It's Been Awhile...and IT'S A BOY!!

I sort of dropped things off after a 39 weeks pregnant post, so you can probably figure out what has been keeping me occupied since then. Well, this little guy...

**** STERLING ARTHUR****

Born July 28th, 1:39 pm; 8 lbs 3 oz, 21.5 in

Happy, healthy, and oh so handsome. Thanks be to God. The past couple months have been spent getting adjusted to my new role as a Mama of TWO precious little ones and more recently (which I can FINALLY announce) as a STAY-AT-HOME-MAMA! My two weeks notice of resignation from my work was just submitted this week. I'm still sort of in a daze about it, but feel it is the best decision for our family. 

I've had a lot of time to think about life and things while on my maternity leave. About the kind of Wife/ Mama/ Friend/ Christian I want to be. Do I continue blogging? I want to. I'm not sure though if I want to resume writing here or start fresh somewhere else. 600 posts into "soZealous" and it still kind of feels like a big mess to me. Regardless, it's good to be back...xx

It's Been Awhile...

And just like that, it's almost March. Time sure flies once you have a little one to gage the passing of it. My hiatus can be attributed to a variety of factors:

1. Netflix. We re-opened our account back in February and I've blazed through several entire series since (Downton Abbey, The Walking Dead, not to mention dozens of random other things). I do not admit this because I'm proud. Just tired, most of the time. Also, it's winter!

2. We've relocated! A couple months ago, I posted a "home buying wishlist" that I was beginning to feel was out of reach until we found a cozy little place with everything I hoped for. Well, minus a dishwasher. But that can be remedied in the future. The beautiful hardwood floors, working fireplace, and breakfast nook sort of won me over. From the first time we walked through the door, it just felt special. Like home, or something. I'll post some photos, when I get around to it;) Which leads me to the real reason behind our urgency to purchase a home...

3. Baby #2 is on the way! Yes, it's true! It looks like we'll have another July baby if this child decides to come out around his or her due date. And we don't plan on finding out the gender ahead of time like we did with Ruby. It just makes things a little more exciting, don't you think??

So that's what's up. I don't guarantee more frequent postings, but it doesn't mean I haven't missed blogging. It's just that life has been happening fast and I've been trying to be more intentional about soaking it in rather than reporting about it...you know?

You can follow me on Bloglovin for new posts or Instagram for the latest happenings...xx

House Hunters

The time has come...the search for a home has begun! We've been renting a pretty amazing place for 2.5 years and feel ready to put down some roots in our city.

As exciting as it has been to start looking, it has also been a little discouraging. Just not a lot on the market that meets our criteria. I know you've got to do some compromising when purchasing a house, but it doesn't feel like you should have to when that much money is involved.

Some things that are on my wishlist:
- Good price (naturally)
- 1920's Bungalow style (preferably 2 story...I'm not really into the 1 1/2 stories)
- Hardwood floors (so I can cover them with fancy rugs)
- A dishwasher (never in my married life have I had one...this would be huge)
- 3 Bedrooms (w/ a 4th non-conforming room that could be used as an office or BR)
- Our preferred neighborhood (we're flexible on this...just no suburbs)
- Outdoor entertaining area (could be a porch, deck, or patio)
- A yard (not too huge as I'm not crazy about maintaining it)

It would also be AMAZING if this nearly 100 year old home had a fireplace, attached garage, and/ or central air & heating.

Ok, so maybe that's a lot to ask for.

Sincerely, we want a cozy place to bless our family & friends; where they would feel right at home whenever they're visiting and that we have a good amount of space to accomodate them. We want a place where Ruby (and any other children we have) can make special memories and call home.

Based on what's currently available, it might be closer to Spring before we find our home. Until then, I will enjoy the anticipation of not knowing which one it is as I drive down the streets looking for it. Because it's out there. I just know it...xx

My Super Sweet 30th Birthday

A little bit about me...I was the kid who tried to find out what I was getting every year before Christmas. I'd tear the house apart searching for gifts and, on a couple occasions, actually opened my presents when my parents were away. I KNOW. 

I got over that the older I got. I like surprises now. Heck, we didn't even find out the gender of our baby when I was pregnant! That was THE BEST.

Well, my birthday bowling bash was supposed to be a surprise...You see, Wayde kind of made the mistake of leaving his Facebook account open on my laptop. So, when I opened it up and saw my news feed (we have many mutual friends), I didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary. It wasn't until I glanced at a message from my sisters featuring words like "bowling" and "birthday" and "count me in!" that I knew I was seeing something I wasn't supposed to see.

I felt horrible. I wasn't even trying to find out. And I confessed to Wayde shortly after.

It kind of ended up working out for the best though. Wayde took the responsibility of making my birthday cupcakes ("almost vegan" chocolate avocado), so I ended up being around for that whole ordeal (for lack of a better word). Regardless, I was super happy that he went to all the trouble he did to ensure that this big birthday was a memorable one, and that it was!!

 This photo doesn't do the cupcakes justice, but believe me, they were AMAZING.

So thankful for everyone who came out to help me celebrate!! Y'all made me feel so special:)

Another piece of info about me...I LOVE bowling (hence the bowling party). It is on my bucket list to score a 200 in my lifetime. My highest score: 199.

Someday...xx

Oh, It's Such A Perfect Day (I'm Glad I Spent It With You)

Birthday weekend is in FULL SWING!! I'm SO thankful to have a Hubby that is SO willing to celebrate all the days leading up to the big day (he's actually in the middle of baking me "almost vegan" chocolate-avocado cupcakes as I blog).

Last night, we went on an actual DATE!! We had sushi, we saw Looper (um...what??), we went out for a drink. And today, he was willing to take a day trip to my hometown for some thrifting & nostalgia. Because birthdays should also be a time for reflecting (and Lord knows, there's been a lot of that with the big THIRTY barreling towards me...).

I kind of can't believe how hard we scored today thrifting. I had been looking for a vintage toy camera for Ruby for awhile now and found this one for $3. I also kind of can't believe that Ruby pretended to be taking a photo with it long enough for me to take a photo of it. One year olds are kind of impossible to pose for pictures, if you didn't already know.

We walked around the downtown area and stumbled upon the most incredible wall covered in leaves. We couldn't NOT do a photo shoot.

On Papa: Flannel button-down (thrifted), army surplus sweater (thrifted), Baldwin Denim Jeans (Badowers), Red Wing boots (thrifted). 

On Mama: The "Saba" scarf (FashionABLE - check out their website!), Cardigan (TJ Maxx), Plaid button-down (thrifted), Jeans (Express - Plato's Closet), Chanel inspired vinyl-tipped ballet flats (Payless).

 Papa looking all dapper in his new vintage motorcycle jacket.

Do you want to see what else we found??

Vintage pillows. I normally have a rule against buying second-hand pillows (I mean, come on...), but these were practically in mint condition. And at $2 each, I mean, COME ON!! So hot right now, too.

 Vintage thermoses to add to the collection ($1 each). Because I don't already have enough collections...

My biggest collection is probably my library of vintage sewing books, which is kind of ironic because I can barely sew. The illustrations are mainly what draw me in. Or in the case of this book, the typography, which is RIDICULOUS (in the best way possible). Can you frame books?

THESE DRESSES. It can be challenging to find previously-loved kids clothes that don't show any evidence of "the love", but these beauties made the cut. Throw on a long undershirt with leggings, and Ruby can wear these through the rest of the season.

My actual birthday is tomorrow, so I'm soaking in these last couple hours of my twenties. [Sigh]. I'm not one to get super hung up on ages but, not gonna lie, this is kind of a hard one.

Thank you, Lord, for the years. For the lessons learned. Even the difficult ones. Shaping me into the woman YOU want me to become.

I've got some big dreams & goals for this next decade, some that I'm already in the process of working towards. Some are a little too big to share on this blog now, but you'll know when I do.

Here's to the next chapter...xx

The Influence Conference

This past weekend (plus a couple days), I attended the much anticipated Influence Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it was the inaugural conference for lady bloggers/ online business owners of the Christian persuasion.

I’ll do my best to share some of what I learned and experienced, but I’m still processing much of it (as most of us are and probably will be for a long time).

Kicking things off with our hosts - Jessi Connelly, Hayley Morgan, Moriah Sunde, & Casey Wiegand. So grateful for each of their open hearts & hard work in making this event happen.

Day 1 outfit - Chambray top (thrifted) $4; pencil skirt (Target) $6; necklace (antique mall) $6.

I sure like dressing up, but what a lot of people didn't know was that the majority of my outfits from the weekend cost under $25. Total. As in for the whole outfit + accessories (ok, minus the shoes - but those weren't very expensive either).

On the topic of fashion, I was heavily encouraged to start incorporating my finds & strategies into future posts, which just might happen. Because I am still trying to figure out which direction to take this blog in...

The conference was divided into a couple different tracks—life sessions & strategy sessions. I tried to keep a healthy balance between two and am so glad that I did. SO MUCH WISDOM ON DISPLAY.

I had the privilege of attending talks from John Saddington, Hayley Morgan, Nish Weiseth, Jessi Connelly, Sarah Matheny, and Jessica Turner.

Of all the sessions I attended, I think Sarah Matheny's (aka Mama Pea) was like a shot to the heart. No PowerPoint. No bullet points. Simply a beautiful woman sharing her even more beautiful heart. Her words have been resonating with me ever since and I would encourage you to stream the audio when it becomes available online.

The She Reads Truth dinner. I wouldn’t have even known about the Influence Conference if it weren’t for learning about it through an Instagram hashtag.

Dinner attire – vintage Oscar de la Renta dress (Dorothea’s Closet) $25.

One thing I was DEFINITELY looking forward to was the Madewell styling session with The No Brainer Wardrobe author, Hayley Morgan. We don’t have Madewell stores in Iowa, so I splurged a little for the occasion. Without spending a whole lot of money, I will add;)

Day 2 outfit – Granny-chic polyester cardigan (thrifted) $4; purple skinny pants (thrifted) $4; necklace (thrifted) $5; tank (F21) $5.

So many lovely things for sale in the Sashes Market. And sooooo easy to justify a purchase when knowing the hearts behind the business owners. Yeah, I left with a couple things: )

Friends & roommates, Nicole & Adri. I also want to point out the lovely scarf I’m wearing in this photo that I purchased from the Sashes Market. It was handmade in Ethiopia through a business called FashionABLE.

Their mission is to provide sustainable jobs to African women who may have otherwise had to make a living through prostitution. I really believe in what they are doing and am crafting up some ideas to stay involved in their endeavors. Stay tuned.

This pile of business cards represents an extraordinary community of women whose common thread is the good & true message of Jesus Christ. If you are able to extract any of their URLs from this photo, I would encourage you to visit their sites—their stories.

I kept hearing the phrase “come tender” throughout the conference, and that I did. I arrived at Influence as a “small potatoes” blogger who doesn’t have sponsors or even an “about me” page. I am working on both. Needless to say, there were times where I felt a little out of place and humbled by my lack of knowledge, experience, and connections.

There were also times where I wrestled with the disillusionment of my expectations vs. reality. My soul got a much needed exfoliating. And that part hurt. I left feeling a little raw. Grace was a huge theme on so many levels throughout the weekend. And once I got over the junk of some of those insecurities, I had a pretty great time.

I want to thank my roommates - Jill, Adri, Amanda, & Nicole for their encouragement and accessibility.

I want to thank the women who engaged in REAL conversations with me. Women who made me feel that their circles weren’t small enough to let one more person in.

I thank God for bringing me to this conference at a time where I needed this kind of experience the most. I am just so immeasurably humbled by His great love for me. Not only that, but for sending along a companion in my journey to help process everything I learned. It's hard to say what my experience at Influence would have been like without my friend, Nicole.

From the bottom of my heart…thank you.

xx

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3 Things

In preparation for the Influence Conference, some of the attendees are doing a blog link up to get to know each other a bit before meeting in real life. This post is for that purpose.

Some of my friends & followers will already know these things. And if you didn't before, now you do:)

1. I'm a Full-Time Working Mama - This is important to know because my free time for extracurriculars is pretty limited (i.e. blogging, crafting, going to events, etc). It's not exactly what I envisioned for my life, but it's what we have to do for now. And I have been blessed with a good job working with non-profits. Half of the time, I feel like I am operating in survival mode. But I am always trying to find a balance.

2. I'm a Band Wife - If you weren't already aware via my blog or Twitter stream, my husband is in a band. And when your husband is in a band, it's kind of like you are an honorary member. I get to do stuff like curating/ running the merch table to tearing down after shows to providing background handclaps on their Daytrotter session. The band is called PARLOURS and you should check them out! I may be slightly biased, but I actually think they're super good.

3. I'm a Traveler at Heart - Though my journeys have slowed down significantly since getting married/ becoming a Mama, there is something about being in an unfamiliar place that makes me feel SO alive. I've been to 14 different countries as well as lived in London & New Zealand (each for an entire year). If you would like tips for traveling or transcontinental relocation, I may be able to assist:)

Well, there it is. Three random things. And this is just tapping the surface...xx

If you are visiting this blog for the first time and/or will be attending the Influence Conference next week, please say 'Hello'!!

Mama to the Rescue!

This week got off to a pretty crazy start. Ruby had her first trip (and hopefully last) to the urgent care clinic to mend a smushed finger. She had been out running errands with my Mother-in-law while I was a work and had somehow trapped her finger in a hardwood display at a flooring store.

I'm the kind of person who tends to overreact in emergency situations, but miraculously, I stayed (somewhat) calm as I left work and drove over to the hospital.

I kind of felt like I saved the day when I burst into the room and scooped her up in my arms. Even the tone of her cries changed from pain to relief that I was finally there. She calmed down a whole bunch and we watched an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba while we waited for the doctor.

Thankfully, it wasn't bad enough to stitch, but they did need to glue it shut to stop the bleeding. The whole ordeal totally sucked, but I couldn't help but be grateful the whole time that it wasn't anything worse. Sincerely, thank you, Lord.

(You can see where it is bandaged on her right hand in the photo above.)

This little girl wore herself out from crying and took a crazy long nap when we got home. I noticed that she had already started messing with the bandage, so I tried to replace it as carefully as I could. Ruby held so still while whimpering just a bit while I played nurse. I was SO proud of her for being so compliant!

And then the sweetest thing in the world happened...

When I was all finished, Ruby looked right into my eyes, leaned towards me and planted a kiss on my face. Melt my heart!

You don't even understand the magnitude of this. Ruby will kiss other babies, her dollys - anything but an adult if she isn't practically forced to. So for her to initiate a kiss at her own will...it was like a little 'thank you'. Something I never want to forget...xx

Dearest October

Even if it wasn't my birthday month, I'm pretty sure October would still be my favorite. This normally would be the post where I list off all the material things I would like for my birthday (it's on the 21st, so there's still plenty of time for shipping). But I already know what I'm getting...

For the big thirtieth (I know, YIKES), I wanted to do something special. Something memorable. Something that would properly kick off this next decade. 

A little over a week ago, I hadn't heard about the Influence Conference yet, but when I stumbled across it (via the #SheReadsTruth community), I just knew that I HAD to be there. Unfortunately, spontaneity was something that got packed away in a drawer along with my pre-pregnancy black skinny jeans. I'm a Mama now, so I don't just up and leave for a long weekend by myself. Especially because I'm a Mama now!!

I casually mentioned it at dinner.

"You should definitely go!" said Wayde. There were a lot of reasons not to, so I dismissed it as quickly as I brought it up.

Fast forward to a late night conversation with my husband. This time he brought up the conference and insisted that I make it happen. It took a lot of guts to type in my credit card information (thus sealing the deal and my fate), but I clicked confirm and now it's all happening. I even found some roomies at the hotel where it'll be hosted.

There's even a possibility that a friend from church is going to put her spontaneity pants on and go with me! Which should make the 8 hour drive a lot more enjoyable. So there it is! The BIG birthday present:)

Phewsh, that was a lot of words. Props to you if you made it through the whole thing. I'll post some pictures to make up for it...xx

Return of the Letter Man

You've seen this guy before. Chances are, it won't be the last time. Des Moines' own Eiffel Tower, if you will.

It's been pretty quiet at our place the last week or so. Papa was on tour with Parlours again, so Ruby & I stayed with my parents while he was away. It makes getting around in the mornings for work a heck of a lot easier. Plus, having meals cooked for us is a treat.

Papa is back, but his schedule is booking up again. These pics are from a little walk I went on last night with just Ruby. We drove downtown to the library and I let her run around the sculpture garden afterwards.

Ruby ADORES this place. We are definitely grateful to have something like this in our city.

The days feel like they are blurring together. It feels like all I do is work, clean, & sleep. Even my sleep isn't that restful. This is a hard season.
I know it won't always be this way. It is more important that I am present & engaged with my daughter now than it is to be creative & do the things that I want. And the older she gets, the easier it is to include her in those activities. It's already going by way too fast.

But for now, I hold on to this: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us aasurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1, NLT