Welcome Home Wednesdays: Summer Entertaining

Hi readers! I'm really excited to bring y'all a new series of posts I'm calling Welcome Home Wednesdays. Now that we're home searching in Charleston, I'll have a whole new place to call home! To cull my excitement while we're waiting to move and then in temporary housing, I'm sharing my favorite home decor finds each Wednesday, always with a new theme. Let me know what you think!

To kick off this first Welcome Home Wednesday, here's the best of summer entertaining that I'm loving right now. Entertaining is our jam and these items don't break the bank, take up too much space and are perfect for farewell parties in DC and welcoming parties in Charleston. I mean, those sun shine napkins (1) are under $2 and the fruit keg tap (10) is under $20!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

What are your favorites?! Happy entertaining folks!

PS: If any other bloggers are interested in linking up, let me know and we can get Welcome Home Wednesdays going on the reg!

Anthro Lace Lemon Top in Charleston

The most beautiful lace, a lemon print and a flowy fit, could a top get any more perfect?! This top from Anthropologie is one of my new favorite summer staples, so of course I threw it on for a day around Charleston with my little family. 

I'm wearing this gorge top with mint jeans (sold out, love these), gold monogrammed Jacks, these staple Tory earrings, this clutch, Julie Vos cuff and these tortoise sunnies (sold out, similar high end, similar low end under $20).

When you have a lemony yellow wall that's this gorgeous, you just have to turn the camera around and get some Dada/Daughter pics. I mean... 

Ry is wearing these Southern Tide shorts, a golf shirt (but we picked up this on King Street), his rainbows and Knockaround sunnies. Sully has on the Lilly baby shift in of course, Southern Charm, along with her gold Salt Water sandals.

What summer tops are you loving?! Anyone else snatch this one up?

A Wedding Weekend in Greenville, SC

I’m pretty proud of my hometown of Greenville, SC and was so happy when I got a full day to romp around downtown, eat at my favorite lunch spot and then attend one of my best friend’s weddings the next day (see her bachelorette recap here).

My flight arrived late on Thursday night, but this gave me the chance to wake up early on Friday to head downtown to Falls Park and Artisphere which was going on that weekend. Luckily, my little brother and sister didn’t have school this day because it was yearbook day, so they tagged along with me and Nana as we walked around and had lunch at my favorite spot, Brick Street Café.

My little sister Ally, me, my little brother Nick, Nana and our temporary sister Maria from Spain who just went back last week (and took my sister with her for a visit).

Me and Nana in Falls Park, I'm wearing a striped Topshop dress (sold out, similar on sale under $30), Le Spec sunnies (on sale), Kendra Scott necklace and this bag. 

If you’ve never been to Brick Street, you’re missing out. Make sure you get a Love Muffin for the table and save room for dessert because the Sweet Potato Cake is to die for. It’s actually my cake of choice for my birthday every year.

My favorite thing to order is the grilled cheese pictured above!

The sweet potato cake on the left and the chocolate peanut butter cake on the right, so delish!

Here’s a look around Greenville’s beautiful downtown. Isn’t it gorgeous?!

It was pretty hot so a shower was definitely in need before the rehearsal dinner we were attending Friday night at Larkins on the River. The food was great and it was so nice to see Amanda so happy and surrounded by friends and family.

I'm wearing this Lilly maxi and this cardi.

The next morning I woke up bright and early, excited for the day ahead! I went over to Amanda’s house so we could get our makeup done by Cotton Rouge Studios. Then it was off to Wisteria Salon for hair. I went with a bit of an edgier look, what do you think?

#makeupgoals

How sweet is Madeline?! This is the bride's little one and she was such a gorgeous flower girl!

Too edgy? I was super unsure at first, but got lots of compliments and was happy to step out of my comfort zone. 

Then it was wedding time! It was so nice to get a minute to breathe and have a beer with my (goofy) man. We borrowed my parent's minivan for the weekend and Ryan couldn't resist one silly photo.

My favorite new bracelet from Lilly.

Not lying when I say, Amanda’s dress may be my all-time favorite wedding dress a friend has worn. The pictures absolutely do not do the lace with bead detail justice.

We had to miss the reception because we jetted down to Charleston for another one of my best friend’s weddings, but I’m so glad I at least got to be with Amanda for her rehearsal dinner and all the morning festivities, not to mention her beautiful wedding.

Who else has been to Greenville? What are your favorite places – I’m putting together a little guide now and would love to know all your tops for food, sights, drinks and more?!

BIG News! We're Moving To...

You know when you feel one of those seismic shifts happening in your life? Getting engaged, landing a new job, getting married, buying your first home, having a baby. I'm feeling that shift right this second, it's happening y'all. Something that we thought would only maybe happen in 5-10 years, is actually happening right.this.second.

You guys. We are moving to... CHARLESTON, SC!!!! 

Can ya believe it?! 'Cuz I'm still in shock! Now, let me back up a little from here. We moved from our home state of South Carolina back in early 2013 for my favorite Virginia city of Richmond. After 2 1/2 years, one house and one precious little girl later we relocated to Northern Virginia, right outside of DC in Arlington where we've been for a year. Don't get me wrong, DC is a cool town, but I think we were always pining for lowcountry living, closer to all our family. Especially once little Sully came into our lives - it's crazy what a difference having family nearby can make once you have a baby.

Well let me tell you guys, God truly has a plan bigger than you can ever imagine. At least that's what we found out recently. Something we had buried so deep in our hearts because we thought the right career and timing would never come along, all the sudden became a reality. Oh how good He is... 

via

Just last week Ryan signed an offer letter to work for a wonderful company on Daniel Island doing what he loves, now just a short drive both from his family and mine. It still hasn't sunk in yet to be honest. Seeing as everything has happened so fast, I don't really know what's next for me. Thankfully, I will be able to work remotely for a short time doing my current job. On that note, I would love any suggestions on companies or folks I should reach out to in social media/marketing/brand strategy if you have them. Also, send any daycare/childcare suggestions you might have my way too please!

As for where we're going to actually live, we have temporary housing for a little while so we can (hopefully) find a place to buy in the meantime. We're looking in downtown on the peninsula (hello fixer uppers!) and in Mount Pleasant. We've already started working with a wonderful realtor, I forgot how much I love house hunting! It's already pretty apparent there's not much inventory and things go fast though, so if you know of someone in either of those areas looking to sell, let me know!  

Our actual move date is in mid-July, so we have a few more weeks up here before the movers come to pack all our stuff up, move it into storage and we move into temporary housing. Crazy!

I'm so excited to document and continue this journey right here on this 'lil blog. Stay tuned for more updates. Plus I've got not one, but TWO gorgeous Charleston weddings to share with you soon if you're in need of a lowcountry fix!

Our Baby Bedtime Routine with Softsie

I’m always so curious to know what other parents do for bedtime, mealtime and everything in between. There’s a million ways to parent and I’m so encouraged when other Mamas open up and share how they get things done. That’s why I’ve decided to post about our bedtime routine, plus let you in on my favorite PJs for Sully by Softsie (she even wore them on her bday below).

We got pretty lucky I have to say, Sully LOVES going to bed. If it gets too late she’ll even grab the dish towels off of the oven and lay down on them putting herself to sleep on the kitchen floor, no joke. We try to keep blankie and passie confined to the crib or car, hence only having dish towels to reach for, ha!

After dinner around 5/5:30 we get an hour to an hour and a half of play in before it’s time to start winding down. First step for us in this process is a shower. We've found she prefers a shower over a bath (+ I feel like the tub in our rental is a little unsafe if you ask me). Her favorite bath toy... a flexible measuring cup. Go figure!

Then it's time for PJs after her bath. We’re actually pretty picky about PJs because I feel like what Sully has on truly does affect her sleep. My all-time favorite is her Softsie one-piece in the black and white pendants. Complete disclosure, I was sent this for free to review, but I am serious when I say they’re my absolute fave! I would put them on Sully every night if we had enough. And honestly, some days she just wears them all day long (hello lazy Sundays!).

So why do I love our Softsie pajamas so much? It's too much to write out, so here's some bullets for those of y'all like me that love a good list...

• So darn soft (hence the name!)
• Infused with all-natural aloe vera, jojoba oil and vitamin E, great because Sully has such dry skin 
• Anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and SPF properties
• Chemical-free and hypoallergennic
• Snug fit for flame resistance
• Made in the USA
• Perfect amount of stretch, it’s not hard to put on, but doesn’t go loose in any place
• It zips (why do they even do snaps still anyway?)
• Feet have grips, so important once they start walking
• With wash and wear at least 2x/week, it hasn’t lost any of its quality
• Developed by a fellow Mom. Natalie, the founder, is super sweet and I feel like all of us Mom's can relate to her story in some way.
• Oh and it’s really cute, I also love the mint color too! 

Back to the routine though, after bath and PJs, we make a “baba” which we’re trying to get away from/transfer to milk but are just having the darndest time. She hates it in the sippy cup, she expects water and is totally freaked out by the milk in her cup. Would love any suggestions on this transition!

We snuggle with blankie while she has baba and then it’s time for prayers and bedtime. I want to start incorporating a book in somewhere, but she just gets so tired we’re lucky to even make it through prayers sometimes before she’s jumping to get in her crib.

As an overview, here’s our (ideal) bedtime schedule:

 6:15pm :: Start routine with bath/shower

6:45pm :: Diaper, Desitin, lotion, brush teeth and hair and put on PJs

7pm :: Make bottle and settle in to eat and snuggle

7:30pm :: Bedtime with prayers 

What do you guys do for bedtime? 

Also, here's where to buy Sully's PJs, I cannot recommend them enough! Let me know if you have any questions and make sure to follow along on their Insta and Facebook too, super cute baby pics alert!