Happy weekend! When the weather is nice (and it’s getting better by the week here in Tennessee) we like to go out on a Saturday and get some donuts (and a coconut milk coffee for me!) and sit and watch the local dogs go by. Lola is so obsessed with dogs, so she loves waving at them and getting to pet friendly ones when the owners say it’s OK. I think dogs are so cool and mysterious to her since we just have cats at home, so she gets pretty excited when one comes along!
1. Our matching Mommy + Baby sweaters!
2. So excited for the new season of Veep. It’s sometimes hard to find a show that both Todd and I are equally excited to watch, but this is one of them.
3. Totally getting this for our little nature girl—I think it’s really important to let kids explore and be curious about the outside world and this looks like such a great way to get a closer look at some cool bugs (or rocks or flowers) without harming them.
4. I totally have our outdoor space on the brain this week and I love the color and look of these outdoor chairs.
5. Sweet little bunny garland for Easter.
6. Yes, please.
7. It may seem simple or dumb, but I have pretty long hair and it’s always annoyed me at night as it’s all over the place while I sleep (or Todd is laying on a part of it when I try and roll over—ouch!) but our blog photographer Amber told me she sleeps with a scrunchie in her hair and it keeps it all out of the way and I love it! I just put it all up into a super high pony when I sleep and loosen it a little at the roots so it’s not too tight and it keeps it contained and away from my face while I sleep. I like the velvet scrunchies for this since other types tend to slip out of my hair, and the velvet grips just enough to stay without pulling.
8. This dress is vintage perfection.
9. I’m starting some outdoor gardening and landscaping projects this week and it feels SOOOO good to be outside and working in the dirt for a bit. I kind of like outdoor manual labor (as long as it’s not crazy hot or crazy cold) and it’s fun to plan out some new home projects and think of ways to improve the backyard a little year by year.
10. Cutest little swimsuit and cap.
Our spring daffodils are coming up in the yard and I can see our banana leaf trees I planted last year are sprouting as well (I was a little worried they wouldn’t make it though the winter, but they did!). Can’t wait to see the yard in full bloom soon! xo. Laura
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I travel fairly often. Mostly for work, but I certainly love to see the world whenever I am lucky enough to have the opportunity! This still feels fairly new to my life, as I didn’t even own my own luggage until I was 25 (I’m 33 now, so I guess it’s not that new … but you get it). I rarely check a bag. In fact, I’ve probably only checked a bag maybe five times in my life and I’ve had my luggage lost three times. To be fair, one of those times was 100% my fault (it’s a long story), but that’s still a weirdly high average, right? Since I’m a mostly carry-on only kind of gal, I thought I’d share a few tips I’ve learned over the years to maximize what you can fit in a carry-on size suitcase.
First, plan your shoes. I tend to only pack a maximum of three pairs of shoes (wearing one on the plane, of course) and I often travel with just two pairs. Shoes can quickly take up a lot of suitcase space so choosing styles that will go with a variety of outfits you plan to pack is ideal. I also will usually wear the largest pair of shoes I plan to bring on the plane, unless it’s too uncomfortable for some reason. This just frees up more space in your suitcase. So, if you plan to pack a cute pair of boots, wear them on the plane unless it’s just not practical (like wearing heavy snow boots for an 8+ hour flight, I could probably skip that).
Once you’ve planned outfits around the shoes you plan to bring (taking into account the activities you plan to do or types of clothes you’ll need to wear for work, etc.), roll your clothing as much as possible. Not only does this save space, but in my experience it often helps to minimize wrinkles too.
This isn’t carry-on bag related, but I also highly recommend TSA Precheck (This is U.S. only but there may be other versions of the same thing in other countries). It’s not very expensive and lasts five years! I did have to make time to do it, as you’ll have to make an appointment to get fingerprints done and a few other items. But since getting it last year I am now SO sorry I didn’t get it sooner! There has already been one flight situation this year where I certainly would have missed my flight if I hadn’t had TSA Precheck.
You know by now that clean beauty is one of my favorite subjects. Throughout the past few years, not only have I found the best of the best through trial and error, but there are also incredible new items coming out all the time. It was a struggle even three of four years ago to find products that were clean, but also well branded and affordable. That has changed! The options now are better than ever, so I’m back again to share a few new favorites that have creeped onto my radar lately.
