Finding the right lighting for your space + Giveaway

August 25, 2015

In case you missed the living room makeover reveal, you can find that here. And read on for the Lamp giveaway below!

Our living room had zero wall lighting, so we knew we would have to add in some lighting options to bring back to life its cave man status. Since we rent the home, I didn’t want to install any wall sconces, so floor lamps seemed like the best option. Only problem is, finding floor lamps that were different than the standard salad bowl on a stick is usually a challenge.

We found a really great selection of lighting though that combined my love of modern and Gabe’s love of traditional thanks to Birch Lane. They have a pretty wide selection of all types of light fixtures. After much hemming and hawing, we chose the Chicago Floor Lamp + Linwood Floor Lamp to compliment each other and offer that cozy corner vibe we were aiming for.

Here’s a few tips when searching for the right lighting for a room:

-Be aware of the wall height. If you have flat ceilings like our living room, the height of the wall can help you determine the proportion size of lamp you should aim for. We measured out the wall from top to bottom and took that into account when viewing the measurements of the lamp height. Proportionally, the top of the lamps fell in the middle to upper half of the wall which visually enlarged the space. Cathedral ceilings do much better with hanging fixtures since the floor lamps might get lost in a larger wall space.

– Have your lamp heights compliment or coincide. We have three lamps total in the living room, and they are all different heights (I tend to avoid too much symmetry because I think it makes it more visually interesting), but they are within eye level. It brings them together cohesively without too much visual competition.

-Consider room tones and colors. Since the carpet and pillows had their own bold colors going on, we went for neutral and gold tones to bring in more traditional styles. They are each different colors but there is some elements of gold in all three. You can think outside the box and find lamps that aren’t the same but work together in other ways like color tones or shape.

I hope these tips make sense?! Let me go grab an other cup of coffee and re-read in a bit;) But let’s get to the fun stuff…

Birch Lane is so kindly sponsoring this GIVEAWAY of my favorite Linwood floor lamp ($360 value) to one of you! I cannot wait to send it your way! It has a pulley feature where you can adjust the height of the lamp shade. Enter via rafflecopter below and we will draw a winner next Tuesday!

*The edison light bulb I added to the lamp is from West Elm.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Double Fishtail Braid Stack – Video Tutorial

August 24, 2015

Double Fishtail Braid Stack
Here is the second part to the half crown braid tutorial I shared last week. With a few more fishtail braids, you can create this updo in under 20 minutes.

It is so nice to have a few styles you know how to do on hand for the special occasions, or if you are like me, when you are riding shotgun and have a little time to kill (wink). Hope this video makes it easier to try something new. I’d love to see pics if you give it a go! Also, here is a re-fresh on how to fishtail braid if you need it.

P.S. Leave me any questions you have below or on YouTube and I will do my best to get back to you promptly. I will be sharing a few more fun videos soon. When you subscribe to the channel you will get a notification when a new video is posted:)

Day Date: Marcel

August 22, 2015

Atlanta continues to sprout up some of the best tastes in the food scene and locals are never short on options to visit. However, I think Marcel is current reigning king on the top of Gabe and I’s lists of best tastebud experience of the year. VIEW FULL POST

Living Room Makeover Reveal

August 21, 2015

Alas! After months of buying and returning pillows (wink), we have finally finished our living room makeover. Just in time for me to get the re-arranging fever all over again. Kidding….maybe.

I can’t wait to share all the details over the next few weeks, but for today, here are the before and after pics! It is incredible what a fresh space can do for your whole family. It has cleared up some mental clutter and become a favorite place to hang for our family. Gabe is particularly fond of the old school feel news reading nook it provides him. I am thankful for the ample couch space for naps;) We basically just had the basics in this room for the last few years. You may remember the last update… VIEW FULL POST

When everyone wants to feed the new baby.

August 18, 2015

Each baby of mine has shown little glimpses of their personalities very early on. I already know Rocco is going to have a feisty side. He demands to eat right away when he is hungry, and his little squawk resembles a cat who has gotten his tail stepped on. It is quite humorous. Like many newborn boys, they prefer to eat constantly and with haste!

I have been lucky enough to breastfeed each of my babies, and I would say I look forward to that now with my fourth more than ever because despite all the craziness around me, it forces me to sit and stare at my baby. It allows me the chance to have some close one on one time with him. I like to introduce a bottle to my babies very early on in case of emergencies (I have gotten very sick before when Gabriel was a baby and he refused to take a bottle!), and to also give Gabe and the kids a chance to feed the baby once in a while. But geez, it can be tough to find a bottle my babies actually don’t notice a difference with! Rocco for instance is already particular about his pacifier.

When I was in fury nesting mode I went through the baby aisles and happened upon the new Munchkin Latch bottle. I noticed the shape, accordion like base, and anti-colic air valve. I was really impressed with the design and price tag, so I snatched it up. I wasn’t in love with any of the bottles I previously used so I thought I would give it a go. Well as you can see, it was a winner.

Rocco loved his first bottle Gabe was able to give him, and of course Gabe loved being able to feed him. He gulped it down without choking (which he can’t seem to do even when he breastfeeds!), and he immediately took to it without so much as a grimace or a squirm. My little ones understand that mommy has “bottles in her stomach” which allows me to feed Rocco, so when they got an opportunity to feed him they were beside themselves. Max wanted in on some of the fun as well….

The latch bottle also came in handy this past weekend as I traveled to Chicago with Rocco for a conference I was mentoring at. I had brought along the bottle and breastmilk bag just in case there was a long stretch and Rocco started to demand his next meal;)

It’s funny the little things that make you excited as a mother, like bottle forms and swaddle blankets. But I guess they aren’t so little when it is something that creates moments like these that become quite a big deal in your memory book of life, right?

I think every mother knows the best way to feed and nourish their child…. the best schedules or non schedules, bottle fed or breastfed or both, and sometimes it ends up being different than we hoped or planned. However, I think every baby knows when they are being fed with love and a nurturing hand that is for sure. I just wish this newborn phase would stretch a whole lot longer. When he fits into his dad’s forearm like a glove, and when he falls asleep as soon as his mama snuggles him up, and when they can sleep through a train wreck (or three boisterous siblings – same thing…).I’ll just keep holding onto him in case these moments should try to escape my grasp!

*This post is sponsored by Munchkin. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog.

Munchkin rids the world of the mundane by developing clever, innovative solutions that make family life safer, easier, and more fun. You can find Munchkin products at Munchkin.com, Target, Babies’R’Us, Walmart, and Amazon. It’s the little things!

Chicago + Travel Notes

August 17, 2015

In my true spastic spur of the moment decision making form, I committed to a trip to Chicago before I had little Rocco. I knew he would only be a few weeks old, and in my experience, they are much easier to travel with when they sleep all the time;) He is already three weeks old, and really it took until now to feel back to normal energy wise (at least as much as you can with a new baby). I look forward to sharing about his first few weeks of life soon!

I was asked to mentor at the Create + Cultivate conference for bloggers and business owners. Gabe was actually the one who encouraged me to go, and he offered to hold the fort down while I was away. Since I have a weak spot for helping entrepreneurs, I jumped at the chance.

My wonderful mother in law is from Milwaukee so she met me there to help with little man. The conference was one of the best I have ever attended. Incredibly organized down to the detail, a perfect location, and a knowledgeable line up of speakers. They spoiled both the speakers and mentors, and the attendees with hair and beauty stations, swag, and drink and food stations on hand. Rocco and I thoroughly enjoyed the day! It is always fun to connect with long time blog friends as well like Amber, Kate, Shalice, and Liz (check em outttt). If you are a blogger or creative business owner, I highly recommend you sign up for the next C+C conference since it offers some really thorough content and opportunities to learn.

We got to spend some time by the navy pier as well as brunch with old friends before taking off back to Atlanta. (Fun fact: Gabe and I met at the Navy Pier except I was clueless he would end up being my husband. We were only 18!)

SIDE NOTES ON INFANT TRAVEL:
Traveling with Rocco was actually pretty smooth sailing. My faith in humanity was restored by the end of our flights, as almost everyone was willing to lend an extra hand when needed. The flight staff loaded my luggage for me on the plane as I held Rocco, and even tried to get me an extra empty seat. You can check your carseat and stroller at the gate which was LIFE SAVING. I will say the security check was the only stressful part because as you know, it is already set up to make you have a minor panic attack before you make it through the body scanner. Thankfully in the ATL airport there is a line for strollers and babies and I teamed up with another mama traveling solo as we helped each other get all our gear through the line. Rocco slept the whole flight and pacifiers came in handy when I needed to hold him off till I could feed him. The Quinny Buzz Xtra and carseat was extremely easy to use and got us in and around the city with ease. Other than managed to book an international flight leg back to Atlanta and being lost on the wrong side of the airport, we didn’t run into to many hiccups.

Packing for two in one carry on and one tote bag was a puzzle I managed only by sitting on top of my suitcase (literally). I only packed what I absolutely needed for me, and left the rest of the space for little man’s items.
Outfit details: Top (nursing friendly), Pants (50% off!), Sandals, Diaper Bag/Tote c/o, Earrings Also wore this nursing friendly dress to the speaker dinner. (So helpful to travel with comfortable and versatile pieces!)

Have you traveled with a baby before? Any helpful tips you want to leave for fellow readers, please do!

My sister’s wedding…

August 14, 2015

My sister Angela got married a few months ago, and it was a wedding that was a gift to everyone who attended. The bride and groom’s joy was tangible. I asked her to write today about what the day was like from her perspective. I have such a deep admiration for Brian and Angela’s focus on each other and the dedication to the great gift of marriage…

MAY 22, 2015 — Profound Joy.

I woke from the deepest sleep just before my alarm clock, my eyes opening to sunbeams piercing through the window where my wedding dress was hanging. My heart fluttered knowing that in just a few hours I would be wearing this gown to meet my groom at the altar. I lied there for a while thinking about the exchange of lifelong vows we were about to make that would bind us and protect us all of our days to come.

Dozens of pivotal moments that helped bring me to this day kept flowing forth. From my dad’s nightly blessings growing up that instilled a deep sense of self-worth, my mom’s homemade dinners that gathered my family to talk about life values, and the unforgettable earthquake that erupted inside of me when Brian looked straight into my eyes as we shook hands to meet.

I ran downstairs to find some of my sisters already buzzing around, as if they hadn’t been up all night picking though hundreds of flower stems to help create centerpieces and bouquets. Coffee mugs and very tight hugs were shared with lots of squeals from each of them. My sisters and I have a unique bond that perhaps only sisters can understand. The paradox of preparing for marriage was that I felt like bursting and breaking at the very same time. The shift that comes with such a big life change was hard, as change always is for me, yet surreal happiness remains.

The morning rapidly passed by, and I got to spend that precious time with my bridesmaids and parents getting ready at my house. I had all of my nieces and youngest sister as flower girls, and it was so wonderful watching their innocent youth taking everything in. I made each of them flower crowns, and then a simple one for myself as a symbolic surprise for Brian. As soon as the I put on the flower crown, I knew I was ready. I had just my mom come up to my bedroom to help put on the gown. Just she and I, the woman I admire and aspire to be most like in my life. My Dad snuck in after that, the man who taught me what it feels like to be truly cherished.

My gorgeous ‘maids all lined up as soon as we got to the church, and the flower girls held hands and giggled behind them. The trumpet began to play and the tears started to flow when I looked to my dad as he said: “you’re not just a bride today, you get to be Brian’s bride every day.” And with that the doors opened to the most joyous moment of my life. Profound joy had consumed me, knowing my life would be forever changed in such a significant way with him as my husband. I will always have that moment seared on my soul.

Our wedding ceremony was just as I had hoped it would be, with a church full of people we admire and love. It took everything in me to keep it together at one point as I looked around and took each of their faces in. I whispered to Brian: “All of them! Here because they support our decision to be together! They believe in us!” As if it had just clicked why we were all there. And it had. It wasn’t until then when I let it sink that it was me all of this goodness was happening to. I loved sitting at Brian’s side as his bride, holding his arm and praying together as newlyweds.

We exited the church with ribbon wands waving and wedding bells ringing as as the new Mr. and Mrs. Hoyer. We loved every minute of our reception, but especially our first dance. Our dear friends performed the same song Brian played for me when he proposed, and we sang together: “Life is ever changing, but I will always find a constant and comfort in your love. With your heart my soul is bound, and as we dance I know that Heaven will be found.” We were completely swept away the rest of the night, and nothing will compare to the joy we felt on the day we began our greatest adventure…

Written in my journal, the night before we got married…
“Meeting him and falling into deep admiration, my heart reawakened to the most beautiful melody it’s ever known. Our love song is the battle cry of defeating sin and choosing each other again and again. It was written by our creator with the most unique arrangement of notes. My only hope for our marriage is that we never stop hearing our song. That through hope and courage we will always choose the battle cry until the day we die.”

*All photos by Photography by Lydia

Florals by Paper Whites and Whimsey and bridesmaids bouquets assembled by the bridesmaids.
Dresses via J.Crew