I Thought I Should Tell You.

Photo by Rachel Koontz.

I hope you had a Happy 4th of July weekend! I love this part of the summer, the absolute center of the season when bathing suits are appropriate apparel pretty much everywhere and a makeup free face is the only kind of face to have.

I thought I should give you a little update about what's been going on in our household lately. It's been wild. And I'm not exaggerating.

Some of you know that my husband's job has taken us to a few different locations over the past several years, and we are coming up on another year of opportunities. Oh, I'll just give it to you straight.

6 weeks ago, we were considering a move to Madrid. Remember that little trip we took?

4 weeks ago, after making the tough decision not to move to Madrid, we considered moving back to New York. We considered options in the city and in upstate.

2 weeks ago, after deciding not to return to New York, we decided to stay put right here and live in our suburban hometown.

I was probably the most surprised of all. Because I actually wanted it. And I've never wanted it.

1 week ago, we put in an offer to buy a house here. So did 2 other people. Our offer was rejected, and i cried over the loss. Someone else is picking out a couch to plop right in front of that John Wieland-designed fireplace. Drat.

Now I have to interrupt myself and say that, while it is a bummer to miss out on the house, I'm pretty sure that my tears weren't solely over brick and mortar. Or in this case, a celestial collaboration of stone, siding and heaven's own paint choices. The sheer emotional exhaustion of the potential scenarios truly had my panties in a twist. MOVING TO MADRID. LEARNING SPANISH. MY BABY LEARNING SPANISH. HOW TO I BUY GROCERIES IN SPANISH. JUST KIDDING. MOVING TO NEW YORK. MY BABY ON THE SUBWAY. SO MANY GERMS. SO SO MANY GERMS. JUST KIDDING. STAYING IN THIS HOMETOWN. WHAT. I NEED A CIGARETTE. OH WAIT. I DON'T SMOKE.

It's kind of been a lot.

Thankfully, I've learned to roll with the punches and detach from old dreams and get on board with new ones. Good or bad, that's the stance our little family has taken lately. We aren't going to ignore our bummed-out feelings. But we are going to get excited about the new potentials.

I'm not done yet though.

Yesterday we put another offer in on a house. This one is special. Idyllic location, charming farmhouse-esque features. Only problem, it's a short sale. That's a really misleading term for what it actually means. We've been advised that it could take the bank 3 months to respond to our offer. So. We wait. We keep house hunting. We do that dreaming thing. Oh, did I mention that the house is a borderline dump and needs a ton of work?

The house is a borderline dump. It needs a magnificent amount of work.

I'm not being cute. Like every room of the house needs major amounts of attention. In over our heads with a fixer upper? Yeah probably. But such is life, amiright? If anyone knows John Wieland's availability, that would be great. Or Jonathan Scott. He will do just fine. Actually, Stevie truly sweats about my crushing status on the Scott brothers. I NEED CABLE AGAIN.

Whew. That's really all I wanted to say. I just wanted to fill you in! We are here, living on the southside of Atlanta, for at least another 12-18 months. And although it's been a whirlwind, whiplashing journey to arrive at this conclusion, I AM SO HAPPY. My baby gets to hang out with his cousins. My husband gets to jump into his dream role at work (did I mention? He's super amped about this new role. Side note.) We get to stay close to our family and make more memories with our hometown friends. And I get to dive into some new dreams. I'm brewing over some things now :)

Life is crazy and good. Crazy good, actually.

Thanks for all the love and support, friends!

PS - Oh, and I forgot to mention that I went blonde. And got a new car. When I said that things are happening, they are!

PPS - If you haven't already entered my Sonnet James dress giveaway, you should! This rad giveaway ends Tuesday at midnight!

Happy 4th of July!

Just sitting here on the front porch, drinking the coffee, listening to the rain pelt the earth and watching my babe pitter patter around in front of me. His little feet. Well, his little big feet. He shuffles around, stopping here and there, staring into the yard in wonder as everything is saturated, soggy flowers and limp bushes and a dark sky that doesn't look like it's ready to lighten up anytime soon. A few ants try to peck at his feet, but he's too quick for their nuisance. In this quiet moment, I am reminded of what a thousand previous 4th of July's have meant for me - lots of barefootness, a big juicy watermelon, a zillion cousins running around in sopping bathing suits, perhaps a thunderous Georgia rainstorm like today's, probably some good barbeque, and of course, the epic, magnificent fireworks. My hometown really knows how to put on a show. In fact, in all the years of living other places, even Boston, where patriotism runs deep, I've never experienced a fireworks show like my little suburban Georgia town puts on. Of course, with a baby this year, I won't be venturing out past 9pm to catch those bright lights. But I will probably be right here, lazing around, barefoot, sipping something good, and watching my child discover ants and eat watermelon and watch the sky fall in a melodious pattern. And that. Is lucky indeed.

Thank you to all the men and women who have yielded their comfort, time with their loved ones, and given up the "normal" way of life to fight for our country's freedom. Your service allows me to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, the sweet joy of a safe nation where my babe can play on the front porch in quiet peace. Your service is a gift to every man, woman and child and I am absolutely humbled as I consider what life could look like without our military's day in and day out efforts. Thank you thank you thank you. I wish I could give you a big hug. But my awkward musings will have to do for now.

Happy 4th of July, to every American today :) I hope you enjoy lots of barefootedness, ant-free watermelon (but let's be real, those little guys always manage to tackle it), and crazy chaotic family fun. Oh, and fireworks. Let freedom ring!

Taste: Lavender Lemonade Icee

GEORGIA HEAT. It’s time for popsicles and ice cream and frozen yogurt and yes, icees! I do my best to make these treats at home, so that we don’t pay a premium at restaurants to stay cool all summer long. Trips to the ice cream shop can get pricey, especially with a husband who is an ice cream GLUTTON. He's lucky he's got some serious metabolism. But I started experimenting at home and this is a recent favorite. And it's an especially sweet, special treat, because it’s flavored with real lavender, which, when I'm drink it, makes me feel like a fanciful character out of a southern novel. And it does the trick! It really cooled me off in the midst of grappling with these humid Georgia temperatures! Get your slushy on, people.

Ingredients:

-  4 cups ice

- 1.5 cups water

- 2 tbsp. lavender, dried or fresh

- ½ tbsp. raw sugar

- 2 lemons, peeled

Method:

1. Add ice, water and lemons to the blender. Blend on high for 10 seconds, or until just combined.

2. Add lavender and sugar. Blend again on high for 10 seconds, until mixture takes on an even, purple-ish tone. The prettiest icee I ever did see.

3. Pour into cups and enjoy! Decorate with bits of extra lavender and lemon, if you’re feeling fancy. Drink immediately, so it doesn’t melt!

Happy summering to you!

The Very, Very Best Dress. (+ a Sonnet James Giveaway!)

I want to talk to you about Sonnet James. The dreamiest brand ever.

I stumbled upon this delightful brand because one of my favorite bloggers was the model for the look book a few years back. I was mesmerized by the dresses, all the striking colors and the careful, chic, and yet very playful tailoring, and I thought, “Hmm, I’ll remember that brand one day when I have a baby.”

That day came a bit sooner than I had planned.

Upon ordering and receiving two of these dresses in the mail, I was seriously hooked. And since I am an extrovert and I am obsessed with sharing my favorite things, I just HAVE to shout it from the rooftops – these dresses are my favorite dresses! I want every lady I know to experience the wonder of wearing an SJ dress!

Fabric. Fit. Feel.

Let’s talk about the fabric, the fit, and the feel. You know, the bread and butter.

Soft. Like, luxuriously soft. Fitted in all the right places. Loose and comfy in all the right places. It’s like I finally found a brand that understands my body type! I am short, petite and curvy. It’s really hard to fit into standard sizing when you’re a short gal with a booty that likes to hang around while the rest of me has already walked away. And yet! These dresses are just perrrrfect. I also really love the length. Keep scrolling, you will be able to see how it hits just above the ankle. Which is very very great, because most normal dresses and skirts tend to be way too long on me. Not these dresses!

Another wonderful element of this particular style is the fact that it is breastfeeding-friendly. I was a little wary of that fact when I bought the dress, but let me just tell you that the neckline bounces back from all the stretching and pulling that it has endured. And after every wash, it still looks brand new! Insert little praise emojis.

I also want to mention that although this brand was created under the premise of "playful dresses for playful moms", you most certainly DON'T have to be a mama to fall hard for these casual gowns. Because seriously, get a load of the tailoring. The styles are so adorable, I almost feel like you can sense the humor and a little wink of the eye in each dress.

Travel Buddy.

I am especially ecstatic to report that these dresses are THE JAM for traveling in. I wore them all over Madrid and Rome last month, and they were easier and more comfortable than anything I’ve ever worn on a plane. The length of the sleeves adds a bit of extra coverage and temperature-control for those chilly planes, and the soft material was a dream to sit in for hours on end. I paired these dresses with my trusty Keds, which really completed the “I’ve-died-and-arrived-in-comfort-Heaven” outfit for me.

It was kind of like wearing sweatpants. Except that I looked cute and felt even cuter. So, you know, it was better than wearing the sweatpants.

I'm wearing the Sonnet James Florence Dress. Hat is Urban Outfitters (similar here), shoes are Seychelles for Anthropologie from last year, bracelets are a random assortment, including the Keani Manta Mystique Found You Cuff, Ring is Pandora. Everett is wearing Baby Gap Onesie and Pants. His shoes are Freshly Picked in Goldenrod. 

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Now For A Giveaway!

I wasn’t asked to promote this brand. SJ doesn’t need my promotion. I hunted them down and smothered them with my adoration. I truly love the brand and I am thrilled out of my mind to have the opportunity to partner with SJ to give away a dress to one lucky Oy!  reader!

How can you win? Enter using the Rafflecopter below! And gooooooooood luck to you, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the NEW Oy! Site!

The new Oy! site is here! I am so thrilled about this new space, and even more excited to finally share it with you! I started dreaming about this site almost a year ago, when I felt like I was beginning to outgrow the perimeters of my previous blog. Deciding to leave Blogger and move over the the Squarespace platform was daunting, but I've taken time to learn my way around this new space and it's confirmed to me that this was the right move. And I love it here! I hope you will, too.

So what's new? A cleaner, more gender-neutral aesthetic, a travel hub complete with adventurous tales and my hard-earned traveling tips, sections for the different types of recipes that I love to create, and pages devoted entirely to the crazy, transformative experience that is pregnancy and, of course, motherhood. I hope you will find your experience on this site easy, calming, and even more fun! I hope to continue to grow in new areas and expand the kind of content I create.

I really appreciate you for reading along. This blog has become integral to what I do on a daily, monthly and yearly basis, and it's purpose has become so much more than what it was in the beginning - just recording life's happenings. It's become a haven that has challenged me as a writer and a woman, and I hope I will continue to be up for that challenge. I want to create lively, relevant content that is true to who I am while being helpful and hopefully, a bit inspiring to you.

To be honest with you, I might get ten minutes a day that I am able to read someone else's blog. And when I do, I want to drink my cup of coffee and read to be uplifted, inspired, and feel better about myself and my family. I want to be challenged. I want to gather new ideas and become even more creative. I want to laugh. I want to feel camaraderie with women who are like me. I want to understand those who are unlike me. With all of that in mind, I hope that this site can serve you in the same way - leaving you feeling loved, connected to others, proud of who you are, and able to laugh at your circumstances.

Thank you for reading! I'd love for you to click around the new site and hear what you think it - please feel free to comment and let me know what you like about this new space and what you'd like to see more of. I READ EVERY COMMENT. So you've pretty much got me at hello.

Thanks for being here, friends. Your support means so much. Lots of love to you! XOX

PS - Don't forget to subscribe to this blog on bloglovin', so you don't miss a post!