setting a table

As a real, live adult (with a son due in a matter of days!?), I've been worried about knowing how to do, well, stuff.

As a soon-to-be parent, I want to be able to share sage life advice on everything from how address an envelope to how not to interrupt people in conversation. Perhaps that's why I've been enjoying sites like 1,001 Rules for Unborn Son and Advice for Boys (check out my handsome husband featured here). Can we just say THANK YOU to the internet for existing?

It is in this sentiment that I stumbled across the most handy cheat sheet for setting a table on Pinterest. Pulled originally from the blog Waiting on Martha, these handy (and pretty!) pics are sure to make dinner prep for a casual family meal or a fancy dinner party a breeze.

Bookmarked.

(images via Pinterest, originally from Waiting on Martha)

mara hoffman swimsuits at madewell

Let's just say it will be several more weeks before I feel "swimsuit ready" this season. To quote everyone's favorite preggo, Juno, I'm currently feeling like "a planet."

Still, the weather is gorgeous and it is Memorial Day weekend so why not take a peek at some gorgeous swimwear?

NYC based designer Mara Hoffman is known for her bright, bold prints. This season, she's done a swimsuit collaboration with Madewell that has my tongue wagging. If these don't make you want to book a beach vacation yesterday, perhaps you are just more of a mountain/hiking kind of person?

re: design new look and new shop!

So proud to see my pal L's awesome design blog re: design banging out some awesome new content! Isn't it lovely?

I've bragged about L's major talents here before. She's even the design mind behind this very site's stylish look if you didn't already know...

This week she upped the ante and shared her swoon worthy design SHOP! That's right, you can get your very own t-shirts, tote bags and more featuring her rad designs. Check it out here.

I'll take one of everything, please. Congrats, L!

may instagram jams

Hey, May!

We've been graced with an amazing spring here in Nashville. Apart from a few hot days, temps have been mild and we've seen our fair share of blue skies. 

As we gear up for Memorial Day weekend, here are few snaps from the past month to remind us to soak in last little bit of springtime weather before the heat hits. 

Speaking of "soaking things in," S and I should also try to soak in as many zzz's as possible before our little man arrives in the next few weeks!

the sweetest nautical onesie from Tweed Baby Outfitters here in Nash

tastes of the season: angel food cake with marinated berries-the easiest and tastiest homemade dessert

 Lady Libby is one happy girl

 8 month bump

 "haint" blue ceiling and fluffy green leaves on our old porch

 hanging tiny paintings in our kitchen....everything "they" say about nesting is true

 a new rug or a new bed?

office nook

One of the most perplexing sections of our little cottage is the back room. It's part mudroom, part laundry area, part reading nook...it's got a lot of names...and a ton of potential! One thing S and I agree on is that we could totally use this space in a better way. We could also totally use a home office. Decision? Made (Amy Poehler voice).

After living in a cramped one bedroom apartment in NYC for years, we are pretty proud of our ability to make the most of a small space. With that in mind, here are a few of the prettiest little office nooks I've come across on Pinterest.  Filing these away for inspiration!

april instagram jams

Life has been moving forward at warp speed over the past few months. Someone how we are already in the middle of a beautiful spring season and we've been enjoying every moment of it.

Here are a few snaps of some of our favorite moments from the past few weeks.

sandal weather, baby bumps and springy green grass

 pretty pizza pics from Two Boots Nashville

 celebrating Record Store Day 2014 at  Jack White's house

a night out with a delicious dinner and a delicious date

cozy moments at home on rainy Saturday afternoon

sabrina arnault

Mad about these creations by French illustrator Sabrina Arnault. Based in Montreal, the artist's work is delightfully simple and elegant but wonderfully playful at the same time.

One of my favorite things about working in children's books had to be the importance of artwork in books for younger readers. Even though I was on the editorial side of things, participating in the selection of the images used to tell a story was delightful...coming across images like Arnault's sends my imagination running wild with fun book ideas.

I first spotted these images on the blog miss moss. Check out her original post on Ms. Arnault here.

happy birthday, mister rogers

As a child, my Nana would ONLY let me watch PBS. This meant I spent a ton of time with Mister Rogers while my parents were at work. He was my absolute favorite.

When I heard of his passing in 2003, I was, like I'm sure a ton of kids from my generation were, really, really sad.

A few weeks ago the sweet doc "Mister Rogers and Me" caught my eye on PBS and it was wonderfully refreshing to learn more about the man behind the show. Fred was an unbelievably swell guy in real life as well. He spent his summers with family in a Nantucket cottage called "The Crooked House." He was also a vegetarian because he didn't want to "eat anything that had a mother."

instagram jams (and then some)

My love affair with Instagram continues. Here are a few fun snaps from the past week or so plus a few pics that didn't get posted...

cocktails (and mocktails) at Rolf and Daughers for RPP's bday

bubbly water with a pretty straw (aka pregnant lady champagne)

new painted windows at Two Boots Nashville 

5.5 month bump shot

sunset walks in Germantown complete with...

hump day tunes

The Head and the Heart's most recent album Let's Be Still has been on repeat for me since the weekend.

While I really loved their 2011 self titled album, Let's Be Still feels a bit more dramatic. The whole album pairs perfectly with those sunny almost warm afternoons we've been sporadically graced with over the past few weeks.

"Summertime," "Let's Be Still" and "Another Story" are my current faves. Happy listening, friends.

(album image via the head and the heart)

black and white sheets

Sleep has become more important than ever before. Being pregnant has made me ready for a nap pretty much all day, everyday. Combined with a long, gray February and jam packed schedules, S and I have been taking our sleep quarters very seriously. After all, it won't be long before our little one is keeping us up all hours, right?

One of our favorite new bedroom additions are the gorgeous black and white sheets above. Gifted to us by my thoughtful mother, they came from West Elm (purchase link here). They are soft, fun and put me in a good mood every morning when I wake up in them.

The top images are from the blog House Tweaking. Dana Miller has major style. Check it out for serious home inspiration. 

jerry and tina

It's a yucky wintry week all over the country it seems. Let's take a break and enjoy a good laugh with Jerry and Tina shall we?

Last week's episode of Seinfeld's web series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" featured a rad, red 1967 Volvo. The guest? Tina Fey. They got coffee. They had Cronuts. They said funny things! Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

A few months ago, my sis-in-law invited me to join a book club. Despite working in book publishing for 7 years (omg, that seems scary long), I'd become a less than joyous personal reader. I spent my days working with authors, writing back cover copy, working on marketing strategies... I began reading only the books we were publishing and fell into the terrible rut of rarely reading for myself.

As an English major and a lover of creative writing, I missed it. Still, the madness of living in NYC followed by the move, the restaurant and other distractions, provided plenty of excuses to rush on to the next overscheduled moment.

During the past few months, I force myself to read at least a book a month. And guess what? I'm reading even more than that. On the agenda this month?

flowers make you happier...and healthier?

Between the new house and the pregnancy, I've been non-stop nesting. When my energy level doesn't let me "keep on going," I give in to my current obsession: Pinterest. Virtual nesting is my my newest jam.

While pinning away last week, I came across this article from Apartment Therapy. It speaks not only to the emotional upside of keeping fresh flowers in the home, but also to the health benefits.

According to the article, researchers found that hospital patients who stayed in rooms with fresh plants and flowers had lower blood pressure, felt less anxious and less tired. The article also points out that flowers in the workspace increase efficiency. Very interesting indeed...

instagram jams

After much teasing from friends and fam, I finally broke down and joined Instagram. And guess what? I love it!

Here a few snaps from the past week. There has been a ton of celebrating. Birthdays, babies, Libby dog...all things keeping this frigid January bright.

4.5 month bump shot

sweet, sweet Libby dog looking for a morning walk 

birthday baubles courtesy of my stylish mother 

 lunching at Mas Tacos in East Nashville 

a new year

It's a new year! Don't you just love the feeling of a fresh start?

Since my birthday also falls in January, this time of year always seems like the ideal moment to set some new goals and add new dreams to the wish list.

Before diving into what lies ahead, I wanted to take a moment to talk about what this last year has been.

As those of you who have been reading the ol' blog for several years probably noticed, my frequency of posting decreased a ton in 2013. The posts that did make it up included very few personal details or commentary.

After taking some time to reflect, I realized that has a lot to do with the fact that the chaos of our lives recently left us with very little time to reflect on anything in any capacity. It was really taking its toll.

Before we say good-bye to last year, I wanted to share a few important milestones from the most bonkers year of our lives. Read on for a brief (or not so brief...) 2013 recap if you fancy hearing more...