Practice: Peonies for Emaline

I have written the obligatory post about our move and everything that goes along with it. But I'm not ready to share. Because of the move and everything that goes along with it, I have not been writing. And the first few times writing after having not written, are a little bit like getting off crutches. I am weak and shaky and my muscles needs to build along with my confidence. So borrowing a little bit of inspiration from one of my favorite bloggers, I am writing a practice post. I will publish it as my warm-up, my opening act. Not to build expectations, please don't do that. But to get my fingers moving and my writer-brain slowly turning. So for the moment, I will pretend that I am not 1,200 miles from Nick's family, an hour from my family, and five minutes from the ocean.

A picture to pull you into a new topic. Emaline!

Emaline's first birthday is in less than a week! Nothing in the world messes with the passage of time more than a child. This year has flown by runs parallel in truth to that feels so long ago. Nick and I keep repeating these statements as we prepare to celebrate. We are having a party for her on Saturday and her actual birthday is on Tuesday. I have a Pinterest board of ideas. We will see what plans come to fruition. I know I want flowers, and balloons, and to decorate her highchair.

What I imagine. But this won't happen. 

I imagined peonies filling the house. When I announced that I was pregnant, I chose peonies as the image to accompany my words because they come into bloom at the same time that my baby was to be born. Yes, there was a lot of thought over that image. And since that time, I have associated those beautiful flowers with my littlest love.

Yesterday, I called the local flower shop and asked if they had any peonies. The lady excitedly told me they were coming in tomorrow. I almost ran for my credit card. This is perfect. I will buy so many. "They are $7.00 a stem." she said breaking through the daydream of my peony house.

"Like per flower? A stem is a flower?" I asked incredulously, realizing only now, how dumb I must have sounded.

After a few beats of silence she responded, "Yes. That's right."

So I am revising my floral plans. I will share some here and when we buy a house (which will be soon but we're not talking about that yet!) I will plant peonies. And every spring when they bloom, I will clip a bunch and put them in a vase for my little girl.

  

Friday Fashion: Melting

 Spring might be coming. She wrote with much trepidation. The past few days have been sunny and melty. Tomorrow is supposed to be 55. In Minnesota that means there will be people outside in shorts. It is ridiculous. The amount of people who wrote on facebook that they drove with windows down yesterday is astounding. It was 37 maybe 40. We are desperate.

I am not immune to the excitement. Today I have been browsing pinterest and getting excited to dress myself post-baby. I have decided to share some of the lovelies with you.

I have collected a few Anthropologie gift cards and I am hoarding them until I am ready to try on and buy a summer dress. They have so many that I like right now but, alas, I must wait. A few favorites:

 Also, for the first time this summer since I was maybe fifteen, I am planning on buying and wearing a one-piece bathing suit. The idea scares me. In my head, I imagine those pretty, vintage bathing suits.

 

Why does it seem that women's bathing suits took a giant step back at some point? The vintage styles are flattering and lovely. Thankfully it seems that suits are moving in that direction again. But the one pieces from the 90s and 2000s are terrible. The last time I wore I one piece, it was essentially a leotard that flattened your chest and erased curves. And cutting giant strips of fabric from random places gives you weird tan lines and requires a perfect body to pull off.

Tan lines from this would make you look infected.

 Goodbye slouchy sweaters and winter jackets that do not zip. Hello tank tops, maxi dresses, and sandals!

I want this shirt!

Watch, next time I blog, I will be telling you about a new coating of snow. 

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

Last Bit of Winter: Momentary Escape

 Happy Spring. Although, it does not feel much like spring. The sun is definitely getting stronger but it is 21 degrees and there are mounds of snow everywhere. I am so over winter, snow, and being inside. I know I am repeating the words of so many others but- come on!

In the last few days, even Toby seems to have hit a wall. He gets so spun up and wants to play but can't stay focused to follow through with our usual games. I think he has cabin fever. It's like my little gray puppy has an internal calendar letting him know that spring is here. He wants out and so do I.

I think this is the first winter that Nick and I have not escaped somewhere warm. Usually there is a trip to break things up, to remind me that winter is long but that summer will come again. It is encouraging to go somewhere that does not suffer winter the way we do. A place where skin can be exposed and where winter does not include frozen sidewalks and icicle clad houses.

  I do not know when I will be somewhere tropical again. It will not be for awhile. I had a dream last night that Nick and I were on a resort on an island. It was amazing. I woke up and could not stop thinking about sunshine, waves, and colorful drinks.

And so I took to pinterest. If I can't make it happen, I can at least imagine where I would go...

 

Like a Real Adult: Dinner with Friends

I spent most of yesterday like a 1950's housewife. I grocery shopped, cooked, and cleaned all day. I watched the clock, wanting to have dinner ready by 6pm. The hours passed quickly and there was no time for a break. A muscle that I did not know I had, hurts today from all of the vegetable peeling.

I am sure for many people, this is normal. For me, it is not. I live primarily off of toast. Nick cooks much more often than I do. Now that I am the one home during the day, I am making an effort to be more active in the kitchen.

Another change with being home is that I do not see my friends unless I actually make plans. So last night I invited three of my favorite girls over for dinner.  It seemed a great way to knock two birds with one frying pan.

It also gave me a chance to use some of the fancier serving items that we got for our wedding. You know something does not get used enough when there are cobwebs. So after hand-washing all of the fancy dishes, as to not serve my friends dusty food, I set the table and began cooking.

The menu was compiled via Pinterest. The day before the dinner, I must have looked at my Bite To Eat page for an hour trying to decide what I wanted to attempt. I compiled a list and then modified it yesterday, opting to make a vegetarian meal after watching Forks Over Knives. We ended up with:

• Roasted Green Beans with Mushroom, Balsamic, and Pecorino Romano
• Homemade Applesauce
• Pear, Blue Cheese, Walnut Salad with Maple Syrup Vinaigrette
• Mashed Potatoes (not from Pinterest, I am Irish after all.)

Paired with a variety of wines and cheesecake for dessert.

 It was delicious and so fun! Nick ended up sneaking in and joining us for dinner. The work he had to get done was put on hold as he tried to soak up his wife as the chef. It is a lot of work and I do not see myself doing this every week but it was nice and I love having leftovers. My friend Theresa and I joked that next time we hang out, we are keeping our houses messy and ordering pizza. Maybe I'll put the pizza on a fancy plate, just to keep it classy. 


I keep thinking about how much your interests change as you get older. If anybody had ever told me that I would care about dish sets or napkin holders, I would not have believed them. I remember as a kid thinking that home depot was the most boring store in the world. Now, I could wonder around there for hours. As I wrote that, the six-year-old boy next door ran by my window dressed in a knight costume with a cape flowing behind him. Yes!!

I will end this with a link to the song that is stuck in my head. Have a good weekend!

Simple Inspiration: Eye Candy

Who is this girl with three posts in one week??? I guess that's what happens post-wedding when your friends leave town and your husband goes back to school. I just have some fun images to store. A little bit of eye candy and inspiration.

Am I a hypocrite if I follow that beautiful quote up with a page out of Anthropologie's fall catalog? I say not as we spend a third of our lives sleeping (probably more for me) so what better place to start finding elegance and refinement than in your own bedroom!




Oh Anthropologie, you have my heart and sometimes my wallet.

Speaking of bedroom the new husband and I are waiting on this to finish off our bedroom. We used our Macy's gift cards to purchase. Thanks friends and family. Also today I caved and bought this to wear to Nick's Dad's wedding in two weeks! I was debating what to wear and pulled up this dress for the umpteenth time to find it on sale. I took it as a sign and acted quickly. The thing that makes me nervous it is says that the model is wearing the same size dress that I ordered. That doesn't seem right. Online shopping always makes me a little nervous but that's what a good return policy is for. 





Nick, someday you and I must waste days together in this tropical paradise. Please??



Simple Inspiration: Photos

I have so much to say but I'm saving up my creative words for another outlet. Today, I need only to share photos, images that are cheering me during this stressful time.

Image courtesy of Engaged and Inspired. So lovely. This picture makes me want to have a photo session with NV when we are all dolled up.  

 

Reese Witherspoon at the Oscars this year was flawless. Classy and beautiful and makes it look easy. And I LOVE that hair. It's actually a half up half down, not a pony as it appears.



I may have just bought these for our July 22nd party! Badgley Mischka is my new favorite shoe designer. I dare you to go to amazon and look for a pair of shoes by Badgley Mischka that you don't want!

I've always liked James Franco but my like has turned into a serious celebrity crush upon finding out that he is currently pursuing his PhD at Yale and then stumbling upon this photo care of cute boys with cats.

I promise to be back soon with more than photos. Until then please pray to whomever your god may be that it warms up in Minnesota. This has been the l-o-n-g-e-s-t winter e-v-e-r!!