Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!

This week was one of those crazy ones that sneaked up on me. I was swamped with work and it seems like R might be fighting off yet another daycare-induced cold (just 5 days after going off of antibiotics for his first, mind you) so I'm so ready for the weekend! Bonus points because we turn back the clock, let's hope the baby lets us sleep in?!

We're in last minute prep mode for Halloween over here, I've still got a pumpkin to carve and a giant skunk costume head to rig so it fits my child's head. I hope you've all got some fun plans for this weekend!

I couldn't resist sharing a few favorites from the week, so here goes.

ONE. Fall Beer

Have y'all tried Leinenkugel Harvest Patch Shandy yet?! It only has a hint of pumpkin in my opinion so don't let that sway you if you normally aren't into the pumpkin flavor!

TWO. Christmas decor

Ok you know I've been stocking up on Christmas pajamas for Rowan but this week I fell into the black hole that is Christmas decor and I can't say I'm mad about it. Has anyone else pick up some new holiday decor yet?

THREE. Favorite cozy sweater

PSA this J Crew ribbed boatneck sweater is the absolute best, I have it in navy and might have to order another color. It's currently on super sale, its really soft and I love that it kind of goes off my shoulder a little. Definitely will be on repeat this winter!

FOUR. The Voice.

This is super random because I don't normally watch reality or singing shows, but my husband and I are really into the Voice this season! I'm a big fan of Amy Vachal and loved her Sunday Kind of Love performance this week! Anyone else watching or have a favorite?

FIVE. Little Dancer

This little man started dancing recently and it is so.freaking.cute! He doesn't discriminate with his music selection, he'll even dance to his mamas terrible singing. 8 months is such a fun age!! I'm still working on clapping and giving mama kisses, but if you follow on snapchat you've seen his mad sippy cup skills... Ha!

That's it from me today, I hope you all enjoy your Halloween weekend!! Personally I'm glad Halloween will be over so I can get this candy out of our house. Buying candy two weeks before is never a good idea!

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Mama + Mini Cold Weather Style

Okay I admit that 90% of the time the outfit selections for Rowan and I do not coordinate whatsoever. Ain't nobody got time for that.

But Rowan is looking more and more like his Daddy lately so I do what I can to make sure people know he belongs to this curly-haired mama.

And when it comes to family photos or any type of outing where I know we'll be taking a lot of photos I usually make an attempt to coordinate. I start by picking his outfit and then I blend in somewhere in the background with a solid blouse or something I've settled on because I hate everything in my closet. #firstworldprobs

One of my favorite outfits to date? This cute little ensemble Rowan wore for our family photos this past weekend. I cannot even wait to see the photos, he was such a little stud!

Vest. Button Down. Jeans. Moccs.

In case you missed it on Snapchat (follow me at HomeSweetRuby), I wore an emerald green blouse (similar here) with skinny jeans and my favorite booties. My husband sported a navy and white check button down underneath a grey half zip sweater. All the heart eyes for my boys.

Another combo that is easy to coordinate with is buffalo plaid. It's everywhere in the stores this Fall, I'm basically counting down the days until I can put this trapper hat on R.

Button Down (old from J. Crew Factory, similar here and here). Trapper Hat (Similar).

Also love this buffalo plaid scarf for mama!

And finally, my most favorite Fall and Winter color ever. Merlot.

Tunic. Sweater Dress. Jeans. Leggings. Hat.

Loft is killing it in the merlot clothing department, FYI. I'm just waiting for all of these to come in the mail because... online shopping problems. I had way too much fun shopping Zara's baby selection... Lord help me if I ever find myself in the actual store! Also, obsessed with this Slouch Headwear beanie for Rowan!

P.S. Girl mamas- if you're still reading this make sure to check out the new collection from Willow Crowns when it drops on November 3rd! Megan posted a sneak peek and I spy some pretty merlot pieces!!

Anyone else coordinate with your mini? I know its tougher for boy mamas but can be super cute for photo ops!

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Rowan's First Pumpkin Patch

Because you haven't seen enough babies in a pumpkin patch this week... I'm here to help you out with that.

We may have taken more photos of Rowan this past weekend than any other in his little lifetime. It started with a visit to Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch with Jillian, her husband, and Violet.

Going through these photos (and the 34089 others that I took) were so entertaining, there are some gems and its hard not to share them all. I'm happy to say Rowan rocked his first pumpkin patch experience with his hilarious (and mostly judgy) facial expressions, killer hair style, hay consumption, and Southern smocked outfit.

Smocked Shortall sold out but from Smocked Auctions. Baby Sperry Top-Siders.

I think we got one or two photos of each baby looking at the camera, but the majority they are either playing with the hay or trying to eat it. And when we tried to get photos of the mamas and babies it was kind of chaotic, I guess we're in for it now that they are more mobile!

He already has the ladies chasing after him...

On Sunday we took some family photos at James Island County Park with the super talented Shannon Michele Photography. The weather was perfect and I'm happy to report there was no sweating in our Fall outfits! I can't wait to share them!

Rowan tolerated the photos for a while but we started losing him as the thrill of chewing on my necklace and grabbing all the spanish moss took over. I still can't get over how cute he looked in his outfit, more on that tomorrow!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

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Friday Favorites

I'm not sure how it's already Friday but I'll take it! I've got a quick roundup for you of my favorites from the past two weeks since I've been a super good blogger and haven't shared one of these posts in a while...

 Linking up with April!

One. Gorgeous Jewelry Dish by the Painted Press (+ 20% off!)

Coordinates Dish c/o The Painted Press. Bluzy Druzy Ring by Wrenn Jewelry.

If you follow on Instagram you got a glimpse of this gorgeous Painted Press jewelry dish which has found its new home in our guest bedroom (reveal coming soon!). It honestly reminds me of something you'd find in Anthropologie and I love fact that its handmade! Natalie is super creative and I'm pretty obsessed with her floral paintings, like on this floral monogram dish.

Because she is the sweetest, Natalie offered a 20% discount to Home Sweet Ruby readers!! Just use the code HOMESWEETRUBY. Perfect timing for holiday orders- these would be really sweet, personalized gifts for your mom or sister! For every order placed between now and November, Natalie and her team are putting an item (like socks, toothpaste, etc) into an Operation Christmas Child box. How great is that?!

Head on over to see more here, including some drool-worthy prints, coasters, and coffee mugs!

Two. Festive PJs and books

Carter's Seleton Pajamas. Babylit Frankenstein book. Playmat.

We're feeling pretty festive over here lately, and I think we can officially check a few things off of our Fall To Do list thanks to these cute skeleton pjs and our newest addition to the Halloween book collection. See also, giant baby feet above. I just love them.

Three. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese bread. 

I made this bread to take over to Ally's when I visited their sweet little boy this week and I thought it was good. I mean, nothing too special but the cream cheese adds an extra flavor if you're looking for something different! FYI The recipe makes a TON, like a huge loaf of bread plus 20 muffins. I'm trying to be as basic as possible and bake a few more pumpkin things this Fall... anyone have some recs?!

Four. Playroom Organization

Land of Nod Knit Storage Bins. Toy Box. Gallery Wall Clips.

We have a weird sunroom area behind our dining table that hasn't gotten any use since we moved in, so we decided to turn it into a playroom for Rowan until he gets bigger and can use the loft space upstairs. But since its visible from the living area and kitchen I'm trying to be really meticulous about keeping it clutter free. Hoping to pick up some of these soft toy bins, clips to hang his artwork (his daycare did little foot prints for Halloween, so cute!) and a toy box to hide everything! What are some other good things to add?! I need to put some things on Rowan's Christmas list!

Five. Old Navy Cardigans

PSA: I stopped by Old Navy this week and I have to say I love their cardigans this Fall! I picked up this solid handkerchief hem cardigan to throw on with tanks around the house or to wear for errands and had to exercise serious restraint to hold off on buying several others!

Hope you all have a fun Fall weekend!

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Disney, Weddinging, and the week of no sleep

Y'all it feels so good to be home!

We had a wonderful long weekend in Florida but there is something about getting home and back into the swing of things that is rejuvenating.

I mentioned last week that Rowan was congested (thank you mamas for all of the recommendations!) but he is still feeling under the weather so we've got a Pediatrician visit, mountains of laundry, and errands on the menu today. Not only is he still sick but we think he is also cutting another tooth and going through separation anxiety as he would not sleep the past week unless we were holding him. So basically what I'm saying is give me allllll of the under eye cream and coffee today.

And despite all of this, Rowan was still his happy self during his Disney visit! We love the Epcot Food and Wine festival so we used it as an excuse to take Rowan to meet Mickey.

I'm pretty sure he recognized the characters since we let him watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while he eats his solids during breakfast and it was so funny seeing his reaction. It went from excited (babbling and smiling), to unsure as the characters got closer to him, and then to trying to grab and eat their noses. ha!

Rowan passed out for most of the trip "around the world," which was great because I got to stuff my face with spanikopita at the Greece tent, some delicious chicken dish I couldn't pronounce and sangria in Mexico, brats in Germany and pierogies at the Poland tent. Oh and a pumpkin spice funnel cake in the America section. So.freaking.good.

Nothing like taking family photos after you sweat in the Florida heat for a few hours. But seriously, this kid is such a ham I love him so much!

We also headed to the most beautiful wedding in Boca Grande on Saturday. The food was probably the best I've ever had at a wedding and the venue was straight out of old Florida. Think Rayburn House from Bloodline with a golf course view instead of the ocean mixed with Lilly Pulitzer. There were a lot of ridiculous dance moves that night.

We have so many fun things coming up... a trip to the pumpkin patch with Rowan's girlfriend Violet, visiting Ally's sweet baby boy, family photos, and more. Loving this Fall so far!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!

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DIY Restoration Hardware Knockoff Coffee Table

This post could also be titled: The weekend that it never stopped raining.

Y'all, it's been relentless. We had almost 3 feet of rain over the course of 4 days. And it's still going.

Though our backyard did flood some, we were extremely lucky that we were spared for what most of the Low Country experienced. It's heartbreaking to see the photos of downtown Charleston.

Most of the roads and bridges around us were shut down and curfews were ordered, so we have basically been cooped up in our home since Thursday. Needless to say we were feeling really stir crazy but are SO incredibly thankful that our little family, our home, and ours friends are all safe.

And if there is a silver lining, its that we got a full weekend of cuddling, football watching, and wine drinking under cozy blankets.

Since I'm pretty sure y'all don't want to see photos of us in our pajamas all weekend, I thought I'd share our DIY coffee table!

Its finally done. Hallelujah! (Although in these photos we hadn't applied the clear coat yet... sorry, had to work with whatever light I could get for some photos!)

We have been working on this table for months. Yes, you heard me. MONTHS.

And no, it should not take that long.

But when you're husband is working on it during nap times and you change the dimensions on him after its mostly built (sorry babe!), it turns into a multi-weekend event.

I love the Restoration Hardware Balustrade coffee table, but at a $1,700 price point, that was absolutely out of the question.

I'm not going to do a full DIY post because everything is laid out perfectly by Jen from the House of Wood. But I want to share some of the changes we made to make it work with our space!

Size

The original plans for this coffee table are huge. I mean this thing would have taken up our entire living room and it just wasn't practical for us. So we cut down and removed some boards and I'm so happy we did. Our table comes in at 44" W x 27.5" D.

Stain

I wanted a lighter colored stain that had just a slight hint of grey in it, so after testing quite a few combinations I decided on a coat of Minwax Special Walnut then layered a coat of Minwax Classic Grey over top. I wiped the grey off immediately because it can look blue if its on there too long.

For whatever reason, some parts of our boards did not stain evenly. The ends are always darker but it does drive me a little bit crazy the way it stained (and don't get me started on how the wall color clashes with the couch color). Not much we can do though since we were trying to keep this cheap and bought lower grade wood.

Cost

The most expensive part of this project is purchasing the pillars. Those run a minimum of $112 for 4, depending on the wood you choose.

And as a result of my last minute changes in size to the already-built coffee table (insert my husband's eye roll here), we had to buy a few extra boards.

Total cost: just under $200. 

$200 versus $1,700? Yeah, I'll take ours any day.

Major props to my husband for building this gorgeous piece for us. I'm super impressed with his woodworking skills, and I think he even surprised himself considering this is only his second piece of furniture he has built.

I only get credit for staining, motivational speeches, and the serving of beer during the building process.

We haven't owned a coffee table since college (first world problems, I know), so I'm excited to style it and put some Fall touches on it! I hope you all had a fun and dry first weekend of October!

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