Four Favorites: Nicely Neutral

Today's four favorites are distinctly lacking in color. I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm going to go with it. After a particularly busy week, these soft neutrals just feel right...

1. When I spotted this Totes Ma Goats tote from West Elm this week, I died. I love that phrase (thanks to my favorite movie, I Love You Man) and I love those goats.
2. Please tell me I'm not the last person to know about Sam, the cat with eyebrows. Chris thinks he's creepy but those concerned, raised brows crack me up. I just started following him on Instagram and I laugh at pretty much every photo. 
3. These sculptural paper flowers from Etsy shop Frances & Francis are incredibly beautiful. I can't imagine all the time put into cutting and arranging something so delicate! Check out their entire flower selection here, including an everlasting flower for Mother's Day. Lovely.
4. Summertime baby clothes are officially the cutest things ever. Case and point: Baby Gap's bow bubble onesie in the sweetest floral print. Actually, pretty much everything from Baby Gap.

The weekend weather promises highs in the upper 60s, which isn't much but I'll take it after this week's snowy, 40-degree days. Chris and I will be partying it up, with a going away celebration for friends and a birthday party for our niece (that little stinker is already two!) I hope it's nice wherever you are... Happy weekend! 

36 Weeks

Only four more weeks until my due date. One month. Technically, I've been drafting this post for a while and today is the very last day of my 36 week stretch, so we really only have three more weeks before baby girl comes (give or take a few days, of course.) EEEP!

Looking back over the past nine months, I realize that I haven't written all that much about my pregnancy here on Gathered Heart... in fact, the last bump photo I shared was three months ago! That's completely unintentional. Between trips to the hospital for appointments and birthing classes, weeknights and Saturdays spent house hunting, and the general fatigue that comes with creating a little life, it seems that all my creative energy has been zapped. My free time is spent on the couch, watching New Girl and eating Half Baked with Christopher, and that's the way I like it.

Sometimes, especially after a quick visit to Pinterest or Facebook, I feel guilty for not doing more (you know, between the morning sickness, backaches, acne, swollen feet and all the other joys of pregnancy.) Then I realize, baby girl isn't going to care whether or not I have taken weekly bump photos, or that her nursery is still in the planning phase. Really, when she gets here, all she's going to care about is sleeping, eating, and having a dry bum.

And then, after a little while, she's going to care about the bedtime story we read together at night. The way her daddy tosses her high in the air and catches her without fail. She's going to care about big pushes on the swing set, bug hunts, tea parties, trips to the zoo. That's the stuff I can't wait to document, the things I look forward to most. Being a family.

Three more weeks, baby girl! Get here safely!

A Foxy Woodland Nursery

It's taken me nearly eight months, but I've finally pulled together an inspiration board for baby girl's nursery! My nesting instinct has kicked in big time over the past two weeks and it has been kind of difficult to handle considering Chris and I are still living out of boxes. I find myself folding and refolding onesies for no apparent reason and shuffling around the house looking for things to clean. It's a pretty strange feeling.

So I've turned that energy towards scouting out items for a fox and woodland inspired nursery for our little girl. Something bright and cheerful. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. Well of course I want this fox blanket from Dwell Studio! It's a bit of a splurge at $58, but I love the bright color.  2. Ferm living fox pillow. Adorbs.  3. Part of me wants to make a mobile for above baby's crib, but if we buy one, I think this sparrow mobile is a top contender.  4. This little mushroom is a nightlight... need I say more?  5. I know from my nieces that you can never have enough storage. Might as well store everything in an adorable (and massive!) fox bin from 3 sprouts.  6. There are a lot of cutesy nursery lamps on the market, but I'm leaning towards something a little more sophisticated, like this shade and base combo from Target.  7-9. Finding good crib bedding was the most annoying part of nursery shopping... case and point: the most common fox-themed bedding I found features a ridiculous amount of googly eyes. We're going to mix and match things on our own instead: gray stripes, gold dots, and pink foxes!  10. I'm going to share a separate post on nursery artwork next week because there is just so much out there, but I had to include this sweet Rifle print in today's post. The colors are perfect!  11. There are a million adorable fox toys out there, and we will probably end up owning 20 by the time baby girl turns one. This little mustard fella from Etsy shop Sleepy King has held my heart from the beginning.  12. Crib shopping was also pretty tricky. Christopher wanted something classic, I wanted something a little more modern. We finally agreed on this one from Babies R Us, and I love the clean lines and classic curves. Ooh lala. 

Foxes are just so dang cute, am I right! They seem to be gaining popularity lately (I even heard one blog deem them the new owl of nurseries) but we just can't resist.

I can't wait to actually have a nursery to decorate. I'll be honest, it's hard not to get bummed out about our living situation. As grateful as I am that my in-laws are letting us crash at their house, I really miss having a place of our own. We're still looking at houses on a weekly basis, but it seems like we have pretty much exhausted our current resources. My fingers are crossed in hopes that the best houses are waiting for warmer weather to hit the market. Until then, this little nursery will remain a virtual one.

Boston

Boston City Heart Map from LuciusArt

Today, my prayers go out to the city of Boston and those affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. I can't begin to imagine what the east coast is going through right now.

The closer and closer I get to baby girl's due date, the more I find myself thinking about what it really means to be a parent: the good and the bad, the difficult decisions. How will I ever explain such evil, senseless acts of violence to my baby, especially when I don't fully understand them myself? The most comforting thing I've found has been floating around the social media sphere, a quote by childhood favorite Mr. Rodgers, from his book The World According to Mister Rogers:

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

It's nice to be reminded that, as terrible as things can seem sometimes, the world is filled with goodness and beauty and people who are always willing to help. When tragedy strikes, sometimes we forget that the good things in life greatly outnumber the bad. Try to remember that today and hug your loved ones a little harder... I know I will.

The Postal Service

Okay, okay... I know I've probably gushed enough about the Postal Service lately, but I had to share this fun little video about the duo and the making of Give Up (the 10th anniversary album of Give Up is out today!)

And when did Ben Gibbard get so cute? Probably when Zooey broke his awkward little heart.

Via NPR

Is that you, spring?

During my morning walk today, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the trees are finally budding. It's not much, but I'll take it. Hello spring!

Winter in Michigan seems to have stuck around much longer than normal (especially comparing it to last spring, when we had 80 degree days in March...) but I think the old man has finally taken his leave. The air is still chilly, barely reaching 50 degrees most of the time, but we've been getting our fair share of sunshine and blue skies. The only thing that's missing is the greenery, and it looks like that is well on it's way. Thank goodness.