Birthday Dinner OOTD

Hiiii! I'm coming off of a high from an absolutely perfect birthday weekend! My mother-in-law gave me an amazing gift, she took Maddox for an entire day on Friday! (You may have seen on Snapchat {themoderntulip} that I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself). I've never spent more than 3 hours away from my baby. It was so refreshing AND appreciated to drink hot coffee, lounge around the house, shower, shop, work on my blog, etc all on my own schedule. At the same time I was super surprised to realize how much I missed Maddox. I honestly didn't notice how much I talk to him during the day and being by myself again was a weird wake up call reminding me how much I appreciate being a mother. I loved my life before kids, but let me tell ya, it's that much sweeter with them. Breaks are still extremely appreciated and will be taken from time to time :)

The cherry on top of my actual birthday was my fabulous birthday dinner Friday night at a great place called Portico in Johnson City. And the second cherry on top was my best friend and her fiance surprising me by accompanying us on that special dinner! And all of that was topped off by a fun day downtown browsing shops and going to the farmers market on Saturday. And a wonderful, HOT day at the lake on Sunday.

#bestbirthdayweekendever

In other news, this dress is everything! I really want it in this color too... typical. It's so comfy I could sleep in it AND it has pockets, y'all! Pockets in a dress is a jackpot in my book. Isn't the muted lilac color so pretty too? For under $34 you really can't beat it!

dress ($34 and comes in 8 different colors) | similar heels (under $35) | watch | bracelet 

 similar ring ($12) | similar necklace | similar purse

I'm Feeling 22 (Except I'm 25)

Happy birthday to me! Today I'm 25 and I don't have a stigma about it. Jon keeps giving me a hard time telling me everything is downhill from here. I can't eat what I want anymore without gaining a pound, loosing weight is harder, the bills add up more, etc. All I can think is how happy I am with my life at 25. I have a wonderful husband who has enriched my life over the last 4 years together. I have a beautiful son who lights up my world with his happy little soul. And I have another healthy baby boy on the way! On top of that we own a business that pays the bills, have a beautiful home, I have a blog I love and friends and family who make me feel like a million bucks! I have absolutely no complaints in life - I'm so blessed!

I did reflect this week on what feels most different at this point in my life and that is the fact that I'm comfortable in my own skin. I'm happy with with woman I am and I'm okay with being me if that means I'm different from someone else. For a long time I struggled with that (especially in my younger years in school), but as I've aged and become a wife and mother, a more independent individual, I've realized I love who God made me to be and I want to seek 'her' more.

I bought this dress as a birthday present to myself and I can't even begin to explain my obsession with it! Okay... yes I can. The print is absolutely beautiful! The bold colors against the neutral white makes my heart skip a beat. The length is absolutely perfect for anyone who wants to show a little leg, which personally I am comfortable doing. And can we talk about the lace detail on the bell sleeves? Good heavens!

25 already feels freaking good! Now where's the desserts?

floral dress | similar heels under $25 | clutch | studs | similar ring | bangle

One Room Challenge || Master Bathroom || Week 3

I can't believe we're halfway into the One Room Challenge! I just joined in last week so you can see my before pictures and vision board here.

I honestly had a moment this week when I said to myself, "why am I doing this?". Up until last night the only thing I had done in the master bathroom was make purchases for new linens. #shriek I told my husband when he got home from work that after Maddox went to bed something had to happen - so we cranked up some music and installed a few drawer knobs, took down the shelf above the toilet, added some mud and started painting. We didn't get very far, but we started and that's what counts!

I apologize this pictures have poor lighting and are grainy. I messed with some settings on the camera and I have no clue what I did! #oopsie

I love how much the gray brightens up the room already and it's only on 1/4 of the walls.

I made some purchases last week that got me really excited! I really want this space to be stark white and clean with the exception of slight grays here and there, the brushed nickel hardware and the constant bouquet of fresh flowers.

So I purchased this shower curtain from Target. I'm really excited about the girly element to it with the pinched pleats! And I also purchased this bath mat from West Elm to go directly in front of the shower. I contemplated buying three of those bath mats and putting the other two in front of our sinks, but I think I want to do two plain white mats with no detail or one long one. We used to have one long one and I loved it for the fact that my feet didn't have to touch bare tile in the morning (the worst!). I just haven't made my mind up yet. Thoughts and suggestions welcome!

I have also been in contact with a few companies to get the counter-tops cut. Through the process of doing this and talking prices I've decided to go with under-mount sinks instead of glass bowl sinks. I've been told multiple times now that glass bowl sinks have a tendency to crack and leak. After hearing that for the third time my red flags went up! Thinking about it though, I'm actually happier with the idea of under-mount sinks so the small counter space looks bigger and much "cleaner". I think it's going to be the better route.

I'm hoping to be super productive this week in finishing up the paint on the walls, ceiling and crown molding, finish installing the drawer pulls and start painting the bathtub faucet and trim. 

If you want to be super impressed and inspired make sure you visit Calling It Home and scroll through everyone's pages. The talent is incredible!

Family Day

Saturday was absolutely beautiful and in the 70's so we decided to make a fun day of it! Jon and Maddox ran on the Tweetsie Trail while I got some shopping done. The fun thing about the trail is that it runs straight into town so we met for lunch at The Coffee Company and then got ice cream and walked a little bit downtown. It was so nice to not have plans and just enjoy the day.

That evening we drove up to Boone, NC to have dinner with some of my family at Mellow Mushroom. Talk about a good day!

I wore this maxi from Pink Blush and I'm truly in love with it! I love it's boho vibe and embroidered detail. Plus the fabric is lightweight so it's great for a hot day with a breeze. I'm so happy to be collaborating again with Pink Blush for this pregnancy. It's basically all I wore with Maddox! I just bought this dress and I am dyyyyyying at how beautiful it is! I can't wait to share it on the blog in the next few weeks :)

maxi dress | jean jacket | purse (similar under $30) (similar for $36) | heels (old) similar under $30 | sunglasses $14 | watch | similar ring | similar earrings | similar bracelets

Chambray & Olive Casual Look

chambray top | olive leggings & similar olive skinnies | lace-up flats 

 sunglasses (under $16) | purse (similar under $30) | watch | beaded bracelets

I wore this outfit for date night last Friday with my man. Are date nights not so refreshing? Whether you are a parent or not, it's so nice to get some quality time with your partner over a yummy meal. It seriously fills my love cup up to the brim. Jon and I try to take a date night once a week, but it typically ends up being every two weeks with busy Summer schedules. 

I purchased the Steve Madden lace-up flats you see everyone wearing these days from ThredUp. I was browsing under my size shoe and as soon as I saw them I about had a stroke! I've wanted them for awhile, but really didn't want to spend the money on them. So when fate dropped a 71/2 gently used pair into my lap for under $30 I took them! I also found that Rachel Roy snakeskin crossbody bag in the same shopping trip so basically I was a happy camper when my ThredUp package came in.

If you would like $10 of FREE credit to spend at ThredUp, well then, it's your lucky day! Click here. It's not a trick I swear... I've had over 30 people use this link and get a freebie :)

One Room Challenge || Master Bathroom || Before Pictures & Moodboard

So I realize I am a week behind on the One Room Challenge event hosted by Calling It Home, but I still plan on jumping in. In case you aren't up to date with the whole shindig, it's an event that started last Thursday (held every April and October) where you are given 6 weeks to transform a room in your home. I've always loved watching others do this in their homes and honestly I couldn't think of a reason why I shouldn't join in this time around. Other than the fact I hate decorating...

It makes my brain hurt.

But besides the headaches ahead I am super stoked to complete another room in our home, which we have lived in for over four years now. You can see my living room reveal here and my powder room reveal here. That's about as far as it goes. Yeah... four years and it's still a work in progress. Because I'm a procrastinator, indecisive person and lack enthusiasm in the decorating department.

But I've already told my husband I'm all in with getting this done in the next 6 weeks and he's surprisngly just as eager! Almost too eager... as soon as I started telling him my vision he started to tell me his, which included busting out the shower and replacing it with a tiled shower, glass door and rain head faucet. HOLD UP! Brakes please! As much as I love that and would kill for a glamourous shower, I am not about to fit that into this 6 week time frame. Mainly because I will loose my sanity and also because I know my husband. He who likes to start projects and leave them incomplete...

So I made him tone it down and stay small with me with the promise that we can replace the shower in the future.

So let's get on to the exciting stuff shall we?

Why don't I show you my beautiful vision first and the ugly "before" pictures last?

I'm picturing stark gray and white with silver details and the tiniest pop of color in a bouquet of flowers. I love this look for a bathroom. Clean, crisp, bright, open! I'm really excited to transform this space of ours. It has a lot of potential.

Okay, okay... now the henius before pictures. I didn't even bother editing these pictures whatsoever.

 Ugh that faucet! Hideous!

 I started playing with paint swatches... Oh and I took the door off to our closet over a year ago because it swung into the closet and took over too much space. Any suggestions for this doorway? Maybe a curtain?

So there is our master bath in all it's hideous glory. I have no clue why I painted it chocolate brown when I moved in? #whatwasithinking? I can't wait to revamp this area since I use it multiple times a day and I looooove taking bubble baths!

So let's get down to the list making! #swoon #listlover

To do:

+ Paint the ceiling, walls and crown molding (the floor molding has become dingy over time)
+ replace countertop
+ new glass bowl sinks and new faucets
+ possibly a new light fixture if I can't fix the lights on the current one
+ frame mirror in
+ add hardware to cabinets and drawers
+ remove cabinet above toilet, replace with some sort of decor
+ floating shelves above bathtub
+ replace faucet and knobs on bathtub
+ cosmetic things like shower curtain, bath mats, decor containers, etc

What are your thoughts? Please let me know if you have any ideas for this room decor wise - I am all ears!

Vacation With SwimZip

cover up | towel | similar bathing suit | hat | beach tote

 

While we were in the Keys, SwimZip reached out to me asking if I'd be interested in trying out their beach towel and a cover-up on my vacation. Ummm yes?! I've swooned over their beach towels aka "the roundie" for some time now so I jumped at the opportunity. Besides, receiving happy mail at our vacation house was pretty fun!

 

I'm super impressed with the quality of this towel. It's 100% cotton so it's super soft and durable and the size is great! Big enough for little man and I to hang out on comfortably. I will definitely be using it for other vacations and picnics this summer! The cover-up was just as great! I love that I can get wet in it, makes it super convenient to go into the water with Maddox. Let's face it... I don't always want to be bent over picking up my kid in basically my underwear because it's not the cutest so having this as alternative will be nice for places like the splash pad this summer. Plus it's stylish and super light-weight.  

 

Today is the last day to head over to my Instagram page and enter to win a $50 shop credit to SwimZip. Just head to this post here. You have until midnight EST! Hurry! 

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