By Tara I'm pretty sure it's toddler law that clothing is not allowed to last longer than a month or two, at least in my house. Three wearings into a pair of jeans, and the knees are shot. One trip to preschool, and whatever t-shirt I've put on my kid will be stained beyond repair. Those sweatpants that fit last week are capri length this week. It's obnoxious. So, I'm pretty happy that H&M, my favorite trendy/disposable clothing store, makes an adorable children's line. Pink Knit Dress Tulle Skirt Knit Dress Ruffle Collar Jersey Dress Twill Pants Most of the... Continue reading

By Tara I absolutely adore visiting the Frontgate store any chance I get, even though everything in there is well beyond my price range. But when has that ever stopped me from creating a wishlist before, huh? I think this carousel is absolutely gorgeous, and since it can be set to play either Christmas carols or year-round songs, it's almost a steal at $400. Or not. But still...so pretty! My husband looks at me funny every time I try to bring up this idea, but I think having a life-sized nutcracker or two on my porch during the holiday season... Continue reading

By Tara One of my former college roommates was married in Atlanta this past weekend, and as a play on her new last name of Ball (as well as our adopted state of Georgia's 'redneck' reputation), she went with these adorable 'Georgia Waterford' wineglasses as her wedding favors: And since I have Christmas on the mind, all I can think about are the decorating options for these, because seriously...how cute would these be filled with mini red and silver ornaments? Like say, maybe these from IKEA? Which I just already happen to own? Because I have an obsession when it... Continue reading

By Tara When we moved into our current house, I was suddenly introduced to the maddening process of trying to keep a dark granite countertop clean, without leaving streaks behind when the cleaning process was over. My mother-in-law suggested dish soap and water, and I thought she was crazy, because it couldn't be that simple, could it? Not after I'd tried every other cleaning product, ever. Turns out, she was right. I add a little dish soap to a spray bottle, fill it with water, spray down my counters, dry it all with a dish towel, and call it a... Continue reading

By Tara I haven't been on Pinterest recently, because real life keeps getting in the way of my Internet time, but one of the Pinterest tricks that has stuck with me over the last few months involves freezing those three-wick Bath and Body Works candles to remove the last layer of wax that always remains when the wicks burn out, in order to reuse the glass containers. And, I love that trick, because I've spent a ridiculous amount of money over the years on various glass containers, while throwing out perfectly good options that I already owned. Then, because (right... Continue reading

By Tara I am well aware that talking about Christmas related things before Halloween is something that really shouldn't be done, but I can't help that on a recent trip to IKEA, the entire area right by the cash registers was decked out for my favorite holiday. I also can't help that with a due date of December 7th, I am bound and determined to have my Christmas fully shopped, wrapped, and decorated by the middle of November. One item on my December to-do list for this year is an Advent activity calendar (this seems to be a Style Lush... Continue reading

By Tara My daughter's third birthday party was this past weekend, and a couple of weeks before the party, my mother-in-law called to tell me about this awesome Doc McStuffins puzzle set that she'd found at Toys "R" Us. It included four separate puzzles, in one box, for $12.99, and she was thrilled to have found it. In a case of great timing, she caught me just as I was going to order a set of the puzzles for myself, having found them while looking for a big sister gift to send to a friend's daughter (That friend being Style... Continue reading

By Tara So...I have a problem. See, one of my very favorite people/former college roommate is getting married on November 3rd. And way back in March, she asked me to be in the wedding. And I said yes, because...of course I want to be up there with her when she gets married! And then, a couple of weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. With a due date of December 7th. Which will make me all of 35 weeks pregnant at her wedding. (I did give her the option of demoting me to something less...involved...in all of the pictures,... Continue reading

By Tara I know I've mentioned this before, but one of my favorite things about living just north of Atlanta is our proximity to so many cute little towns and activities in the North Georgia Mountains. I really do feel like I have the best of both worlds, with museums and theaters and restaurants to the south of me, and forests and lakes and mountains to the north. I love it. One of the things that has been on my fall to-do list for the last few years, but that we've never quite made it around to experiencing, is apple... Continue reading

By Tara My husband signed us up for an Amazon Prime trial subscription awhile back, then conveniently forgot to cancel it before the trial subscription ran out, THEN went ahead and ordered something using that Prime membership that we never meant to have. So, now we're stuck with it, I think. And for $80 a year, it's probably not the worse mistake we've ever made, as we order off of Amazon, a lot. Since we're stuck with it, I spent the weekend looking into what else we get with the membership, in addition to the free shipping on Prime eligible... Continue reading

By Tara Do you know what would make my life easier when it comes to following a budget? If I could just bring myself to unsubscribe from Kate Spade and her weekly 'you know you can't resist my pretty stuff' emails. Unfortunately, I am not that strong. I still get the emails every week, and of course, I want EVERYTHING in them. And because misery loves company, I am going to make you all look at all of the pretty things I want but can't have (and honestly, don't need, even though that's really not the point of Kate Spade,... Continue reading

By Tara I am a big fan of using a primer on my face before foundation, because I have that annoying kind of skin where, if you don't moisturize in the morning, you look about ten years older than you actually are because your face is a tight, dry mess, but if you do moisturize in the morning, all of the make-up you spent A WHOLE TEN MINUTES applying will slide right off of your skin about an hour later, and you become that person applying a faceful of make-up in the office bathroom before most people have finished their... Continue reading

By Tara I know it's pretty late in the season for this, but the end of summer usually means an end of summer clearance sale on all things beach related, so maybe it's really the PERFECT time for a post on beach chairs? (Plus, I am actually at the beach this week, so I have sun and sand on the mind. You may commence hating me now, if you'd like...) May I present...the greatest beach chair in the history of beach chairs? Not only does this chair recline completely, but it also comes with a cooler on the back and... Continue reading

By Tara My almost three-year old is absolutely OBSESSED with the Doc McStuffins cartoon on Disney Jr, to the point that we have an episode on the iPhone that we pull out when we're reaching the 'toddler meltdown' point of any public outing, and it buys us an extra twenty minutes to make our escape in peace, even though she's seen that episode several times already. (For those of you that don't live with a Disney obsessed toddler, Doc McStuffins revolves around a 'doctor' who fixes broken toys. It's less cringe inducing than most of the shows out there geared... Continue reading

By Tara Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, fashion-wise. Jeans, boots, tights, cute jackets and sweaters...I LOVE pulling out my fall wardrobe at the end of the summer. This year, though, those favorite things of mine won't see the light of day, thanks to my increasing girth and December due date, so I'm going to have to modify things just a bit. Luckily, there is no shortage of cute maternity items out there, just begging me to spend my money on them, and I have a new fall uniform in mind. Convertible Sleeve Tie Detail Maternity Dress -... Continue reading

By Tara Last year, I found an awesome set of winter-ish dishes at Home Goods that I knew would look fantastic sitting on my dining room table all of December and January. And they did! Now, I want to do something similar for fall (and by fall, I mean Halloween, of course...). August isn't too early to work on my wishlist, right? Table runner: {photo credit: potterybarn.com} Silver charger: {photo credit: amazon.com} Appetizer plates: {photo credit: potterybarn.com} Black wine glasses: {photo credit: amazon.com} Candle holders: {photo credit: amazon.com} Centerpiece (Although, I'd go with red flowers instead of black. And I'd... Continue reading

By Tara Last year, my mother-in-law bought my daughter a dress to grow into that she'd found on sale in the Fresh Produce shop in Key West. This year, after the growing into was complete, her 'beach dress' has become pretty much the only thing my kid EVER wants to wear. In fact, two weeks ago we had a full-fledged meltdown on our hands when Brigid realized that we wouldn't let her wear a dress that smelled like sour milk, after she'd spilt an entire glass of the stuff down the front of her at dinner the night before. So,... Continue reading

By Tara Last month, Leah offered up a pretty fabulous option for bracelet storage using a paper towel holder, and I loved the idea of having my bracelets displayed on the bathroom counter for quick access every morning, since not being able to see them easily meant that they never got worn. However, I got tired of always having to take all of the bracelets off of the holder to get ones that I wanted at the bottom of the stack because, well, I'm kind of lazy and always running late. So, my bracelets still weren't getting worn as much... Continue reading

By Tara Every single flower delivery I've ever received has arrived in the same standard glass vase, and after 32 years of flower delivery (or, at least the 10 years of flower deliveries since I graduated from college and left my hometown, prompting my mother to send me flowers every year on my birthday) (yes, she's awesome like that), I have a cabinet full of boring glass vases. Then, I came across this project on Pinterest: (photo credit: designtjejen.blogg.se) I still need to perfect my paint swirling skills, but luckily, I have another 10-ish vases to do that, if I... Continue reading

By Tara I live about 20 minutes north of Atlanta (or, just slightly OTP, for those of you familiar with the area), but since traffic can be a nightmare around the city when there is a lot going on, we usually spend our weekends heading further north when we can. So if you ever find yourself with some free time in the area, I'd highly recommend spending a day or two (or more) wandering around the beautiful areas in the North Georgia mountains. Option 1: Helen, GA Helen is this odd little alpine village, tucked right into the middle of... Continue reading

By Tara I've always known that World Market is a great place to go for fun and slightly off the wall gift ideas, or kitchen supplies, or household decorations, but I've only ever gone into the store with a specific purchase in mind, so I haven't spent much time browsing for anything else. Then, a couple of months ago, I was gifted a scarf from the store, and now I can't stop adding accessories from the website to my wishlist. My current list? Stripe Scarf with Anchor Emblem ($16.99) Turquoise and Wood Seed Bead Necklace ($12.99) Metallic Wrap Watch ($19.99)... Continue reading

By Tara I'm a pretty big fan of the Target dollar bins, where I like to stock up on cheap little items to add to my emergency toddler entertainment drawer. My newest favorite find? The window gel clings... (Photo from: amazon.com, because Target doesn't have the window clings I buy on their website.) I picked up a pack around Christmas, and my two-year old had a great time sticking snowflakes all over the kitchen door. And a few holiday versions later, the fun of sticking and unsticking things to and from the windows hasn't worn off. Case in point, the... Continue reading

By Tara I've wanted a cable knit blanket for a very long time, and even though it's currently the middle of the summer, I am the proud owner of a brand new couch, and now seems as good a time to go blanket shopping as any. Currently on my list: This one, from Pottery Barn ($79.99), is by far my favorite, because it's soft and wonderful, and the red would look fabulous with my other decorations. Plus, it comes with matching pillows... Unfortunately, I do very little shopping at the regular Pottery Barn store, so unless this blanket shows up... Continue reading

By Tara I really have the most TERRIBLE timing when it comes to having children, as I am now two-for-two on being exceptionally pregnant during the hottest months of the Atlanta summer. In fact, I'd say it's almost impressive, this talent of mine, if I weren't so busy fanning myself at the mere thought of the heat and humidity ahead of me. But because I'm probably not going to be allowed to spend the entire pregnancy in my air conditioned happy place, I've been on the hunt for a suitable pregnancy t-shirt. For some reason, ruched tops have a tendancy... Continue reading

By Tara I love trips to the beach, but I am pretty much incapable of not picking up every piece of beach 'stuff' that I come across while I'm there. Of course, this means that I need to come up with some sort of project that not only incorporates the piles of driftwood and shells that I've accumulated over the years, but also does so in an 'I don't actually live on the beach' kind of way. This is my FAVORITE kind of Internet research, right here... (Photo from: driftwoodstuff.blogspot.com) (Photo from: ellenscreativepassage.blogspot.com - she uses them as planter decorations,... Continue reading