tea & crumpets

{image 1 & 2}

{anthropologie 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8}

In honor of the wedding... I thought I might host us a little tea & crumpet party this morning.  I hope you will all join me in your cutest hat with your pinkies raised and sip some delightful English tea with me!

who got up to watch it??

I missed the actual wedding (Magnolia needed her beauty sleep), but I did see the first kiss -- scratch that, i mean peck!  David even got up to watch that.  Congrats to the couple & I do hope they can live the "quiet life" that they are hoping for.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Pregnancy Warning Label, {wiggles}, & a winner

{Magnolia's picture from last week!  We are 29 weeks now & healthy as can be!}

The other day a volunteer doctor at work (the funniest one we have -- very quirky male, late 30's/early 40's, long hair & wears a hello kitty pony tail holder "because i like hello kitty, not because i'm gay") said to me...

"Blair, I don't want to sound cruel, but you've really let yourself go!  You know when you leave the hospital they'll make you take that home with you!"

Knowing his sense of humor, this actually cracked me up!!  He said something else that I can't quite remember, but I do remember that it got me to thinking... what if pregnancy came with a warning label like you find on the back of a pill bottle or hear read really fast or in small print at the end of a commercial (think zoloft).  This is the fine print that came to mind....

Some common side affects may include:

Weight gain, nausea, heartburn, indigestion, stretch marks, sore breasts, affection and adoration from your family, bladder infections, caffeine withdrawal headaches, hemorrhoids, excitement, constipation, irritability, food aversions, unexplained sobbing, heightened sense of smell, dry eyes, changes in vision, frequent urination, constant worry and fear, extreme joy, increased desires to strangle or kiss your husband, uncontrolled shopping for tiny outfits, extreme exhaustion, gas, rampant appetite, inability to maintain regular exercise, unexplained smiling, shortness of breath, lower back pains, upper back pains, increased cellulite, varicose veins, carpal tunnel syndrome, sensitivity to people's comments, and impatience.            

Pregnancy may last more than 40 weeks.  Labor is often painful and complicated.  In some cases emergency surgery is required.  Pregnancy is not for everyone.  Consult God, your husband and doctor before becoming pregnant.  In 100% of cases prayer has proven most efficient in handling pregnancy side affects.  While pregnancy is not for everyone, it has proven to increase family size and strengthen your maternal instincts.

What do you think?  Pretty accurate?  Would you add or change anything?

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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner....  

The winner of the Keep Company shoe giveaway is

random.org #325, Ang from Life with Triplets

Congrats!

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Wiggles

...New Music...

Mason Jennings

Listen {HERE}

...you've been wiggled...

Pamplemouse 1983

My Girl Thursday

We Blog Artists

Tales of Me and the Husband

Kyla Roma

{If you've been wiggled today or in the past, head to the wiggle page, pick up your badge, and check out the other blogs and music on the list... and as always, leave me a comment with your blog and music suggestions!}

Open Call for May Sponsors...

I'm back in the swing of things here at Wild & Precious and ready to open up for new sponsors starting in May! If you have a creative heart, have a shop, blog, or business, and want to draw more traffic to your site, I'd love to host your ad on this ol' blog of mine!  

I offer two different sizes at 1 month or 3 month increments.  All transactions are through paypal.  See rates and other details by clicking HERE.

I love sharing my sponsors with my readers through feature posts, giveaways, and tweets.  Please email me with any questions!

New to Wild & Precious? read more about this blog HERE.

nursery inspiration board

1.  light gray, almost white wall paint with white trim & white furniture
2.  pull out love seat from ikea (we're going to atlanta this weekend to pick it up)
3.  simple lavender bedding (one pictured is from pottery barn kids)
4.  mix matched accents of lavender (framed, pillows, possibly curtains)
5.  glossy black frame collage on wall over ikea couch
6.  paper lantern lighting, floor and ceiling
7.  chevron throw pillow for love seat, possibly to recover our second hand glider and stool
8.  glass knobs for refinished changing table/dresser (one shown is from anthro)
9.  the FAO Swartz bunny we bought in NYC.  looking for a bunny crib mobile
10.  not shown, but I can promise you there will be some sort of mason jar in there!

A lot of work to do... but so exciting!  So far we have cleared out the room (see clean slate here) and David has mostly finished refinishing a the dresser we are using for the changing table (which his mom found us on the side of the road)!  Hope we can pull it all off -- but the good news is, is that once we put sweet Magnolia in there, no one will notice the decor anyway!  

p.s. don't forget to enter the keep shoe giveaway.  today is the second to last day!  spread the word for extra entries!  good luck!

Wanted {Easter Outfit}

{anthropologie 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 }

OH, Anthropologie... i've said it before and i'll say it again... IF I wasn't pregnant & IF i had a huge wad of cash, this is what I would be wearing this Sunday for Easter!  {here is what i "wore" last Easter} But alas, I am very happily with child and as usual, without said wad of cash.  But my life is better than anything Anthro has to offer and I am so excited to be enjoying this Easter weekend with my family, celebrating that Christ is risen!

Do y'all have special weekends planned?  Special outfits??  I can't WAIT to put little special Easter frocks on Magnolia!

Hands Down, Best Pizza in the World!

Grimaldi's Pizzeria -- Brooklyn, New York

There is not much I can say, but OH-MY-YUMMINESS!  Seriously, this pizza was CRAZY good!  We had friends tell us we had to find this place.  Although one friend couldn't remember the name, she said "look for the one with the line & you'll know you are there."  Our wait was not terrible at all.  The atmosphere was hilarious -- the host dude was slightly "old man mob-ish" and you literally almost sit on the stranger seated next to you.  The pizza looked so simple, but it was ridiculous.  David about died he was so happy.  As good as the pizza was, I almost just enjoyed watching David even more then I enjoyed the pizza.  He was sooooo happy.  Seriously, I think I might have even seen tears of happiness in his eyes!  

All that to say -- if you are in NYC, go to Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Brooklyn!  Get a pizza.  Eat it all.  And then walk back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge!  

p.s. don't forget to enter the Keep Company shoe giveaway!!!  

Twitterpated {wiggles}

This post by elleinadspir reminded me of this post of mine from last year which made me want to post some twitterpated pictures all over again! Yay for spring love (even if it does seem to be bombarded this year with tornadoes and storms).

{photos via Zaporozhets Sergey  |  books and bookworms  |  Kiss me Daily  }

Are you twitterpated this spring???

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...Wiggles...

...new music...

Michelle Featherstone

Listen {HERE}

...you've been wiggled...

Katie Company

memoirs of a meladromatic

SRSLYLIZ

paper morning

the little things we do

living tall

{If you've been wiggled today or in the past, head to the wiggle page, pick up your badge, and check out the other blogs and music on the list... and as always, leave me a comment with your blog and music suggestions!}

p.s. don't forget to enter the Keep Company shoe giveaway!!!  

Keep Company Shoe Giveaway!

As seen in a previous review post of mine, I love my Keep shoes!  They are "hip, comfortable, and versatile."  I am so excited to be partnering with Keep to offer one Wild & Precious reader their own pair of sweet kicks from Keep Company.  I'm rockin' the Red Thatch Bentens (i love wearing them with rolled up skinny jeans or a cool pair of jean cut off shorts) in the picture above, but they have sooo many other styles and choices that are suitable for all seasons. Check out my review and sizing tips HERE.

Where to find Keep:

shop  |  tumblr  |  twitter  | facebook

Here's how to win:

 Visit Keep Company & come back to tell me your favorite shoe design.

{this is a mandatory entry and must be done prior to any other entries below}

additional ways to enter

1. follow Wild & Precious

2. follow Keep on Tumbler

3. "like" Wild & Precious on Facebook

4. "like" Keep Shoes on Facebook

5. Share a link to this post on your facebook wall {2 entries}

(make sure to tag @Keep Shoes & @Wild & Precious)

6. follow @keepcompany on twitter

7. follow me on twitter @blairita
8. Tweet about the giveaway. {1 entry per day}

Feel free to copy/paste the below tweet:

Hip Spring Shoe Giveaway from @keepcompany on @blairita's blog http://ow.ly/4DnWp

9. Blog about the giveaway or post a link on your side bar {2 entries}

10. Add my button to your blog

the fine print {PLEASE READ}:

{you must leave a separate comment for each entry. for example: this includes leaving 2 separate comments for blogging. Anonymous entries will not be excepted.  You must leave your email address.  Giveaway closes late Tuesday night 4/26 & winner will be chosen via random.org}

p.s. if you got an "early bird entry" from tweeting about keep during my original review post, don't forget to leave a separate comment below in order for it to be counted.

Sunday Sunday

Surprise Baby Shower!

Super fun & super cute Shower from my sweet bible study girls & their mommas!  Can't believe they will be seniors next year! (at least i'll have awesome babysitters for a year!)  Love these girls so much!  btw- this is a random bit of info, but their prom was Saturday, and guess what the theme was? -- House of GaGa... as in Lady GaGa!  What a scream! Can't wait to see the pictures!

Clean Slate!

The guest room is no more... instead -- Magnolia's room!  We finally wrestled this room into a clean slate... which meant finding new storage places, listing the bed on craigslist, sweeping the dust bunnies...  now we are ready to pick the paint color, choose the curtains, refinish furniture -- so much to do, but so excited!  I'll keep you posted on the progress!

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Headed to an early morning ultrasound + my gestational diabetes test today.  Will hopefully have only good news and a new picture of the little gal for you later this week.  However your prayers are always welcomed!

Spirit Change {Wiggles}

{find this print on etsy}

In a contrary spirit to my attitude yesterday (thanks for letting me rant), I want to share this little treasure of wisdom that was passed on to me...

"God does not call those who are equipped, he equips those who are called."

I can run around all day pretending this is about me and what I can do, but the beautiful truth of the matter is that not only is my body not my own, but this child is not my own.  We are the Lord's.  What more reassurance do I need?! -- That my child belongs to a gracious God whose pleasure it is to give of his kingdom {luke 12:32} out of the storehouses of his love and goodness {malichi 3:10}.

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...wiggle time!...

New Music:

JBM

Listen {here}

You've been wiggled:

Honey in the Sun

The Soul Anchor

I heart kiwi

3000 Miles

The Modern Sophisticate

Fashion Frugality

The Bookness

{If you've been wiggled today or in the past, head to the wiggle page, pick up your badge, and check out the other blogs and music on the list... and as always, leave me a comment with your blog and music suggestions!}

3rd Trimester Rant

-27 WEEKS-

I'm starting to feel a little bit like I'm running out of time.  I just hit my third trimester today!  How did that happen?  Didn't I just tell everyone I was pregnant, and just find out we are expecting a precious girl?.. and now I'm on the countdown!?  So crazy.  As time gets shorter, why does it feel like the checklist just gets longer?   I'm continually perplexed by trying to make a baby registry.  I've given up the idea of cloth diapers because I can't wrap my mind around the logistics of it all.  I feel like I'm not a good decision maker right now -- what should I register for vs. try to borrow or buy on consignment?  And, what the heck are the differences between breast pumps anyway?  

Don't even get me started on maternity clothes -- WHY FOR THE LOVE OF ICE CREAM are the only pants offered for pregnant women cargos??? Why would a woman, who is already concerned with the fact that her thighs might be growing want to draw attention to them with a big fat pocket??  As my friend Leigh says "Car-go? Car-NO!" 

Food?  I scare myself every time I ask for a ham & cheese sandwich.  I HATE lunch meet.  But yup, that is what I want every day twice a day... (don't worry, i microwave it first).  And well great, now that I just saw the word ham as I typed it on the screen in front of me... it is now all that I can think of an my mouth is watering.  Ham. Ham. HAM!

Nursery?  Why is it, whenever you try to really clean something, all that happens is a HUGE mess.  Tell me it's not just me?

Wait a second... was that cellulite I just saw??!?!... 

I think i'll stop this rant at that.

disclaimer: baby magnolia i love you oh so very much and this is all so very much worth it!

Dinner & Appetizers under $20 in NYC

-BEFORE-

Union Square Saturday Market!  This was one of my favorite days in NYC.  Not only did we find all we need for a yummy homemade meal, but also snacked and sampled some tasty goodness as we strolled around and checked out all the vendors.

-DURING-

We purchased some petite white and orange carrots, purple finger potatoes, and some itsy bitsy pearl onions.  With some spices from my cousin's kitchen, David started his magic.

-APPETIZER-

Goat cheese is something I'm so happy is okay to eat while pregnant... as long as it is pasteurized of course!  There actually was a vendor who was selling it raw... (magnolia says "yuck!") so we of course skipped that booth and found this herb-rolled cheesy goodness for our appetizer!

-DINNER TIME-

Fresh flounder from the market - we got two filets for less than $8.00.  David, as always, made it perfectly -- i'm talking melt in your mouth (if you didn't know this about me... I don't cook, so yes you are reading this post correctly - david did it all!)

Veggies - $4

Flounder - $8

Goat Cheese - $6

total = $18

Yes, that's right - $18 for a dinner this good in the most expensive city I've ever encountered!  I felt like Rachel Ray on one of her old shows...(remember $40 A Day?).  Even better than the food was the service and the company it came with.  Though we did visit a very hustle and bustle type of city for our babymoon, we were very intentional about also spending quiet down time relaxing and enjoying each other away from all the (19 million) people in New York City.  

Such a beautiful and yummy day with my baby daddy! (hehe, that's so fun/funny to say!)

ABC Homestore, NYC

Warning - you might drool...

Always listen to the locals!  After a quick conversation with a couple at Union Square Market, they said that we HAD to go to the ABC store.  Not knowing a thing about what ABC even was, we headed down the street -- when we walked into this 6 floor dream house, I just about fell over.  Such amazing designs -- I was on idea overload.  This place made Anthropologie home designs look like child scribbles.  Everything was immaculately made and perfectly displayed.  Sadly, everything also made Anthropologie look like milk money -- it was all uber expensive!  But man, a girl can dream right?? (sorry for the picture overload, but there was just so much loveliness I couldn't decide what to share)  

Have any of y'all been there?  Is this stuff not all crazy awesome?!