Nostalgia.

Today I am yearning for Fall....

In the Fall of 2005, J and I spent our honeymoon visiting Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. It was exactly what we needed and just how I imagined Fall should look. Our first stop was the Charlotte Inn where there were urns and potted mums everywhere, along with pumpkins lining the walkway inside.

I tried to recreate this on our front porch the following October, but all the flowers had died by November from the heat. I was so disappointed...

Then in Nantucket we stayed at the White Elephant, where once again, there were mums and pumpkins everywhere outside. It was so charming and cozy.

I am officially done with temperatures in the 100's...my pregnant self can't take it anymore. Dreaming of Fall in New England makes me want to pack up my house and permanently move.

Weekend Surprises.

I came home from running errands Friday afternoon to a trail of paper hearts leading to this lovely surprise from my sweet husband. He told me it was a thank you gift for caring for our son, and being pregnant all these months. He is truly one of the greatest.

Click here to see what else we were up to this weekend.

Inspiring.

I saw this episode on Oprah, with Gwyneth Paltrow last week, and have just fallen in love with her. She is so down to earth and comfortable in her own skin. She talks honestly about being 35 and either starving herself, or exercising 2 hours a day in order to eat whatever she wants.

I love when women in Hollywood are real...it makes the rest of us feel so much better.

Looks Like We Made It....

...through the summer.

Today is officially the first day of Autumn, and although it's still in the mid to high 90's here, I can feel it. The mornings and evenings are wonderful, football is on all weekend, pumpkin flavored treats are everywhere and it's now dark by 7 pm.

I'm going to smile all day long.

The Silver Linings.

These are the things that have made me happy the past few days...

• I saw an old lady on a scooter get pulled over by a cop on camelback road....it made me smile to think how cool she must be.



• The lady at starbucks gave me a free venti iced coffee just for letting someone pay in front of me.



• The crib is put up and I've washed and put away all baby items. There is nothing like the smell of Dreft on a soft warm blanket.



• Watching Whatever, Martha last night. It was hilarious to see her daughter and her friend criticize old reruns of Martha Stewart Living segments.



• Having friends to offer their love and support when I'm freaking out.



• Shopping in a local boutique and meeting the owner's 9 week old ginger lab puppy. He was so calm, soft, sleepy and adorable.



• Buying a new lipstick for Fall from the Bobbi Brown counter at Nordstrom.

It's been a little tense around here with this volatile market, but all in all, life is good...and things still make me smile.

Change is the Only Constant...

I remember being a little girl and yearning to be an adult. I couldn't wait to grow up and be married, have children and all the responsibilities of being older. Of course, now that I'm here...I often wish I was coming home from school to do my long division homework {which at the time was my biggest stress}. I don't deal well with change. I never have. I like things predictable and stable. Unfortunately part of being an adult is riding the merry go round of change. It's constantly there, no matter how hard you fight it.

This weekend brought about some changes in our little world. The financial market continues to be in disarray, and J's company was sold to help the stock from plummeting further. It brings about a lot of questions and uncertainty of what changes will come in the near future. All of this mixed with the huge life changing addition approaching, leaves me yearning for the days when I was too young to worry about things so serious.

As scary as change is for me, I trust the process and know that the merry go round always takes you where you are meant to be. I just hope the ride is short.

The Good and The Bad.

Yesterday presented me with a little bit of bad and a little bit of good...

First, I was hurrying off to an appointment, when J. called my cell phone and as I was trying to do too many things at once, my phone fell in the toilet {boo}. I was so mad and my phone hasn't turned on again since. I took the phone to verizon and they told me they wouldn't be able to retrieve my contacts from the phone since it won't turn on.

Then, they said I could use my insurance to replace the phone, but it has to go through a third party insurance company and will take a few days to get a new phone. I hate being 30 weeks pregnant without a cell phone!

After I left verizon feeling defeated, I walked next store to j.crew and happen to stumble upon a day of 20% additional off all sale items. Here is what I walked away with...

One more necklace to add to my collection....I love it.

These great black tortoise sandals for only $15.99!

My favorite new hair accessory that I've been coveting for a few weeks.

I'll have a new phone by Sunday and was so happy to spend time shopping in a store for no one else but me...I've missed feeling pretty lately.

Happy Weekend...it might actually be decent weather!

Gratitude.

I am currently feeling so grateful for....

1. Having homemade dinners {courtesy of moi} for 2 weeks straight.



2. Not being able to find my favorite kitchen candle in the store, but finding it online buy 1 get 1 free.



3. Realizing that I had left the burner on all morning before I left the house today {I have the worst pregnancy brain}.



4. Rediscovering my love for starbucks iced coffees...I just wasn't into them during the beginning of my pregnancy but am loving them again.



5. Going out to get the mail tonight, and from the effects of a storm coming through, feeling a slight cool breeze in the air.

Could Fall really be coming?

How Did We Become Anthropologie?

Lately, we have been getting calls day and night from people thinking we are Anthropologie. The most recent was Saturday morning in the 7 o'clock hour {have I mentioned I am not a morning person?} from someone who works there trying to call into work. I finally looked it up on their website and apparently our phone number is basically the same, except for two numbers being transversed. Ughh...

I love this store, but enough is enough.

Friday Already?

This week has been a whirlwind and I must say that I am thrilled it's Friday. Last night my neighbor knew I was having a tough day and brought us a homemade dinner, and today my sweet, selfless mom is coming over to help me paint some drawers in the nursery. The people in your life really make a world of difference.

Happy Weekend.

A Nice Break...

I've been feeling so stressed this week....Dr.'s appts, new medications, finding pediatrician, registering at hospital, getting nursery ready, etc. etc. When I need a break from reality I go to this video from J.Crew and escape for 2 minutes.

I love seeing Europe in the rain {sigh}.

Building My Nest.

Nesting: v. 1. To create and settle into a warm and secure refuge. 2. A cozy, protected, or secluded place.

I've been feeling so boring lately. I woke up and realized that it was a holiday yesterday and didn't have the slightest desire to leave the house. In the past, I would've have at least 10 things on my agenda and would've been out and about all day long. I started to think, "What is wrong with me?" and then I remembered that I was 2 1/2 months away from bringing a new little being into this house and I was most likely nesting.

I love being home lately. I have the strongest desire to get everything around here in tip top shape before our new little bundle joins the crowd. I just know that I will feel so overwhelmed if things seem out of order here, and then I am caring for a newborn day and night on top of it. This is different for me. I was always in the business of "I'll get to that later...." but now I am the driving force behind dozens of projects around here.

So, I spent the good majority of my weekend reorganizing, putting things aways and getting rid of things. It feels so good and fulfilling...knowing that soon my life will be anything but boring. I hope that after I get my bearings with my new situation, I will have the same old desires to go out and see the world the way I used to. Honestly, I don't think my husband would have it any other way.

Side Note: {I'm still totally excited to have J. home. It was blissful to have him with me all weekend as we got stuff done around the house. I didn't even mind when he complained that the kitchen table was a mess. It meant that he was home. I'll actually miss him when he goes back to work today...}

Happy September...Yeah!