Friday, December 29, 2017
Bumpdate - 29 weeks
Suddenly I find myself at 29 weeks with my pregnancy! Wow, has time flown!
I did a bumpdate when I was 20 weeks, to read that just click here.
How far along: 29 weeks and 1 day (Thursdays are when my weeks begin).
Thoughts: Things are getting REAL. I feel the baby moving all the time which makes me remember that in under 3 months we will be welcoming this precious boy into our family. I'm still feeling slightly overwhelmed that our lives are drastically changing by having a baby and building a house at the same time, but those overwhelming feelings are extreme blessings so I'm perfectly content. There are times I'm still amazed that a boy is joining our family and I cannot wait to see how my sweet Kendall nurtures and takes care of her baby brother.
I'm also praying through making my Kendall not feel neglected. She has had our extreme focus for almost five years and I certainly don't want her to feel like she is loved any less. I am not concerned with how I'm going to love this boy as much as her because I already have so much love for him. I just want to make sure that Kendall doesn't think there is a decrease in care, love and attention. Mamas of multiple children...share your tips? I'm certainly planning on involving her in ALL aspects of taking care of him as I know she will be a terrific helper.
Advice Received: I've read lots of things about baby sleep habits and getting them to sleep through the night. There are SO MANY OPINIONS out there. We swore by the book The Baby Sleep Solution and definitely plan to use it again as it was an absolute game changer. Kendall slept through the night around 13 weeks with the help of this book, hopefully this little guy will too! I'm preparing myself that every baby is different, but we do still plan to implement the practices from this book.
Baby: According to my app, baby is now the size of a Hawaiian Pineapple. At a recent doctor visit, they did a measurement check and determined he was about 2 pounds. He moves around a lot; I often feel pressure in the bottom of my stomach and other times I feel pressure at the very top of my baby bump.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
The Best Christmas Sugar Cookie Around
One of my favorite Christmas memories as a child was making sugar cookies and cutting them out with fun Christmas shaped ornaments. My mom, sister and I did this each year when I was younger and always had a blast! After we baked the cookies, we would then decorate them with icing, leaving lots of fun cookies for us to eat over the holiday. I realized last year that Kendall was old enough where she could help with the cookie making and decorating; unfortunately my mom couldn't find her sugar cookie recipe. So I scoured Pinterest looking for the perfect sugar cookie recipe.
After reading through lots of recipes, I settled on one that I will share below and let me tell you - it is the BEST Christmas Sugar Cookie.
There are multiple reasons I love this recipe:
-one batch makes a lot (at least 3 dozen)
-the cookies take barely anytime to bake
-there is no chilling required, you can make the dough and immediately start rolling everything out
-the cookies hold their shape REALLY well and don't expand when baking
-there is a hint of almond extract in these cookies that makes them taste so good
-they are the perfect amount of sweet, and definitely not too sweet
-the cookies are soft and just plain awesome with perfect edges every time
-they taste great with or without icing
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Preparing for Random Acts of Christmas Kindness
During November and December when we focus on being thankful and gift giving to those we love, I also want my daughter to focus on spreading kindness around like wildfire. We have been very blessed in so many ways and it is my hope that my child will learn this at a very early age so she can spread cheer to others always.
Last year, I introduced Kendall to 25 Random Acts of Christmas Kindness (RACK) in December leading up to Christmas Day. I got the idea after following fellow blogger, Molly, and decided immediately that my family would take part. I chronicled our 25 acts on facebook for everyone to see. I certainly hope we encouraged others to perform random acts of kindness as Molly did for us!
As I prepared for this year, I started talking about the Random Acts of Christmas Kindness with Kendall at the beginning of November. I reminded her of some of the fun things we did last year and asked her what she wanted to do this year. Her first thought was to take some of her own money out of her piggy bank and buy toys for kids who don't have any. You better believe that tears sprang to this mama's eyes! Do you see how easy it is to get your kids to care and want to give? You just have to show them.
This year, I thought it would be fun to share in advance our plans for Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. I would LOVE IT if lots of you loyal readers would take part in RACK this year. My entire life's mission is to make people feel loved and to spread happiness, so why don't we all participate together?
Below is our schedule for each random act. You can follow along exactly or create your own list. The point is just to bless others! I'll include an image at the bottom of this post that you can save to your phone to refer back to later.
If you participate, I'd love you to share it on social media. Use the hashtag #PursuitofPinkRACK so I can see who is joining in on the kindness.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Bumpdate - 20 weeks
So many people have messaged and asked how I am doing with my pregnancy so I figured it was about time I shared an update! I have always heard that you show much earlier with your second than your first, but that has not been the case with me. I'm still wearing my regular clothes (though I think maternity jeans will be purchased soon) and only in the past week and a half did I really start showing. In case you didn't see this post, we are happily having a BOY!
How far along: 20 weeks and 1 day! My week always begins on Thursday.
Thoughts: I am amazed that we are already at the halfway mark! Although, if this baby is anything like his sister and decides to come early, then we have already passed the halfway mark. I'm so excited for another baby, I've waited a long time on my second child. I can't wait to snuggle and cuddle with him when he is a newborn. My memories are a bit fuzzy from when Kendall was a newborn, but I'm excited to experience it all over again. Being completely transparent, I do sometimes get a bit overwhelmed when I look at Kendall and think of a lot of the milestones we have successfully completed (sleeping through the night, separation anxiety, potty training) and realize we have to do that all over again. But the thought of a precious little boy completing our family makes me not focus on the tough parenting things that lay ahead (and I know there are more to come once we get to the teenage years).
I've shared this with some of my friends, but I feel it bears repeating here. When we moved out of Northern Virginia to begin a brand new life and allow Tolar to go back to school, we knew that a second child would be put on hold for awhile. I did mourn the fact that my children would not be 2-3 years apart as my sister and I are 2 1/2 years apart and extremely close. However, God always knows the right plan and took care of us. You see, I'm a neat freak through and through. A clean house makes me feel in control. Well, when I imagined life and birthing my second child, I never imagined building a brand new house! But God knew! Can you imagine how out of control I would feel moving into a new house with a messy toddler AND a newborn? I would have gone crazy!!!! Luckily by the time we move, my Kendall will be just a few months shy of 5 years old and she is already able to help me out with lots of things around the house. And she is old enough to know that she too also likes things to be neat and tidy. God is so awesome; I love how He takes care of even the tiniest details in our lives.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Pumpkin Patch Fun
Every year since Kendall was a baby, we have visited a pumpkin patch around Halloween and always have an incredible time. Halloween is Tolar's favorite holiday and has fast become Kendall's favorite too, so I have a feeling we will be "pumpkin patching it up" for many years to come.
Each year Thornspring Farms adds more and more activities to their Fall Festival making a day at the pumpkin patch so much fun. From slides and slingshots to tractor train rides and a bounce pad, fun is sure to be had. I love watching the pure joy on my daughter's face as she experiences one thing after another. And I guess you can consider us lucky that Virginia has temperatures of 76 degrees in October so we could enjoy a full Saturday outside.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Entertaining with Greet & Gather
Thank you Greet & Gather for the complimentary box. All opinions are completely my own.
The older I get, the more I realize I absolutely would choose a fun night of staying in at our house instead of "hitting the town." Staying in doesn't always mean that I want to be in my jammies and binge Netflix (although that is quite nice a lot of the time!). Often times, I'd love to invite our friends or family over and entertain. Something about enjoying a nice glass of wine with fine cheeses and spreads, surrounded by those you love just feels right.
Lucky for us all, there is a brand new subscription box company that can help us entertain like pros! Greet & Gather was specifically created and curated for those who love to entertain. You can sign up to start your monthly subscription and receive a box full of 4-6 items that you can use the next time you host an event in your house.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
A Ginger Kid
As a mom of a four year old, I've seen a lot of toys enter and exit my home. I know what toys keep my child's attention and which ones are going to get donated in a few months because they will be forgotten. For us, the tried and true toys that stick around are the ones that grow with Kendall. The toys that can offer her different levels of learning AND the toys that are durable are the ones we keep over and over again.
So imagine my absolute delight when I discovered A Ginger Kid. Besides the fact that the title of the company is the most appropriate toy company ever for my Kendall, we absolutely fell in love! The toys are wooden toys which are always a favorite with us because we know they will stand the test of time. Every toy we have gotten to play with is so beautiful! They are all painted with such brilliant colors and have complete attention to detail. Plus the toys offer so much more than just playtime. Many of the toys allow your child the opportunity to work on problem solving, memory building and motor skills.
I also love that A Ginger Kid is a local store with an online presence! You don't have to be local to me to purchase these incredible toys. Some of our favorite toys include:
Tick Tock Clock
Motoring Along
All Tied Up
All three of the above toys (and so many others) teach Kendall important lessons that she will use throughout her life - like tying her shoes and telling time - while allowing her to still use her imagination and play creatively. And a bonus for moms who like a clean house?!?! All of the toys come in their very own carrying bag, so you can keep all of the pieces together neat and tidy.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Mermaid Themed Birthday Party
Over the summer, our Kendall turned 4 and she insisted on having an Ariel themed birthday party. Who am I to deny my little red head of that!?!
I created an under the sea/mermaid themed party using a purple and teal color palette. I really like this color palette and I'm trying to convince Kendall that she needs this to be the decor in her new bedroom once our house is complete. But that's a different blog post all on its own.
Once I decided on the color palette, I set out scouring Pinterest to find some inspiration. I'll admit, I'm not a "create fun things in my own mind" type of person. But I can copy the heck out of stuff on Pinterest that other creative people have already come up with. Which is exactly what I did for the decor of her party. #worksmarternotharder
My favorite part of the decor was the jelly fish that I made out of paper lanterns, streamers and ribbon. This project was a labor of love and it took me six hours to make six jelly fish. I did not know when I started out that it would take so long to complete, but the finished product was completely worth it. They turned out so pretty. I mostly used this tutorial (#5) to create them. We strung the jelly fish between the trees in our front yard to help make it feel like the party was underwater with the jelly fish swimming above us. We also purchased some bubble machines to help with the underwater feel.
Once I decided on the color palette, I set out scouring Pinterest to find some inspiration. I'll admit, I'm not a "create fun things in my own mind" type of person. But I can copy the heck out of stuff on Pinterest that other creative people have already come up with. Which is exactly what I did for the decor of her party. #worksmarternotharder
The decor:
My favorite part of the decor was the jelly fish that I made out of paper lanterns, streamers and ribbon. This project was a labor of love and it took me six hours to make six jelly fish. I did not know when I started out that it would take so long to complete, but the finished product was completely worth it. They turned out so pretty. I mostly used this tutorial (#5) to create them. We strung the jelly fish between the trees in our front yard to help make it feel like the party was underwater with the jelly fish swimming above us. We also purchased some bubble machines to help with the underwater feel.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Boutique Crush - Shop Ashley LeMieux
Over the summer I discovered the absolute cutest online boutique and I fell in LOVE with everything the shop featured. I bought a dress, felt absolutely beautiful and the rest was history. Shop Ashley LeMieux quickly became my go to place to look anytime I was searching for new, pretty clothes.
Beautiful clothes. Affordable prices. Ethically made. Plenty of options on sizes. Win. Win. Win. Win.
If you've read blogs a few times, you might have heard of The Shine Project and its founder, Ashley LeMieux. I've got quite a girl crush on Ashley because she has essentially dedicated her life to helping others and has found numerous ways to help those without financial means attend college. (To read all about The Shine Project and how it began, click this link.) I already trusted Ashley and admired her work, so I was completely excited to check out her new venture with Shop Ashley LeMieux.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Life is Changing
I can't start this post without acknowledging the horrible tragedy that happened in Las Vegas earlier this week. My heart breaks for the hundreds and hundreds of people involved or affected by such a senseless act. Love needs to be our loudest voice. Change needs to happen and it needs to start with us simply loving others. As many of you know, I'm a positive person who appreciates a space with rainbows and butterflies. This blog is that space on the internet for me and will continue to be just that. You will always find love here at Pursuit of Pink. No judgement, no condemnation, no negativity. Simply love.
It is so hard for me to believe that there are only three months left in 2017. I very vividly remember New Year's Eve night when Tolar and I celebrated with friends. Three couples, six people, stood together in the middle of a cabin in North Carolina and prayed for the upcoming year. Tears were shed as each couple separately was dealing with personal issues/struggles and pleaded with God to make changes. Dreams were shared and bold prayers were said. And here I sit, nine months into the year and I see many changes and promises fulfilled.
The promises fulfilled for my friends are their stories to share, but I can certainly fill you in on what is happening with my family!!!!
The very first thing happened in March of this year. Tolar was in a miserable job that left him barely any time for family time/down time and often kept him traveling for weeks at a time. None of us were happy and Tolar felt like he was just existing. Well God opened a door to a job that kept Tolar close to home (6 minutes down the street to be exact!), had zero travel and plenty of work/life balance. Not to mention he has a pretty incredible boss to go along with the awesome job. Answered prayer...boom!
It is so hard for me to believe that there are only three months left in 2017. I very vividly remember New Year's Eve night when Tolar and I celebrated with friends. Three couples, six people, stood together in the middle of a cabin in North Carolina and prayed for the upcoming year. Tears were shed as each couple separately was dealing with personal issues/struggles and pleaded with God to make changes. Dreams were shared and bold prayers were said. And here I sit, nine months into the year and I see many changes and promises fulfilled.
The promises fulfilled for my friends are their stories to share, but I can certainly fill you in on what is happening with my family!!!!
The very first thing happened in March of this year. Tolar was in a miserable job that left him barely any time for family time/down time and often kept him traveling for weeks at a time. None of us were happy and Tolar felt like he was just existing. Well God opened a door to a job that kept Tolar close to home (6 minutes down the street to be exact!), had zero travel and plenty of work/life balance. Not to mention he has a pretty incredible boss to go along with the awesome job. Answered prayer...boom!
Friday, August 25, 2017
Polka Dot Print Shop - Baby Books
(Disclosure: Thanks to Polka Dot Print Shop for sending me this incredible baby book. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)
This summer brought a new birthday for my sweet little Kendall, she turned four! (Stay tuned, pictures from her Ariel themed birthday party are coming soon) Every passing year has me realizing just how fast time is flying and every year I remember that I NEVER created a baby book for her.
This summer brought a new birthday for my sweet little Kendall, she turned four! (Stay tuned, pictures from her Ariel themed birthday party are coming soon) Every passing year has me realizing just how fast time is flying and every year I remember that I NEVER created a baby book for her.
I had the best of intentions her first year, I kept everything in a cute little box in hopes that one day I would put her baby book together. But here we are, four years later and a crafty little baby book maker I am not! Thank goodness I have this blog and previously chronicled each month of K's first year so I hopefully won't forget much! Realization recently struck me that pretty soon I actually won't remember as much as I think I will, so I better work on creating a baby book for her immediately.
Enter Polka Dot Print Shop. I found this incredible shop on instagram and was immediately drawn to the beautiful baby books they offer. The books are very modern and come with a variety of design options, perfect for many different tastes. I chose the hardcover mermaid theme in lavender and it is stunning. Perhaps I was drawn to the lavender mermaid theme because Kendall's birthday party was Ariel themed in similar colors...who cares, it is gorgeous. Also, this book is a brand new addition to Polka Dot Print Shop and is quickly becoming popular - I see why!
The hardcover books say baby on the cover and come with a personalized first page. When Kendall was looking through the book she was excited to see her name!
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Shopping with thredUP
My shopping motto: buy what you love and never pay full price for anything. I live by those rules pretty much every time I step foot into a store. Which is why I was thrilled when my friend Jenny told me about thredUP.
thredUP is a women's and children's online consignment boutique featuring TONS of incredible brands. With thousands of pieces in like-new condition, you can really score some amazing deals. I have seen several of their commercials and ads on facebook about girls finding great deals on designer purses so I decided to check it out for myself.
Let me just cut to the chase...this site is the real deal. You most certainly can scoop up designer pieces at a fraction of the cost. I love a good handbag and I was stoked to find a gorgeous Street Level Bag that looks like it has never been used. The bag looked great online and it is even better in person. I am certain it will be going with me many places this summer.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Decorating Trend: Hygge
Being a (mostly) stay at home mom means that I spend a great deal of time at home. Obviously I want to be comfy and cozy where I spend the majority of my time, which is why home decor is one of my great interests. I would call my taste rustic contemporary, focusing on making myself and my guests comfortable.
I recently discovered a new decorating term called hygge (pronounced "HOO-gah," the Danish word for cozy). Google or search for the word on Pinterest and you will find thousands of beautiful images that make you want to jump right into the picture and cuddle up. To me, being comfortable and cozy is having a tidy house with everything in its place, plenty of scented candles, inspirational signs and quality pieces of furniture.
Monday, May 1, 2017
State of Things
It's been a busy couple of months around here with lots going on for us! So a catch up post is in order.
Tolar started a new job in March which means he now works just 7 minutes from home and does not have to travel. We are so thankful that we get to spend more time with him and that he is home so much more!!! It's been fun being able to stop by his office for a quick visit or for him to run home and join us for lunch. K is in heaven with all of this Daddy time, because she is a Daddy's girl through and through.
K and I rang in Easter on the couch at home. :( Poor baby had strep throat and an ear infection with a fever, so she and I stayed put on Easter Sunday. Luckily, she was feeling a bit better by the afternoon and let me dress her up and take some photos. Later that night we had a yummy dinner with my parents.
Tolar started a new job in March which means he now works just 7 minutes from home and does not have to travel. We are so thankful that we get to spend more time with him and that he is home so much more!!! It's been fun being able to stop by his office for a quick visit or for him to run home and join us for lunch. K is in heaven with all of this Daddy time, because she is a Daddy's girl through and through.
K and I rang in Easter on the couch at home. :( Poor baby had strep throat and an ear infection with a fever, so she and I stayed put on Easter Sunday. Luckily, she was feeling a bit better by the afternoon and let me dress her up and take some photos. Later that night we had a yummy dinner with my parents.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Favorite Photo Props
One of my recent passions is photography. I'm completely self taught and a TOTAL novice, but I really enjoy shooting and finding creative angles for photos. I've picked up plenty of tips since Tolar first bought me a DSLR camera, but the two tips I use the most are:
1.) find the light
2.) use props
Today, I'm sharing my five favorite props to help make your photos pop.
1.) A fun white rug
My absolute favorite prop is my sheepskin rug. If you follow me on instagram, you will see the rug used in so many different ways. I love it because it adds a pop of white, making my photos nice and bright. I also love the texture difference between our wood floors and the fluffy white rug.
And Kendall loves the rug because she pretends it is snow. Any time she sees me taking photos using the rug, she can't wait until I'm finished so she can play with it. It's super cozy too.
You can score this rug for a steal on Amazon.
1.) find the light
2.) use props
Today, I'm sharing my five favorite props to help make your photos pop.
1.) A fun white rug
And Kendall loves the rug because she pretends it is snow. Any time she sees me taking photos using the rug, she can't wait until I'm finished so she can play with it. It's super cozy too.
You can score this rug for a steal on Amazon.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Nickel & Suede Leather Earrings
It is no secret, I'm an accessories girl. I love earrings, necklaces, bracelets, all of it. And if it is a statement piece, there is a 99.9% chance that I will love it. Statement pieces are often heavy, which is fine if I'm wearing it around my neck, but not on my ears. Enter the incredible lightweight leather earrings from Nickel & Suede. These leather earrings are so lightweight that you cannot even feel them when you wear them. So ladies with sensitive ears, you don't have to worry a bit (and they are nickel free to boot!).
The thing I love most about Nickel & Suede is that they have tons of options. TONS. You can pick virtually any color you want and there are plenty of styles. I'm wearing Nickel & Suede's earring of the month, Gypsy Teal (get them on sale through tomorrow!). The style of the Gypsy Teal earring is their basic style, but you can also find woven, cut-out, suede, shimmer and more.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Custom Invitations and Stationery
One of my most favorite things to send and receive is snail mail. It's always been a joy for me ever since I was little to open the mailbox and see something pretty inside, waiting on me to open it. Whenever it is time for me to send our annual holiday card or thank you cards, I always love looking through all of the designs that are offered. Designers in today's world are so talented and create some pretty amazing work. Which is why I'm thrilled to introduce you all to an incredible online stationery store,
Basic Invite.
Their name might say basic, but I promise you that the designs offered on Basic Invite are anything but. Stunning is the word that comes to mind, because their designs are breathtaking. There are numerous reasons to fall in love with them, but their design offerings top the list. You can pick from photo designs, non photos, foil, real wood (yes you read that right), black tie, the options are endless. And so are the colors; with over 180 color options you can truly customize any invitation, card or piece of stationery and it will be uniquely yours. You get an instant preview online every time you make a selection.
Basic Invite.
Their name might say basic, but I promise you that the designs offered on Basic Invite are anything but. Stunning is the word that comes to mind, because their designs are breathtaking. There are numerous reasons to fall in love with them, but their design offerings top the list. You can pick from photo designs, non photos, foil, real wood (yes you read that right), black tie, the options are endless. And so are the colors; with over 180 color options you can truly customize any invitation, card or piece of stationery and it will be uniquely yours. You get an instant preview online every time you make a selection.
Friday, January 20, 2017
Toy-Yo
Toys. If you have kids, you have toys in your house I'm sure.
Toys are an essential part of learning, growing and developing creativity in children. Sometimes it can be overwhelming for parents to decide which toys they need for their children since there are so many options out there. Other times it can be extremely chaotic in a household that is overflowing with toys! Lucky for us all, there is a new subscription/toy rental service that solves all of our problems.
Meet Toy-Yo, an online library full of well-crafted, educational toys. Don't be fooled - just because I use the word educational I also mean that these toys are FUN!!!!
Toy-Yo is a brand new company that I have had the pleasure of working with and I'm so excited to introduce them to you. To explain just how incredible Toy-Yo is, I compiled a list of my top reasons that YOU should purchase (or gift!) a membership.
Play this video to see Kendall in action with the toys!
TOP 10 Reasons to subscribe to Toy-Yo:
1.) You won't be overwhelmed by too many toys in your house.
Just like you check books out from the library or rent a movie from RedBox, you can do the same with Toy-Yo. At Toy-Yo, you rent the toys, play with them, then return them and rent more toys. So fun! Parents don't have to stress over finding a place to store all of the extra toys because once your child decides they are finished playing with the toys, you just return them and get a brand new set. I've had a lot of friends start a toy rotation in their house because they find that their children get overwhelmed by too many options. This is similar to that, but without having to find additional storage for the toys not in use.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Trendy Clothes For Motherhood
We live in quite a terrific moment in time. Technology allows us to do so much and offer so much; shop online, make video calls, order food and groceries online, schedule a car ride and more.
I have to say one of my favorite things about the digital age is shopping online - and all the mamas said "hallelujah" - especially when I find a Trendy Online Boutique like PinkBlush.
PinkBlush offers cute, stylish clothing for women in all stages of motherhood. Their clothes are perfect for stylish moms and they even have incredible clothes for all throughout pregnancy (they are altered to fit a mother's growing bump during every trimester). The clothes are so modern and versatile, allowing you to wear everything all sorts of ways through different seasons of life.
Seriously, why did my friends not tell me about this awesome online shop when I was pregnant with Baby K? I would have been rocking everything you find in their maternity clothes section- whenever I'm pregnant again this will be my store! Luckily, I found this shop now and they carry a complete line for women (pregnant and not).
My favorite part of their shop is that they feature so many FABULOUS styles for moms on the go like me. Being a (mostly) stay at home mama, I still want to feel pretty every single day and this purple lace dress from PinkBlush makes me feel that and more.
They have so many options - dressy, casual, formal, boho, classic, maxis - you name it, they have it. I can guarantee that a lot of clothes from PinkBlush will be showing up on my doorstep and I'm not mad about it one bit.
My favorite part of their shop is that they feature so many FABULOUS styles for moms on the go like me. Being a (mostly) stay at home mama, I still want to feel pretty every single day and this purple lace dress from PinkBlush makes me feel that and more.
They have so many options - dressy, casual, formal, boho, classic, maxis - you name it, they have it. I can guarantee that a lot of clothes from PinkBlush will be showing up on my doorstep and I'm not mad about it one bit.
Monday, January 16, 2017
Fine Motor Skills and Hand Strength
Over the years, I've tried to work with K on her fine motor skills and these are some of our favorite activities. Not only do these activities work on fine motors, but some of these are also educational and all of them are FUN.
1.) Bead Garden
I bought a styrofoam cube and poked holes into it and then inserted colorful pipe cleaners. I then bought matching beads and taught K to "thread" the beads onto the pipe cleaners. This activity teachers her about color matching, sorting and builds her fine motors. Also, when she plays with her bead garden I get an easy 30 minutes to myself.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Photo Editing Apps
One of the things I get asked about a lot regarding my instagram account is how do I get my photos to look so bright. Of course my first answer is ALWAYS lighting - find the light. But then I clue people into my two favorite photo editing apps that I use on virtually every picture I take.
Different people have different tastes in what they prefer for a photo aesthetic, I prefer light and white. To achieve this look in my photos I use my secret weapon of apps called PicTapGo. There are so many different filters that you can use in PicTapGo and I love that you can layer as many as you want over top of each other. You can even use the same filter several times until you get the desired look.
My favorite filter to use is called "Brightside." This is almost always the first filter I select when I edit a photo. Normally, it takes one or two times clicking Brightside until I get the desired effect I would like. Then I will select "Contrast" and play around with it until I reach the level of contrast that I prefer. Occasionally I will "Cool It Down" or "Warm It Up" to change the color composition. And that is it. I don't use a ton of filters, this is the recipe I found that works best for me.
Monday, January 9, 2017
A New Way to Shop - with Boxed
Moms, I'm talking to you all on this one. Picture it with me: you need paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, maybe some granola bars for the littles and it is 14 degrees outside with the threat of snow. Do you really want to spend 30 minutes bundling the kids up, driving to the store, unloading them all, navigating a big cart around the grocery store while everyone in town is also there and then transport everything back home? Yeah, I didn't think so.
There is a new way to shop for those household items and you can do it from the comfort of your own home or even on the go. Allow me to introduce you to a company that I learned about a few months ago from my oh so wise aunt. BOXED.com
They call themselves Costco for Millennials, and even though I'm somehow classified as a Millennial (later we can get into a conversation about how that just doesn't make sense to me ), I think they should also brand themselves as Costco for Moms.
Friday, January 6, 2017
Baby K's 3rd Birthday Party
While this blog was on hiatus, a lot of life happened. Nine months of our lives to be exact. And you, my dear readers, missed out on some pretty amazing events in our lives. When I decided to relaunch Pursuit of Pink I wondered what my first few posts would be about. The first thought to pop into my head was "give the people what they want!" and I without a doubt know that what you want is...Baby K!
Kendall turned 3 over the summer and we decided to throw her birthday party at a location instead of our house. There are lots of options in the New River Valley for children's birthday parties, but I am more than THRILLED with our choice of Little Leapers in Blacksburg, VA. If you take anything away from this blog post it should be this: book your child's next birthday party here. Little Leapers did everything right; we were so pleased.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
I'm Back! - Resolutions from a Mom
Well hello there lovelies!!! I'm so happy to be back to blogging.
Being completely transparent, I didn't exactly plan on taking a nine month hiatus from blogging, but somehow it happened. Life happened. And I enjoyed the MUCH needed break.
During the month of December I kept feeling a prompting from God that I needed to pick blogging back up. I saw sign after sign that I wasn't finished with my little piece of the internet and I'm thrilled to say Pursuit of Pink is back in action!
Pursuit of Pink has always existed to be a place of happiness and positivity in a world with so much sadness. I believe that the world needs more smiles, more rainbows, more butterflies. This is a place with zero judgement, a place full of joy and a place to find encouragement (because Mommin' Ain't Easy). None of that will ever change!
To kick off the re-launch of Pursuit of Pink and 2017, I thought I would share some of my resolutions and goals for the upcoming year.
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About Me
- Lindsay @ Pursuit of Pink
- Welcome to Pursuit of Pink. I'm Lindsay and I'm so glad you are here. I believe a positive life is a happy life. Join me as I try to walk that out daily - in life, motherhood, style and more.
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