
Mother-Daughter Lemonade Stand
This is such an adorable little mother-daughter shoot! Collette from Brier Rose Design styled the sweet vintage lemonade stand setting, and spent a lovely afternoon with her daughter Brierlyn playing and laughing while sipping lemonade and enjoying the gorgeous California weather. Brierlyn is cute as a button, and the images from Kim Robbins are ones I know they will treasure forever. Love this idea for some “Mommy and Me” keeper shots!
Photography – Kim Robbins \ Styling – Brier Rose Design \ …

Nursery Inspiration: Part 1
When JB and I learned we were having a boy, I immediately started daydreaming about how I would decorate the nursery. As I scoured the internet and magazines for inspiration, the only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want it to look babyish.
Some of you are probably scratching your heads right now. She doesn’t want a baby’s room to look babyish? So I’ll explain.
My goal is to create a comfortable space for my son and for myself. …

The Great Baby Boom of 2011
From celebrities to friends to fellow bloggers, everybody seems to be pregnant right now… including me! You may be even more surprised to learn that I’ve been sitting on this secret for 32 weeks. That’s right, I’m having a baby in July!
During my first trimester, I realized I wanted a space to document my pregnancy, but it was too early to reveal the news on my personal blog, Somewhere in Middle America, or here. So I created Bunny & Dolly …

Keeping a Surprise
We have officially crossed the halfway point! At 21 weeks, I must say that I’m really enjoying being pregnant. Aside from 3-hour naps during the first trimester (really, we could all use an occasional 3-hour nap) and minor migraines during the second trimester (which I’ve cured by snacking throughout the day), I have been blessed thus far with an easy pregnancy.
{17 weeks; 21 weeks}
My cravings have been simple to satisfy — from strawberries to guacamole to spaghetti and meatballs to …

Something in the Oven
There’s something in the oven … And it’s not just cupcakes!
That’s right, friends … little Peanut will be joining our family in September! And we are beyond excited to become parents.
We may still be in a rental townhouse rather than our first purchased home, and we may not have a furbaby family member yet (which are two things we both thought we would do before bringing a little human being into our world). But you know what? The …

The Before Baby List
I have always known that someday I would have a family and that family would include kids. When I picture myself at sixty-something that picture includes Dan and I helping our kids plan their weddings, having large family holidays, and doing lots of traveling (of course). That said, I haven’t exactly felt a sense of urgency to start that family. While I am sure that my internal clock will get triggered soon enough, right now I am finding myself wanting …

Baby Discount Sites
Sometime during my pregnancy I discovered the world of daily discount sites offering up baby related gear and clothing, and I was hooked. Most of the items and clothing I’ve purchased for my little one have come from these sites.
Here is my guy in an organic onesie I purchased from one of the daily deals sites. I can’t afford to dress him in anything organic at full price. :)
Here are a few of my favorite daily deal sites:
Mama Bargains
Baby Steals
Green …

Baby’s First Easter Basket
One of my favorite things about being a first-time mom is getting to experience so many of my son’s firsts. Holidays are some of the best firsts around and I try to make them as special as possible without going overboard on an infant’s first holiday.
I jumped at the chance to order Hudson’s Easter basket and wanted to make sure that I wasn’t scrambling at the last minute. I ordered all of our Christmas stockings from Pottery Barn Kids because …

How This Control Freak Turned Into a Relaxed Mommy
Turning into a mommy just happened over night. One day we were two and the next day we were three.
But. I have always been a little rigid, controlling, obsessed with tidiness and cleanliness. I’m a Monica. I obsess over the little things like a crumb on the counter top or some dog hair near the baseboard. I can’t help it, but I’m learning to tone it down a bit.
What girl doesn’t want her house to look impeccable and always be …

Why I Got Married
Not long after my husband and I were married I shared with you my reasoning behind why I didn’t change my last name and today I figured it might be time to share with you why I got married. I’m sure it seems pretty straightforward to most of you, but as it turns out there is at least some degree of confusion among people as to why two individuals might decide to get married. My reasoning behind marriage was pretty …