Happy Birthday, A!

I wanted you more than you ever will know

so I sent love to follow you, wherever you go.

 

 

 It's high as you wish it. It's quick as an elf.

You'll never outgrow it...it stretches itself!

 

 

It never gets lost, never fades, never ends...

if you're working...or playing...or sitting with friends.

 

 

 

You can dance 'til you're dizzy...paint 'til you're blue...

There's no place, not one, that my love can't find you.

 

 

And if someday you're lonely, or someday you're sad, 

or you strike out at baseball, or think you've been bad...

 

 

just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair.

That's me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.

 

 

In the green of the grass...in the smell of the sea...in the clouds floating by...at the top of a tree...

in the sound crickets make at the end of the day...

 

 

"You are loved.  You are loved.  You are loved," they all say.

 

 

My love is so high, and so wide and so deep, it's always right there, even when you're asleep.

 

 

So hold your head high and don't be afraid

to march to the front of your own parade.

 

 

If you're still my small babe or you're all the way grown,

my promise to you is you're never alone.  

 

 

You are my angel, my darling, my star...

and my love will find you, wherever you are.

 

 

Happy happy birthday, sweet A. 

Words cannot describe how you have changed my life, or how you have changed me.

You make every day sweeter.

You are a joy... a true & perfect joy.

You have the energy of a wild animal, and a heart as big as the sky.

Thank you for choosing me to be your momma.

 

- Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You, Nancy Tillman

 

Right Now

I am sitting downstairs, watching Friends, and drinking a glass of wine. There are wayyy too many things I should be doing, so instead, I'm procrastinating.

I stay up entirely too late.

Old Friends episodes are still hysterical, even after all these years.

I'm procrastinating because my computer is driving me crazy. I should be working on my nephew's birthday invitations, but for the last hour, InDesign and I were fighting, so I told him we were done for the night. We need a break. Actually, my computer and I need to break up forever. After 7 years, it's time for a replacement.

Today I wore white pants to work. Every time I wear white pants, I get something on them. It's inevitable. But this morning, I dropped my blush on my pants. A lot of blush. Very close to a spot where anything red could be insinuated as something else. Enough said.

I need a Tide pen at my desk. Yesterday.

My little boy will be two next week. Ironically, I'm not quite as emotional as I was before his first birthday. I think because I've already acknowledged that he's not a baby anymore... and that this age is just so much fun. I can't wait to see the smile on his face when he realizes we are all celebrating him. All weekend! 

I am however, stressing about A's 2-year appointment. Specifically the talk about how much he is talking. My heart is truly torn as to whether I think he needs help, or whether our society of social media is forces me to unfairly compare him to other children his age. I could write a novel about this.

So instead, I am telling myself this:

One of my best friends is about to give birth to her third baby any day now. Which is precisely what she was saying about me two years ago (except the third baby part). She is due on April 6th, the same day I was due with A. And her oldest? Shares a birthday with me. What are the chances? I can't wait to meet her next little love.

Happy (almost) weekend!

On (not) Quitting

Sometimes I dream of what it would be like to just close my Etsy shop and stop writing this blog.

What would life be like if I didn’t read any home decorating blogs? Would I still love it just as much? {Probably}. Would I miss designing if I closed my Etsy shop, and just ordered my Christmas Cards through Minted like a normal person? Some days I'm really not sure.

Wednesday was one of those days where I wanted to quit it all.

I absolutely LOVE working with clients through Etsy, and designing something that they adore. What I don’t love? Working with my printers on the final product. On Wednesday, I was reminded why I ever hesitated opening my shop in the first place… because ultimately, I have little control over the finished product. One of my vendors completely took advantage of me, and it made me disgusted. She backed me into a corner, and I almost gave up because I was out of options. Thankfully, I found a commercial printer who is doing me a huge favor by running a small job on their large press, just to help me out. And do you know what the old printer said when I told her I was pulling the project from her? She wanted me to pay her for her time. That’s when I wanted to quit, and forget that there was ever a time I loved doing this.

And then, Cori posted Ava’s baby announcements.

 

And showed her readers how she framed them in Ava’s nursery.

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And told all of her readers (there are A LOT of them) how much she loved what I designed for her. And I was, once again, reminded why I love doing this.

Cori’s post was exactly what I needed to hear read.

If you don't already read La Vie Petite, you should. Cori is maybe the cutest mom I've ever seen, and runs her own small business on top of being a mom to her 4 littles. She inspires me time and time again to get out of my leggings & sweatshirt and look presentable. Oh, and I'm very excited that we may be meeting for lunch in the next few weeks!

Happy Monday, friends!

 

Twenty Thirteen Resolutions

I love all that a new year brings. The hope and promise of new beginnings and a clean slate. The opportunity to re-prioritize and reflect, and choose what to focus on for the next 365 days.

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I’ve already mentioned it in my 2012 Resolution Recap, but I love resolutions. It appeals to the list-maker in me, and I love having something to reference to keep myself accountable. Last year I kept my resolutions in a little notebook I carry all the time, and I truly believe it helped me stay on track for the year.

1) Learn to sew, apply eye makeup, and check my tire pressure 
Sewing is something I’ve always wanted to learn, and I’m looking forward to working on some projects I’ve been dreaming up. Applying my eye makeup is something I’ve always struggled with. I wear the same colors every day, and rush to apply my mascara as I’m waiting for the train to pull into the station each morning. I’d love to learn a new day and night look that I can do easily and that makes me look like I’m actually sleeping through the night ;) And checking my tire pressure is just something I need to learn to do. End of story!

2) Lose 5 more pounds
I was able to get back to my pre-baby weight in 2012, but that is still 5 pounds heavier than I was when we got married. I don’t feel like I have to fit into any particular size, but I remember how great I felt about my body 3 years ago, and would love to feel that way again.

4) Continue to read one book a month
Because I commute to work, this is pretty easy for me to accomplish. I loved reading one book (sometimes 2!) a month last year, and look forward to finding some new favorites again in 2013. I’ve already started my book for January, and will share it as soon as I’m done!

5) Learn to photograph in manual
Something I wanted to learn last year, but didn’t. I know learning this could really help my photography (of both my family & my home), and I’m excited to challenge myself in this way. Santa was very generous this year, and brought me a new camera lens & tripod, so now I have no excuse to not work on my photography skills!

6)  Continue to grow my business
Staring my business last year was one of the hardest, but most rewarding, things I have ever done. I’m excited to work on some new projects I’ve been thinking of, and to see how far this dream can go.

7)  Cook one meal a month
We all know that I’m not the cook in the house. I have a wonderful, handsome husband who also happens to be one of the best cooks I know. Many people are shocked that I don’t cook, but frankly, I don’t have time. If I cooked, we wouldn’t eat dinner until 8:00 every night, and well… that’s not feasible. I do however, want to learn to make more than scrambled eggs and my token salmon in puff pastry.

8) Less Internet & Social Media
I had planned for this to be a resolution for months, and then on New Year’s Day, I accidentally left my phone at home while we were with my family. It was so liberating to not have something to check out of habit, and just BE. I use my train ride to catch up on my blogs, and I don’t feel that time takes away from being with my family. But when I’m home, I’m guilty of checking social media while A is playing away on the floor. I want to be more present, and putting my phone away is the best way to do that.

9) Be more green
While I made a lot of strides in 2012, I am still guilty of being lazy when it comes to some things. This year, I want to use less plastic (specifically water bottles) move all of my magazine subscriptions to our iPad, and actually remember my reusable bags when I go to the grocery store.

10) POML (Project Organize My Life)
This deserves its own post, so I won’t go into too much detail now. But I’d like to continue setting monthly goals for getting our home organized, and creating more attainable routines. From cleaning, to managing our pictures, and organizing our recipes, I want to simply.

11) Take some time for ME
I think it is natural for moms to always put themselves last, but I do need to start taking a little bit better care of myself. You know... all the good things: drink more water and less coffee, get out for more walks, take my vitamins & get a little more sleep. Pray more when I need some grounding, and find more time for a glass of wine or a phone call with my friends.

Looking forward to the new year, and all that it brings!

Happy New Year & 2012 Resolutions

Happy New Year, friends!

I had the BEST 10 days off, and spent some much needed quality time with my boys. A and I had so much fun being home together, and tried to fit in as much playtime as we could. It's going to be hard to leave him tomorrow morning! How could you not love this face?!

The last few years, I feel like the new trend in blog-land is to not make new years resolutions. And while that may be for some, I love making resolutions. I'm a Virgo, through and through, and lists & goals keep me centered. Before I make my resolutions for the new year, I love looking back to see how I did the year prior. I don't ever beat myself up over not meeting any of my goals for the year, but making progress on all some of them does give me a great sense of accomplishment.

2012 Resolutions

• Get back to my pre-baby weight
I'm happy to say that this summer, I was finally back to my pre-baby weight. I earned every pound of the 29 I gained with A in 2011, and was blessed with a wonderful pregnancy and a very healthy 7 pound, 15 ounce baby boy. A was just around 16 months when I met that goal, and it honestly felt great. My body has certainly changed since having a baby, and I now seem to be a size larger in most brands, but I'm OK with that.

• Read one book a month for the entire year
This was such a great resolution, because it forced me to pick up my Kindle on a regular basis. In the past, I had a tendency to read in spurts, only to not read again for months. You can read all about the 18 books I read here, and plan to continue this resolution next year, too!

• Learn to use my DSLR
Ahhh - this goal I didn't do so great in. I'm guilty of always shooting in auto, because it is easy and my pictures seem to come out pretty good. Next year I plan to make this goal more specific, and try to learn to shoot in manual

• Launch Bella Carta Boutique Website & grow business
Complete! I plan to do a separate post all about this, but launching my business this year was one of my proudest moments. I am also happy to share that between Etsy and private orders, we had an extremely successful holiday season. It was full of stress & late nights, and lots of growing pains, but I wouldn't have it any other way! You can read all about the Etsy launch here!

• Start a blog
Pretty obvious, but yes, I started this blog. The amount of time and organization that it takes to manage a blog was definitely a shock at first, but I feel like after 5 months I am in a little bit of a groove. I don't feel the same pressure I did at first, to post every day... 3 times a week seems to be manageable for me, and I love that the blog keeps me accountable for my projects. Starting a blog was a dream of mine for many years, so I'm thrilled to have finally accomplished this 2012.

• Become a little more "green"
This resolution was pretty vague, but I do feel like I've done a pretty good job with this. C and I are both extremely environmentally conscious, both in our home and in our lives, and have really made this a priority. This year, I made my own homemade cleaners, was able to significantly reduce our junk mail by discontinuing many catalogs we receive each week. I started (but didn't finish) to create a way to manage Bella Carta's accounting all online, so that I can avoid printing out receipts & invoices all the time.

• Project Organize My Life
This resolution deserves a whole post in of itself, but having a disorganized home kind of drives me crazy. It sounds ridiculously unattainable, but what I truly strive for is order in our everyday life, so we can spend more time doing the things we love. I hate that I have to do a huge purge of our linen closet or pantry 4 times a year (for an hour or more each time) - if it was all organized to begin with, it would never get to that state. Here are some of the things I set out to accomplish this year.

     - Organize our Photos: find online storage, organize pictures in folders on computer & get albums printed
     - Work on our Living Will: write & sign our will, choose guardians & executors of our estate
     - Create a filing system: mail, receipts, taxes, health insurance documents & Otto's vet information

I'm happy to say most of these things are done. I'll share more about each of them in a later post, but having each of these items taken care of has made so many things easier.

Phew! It's been a good year!

On a personal note, 2012 was all I could have imagined and more. We watched our little baby grow into a rambunctious toddler, and embraced the new family dynamic that came along with it. C and I feel more settled into our roles as parents, and have carved out some time for ourselves, too.  That's not to say that our year wasn't also full of challenges, but knowing that we've gotten through them all as a family has only made us stronger.

The last few weeks have been heart wrenching for me, personally, as I've struggled to find my 'normal' after the Sandy Hook shootings. I found it hard to not feel guilty during the holidays, as so many families were still grieving for their babies. All of this has made me slow down a bit, and just soak in every moment I can. I've never been one to take anything for granted - I know my life, and my family, are all enormous blessings - but this holiday season I savoured it all a little bit more. I've made it my own personal vow to turn off the tv / put away my phone / get off the computer more often, and just BE. Be a mom, be a wife, a daughter, a friend... because those are the things that matter. My resolutions? They are important (to me), but never more important than my family.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families! Here's to a healthy & happy new year!

XO



 

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been reaaally good this year, and wouldn't be upset if all any of these gifts ended up under the tree!

Save travels around the world :)

Love, Me

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The Little Things

I'm back (again)! Between a sick baby and the Holiday Card rush for Bella Carta, this little blog was neglected last week. Little A decided last Tuesday was the perfect time for a 103 fever and a case of croup, so we spent our Turkey Day at home in our jammies, trying to get a few smiles from a sick little boy. I'm happy to share he's on the mend, and yesterday was the first day we started to see the 'old' A coming back!

So while I may have missed the token Thanksgiving 'thankful' post, it's never to late to share all that I'm grateful for.

I'm thankful for my husband, my baby boy and our puppy. The three of them are my life and my joy.
I'm thankful for my parents, and all they do for us. They define the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child".
I'm thankful for my friends, for making me laugh and keeping me grounded.
I'm thankful for my job, and all that it provides for my family.
I'm thankful for my health, and the health of my family & friends.
I'm thankful for the men, women & dogs who fight for our freedom everyday.
I'm thankful for Bella Carta, and the creative outlet it gives me.

And while the rest of this list may seem materialistic (it is), I am still thankful for all of these things...
I'm thankful for coffee, and books, and shoes that don't hurt my feet. 
I'm thankful for Pinterest, heated seats and good wine.
I'm thankful for a clean house, and for the 3 boys that make it messy again.
I'm thankful for naptime, and for the knowledge that being thankful for naptime does not make me a bad mom.
I'm thankful for my iPhone & camera, and the thousands of pictures I have of A because of them.
I'm thankful for blogs, and all the inspiration & reassurance they provide.
I'm thankful for pedicures, even if they only happen three times a year.
I'm thankful for rainy days, and an excuse to stay inside and be lazy.
I'm thankful for gorgeous fall days, for long walks and playing in the leaves.
I'm thankful for makeup & my blowdryer, and for their ability to morph me into a human every morning.
I'm thankful for this space, and for all of you that come here everyday to see what we're up to.
and I'm thankful for pictures of mommy & A... few & far between, I cherish every one of them.

P.S. stop by tomorrow for pictures of the bathroom reveal!

Linking up with Dear Baby Owen & Everyday Love, for Mommy & Me Mondays!

Six Things

Can't believe it is Wednesday! I finally feel like I'm getting my footing back after the storm, and I'm so happy to have life back to normal.

1. With all the damage to the NJ Transit rails, I've been spending a lot of time in the car. The 80's on 8 XM channel has been my go-to, and I'm pretty sure most of my fellow commuters have seen me belting lyrics and dancing while I'm driving. Most days, I can't remember where I put my cell phone... but the lyrics to "Brass in Pocket"? Know every word.

2. My little guy has been on a little hitting streak. Ok, it's not little. At least, not with me. Every once in a while he will hit the dogs, or Craig, or my parents... but he seems to hit me more. And harder. When I'm least expecting it. Maybe he loves me the most?

3. This post by Erin yesterday was a perfect mix of funny & insightful. Just what I needed to read!

4. And this post by Kelly made me feel like I wasn't failing as a mom. I've never shied away from talking about A's sleep, and most days I feel pretty confident that I haven't screwed him up for life. It is hard to be the only mom whose kid doesn't sleep through the night! This is why I love blogging. That post renewed my mom-confidence, and it was everything I needed to hear. One woman, halfway across the country, has a baby with the same sleep issues as me? Well then, all is right in the world.

5. We made some impromptu changes in our master bedroom this weekend. And now, I have a giant blank wall, begging for some artwork. One more project, added to the list! Can't wait to share what I'm thinking.

6. I promised myself in the spring that I would be better about updating the pictures of A in our home. Fail. Giant fail. I still have his newborn pictures up and one from his 6-month shoot. Did I mention he just turned 19 months? 

And because I always love a post with pictures...

He looks so little in these! But that face - I can't stand the cuteness. I could eat him up...but then he'd probably hit me. Maybe I'll just stick to kisses :)

I'm Back!

Hurricane Sandy proved to be a lot worse than we imagined. Thankfully, we had almost no damage to our home, and managed to stay safe & warm for the last 2 weeks.

We were without power for 10 days, and now that I've been able to watch the news, I'm astonished at the devastation in the tri-state area. For those 10 days, I thought we were struggling - struggling to stay warm, while running our generator only twice a day, struggling to find gasoline in spite of the shortage, struggling to entertain an 18-month old via candlelight, once the sun set at 5:00. Looking back, we were so lucky. So many lost their lives, their homes and their jobs. I pray that they all can begin to pick up the pieces, and have the support and resources they need to continue moving forward.

We were home this weekend, catching up on house chores, 2 weeks worth of laundry, and quality family time. While I was home with A for 10 days, C was out, trying to keep us sane. He was running to Pennsylvania at 4:00 every morning for gas, heading to the office, coming home to start the generator, going back to the office, and then rushing home again to dinner. So this weekend we enjoyed time together as a family of 4, and relished having life back to normal.

Thank you for checking in on us during our absence, and making sure we were OK. I'm amazed that my "friends" have stretched well beyond those I know in person. It warms my heart to know that you guys check in here everyday, and genuinely care about my little family.

Regular posting will resume tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some pictures of my little guy (who also happened to enter his terrible-twos last week... but I'll save that for another post!). I'm so happy to be back!

XO

Next Time

Last week, my little baby toddler turned 18 months old. For some reason, that seems like a big milestone. One and a half. Closer to 2 than to 1. It is a big milestone.

I've been thinking a lot about Baby #2. And to be perfectly honest, the more I think about having another baby, the more I want to wait. I'm just not ready yet. Maybe tomorrow I'll be ready, or maybe in 3 months, or 6 months. But right now, I'm not. I'm soaking up every minute with A: he's so funny - so innocent - and I know that this time is fleeting. So today, I'm enjoying my one and only.

That said, I am also a planner, and naturally, like to think for a long time about big things. Like having another baby... how I would handle being a mom to two little ones... how our family dynamic would change... and how I would do things differently the next time.

The next time… I’ll ask for bonding time right after birth.

We were so blessed to have my mom in the delivery room with us, and my father and in-laws waiting right down the hall. All of them had been there, drinking lukewarm hospital coffee since 7:00 in the morning. A was born almost 14 hours later, and once they had him all cleaned off and C and I had a few minutes of meeting our little man, we ushered them all in to meet their new grandson. Those moments where a whirlwind, and oh-so special, but about an hour later I realized I hadn’t let A try to nurse. I fumbled with my nursing cover and tried to get A to latch while everyone smiled in new-grandparent bliss. It didn’t go well – maybe I was distracted, maybe there was too much noise, maybe he wasn’t ready…. Breastfeeding was a struggle from the very beginning, and while I realize there could be many reasons for this, I can’t help but wonder – what if I had more one-on-one time with A, right after he was born? 

The next time… I’ll bring the baby out early on.

I’m a rule follower. Most people see this as me being reserved, or overly cautious, but... it’s just who I am. If I’m following the rules, I’m happy. So when my pediatrician told me to keep A away from places that had re-circulated air, I listened. I didn’t bring him to the grocery store until he was 3 months old. So, we camped out in the house and took lots of walks around the block. Looking back, I wish I did more when he would nap in his car seat and in the Moby. We should have gone out to lunch more, or to see friends, or for walks around our favorite little towns. The next time, I won’t have the luxury of just staying at home (with a busy toddler, who can?!), so I’m going to have to bring the baby with me. But this time, I’ll be ok with it 

 The next time… I will throw away the sleep book.

A was the.worst.sleeper in the world. When he was a newborn, he’d sleep… but only on me or in the car. Once we hit 4 weeks, all bets were off and A was awake most of the day, until I gave into the swing, which he would eventually nap in until he was 7 months old. I know, bad mommy. I read every sleep book I could get my hands on. I wasn’t comfortable with cry-it-out, so I had to come up with my own approach. I’ll share my little secret with you: the baby will sleep eventually. A didn’t sleep through the night until he was 15 months old. And now? He's a decent sleeper. He's not doing 12-hour stretches, but most nights, he's doing 9 or 10. I put SO much stress on myself for months, for what? Because my child wasn’t sleeping like every book told me he should? He was happy, growing, thriving, meeting milestones. And me? I was a basket case. I talked about sleep to anyone and everyone. If the next baby is like A, it’s fine. I know I can survive on little sleep, and I refuse to stress myself out just because my little one isn’t doing something ‘by the book’.

 The next time… I’m going to give myself a little grace.

Next time, I’m sleeping when the baby sleeps. I thought I could be super-mom, and clean my house and do the laundry and reorganize my linen closet during nap time. Because nap time was never (until the swing… cue the angels singing!), I would just sit with A while he slept on me. And the whole time I’d be looking at the clock, stressing that my house was dirty and I could be doing other things. Next time, I’m going to savor those moments more. I’m going to sleep with my little baby, and cuddle when they want to. I’m going to slow down, and soak it all in. The laundry can wait until tomorrow, and so can the dishes and the linen closet and my email. Next time, I’m going to give myself a little grace.

Miscellany Monday

• We spent the weekend with some of our favorite people and had the best time. Weekends like this make me miss my friends even more. See you ladies SOON!

• I cannot believe the Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion. I'm trying to watch and type at the same time, and I can't. Did Theresa really just tell Melissa she was trying to copy her, because she was wearing glitter eyeshadow? Wow!

• I'm currently reading House Rules, by Jodi Picoult. I'm almost done, and I love it. Honestly, I love every single one of her books: they are always thought provoking and raw, and make you see both sides of a story. Did anyone ever ask you, if you could have lunch with one person, who would it be? (I had to answer that on a job interview once!). Jodi Picoult would be my answer.

• A peek at real life right now. Bathroom renovation officially begins on Friday. Hallelujah!

• A is going through a little sleep regression. At 4:00 every morning, he wakes up and wants to be rescued. Once he is in our bed, he promptly falls back asleep for another 3 hours. I can't say I mind the cuddles... I love the cuddles. But baby boy, we just got you sleeping through the night in July...could you maybe go back to doing that?

• I love, love love when my favorite shows are back in the fall. Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Smash & Blue Bloods will all be occupying space on our DVR this fall. Which means I have to delete some Bubble Guppies. Sorry buddy! 

• Blue Moon Pumpkin Harvest is my new favorite beer. I've tried a bunch of different pumpkin flavored beers, and this is definitely my favorite.

• While I realize the bathroom renovation hasn't truly begun, I can't help think about what our winter projects might be. This hutch is begging for a makeover. It once belonged to my grandparents, and for the last week, has been living in our dining room. It is perfect for our kitchen, and will give us some much needed storage!

• I've been doing a lot of online "window shopping" lately. Here are some of my favorite finds for fall!

via Wisteria

via Wisteria

via Pottery Barn

via Pottery Barn

• I had wanted to participate in The Nester's 31-day challenge, but just couldn't commit to posting everyday this month. I had promised myself a few weeks ago, to give myself a little grace, and a little more quiet time. Between being a mom, my job, the blog & my Etsy shop, I was being truthful in saying the challenge was just a little too ambitious right now. Maybe next year!

• Our anniversary is this week! I'm so excited to celebrate with my hubby. And I love a good excuse to sit on the couch and look through our wedding album :)

I hope everyone has a great week! Happy Monday!

Weekly Dose of Random

• I feel really guilty every time I judge a product based on customer reviews. Why? Because I never, ever review an item. Not because I don't want to, just because I don't have the time to. Amazon always sends me emails, asking "will you review your purchase of XYZ", and I feel so guilty. Maybe that's why I'm doing baby product reviews on the blog... to make me feel less guilty about not reviewing my purchases on Amazon!

• I bought these shoes from Sole Society right before my birthday, and I love them. They are a bear to break in, but so worth it. Aren't they cute?

• Speaking of birthdays, this was my gift from my sweet hubby. I love love love it, and wear it everyday.

And this was my gift from my parents. I think I screamed when I opened the box. I am SO excited to wear these flats!!

• I also did some birthday shopping for myself... I always run out of makeup at the same time every year, which just so happens to be in August. I'm loving all of this new makeup, and my new perfume. After 3 years with the same perfume, I was ready for a change.

• Maybe I've mentioned this before, but I'm a crazy perfectionist. I like things neat and tidy. So when I saw that my Erin Condren planner had a few pages that got smooshed in my purse last week, I was really sad. I know, it is absolutely ridiculous to be sad over something like that. But, I was. This planner is meant to last me through the end of next year. I'm contemplating not carrying it to work anymore, just so I can keep it in better shape. But then that would defeat the whole purpose of getting the planner in the first place. Would it be totally crazy if I bought a little makeup bag to keep it in? Maybe. But I might do it anyways.

• My white denim skinny jeans are still in rotation for fall. I was feeling like maybe it was time to put them away, but then Jennifer made me feel better about wearing them. Who says you can't wear white after Labor Day?!

• My mom showed up at my house last week with these pants on. She looked adorable in them! As soon as I got to work that morning, I had to order my own. They are the perfect leggings for fall, and are so flattering. She assures me they are also super comfy!

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• I finished an amazing book last week. I Will Carry You, by Angie Smith. This book is not a casual read, at all. It is heart-wrenching and emotional... but it is also beautifully written and inspiring. Angie is an amazingly strong woman, and her story is truly incredible. I highly recommend it, but please be prepared with a box of tissues at your side. I had to wear my sunglasses on the train for a week straight to hide my tears!

• I am not doing a great job of writing my posts before the day I want to post them... which is how I end up writing posts like this! To be honest though, these posts are a very real look into my life.

Happy Thursday, friends!