Currently

Jan
5

Expectant Mother Parking Mike decided, at 20 weeks, that I now qualify us to park here. Hm, perhaps I should stop complaining about my back + hips?!

WATCHING // We went and saw This is 40 last night. It was unexpectedly long, but funny — as in lots of literal laugh-out-loud moments. (Plus, you can’t go wrong with the sexiness that is Paul Rudd, amirite?)

SHOPPING // For maternity pants. I give up; I’m tired of feeling cut-in-half. Also picked up the stinkin’ CUTEST jeans with red suspenders tonight for Benny. (He’s in a 4T height-wise, but he’s so skinny they fall down … so hipster-suspenders should be the perfect solution!)

LISTENING TO // My I Love the 90s Spotify playlist has been on heavy rotation at work this week, along with my cheesy but fabulous Old Skool playlist. There’s just something about a little “California Love” on a snowy 20-degree day that just lifts the mood!

ENJOYING // Taking photos with a dSLR again. I’ve made myself pick it up and use it at least once every day this week. I definitely feel rusty and inspiration is sporadic but it still feels good to be doing something creative again!

ANXIOUSLY AWAITING // Monday! Not that I’m eager for my weekend to be over (far from it), BUT Monday is our 20-week sonogram! Fingers crossed, we’ll be finding out if Gummibear is a HE or a SHE!

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Fab Finds Friday

Jan
4

Happy Friday, friends!! To get you through to the weekend, here are some recent links + pins I’ve collected for you to explore…

Zen Nook My happy little Zen-nook in the living room: Buddha, candles, incense + crystals = bliss.

Link Roundup

+ Krista at Saturated Canary is giving away a super cute Recollections journal-organizer. If I weren’t SO addicted to my Laurel Denise planner, I’d really want one. (Hm, I wonder if I can justify having both…?)

+ Once again, I keep saying I’m not a New Year’s resolution type of person … BUT Gala Darling’s Resolutions for Bad Girls and Geniuses are simply BRILLIANT resolution suggestions. She might just change my mind.

+ Anna’s list of 98 Cheap and Easy Foods to make for under $5 has some great ideas. (Actually, her blog is FULL of great money-saving ideas and inspiration. Add it to your RSS reader, trust me.)

+ I’m a little obsessed with the new (affordable!) lighting collection from Young House Love. I can’t decide which I want more: this one or this one. (I just love the shadows the latter one casts on the ceiling!)

Favorite Pins

How to wear a Button Up // Cute ideas + cute sketches!!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Breakfast Cookies // Chocolate + cream cheese + crescent rolls? Sign me up!

When you get stuff, you get papers // Super-simple but super-smart solution for organizing all those user manuals and warranties that pile up in the junk drawer. (Is that just me?!)

Instant Vintage // How to turn any T-shirt into a soft, vintage T you’ll love wearing

1 Comment * Posted in Things I Love

My To-Read List

Jan
3

I just mentioned the other day that I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but one thing I would like to accomplish this year is doing more reading. I have a backlog of books I’ve bought or borrowed, and an ever-growing list of books on my wishlist too. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to keep up with reading once Gummibear arrives, but I have till the end of May at least to worry about that!

Right now, I’m juggling three books: Heading Home with your Newborn: From Birth to Reality, Catching Fire, and Ruthless. The first one is shaping up to be a very quick read and I’m probably going to have all the relevant parts of it finished very shortly. The other two … well … we’ll just call them guilty pleasures.

THEN hopefully I can indulge in a few of the books on my wishlist:

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected–A Memoir by Kelle Hampton
I’ve been reading Kelle Hampton’s blog for about a year now and I absolutely adore her writing, and moreover, her attitude toward life and family. I’ve wanted this book since it came out and just couldn’t justify getting it till I caught up on my other reading. I can’t wait to get it!

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
I’ve had mixed feelings about this book. When it first came out and I saw it on the bookshelf at Barnes and Noble, it caught my eye; then it got over-hyped and I wrote it off. Now I’m seeing a few blogs mentioning it as inspiration for changes they are making in their own lives, and suddenly I’m intrigued again. It couldn’t hurt, could it?

The Crazy Old Lady in the Attic by Kathleen Valentine
I saw Alycia’s review of this book last January (holy crap, I didn’t realize it had been that long) and this 99-cent Kindle book has been on my wishlist ever since. I need to snag this one up soon.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
I’ll totally admit I judged this book by the cover; I was (again) in Barnes and Noble one day and saw this on the shelf. Something about the cover sucked me in immediately and I found myself leafing through it. Sarah recently recommended this book for anyone who is a Harry Potter fan … uh, SOLD.

What are you reading? What’s on your reading wishlist?

3 Comments * Posted in The Story of My Life

On my Needles: Little Bubbles Baby Set

Jan
2

Pattern // Little Bubbles Baby Set (Sweater, Hat + Booties)
Yarn // Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport

I picked up this baby set as a kit a few years back from Knit Picks and it’s been living in my stash ever since. I really liked the colors; I’m a sucker for anything teal or aqua. The sweater is finished except for finding some buttons. The hat is almost finished and I have yet to start the booties. I made it in the 6-12 month size hoping that it will fit our little Gummibear next fall.