currently... [january 2017]

starting: to plan Baby Q's nursery. Two of my best friends have already started planning a shower, so Mr. Q and I need to register soon, so we need a theme! Mr. Q has helped me narrow it down, but I'll be posting some of the ideas I went through here in the weeks to come. I am definitely of the mindset that a nursery should look like it belongs to the rest of the house, not like a parallel baby universe.

hoping: that pregnancy rhinitis is a phase and won't last for 20 more weeks. I've been sleeping with a cool mist humidifier on, slathering on Vick's VapoRub, and using Simply Saline at least twice a day, but not being able to take effective medicine or even drink Breathe Easy tea is crushing me.

scheduling: pregnancy courses offered through the hospital I'll be giving birth in. They offer a six-week course on either Low Intervention or Prepared Childbirth, Infant CPR, a basic Newborn Care class with info on bathing, sleep, diapering, feeding, and such, a Breastfeeding for Working Moms class. I also plan to take the prenatal tour of the hospital and get our car seat checked before little one is due!

reading: Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (#4 in the Outlander series) - I tried to read this one once before and had trouble getting into it, but I'm about halfway through this time and enjoying it much more. This one is set on the East Coast of Colonial America in the 1760's, when Jamie and Claire Fraser become homesteaders. Instead of just Claire being the first person point-of-view character, there are also chapters that follow her daughter Brianna Randall in third person as she tries to figure out what became of her parents after Claire went back through time in Voyager. I'm bothered by Claire referring to Native Americans as "savages" because having recently come from 1968, she should know better, but I'm really enjoying Gabaldon's descriptions of the Appalachian mountains before they were settled.

playing: New Justin Timberlake! Have you listened to "Filthy" or watched the video yet? It's been an established fact since 1997 that I'm going to enjoy anything involding Justin, but I had no idea he even had a new album coming out until I saw the trailer for Man of the Woods a few days ago.

Linking up with Anne from In Residence

this week's clicks: happy 2018!

And now we welcome the new year. Full of things 
that have never been. - Rainer Maria Rilke

get your week off to a colorful start...

SWOON.

Brooke Images via Wedding Chicks

• From Wedding Chicks, an elegant New Year's wedding.
• A sweet mint and cobalt wedding from the Elli blog.
• Preppy hunt club winter wedding inspiration from SMP.

SMILE.

• January desktops: Red Stamp, Cross Cards, Oh So Lovely.
• 2018 book challenges from Book Riot, MMD, and PopSugar.
• How Harry Potter characters would decorate their homes.

REFLECT.

• Could you commit to a no-shopping year? I don't think I could.
• New Year goal-setting activities from Living Well Spending Less...
• and the ones I use yearly, from Rosie Molinary and Lara Casey.

FLASHBACK.

• 2017: sage green Pinspiration,
• 2016: An end of year book survey, Instagram faves, and 5 ways I grew in 2015.
• 2015: Jamie's end of year book survey and my favorite things for January.
• 2014: challenges and gratitude, what worked in 2013, and winter in entertainment.
• 2013: expectations for the new year and my goal to show more compassion.

What's coloring your week? Share a link to your favorite recent blog

 or Tumblr post, Tweet, or Instagram pic in the comments!

sunday simplicity

Claire Penn Photography via Junebug Weddings

"Last year’s words belong to last year’s language 

and next year’s words await another voice.”

— T.S. Eliot

pinspiration: new year's eve

I recently saw a post where someone described 2017 as "personally, great; internationally; a mess," and I couldn't agree more. While our New Year's Eves tend to skew toward the cozy (our friends plan a night of Minute to Win It games and appetizers), if this year's fashion offerings are any indication we're all dreaming of a little Studio 54 throwback style. Even a cozy night at home needs a little sparkle and glitter, in my opinion. Let's do this, 2018. We're ready.

Happy Un-Boxing Day - My First Maternity Stitch Fix [December 2017]

Maternity fashion is complicated. During the first trimester, I was mainly trying to disguise my pregnancy with flowy tops and waterfall sweaters. We didn't tell people we were expecting until second trimester, and then came a point, around week 16, where I wouldn't have been able to conceal my bump even if I'd wanted to! Long tees and cardigans have been a staple, along with leggings and dresses. It was pants that were becoming an issue - I can't yet fit into the maternity pants my BFF loaned me, but I'm no longer comfortable in my pre-preganancy favorites. I found some great jeans at Motherhood Maternity, but still needed some work staples, so I reached out to Stitch Fix to try their maternity service.

This is not a sponsored post. I signed up for Stitch Fix and purchase the items I keep from each of my Fixes myself. I am a Stitch Fix Influencer, and my styling fee was waived for this Fix. My opinions on this blog are always 100% honest and authentic. This post does contain affiliate links - for each new sign-up I will receive a commission towards my next maternity Stitch Fix.

In my note to my stylist, I explained where I was in my pregnancy and requested a cozy Fix with work-appropriate pants and dresses that could be worn with leggings. I was pretty excited about my Christmas gift to myself.

If you're new to the concept of Stitch Fix, here's how it works: when you sign up, you pay a $20 personal styling fee and fill out a profile with your detailed size, style, and price preferences. I usually set my price preferences to "the cheaper, the better." Your stylist chooses five items just for you, which may include shoes, purses, or jewelry, and the $20 styling fee is applied toward the cost of any items you decide to keep from your shipment. There's also a 25% buy five discount if you love everything in your Fix! For a limited time, Stitch Fix is going to waive your styling fee when you sign up using my link - that's right, you can try Stitch Fix for free - if you don't like it, you can send everything back with no shipping costs. When my Fix arrived, I was excited to see the cute Holiday '17 packaging and the small box that meant I'd received an accessory as one of my five items!

Since Stitch Fix launched in 2011, they have become more and more diverse in their offerings - their services include petite, maternity, plus size, and even a men's line. While some of the items Stitch Fix offers can be found in stores, others are exclusive and can't be purchased anywhere else. For me, the maternity service is great because I live in a rural area and most of our local stores don't have a maternity section at all. Additionally, it's been a real challenge to find maternity pieces that are also petite - just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm not short anymore! I'm going to include the prices of my items in this review so you can see how maternity items compare to regular Stitch Fix pieces.

My favorite Stitch Fix stylists are Heather and Jan. The note in my Fix explained that Jan was on vacation so Heather styled for me again this time. Her note said,

"I packed this Fix with some maternity essentials to help you look effortlessly stylish in the coming moths. Try wearing the enclosed navy Skies are Blue Blouse with the navy Liverpool Pants, the taupe Dreamers/Debut Cardigan, the Nakamol Necklace, a tan purse, and navy flats for a polished work outfit. If the pants are too long, try cuffing them by rolling them up two to three times for a stylish twist. For a different business casual outfit, pair the cardigan and the necklace with the burgundy French Grey Dress, black leggings, a burgundy purse, and black flats."

I tried on the Skies are Blue Maternity Nidra Ruffle Neck Blouse ($58) with the Liverpool Reagan Maternity Skinny Pant ($78). As soon as I saw "if the pants are too long" in my stylist note, I was disappointed - my height is in my Stitch Fix profile and I request petite items whenever possible. The Liverpool pants are made of a nice stretchy material and have a full belly panel made of what felt like swimsuit material. Although the tag says they are a legging, they had real pockets, and I'm pretty sure they were black even though the stylist note said "navy pants." I didn't like having to cuff the pants for them to fit me length-wise, and they were more expensive than I'm really comfortable with for one pair of pants, so I returned them. I thought the Skies are Blue blouse was very pretty, especially the tulip sleeves and feminine neckline with buttons. It reminded me of the Papermoon blouse from my seventh Fix. However, it's December in Virginia, so short sleeves aren't very practical, and my best friend gave me several of her short sleeve maternity blouses. I was really hoping for some cozier tops in this Fix.

I paired the French Grey Maternity Ariell Knit Dress ($48) with the Dreamers/Debut Bartone Cable Trim Cocoon Cardigan ($58). The cardigan wasn't a keeper because it was very similar to a cardigan I received in my last Fix in color and shape - and this one didn't fit; the sleeves were much too long since it wasn't a petite item. The dress, though, was definitely a hit! This is my second French Grey dress - the first came in my November 2016 Fix. This one had a similar shape but was more flowy to accommodate a baby bump. I love the burgundy color and floral print, and the price was comparable to similar dresses from maternity retailers.

Please excuse the squinty face I'm making in this picture - I'll wear my glasses in the next post! The accessory I received in this Fix was the Nakamol Angelo Fresh Water Pearl Charm Necklace ($44), a three-strand piece with silver chain, neutral colored beads, and a silver pearl charm. The necklace was very pretty but not really my style - it was very "blingy" and I didn't think it would go with my bohemian-inspired wardrobe.

Even though the only "keeper" from this Fix was the French Grey dress, I'll definitely be trying Stitch Fix Maternity again - for me, it's a chance to feel stylish while my body is going through crazy changes!

Linking Up With:

Blended Blog Style at Foxy's Domestic Side

Weekend Wear at Threads for Thomas

I Feel Pretty at Get Your Pretty On

Trend Spin at Walking in Memphis in High Heels

On the Daily Express and Straight A Style

this week's clicks: merry christmas!

get your week off to a colorful start...
SWOON.

Victoria Elizabeth Photography via Wedding Chicks

• So cute and romantic: a surprise tree farm engagement!
• A fairytale coastal wedding from Found Vintage Rentals.
• From SMP, an intimate New England Christmas wedding.

SMILE.

• The Habits of Highly Successful Women, from Darling.
• These DIY mini star cake toppers would be great for NYE.
• The actual best New Year's resolutions, via A Cup of Jo.

FLASHBACK.

• 2016: millenial pink inspiration for New Year's Eve, remembering Carrie Fisher, my  favorite things from December
• 2015: rose gold NYE inspiration, Literary Junkies, December in Instagram, my most popular posts of 2015 and my personal favorite posts.
• 2014: most popular posts of 2014 and personal favorites.
• 2013: most popular posts of 2013, personal favorites, and a NYE tablescape.
• 2012: favorite posts of 2012, gold and blush NYE inspiration, favorite movies and books of 2012, and organization goals for 2013.
• 2011: gold/champagne inspiration for New Year's Eve and organization goals for 2012.

sunday simplicity

Kristine Herman Photography via Emmaline Bride

“Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the 

river of time flows past. Today's Christmas 

should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow 

and reliving those of yesterday.” ― Gladys Taber

Our 2017 Christmas Tree + "I Am" Ornaments

It's almost Christmas, and I wanted to welcome you into our home for a peek at our Christmas decorations. This year I was trying to channel a "winter wonderland" vibe, and after spending some time on Pinterest, my vision started to come together. My main source of inspiration was the tree Bre from Rooms for Rent decorated last year - I loved the gray and silver ribbons with metallic ornaments.

Before I share a million close-ups of the tree, here's a look at this year's Christmas card wall - I used washi tape again since I don't have a bulletin board or display big enough to hold all the cards we receive!

As I started decorating the tree, so many of my favorite ornaments and decorations came out of storage - gold, champagne, and clear glass bulbs went on first after the silvery-gray ribbon I found at Michael's, followed by the glittery pinecones I found at KMart for our "Peace on Earth" tree two years ago. I added a mix of plastic snowflakes and the antique crochet ones that are a favorite family heirloom, and the icicle ornaments I brought from my childhood home. I also broke up a flocked floral pick to give the tree a more wintry look.

Every year I make at least one DIY ornament for the tree, and this year I made seven. We have been studying the book of John in our Bible study, and I have been journaling a lot about the seven "I AM" statements Jesus makes in that book. It's been an interesting parallel to follow Jesus' journey to the cross in scripture as we also prepare to celebrate His birth in the advent season.

The "I AM" statement ornaments were easy to make - I found the plain wood ornaments at Michael's and painted them with two coats of gray Folk Art acrylic paint. I used a gold Painters pen to add the text and also went around the edges of each ornament with the paint pen. The final touch was a loop of gold ribbon.

The last ornaments to go on the tree are the personal and sentimental ones. Sticking with the gold, white, and gray color scheme, you can find a resin Nativity ornament from my college Sunday School teachers, a wedding cake ornament, brass versions of the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and Mr. Q's alma mater Virginia Tech (I have yet to find the perfect UVa ornament), a paper church, and brass ornaments featuring the three wise men and other Christmas story figures that were some of Mr. Q's favorite childhood decorations.

This year's tree is one of my favorites yet - I love choosing a new theme or source of inspiration every year and combining heirloom decorations with handcrafted ornaments. It was really special to host Bible study here a few weeks ago with our friends gathered around the Christmas tree and Jesus' words coming off the page and into our lives. Spending the holiday with these friends that have become so dear to us is such a gift, and I know that next year will be the most special yet when we can celebrate our baby's first Christmas. I hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday!