Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Vote for a Cutie
You all know this cutie right here…
My brother in law has joked that I have turned my nephew
into a celebrity by putting his cuteness on my blog (I appreciate that my
brother in law thinks I have that kind of power!). Now’s your chance to help
turn him into a real celebrity.
This fab photo (above) of my nephew getting excited about eating
solid foods is in the running to become a weekly winner with Parents Magazine for their Cover Contest. If selected as the weekly winner, my sister and her
awesome family will win $250 and have the chance to be included on a cover of
an upcoming issue. How cool is that? Admit it; you all get just as excited
about eating as my little bug does. He sure knows what’s good; he loves any
fruit and he gobbles up Mac and Cheese with veggies (all pureed of course! The
kid has to start somewhere).
You can all help turn him into a celebrity. All it
takes is a quick click to this link on the Parents Magazine site to vote. You
only have to answer a simple question which they give you the answer to – so
it’s the easiest thing ever! And click the link every day between now and May 5
as you can cast a vote each day.
My sister and I would greatly appreciate your assistance. I
mean, what else are you going to do at work besides browse twitter and vote for
my cutie of a nephew? Kidding!
But seriously, get to voting, because you don’t want to make
my nephew look like this do you?
Thanks everyone! We appreciate the help!
Two Tips Tuesday
#1:
Looking for
an awesome link up with other fashionable ladies who love accessories? Then
link up with me and Emily from A Devine Life this coming Thursday, May 2. We
are hosting a “What’s Your Favorite Accessory?” link up. We want to know what
your favorite accessory is (obvi!) and see how you style it. All you have to do
is write a post talking about your favorite accessory in whatever way you
choose, then link up here or at A Devine Life on Thursday. Oh and tell your
friends! The more people who know about it the better. And if you don't have a blog, then just be sure to come back here on Thursday and hopefully get tons of inspiration from all of the people who link up their accessories.
Feel free to grab the button above to use in your blog post.
The official grab code is to your left in my side bar. Can’t wait to see what
everyone comes up with.
(Or if you want me to make it really easy for you, use this
grab code here:
<textarea rows="4"
cols="20"><a border="0" href="http://www.
#2:
If you are pregnant, have I got a
really fun ultrasound option to tell you about. Yes, the 2D profile pictures
that you receive from your doctor are terrific. But you know what is really
great? A 3D ultra sound where you actually get to see your baby’s face! Tolar
and I had our 3D ultra sound appointment over the weekend and we had a blast.
Now this is an optional ultrasound and not performed at your doctor’s office;
its more for fun than anything. We used InfantSee 3D/4D in Fairfax, VA and
really enjoyed it. They have a huge theatre room that can hold up to eight
people (it was just Tolar and myself though, which was still really cool). The
room is dark, like you are going into a movie and they have really cushy
couches for everyone to sit on. And the bed for mama to be is so awesome! This
was not an exam table, but a nice comfortable bed fit for a queen with plenty
of padding. Directly in front of the bed is a huge screen where everyone can
watch the baby and see the ultra sound in 3D. It is recommended to go around 30
weeks of your pregnancy and I was 29 weeks, so perfect timing. We got to see
our baby smile, blink and suck her thumb! She would not let go of her thumb or
her feet. She is definitely a sucker! (Uh oh, I was a thumb sucker; Tolar and I
will have our hands full with this one!) The package we purchased included
printed photos of baby girl, a DVD of the entire experience and a recorded
heartbeat - I love how cool technology is these days. It was such a surreal
experience seeing my baby’s face and getting a better glimpse at what she will
look like. She definitely has my little stubby nose. We can’t wait to meet her
in just a couple short months, especially after this fun appointment. I
recommend googling 3D/4D ultrasounds in your area if you are interested.
And I’d like to wish a very special Happy Anniversary to my
two awesome parents. Their marriage has been such an inspiration to Tolar and
myself. I’m so honored to have parents who have loved each other for more than
30 years! Love you Mom and Dad!!!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Pregnancy Update - Week 29
How far along: 29
weeks
Thoughts: Mid
July seems so close when I think about all we still have left to prepare for
baby girl…are we ready to be parents??? But Mid July also seems so far away
when I think of how much larger I am going to get. But no matter what, I am so
ready to snuggle my sweet baby girl.
Advice: I’ve been
getting a lot of advice from my sister lately about breast feeding and
schedules, I simply have no idea where to start! I’m so thankful and happy that
my sister is going through it all now so she can teach me everything she knows.
And she has been awesome at answering every. single. question. Also, my
sweet friend Courtney lent me the Baby Whisperer and I cannot wait to start
reading it (hopefully this week!); Courtney and her husband Dane already have
their 7 week old baby sleeping 7-8 hours!
Baby: She weighs
2 and a half pounds and is roughly the size of a butternut squash; measuring
over 15 inches long from head to heel. According to my Baby Center app, her
head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. I’m so happy to
read about her developing brain, but I’m fearful of the size of her head. Both
Tolar and I have HUGE heads, so we know this little girl has no chance of a
normal sized one.
Movement: Home
girl has been so active lately. One day last week she kicked me nearly all day
long. I love to feel it because it lets me know she is growing. Tolar has been
able to feel her kick almost every time I grab his hand and we even have seen
my belly move whenever she kicks.
Sleep: Still not
sleeping well and I know it’s only going to get worse. I constantly flip from
side to side because I’m so uncomfortable and occasionally my left leg will go
numb. My doctor says that I can prop myself up to sleep so I somewhat resemble
laying on my back, although I’m sitting up more than anything. That has seemed
to help.
Food: If the pictures
above don’t prove it, I don’t know what will – but I have had QUITE the sweet
tooth lately. Milkshakes, ice cream, candy, cookies you name it I want it. I
MUST get a handle on this sweet tooth.
Preparing for baby: Baby
girl’s closet is full! I’m talking clothes on both racks. Me, my sister, my
mom, my mother in law and a friend from work have all filled that closet to the
brim. Also, this weekend I taped the chevron wall in the nursery and Tolar
painted (tutorial coming soon!). Now that the painting is complete, I feel like
the nursery is really coming together. The bedding should arrive in a couple
weeks and I am constantly looking for décor to add. My sister and mom are
throwing me my first shower in two weeks and I am super excited! Can’t wait to
reunite with old friends and family.
Prayer request: I
simply ask that you pray for our baby girl to continue to grow and be a super
healthy baby. Thanks in advance for praying for us!
And while you all in the pregnancy/baby spirit, go check out
Still Being Molly as I’m giving away a $25 LOFT gift card on her blog today.
She’s a fab mama to be herself, only 4 weeks behind me!
********************
To continue your hopping around the internet, please pop on over to Life’s A Journey and meet Colleen. This is
one special lady with a heart completely devoted to Jesus. Colleen and I first “met”
when we were paired up for the Fall Favorites Swap and we were both equally as
thrilled to learn that the other was a Christian. And this lady is a true
inspiration living out a God first life! She has said so herself that she loves
people that others find hard to love. Wow! Just reading that sentence makes me
want to be a better person. We all need a little Colleen in our lives.
Whenever I first visit a new blog, I always check out their
About Me page and Colleen’s definitely shows you just how big her heart for
Jesus and inner city children really is. She is so amazing, quite the person to
look up to. I can only wish to be half as compassionate of a person as Colleen
is. You must read this post that Colleen wrote about a 13 year old boy that she
once worked with. My heart breaks for him and for her (read the post to get the
whole story) and I absolutely am joining Colleen in prayer that this young boy
realizes there is so much more for him in this life.
And another post to really illustrate what an inspiration
and true gift that Colleen is to this earth and the inner city kids is this fab
post about her kitchen window. Just reading through it makes me want to pull up
a chair beside her and enjoy fun conversations with all of her kids who seek
solace in her house. I can guarantee that you will be lifted up reading
through Life’s A Journey. Her faith is amazing and completely contagious. Go
check it out today!
Friday, April 26, 2013
High Five For Friday
Happy end of the week to you all! You all know by know that
I live for the weekend so obviously I’m happy it’s here. I am such a broken
record, but its true!
Here are my top five moments from the week.
1.) Our Artistic Director for the theatre where I work
received a British Honor this week (Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire – approved by the Queen!). The British Embassy held
a ceremony and reception in his honor and I got to attend. The Ambassador’s
Residence was beautiful and extremely breathtaking. Here’s me and my lovely
friend Emily enjoying the beautiful garden before the festivities began.
2.) Baby Girl (her nickname on Tolar’s side is Murphy) has
so many clothes already and my mother in law tells me she’s getting more!
3.) Tolar’s best friend Matt came into town for a very brief
visit and the guys went to the Nationals vs. the Cardinals baseball game. It
warms my heart to know that Tolar has such awesome genuine friends and I was
also happy that he got a day to relax.
4.) I saw this quote on facebook and I really liked it. The
quote will take on new meaning in the delivery room; I can assure you there
will be A LOT of praying.
5.) Isn’t this the CUTEST outfit ever? Matt (from #3) works
for Disney and bought this sweet little Minnie Mouse outfit for baby girl. He
even got the Minnie ears embroidered!
I hope everyone had a great week and has an even better
weekend. I’m linking up with Lauren from Lauren Elizabeth for this High Five
For Friday post.
(Also linking up for That Friday Blog Hop and Follow Friend Friday)
(Also linking up for That Friday Blog Hop and Follow Friend Friday)
Thursday, April 25, 2013
April Group Giveaway
I have a true treat for all of you! It is time for the April Group Giveaway and tons of my sponsors have teamed up to giveaway some awesome prizes for one lucky Pursuit of Pink reader. All of these prizes just for one person? I wish I could win this thing! Check out all the prizes and sponsors below and enter using as many options as you wish. Good luck everyone!!!
(If you want to participate in a future giveaway, click my sponsor page for options on how you can get involved in this amazingness.)
Here is what's up for grabs!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
(If you want to participate in a future giveaway, click my sponsor page for options on how you can get involved in this amazingness.)
Here is what's up for grabs!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Wore: Polka Dots and Florals
Pattern Mixing is something I absolutely love! I will admit that it took me awhile to try it because I was sure people would think I got dressed in the dark. But after looking through my closet and trying to find new inspiration out of everything I already owned I decided to completely embrace pattern mixing. As I said in this post, the secret to testing out pattern mixing is to find similar yet slightly different patterns. Another tip is to find colors that complement each other (i.e. neutrals with a pop of color).
You’ll see here that I paired polka dots with a floral
print. I love that because of the neutral black and white floral top the red
polka dot tank really pops (and so does my bump!). By pairing the neutral with
a bold color I don’t look like I’m four years old and my mom finally let me
pick out my own clothes. Although I sure do love when I see children who
obviously dressed themselves! Such creativity – which is what personal style is
all about.
And I have recently found that pairing polka dots and
floral prints is a new obsession of mine. I also have a very colorful floral
cardigan that I like to pair with a black and white polka dot tank. Again,
keeping a neutral with a pop of color.
For those of you tracking my baby bump progress, yep
my belly is definitely out there. Luckily I haven’t had any strangers come up
and touch my belly, yet. I’m waiting on that moment. Although as you can
tell from recent What I Wore posts, I wear a lot of black which probably keeps
people wondering if I’m pregnant or not. Oops, not exactly what I want people
to ponder. This outfit though leaves no room to guess, there is definitely a
baby in there and I’m so excited!
I’m linking up with
Style Elixir for Style Sessions, The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday and Because Shanna Said So for Random Wednesdays.
 |
| Pencil Skirt and Floral Blouse: LOFT. Tank: Old Navy. Shoes: Payless. Earrings: Target. |
********************
Have you checked out Ashley over at Sweetpea Lifestyle yet?
If not, why don't you head over there right now?! And definitely get your cute butt
over there if you read this blog because of things pink and sparkly because
Ashley has the same love!
Sweetpea Lifestyle is a great place to go to find
yummy recipes, craft and DIY how tos, organization tips and tons of outfit
inspiration. Her pictures are so pretty to look through as well; I just love a
blog with good pictures and illustrations! It really makes the whole
experience that much better, don’t ya think? One of my favorite posts is her 10 minute craft dash. She created a beautiful card using only
items she already had on hand in just 10 minutes – genius. Everyone has 10
minutes to make a pretty project, so check it out!
And Ashley definitely has the eye for creating pretty
party themes/decorations. Like this Mason Jar Themed Wedding Shower – its adorable. I’m sure
these pictures are all over Pinterest (if not, get to pinning now). I love when
you see party themes created out of items you probably already have in your
house but never thought to use them in a certain way. And Mason Jars can be
really pretty, simple decorations. I’ve been to my fair share of parties with
candles in Mason Jars and they are ALWAYS a hit!
One final post you MUST check out on Sweetpea
Lifestyle is the Desk Organization project. Seriously the before and after
photos are amazing. A nice, clean and orderly work space is a must for me (ok,
you caught me: a nice, clean and orderly HOUSE is what I really love). Her tips
on how to clean out your stuff and organize everything are so helpful. I’m sure
after reading this you will all be ready to Sort, Clean and Organize every
space that needs a little sprucing up! And one other thing, Ashley is launching
her first ebook called “Successful Entertaining” very soon. Look for more
details on the blog very soon!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Beautiful You
Over the weekend, I attended a women’s conference called
Beautiful You and I had an amazing time! I tell you I came home fired up! I
apologize in advance if this post turns long, there was just so much goodness
that came out of the two day conference.
 |
| Some girls from our women's group: Kristina, Julie, Me, Jade, Amber and Lisette. |
The conference was put on by Capital City Church here in
D.C. and featured some amazing speakers all focusing on teaching women to raise
ONE voice. They encouraged us to always have compassion and love and to be the
change for the hurting humanity around us. We heard from some very powerful and moving
speakers:
-Donna Pisani, Co-Pastor
of Capital City Church
-Dr. DeeDee Freeman, speaker, author and wife of Pastor Mike Freeman from Spirit of Faith Christian Center
-Lisa Bevere, speaker, author and founder of Messenger International
-Dr. DeeDee Freeman, speaker, author and wife of Pastor Mike Freeman from Spirit of Faith Christian Center
-Lisa Bevere, speaker, author and founder of Messenger International
I was super excited to hear Lisa Bevere speak because the
Women’s Group that I lead each week is reading through her book Girls With Swords. And Lisa did NOT
disappoint. If you follow me on twitter, you probably saw me tweeting up a
storm, sharing some inspirational quotes that Lisa said throughout her session.
The most important thing I took away from her message and from Girls With Swords is that we as women
are threats to the enemy and under attack, it isn’t just a man’s world. God is
raising us up to fight for good. The most powerful quote of the night was when
Lisa said “The attacks on your life have more to do with who you might be in
the future than who you have been in the past.” God and the enemy believe in us for GOOD!
 |
| (apologies for the grainy quality in some photos - bad blogger, I only had my phone with me!) |
Donna Pisani inspired us to be heard, but to also listen to
others and help them be heard. So often, we as women can believe lies that we
are just _________ (fill in the black). Just a girl. Just a wife. Just a
friend. Just a mom. But God intended us to be so much more, He created us for
greatness. Donna ended her session by giving all of the ladies in attendance a
can that we can fill with change. She encouraged us to use this can to be the
change in someone’s life. We can use the change can to support a cause we want
to raise up, if we are raising money trying to help a financially strapped
friend, if we want to help the homeless but never have change when they ask,
whatever we want. During the conference she asked us all to take out some
change and put it in the can of the girl sitting next to us. Then she had us
all stand up and shake our cans in unison. It was such an awesome sound to hear
all of these women raising their voices together in such a unique way. I’m so
excited to partner with God to fill my change can for something good. I haven’t
figured out what I’m going to do with my change can yet, but I do know I’m
going to fill it.
My favorite speaker from the conference was Dr. DeeDee
Freeman. The lady is real! She has such an awesome way of speaking that makes
you laugh A LOT, but makes you want to stand up beside her and get on board
with everything she says. She shared a
story from when her son was 16 years old and got messed up in the wrong crowd
and got wrongfully arrested for attempted murder. When DeeDee and her family
went to go see her son and saw him handcuffed, both DeeDee and her husband lost
it. They couldn’t believe this was happening to their son, they didn’t know
what to do. She said that her oldest daughter came over to them while they were
a crying mess and yelled at them “What are you doing? Why are you doing this?
You didn’t teach us to cower and cry, you taught us to believe in God and
always have faith!” Of course her story was longer than what I type, but you
get the picture. I was in tears as she told this story. All I could think was
that I want to live my life that way; live a life where I model for my children
that God is good, He is faithful, He will always protect us. I want my children
to yell at me one day that I should stop crying and have faith in God. After
all, He is all we need!
 |
| (again, shame on me for the quality of these pictures!) |
As you can tell I was moved by each speaker and really
enjoyed my time. We also were treated to multiple worship sessions , time to
connect with our girlfriends and we got to listen to a Men’s Panel give their
perspective on relationships. I am already excited to attend next year – they have
a great line up of speakers again! If you want to learn more about the
conference, click this link to go to their official website. You can sign up online and attend even if you don’t
live in D.C. I’ll be there and I plan to invite tons of friends to join me!
Monday, April 22, 2013
I Love Bloglovin' Link Up
Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be a co-host for the I Love Bloglovin' Link Up. If you have your own blog, link up below (just click the blue "add your link" button). If you don't have a blog, but love checking out new blogs then scroll to the bottom and start discovering some of the awesome blogs from the list. And most importantly have fun!
In order to help bloggers transition away from GFC as the main way to follow blogs, Northern Belle Diaries and Postcards from Rachel have teamed up to host I Love Bloglovin'.
Now, let's get this party started!
Have an image of yourself ready so we have your pretty face to look at!
Friday, April 19, 2013
High Five For Friday
I’m super excited the weekend is here! I’m attending my very
first conference, called Beautiful You! This is a Christian women’s conference
happening here in D.C. and I am super excited to learn from awesome women who
put God first in their life. But before I start my amazing weekend, check out
the top five moments from my week.
1.) In case you missed the announcement in yesterday’s post,
I’m hosting an Accessory link up with Emily from A Devine Life on May 2. We
want to know what your favorite accessory is, so start thinking about it, get
your post ready and link up right back here on May 2.
2.) Since the almost 90 degree heat scorched my tulips out
front of my house, I decided to bring some fresh tulips inside. I just love spring and
pretty tulips.
3.) This little bug has been sick all week, but my sister
tells me his temperature is down and he’s feeling much better. That makes my heart happy.
4.) Tolar and I had two different doctor appointments in the
same morning, so we got to have a fun Panera breakfast date in between
appointments.
5.) We finally decided on a travel system (car seat/stroller
combo) and it arrived this week. I’m so excited, I feel like we bought a new
car! We went with the Britax B Agile system and have heard such great things
from friends who have the same one. I can’t wait to be able to push our baby
girl around in it!
Wishing everyone an awesome weekend!
I’m linking up with Lauren over at Lauren Elizabeth for this
High Five For Friday post.
********************
I’d love for you all to meet Beth from Hang On, Honey. The
girl is fabulous, inspirational and quite hilarious – do you honestly need
anything else? I for sure have a blogger crush on the girl. I love her blog
title, she says it best: “One thing is certain: Twenty-Something is a whirlwind
of changes and joys and trials and triumphs…so Hang on, Honey.” Brilliant!
Beth began her blog to hold herself accountable for her
journey to a fit life and I absolutely love her honesty and dedication. I can’t
wait to join her to get some of my baby weight off! But besides fitness and weight
loss the girl offers up such great thoughts on life and shares some awesome
moments of her own fab life. For those of you who live with a boy, you will
laugh out loud at her post about living with her fiancé (man child). I think I
just read a post that I could have easily written myself!
And on to those great thoughts on life, check out what Beth
has to say about taking care of yourself. She is wise behind her years I tell
ya! And I’m completely ready to join her for an all out jam session in the car
while sitting at a traffic light. One other thing you must check out when
visiting Hang On, Honey is the story about how Beth asked her fiancé out first.
The story is incredibly cute – go girl, get your man!!! If you absolutely
cannot get enough of the awesomeness that is on her blog, you MUST check her
out on twitter. I probably favorite every other tweet of hers because I either
feel like I would say what she just did or because she makes me laugh out loud
all the time. Seriously, Beth please call me when you visit D.C. I want to be
your new best friend!!!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
April Birchbox Plus An Announcement!
My April Birchbox arrived and I have to say, this one was
just ok. I sure hope as I use the products more I enjoy everything more. Don’t
get me wrong, I love Birchbox in fact I’ve purchased products from their store
before because I loved the samples I received in my monthly box. And of course
I love receiving a box full of monthly beauty samples, I just renewed my
subscription for another year! To get your very own Birchbox, click this link.
For the month of April, Birchbox teamed up with Women’s
Health magazine to create a box to help us fine tune our lifestyle. The theme
of the box was “tiny tweaks, BIG results.” And I believe in this philosophy too,
a little bit each day can really pay off in the end; whether that be a few
minutes in the sun each day, slathering your skin with moisturizer or taking a
power nap. Adding all of these little things up can breed excellent results.
So here’s what came in my box this month:
1.) Caudalie Divine
Oil – This is supposed to give your hair, skin and nails a gorgeous glow. I
can’t wait to smooth a little dab of this over my hair and check out the results.
2.) Beauty Protector,
Protect & Detangle spray – I could definitely use a detangler for days
after I curl my hair. It never fails, after I wash my hair I always get tangles
when combing it out. This will come in quite handy!
3.) Mirenesse Glossy
Kiss Lipstick – I am pretty excited about this; it’s a lip pencil that can
also double as a blush color when you are in a pinch. The color may be a bit
too red for me, but we shall see.
4.) Lifestyle Extra:
Hail Merry Chocolate Macaroons – It seems a little odd to get macaroons in
a beauty box, but every girl loves a little treat now and then. These macaroons
are vegan, gluten-free and totally organic.
5.) Supergoop!
Advanced SPF 37 Anti-Aging Eye Cream – I’m not gonna lie, as my age starts creeping
up there, I feel it is very important to use anti-aging cream to help prevent
wrinkles. Lucky for me I have had oily skin my whole life so wrinkles haven’t appeared
yet. I guess there is a payoff for oily skin after all.
Do you have your own subscription to Birchbox? Did you enjoy
this Women’s Health box? Leave me a
comment below telling me your favorite product. And if you have any questions
about Birchbox, feel free to leave any and all thoughts/questions below.
And now for the announcement...
If you have been around these parts at all you know that I LOVE accessories. I feel like accessories can take an outfit from blah to wow. And I certainly hope you all agree. Which is why I have teamed up with the lovely Emily from over at A Devine Life to bring you the "What's Your Favorite Accessory" link up.
That's right lovelies, we want to know what your favorite accessory is and how you like to style it. So start thinking about it, get your pictures ready, prepare your post and then stop by my blog or Emily's blog on Thursday, May 2 and link up with us! It's going to be awesome and you don't want to miss out on that do you?
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About Me
- Lindsay @ Pursuit of Pink
- Welcome to Pursuit of Pink. I'm Lindsay and I'm so glad you are here. I believe a positive life is a happy life. Join me as I try to walk that out daily - in life, motherhood, style and more.
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