{wedding obsessed} — will you be my bridesmaid? 4 ways to ask

{photo credit --- Photogen Inc}

I have been and always will be obsessed with weddings! There is nothing like the beauty, the creativity, the tears and emotion, the everything that goes into one very special day when two people profess their love for one another and become a family, a unit! Our wedding day and all the days of planning for that day we became husband and wife were joy-filled.

I enjoyed it so much that I started to blog about weddings and write about weddings. Right now I’m surrounded by three really great people who are planning their big days (including a colleague) so I get to talk weddings all the time! Love it! I put together a few of my picks for four sweet ways to ask someone to be your bridesmaid. Enjoy! 

fabulous Etsy finds

{photo credit --- The Ink Society on Etsy.com}

Hi my friends! I decided to start shortening my posts on the main page, so if you’re interested, click more and you’ll get the same goodness as before. I think it makes the page a little more manageable! Thanks for reading! ♥Jessica

I, like so many of you, love Etsy. I can find exactly what I want with a few searches or if I don’t find it, I can find someone willing to make it for me. We decorated Bodhi’s room using several Etsy shops and I don’t plan many parties without at least one Etsy purchase. But, Etsy can be overwhelming, so I like to share my favorite Etsy items from time to time. Here are a few fun favorites to brighten these dreary winter days.

monday {momday} — four surprisingly easy ways to refresh

{photo credit---hipstamatic on my iPhone}

Let’s be honest! Weekends are not made for relaxing if you are a new mom or dad. They are also not made for going out, enjoying long slow dinners with a glass of wine or anything close and most of the time, I’m more than ok with that. But somehow we all need to find a way to refresh before another busy week. Here are five pretty basic ways my husband and I have found for refreshing before another long work week.

monday {momday} — blogging is good for your health & balance

Did you read the New York Times Motherlode article (or a slew of other news stories) last week that talked about a recent study showing that blogging makes new moms happier? I believe it. There is something wonderful about connecting with other moms through their honest tales of life as a parent. Most blogging mamas don’t try to pretend everything is perfect. They talk about their struggles and more importantly, how to overcome parenting challenges. The study showed that blogging decreased feelings of isolation and increased feelings of connectedness and being supported.

happy new year

Happy new year lovelies! We have been a busy little family these past few weeks. With planning a small party, cleaning up from said party, shopping, wrapping, packing, traveling, celebrating, finalizing new house stuff and dealing with a sick little man, time is flying. Bodhi had his first ear infection over Christmas. Between the travel to my hometown, several extra rough nights of no sleep (for all three of us) and the regular holiday hoopla, we are exhausted and thankful to have survived the holidays and to be in a nice warm Minnesota in January. No, really! It’s been an unseasonably warm and snow-less winter so far.

Sleeping Bodhi (after a nap-less afternoon)---Not relevant to the post, but so sweet. He didn't wake up when we took him out of the car seat.

My resolution for 2012 besides be a good mama and wife, live in the moment and blog more often than once every three weeks is simple. I just want to give myself permission to relax once in a while. This, my friends, is the reason I have been absent for weeks. I’ve been taking time to enjoy long naps with Bodhi, cook dinner with my husband and relax a bit. Although I tend to be someone who sets many goals (and often accomplishes them), I am taking it easy in 2012. We’ve had a lot of change (new baby, new job, new home) this past year and I’m still adjusting to our new normal.

With that said, I’m excited to share my plans for Bodhi’s first birthday, how I’ll celebrate the big 3-0 in March and the progress on our new home as it happens.

What’s new with you? What new year’s resolutions or goals do you have for 2012? Mamas—are you also giving yourself a break or are you hoping to pick it up a bit this year?

{big blog world} — holiday printables, a simple good deed and mindful parenting

It’s been way too long since a {big blog world} post! There has been a ton of holiday goodness I’ve wanted to share! Here are just a few of my favorite posts from around the blogosphere this past week.

{photo credit---Hostess with the Mostess---hostessblog.com}

These super fun peppermint twist printables from Hostess with the Mostess may make an appearance at our holiday open house this weekend. And if not, then we will definitely have these free merry and bright holiday printables. This is a perfect way to add pizzazz to your next party!

monday {momday} — money-saving-mama!

Lately, I’ve been on more of a money-saving kick than usual. Maybe it’s the holidays or maybe it’s just that I’m wanting to save more so we have more of a cushion—so important when you have a baby. I prefer not to buy anything without a coupon since they are so readily available online, in the Sunday paper and through email. I’m also all about shopping on discount websites to save, save, save and keep my cash in my diaper bag!

{photo credit --- Petunia Pickle Bottom}

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a super coupon mom like some, but a few dollars here and there add up. And for those moms who literally clip coupons and even make money at the store, this will not be that helpful. I think my guide is more for the moms who want to casually, without much effort, save a few dollars or for new moms who haven’t yet learned of a few shopping wonders! 

monday {momday} — becoming a working mom after maternity leave

{Bodhi and I at the zoo on a weekend after I went back to work}

My wonderful maternity leave came to an end just about three months ago. I had the joy of spending nearly four months with my little guy before starting my journey as a working mom in late August. I was quickly reacquainted with my old working self and had several things that helped me survive those first several weeks. 

monday {momday} — fa la la la la personalized stockings

It’s the holiday season—one of my favorite times of the year! My hubby and I are all about creating lovely traditions so that Bodhi has warm memories of time with family and friends. We want to get Bodhi a personalized Christmas stocking this year that will stay with him until he is an adult. Actually, we will probably just get all three of us personalized ones this year. Here is my roundup of some adorable stockings for kids and adults alike!

Land of Nod

With many to choose from, we are leaning towards this one:

{photo credit---LandofNod.com}

Or maybe this one:

{photo credit---LandofNod.com}

Pottery Barn

The first two are from Pottery Barn Kids.

{photo credit—Pottery Barn Kids}

The next one is warm and cozy looking!

{photo credit---Pottery Barn Kids}

I’m also loving the idea of white—simple, beautiful white!

{photo credit---Pottery Barn}

Or perhaps the same one above in classic red. What do you think?

What holiday traditions do you have with your little ones? We’d love to know. We want to make sure the holidays are filled with warm happy memories. Live the fancy life!

fancy holiday cards

I love the holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve… the sparkle, the glitter, the holly jolly spirit of the season makes me so happy. And, living in Minnesota, the holidays make the cold winters more tolerable. Well, the holidays and the new long, super warm winter jacket I purchased over the weekend.

I can’t wait to decorate and start playing Christmas music at our house after Thanksgiving! This year with an adorable baby on our hands, I can’t wait to order our holiday cards. We had professional family photos done by Melissa Oholendt in September and I am an aspiring photographer (really just practicing for now) so I have been taking way too many photos of Bodhi.

Tiny Prints, where I ordered Bodhi’s birth announcement, the card announcing our pregnancy and everyday cards such as birthday, congrats and thank you cards very regularly, have some of the best holiday cards. I’m having a hard time making decisions with so many beautiful choices.

I love the bright boldness of this one.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

And this one.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

And this one.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

And one more.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

This one is so simple, yet so beautiful! I can see a close-up shot of Bodhi on this one!

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

I love the glamorous look and feel of this.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prins}

This chic option stands out to me too.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

And then there is a card that is just plain whimsical… LOVE!

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

This one is fun and when you have kids, it’s all about the fun, right?!

{Photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

And then there are some more traditional or classic options like this one.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

Or this one.

{photo credit --- Tiny Prints}

So many options! Which card is your favorite? What’s your holiday card style?

I spent a few hours looking at the Tiny Prints website over the weekend trying to narrow it down and there were probably another 30 I would’ve liked to include here. Hooray for the holidays! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!