May 31, 2011

.Memorial Weekend Moments.


Sun + good company = an outstanding long weekend.
Oh... and yes my bump looks lopsided.
It is not an optical illusion.
Baby seems to be strongly favoring my right side.
I try to shift her back so I don't look like I'm growing an alien.
She always finds her way back.
Grief, she is already stubborn.

* 37 1/2 weeks

May 27, 2011

.Work Baby Day.


Last Friday my lovely coworker, Sara, organized a surprise "baby day" for me.  It was totally unexpected, but much appreciated as I got to snack on sweet treats all afternoon and was given the most practical gifts from my work mates.  Sara even made an adorable and personalized basket full of goodies for baby that goes perfect in her nursery.  I am thankful that even in the most stressful of work environments, people can make it a priority to have some fun every once in awhile.

Wishing everyone a sunny and restful Memorial Day weekend!

* All work pictures provided by Sara~ thank you again friend!

.Beach Birthday.


Most of my friends are retreating from our small town for the long weekend to enjoy the coast. Unfortunately being nine months pregnant kind of disqualifies me from sharing in the beach time.  Alas, I have some river + pool + grill time planned, but I'm still sad I'll be missing out on Alicia's beach birthday.

I hope you have a great 25th celebration love!



* River time last summer

May 26, 2011

.Simple Sunday Afternoons.

G and I don't favor the traditional lazy Sunday of staying in bed or on the couch all day.  Our lazy Sundays typically include sleeping in (waking up at 8am feels amazing!), eating a breakfast of pancakes and eggs, church, and an afternoon spent walking, talking, and exploring together before the mundane tasks of grocery shopping and laundry can no longer be put off.




"Do not let Sunday be taken from you.
If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan."


.Albert Schweitzer.

* 36 1/2 weeks

May 24, 2011

.Junk in the Trunk.


In the weeks before my 25th birthday, this is the cargo I'm carrying.



And I couldn't be happier.
Also, I'm over at Design Muse today discussing presents!
You should probably check it out.
I mean, everyone loves presents.


* Thoughtful gifts from my coworkers
** Picture taken last week

May 23, 2011

.Warm Nights.


Friday night we visited our friends Ashley and Raz's new home to celebrate Raz's birthday.  We had a great time touring the new abode, munching on hors d'Ĺ“uvres, and enjoying the warm spring air while exchanging stories.  Outdoor evenings this time of year are the best way to unwind after a long work week, so it's my goal to be outside as much as possible before the temperatures rise and the southern humidity takes over.

May 20, 2011

.Dear Lovely Husband.



I am loving this quality time we've been spending together recently.  School obviously gets in the way of everything.  Our dance parties and sing-a-thongs are amazing, even though I'm limited in my moves right now.  Beating you at chess is always awesome too.  Earlier in the week you asked alot of questions during the scary movie, but that's okay.  You also had me waiting a really long time for pizza since you forgot your wallet, but I was appreciative anyway.  If you want to keep surprising me with chores done and dinners made I'm also alright with that.  Thank you for trying to be understanding these past few weeks during my, ahem... moods.  Normal me will hopefully return back soon.  Well let's be honest... as "normal" as is possible for me.

You're my best friend... and not too shabby on the eyes either.
Can't wait to continue the fun with you this weekend!


* Pictures taken by my mom holiday season 2 years ago.

May 19, 2011

.DIY Nursery Style.

We've got 4 weeks to go until showtime and G and I have been working furiously to get everything we can prepared ahead of time.  The nursery for the most part is done, save a piece or two.  A few weekends ago I finally tackled the job of refinishing a mirror and shelves for baby girl's room to add the last bit of feminine touches.




The Supplies:
- A mirror found at the dumpster this past winter
- Black shelves purchased at Hobby Lobby two years ago for my then-office, now-nursery
- Behr Paint & Primer in One, Ultra Pure White
- Glidden Paint in Pink Peony, Satin Finish (inspired by this Essie nail polish shade)
- A 3 inch flat paint brush
- Sand paper, 150 grit
- Painter's tape
- Old newspaper

The Ridiculously Easy Procedure:
- Sand
- Prime & dry
- Paint & dry
- Paint coat #2 & dry
- Sand various portions to give a weathered look

May 17, 2011

All You Need Is Love, Love, Love Is All You Need.


Our maternity shoot in Piedmont Park.
At 8 months {33 weeks to be exact} pregnant.
Here are some of my favorites.
Thank you to The World We Capture for documenting.
My sweetheart is so handsome in his bowtie.

May 16, 2011

.This Weekend.




This weekend we: watched movies while snuggled on the couch, attended a birthing class, G tried Chill for the first time and of course loved it, we napped, we went to an outdoor concert with G's parents and saw the entertaining Beatles cover band Abbey Road Live, we had a fun evening spent with friends, G went fishing and I went to another afternoon matinee with dear Mary to see Something Borrowed.  After all was said and done, I felt more relieved to have set aside real time to "relax" and be more informed of the impending delivery of baby girl and G felt more panicked and stressed.  Funny how that works.  Lately all I've wanted to do though is be around the familiar and soak in as much quality time with G as possible before it's not just the two of us anymore, but at the same time I get more and more excited and ready to meet this incredible little person.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

* 35.5 weeks!

May 15, 2011

.Motherhood Musings: Part Deux (Again).

Note: So Blogger decided to go nuts last week and shut down.  Which was fine as it forced me to be productive in other ways (like catch up on my online shopping), but not cool in the way that it erased this last post.  Luckily, I had a draft saved elsewhere because I did not have the patience to rewrite it, but I still wanted to share.



I have received a lot of advice as a soon-to-be mama. I have also received a lot of incredulous looks from judgmental know-betters. I have had a lot of my boundaries overstepped by overzealous acquaintances and clients. I know all were with the best intentions, but most only aided in my escalating fear. So I’ve been compiling some tips from either those wiser than I, or things I’ve just figured out on my own. I will share them on here from time to time. I refuse to tell any of you to follow, consider, or even agree with them, but this blog is called Learning Love’s Life because I want to share lessons I learned along the way that worked for me. This will not turn into a pregnancy/mom blog so no worries… but it is something we’re going through and a little reflection before game time on June 15th can’t hurt. Some silly, some not… but one of the ways I think I’ve survived this pregnancy thus far is that I’ve tried to keep a sense of humor about this whole beautiful and bizarre process of making a person.

Lesson One: Fashion & Mama

1. Wearing nail polish does not make you a terrible mother. Just don’t be ridiculous and paint them in a closet or other room that does not have proper ventilation thus making you and baby high on fumes. If you’re paranoid, there are safer options but the best piece of advice my doctor gave me was, “Your life is about to drastically change. Try living this time as normal as possible.”

2. Heels are not the devil. Sure, I am not strutting in 6 inch stilettos with my balance all shifted from a bump but wearing 3 inch heels isn’t going to kill my baby nor I. Now if you’re terrible at walking in heels or just walking on the planet period, maybe don’t take this time to learn how. Just wear what makes you comfortable and won’t result in face/stomach planting anywhere.

3. You don’t have to buy maternity clothes. I know, I didn’t believe this myself when first expecting. I was so excited to start wearing pregnancy clothes until I started looking at my options. They want you to pay what for that?? I was deeply discouraged in many of the styles that screamed “I look 15 years older than I am!” and what was stylish was more than I was willing to spend on something I may never get to wear again (what if our next child is born in the winter??). So I've just made do. I've been lucky enough to have a few new-ish mommies in my life that have lent me the basic staples and I have rolled with the rest. That means that anything new I am buying either has a billowy construction, empire waist, or is one size up in order to accommodate a burgeoning bump with a strategically-placed belt. I highly recommend H&M tanks and Forever 21 yoga pants; they’re fitted in all the right places, long, comfortable, cheap, and expand as you do.  A bella band is also amazing as it allows you to wear your regular pants for much longer.  If you do have to be the one to provide all your own maternity wardrobe H&M, Target, Gap, Topshop, and Forever 21 all have some adorable maternity pieces.

What advice did you learn or have you heard for being a stylish mama?



* Motherhood Musing Part One here
* Picture taken two Wednesdays ago

May 11, 2011

.Dandelions.

“What I need is the dandelion in the spring.”


You ever just wake up in one of those moods? You have no real reason to feel so ugly inside, so bitter, but you do. The smallest thing will trigger you in the day’s early hours, waiting for this unprovoked beast to come out. Today started as one of those days. Everything was getting under my skin. It’s probably because of my hormones. It’s probably because I haven’t been resting well. It’s probably because I’m exhausted at every moment of having 398 thoughts and to-do tasks running through my head.

So I attempted to fight it all day. I hate contributing to the negativity; we’re saturated with it everywhere we go. Just go to Facebook, I mean that place reeks of people’s annoyances, sadness, anger, and complaints.

So how do I fight days like this? I simplify, because it’s the complicated that’s truly getting me down. I take refuge in a prayer for encouragement, in my cup of coffee, in my pups sleeping at my feet, in my bright yellow sunglasses that I purchased in the child’s section of Target because they were that cool, in my packed lunch of French bread, cheese, strawberries and iced water, in my colorful summer scarf that adds energy to my outfit, in baby’s movements that are now so strong they take my breath away, in listening to my favorite morning radio show, and in flirtatious texts from a certain handsome guy.

It’s the simple that makes life remarkable.

So today... I choose the sweet dandelion over any sourness.



May 10, 2011

.Mother's Day Weekend.


 Did you know that mayonnaise can be a substitute for eggs in a recipe?  It was news to me, but when we were not fully prepared for Mary's cupcake cooking desperate times called for desperate measures {thanks google}.  This weekend was exactly what I needed full of grilling, very adult discussions about parenting, catching up on my DVR, cabin time napping in the sun, and a DIY project for the nursery enjoyed outdoors.  The relaxing routine that develops during warm months is comforting and little is better than simple puppy smiles.