lately

lately, i've been thinking a lot about the fact that seasonal depression is a real thing. ;) haha. i'm not going to drone on and on, but i think maybe my funk was more than just a funk. but things are looking up, especially since the groundhog saw his shadow. spring is soon! and i'm staying busy, which helps.

i made a quick collage of things that have been happening lately that i don't think i blogged about? or instagrammed (mostly), so i'll share them for posterity's sake.

1. it's been so cold lately that i had to buy a furry hooded puffy coat. dramatic. usually my peacoats get me through just fine, since i layer like crazy, but not for a little bit there. my southern blood, i guess. also can we just talk about the fact that i didn't edit that picture at all and it's really scary? haha, really scary! man.
2. that's our new bathroom floor! it's so pretty. and the tile on the walls is pink. ;) i'm kinda obsessed and i think austin is kinda over my obsession. i take pictures in there like everyday, for no reason.
3. i finally hung the prints we got in nashville at hatch show print in our kitchen. i'm not sure why i never hung them in our old apartment, but it just didn't feel right. i was saving them. what a dork.
4. becca gave me this print for christmas, and i love it. it's such a sweet sentiment. also the frame was hidden under our couch at our old place, so it was unearthed when we moved.. i love it.
5. i caught a pretty awful stomach bug on sunday night, and this was a picture i took when i got to work on monday afternoon.. after 2 spotty hours of sleep. :( rough times. i only just recovered fully like, late last night.. and i can seriously tell how much weight i lost just by getting dressed. ugh. i never get stomach bugs like that, and i know i was a dramatic baby about it. glad i got the sweetest boy and sister to take care of me. :)
6. avery and i had a really good naptime this week. this is one of my favorite pictures ever, guys.

so, now that we're officially moved in and unpacked, i realized that i have a sewing room! for the first time ever. :) if that isn't reason enough to find out what's wrong with my sewing machine, i don't know what is. also, i want to make a quilt from this fabric sooo badly. and i'm really feeling like i COULD. especially since i know austin's mom would be willing to help me. :) so, i'm going to go in there today and look at the machine.. wish me luck!

what are you up to these days? <3

in a funk

do you ever find yourself in an unrelenting funk? just super sad, out of it, and annoyed constantly? i've been there for about the entirety of the last week.

what's even more frustrating is how many fun and adorable and exciting things are going on right now. this is my official white flag.. i'm giving my funk a whole day to take over (tomorrow) and then it's got to go. i have plans!

here is a silly photo dump of really cute things that should be making me happy on their own. good to put things in perspective, you know.

this app is perfect and probably my most favorite iphone thing to date.

this is my new lovebirds sweater

and my favorite thing of all of the things:

this baby face timed me this morning! oh geez. i almost couldn't handle it.

so, here goes: kicking the funk out. starting now. or tomorrow. i mean, whatever. <3

snow day

it snowed last week!!! !!!!! as someone who is considering a snowflake tattoo and hasn't seen snow in just about a year, this was the best/ biggest deal. i was at work when the storm started, so i left and it looked like ^ outside. magical. :) of course it didn't last very long.. but it was perfect and i got to build a snowman and i'm not even mad. just a little sad. ;)

the day after the 'storm,' i was off of work and had some outside-of-the-house plans. so i got dressed. and austin took pictures.

scarf: ae
sweater: a million years old uo
shirt: christmas present from becca :) <3
belt: target
shorts: ae
tights: target
socks: uo
rainboots: steve madden, via ebay, via my dad
my new purse: ae

i went with kendall to get her new phone.. i played with/distracted little avery (who is all of a sudden a teenager, idek) while getting really excited to finally be able to text kendall emojis. then we had lunch with kayla, who i haven't seen in a million years because she's busy becoming an officer of the law. it was really cute and then austin & i had a date night and i just really like the snow, you guys!!

now i'm gearing up for my all-time favorite holiday, valentine's day. i want to give every human at my job a little card and some candy. ridiculous.

<3

family

these past couple of weeks, i've been sooo busy. lots of work, lots of family, lots of quick dates with austin, and lots of christmas shopping/wrapping. stuff gets so hectic this time of year, especially working in retail. especially working in the best store in the mall. ;)

i wanted to share a couple of pictures that my sister spliced together that make me really happy.

the top photo was taken in 2010, and the bottom a couple of weeks ago. i love looking at all of our differences! austin said none of us even look like the same people. and i love the little addition to the left side of the bottom picture. ;)

i love my family. <3

my days off

working in retail, my days off are random and scattered, which is kind of how i like them. usually, i have two mini work weeks, while everyone else has a long one. this is how i spent my last couple of days off:

1. i went shopping with my grandma and my aunt cindy, who was visiting from colorado. we were at the mall for about 3 hours, so i made sure to find some time to sit. down. haha. shopping trips are exhausting!!
2. i babysat my girl for a little bit. she started climbing into my laundry basket, which was adorable.. then she wouldn't stop, so i had to move it. but obviously i had to snap some pictures first.
3. austin and i celebrated halloween last night, since i have to close on actual halloween night. we carved our giant pumpkin, roasted a million pumpkin seeds, and watched trick r treat (our fave).
4. austin got this weird card with a working plastic lightbulb in it awhile ago, and avery LOVED it. she was dying over it.
5. i bought the new taylor swift cd (from target for the six extra songs!!) and read all of the lyrics. ;) she's perfect. i'm scheming a way to see her in concert now.
6. i wore a really silly outfit. i actually only wore it to the doctor's office and then changed into leggings and socks, buuuut whatever. i took a picture for becca's approval before leaving the house.

i like to think that since my days off are sort of scattered, i use them more thoughtfully than i would if i had weekends off like everyone else. <3

aunt/niece style post

this blog is quickly becoming an avery appreciation blog, but whatever. she's what i take pictures of. and really, if i'm not working or cleaning, i'm probably trying to hang out with her. ;)

yesterday, i brought her a few presents from becca (who has a blog! and i can link to her! and i'm so happy about it!), and we immediately decided that she needed to wear the skeleton pajamas for the day.

then i realized that we matched, and obviously there needed to be pictures because i go crazy for this kid.

avery's outfit:
onesie: old navy
shoes: stride rite

my outfit:
jacket: uo (old)
sweatshirt: uo
necklace: catbird (no longer available)
dress: uo (old)
leggings: ae
socks: c/o austin ;)
boots: doc martens

we were roaming around an advance auto parts parking lot because kendall's car broke down. it ended up being like a two hour ordeal, during which avery and i took several adventurous walks around the entire building.

we were all a little crazy by the end of it. poor kendall's car is still out of commission, so i drove us around the rest of the day. we had lunch, went grocery shopping, and played with the puppy. avery even talked a little bit for me! which was ridiculous and i died.

the perfect version of a kid, in case you were wondering

today (my second day off in a row after 12 straight days of work), i have no plans (except for the dishes). so i'm going to lay in bed for a little bit longer, catch up on parenthood/project runway/the mindy project, and maybe take a nap. ;)

i hope you're having a good day! <3

these two

this kid has a new friend.

and they're TOO. MUCH. CUTE. to handle.

the puppy is so sweet and gentle with avie, and she tries to be the same with him. ;)

i'm spending my day today with these guys, and i couldn't be more excited. also, i'm sorry kendall, but look at avie's belly and how she's cuddling you in this picture. had to post it.

<3

trip to the science museum

our downtown science museum is one of my favorite places in the whole world. it's not crazy or anything, but it's perfectly sized for a day trip and exploring when you just want to. unfortunately, it's been under construction for a loooong time (and will be under construction until next summer), and the new home of the science museum is kind of a let down.. but we decided it'd still be a fun thing to watch avery experience, and it was.. sort of.

there were like three things that she liked, and she was totally uninterested in the things that we thought she was going to lose her mind over. i guess toddlers are just like that.

i do know one thing, though - a baby drum set is definitely in avery's future. one that we'll leave at her pop's house. ;)

so, that's my sister.
also a giant mouth that we. were. all. about. and avery was its #1 hater.

pretty sure she just loved that we were letting her do whatever she wanted with a computer. but this one read her whatever she typed!!!! ...magic. ;)

i feel bad that i'm being kinda rude, because it was all adorable to see through avery's eyes which was our original point, and the new museum sounds awesome, so i can't wait to take her there.. but this was just kinda silly. the most interesting part for kendall and i was talking to the employee about tarantulas.. because there were two just HANGING OUT at the front desk. ugh, geez, not my favorite thing.

after this, we both got maximum cuddles from avery and ate fast food for lunch and watched some spongebob. it was cute. i love days with these two. <3

distributing gifts

one of my first stops when i got home from renegade was to visit my sister and avery, so that i could give them their gifts from chicago. it'd been too long since i had seen them last, and since avery seems to somehow grow up way too much in between every single time i see her, i've been trying to make them more of a priority.

kendall and i have been having trouble finding little cardigans for avery now that the weather is cooling down, so when i saw this one at h&m, i had to snatch it up. she put it on as soon as i got over there (over nothing but her diaper) and it was SO. cute. it'll look good over everything this fall/winter. :)

the scarf that avery is wearing in the picture is the gift i brought kendall back from renegade. i found it at the little minnow booth, and kinda wish i had picked one up for myself, too. luckily they both loved their little presents.. especially avie, who wore them around until her bath.

this baby is hysterical. she's a serious snacker. she hardly ever agrees to eating meals, but she'll snack all day long. this day, she did such a good job sitting and eating messy doritos while kendall and i caught up.

dorito face.

<3

taking a breather

livin' the life

things are pretty rough right now, and i'm spending most of my time wading through a lot of stress and emotions (and even some paperwork! haha). lately, anything that i write turns into a big block of complaints (which is why all of last week was a bunch of wish lists), and i don't want to memorialize anything like that for anyone. all you gotta know is i'm alive, i'm wearing taylor swift's perfume and painting my nails lilac, my boyfriend knows exactly how to calm me down, and my best friend is finally in town for the week. i'm sure everything else will fall into it's right place when it's supposed to. right???

<3

growing like a weed

look at all of that hair!

this pretty girl is getting BIG. it's kind of mind-blowing, considering how much of her life i've spent describing her as petite and itty-bitty and "small for her age." she's toddler-sized now! she's turning into this cool kid, too. i just love seeing all of these changes in her!

her shoes are finally fitting her feet. she doesn't like these much (neither does anyone else, to be honest), but they're good for her little growing feet, and they're hard for her to get off. apparently so far, her favorite shoes are her tiny toms that i got her in nashville! which obviously makes my life. :)

avie with her grammy (my mom)

can you tell in this picture that she's trying NOT to smile? she's such a little brat. ;)

the biggest girl!

tickle fights are SO fun. but she lets you know when she's beyond over it.

sweet girl <3

she really likes pulling things out of bags, and putting them back in (unless she finds a cell phone, in which case.. she's gone, with the phone). she looks really tiny next to my tote bag, though.

this is the weirdest stuffed animal i've ever seen in my life.. it has teeth?

if we hand her a stuffed animal and say "awwww!," she'll cuddle it HARD. like super hard. i guess she does this with humans, too. i just love it.

i love everything about her! we die laughing when she's being a butthead and melt into puddles when she's sweet. it's a roller coaster. ;) <3

kendall's 21st birthday

last week, my little sister turned 21! which is so weird. and makes me feel SO old. but that's fine. our dad has taken us to the same restaurant for our birthdays since before i can remember. it's a tradition that i don't mind at all.

a really awful storm with hail as big as quarters started pretty much right when austin and i needed to leave the house to meet my family.

i like taking pictures of frankenstein on road trips and i guess now i like taking pictures of him during weird weather.

thankfully, we got there safe, albeit a lil wet.

i don't drink, so my 21st birthday was kind of a non-event (actually, that's a lie.. some really cute people threw me a "wine and cheese" party, but that's for another time). but that doesn't mean that i didn't get super excited for kendall's! when we got there, she was enjoying her first legal drink. it was so cute. avery was really into the whipped cream at the top, uhh.

kendall and her little family

me and my little family ;)

i love my little sister. there's so much we disagree on, but growing up together really does give us an understanding of each other that no one else will ever have. i've gotten to see her so much more lately than i did while i was in college, and i cherish every second of it. even if she thinks i only see her to spend time with avery!

i'm so glad i have a sister. <3

she was wearing 4 inch wedges.. we're the same height, i promise!

this restaurant takes a group picture at birthdays. i'm sure kendall and i could scrounge up about 10 or so of these each. i think last year's picture from kendall's birthday was the best picture i've ever taken.. ever. we always talk about that, haha. ;) i like this year's because austin had to bend down to fit in with us shorties!

the whole gang!
grandma, jennifer, dad, me & avery, austin
eddie, kendall
cake

it was so nice out after dinner was over. :) <3

i don't have instagram, but that doesn't really stop me

i find myself snapping little pictures on my phone all of the time. some of them are for practical reasons, like needing confirmation on an outfit, but others are because the moment is 2 cute 2 b 4gotten.

1. avery fell asleep on me and i couldn't resist her lil chubby legs
2. i had lunch with my mama at a place in town last week, and our sandwiches came out shaped like little hearts :)
3. mine and austin's drinks at lunch were pretty, summery, and complementary.
4. a favorite christmas gift finally found a home.. i've since given him a couple of necklaces.

5. i needed confirmation from becca that i didn't look like an insane person in this outfit. i couldn't find my left black flat, and doc martens were my only option. i've since cleaned our closet, and found it.
6. has anyone else seen the newest issue of bust magazine? i love every copy of this magazine, but this month tavi is on the cover. her interview and the pictures are perfect.
7. mixing bathing suit patterns at work. i loved this one.

hopefully one day i'll have instagram, so this nonsensical picture taking won't be in vain. ;) <3

water fights and iced lattes

one thing that i hope is super obvious about me these days is that i take my role as aunt REALLY seriously.. i love little avery so intensely, and i want to make sure that she knows it. even if she's only 13 months old. i think this blog is at least a percentage dedicated to her, because i love having a little timeline of her growing up.

this is why, on every one of my thursdays off, you'll find me with kendall and avery for at least a few hours. today, i happened to arrive to their house right as they were filling up avie's tiny pool. i didn't bring my phone or my camera outside, which was a good thing.. because it turned into a full-fled water fight. i ended up soaking wet, even though i tried hard to stay out of it :( . in these pictures, i was wearing my sister's hoodie and a pair of her boyfriend's boxers while my clothes were in the dryer, haha.

this baby is so funny. her attraction to cell phones (all she does is hold them up and pretend like she's talking to them), her aversion to doing basically anything by herself, and her teeth-baring laugh make her one of my favorite people to be around.

luckily, i like my sister a lot, too. ;)

after i left kendall and avery to their naptime, i met my friend caroline at the coffee shop down the street. caroline is bekuh's and my favorite model for the button factory (tied with kendall, of course), but she and i realized recently that we never hang out. it was so nice being able to sit down and have an uninterrupted conversation with her about all kinds of things. i can't wait for more adventures with her, she's the sweetest girl.

i just really love days off! and making new friends! and that sweet lil baby. i'm glad i had such a relaxing day off, because i'm sure this weekend (my last at my current job!!) is going to be just a roller coaster of emotions. <3

what i do when i have the house to myself

source

austin's family got some pretty awful news today, so he's spending his night with them. when i'm home alone, and a little on edge from rotten news, i get kind of antsy. i tried to make positive use of my alone time, by washing the dishes and moving some things in my room around, but then i remembered something my friend jenn told me earlier this week: there's a taylor swift documentary on netflix.

i LOVE taylor swift. jenn and i used to work in an office together, and from the day that "speak now" came out until we thought our coworkers may murder us, we played it.. on repeat.. really loudly. constantly. taylor swift is probably number two in my imaginary list of concerts i would like to attend (the white stripes is number one, and well..).

anyway, i watched that, cried a little, and now i'm rewatching some girls. then i'll probably watch gossip girl while i eat dinner. i finished "the year of the flood" last night, and haven't picked my next book.. so why not veg all night? mostly i wish austin could be here so i could comfort him, but i know he needs his family/his family needs him right now.

also, here's what i did today:

avery on her cellphone, new shorts, avery's bracelets & her lil grin

i've also been all over the internet tonight, so i have some things to share:

i love this outfit that kaylah at the dainty squid posted.

color me katie is another one of my favorite blogs ever, and i loved her most recent post.

back in february, bekuh and i foolishly made plans to see moonrise kingdom THE DAY IT CAME OUT, but obviously it only came out in nyc and la. it still isn't out here, so little peeks like emily's descriptions of the imaginary books in the movie are getting me even more excited!

little posts like this make me really excited to get married (one day).

i'm really obsessed with this etsy store, especially this dress and a few others.. (i've only favorited about ten).

love this sweet necklace. and this one. and also this one.

<3

trying to welcome summer

even though i'm now officially a documented summer-hater, i did a couple of things that scream summer on my day off this week. kendall has been taking little avery to the pool every day, and i've been soo jealous. i finally got to join them!

i love those sweet ladies. <3

(she had something to add to my conversation)

i stayed as long as i could, until i got a distressing call and had to leave for a couple of hours. it was probably just in time, though, because in those couple of hours, i got sunburnt. :( i really, really do not tan (if you can't tell..), my skin turns bright pink and then i go back to being stark white. i'm okay with it, because i'm going to have awesome skin in my later years, but the recovery time super sucks. you have no idea the amount of editing i had to do these to make me not look like a vampire.. and i still kind of do.

after i took care of some car business (that ran upwards of $150! - does anyone else think cars are the number one biggest waste of money? ugh), i met back up with kendall and avery, with kayla in tow!, for some frozen custard from a cute new place in town, chillypop.

she was clearly into taste testing everyone's custard.

obsessed with this picture.

by the end of it, my cone was perfectly avery-sized! the parlor was a tiny space, so the four of us kind of took it over while we were there. avery was acting like she owned the place. ;)

i have to be honest, if summer can keep offering up sweet get togethers like these, i might change my tune. <3