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.”
So excited for you on the king size bed! You may not know it right away but this is going to change your life forever. Congrats on moving. It will be so worth it!
I actually kind of like the bedding at IKEA. They have some really nice — and really not expensive — duvets, shams, and throw pillows.
Definitely agree! My current bedding is a white cotton duvet from there and the king size was only like $30. Great for people who love to switch out bedding a lot!
And Anthropologie, or West Elm.
There is a ivory quilted duvet at Pottery Barn that my sister just got & I love! PB and Anthropologie are my top 2 picks for bedding.
I LOVE our king bed. We’ve had it since we were married, so I don’t know any different, but I’m guessing you’ll love it! We have a white comforter from Ethan Allen. It was a gift, so I’m not sure how much it was, but it has a light and airy feeling, and it’s comfortable!
Also, Costco has the best mattress toppers. We are mattress snobs when we go to hotels now, because our mattress is so comfortable!
Congrats on all of the fun changes in your life right now ;) We’ve been considering getting a new mattress because we keep waking up with sore backs. Such an expensive and semi-not fun purchase to make. I would highly recommend duvet covers from West Elm (I think they have multiple white, fluffy options – similar to ridic expensive Anthropologie ones). If you catch West Elm during a good sale, you can find one for under $100. We have a duvet filler from Ikea and it is pretty darn light, fluffy, awesome, and long lasting – going strong for 10 + years, just change out the cover when bored or wanting another look. Good luck!
I second the West Elm duvet cover/Ikea duvet insert recommendation. I have level 1 and level 3 inserts that I swap out seasonally and they’re great for anything from Summer to Polar Vortex. My West Elm cover has lasted 3 years now, and other than fading a bit (it’s orange), I’m still completely in love with it.
I’ll second the IKEA bedding love. They have some lovely & simple designs, good prices, and my current duvet cover is the softest thing ever. It makes me so excited to get into bed every night.
Good luck on that bedding shopping, and sorry I can’t help you out much there! Maybe grab an issue of Style at Home and see if you can get inspiration from anything in there? Really looking forward to your vision board check-in!
Bedding at Anthro! I threw a fit when I had to move back into my parents after college and bought new bedding for my childhood twin bed because I REFUSED to sleep in the same bedding I had when I was a teenager. What a big waste of money – I moved out a year later, and had to buy queen sized Anthro bedding, and had to use it on a queen sized air mattress for two months until I could afford to buy a real mattress. I just love it. It’s a little pricey but I think it’s worth it because it’s so beautiful. And it’s 20% off at the moment!
Bedding shopping was also really frustrating for me. We’ve had our current set for about 2 years now and I’m already wanting new stuff. We bought ours at Macy’s and I feel like we spent $2398981 on it. Sigh. As for the glider situation, we bought the “Graham Glider” with the matching ottoman (which also glides!) from West Elm a couple years ago and I LOVE IT. It’s soft and really comfy. We were using it in our bedroom, but now that the baby is coming, we’ve moved it into the nursery. We got it in the dove gray color, which has been perfect for spills/stains (it cleans SUPER easily) and is neutral enough that it will work with most decor. After I went to the West Elm site to look up the name of the glider for you, I noticed that they have a bunch of cute bedding! Check it out.
You should try Pottery Barn! I think it’s the Williams Sonoma of bedrooms. Just like Williams Sonoma…I want everything!!
Eilneen Fishrer bedding at Garnet Hill is GORGEOUSSS and yes expensive but in my opinion worth it. Especially the seasonless silk throw, which I have in white. LOVE.
Referring to the bedding comment, I am thoroughly obsessed with anything big, pillowy, and white. I’ve currently been lusting over the bedding from anthropologie. Some of it can be more on the pricey side, but they have some wonderful options!
Sheets: Costco. Not kidding — 800 thread count for under $200! Love white bedding bc it’s easy to wash (hello, baby barf). PB or Anthro for duvet covers and pillows. Happy moving!
yes, we got Costco sheets for a wedding gift, and they are super soft and very nice! Liking all the bedding suggestions, as we are moving soon and getting new bedding. :)
I really love the Company Store – super simple but gorgeous stuff! And I’m a sucker for Pottery Barn…basically I’m their target market. I want to hang their catalogs on my walls like wall art.
When we got a rocker for the nursery we ended up getting a full on recliner that rocked. It was one of the only things that we fit in (too tall for normal chairs I guess…?) but it was so nice to have a reeeeeeeally comfie place to sit and nurse. All that to say – check out furniture stores and don’t be scared to look in non-baby departments. You can still find great things for less since they’re not labeled for babies!
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serena and lily for bedding.
for glider, i’m still writing you a long @ss email, but my one regret with r’s nursery was not getting a good glider. for ali I finally gave in and bought one of those generic swivel/recliner/rocker from buy buy baby. It literally swivels 360 degrees, reclines so you can sleep in it comfortably, and rocks. And they will let you use the 20% off coupon for it.
Anthro bedding! <3 I know it's pricey but it's amazing AND 20% off full price styles right now. Shameless plug since I used to work there/still love it so much. I've been on a hunt for a new comforter for probably two/three years now? It's ridiculous. I can't find anything that I looove. I'm still using my '09 college comforter from Target. Ha.
So after reading your post about Whitney English and her amazing planner…I HAD to have it!! only… they were sold out, like, EVERYWHERE!! I wanted to cry. Then I liked her FB page and saw that she was selling a few more and you had to get in quick…oh, I was a day late be still managed to score one! Thank you for sharing that and I am really reallyyyy looking forward to hearing about your vision board, ive been toying with the idea of making one already, I just need to collect some magazines and go to town now.
As for decorating, why don’t you try just browsing around etsy shops and pinterest “nursery themes” just to see if anything calls your attention. The etsy shops have some really adorable decor that are hand made and/or inexpensive. online shopping = not having the leave the house!
Good luck!! You are a busy bee and a yummy mummy to be but you are still kicking ass nonetheless…thats bragging rights, girl frieeendddd!
OK second comment to say the glider we have is the Best Chair Tryp Glider http://www.besthf.com/best/Storytime/Recliners/items/TRYP
Butt ugly but SO VALUABLE for those feeding sessions and middle of the night wakeups. It doesn’t look too bed if the rest of the room is nice – You can see Ali’s room here: http://rhodeygirltests.com/2013/03/19/our-bright-happy-girls-nursery/
And for kids’ bedding check out Land of Nod. Their crib sheets and changing pads last foreverrrrrrr. Worth the extra expense because the designs are cute too!
I love Starbucks croissants. I can’t believe how good they are either. Floored and addicted.
I found my bedding at West Elm and it was on clearance so I totally lucked out but they have a lot of cute stuff in that department.
I had a hard time finding bedding too for our king bed. I loved many of what West Elm had to offer and we bought ours from there.
I really like Gilt.com for their bedding section. They have tons of uber nice stuff for not the uber nice prices. Sometimes I just stare at the things there and think about changing my bedding. And since it changes almost everyday it’s like a fun game to find something you like.
I just bought this bedding for my little girl- you can customize everything. She doesnt have a website yet but shot her an email. She was a pleasure to work with.
https://www.facebook.com/bramwelldesigns?fref=photo
I don’t know if you’ve ever shopped Wayfair.com, but they literally have EVERYTHING. When I want to find something for my apt that I can’t find anywhere else, I can find it on Wayfair… or their sister site JossandMain.com, which is like their stuff on outlet special. I love that site so much… they have sales and deals that come and go at deep discounts. I’ve bought tons of stuff from them.
After searching E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. for a duvet cover for my king size bed last year (yes, everything is three time the price – WHY??!) I finally found one that I love at Ikea. Then again, I have a very specific color scheme in my bedroom… I would think that cream or ivory would be much easier to find. But anyway… check Wayfair. They have everything.
Hello! I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of years and always enjoy your recipes and your humor.
I’m 36 weeks pregnant (with my first) so when I saw you wanted a recommendation for bedding I had to share this gem… Cariloha Bamboo sheets and towels. My husband and I wondered into their store on a trip to Hawaii and are normally not impulsive buyers, but these sheets and towels are so stinkin’ soft and luxurious that we couldn’t help ourselves.
We bought the ivory sheets in Cal King and two bath towels. He and I talk about getting more at some point or giving them as gifts because they are that nice.
They also sell clothing too. My husband got a half zip that I can’t resist from touching when he wears it. Since I was pregnant on the trip I decided it wouldn’t be the most prudent thing to splurge on clothing for me, however when that baby arrives, I might have to get myself something too.
They have a website – so don’t think you have to fly to Hawaii to get it.
Loooooong comment. I hope you get the sheets and maybe even some towels. You will be glad you did.
Buying our bed [like, 8yrs ago] was one of the worst experiences ever. We ended up hating the bed but really couldn’t do anything about it. Still have it…ugh.
Why I am giving you glider advice? I don’t know…but…http://www.westelm.com/products/graham-glider-g667/ http://www.landofnod.com/marley-rocker-and-ottoman-grey/f14067
but I kind of feel like this is more your style: http://www.amazon.com/Newco-International-Grand-Glider-Velvet/dp/B005RCU71S/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1407335360&sr=8-8&keywords=modern+glider+rocker But I could be totally off. :)
bedding: LOVE West Elm…lots of white options…if I had to make a bedding guess for you this would be it http://www.westelm.com/products/organic-cotton-pintuck-duvet-cover-shams-white-s081/?pkey=cneutral-white-bedding&cm_src=neutral-white-bedding||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_- AGain, could be way off….?
Jessica-
I purchased a Westin Heavenly mattress last year, and it was the greatest investment of my life. I refer to it as “The Cloud”. I also bought all of my bedding at Macy’s in the Hotel Collection. Simple, white, soft. All of the good things in life.
If you want amazingly soft sheets that also perform ( moisture wicking ) then look for Bamboo Sheet! I bought mine on sale at linensandthings.com. Worth every penny!!!
Ive noticed a bunch of pple suggesting anthro bedding…yes, its nice, but it will cost you an insane amount of cash and is totally not worth it in my opinion. I just bought some gorgeous dark grey/light grey bedding from west elm, and they are actually having a sale right now :)
most of my nursery inspiration came from looking around at laybabylay.com
she’s pretty talented at making mood boards.
I recently discovered this post from another blog, Mint Arrow, with a HUGE must-have baby list. It was useful to me, so maybe it would be useful to you too! She includes her favorite picks for gliders, cribs, etc and posts often about deals so it would probably come in handy for you. http://www.mintarrow.com/2013/11/the-best-baby-registry-list-ever.html
A comfy chair type glider was one of our splurges for our sons nursery and it was totally worth it. We got ours at Buy Buy Baby, they’ll let you use a 20% off coupon and they have tons of fabric options. I was able to get the glider I thought was the comfiest in a totally different fabric than the one on display and it actually ended up costing less. My son is almost 2 and we still use his glider multiple times per day. Hope that helps! Good luck in your search!!!
I just had my little guy on June 30th. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I strongly endorse Lucie’s List for all things baby products. She offers the best recommendations! I toted her gigantic list around to my {multiple} registry trips. I pretty much lived and died by that thing. Anyway, chairs. I really was dead set on a Dutalier glider, but my husband kind of put his foot down on spending that much money on a chair. So, I caved too and we ended up with a Storkcraft glider ordered from Amazon. I hate to admit it, but he wins. It’s comfy, it’s cute, it’s functional, and it didn’t break the bank. And honestly, baby has been rooming in with us in his bassinet since Day 1 for ease of breastfeeding purposes {and, let’s be real, my new mommy neuroses}. Long story short, I’m glad I didn’t dump $400 into a chair since I already haven’t used it as much as I had anticipated. Save the money for a great stroller and sling instead! PS The very extreme reviews {people love it or hate it} on the Storkcraft glider nearly turned me off. Just go into it with minimal expectations. I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised!
we recently purchased this duvet set from Target and love it! http://www.target.com/p/threshold-medallion-duvet-cover-set/-/A-14982099#prodSlot=_1_21
it’s not white so it doesn’t get dirty or discolor but looks sophisticated. nate berkus has some decent ones at target that are reasonable.
good luck! :)
Congrats on the baby. I think the rocking chair was one of the hardest things to pick out because I wanted it to last way longer then the baby phase. I got mine from room and board ( there outlet is here in Minneapolis so I scored a great deal on it) but honestly it is worth the full price. I really like how it swivels and glides. Plus it is a touch roomier then the baby ones which is nice for reading with my little guy now that he is older.
I am embarrassingly obsessed with PB Teen for bedding. They have such fun prints in bright colors… don’t know if you’ll find anything in ivory as you described, but it’d be awesome for all kinds of accent items.
I think a few people have already mentioned west elm, but I HAVE to point out this pin-tucked duvet cover:
http://www.westelm.com/products/organic-cotton-pintuck-duvet-cover-shams-white-s081/?pkey=cduvet-covers&cm_src=duvet-covers||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_-
I absolutely LOVE it, I got it in light blue as a wedding gift. It always looks great, because it’s *supposed* to be wrinkled!
ANTHROPOLOGIE. It’s not the cheapest bedding in the world, but it’s really pretty. I got a puffy duvet cover in light blue from them. It’s simple but very classic looking.
I only buy bedding from Lands’ End now – their sheets are GLORIOUS. Espeically their flannel sheets for winter (and here in Colorado they work for late Fall/early Spring too). If you sign up for their emails I think they give you like a $20 off $75 order coupon or something like that plus every day free shipping on orders over $50. Best thing is their return policy. Anytime. Anywhere. Any reason. Period. You can take items back to your local Sears if it has a Lands’ End counter. Good luck! :)
We just bought a new mattress and bed set, too. I had the hardest time picking out bedding but I went to Schoolhouse Electric (check out their website) looking for a chandelier and ended up taking home their artist striped duvet set. It’s creamy white with dark grey stripes and I love it! I can’t wait to dress it with some pops of pink throw pillows. If I can get it together I will send you a picture soon!
Yes! Noosa all the days! I’ve been obsessed with it for months and I’m not about to slow down now. I haven’t been able to find the coconut or pineapple yet and am dyyyyyying to try them. Tart cherry is one of my faves, and the Strawberry Rhubard is amazing too. Just don’t try the Passionafruit, or if you do, just don’t tell me about it. Something about the seeds that just icks me out.
I bought our King comforter at Target. I know.
Wahoo on the bed! It felt very strange to purchase my mattress back in April too—I was so ridiculously indecisive. And then to make matters worse, I chose the fluffiest pillow top one, and ended up deciding it was TOO soft and we returned it/exchanged it for a much firmer one 24 hours later. But yeah, mattresses are like a million times more expensive than I imagined.
Check West Elm or Anthropologie for bedding! :)
Or Pottery Barn. But I’m sure you’ve checked that already!
serena and lily for bedding and nursery decor. or pottery barn and restoration hardware!
What fabulous finds, that shirt looks perfect for summer!
We bought a mattress while I was pregnant too. If it’s comfy while you’re uncomfortable, it will probably be even better when you aren’t pregnant anymore!
Trying to think what I really LOVED this last month…probably Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Been listening to the soundtrack nonstop, and i haven’t done something like that since Reality Bites or Singles in the 90’s???
Agree about Boyhood! One of my fav movies this year.
Parachute Home for bedding is incredible! It’s sort of like Everlane in that you don’t have to pay a ‘middle man’ retailer but the bedding is amazing quality and made in Italty for a totally reasonable price. I got it 3 months ago and it’s almost impossible to wake up in the morning anymore. Also, Calypso home has some insane linen sheets and comforters, they’re ridiculously expensive but also totally worth it.
I love the bedding I recently got! It’s called Box Pleat White Bedding Collection by Bar III, from Macy’s in white; it’s a beautiful texture and looks stunning next to my plum sheets. Also, the best advice I got when shopping for bedding was to buy the comforter a size bigger than the bed, to compensate for my being greedy with the blankets!!
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/bar-iii-box-pleat-white-bedding-collection?ID=775840&CategoryID=7502#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D17%26kws%3Dbar%20iii%20box%20pleat%26slotId%3D8
Anthropology has some really gorgeous bedding that’s different than what you’ll find at a lot of places. I always love what they carry!
Bedding – not white, not ivory but so much fun – Desigual!