Introducing Polyvore

Polyvore is a site I've discovered that lets you create inspiration boards or sets by choosing from hosts of products across the internet. You can make your own from scratch or choose from pages and pages pre-designed templates they've created.

I actually discovered Polyvore quite some time ago, but I just never knew what I wanted to make or where to start, so I gave up. It was a little discouraging how much creative inspiration is required just to create an inspiration board!

I don't consider myself a very creative and certainly not artistic person in the first place, so this kind of thing can be real struggle for me. For instance, my initial impulse in creating the board below was to make everything proportionate in relation to everything else. Which obviously isn't how this kind of thing works. But after playing with it for a little while, I like how it turned out!

For this board I was too focused on simply finding things that coordinated and looked good together to worry about selecting things that I actually own or plan on getting for vacation next month. (Not to mention, a lot of the stuff you can choose from on there is designer-expensive.) The one thing I do own is the ruffle coverup from Target - but in magenta. Nonetheless, it was fun to make and gave the right side of my brain a good workout!

Beach Inspiration by abkauffman featuring messenger tote bags

Vacationing: Good Reads

As you know, we have been living in a state of extreme anticipation of our tropical vacation that is now just over 3 weeks away. All summer long I have been telling myself I will get prepared for this vacation ahead of time so I have everything reasonable that I may need for an as near-to-perfect experience possible. You know, a beach hat, a beach tote, all foreseeably needed levels of spf, beach hair products, enough sets of swimsuits, no shortage of breezy sun dresses, and of course, some good summer vacation reading materials.

Which brings me to the question: What should I read?

I don't want some stupid modern drama filled with bad grammar and poor style... but I also don't want some old cozy mystery that you should be reading by a fireplace in the dead of winter. I want something light yet gripping...something that I don't want to put down...an easy read, but still well-written.

3-2-1-suggest.

Lately

Sometimes you just get caught up in a groove with things and feel like you'll never get over them. Then one day you do, and something else replaces them. But until then...

I am...

Listening:

Getting ready for work in the morning...cooking dinner in the evening. Can't stop. Here.

Watching:

Thanks Erin and Becky. And Netflix. Here.

Drinking:

Slightly chilled. With your feet kicked up. Here.

Reading:

I'm finally reading it. Here.

Dreaming:

A beachfront room in only 2 months. (Summer is flying by.) Here.

Survival of the Crazy

Well, we made it! I know it's been a few weeks since I've been on the blog, but what a busy few weeks they have been. And I have plenty of pictures to share! We had a wonderful time in Lynchburg over the weekend of the wedding and then a wonderful time with family staying with us afterwards. And now we know: we can fit 7 adults, a toddler and newborn, and one very active 11 year old boy all in our little apartment. It involves the moving of furniture, the inflating of air mattresses, and the utilization of all floor space, but it works!

Then like I mentioned before, my brother-in-law Nathan stayed with us for almost a week after everyone else left, so we got an extension of the fun! Sadly, it wasn't all fun, considering that I got sick in the middle of the week, but with Nathan cleaning the house every day and making trips to the store for gatorade and soup to take care of my sickie self while Levi was at work, I eventually made it back on two feet. We were sad to lose our house maid, but I suppose all good things must come to an end.

Enjoy some pictures from the festivities!

I finally got to meet this big guy, my new nephew Cameron!

Horsey got quite the workout.

     

Bride and brother at the rehearsal dinner.

Gorgeous wedding venue. It was so whimsical!

 
          

Mr. & Mrs. Doremus!

Over 50 years of marriage. Love them so much.

       

Bring on the Crazy!

It is midnight before I have time to post a quick update, which makes sense considering the busyness of this exciting weekend! Levi's second sister Rachel is getting married! The grandparents arrived two nights ago to visit us for a little while before we head down to Lynchburg tomorrow for the wedding, which is Sunday. We've greatly enjoyed their time here with us and are so excited to see the rest of the family tomorrow!

(Also, just fyi, I will be meeting my second nephew for the first time tomorrow. Kind of extra excited about that!)

We'll be coming back Sunday night with a whole entourage - Levi's parents, brother, sister and her husband, and our 2 yr. old and 2 month old nephews will be here for a few nights once we make it back. Yes, that's 7 adults and 2 children. God will multiply our apartment's floor space, I just know it. Thank goodness I have such an amazing family of in-laws! And thank goodness I have Monday off work.

Dinner on our patio last night.

Dinner on a patio at a Mexican restaurant tonight.

Love them!

Weeknight Date: Baseball Edition

We were scheduled to go to a Nats vs. Tigers game this past Tuesday night, but when we got to our designated parking lot, we found out the game had been rained out, despite the fact that it wasn't raining. Perhaps the field got too wet over the course of the thunderstorms throughout the day...who knows? The game was rescheduled for 4PM on Thursday, so we made it a dinner-in-DC night and headed home.

Needless to say, we were really happy to finally make it to the game on Thursday afternoon! We had pretty good seats relatively close to the field, just over right field. There's just something about sitting back in that seat at a baseball game, waiting for the crack of the bat, watching the corny prompts on the screens, cheering at will, and eating that big, beautiful hot dog.

Here's to America's pastime.

Derby Style

I had a great time at this past weekend's Derby party! It was so fun to get dolled up and spend an afternoon with some friends, even if Mylute didn't win the race. Here is a recap of the afternoon in a few pictures.

 



















I decided to do my hair in a simple side bun - elegant with or without the hat. How easy was it? I blow dried my hair, pulled it into a side ponytail, teased it a bit so it would stay full and hold well, twisted it loosely in a circle around the hairband, and inserted bobby pins appropriately. After spritzing with some hair spray, I marveled at how my hair almost always turns out better when I do it in a rush for some reason. Go figure.

The linen dress I picked came from the depths of not only my closet, but my life. It's from high school. It was one of my favorite dresses at the time, and when I put it on again for the first time in years, I was taken back in time. It wasn't an altogether positive feeling either - especially since I now realize that it's a pretty boxy dress that on its own is cute, but honestly doesn't look fantastic on me. I could stand for it to fit a little snugger through the body and hit just above the knee instead of below. But it my high school days...what did I know? Regardless, it worked well for the Derby theme. That may have been its last hurrah though.

[Brooke calling Lindsay: I'm looking for that picture of us from your high school graduation. You know the one. With the dress. Help?]

Ah, here it is! This was technically after I had graduated high school. But...same dress.

(Thank you, Lindsay. Now back to the Derby party.)

   

My conclusion at the end of the party was...I think I could get used to the high life. For a little while.

And They're Off!

So like I mentioned before, it's going to be a busy summer! The festivities kick off this month with a Kentucky Derby party, a park picnic, a wedding, and a not-your-average Memorial Day weekend cookout. (I'll explain later.) I'll be sharing all the fun details with pictures throughout the month, but for now, how about those Derby hats?

I've always wanted to go to a Derby party or even attend Virginia's Gold Cup races. I'm sad that I didn't plan ahead enough for the latter this year (it always springs up on me before I have a chance to remember that I want to go!), but I'm really excited about today's Derby party my friend has been planning! Maybe I'll catch the International Gold Cup in October.

I honestly haven't given much thought to my outfit for this occasion, but at least I have a couple of dress options and a hat that I picked up earlier this week. The basics are covered! I'll also be making a homemade pecan pie to share, which I haven't done since Thanksgiving, so I'm pretty excited about that.

My goal for this month (the whole summer, actually) is to TAKE MORE PICTURES! I'm so bad at remembering to do this, but I really want to be more conscientious about it because I want to keep enjoying these events even after they're over. For now, enjoy these colorful sights from the Kentucky Derby website and read up on the history of Derby fashion while you're at it! Later this afternoon I'll be donning a preppy outfit of my own - however it comes together - with a mint julep in hand. Happy Derby Day! My own pictures to come.

Weekend Snapshots

Weekends just go by so fast, don't they? This weekend has been no exception, and even though it's not quite over yet, I'm amazed again by how quickly it slips through my fingers. Kind of like summer - slipping through your fingers. Like sand at the beach in the summer. Slipping through your fingers. You get it.

Yesterday I met up with a couple of friends at the Great Grapes wine, arts, and food festival in the Reston Town Center. It was a glorious, sunny, 70-degree day, perfect for putting on a breezy dress and walking over to enjoy the music, samplings, and weekend-y atmosphere. Did I ever mention I love living across the street from the Town Center? I really do. There is much more fun to be had there over the course of the spring and summer!

Speaking of summer, pretty soon I'll be sharing some of the plans we have for the best season of the year! It will be a busy one for sure, but there is SO much to look forward to.