5 Things

You guys, I'm alive. I know you were all waiting on pins and needles for me to grace myself with my presence again on this 'ol site.

Work has been kicking my butt and compound that with a toddler whose perfect sleep habits just went bat shit crazy, I'm running on fumes and sadly the blog is the first place to take a hit. That said, I've got a lot of things going on behind the scenes that I've been itching to share with you!

One. I've had so so many requests for my favorite recommendations in Charleston, so I'm working on a travel guide with all of my favorite restaurants, places to go that are off the beaten tourist path, and where to stay. Stay tuned!

Two. 15 months after the birth of my child I'm finally working on his baby book! (Tell me I'm not the only one this far behind!?) I filled out a previous baby book the first month or so but I think I was high on the newborn smell because none of what I wrote makes sense and I wasn't in love with the baby book itself. Enter this gorgeous Mushybooks baby book and now I'm super inspired! I can't wait to show more of this to you guys, its so perfect!

Three. With the lack of sleep I'm all about comfort lately and Thug Life Shirts hooked it up with this fun Good Vibes Only tee. I'm obsessed with how soft it is! It's been on repeat with my ripped denim shorts and converse at daycare drop off. I'm partial to these Wine Tasting on the Couch and Coffee & Mascara tees but I could probably spend an hour reading all of the fun options. Make sure to use code HOMESWEETRUBY for 15% off!

For reference, I usually swear a women's medium or large and I got the unisex tee in size small. It's got just the right amount of stretch to it that it shoes some of my shape but not the muffin top.

Four. I just need to add a few finishing touches to Rowan's toddler table and I'm excited to share the end result! Despite the fact its a little crooked underneath its somehow level and cute so I'm going to count that as a win? Don't worry, I'll teach you how not to build a crooked table.

Five. I'm also teaming up with the sweetest and super creative mama, Emily, of Emily Johnson Art. I'm obsessed with her watercolor art (hello perfect nursery prints!) and can't wait to see what she does with the family photo I sent her!

Hope your week has been less bananas than ours! xo

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Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends! Its been a catch-up week as we all recover from Rowan coming down with Roseola last week. It was terrible so we're relieved to see him back to his normal happy and highly entertaining self!

I also wanted to say THANK YOU to those of you who reached out after hearing he was sick again on my Snapchat and for the kind love on my previous post! You are all so sweet and I'm continually in awe at this amazing community!

I know I'm a little behind today but I wanted to get some feedback from y'all and share some faves from the week!

+ I'm officially obsessed with cement tile and have big plans for redoing a bathroom with gorgeous patterned tile like this someday! 

+ I've been trying to eat healthier lately and I'm loving these Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts. I use the Balsamic Glaze from Trader Joe's and its so, so good!

+ Currently searching for the perfect black one-piece swimsuit that doesn't make me feel like a mom. I have this Target Flounce One-Piece but I'd prefer something with stronger straps. Then I found this Hollister One-Piece and despite my reservations about the brand, it seems like a perfect combo of cute and covered depending on how those side cutouts go. I'll keep you posted! Anyone else have any one-piece suggestions?

+ Speaking of swimsuits, Rowan has his first swim class this weekend! He loves the tub until you get his head wet and it goes downhill from there, so I'm setting my expectations pretty low. Any tips mamas?!

+ Finally ordered these Pillowfort chairs for the DIY toddler table we made, hoping to paint it this weekend so I can share with you soon! I'll share some peaks on Snapchat in you're interested! (@HomeSweetRuby)

+ Loving these Sam Edelman Gemma Sandals. Per usual, they'll be in my online cart until hopefully they go on sale!

And last but definitely not least, I'm super stoked because my husband and I are going to Hawaii this summer! He is heading there for work so I'm going to be that wife that tags along while R gets some TLC from grandma. I'm sure I'll be a nervous wreck leaving him but it will be so good for my husband and I to get away considering we've had like 3 date nights in 15 months.

So I need recommendations! If anyone has been to Oahu please share things to do, restaurants, etc! I'm hoping we can sneak off to Maui while he is off work but if not I'm sure Oahu will have plenty to do!

Hope you all have a fab weekend!

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To My Toddler...

In my moonlighting as a blogger, I don't often come across a post about the fun side of the toddler stage.

I fully admit I'm guilty of it too. Many of the text messages and brunch dates I have with my fellow mama friends involve some discussion of temper tantrums, nap strikes, and messy meal times. 

While I have no doubt we have only scratched the surface of the these toddler-isms, I've also learned sometimes I need to change my perspective. At the end of the day is it the violently refusing to eat anything but a cookie cake moment what I want to remember? No, thanks.

But there are a lot of other moments throughout the day that I do. Motherhood has been a lesson in patience, especially, for me. Lets just say it is not my strong suit. Boy, are you a good teacher some days.  

In the beginning I could never have imagined how quickly you would catch on to things, from sitting to crawling, walking to sprinting. You've now learned to identify body parts, animals, and colors in the blink of an eye. I must give your daddy that "wow he is so smart and amazing" look a million times a day.

You are trying to form words, and while mama and dada will go down as your first real words, we've enjoyed hearing the funny sounds that only parents can translate.

My favorite is when you carefully pick out a book and plop down on my lap without any regard to whether you're actually going to indeed land on my lap. I love the brief but sweet hand holding, the way you "help" put clothes in the laundry bin, and the way you are constantly feeding me your food. I assume you think I'm starving enough to eat soggy animal crackers but I assure you that is not the case.

I couldn't imagine the way my heart would swell when you do these things because it seems like yesterday we were applauding you for rolling over.

I admit some nights I can't wait for you to fall asleep. There have been days where you've forced me to question my abilities as a mom and whether I've in fact lost my sanity for good. Or those days where you'd prefer to show me where my eyes are instead of closing yours.

But most nights I have to coax myself into putting you in your crib. You look so perfect and peaceful in my arms and it takes me back to your newborn days when I couldn't bear to put you down. I'm so glad we ignored the baby books and rock you to sleep.

It's only now when you are sleeping or sick when I get to cuddle you like I did in those early days. I have no choice in the matter, you're always on the go. Who can blame you when you've got playrooms to trash and Cheerios to crush?

You leave a path of destruction in our house that I will gladly clean up at the end of the day because that means you were your happy and healthy self.

These days are so fleeting, I promise not to focus on the tough ones. Lets do this, toddlerhood.

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Guest Bedroom Progress

Hi friends. It's been a while!

While I found myself diving headfirst into projects around the house, in a desperate attempt to finish all of the little things that have been nagging at me, this sad little guestroom has been a total struggle.

I think the rug is throwing me off because I'm stumped about accent pillows and adding more color to this space.

We finally painted the room a bright and very pale green, Spare White by Benjamin Moore. It's safe to say I'm loving it! Such a stark contrast from the angry tan which is still in 3 more rooms of our house. Ah!

 

I picked up this mirror from Target a couple of weeks before they came out with a bigger circular mirror and I'm still kind of kicking myself for not exchanging it. I do love the bronze-gold color though which is a theme I'm trying to stick with in the details of the room.

Andddd that's basically it. The double door closet annoyingly takes up a lot of space opposite the bed so this is the best configuration we can come up with.

I don't know, y'all. I'm drawing a blank! HELP!

So here's what needs to happen in this space:
Some kind of artwork above the bed
Accent pillows (Leaning toward a floral I think)
Ditch that lamp and replace with prettier ones on the nightstands
Drapes (thinking DIY french pleat with tassel trim)
Replace the mini ceiling fan
Style the heck out of the picture frames and tray

Any and all suggestions welcome!

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