Happy Halloween, 2016!

Happy Halloween!! Yesterday, we spent the afternoon attending our neighborhood (Savin Hill) parade. Our family joined us and we met up with neighbor friends and their littles. It was exciting and exhausting for everyone! I love seeing all of the creative costumes the parents and kids come up with, all the work that went into planning, and finally whether or not the child will actually allow execution on the big day. Roswelle is a Mommy-Puppy, as her two favorite things are babies and puppies. She carried her "litter" (as Paul referred to it) around with pride. However, she would NOT let me paint her nose! :(

The best part of Halloween this year, for Roswelle, is the trick-or-treating. She really got into the process and protected her loot all the way to Atlanta that night (I was shocked she let me put in on the security belt at the airport). Late last night, at Mia's house, after we had changed her and read a few books, she could barely keep her eyes open but she hazily requested that her bag of puppies and candy came into the crib with her, and I of course said yes. Little does she know, she gets to do it all over again tonight! 

Below are pictures from yesterday's parade:

Life Lately: my IVF journey thus far

{me and my wee-little embryo. spoiler alert: it didn't make it}

Just over 3 years ago, Paul and I experienced the amazing moment of a positive pregnancy test. It was our second month of trying to conceive, and our heart’s desire had quickly been filled with a new baby on the way! Roswelle Gray Lashway arrived 9 months later and I became a Mom. It was blissfully simple, other than my water breaking at 37 weeks at a restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine.  

All I have ever wanted to be was a mother - and thankfully I AM. I should pause here to say that our journey has been so much more bearable, blessed even, with Roswelle in our lives. She is our walking, laughing, growing little miracle. Right now I’m at a place where the longer it takes me to get pregnant, the more I appreciate my one-on-one time with my little angel.

Ever since I can remember, I have envisioned myself with a big family.  I always assumed I was going to be a fertile-Myrtle (see: my Mom and her 4 children). And after having Roswelle I saw no reason why my plan (and time-frame) wasn’t going to play out as I had dreamed. And then when “my plan” wasn’t falling into place, I was devastated. There is no other way to put it: I’ve struggled with a lot of self-judgment. It has been very difficult, and I’m still not there, but I’m trying to understand God’s plan for me while leaving my manufactured plan behind.

For the first 9 months of trying for a second baby I was incredibly private, you could even say secretive. Each month of no baby, the secret kept becoming more poisonous. I was trying everything: less running, then more running, no coffee, then as much coffee as my heart desired, acupuncture (which I loved), blackstrap molasses (for iron), gluten-free (still am), all the ovulation strips, all the wives-tales you can think of, and even a glass of champagne on ovulation day to help my body (and mind) relax. And yes, there were even months where I truly “didn’t think about it” and didn’t even really want to get pregnant, and alas I still didn’t get pregnant! But no matter what I tried, my anxiety fed off the secret, creating a tumultuous cycle. I was trying so hard to be zen from the inside out, to create a comfy space for a new baby, but the secret of unsuccessfully trying was consuming. My closest of friends, even family, were all kept in the dark. I was so scared that people would see me as flawed, a disappointment, infertile.

Then finally, after a lot of encouragement from Paul, I did it. I shared. I don’t even remember who the first person I told was, or how much I told them, but I do remember cautiously mentioning that IVF was something we were considering (Paul and I had already met with an endocrinologist in January to discuss our options). I’m sure it was awkward for both parties, no one can ever say the right thing the right way, and emotions were high on my part. But that first release felt so good. So good in fact that the leak of the secret turned into a flow of information. I started telling anyone and everyone. The more people I told, the lighter the burden. The judgements I had put on myself and my body started to crumble and I began to see myself in a new light.

Fast forward to July, Paul and I went through our first round of IVF. Because my uterus is smaller than normal (a unicornuate to be exact), twins are medically risky for me, leading us directly to IVF with single embryo transfers, skipping the less invasive options of clomid/IUI. We had a successful first cycle, with a seamless 5-day fresh transfer, which unfortunately, did not stick. I’m intentionally not including my egg retrieval results in this post. I have gone down the dark rabbit hole of searching for other women’s stats – egg count, fertilization, and embryo numbers. I compared myself to these women and their numbers when I knew NOTHING about their medical history, doctors, or lifestyle! My girlfriend finally told me to stop putting other people’s experiences into my own expectations.

I recently ear-marked the paragraph below from the book Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. Once I stopped wallowing in what wasn’t happening for me, I finally remembered I actually AM what I was trying to be: fearfully and wonderfully made, a marvelous work.

“But aren’t all great quests folly? El Dorado and the Fountain of Youth and the search for intelligent life in the cosmos – we know what’s out there. It’s what isn’t that truly compels us. Technology may have shrunk the epic journey to a couple of short car rides and regional jet legs – four states and twelve hundred miles traversed in an afternoon – but true quests aren’t measured in time or distance anyways, so much as in hope. There are only two good outcomes for a quest like this, the hope of the serendipitous savant – sail for Asia and stumble on America – and the hope of scarecrows and tin men: that you find out you had the thing you sought all along.”

No matter what, this blog will continue to be about all things inspiring and I hope this post in itself inspires you to share. Whatever you are going through, try to let someone in. Bring it out of the darkness, into the light; it will lose its power over you. From my experience, being transparent has been an antidote to self-judgment.  I found that when I shared what we were going through, SO many others had experienced or were facing something similar. You are not alone in this, so try to resist alienating yourself. We are designed to thrive in a community: loving others and allowing others to love us.

We have had multiple delays, hurdles, and disappointments and I’m sure there will be more – because that’s life. But for now we are comfortable in our season of trust and patience. Paul says at least once a week “It’s not a matter of ‘if’ we are able to hold another baby, it is just a matter of ‘when and how’.” That may be more IVF cycles, it may be adoption, it may be a naturally conceived baby. I’m thankful for the hope that comes will all of those possibilities.

It’s hard for me to push “publish” on this, but it means too much to me not to share. Blog posts that are worthy of a real conversation are always hard to put out there for y’all to read, there will inevitably be things I unintentionally leave out. But thank you for listening while I listen to my heart that is nudging me to “share.”

Home Sweet Georgia

Today Paul, Roswelle, and I fly back to our home in Boston. I've enjoyed 8 full days in my hometown, Dawsonville, GA. Someone asked me yesterday what I've been up to while home; my mom and I looked at each other and both replied "anything and everything!" We have busy days on the go, visiting here and there; and then days where we don't leave my mom's house except for a walk up the drive to see her neighbors new labrador puppies.

I'm thankful for Paul's ability to work remotely, Roswelle's lack of school schedule, and my stay-at-home mom schedule which allows for frequent visits.

Below are some pictures that will hold me over until we are back in November for more Fall football. 

{the first glimpse of North Georgia Fall}

{my mom's house has a large white wall with great light that inspires me to take more pictures - this was right after going to see my friend/stylist Ashley at J. Thomas Salon}

{I secretly love hearing the groans and seeing the eye-rolls of my brothers when I put out new veggies for dinner - this time it was roasted beets. Carson decided to make a quick trip to Chick-fil-A instead}

{each night I plan to wake up extra early and enjoy a cup of coffee while looking out on the calm lake. I never do, and instead sleep past 9...}

{he is always right under my feet when I am home and I wouldn't have it any other way}

{forever patiently waiting for the accidental, and frequent, drop of food}

{exposing her to the magic of high-school football - she loved it!} 

 {this pretty much sums up a high school guy's attitude towards forced senior pictures}

{a sneak peak of a senior picture session I did this week - will be sharing more pictures of this sweet girl soon!}

Traveling with Baby: Carry-on Guide

I've flown with Roswelle literally too many times to count. Our first flight was when she was 9 weeks old and her most recent flight will be this afternoon for a trip to GA to visit family. Traveling with a baby has multiple challenges, and they change with the age of the child (or children). Below I've highlighted some of my favorite products for traveling with children from 0 to 2+ years of age. Some of the products might be obvious, some not so much, and I've written a quick blurb as to why each item was selected.

This is a great age to fly. Challenges: keeping their ears unplugged from altitude change, going to the bathroom with a baby attached to you (if flying alone - which I often do), and keeping germs away from your baby!!!! Perks: The plane will lull them to sleep, you don't need to pack too much to keep them occupied, and they are fairly predictable at this age. 

Items to carry-on...

1: Changing Station - most planes have a small changing station, however some older planes won't. You may find yourself changing your baby on the floor in the back of the plane. Even if you are lucky enough to have a changing station in the bathroom, you will want this pad to make things easier.

2: Medela hand pump - I pray you never have a delay while on a plane with a baby, but there is a chance it will happen. If your baby isn't nursing, or you just need some relief, this manual hand-pump is a great solution when you don't have access to an outlet for power.
3: Infantino 360 Carrier - So many carriers are $150+ which is just absurd, even though I'm pretty sure I have one. However, this Infantine brand is affordable at $29.99 and works so well! I would strap Roswelle into our carrier on the flight and after she fell asleep I would have my hands free to read a magazine - such a treat.
4: Downtown Tote - You will need a large sturdy bag to carry all that a baby requires.  This pottery barn tote is stylish and useful with lots of pockets inside. 
5: Stanley Thermos - Whether you have packed pre-pumped milk or using formula, it is always great to have a way to warm up the bottle for baby. This thermos will keep water piping hot all day long and is big enough that you can pop the bottle in the canteen of hot water, close it up, and in 10 minutes or less you have a warm bottle.
6A: Oh Joy! Swaddle Blanket - I love the swaddle blankets because they cover so much space and are super light weight. I would keep one over Roswelle when in the carrier or my arms, and God forbid you sit next to someone with a cough, your baby will be all the more protected.
6B: Oh Joy! Flamingo - just super cute and takes up little space in your bag.
7: WubbaNub - So obvious, but so important that it must be included on this list.

In my opinion this is by farrrrr the hardest age to fly with a baby. They are less likely to sleep on the plane and they want to move move MOVE!! I highly suggest flying with a partner during this age but if you must fly alone (again I did 60% of the time, so it can be done!) here are some items that will make the flight less traumatic for you (I silently cried many times mid-flight during this stage)...


Items to carry-on...

1: Oh Joy! Backpack Diaper Bag - A backpack will come in handy when chasing your walker/runner around the airport, jetway, or airplane aisle. I love the Oh Joy! line at Target. 
2: Jellycat Puppy - The Jellycat brand is a universal hit with little humans and the puppy seems to be a front runner! If you don't have one yet, maybe wait until the flight to bring it out? Your baby will be delighted with a new, interesting toy to hold during the flight.
3: Water Wipes - Regular wipes are great, but I don't love using them on Roswelle's food containers, hands, or mouth. These chemical free version is a safer way to wipe the mess away.
4a: Food Pouches - Food, food, food, and more food. I stuffed Roswelle silly on flights during this age.
4b: Little Yums - Another favorite, more bang for your buck and organic.
5: Munchkin 360 Sippy Cup - It took her a while to figure these out, but once she did it became a favorite brand of her's and mine and is less likely to leak.
6: Karen Katz Books - At this age, she loved flap books and being quizzed on body parts. Karen Katz fills our bookshelf!

I am LOVING this age for flying. Roswelle gets her own seat next to me (tough on the budget, but so good for my soul). She has a longer attention span, will sit still longer, and I can sometimes even reason with her! 

Items to carry-on....

1: Affordable Urbini Stroller - Never give up the stroller when traveling. So many airports have express security lines for strollers. I plan to have Roswelle in one at the airport until she is 6 ;) I wouldn't suggest bringing an expensive brand as they will make you gate-check the stroller and we have had one broken. We love the urbini brand from Wal-mart and it costs only $60.
2. Trader Joe's Fruit Bars - These have been a favorite of mine for some time now. Roswelle loves them and I know exactly what ingredients are in them.
3: Personalized Backpack - Have your toddler help with the load! Roswelle loves wearing her personalized backpack gifted from Aunt Jenny and Uncle Rob. And it frees up some space in my purse.
4: Disney's Lady - Bring a favorite stuffed animal ("Lady" for Roswelle) and maybe a new one (Tramp) or a new toy for a guaranteed good mood.
5: Bandaids - Roswelle loves bandaids at the moments, and they take up little space when packing but provide a good amount of entertainment.
6a: iPad Kid Case - Do you like sitting on a 3 hour flight without something to watch/read/entertain you? I doubt it, so why make your toddler? This is a time when I 100% promote some screen-time.
6b: On ear Headphones - Roswelle is just now agreeing to wear these at age two and I just keep the volume down super low.

Simple September Make-up

While we transition into Fall, I'm excited for knitted sweaters and new thick heeled boots, but I'm planning to extend my simple summer make-up routine for as long as possible. In the warmer months, I wear as little as possible, no foundation, no eyeshadow, and a rare occurrence of eye-liner. With a sun-kissed tan and beach-y hair, you just don't need much, even well into September. I'll never give up mascara though, it can make me feel as awake as a cup of coffee. Do any of y'all agree?

Below I have listed out what I wear every day (also pictured above). 

in order of how I apply...

1) Cover FX Concealer: A beauty consultant at Sephora got me hooked to this product. Cover FX is free of the inflammatory 5: mineral oil, fragrance, gluten, parabens and talc. Made for the most sensitive skin types; it provides a healthy, safe, amazing coverage.

2) Dior Finish Fluid Foundation Brush: I bought this at a make-up party last Fall with Dior's Airflash foundation (which I use in the winter). I love the angled edge and it has never shed on my face.

3) Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara: There has been a cult following for this mascara for some time now, and I only joined in last Fall. Full coverage, lash extension, lasts all day, and washes off easily. I don't know that I will ever switch.

4) Tarte Cheek Stain: I prefer the dewy (supple) look when it comes to make-up which is why I changed to cheek stain a few years ago. I was a fan of Josie Maran's cheek gel for years but when Sephora stopped carrying it, I started using Tarte's stain and I have been more than happy with the results.

5) Too Faced Soleil Matte Bronzer: I went to Sephora looking for a bronzer without shimmer as I have a theory that the shimmer/sparkle causes my skin to break out. With a fresh coconut scent and just the right amount of color, I left a happy customer! Also, he told me to dab on my bronzer, instead of swiping on which messes up all the work you just did with your concealer, foundation, cheek stain etc! I use a random Essence of Beauty brush to apply which I bought from CVS. I know there are better brushes out there for over-all coverage, but for now this one is working.

6) Maybelline Eyelash Curler: I've tried other brands, but I always come back to the tried and true Maybelline version.

Thirty!

I have officially been in my 30's for a full month! I decided it was time to write about this milestone birthday. I was lucky to spend the day with family and close friends at my Mom's lake house in North Georgia.  It was a comfortable, cheery, and celebratory day!

In the years leading up to 30, I have learned that truly loving myself allows me to love others better.  I'm making every effort to walk towards the mess and complexities in life, and embrace them (not easy!). I'm beginning to realize that we don't need to fix each other, we just need to listen to each other.  Everyone has a story, and it is healthy for our stories to be told.

My hardships, challenges, and times of grief have turned into ways to connect with others - whether it be with family, friends or strangers. When I share my struggles, and tell friends or family what is really going on, I find that this opens the door for a more "real" relationship.  It's not awkward, it's refreshing (and relieving in a way).  I've seen this when sharing about the passing of my Dad and I'm seeing it happen now, as Paul and I continue to make every effort to bring another baby into our family.  I'm trying to embrace the twists and turns in life while resisting the urge to be fearful.  

In my 20's I tried to figure out who I wanted to be; and I pray that in my 30's I'll spend more time loving and accepting the person, mother, wife, daughter, and friend that I am. 

Many, many thanks to my mom for ordering this beautiful cake (gluten free!) by Jackie Scarborough. She is a local baker in Dawsonville, GA and incredibly talented. Highly recommend! you can contact her at jackiskitchen@aol.com.

Welcome to the world, Christian James

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of capturing photos of sweet Christian James Thalmann. Born on May 31st he is only a few weeks new. A baby brother to his two older sisters, Neive (4) and Jane (18months), he has completed this now family of 5!

I refer to newborn photography as a privilege because I really do feel honored to be asked into a home of a new baby. Laundry is not done, breakfast dishes are not put away, pajama pants are being worn, but there is love bursting at the beams and so much magic to be seen.

I hope you enjoy these, and if you live in the greater Boston area, I'd love to photograph your new baby! you can contact me at saralaurenw@gmail.com. 

 

A Night in Seaside

We were shoveling snow 2 weeks ago in Boston but now my little family is finally enjoy some hot (an important factor) sun and sand in Destin, FL.  This is our second year taking a break from the New England "spring" and I believe it will be a necessary tradition to warm up my southern bones (you can see last year's trip here)!! I do love Boston though, and I'll be happy to be back come May. ;)

We went to Seaside for dinner and let Roswelle run around as much as she pleased in the little village.  It was a perfect night of easy sunlight, no waiting in lines, and lots of really good food!!

{I don't know why or how we can get her to keep her sunglasses on, but she does, and it's amazing.}

{that belly}

{I want this in my master bath one day}

{the best part of Seaside is the pavilion full of toddlers!}

Roswelle turns TWO!

This past Saturday we had a small tea party for miss Roswelle Gray as she turned TWO on March 21st.  The sun was shining bright although it was a chilly day with a high of 41.  It actually snowed on her birthday the following Monday - there is a good chance that will happen every year up here in Boston!

Roswelle and her cousin Maddie have their dad's old play table and chairs which are the perfect size for a toddler tea. I pulled both tables together covered them with drawing paper, sprinkled them with stickers, crayons, and personal sippy cups - the table was set.

Below are a lot of detail shots...I'm already looking forward to reading this post with Roswelle in years to come. We love you SO much RoRo!

{this was sooooo much fun to make...it took a lot of flowers but I'm still enjoying it! ...the fact that my mom is a florist is a treasure}

{party trick:anything that isn't necessary or helpful for the party, i remove from the space.  My bedroom was covered with household items during the party but I didn't have to think about special items being broken or getting in the way}

{The picture above was a quick shot I snapped that will now be a keepsake photo.}

{Sandy (or GiGi) made delicious egg+bacon biscuits and 4 egg frittatas}

{probably discussing what flavor the cake will be}

{still wondering about that cake...}

A tidy set!! we were both equally excited about this gift! :P

Introducing #teddylash

{this is one of my favorite pictures - everyone is playing their roles very well}

On Sunday, Theodore William Lashway "Teddy" was born! These pictures are from day three, when babies are still pretty silent and snuggly. That day was also the first time Maddie met her little brother Teddy! We are all so excited to have a new boy in the family, although I have a feeling Miss Roswelle and Miss Maddie will still rule the roost for a while! 

{juggling two!}

Acupuncture + Balance

I've been on a quest for balance the last few months and one of my steps has been adding in acupuncture therapy. I'm officially hooked. MY understanding of the benefits of acupuncture is that the body has the power to heal itself, we just need to allow access for healing. It's a very meditative, relaxing, and restorative experience - and I'm all for napping for my health as opposed to medicating! And I promise - the needles don't hurt!!  

Over the weekend I took pictures of my friend and acupuncturist, Abbi, practicing on her friend, Kaitlin.  I hope you find these pictures as relaxing as I did! If you are in the Boston area and looking for a wonderful experience, you can reach Abbi at abigail.j.andrews@gmail.com.  I see her just about every week at the moment at the Equinox downtown (I'm not a member, but that's one of the locations where Abbi practices).  Even Paul said he's going to try it.....

I'm Alive and Well! (Fall 2015)

I'm alive (and well!) y'all!! I basically fell off the web unintentionally 3 weeks ago. After returning home to Boston from my brother's beautiful North Carolina wedding on September 21st, I dialed things wayyyy down. As an introverted home-body, the past few months were quite a challenge. Between Memorial Day weekend and Mid-September, we were home ONE weekend. One. one!!! I don't mean to sound ungrateful for wonderful places to go and being with the people we love. But I really, really love my home, too! 

I have spent the last few weeks going on walks with Roswelle in our neighborhood, having slow mornings in our living room, and re-watching seasons 1-5 of Game of Thrones. You read that right...every night Paul would come up from his garage gym and groan as he heard the GOT theme song kick back up. I didn't prepare a blog post for the next day, nope, I watched the Stark family get murdered one by one (for a second time). Side note: John Snow is not dead! 

I've also been tinkering around the house, putting out Fall decor and warming up our house with colors and textures...because, "Winter is Coming." :P

Wedding Week: Family Edition

Today Roswelle and I are flying back down to GA to get elbow deep in wedding week (Paul and the rest of his family are flying down Wednesday!!).  On Saturday, my brother Trey is marrying his one true love, Anna!! It makes my heart so happy to see our family grow and gain such a beautiful person, inside and out. 

Their wedding shower was two weeks ago, which was a family affair in itself.  Everyone pitched in with food, table cloths, serving pitchers, and of course my mom and I couldn't help but put together some flower arrangements :) I took a few pictures of the sweet day, and looking through them last night made me even more excited to watch them say "I do!" in Murphy, NC.

{their baby, Maple}

{an another sweet baby, Lainey}

#ldw2015

I'm back from a much needed break from blogging. It wasn't scheduled, I just needed a break to catch my breath, even from the good things in life! 

Summer came to an end for us yesterday on Labor Day 2015. After their first nap, we loaded up the cars and coolers and headed for a few hours in the sun and sand. I will miss the hot sun on my skin and Roswelle being barefoot most of the day but I'm also excited for the crisp Fall air that is headed our way. We are making it a tradition to spend Labor Day Weekend at the cottage and I have a feeling we'll be taking the same pictures each year, you can see similar pictures from last year here.

Have a great Tuesday, hope traffic is light and your coffee is strong!

Salt, Sand, Sun, and Sweet Potatoes

We travel to North Truro all summer long, but it is rarely just Paul, Roswelle, and myself at the cottage.  This week has been our family vacation and we have been unplugged and enjoying ourselves as a little pod of three.  

It's funny how fast you can get into a groove and we have been doing just that with nightly trips to Longnook Beach for a late day dip in the ocean, some beach volleyball, and sweet potatoes for dinner.  

Inspired by Stay Strong Mummy plus 40/30/20/10/10

Paul and I hosted 10 of our friends at the cottage this past weekend.  I'm beat to say the least but I'm not sure if I'm beat from hosting or from the workout we did as a group on Sunday.  It's one of Paul's and my favorite "Stay Strong Mummy" workouts.  Stay Strong Mummy is an Australian mum who has a passion for fitness but also has a 3 year old and twin 1 year olds.  She posts workouts that are really challenging but can be done quickly in your backyard - even with toddlers! I'm inspired by her and I love her Instagram posts (@staystrongmummy).

These types workouts will meet you at your fitness level as they are scalable yet challenging.  I'm not able to run long distances at the moment because of a bad ankle, but I'm using these strength and bodyweight conditioning workouts to continue training for the Boston Half Marathon in October.

Here's the 40/30/20/10/10 StayStrongMummy workout:
40 air squats - adding weight is optional
30 lunges - each lunge is one rep (so 15 each side) and jumping lunges is optional for more intensity
20 pushups - from your knees is a good scaling option.  Feet elevated for more intensity
10 burpees - Keep your feet closer together throughout the movement for more focus on your core
10 tuck jumps - if you aren't jumping, bicycles on your back is an option

Prescribed is 4 rounds in this order.  This past Sunday we did 3 rounds as a group which took most of us about 15-18 minutes.  Everything can be modified - movement, reps, and rounds! Listen to your body.

Below I go into a little more detail on the movements:

Air Squat//

Feet planted, knees out, butt engaged, back straight and chest up.  Toes slightly pointed out, and try and get hip crease below the knee crease (get your butt to the ground!).  Also, your knees can come forward, as long and they track over or outside your toes.  

Basically, I try and just model Roswelle's form, although hers is much better at the moment as she can get real low!  

Lunge//

Knee to the ground, butt tucked, chest up.

Push-up//

Elbows in and back, abs engaged, back straight, neutral neck, chest and nose to the ground.  No snaking!

Burpee//

{sorry for the placement RoRo}

All the way to the ground, hollow core/abs engaged when coming back up (no snaking), hips lead your ascend. These are intimidating, hard and I basically hate them...but you will get better at them the more frequently you do them.  

Tuck Jump//

Knees up, up, up, up! deceptively hard!! but only 10.  Also, try and keep your chest up and back perpendicular to the ground at the top of the tuck (mine is coming a bit forward...)

{tuck jumps are currently hurting my ankle so I modify with bicycles}

Backyard Lobster Bake

This past weekend we celebrated my Mom's birthday with an extra special backyard dinner at the cottage. Family Vacations are a wonderful way to spend quality time together but it can make having a special celebratory meal a little tricky. The rush of getting ready after a day at the beach, our baby's impending bedtimes, and the volatile waiting time at popular restaurants all make going out for dinner a challenge. Instead of juggling all of that, we decided to stay in but still managed to have a beautiful meal without all the work. 

Paul's parents had the brilliant idea to order steamed lobsters from our local fish market. Most local markets will steam and slightly crack your lobsters, no charge. We baked sweet potatos and boiled corn on the cob for sides but that required little effort. A few flowers from the yard, candles from inside, and white table cloths and we had a beautiful setting for a memorable night, all while the babies slept upstairs :)  

{while prepping for the main meal, we enjoyed oysters and shrimp as an appetizer, from the same market}

{eight 1 1/2lb steamed lobsters}

{He couldn't help himself}

We ended the night with s'mores around the fire pit. I added reese's and kitkats to the chocolate mix and it was a great upgrade! 

A Balanced Monday Morning

For Monday morning posts, I usually spend Sunday night going through pictures from the weekend, selecting the photos that are "blog worthy" and then spend the next 45 minutes to an hour editing/enhancing them and then writing the post. That did not happen last night.  Paul and I were in bed by 8:30pm because I was just wiped and he had to be up really early this morning.

I'm finding that balance is one of the most important things in life. Too little, too much, too extreme, too tame, just isn't a way to live. And this can be applied to all arenas of life: Faith, Health, Family, Friends, Work...it all needs a healthy balance.  In this blog I like to show you pretty pictures that have wonderful lighting, appealing arrangements and inspire you to try something new in your own life.  But those pictures aren't always real life! At least not for me. More days than not, I go makeup-free, my hair is in a bun, and Roswelle is in food stained pjs (or just a diaper).  Especially when we are in the country setting of North Truro.

So in an effort to keep things balanced here on the blog, I'm sharing a few pictures that are not staged or edited.  This morning when Roswelle woke up, I changed her diaper, put on a sports bra, tossed her in her stroller, and we set off to get a coffee and some bananas for breakfast at the local market a half mile down the road.  It was a quiet, slightly humid, and casual morning which is what we both seem to prefer.

{this picture is not from this morning but it's a good one of them one afternoon in the yard!}

Posing for Pictures

A simple post this Monday morning, just some candid pictures of us from this past weekend.  We went to a family wedding on the Cape at Wequasset (I'll post more on that tomorrow!). I was looking through the pictures on my computer last night and thought they told a funny little story.

We got the girls all dressed up for quick pictures, only to dart out the door to catch the bus to the wedding, barely giving them kisses goodbye! Y'all have done that right?

Roswelle ate dinner, after we left, in the pretty, white, smocked dress.  And then she scraped her knee adding blood to the avocado and peanut butter on the dress.  The dress's salvage status is TBD, but it was worth it for the picture, I think :)

{Maddie clearly loves a bow}

On Sunday we did it again... They ate their eggs and got berries all over their new little Lilly Pulitzer dresses (Thanks, Gigi!).  

{trying to get a family picture....}

Weekend was a blast...but so exhausting!!  We rallied after an afternoon nap and went to the beach and out for a casual dinner and ice-cream.  Another great weekend, but as usual, I'm planning to somehow use the week to recover.  

Three Summertime Mocktails

I've mentioned before that I no longer drink alcohol.  I made the personal decision when I was pregnant with Roswelle to cut it out of my life entirely.  The reasons why? Thats a long conversation for another time.  In short, I struggle with serious anxiety at times, and if I'm being honest - sometimes self-control (resisting the 4th/5th/6th drink), and alcohol was not having a positive impact on my life. When something is no longer improving your life, but making things messier or harder, it's time to reevaluate why it's in your life at all. It took a long time to come to the conclusion that drinking wasn't right for me and it is still hard to not have just one drink. But the peace I have with this decision, that I will not be drinking, is an extremely rewarding feeling. It also helps that my husband, Paul, was never a big drinker to start with and agreed to no longer drink with me going forward. 

I don't miss the next day anxiety, the occasional regret, or overall unhealthy feeling. However, I definitely miss the fancy glass of wine at dinner, a refreshing beer on the back porch and the excitement of a fun summer cocktail!

In an effort to recreate the feeling of having an fancy drink in hand at the end of summer day, I made three mocktails that are healthy, refreshing, and exciting.  Pellegrino has become a staple in my life since cutting out wine, and I was excited to find other ways to enjoy it.  And of course, wine or liquor could be added to all of these if you choose to do so! Just let me know how it tastes as I'll be jealous ;)  

//Watermelon Infused Sparkler//

There was watermelon in the refrigerator and fresh mint in the garden which led me to find this recipe on food network.  It doesn't get much more refreshing than this, or simpler for that matter.

//Rosemary Limeade Mocktail//

I made @mangiapaleo's Rosemary Limeade mocktail.  My favorite feature of this drink...it doesn't used frozen limeade from a can! All fresh, simple ingredients; including a simple syrup of honey and water.

//Peach Fuzz Fizzler//

 My personal favorite is one that I concocted on my own!  Recipe is below:

Recipe//

2 cups of frozen sliced peaches

1 cups of ice

1/2 cup of greek yogurt

splash of water if needed

blueberries for garnish