We received an old comment on this post this week. I hadn't read that post since I wrote it so many years ago and as I reread it a few days ago, I couldn't help but tear up being on the other side of that huge trial. How wonderful our home feels with both of our girls these days. Life is full of ups and downs and a lot of unexpectedness and while my mantra back then became, "Be Open To Whatever Comes Next" these days it's "Focus on the Good." There's so much good, isn't there?
Good things this week!
-My nephew, age 26 (I'm only saying his age because when most 30 somethings say "nephew" people might assume he's 10 or under), moved in with us this week, and his puppy, Luna, too. They'll be staying for a month, which means our guest room is being utilized! Over the past several months, since our last guest, it became a sort of dumping ground for boxes and decor we weren't currently using. So we got to sort it all and purge a lot of things--some boxes we hadn't even opened since moving in 3 years ago. We found a couple nice surprises in those boxes, old recipes, my journal (!), Greta's paper butterflies from our last home, but mostly--it was stuff we thought we'd want but actually never missed and don't need.
-4 Ways to Style Your Bed. Not only did this post have me pinning away, but this picture stopped me in my tracks for more than its perfectly made bed. I've talked about this briefly before, but I really want to improve my interior photography. This photo is so crisp and gorgeous, and I am working on achieving that with my own camera, while at the same time, pining for an upgrade. But it also made me realize one mistake I make over and over again with my pictures: you don't have to capture everything that's great about a room in one picture. There's a lot of missing information in the photo above, you can't see every detail of the room. But you can feel the room. You can see the texture on the white pillowcase and that there's natural fiber wall-to-wall-carpet. You can see a lot of softness on the windows, which means someone probably spent a lot of money on those curtains. And I'm sure there's something beautiful on the other side of the room, too. But, zooming way out or changing to a wide angle lens, something I'm guilty of over and over, doesn't let you appreciate the intricacies of the details you can see in this slightly cropped image. I'm excited to try more of this!
-These masks sheets are my new favorite thing. They leave my face dewy, unbelievably soft and bright--even though I scared my children for 30 minutes while wearing it. After I tried one, I sent all 11 to my girlfriend across the country--a perfect under $10 gift for your bff!
-Interior Define has one sale a year--ONE--and it's going on right now until Sept 20th. The entire I/D collection is 15%--including our Ainsley sectional pictured above. Feel free to check out an interview we did for their Online Journal here.
-Chris and I started the Whole 30 (for health reasons) and I hate it. We've done it twice before and the worst part is...how awesome I feel the entire time. Ha! The results are undeniable, even if I miss my nightly treat. Chris's meals have been fantastic, and this veggie spiralizer has saved me a time or two.
- It's September, which means it's okay to start burning this Pumpkin Soufflé candle. Mmmm
Have a fantastic long weekend! We're headed to my niece's wedding...Chris is the youngest of 8 kids so we have a few nieces and nephews not too much younger than us.
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WE'RE CHRIS + JULIA
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The wooden platform bed: I can't find a link! Where is that from?
That link to your previous post was very timely for me, and made me feel a lot better. Thanks for talking about it. I am currently dealing with secondary infertility and what makes me saddest is not giving my daughter a sibling too. I grew up with four brothers so the thought that she may not have that relationship is so tough. Thanks again.
I heard a professional photographer say once that you probably need to upgrade your lens before you need to upgrade your camera. That said, I upgraded my camera last year and WOW, has technology improved! They have built-in Wifi now! It's so nice to be able to send photos directly to my phone instead of using the computer middleman.
On a related note, I'm so impressed that you guys save up for big purchases instead of chucking everything on a credit card. What a valuable lesson for you daughters (and the interwebs). ??
Where is your dress from that you're wearing at the wedding!! So cute (from snapchat peek :))
Thanks! It's from red apparel online. It's not the best looking site but the dresses are really great quality for a bargain!
I've been reading your blog for a few years now, but I had never come across the post about your difficulties trying to conceive. Thank you for sharing it again and and providing hope for those of us that are still in the battle. I had my first child 12 years ago and unfortunately she passed at the age of 6 months. My husband and I are currently trying to conceive again, but it's basically like starting over. No luck yet, but we're remaining hopeful. It’s definitely great to be reminded to live in the moment. And you're right...there is so much good. ?
So after living with and using your sectional for a while now, you're still loving it and you'd get it again?! I've been eying it ever since you got yours!
Do you have any Great Nieces or Nephew's yet? I realized recently that it probably won't be much longer till I do, man that makes me feel old!
I began a Whole30 yesterday too. I'm not even a big PSLatte fan but for some reason (because I can't have it?) I started craving one. Totally get you on the love/hate W30 relationship. I always feel so darn good!
That bed reminds me how little attention we have given our master bedroom. Oyyyyyy it is bad.
I plan on using a mask tonight. It has been a LONG week.
I know a few posts ago you mentioned how you wanted your blog and instagram to be cohesive, but a Chris Cooks Whole30 section or hashtag would be amazing and so sooo helpful (or maybe chris needs his own julialoveschris instagram?). My favorite month is September, simply because it feels more like a new beginning than January. Which makes it a perfect time to get everything back on track. Its a huge undertaking but you wont regret sticking to it. Good luck!
Chris IS on Instagram! @c_marcum - But I second a dedicated hashtag for good recipes
Congrats on the Whole30! I would love to see some of the recipes Chris cooks on Instagram. I try to each Whole30-ish most of the time and I'm always looking for these two things: 1. new Whole30 recipes and 2. new Chris recipes :) Good Luck!
Just one opinion, but I really, really prefer your wide lens/zoomed out pictures. Yeah, maybe that's a better picture and captures a feeling of the room, but it's so much more useful to have a picture that captures the whole room when I'm trying to see how things work together. I never have trouble following along on your blog of how things are in relation to each other; I can't say that for some other blogs that use a lot of cropped or zoomed in pictures. I do see how the zoomed in photos may be more "magazine" worthy, but one of the things that drives me nuts in magazines is when I can't figure out where picture A is in relation to picture B.
So my perfect world you would use one zoomed in picture to capture the feeling of the room, and then keep doing the rest as you've been doing it!
Also, we're slowly getting ourselves ready for our first round of Whole 30 - I feel like your description is exactly how I'm going to feel about it!
I'm doing the Whole30 this month, as well. But waiting until September 5th, the official start day of their big event. This will be my third (maybe fourth), and it's mostly definitely a love/hate kind of thing.
I think a lot of people have extended guests for a multitude of reasons, I'm looking forward to hearing how having an extended guest with a puppy(!) goes. What worked, what didn't, what you'd do differently in the future. It's so generous to open up your home, bravo!
I'm buying those face masks for sure. Just having them direct shipped to my bestie just like you suggested. :D
I totally understand the "old" niece/nephew thing! My husband is #9 of 10 and our oldest nephews on that side are mid 20s and we have 2 weddings on that generation this year. And then on my side my oldest nephew is 6. Haha, I have to clarify often too because few people my age have niece/nephews within 10 years!
How far away from the tv is your sectional? We have a long and narrow basement room and I don't know how to handle furniture arrangement down there.