on life lately.
Hiiiii. Here’s a little update.
I skipped my July food + fun favorites this month because I knew I wanted to share the pregnancy things I’d loved up until now since I’m more than halfway and it just seemed a bit repetitive with my beauty faves. But. THIS SHIRT. I’ve been living in it. Like literally wearing it days and days at a time. It’s so comfortable and just perfect for running errands when it’s hot outside but freezing inside. Flipping.love.it. It’s probably because we haven’t had that 90 degree heat wave yet… um and I just heard that we may not have it at all. Hello, music to my ears.
Ever since making these mussels, they has been ALL I’ve wanted. And it’s an equal split – I want the mussels just as much as the bread and coconut curry broth so it’s like the best of both worlds. I probably won’t be cooking anything until next week sooo… I just gotta suck it up and wait.
Another snack I’ve been going crazy over are the coconut and tart cherry versions of noosa. UGH. They are new to my grocery store and you can bet I picked them up immediately. Um – tart cherry yogurt WITH all the cherries? Just kill me. I want it all day. Oh and can I tell you that I bought a croissant at starbucks the other day and they warmed it up and it was so incredibly good? I couldn’t believe it.
Must give you an update on my whitney english planner – I still adore it. It is filled to the brim with things for the next three months and it has truly saved my life. I still love it more than any planner I’ve had and it’s just cute and compact enough that it doesn’t stick out in my kitchen like a sore thumb – plus it’s black and white striped. Uh, enough said. I talked about it a lot back in January and it’s been the planner I’ve consistently used. I also bought her life planner at the time and have totally loved it too. It’s much more in depth – requires work and details into your goal setting – but if you’re goal-oriented and entrepreneurial, it’s perfect. I hope it’s coming back for next year. And in another week or two, I’ll do an update on my vision board from the beginning of the year – which sorta changed but sorta didn’t after finding out I had a bun in the oven.
I just gotta say that one of the most overwhelming experiences is searching for a mattress and attempting to purchase one. We finally bought a king bed set now that we are moving, yes many of you have asked (and if you’ve been around for the last five years… then you know this is a looooong time coming) and holy crap – why is everything *king* like a million dollars more? Yeah yeah I know. Don’t answer that. I almost had a heartichoke when I looked at a king featherbed. Two words: ree.diculous. And the mattress choosing was near impossible and probably not something an eternally-uncomfortable-insomniac pregnant person should be picking out, but I did just that. P.S. I’d rather buy shoes. But I guess those aren’t a 20+ year investment. (yeah, right.)
Can you tell me where I can find some gorgeous bedding? I’m having a heck of a time. Can’t find anything that’s to-die-for. I like to keep things fairly simple and white (maybe ivory) and puffy and add some color with pillows and what not, but have you seen something that you L_O_V_E love? If so, pass it my way. Also, while we discuss furniture, if you’ve bought a glider or something similar or a fabulous chair for a nursery… pass that along as well. I have no interior décor style (much like my fashion sense) and just get overwhelmed and want to quit. There is nothing worse to me than furniture shopping. I just don’t have an eye for it – I have an IDEA of what I kinda like, but I can’t put it into words. And then I end up getting something and loathing it weeks later.
But! On Monday I moved some of THEE MOST important things: like two large bags of beauty products and makeup. Life essentials. You know.
Things I’ve read lately: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. Last year I read (err, listened to on my audible app) The Husband’s Secret while finishing up my book so I was excited for this one to come out. I didn’t love the one last year and I didn’t love this one either – but I felt similar about them. They were GOOD – I wanted to finish them and find out what happened – but I was also… underwhelmed? Does that make sense? I am truly terrible at writing about books.
Now I’m going back to being buried in boxes… and I’m going to defrost a fridge. Does that mean I can eat all the dessert stored in the freezer? I hope.
90 Comments on “on life lately.”
Hi! Big lover of your blog, and a fellow Pittsburgh resident! :) I really like Biscuit Bedding…they’re a little more expensive, but i’m glad i invested…they are sooo wonderful and soft, and durable too! and they have a lot of what you seem to be looking for…white with pops of color. check it out!
OMG tart cherry yoghurt sounds like heaven!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
Awesome bedding?
Anthropologie!
I have this white duvet cover from Target and I LOVE it–the seersucker stripes add the perfect amount of texture, but it’s still all crisp and white. The picture doesn’t do it justice, I wasn’t sure about it until I had it on my bed. I’m really happy with it! I”m very particular and was searching for a duvet cover for a long time, so that’s saying a lot!
http://www.target.com/p/threshold-seersucker-duvet-cover-set/-/A-14146722#prodSlot=medium_1_5
Re: Bed things- This plain old linen stuff from West Elm:
http://www.westelm.com/products/linen-cotton-blend-duvet-cover-shams-white-b1011/?pkey=e%7Clinen%2Bduvet%7C7%7Cbest%7C4294967249%7C1%7C24%7C%7C4&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||Category-_-Bedding-_-NoMerchRules
I loooove it. We have it in the slate-y blue, and even with nothing else fancy on the bed it looks super nice and expensive without being precious/ girly. And it’s supa’ soft.
I like The Company Store for basic bedding. We are in desperate need of a new (king-size) mattress…I think it will be hard choosing the right one. What an investment! What did you end up getting? As for our nursery, we had a non-gliding, non-rocking chair that worked/works for us. It was the perfect color and size for the space. I will say that we LOVE our Land of Nod furniture though!
I know it’s still freaking summer, but I picked up PUMPKIN Noosa at target the other day. It’s a target exclusive flavor. Ugh, awesome. Also, the pineapple one is amazing, and totally agree with you on the coconut. So good.
I just had two kids in two years, and I did not end up loving the glider chair. I wish I had selected a big, comfy chair with a footstool for two reasons: 1) the glider just was not comfortable on the nights when I fell asleep upright in the middle of nursing, and 2). so that I could transition it to a “goodnight story” spot after the kids became too big to juggle in the glider. Live and learn!
And…this is my first post, but I’ve been reading your blog for about a year and I really enjoy it!
Love your blog, Jessica! Congratulations on all the things – from book to bun!
I was in a similar boat with king sized bedding when we moved into our first house last year and I discovered Crane and Canopy online. Amazing quality at the price point, the company was founded by a woman with a passion for business/design, and purchases support shelters for domestic violence victims. The pintuck is really beautiful and simple in white.
http://www.craneandcanopy.com/
Anthropologie for the bedding! The best for puffy and white :)
West Elm has some of my favorite bedding ever! Very clean and simple.
Long time reader and fan! Congrats on both the book AND baby!
Anthropologie has some beautiful bedding… http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/category/new+arrivals/home-new-pillowbed.jsp?cm_sp=LEFTNAV-_-SUB_CATEGORY-_-BEDDING_&_BATH
Good luck!
I adore West Elm bedding and it’s not super overpriced! We are also on the hunt for a glider. After visiting a few stores, I think we will end up with one we saw at Buy Buy Baby called Patoka. We don’t have a lot of space, but the chair is comfy and compact. We are getting it in a nice soft cotton fabric. It’s not easy!
RE: Bedding. The entire Eileen Fisher line at Garnet Hill. I invested in the Linen sheets and they are heaven!
Hello there! I am due in Septemeber and we bought a rocker/recliner from Storytime chairs-Irvington. We found it at BuyBuyBaby and it is amazing. It rocks , it swivels and it reclines. Love love love this chair. Check it out. Best purchase ever.
Try Ross for bedding! Some cute stuff and not expensive! You can take it back if u don’t love it
I’m loving Restoration Hardware bedding.
Buy Buy Baby was where we bought our nursery chair. I wasn’t a fan of the gliders so we bought a club type chair with matching ottoman. Both of them “glide” and the chair swivels 360 degrees which makes it easy to get up when you’re holding a sleeping baby. I just recommend order them soon bc they custom make them to whatever color you want and they take 10-12 weeks. This is about the type we bought:
http://www.wolffurniture.com/furniture/glider-rocker/glider-club-chair/861696143
West Elm!
After months of stalking this bedset-I finally gave in..Simple and chic! They have other great ones to choose from too :) Next purchase the POLKA dot sheets,.UM yes please!
http://www.westelm.com/products/wrh-mod-stripe-duvet-cover-shams-b1414/?pkey=cduvet-covers&cm_src=duvet-covers||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_-
Beautiful bedding–>> http://shop.kerrycassill.com
My bed might be my favorite spot in my house and most of the credit goes to Pottery Barn sheets and West Elm duvet covers and a Pottery Barn duvet. Love love love. The PB Classic sheets are so soft and durable and wash so well. They are the same company, so the labeling is often interchangeable. Lands End bedding is also pretty great. The percale is delightful.
I’ve been getting my bedding from Overstock.com for the last several years. Great selection and prices for high thread count luxurious bedding. The Ross suggestion was a good one too. I have often found good values there. It’s also a great place to pick up extra designer pillow cases in colors to complement the bedding you already have.
I love crisp white linens. They make everything feel so fresh and bright. Plus you can buy those bad boys anywhere.
As for my glider recommendation, get something that is comfortable (duh) because you and Eddie will be spending a good chunk of time on it. I bought a rocker from Overstock and it did the job. Looking back, I wished I would’ve bought something plusher, but it doesn’t really matter now. Plus, I couldn’t fathom spending $600+ on a chair that we would only use for a year or so.
Try Wayfair, West Elm and Overstock for bedding. Target also has some cute bedding (more options online than in stores). If you’re going to splurge, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters also have some super-cute bedding. :)
So, I can’t tell if you already bought the mattress or not, but just in case not, check out Sleep Innovations on (omg) Amazon. The mattress comes in a relatively small box, but it has 20 year warranty and everyone I know now has one. You lay on my bed, you buy my mattress. That’s just what happens.
We almost got a Tempurpedic and then stumbled on the Amazon one and figured for $500 it was worth testing. OMG. I can’t even tell you how very much we love that mattress. It is every bit as a good as a Tempurpedic and it’s $500.
Okay, that’s all. Please forget that I’m the weirdo who buys literally everything on Amazon.
Yes, of course you can eat all the dessert in the freezer! :)
For our first baby, I got a glider, and I am still not entirely happy with it.
For the second baby, I went to USA Baby on Babcock blvd (near where it meets McKnight) and bought a wonderful, comfy, rocker/swivel chair. It was a lot more than the glider, but totally worth it for middle of the night feelings. Also, now that she’s 2, we read books in it every night, and I find her sitting in it alone sometimes. My 4 yo, on the other hand, does not sit in her glider.
That store has a great selection of furniture.
Touch of Class has a lot of pretty bedding and accessories. Some of it is way tacky, but you can weed through and find some good stuff!
Monte gliders are awesome! http://centuryhouseinc.com/brands/monte-design.html
If you are looking for a cradle swing, I would really recommend going to Babies R Us and getting the Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle Swing. My Hubby brought home a month or so after we had our fat boy and it was such a life saver. After a diaper change, bottle feeding, bath or any of those things in any order, we would set it up in the corner of any room and get some chores, cuddling or even take a shower but in your own order. It’s super neat. I loved it. :) I thought this would be helpful. I was looking for a way to post it to show you my happy little man. If able I will show you a picture of him in it.
I read The Husband’s Secret for book club and felt the same way about it. I didn’t hate it but it was just too…something for me. I want to say soap operaish, but I read plenty of other beach reads that aren’t about anything insanely important, so it’s not really that. I didn’t love the writing and didn’t attach myself to the characters at all and while I thought the ending was a nice twist, it was the only part that I felt was original. I’m reading This Is Where I Leave You now, and even though it’s about the same old cheating stories, it’s funny and I’m enjoying it so so much more.
You MUST look at the double gliders from Buy Buy Baby! That was the best purchase I made for the out nursery. It was a little pricey (I believe around $1,200) but SO worth it. It is about the size of a love seat only in glider form. It’s amaaaazing and so so comfy and you will be thanking me after you’ve spent a million nights sleeping/feeding/rocking your new babe. Oh, and you can pick all sorts of colors and fabrics to personalize it. I couldn’t find it on the website but is just saw it recently in the store…hurry….go check it out!!
My favorite duvet cover is from Gaiam.com. Its ivory with red blossoms.
http://www.gaiam.com/fiore-organic-bedding/03-0775_set.html?start=28&cgid=1010300
Home is a place of comfort. We all love to sit back after a tiring day and read a book, have a drink or watch the television. I like it!!! Rocker recliner chair