nurse emily, er... mom

we don't like car seats.

 

and we don't like shots. 

apologies if the posts are lacking these next few days. this afternoon involves both carseats and shots. ouch.

fingers crossed tomorrow involves both bright eyes and bushy tails! i mean a mom can dream, right?

is this my week or what?!

did you know that sofia coopola is my number two girl crush (only taking a backseat to one, miss jenna lyons, obv)?

did you know that miss coopola got married over the weekend?! in this fabulous dress, no less!

 

did you know that sofia coopola directed marie antoinette? did you know that marie antoinette is only my very favorite motion picture?

 

did you know that laduree is the parisian bakery which provided all the goodies and treats for the movie marie antoinette? did you know that they just opened a store in nyc today?!?!??!

 

i didn't. but now i do! thank you, refinery29.

top image via elle
center image via little fashion prayer
bottom image via refinery29

pockets are key

i'm getting murried.
in. one. year.

 

i'm getting murried in one year (i say murried, because married is serious. if i said it that way then i'd actually have to get my act together and plan a wedding already, which, pffft. that's not happening just yet). this is serious stuff people. have you seen the wedding industry lately?!?! it's bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

luckily, i have a secret. lovely bridal shop. as promised, it is lovely, but also unconventional and rad, too. it's this perfect type place where you find your wedding dress and much more. you'll get inspired by the flowers on display and the music that plays as you try on your dream dress. best of all are the stylists.

how do i know, you ask? well... i was one of them (and how! shameless, i know). but seriously here, these girls care. they listen. they know their stuff. they pull through and persevere in an industry where the tulle alone could suffocate!

if you want a glimpse of all that's lovely, check out the blog. the one great dress feature is an awesome source of inspiration for brides-to-be and style mavens alike.

my favorite blogs are by merrill, but i'm a little biased since she's also half of the husband-wife photography duo that is sweet little photographs. i've been eying them for my wedding since before i was engaged!

visit the blog and tell me, what are you favorite features?

top photo is of yours truly and the husband figure!
middle photo via lovely bride
bottom photo via lovely bride by way of samm blake, on once wed

the exact opposite of me

can i just say, katherine heigl makes me feel good.

i know, i know. all the stuff about how she's blunt and smokes like a chimney. whatevs. i'm talking about chick flicks here. i can't see her in a movie and not feel like i've taken a little bit of her luminosity for my own.

 

i watched life as we know it last night. needless to say, i liked it. suprise.

who's your feel good go-to?

photo via imbd

cinnamon is becoming a theme here

buns are having a moment in my house right now. what with mine disappearing after the birth of my son (hey-o!) to the buns in my hair. seriously, it's all i've been wearing lately.

luckily i'm not alone. check out these tutorials! here and here!

and then, just for fun, everytime you pass a girl with a bun in her hair make sure you say, "whoa, check out that bun!" bonus points if there's more than one person with a bun and then you get to say, "check out those buns!" which would be more satisfactory.

image via a cup of jo

geronimo (or not)!

apologies for the lack of posting yesterday. someone is teething! ouch.

this weekend we had a lot of firsts.

we swung in the swings.

 

we sat up all by ourselves.

and graham decided that he is not yet ready to get excited about slides.

not short slides...

or bumpy slides.

 

i think i'll keep him. 

thanks.

smells like feet (not really)

you have to try this.

ok, you don't have to try this, but you should.

 

one of the best things about illinois is the state's proximity to wisconsin, the holy land of artisan cheese. i found this particular cheese at my local farmer's market, but i'm pretty sure it's sold across the midwest. 

the flavor pictured is raw milk cheddar (which is amazing), but my hands down favorite is swiss almond. it tastes super sweet in the way that almonds naturally do. it goes great on sourdough and pairs wonderfully with jams.

there are a handful of other flavors, too. like a jalapeno cheese spread that is hot in a good way, not a burn your mouth way. anyhow, i thought everybody should know about this stuff. tell your friends, man. for realz.

footnote: it's all natural, bonus!

photo via zeer

courtship

there are some things about me we should discuss before going any further with this relationship.

no, seriously.

+ i eat so much sugar i put the cookie monster to shame.
- check it, yo.

+ my baby is weirdly tall.

+ for me, painting toenails is equivalent to therapy.
- i've been searching to find this shade in stock somewhere.

+ i have really bad hearing.
- for example, i always think you said something you didn't.

+ i always explain what i think you just said.
-  and then what i thought about said thing (much to the dismay of the husband figure).

+ i am addicted to j. crew. 
- well, actually jenna lyons. do you know who she is? you should. read this article. 
-there's more! here, too! and check out her home, yowza.

+ not surprisingly, i like cats. 

tell me about your ticks and treats in the comments, please. thanks. 

let's do this.

footnote: when i showed my very best friend, who does not regularly look at cat pictures, the above photo, she laughed until she cried and then she cried some more. that is why she is my best friend.

every boy and every girl

there's this south african rap group, die antwoord. i don't know if you've heard of them or not. they're bizarre and well, sometimes pretty vulgar, but that's not the point.

this is.

 

a member of die antwoord

do you see those eyelids?!?! ok, so part of it has to be that i grew up with the spice girl generation, but whatever. those lids are bangin'. i have to have them!

glitter shadow gets everywhere, but growing up when i did, i've learned tricks. here's what knowledge i have to offer for the look. plus, an alternative for the more faint of heart.

1. you have to do the eye makeup first. this way it's easier to clean up the mess, and you don't overdo the rest of your face.

2. eyeshadow primer. any time that you're dealing with a heavy glitter, you have to find something to stick it to. this one is awesome (the original shade is a great neutral, but bonus points for using sin, which has a glitzy, metallic tint).

3. if you're adventurous, a cream shadow in your chosen glitter shade. like this. it adds pigment (a fancy word for color), and the cream helps the glitter stick.

4. quality glitter. check it, we're not in the minor leagues here anymore, people. make up for ever has awesome products for serious face projects. when applying the glitter, try an ombre effect. placing glitter densely along the lash line an then easing up as you bring it toward the crease.

5. finally, invisible tape. no, really. scotch tape. you tear off a little piece and use it to pick up all the extra glitter mess you've created on your face. it's magical.

tah dah!

footnote 1: if you have super sensitive skin and the sticking/pulling of tape will irritate it, then tissue is your answer. take a piece of tissue and use two teeny tiny pieces of tape to adhere it under your eye to catch all the glitter that falls (if you prefer this method, do it before you start).

footnote 2: for the more modest readers, this is your answer! midnight cowboy rides again is a great metallic shade with glitter galore. it gives a more mild finish with the same punch. applying it with fingers helps reduce mess. use the invisible tape trick and you're good to go!

hot tamales are a cinnamon candy

i have kind of big feet.

ok, ok. so they aren't really big. but i'm short and they aren't small. my point? oxfords generally make me look like a clown. but these?!?! in these, i'd look like a million bucks. big feet be damned!

hot tamale, kate spade! how you make my heart swoon.

p.s. picture said feet with this sweater (thanks, joanna!)

and these cords.

perfection? well, close enough.

let me count the ways

lately i've been searching for a solution to my possible bang-grow-out phase (it's a 'possible' phase, because i haven't committed yet).

i thought it would be easy to find simple, solid colored bobby pins to replace the old 'match-my-haircolor' fallback. i was wrong. i did manage to find one set of fancy bobby pins after a few weeks of searching, but nothing to be wowed by.

alas i remembered ban.do!

immediately, i thought of these.

but after some poking around, i got to thinking maybe i could just push my bangs under this.

and while i'm not sure i'm cool enough for the turban, these i can definitely pull off!

 

problem solved! oh, ban.do, how i love thee.

hop, skip and a jump

let me tell you about this newish candy shop i stumbled into last week.

 

amy's candy bar is a fantastic, little shop in the lincoln square neighborhood. i mean, i love candy. like, really love candy. so there is nary a candy store i have come across and not entered. this one is a keeper.

there are all kinds of goodies. gummies, malt balls in all sorts of varieties (even an ice cream version), assorted vintage candies in neat packaging, and tons of licorice. they get big points from me for carrying saltwater taffy, too, which is not the easiest to come by in these parts.

they make their own sea salt caramels, which i thought were pretty good. but if you get a chance to stop in, my favorites are the almond toffee pieces dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with almonds. yum (in secret, i've eaten at least two little bags of these myself)!

p.s. if you're in the mood for ice cream they've got that, too! when i popped in once, amy herself was sweetly (and loudly) giving an older gentleman the rundown of flavors.

photo via amy's candy bar

my saving grace

two things:

1. makeup is supposed to look like you only better, right? right.

2. women are supposed to support each other due to some birth right that's ingrained in the foundation of humankind. no?  yes.

that being said, can i tell you about something near and dear to my 'beauty-product-obsessed' heart? ok, good.

one decade. at least ten years. a fifth grader. that's how long i searched for this product! it's like a miracle in a bottle. it's tarte smooth operator tinted moisturizer.

you know how every foundation that has ever debuted in history promises to look like your skin only flawless? well, this stuff actually does. just one light layer and it's you- when you happen to wake up luminous after 10 hours of sleep, and you just did the master cleanse for a month. yes, i'm serious.

but don't be turned off by it's label as a tinted moisturizer if you're a foundation kind of girl. layer this baby up and you've got yourself a full coverage type foundation that won't clog your pores or make you look like an old magnolia bakery cupcake that's been dried out from sitting in the shop window all day.

really. you'll look awesome. this stuff is my not-so-secret weapon.

what's your weapon of choice? i have to know.

photo via we heart this

my very own

he's a living breathing cabbage patch doll. just like i always wanted.

photo via future husband's iphone (apologies for the fuzzy)

puppy chow

i'm a sleeper. a big, long sleeper. my naps take a minimum of two hours. i fall asleep no later than 11pm on a regular night. i do not get up until after 8am if i can help it. i sleep. a lot.

last night when 12am rang around and i was still wide awake, i was puzzled. by 1am i was just plain baffled- bamboozled even!

 on sunday, i opened my recipe file. i wanted something sweet and nostalgic. i thumbed over a few cakes, but they just seemed unnecessary. french maccaroons would have been torture to make, but puppy chow sounded perfect. chocolatey, buttery, and deliciously perfect.

so i made some, and last night i ate a lot of it. more than should be legally aloud, and around 2am i realized what i had done.

i was agonizing over what i would do if someone attempted to break into my apartment (you know, the usual thought process of a 1am emily) and cursing my self-induced sugar coma. hopeless and hours from sleep, i distracted myself by modifying my old recipe.

here's it:
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
7 cups of chex cereal (i used the wheat, yum.)
2 cups  of powdered sugar

1. combine the butter, peanut butter and chocolate in a quart-size microwave safe bowl and microwave for one minute or until melted. add the vanilla and stir well.
2. pour the chocolate mixture over the chex cereal, stirring until the cereal is coated evenly on all sides.
3. pour the cereal mixture into a 2-gallon resealable bag and add the powdered sugar. gently shake until well coated.
4. spread the mixture out on wax paper to cool.
5. store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

YUM.

photo via gimme some oven.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR

a first look at j. crew's september catalog via refinery29. plus, beauty tips.

i know. you can thank me later.

image via refinery29

so here's something funny

the husband figure is from the yoop (more commonly known as the upper peninsula of michigan). and while there are many things i love about visiting, the language takes the cake.

i don't mean the funny accents or any of the 'dontcha know, eh?'. i mean the words. like how yoopers call it a bubbler, when it's actually a drinking fountain (which really doesn't make any sense).

here's it:
it's friday afternoon and there's a miscellaneous group of our family and friends planning to gather that evening. everyone agrees to grill out together at the husband figure's house. someone suggests a visit to the party store (!!!) this obviously makes my heart flutter with delight, 'streamers, balloons, favors and confetti!!! what more could a girl live for?!?!' i say to myself, playing it cool not to let anyone in on my crazed delusions of the ultimate barbeque bash.

i immediately jump at the chance to go only to remember what party store actually means in the yoop. it means liquor store.

now everyone thinks i'm an alcoholic. so there's that.

image via of the sweetest occasion