Winter Blues

February has always been the worst time of the year. Everything is a pile of dirty mush and the gray days seem to drag on forever. Spring seems so close, yet so very far away. That's what depresses you most of all. 

And then, between the stress and uncertainty of life, a never ending to-do list and a bad case of the winter blues... it snows. Fat, fluffy flakes that transform the landscape into a sparkly snow globe. Everything is a wash of white and you pause as you're reminded of how beautiful this world can be, and how wonderful your life really is.

Give Up

A Tattered Line of String - the newest single from the Postal Service 

Today, I think I got a small taste of what it's like to be a parent.

Let me explain. Chris and I are HUGE fans of the Postal Service, who recently announced a ten year anniversary release of Give Up, plus new tracks and a reunion tour. I don't know about you, but Give Up probably accounts for 30% of the soundtrack to my high school existence, and I still love it just as much today as I did then.

So when I saw this afternoon that they were touring in Detroit, I flipped out. I called Chris to share the news, all while logging in to the presale ticket website, hoping the tickets didn't sell out in the two short hours they had been available. We were doing it - we were actually going to see the Postal Service, one of the bands topping our dream-concert list.

Then it dawned on me: the show was June 10, not even a month after our little girl is supposed to arrive. In three short months, our life will change in a big way. Concerts, road trips, even Friday nights at the movies... there's a lot of stuff we won't be able to do on a whim anymore. And I'm okay with it. Even though we have to give up all those things, we gain so much more. A tiny human being, our little girl, the start of our family.

I can't wait to sing her Postal Service lullabies.

Nursery Inspiration

Lately, all my extra effort and free time have been focused on house shopping (!!!), hence my lack of blogging. Chris and I met with a loan officer last week and have been officially pre-approved for a home loan. We've looked at countless house listings online and on Friday we're going to visit a few in person. It's about time! You may remember that back in September, the rental home we had been living in for the first two years of our marriage sold, leaving us homeless. We've been staying with Chris' parents since then to save money for a house, and with our little miss on the way (due in three months, give or take a few days!) we're ready to find a home of our own.

I haven't allowed myself to think too much about decorating a nursery since we don't exactly have a room to decorate just yet, but now that we're looking into houses, I've been thinking more and more about that tiny little space. I'm still not sure what we're going to end up doing (although it will probably involve a fox/woodland motif of some sort) so I've gathered up some lovey photos from blogland to fuel my inspiration.

I'm kind of super-obsessed with the Meadow Nursery collection from Dwell studio. It's the sweetest woodland-themed print in pink, light blue and navy that isn't fussy or too girly. That said, I refuse to pay more for a bedding set than for the crib it will go on, so I'll have to find baby's bedding elsewhere.

How cheery and sweet is this blue and yellow nursery designed by Kim of Senn & Sons? I love all the details, especially the yellow chandelier and Hygge & West focal wall.

I think this nursery from A Lovely Lark is one of my favorites. Those curtains provide the perfect splash of color without overpowering the entire room.

Although I think our nursery will be a little more playful, this sophisticated neutral room is lovely. Via Style at Home.

I read somewhere that a dark nursery is soothing for baby because it creates a surrounding similar to the womb. This constellation-themed room has a beautiful dark feature wall that doesn't feel too heavy, and the citron accents are wonderful.

Now that I know we're having a girl, it has been really difficult to stay away from pink things, and I don't even like pink. I do love baby Alice's sweet pink nursery, though.

I think decorating a nursery for a girl will be more of a challenge than I originally thought. My room as a little girl was over the top: frills everywhere, pink everything. I had an extensive unicorn collection and a wallpaper boarder to match (that's right. UNICORNS.) Although that isn't exactly my style now, there's a tiny piece of me that wants to go overboard on the girlyness with our little one. I think the key is to find the right combination of items that inspire creativity and can grow with her, with just a touch of girlyness. Challenge accepted.

An Homage to Liz Lemon

You guys. Can I nerd-out for a little bit? Tonight is the series finale of 30 Rock. The SERIES FINALE. I really can't believe it's here. Chris and I love 30 Rock. I've actually been really disappointed in the way they've been wrapping up things lately. Why aren't they finishing the dang show with a full season?! I just don't understand, and it makes me really sad. But then I watch this video to cheer myself up:

Video no longer available.

In my dreams I would be throwing a 30 Rock series finale party tonight, complete with cheese puffs and meatball subs with extra bread. There would be pizza for everyone to shotgun, delicious drinks, and mozzarella sticks if you already had a drink. I would invite all my friends to this Liz Lemon party, and they would all come, because there ain't no party like a Liz Lemon party 'cause a Liz Lemon party is mandatory.

But this is real life, and I don't throw parties on Thursday nights anymore (or ever, really.) Instead, I thought I would put together a little homage to Liz Lemon here on Gathered Heart. I hope you love her as much as I do... otherwise, all the 30 Rock/Liz Lemon quotes I have woven into this post will be pointless. Nerds!

1. I've been in love with Liz's simple pendant necklace since the first season, but never knew exactly what it was. After some googling, I found that Liz wears two Helena Ficora "L" alphabet charms. Find similar (and more budget friendly) ones on Etsy. 2. A classic Liz Lemon plaid shirt: throw a navy or gray cardigan over this baby and you're set. 3. These Finn glasses from Warby Parker should probably be renamed to Liz. Just saying. 4. A traveler's guide to Cleveland, Ohio, so you too can leave to the Cleve. 5. Etsy shop Paper Chat has a ton of 30 Rock-inspired typographic artwork, including this awesome What the What print. 6. Because everyone needs a Suck it Nerds fabric banner. 7. I'm pretty sure Liz would love a Zingerman's cheese of the month club membership. To work on her night cheese, of course. 8. Liz and I share a mutual love of cheese puffs... although I don't thik I could knowingly eat anything flavored with bull semen. I'll take this awesome Sabor De Soledad iPhone case instead.

Will you be watching 30 Rock this evening? Chris and I will be parked on the couch in our pjs, probably sharing a pint of Ben and Jerry's (who are, by the way, announcing a 30 Rock flavor tonight. Fantastic.) If by any chance you've never seen an episode of 30 Rock, all the other seasons are on Netflix. I suggest a marathon.

Meghan Howland

How beautiful are these paintings by Meghan Howland? I haven't been able to stop thinking about that top one since I spotted it on Pinterest last week. The rhythm, the painterly brush strokes, the color, the magical yet slightly terrifying thought of a dozen birds flying around someone's face. It's all so captivating.

via Two Two Oh Four