Maternity by H&M

I had no idea they have a maternity section!  and finding it yesterday was just what I needed.  I was desperately needing some "skinny pants" --- not only because it's nice to have some part of your body feel somewhat slim as I head into the 3rd trimester, but also my feet have started to ache and I really prefer flats.  But flats with non-skinny pants just look... well, they don't look good.

So, imagine my delight when I stumbled upon H&M's maternity section.  Finally a store that understands a pregnant person is still a person!  ...and wants to look decent but also knows these clothes are just for a few more months and I'd rather not spend a week's pay on them.   So without further ado, I got a pair of mint skinnies and a pair of black skinny pants for $24.95 each!  Yes!   Dare I say, I feel a bit "normal" today :)

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Housewarming via Julie Blanner

What a nice, practical, affordable housewarming token gift via Julie Blanner.

Monday...

Coming back from a great extended weekend.  We got so much done at home - organizing the bathroom, the kitchen, the basement...making room for our little boy.   Although the house and it's ENDLESS list of work that needs to be done can seem somewhat frustrating and daunting at times, it's also a lot fun.  I'm grateful that my husband shares my interest and it's a creative outlet/pastime/hobby we enjoy together.  It's a labor of love, no doubt, but watching it transform and be a tangible reflection of our work is also quite gratifying.   We'll always remember this house and the time we spent together helping it grow.  Our first "baby" ~

With the nursery and back hall nearing completion, up next we've got to tackle the dining area off the kitchen.  I hesitate to call it a Dining Room, since we decided to sell our Dining Set and replace it with a casual eat in table and convert half of the room to a home office for my husband.   Hard to justify a sideboard, when my husband has been working off his laptop/coffee table for the past two years but there's also dining/office combos like this one, which is an interesting direction I hadn't quite thought of:

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Elizabeth Lesser on Happiness...

A great and quick Q&A with Elizabeth Lesser via Well Daily, that I would like to have archived here on my space. 

1. What brings you the most happiness? I take responsibility for my own happiness—no one else can give it to me or take it away from me. I do whatever it takes—meditation, prayer, music, ecstatic ramblings in nature—to remember that I am an eternal soul in a transient body. And I get my puny ego out of the way and love others with all my heart.
2. What do you do about stress? I ask problems, “What have you come to teach me?” and then I try to surrender and learn. I TRY. Sometimes I am successful, and sometimes I fall off the horse and lie on the ground kicking and screaming before I get back on. You can always get back on.
3. What’s your secret indulgence? A high-end cappuccino machine, grinder and beans, and a ritualized morning routine that I go to bed thinking about!
4. What inspired you to become an author? I can’t know what I feel or think if I don’t first write it down. Writing is my path through the woods.
5. If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing? To be a composer would be heavenly. To write music that made people swell with deep emotion and rise with elevated consciousness.
6. What was the happiest day of your life? I measure happiness in moments, not days. It comes and goes, like weather. Real happiness is allowing emotions to run freely through the body and mind without attaching to them. Letting grief and sadness have their way, and then welcoming happiness and letting it go too. Greeting whatever comes with “unconditional friendliness” is a recipe for inner peace with flashes of delicious joy.

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Bookhou

I came across this Etsy shop via a nursery site because they make this sweet wooden alphabet.    However, their edgy bags and clutches quickly caught my eye.

(all images via their etsy site)

Rustic meets Modern in Barcelona

Just a dose of lovely Spanish style to start the week off right ~

Images via OneKindDesign which is full of all sorts of global design goodness.

The Edge

When you have come to the edge
of all the light you know
And are about to step off
Into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing that
One of two things will happen:
There will be something solid to stand on
Or you will be taught how to fly.
~ Patrick Overter

And speaking of the edge, check out these amazing pictures from the cliffs of Norway!  Unreal. 

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