolutely no idea who you were because all I would see is one big blur.

Although I switched to contacts in high school, my actual eyeglasses are my preferred choice whenever I won't be needing to wear sunglasses, because they're just so much easier to handle. Plus, when you fall asleep on the couch, they don't stick to your eyes like contacts do, which means I will be wearing nothing but my glasses when baby number two makes her appearance in a few months. I plan to spend A LOT of time falling in and out of sleep on my couch when that happens. And even if I don't get all of the naps I'm pretending I'll get? Glasses are much, much easier on dry, tired eyes than contacts are. So, sleeping or not, contacts are out in the newborn phase.

My first pair of prescription glasses were these monstrous plastic frames, in a purplish color, of course, because there's no better way to announce 'I WEAR GLASSES!!!' to the world than to wear a pair of giant, purple, plastic frames. And as a nine-year old, I wanted to world to know that I had bad eyes, I guess?

Obviously, over the years, I've changed my thought process quite a bit when it comes choosing my eyeglasses frames:

These are NOT giant purple plastic frames, right? But I've had these frames for about four years now, and it's time for a change. Enter GlassesUSA.com. They have an amazing selection of frames at great prices, and the site even includes a virtual mirror, so you can try before you buy.



I'm leaning towards this pair:

Or maybe this one:

What do you think?


GlassesUSA is currently offering a couple of storewide discounts, including 15% off your entire order, plus free shipping, on any order over $50 (code: FS15) and 10% off any order of prescription glasses (code: Blog10). For more information about the company, you can follow them on both Facebook and Twitter!  


**Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by GlassesUSA, but the opinions are all mine.**

Did you hear?

I announced it on my family blog and on Twitter yesterday, but if you aren't following either of those, then you might not have heard that we found out baby number two is, in fact...


A GIRL!!!

My husband is in for such a world of trouble around here, isn't he?

Dress/Belt: Motherhood Maternity

Cardigan: Gap (outlet)

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelets: Mango Tree

On my mind...

Tomorrow, I go in for my second ultrasound, and if all goes according to plan, I should know if baby number two is going to be a boy or a girl. And it is LITERALLY ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT TODAY.

I should just go home and go to bed until my appointment tomorrow, right?

Dress: Motherhood Maternity

Cardigan: Banana Republic (outlet)

Shoes: Nine West

Jewelry: Kate Spade, Gorjana, Charlotte Russe

Friday Round-Up

We are off to the lake this weekend, for a belated 4th of July celebration and cook-out. I don't think it's supposed to top 100 degrees in the next few days, so we're already miles ahead of where we were last weekend, on the enjoyment scale...

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Anyone interested in my favorite links?

A few additions to my outfit inspiration folder in the last couple of weeks can be found here, here, and here, while my budget is trying to talk me out of searching for the adorable anchor sweatshirt, posted here.

I'm still not sure why I don't live in Hawaii.

I definitely need a rapid dry topcoat for my nails that actually works, and I've been dying to try a sea spray for my hair.

Cheap and easy organization ideas for my bathroom and my kitchen? Yes, please.

I think this is a great list of gift ideas for that new mom you might know...

How much fun would it be to host a swap party? I wish I knew more people in Atlanta who would be interested in doing this, because I think it would be an AWESOME way to declutter and reclutter with new things.

And finally, I love Jen Lancaster. Love. With all of my heart. And I just got a giftcard to Amazon for my birthday (which was in February, but I'm not complaining...), and I more or less want to spend it all on books for my Kindle, and now I have some idea of what those books should be. Because I trust her taste in books, Ambien and all.

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I hope you all have a lovely, lovely weekend...and here's to everyone keeping their power this time around, OK?

The Months That Were: April through June

Hey! Look! We're halfway through the year!!!

I...well, I don't approve of this at all. Time is moving entirely too fast for my choosing these days. Who do I talk to about slowing things the eff down?

Anyway, let's see where I stand on my 2012 goals at the halfway mark, shall we?

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1) Clean/reorganize my closet. - I bought an over-the-door shoe storage contraption that allowed me to get rid of a ton of shoe boxes that were cluttering things up. Plus I bagged up some donation stuff. And I threw out almost all of my old make-up. And no, I don't keep my make-up in my closet, so it probably doesn't really count as part of my closet cleaning initiative, but I'm going to take a victory where I can right now.

2) Institute a monthly date night with Steve. - Yeah, after a stellar first quarter, this has kind of gone by the wayside these last few months. I blame my pregnancy and the inability to stay awake past 8:30PM. But we do eat lunch together twice a week, alone, if that counts for anything. (No? It doesn't? Fine...I'll work on this.) 

 

3) Make sure one of those monthly dates is a really, really nice dinner somewhere. - I'm still waiting.

4) Put together a Christmas/Advent activity calendar for Brigid. - Like I would ever actually take the time to plan this far ahead...

5) Do one Pinterest-found craft or implement one Pinterest-inspired design idea each month. - I made my sister a fun little money book as a graduation present, I made two batches of watermelon strawberry lemonade (of which I drank all but maybe one glass of, because IT IS TOO GOOD TO SHARE!!), and...uh...I have big plans for Halloween. That's about it.

 

6) Call my college friends at least once a month. - I am still very, very bad at this.

7) Facetime with my sister(s) once a week. - I am, however, still all over this one. And it is still one of my favorites.

 

8) Make a meal entirely on my own (I don't cook, so this might be the biggest one of the year!) - We bought a slow cooker recipe book. A slow cooker meal counts as a meal, I think.

 

I mean, I still haven't made anything yet, but I will. At some point.

 

9) Create an art wall in my staircase. - No.

10) Organize a playroom for Brigid. - No.

11) Organize a workspace for me. - No.

12) Give up meat for a month. - No.

 

Well, this was a rough stretch of the list, wasn't it?

13) Take Brigid on a picnic in the park, just the two of us. - We've still only done this once, but I have taken her on two separate picnics at the pool this summer, just the two of us, and I think that is much more appropriate for the hell-ish Atlanta summer we're currently enjoying.

14) Read at least one book a month. - Read this year: Three Hunger Games books, three Dragon Tattoo books, Bossypants (Tina Fey), Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (Mindy Kaling), three Fifty Shades of Grey books, and both Divergent and Insurgent (Veronica Roth). I think there were a few more, non-Kindle books in there, but for the life of me, I can't remember what they were. Maybe it's just dream reading on my part?

 

Next up on my list: Good in Bed (Jennifer Weiner) and The Great Gatsby (because the movie is coming out, and I've never read it, which is probably something I should remedy at some point in my life.)

15) Take Brigid to South Bend for a weekend. - This definitely will not happen, as I will be into my third trimester (AKA: the no fly zone) by the time football season starts, which is the only reason we want to take her up there, anyway.

 

16) Get a mirror or painting for the dining room wall. - YES!!! WE DID IT!!! IKEA TO THE RESCUE!!! I should probably take a picture or something, to prove that I'm not making these things up...

17) Do the 30 Day Shred for the full 30 days. - Oh, I did it, all right. But I do NOT look like Jillian Michaels, and I would like my 30 days back now, please.

18) Research/practice meditation. - A little bit. I found an excellent app for the iPad that leads you through a nice, short session, but I don't use it nearly as often as I should.

19) Find a 'mommy and me' class of some sort for Brigid and I to attend. - No.

20) Write something, anything, not blog related. - No.

21) Take a bubble bath once a month, just because. - I've kind of gotten away from this the last month or two. See: falling asleep at 8:30PM, above.

22) Take one lunch break a week, even if it's only 15 minutes, to sit somewhere quiet and recalibrate/reflect/replan the next few days. - No. In fact, I am (still) failing miserable at this one.

23) LAPS everyday. - Ditto (still).

24) Implement a $50/month budget (for all gratuitous expenses: make-up, lunches, coffee, clothing, accessories), and stick to it. - I honestly have completely lost track of this, but it's safe to say I am not within my guidelines right now (An extra 25% off of the Kate Spade sale, anyone?). Time to readjust. 

 

25) Give up carbs for January and February. Except maybe birthday cake, because I am not a machine. - Pregnant. I'm pregnant until December. This is sooooooo not happening this year. 

 

Maybe I meant next January and February? Because that makes much more sense right now...

It's the little things...

Last night, the power went out in our neighborhood for about five hours. Considering what people in DC and the surrounding areas have been facing these last few days, I realize that I am incredibly lucky it was only out for five hours, because things could always be much, much, MUCH worse.

Perspective. I have it.

However, no amount of understanding could prevent me from swearing loudly at the tree that fell on our lines at 6:30PM or at Georgia Power for not having our power back up and running in an hour and a half, because do you know what happened to me last night?

I MISSED THE BACHELORETTE HOMETOWN DATES!!!

Perspective. It's hit or miss with me, really.

T-shirt: Target

Cardigan: Gap (outlet)

Skirt: Motherhood Maternity

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: J Crew

Bracelet: Macy's

I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July!

I'm Melting...

Well, now, that was a...warm...weekend, huh? Steve went to some pub/anniversary/beer celebration on Saturday, and I couldn't get Brigid interested in doing anything other than playing games in her nightgown, so Saturday was a complete waste of time. And then on Sunday, we attempted a trip to the pool, but that was a bit of a failure, because the water couldn't have been cooler than 95 degrees, which is slightly less than refreshing.

But, I had power all weekend (except for a random three hour window early, early Monday morning, around the same time we lost power last weekend, too, oddly enough, but that doesn't count...), which is more than a lot of the east coast could say, so I'm not complaining.

Still...It could cool off any day, now.

T-shirt: Motherhood Maternity

Cardigan: Banana Republic (outlet)

Skirt: Motherhood Maternity

Bracelets: Target

Shoes: Francesca's