EST. 2011
Hi—happy Friday! Popping in to say hello and share some updates and happenings as of late. I took this week to update a lot of things on my site / old content / shop pages and get the behind the scenes of everything organized which feels really nice.
A little walkthrough. My menu was fully reimagined. It’s something that I have been tinkering with FOREVER, but finally established a flow that makes so much more sense. I have always been a bit obsessed with design and making things efficient over here, so you may noticed things are tweaked quite a lot. Okay so menu… if you mouse over each category you can see the sub-categories in the dropdown.
Daily Life — everyday topics/categories to browse through
Home — all things home / garden / design related
Series — you guessed it! So much easier to find them this way if you’re a fan of any in particular.
Travel — also v self explanatory
Wine Journal — I miss you.
Shops — the dropdown features my curated style shop, home shop, beauty favorites, things under $200, and items that I feature on Instagram / stories so you can easily find things you may not have screenshooted/saved!
We’ve been slowly nesting and planning our priority list for the next month or so. Our house needs a new drainage system—the not very fun project we knew we would have to take on when we bought our house. However, with it comes removing all the concrete on our patio terrace and so decided to go ahead and update all out exterior flooring, too which I am thrilled about. Checks have been a dream of mine for so long and it’s finally getting closer to actualization! And such great timing as we prep for our outdoor spaces for spring. I have ordered a few things for the breezeway courtyard and are starting to plan pieces for the backyard area, too. We can’t wait for things to unfold and to spend the warm weather months outside as we wait for baby girl.
Speaking of which, the second trimester has been treating me well so far! I’ve had a few days this past week where I was a little sick on and off but it was nothing compared to the first trimester. I feel like those months *really toughened me up. They were not fun but looking back I appreciate the strength they gave me.
I definitely have my energy back now as they say will happen. Mornings are my very favorite… I wake up so energized (I go to bed at 8) and make coffee and head to my office to write my morning pages (a 12-week course from The Artist’s Way), get in a workout, and get to work. I wind down around 3:30/4 everyday to relax a bit / get things done around our home. I am trying to establish a new meal routine as before I was eating more frequent small meals, but wanting to shift back to 3 meals a day… just with more portions than I would usually have. Pregnancy I’ve learned is about letting go of expectations and going with the flow. Lots of adjusting every step of the way!
We had our 16-week appointment a couple of weeks back and omg… you guys. Hearing her heartbeat makes my life. It is the best thing! I have never really loved doctor appointments but I look forward to them now for this reason. Other than that, I’ve just been enjoying feeling like myself again.
There are a handful of thing I’ve been loving, both old and new, in which I’ve been living in/relying on that I wanted to make note of…
Perelel prenatal vitamins — love how they customize based on trimester.
Seed probiotics — always a must.
Elemental Labs electrolyte powder with my water in the flavor ‘citrus salt’ — every morning.
Lululemon Align pants are my always go-to and have been a hero of pregnancy.
Beyond Yoga spacedye collection is also a longtime fave. Their leggings are especially nice in winter as they are a little thicker.
Beyond Yoga lightweight joggers — lived in these all first trimester so had to order a couple more pairs.
Belabumbum lounge pants — over the belly / grow with the belly pants I’ve been enjoying, too!
Hanky Panky Bare — my very favorite underwear… I’ve been gravitating to even more above everything else I have so ordered more.
Hatch Belly Oil — love this. Going to share my pregnancy skincare favorites in post this week…
Reformation rib tank — living in these.
Yeti water bottle and lid/straw — to help me stay super hydrated.
Hanes socks — ALWAYS!
Obé Fitness mornings — I have a code for you (AK30) if interested trying it out, it’s the best.
A few snaps the past couple of weeks nesting, fueling up on inspiration, and enjoying my new office space…
One last note! I turned off my DM direct comments this week temporarily as I just needed a little time away for myself. I notice my mind is shifting a lot through this pregnancy. I am really focused on prioritizing my self-care and setting boundaries for myself to prepare for our little one! A few have reached out inquiring why I turned it off so I just wanted to share these thoughts with you. I appreciate you so much and like to be open and honest always!
The majority of comments I receive are so nice, respectful, and thoughtful… but every so often there are a rare few who drain me a little bit. Whether it be unsolicited advice, negative notes, or asking something of me that is somewhat inappropriate. It gives me this strange feeling of resentment… like I give a lot of myself and ideas away so this kind of energy feels deflating if that makes sense? I have also been feeling a little bit like a template for a few creators out there. I get notes a lot around this and it’s bothered me in the past, something I am more used to now, but again… trying to find ways to share what I love with the 98% of nice normal humans out there, while protecting myself to the others who take advantage.
One other thing I have been thinking about a lot is how our generation uses technology to communicate more than ever before. I always try and write / communicate in a way that is true to how I would speak to someone face to face. I think that is so important to think about so I remind myself often as I chat with people / work with clients, etc.
I love this poem by Billy Chapata which really resonated and was a good reminder that we must remember to put ourselves first and establish boundaries…
Boundaries
“There are walls that exist within me that I must break down for my own growth, but there are also walls that exist within me that I must keep up so people know that I am not available at their convenience.”
I guess I am trying to navigate through how to go about keeping my door open while also protecting my time and sanity honestly. So, promise those will go back on, just needed a few to think through how I want to approach this going forward.
Thank you for being here and reading, it means the most. Have the best weekend! x
