Etsy Love: Fleet Collection

It's been such a long while since I've featured an Etsy shop that I love and when I saw the pretty, flowy and feminine dresses and tops of Fleet Collection, I was inspired to share them. 

Isn't this yellow a fabulous color? Perfect for a summer outing. 

I'm a sucker for ruffles but not over the top ruffles and this top gets it just right. That bow on the back and the dreamy color make me a bit envious that this piece isn't in my closet. Hmmm..... 

Glorious green. This is two for the price of one - the scarf and top come together. This would be adorable with a pair of skinny jeans and some bright flats and chunky gold jewelry. 

Hop over to Fleet Collection and check out their fun jewelry too (and the prices are quite reasonable!)

Nibbles and Diapers (but not together)

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Hi there. So if you haven"t noticed, this new mom thing has me all tuckered out what with the middle-of-the-night feedings, frequent baths, diaper changes, burp and play times, etc. As my sad absence of posting shows, I've sort of lost my blogging mojo. 

I did however find some inspiration in a bag of fresh apricots I got at the market this week.  Luckily, Ike doesn't like 'em. He can't stand the sort of fuzzy, leathery skin (same goes for peaches) so that' means more for moi. Once little O goes down for his afternoon snooze, I've been enjoying a tasty afternoon snack consisting of an apricot with a handful of raw almonds and a couple squares of Chocolove's Dark chocolate, almond and sea salt bar. Ooo la la. Those rich chocolate squares are so tasty and bonus - they're made an hour up the road from me, so it's my duty to partake frequently and support local business, no? 

Anyway, for another summer snack, I'd love to make the dried apricots dipped in chocolate and rolled in pistachios like the picture above but for now I've got to go change a diaper. 

Have a lovely weekend. 

Indie Wed Denver!

I'm thrilled to be included in this very fabulous wedding show coming up this July here in Denver. 

I will be partnering up with Kara Rosenberry Co and we will be promoting my wedding hair accessories and Kara's line of bridal and wedding cards as well as selling related goodies. The event will take place at a local gallery and will feature loads of local wedding vendors, live music and food. Plan on attending if you're getting married, know some one who is, or just want to see what's going on! Pop over to Indie Wed's website for more info!

Deep in Baby Land

Here's a little peek into the world of baby O today. Doesn't he look peaceful? Glad someone's getting sleep around here. He sleeps so much - so how am I so sleep deprived? This is the universal question asked by most new moms, I suppose. 

Obviously, I think about this a lot these days... even made a treasury (when I should have been sleeping!) on Etsy with this very theme: 

Love that 1950s night gown, that vintage clock and that cuddly teddy bear... 

And on that note - it's time to wake up the babe and feed him. 

xo

A Baby is Born

Greetings Friends. Well, time flies when you have a baby! That's right. Our little man arrived healthy (but tiny) on April 9, weighing in around 5lbs. Ike and I are over the moon with the bundle and so grateful to be home. Including our stay after he was born, we were in the hospital for 27 days. Jesus take the wheel. Hope to never have to go through that again. As awful as those days were it, just like every one told me (and I found to be an annoying reminder) the emotional, dull and sometimes miserable weeks in the hospital were virtually forgotten once the babe arrived. He is perfect and well worth all we went through, let me tell you. 

Hopefully, I won't be a complete stranger here. I will do my best to get back in the groove with posting. In the mean time, how are you? 

Happy Easter friends! I hope you're having a blessed day and taking time to reflect as well. 

It hasn't been a very contemplative weekend for me what with being confined to my hospital room with nurses, docs, cleaning ladies, etc. coming and going and no Good Friday services or Sunday morning worship, but I've done my own little bit of thinking and praying and Ike took me outside on this very bright and sunny day for a stroll around the park, so it's been a good Easter. 

Two more days until baby boy makes his debut! 

Hospital Stay Day 18: This Too Shall Pass

Have I really been on modified bed rest at the hospital for 18 days? Sometime it feels very surreal. There's little to be done but accept it, cry a lot and then eat cheesecake. I've been making a concerted effort to navigate the room service menu's bland and mostly depressing food options and choosing healthy things but after a weepy morning, I ordered myself cheesecake with my lunch. Balm to the soul I tell you. 

Here's what else I've been doing to survive: 

Watching happy, pretty movies like Amelie alternated with reading serious parenting material like "The Vaccine Book." One far more pleasant than the other. One far more important. The average kid here in the US gets twelve vaccine shots by the time they're one. But don't get me started on that.  I highly recommend the book as a very informative and unbiased tool if you're on the fence about the subject like me. 

Having Ike bring me lots of crafting supplies from home has been a life saver. Although the cleaning lady this morning seemed to be a bit annoyed with the coffee filter and glue gun remnants strewn around. Can't help it Lynda. I'm a messy crafter. 

I made this little wreath as a gift for another friend about to have a little baby girl... 

And here's the bunting I made for our little man's nursery. 

On to the morale boosters:

Sweets. Bless you dear chocolate bar. And bless my friend Kayla who brought it to me. Never had Choxie before. Yum.  And thank heavens the cafeteria offers these little Haagen-Dazs cups. Kayla also hauled up her new shellac nail kit and gave me the prettiest manicure. Now I've got glossy nails in pink smoothy. Talk about morale booster.

What could raise a mom-to-be's spirits more than these adorable onesies my friend Lizzie and her little boy brought me yesterday.I mean come on. They have little elephants and seals on them! Even more amazing is that Lizzy is 39 weeks preggo herself and she's been up to see me twice. I have the best friends. 

Then there's this lovely mini daffodil plant another girl friend brought me. It has lots of new blooms on it and makes me feel like I can enjoy spring from this hospital room even if I'm not out and about to enjoy it for real. 

My heart is full of gratitude for all the gestures of love and support I've received while awaiting the arrival of our baby. Each little thing makes such a difference. 

Perhaps the biggest difference-maker of all has been the much needed reminder that God's grace is sufficient for me. I will get through these days. If I can do it with a heart of humble gratitude as opposed to anger and fist pumping, well then, it hasn't been for naught. The words of Tim Keller from his sermon on The Will of God was a powerful and disarming reminder of my need to say to the Lord, as Keller puts it: "I take away my right for an explanation and I trust you. Thy will be done. All I care about is to see your face.The way to be free is to submit. The way to find my life is to lose it." Listen to the complete podcast here if you're interested. It will challenge your perspective no matter what trial you are facing. 

Love to you friends.