I knew from the start that we wanted to have newborn photos taken professionally in our home after Baby H arrives (in just about 5 weeks!) but I was a little unsure about taking maternity photos. I’ve seen so many maternity photos that make me uncomfortable (bare bellies really aren’t my thing!) and sometimes they feel so forced. But when I booked Gina to take our newborn photos and she offered to do a small mini maternity session of about … Read More
To My Firstborn
You, my firstborn, my sweet little baby. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about becoming your mom. For most of the last 33 weeks I thought about being pregnant and how my body was changing and the ways in which you were growing. But now I’ve been thinking less about my pregnancy and more about what it means to take on the title of mommy. Mom seems like an awfully weighty job description with more responsibility than I know what … Read More
Ultimate Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies with Candied Pecans
Many times I sit down to write and blog post without really thinking about what exactly I’m writing about. The words flow easily about the recipe I’m going to share with you, the flavor or texture or usefulness of the recipe at hand. It’s easy to fall into a lull of writing about food without really writing about anything at all. Does anyone really need me to wax poetic for four paragraphs about chocolate chip cookies? Lately I’ve felt a … Read More
Emily Ley Simplified Planner Giveaway
Happy Monday, friends! Today I’m so excited to share a giveaway with you that I have a feeling a lot of you will be excited about. My friend, Emily Ley, is one talented designer and is the creator of the Simplified Planner, also known as one of the best day planners around and my lifeblood to organization and order in the day-to-day. Emily and I first connected over e-mail while we were both struggling with infertility; Emily and her hubby … Read More
2015 Words of the Year
After last year’s “words of the year” ended up being so prophetic (hello, discipline and patience!) I was a little scared to pick words of the year for 2015. Understandable, right? I took my time praying about my words of the year, chewing on them for a while to see how they sat with my soul before writing them in pen and sharing them with the world. This year I’ve settled on a couple words to guide my year, since … Read More
Readers are Leaders Printable
One of the things I enjoyed doing most when creating our nursery was creating printable art for our little one’s book shelves and walls. I’m certainly not a designer by trade, but I do find a lot of joy in the creative process and have just enough knowledge and experience with InDesign and Photoshop to be dangerous and waste a lot of time! My little sister Ashley is going to be a teacher when she graduates in May, and one … Read More
A Baby Shower for Baby H
It was so wonderful to head home last weekend and spend a little time celebrating Baby Hofmeyer at our first baby shower! My mom’s amazing friends hosted the shower at my mom’s house and a handful of my good friends from high school were also there to celebrate. I can’t believe that we’re past the 32 week mark and that little one will be here so soon. To be surrounded by so many people who have prayed for our baby … Read More
Baby Hofmeyer’s Gender-Neutral Nursery Reveal
Happy New Year, friends! I’m kicking off 2015 with a tour of my new favorite room in our house, Baby Hofmeyer’s nursery! It’s been so fun to put together this nursery piece by piece, and seeing it finally come together just 8 weeks shy of baby’s arrival makes the whole thing even more real. I’m finding it hard to believe that we’re really going to be a family of 3 pretty soon. I’ve never been great at taking photos of … Read More