Favorite things: weekend recap

After a long vacation that bumped up against a long Labor Day weekend, our normal two day weekend flew by at what seemed like ground-breaking speed.

Here are some weekend moments I'm cherishing this Monday morning...

Lonny Magazine

Yippee!  The September/October issue of Lonny went live yesterday.  And my heart went pitter-patter as I "thumbed" through the pages.   So lovely, you must go see!

a summer catch-up + happy friday

After a long time spent unplugged, I'm back.  I've tried hard to figure out how to avoid the ubiquitous I'm back blogging post, but I've come to the conclusion that it's best to just dive right back in to this little world I created and then stepped back from.

Summer is slowly fading here in the south and I can feel the tiniest bit of fall in the air and see it ever so slightly in the light.  Since the last post on my blog was about swimwear, I figured I'd catch up first with some fall-ish links to love.

I stocked up fun bracelets at Forever 21.  This one, this one and this one!

Back-packs are back!  Paul used this one (in gray) on our trip to San Francisco.

Linda Rodin, you're the coolest.  And those silver boots!

Zara! Online!  Whoo-hoo!  p.s. Don't miss their Dear America photo series. It is beautiful.

This trench is already on my Christmas list.  But Oh! How I want it for fall : )

Our cousin's use these adorable bins for their daughter's toys.  The fox is too cute (and fall-ish!)

My favorite fall purchase.  Great inside a purse + on it's own!

After two months away, there is lots to catch up on!  Here's a little look-see into what's been going on in my world since July (!)....

balancing

Note: This entry was reposted after mysteriously disappearing months ago. I added some new pictures, though ; )

Joanna Goddard's new series on balancing work, life and motherhood has me smitten.  Amazingly talented working mom's like Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day!, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook, Elizabeth Antonia of The Littlest, Jenna Park of Sweet Fine Day and Amanda Hesser of Food 52, have beautifully and honestly described the good, the bad and the ugly sides of, as Joanna said, "the actual day-to-day of how they do it."

This year, I've felt more scattered and stretched than before, so finding this connection with other women + mom's has meant so very much to me.  Each morning I scramble to read the next post, soaking up the post and then re-read each one of them over again.  I feel like hugging Joanna for creating this series.  I think it's really wonderful when women are forthright about the hardships faced with trying to do it all.  It's easy to believe the little lies we tell ourselves; like every other mom has it together and we don't.

I love what Elizabeth of the littlest wrote:

"Every day I find myself thinking, 'If not the mama, then who?' Women really are extraordinary in their ability to do so much as caregivers, partners, sisters, friends. I think we innately just want to please and to help each other. However, it's of vital importance that we are authentic to ourselves and simply do our best, whatever that is. It's so easy to compare ourselves to other moms out there (especially online) thinking that they have it all, do it all. We can look to each other for inspiration and connection but at the end of the day, how we translate this into real living with our family and friends is the most important thing."

Whether you are a stay at home mom, a working mom or both, you won't regret reading this fantastic series.  

xo,

steph

Sexy swimwear

The sexy swimwear line from Mikoh's 2011 collection has me dreaming of a beach vacation.

Ahh, the delight of waking-up, throwing on a swimsuit + caftan, playing in the sun + ocean all day, grilling a yummy dinner and spending the night listening to the ocean.  What a life!  Now that I've pretty much mastered the art of avoiding a sunburn, I love the way my skin feels after a day in the the sun + wind. Isn't it the best?

A beach getaway isn't in our cards this summer so I'm left to day dream about it.  But, at least, in my dreams, I don't even have a suggestion of cellulite to deal with.  I'm cool with that.

via wit + delight

Favorite things

Lately, Dylan has been having a hard time with Monday mornings.  He gets weepy and sad and tells us how much he doesn't want to go to school.  It breaks my heart.  One of the songs we sing is "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music.  So, each morning, we've started thinking of our favorite things to ponder when we are sad or miss each other during the day.  Dylan is slowly catching on, but I find it helps me get through Mondays, and every other day, too.

Here are a few of my favorite things from our weekend...

Dylan started swimming!  At least, going completely underwater + blowing bubbles.
Next up: learning to float!

Paul is working on a new pool concept.
To help me understand, he made a diagram: using Ritz crackers, matchsticks and blueberry yogurt.
I love him for putting up with my visual learning requirements.

The kitties took naps.  All day.
Which isn't different than any other day, really, except that I get to witness the coziness in action.

What favorite things were a part of your weekend?  I hope there were lots of them!



p.s. Happy Birthday to Katherine Murray Cox!  We are so happy you are here!

Our Wedding on SMP Texas!

Yay for weddings!  When I was planning our wedding I visited Style Me Pretty daily (and, admittedly, most days since our wedding.)  So when our amazing photographer, Jenn Lindberg, contacted me to say she wanted to submit our wedding to SMP, I almost died at the thought of it being chosen.  How exciting!

Lucky for us, our wedding was published today.  I'm blushing because of Abby's sweet words about us and got all teary-eyed looking at the photo-montage of our photos.  I'm so happy our day and Jenn's fantastic photography can be shared with so many!  Jenn was truly a gem to work with: her ability to stay centered and calm left me feeling happy and relaxed even in those moments I could feel my anxiety starting to bubble.  Paul and I both tend to get self-conscious in front of the camera, but Jenn and her adorable husband, Jim, put us both at ease and captured such sweet and touching moments.  Plus, she customized a photography package to fit our budget.  Jenn & Jim, are so lovely and we really adored them. 

So,  visit the SMP Texas site today and leave a comment about your favorite part of our day!

xo,

steph

{image by Jennifer Lindberg Weddings}