Vivienne is 8 months old!

Viv turned eight months a bit over a week ago, however, I'm shockingly terrible about recording her monthly info and keeping track of all the sweet things she does. I can't imagine ever forgetting but know its bound to happen over time.
I thought if I check in monthly here, it will help keep me accountable.

Stats:
I'm not sure her weight, as she doesn't go to the Dr till next month, but at 7 1/2 months she was 16 3/4lbs.

Teeth:
Still just her darling two bottom teeth that show when she smiles.

Activity:
She's not crawling yet but has perfected the art of planking! She'll have her swim suit body soon if she keeps it up! Even tho she isn't crawling, she still manages to get all over the place! I am already finding I turn my head away for a second and she's hitting buttons on the DVD player or stuck under the couch with just her head peeking out. Rolling everywhere, scooting, streeeetching and grunting to barely get to the toy she really wants to play with. It's the cutest thing to watch her try with all her might to get to that desired toy..and even just to know she has a specific desired toy is so cute.
She also is the best at self entertaining. she loves to sit and play with her toys for hours on end. 

Cute sayings:
 she has yet to say 'real' words but is trying with all her might. She'll babble baby talk getting so so close to saying mama and dadda that every time by breathe catches in my chest as I ask myself, 'was that it??!' It's seriously so close that I have to wonder if she's really already said it and I've somehow missed it. She'll hold our mouths while we talk, inspecting what's happening, trying with furrowed brow to figure out how she can mimic what we're doing with our mouths.

Favorite foods:
my Viv has loved eating her homemade baby food so much! She'll eat an entire bowl (about 6.5 oz) of food as well as nurse before about three times a day. Some of her favie foods lately are butternut squash with turkey, zucchini and pears (she had that over thanksgiving); pumpkin mixed with yogurt and a tiny dash of cinnamon (her new favorite brekky). Her other feedings are just nursing. I love that time. If I were an actress and had to cry for a role, I would simply think about when I have to stop breastfeeding. I love that time with her..I love that she needs me..I love how she holds my face when she nurses and plays with my hair..ok, change of subject before I start tearing up.
Last weekend she enjoyed her first baby cookie! It was the stickiest, gummiest, bestest thing ever! She made a mess feeding herself, getting it all in her hair, stuck all over her clothes, and pretty much everywhere in the two foot vicinity..it was the best thing ever! And of course warranted a much needed bath!

Some of my favorite things from this month:

My darling Vivienne,

I love how you love to bounce up and down when you're happy. You'll be sitting playing with your toys and just bouncing away. I adore how you will cock your head to the side all coy and smile so big when you see us or we talk to you or you just want to play. It's like you're saying, 'hi mom!' When your face lights up and you thump your feet on your bed in the morning when I come in to get you it melts my heart. I love how you find your sister Roxy so amusing. you think she is just too funny. you giggle like crazy when you watch her play with her toys. I love your busyness. You are always wiggling, just like the whole time when I was pregnant. One of my favorite things you've just started to do is when you get tired at night you get slap happy. You love to play with me and grab my face in your hands and fake eat my nose...and you think its just so hilarious, you can't stop laughing! As for now, this is something you only do with me and I love that its our special thing. I don't even care that I'm covered in slobber when we're done playing...
You are a pure delight to me and daddy. Your joyful happy spirit motivates me to have the same. your smile already lights up the entire room (or bus or train, wherever we are people just love how happy you are) You bring joy to so many people's day that you don't even know with that smile.
I love you more than I imagined possible. I can't wait to watch you continue to grow and develop...

xoxo

faux glow, yo..

even tho we are in a season where there is barely any skin showing 

(this morning on my walk to work, all you could see was from my nose to eyebrows)

(dang Sandy made winter come in with a fierce fury..ugh..)

it might seem silly to want to have a tan, but sometimes a girl just needs a glow, faux or not..

since i have sworn off tanning beds several years ago, and since lounging in st. tropez for the weekend isn't an option for me either, i resort to a good sunless tanner, in lieu of jetting off to a resort..

i've tried several over the years. 

many ending in terrible orange streaks, leaving me running for the shower with an exfoliator!

i finally found one a couple years back that has been my go-to when i'm feeling ghostly.

it's called: body drench quick tan sunless tanning spray

you can buy it HERE

here are some tips i've learned thru the years that will hopefully help you get on your way to looking like you just got back from cancun and not from charlie and his chocolate factory (no one wants to look umpa-lumpa-esk):

1) a good faux tan starts with a good base. i always start by shaving and exfoliating before i faux  glow.

2) in the winter especially, i want to look slightly sun kissed, not fully cooked, so i always moisturize before applying my tanner. make sure to pay special attention to naturally drier areas (knees, elbows, feet, etc..) as they will grab onto the tanner more. forgetting this step will scream "i have a fake tan!!!" and no one wants that..

3) starting from the bottom and working your way up 

(this keeps you from getting any crease lines)

(WHAT?!?! i don't know about you, i don't get any lines when i bend over... i kid...),

 spray small sections and rub it in completely (with GLOVED hands!) before moving on to the next section. this insures all areas are streak free before drying.

4) i work in this order:

lower legs (individually)

upper legs (individually), 

stomach, 

back (as much as i can reach),

chest and shoulders,

arms (individually),

light spray across the face

5) then, this step is also very important, i go over those extra dry prone areas with a dry towel to scrub off some of the tanner before it sets to much. i make sure to get the tops of my feet, back of the ankle, knees and their pits (hehe, that makes me laugh), elbows and their pits, and around my armpit.

and viola'! you're done!

*in a perfect world i would do this in the morning, let is set all day, then shower at night before bed. if i do this in the afternoon/evening, i'll use an old pillowcase so i don't rub any color off on my good white ones, and then i'll shower off the extra tint in the morning.*

you'll be on your way to a healthy glow before ya know it!

best of luck!

lemme know how yours turns out

xoxo

Inspiration in Store..

back in the day...ok, it was just like a year and a half ago, but it seems like ages, when i would walk home from Blow (the salon i used to work at) i always intentionally made sure this store, yumi kim, was on my route home. on the frigid winter nights, the bright cheeriness of this store somehow made the rest of the walk seem a bit less frigid. funny how good design can do that..

not only are the clothes here so gorgeous and strike that perfect summertime beach lounging in Cannes note, the actual store design is simply gorgeous. it's a perfect balance of fun, elegant, yet you don't feel like you aren't allowed to sit down on the furniture, or put a fingerprint on the glass tables. 

see what i mean?...

{check out the fun felt back on that chair! and the peacock wallpaper is so gorgeous in real life}

{love all the colors and layers of beautiful things}

{adore how bright and cheery this store is}

{check out that wallpaper! so pretty}

i wish i had a better picture of the peacock wallpaper...it's sorta what i was thinking HERE with the bird stencil...

if you fancy her clothes, you can check them out HERE

and if you live in the 'hood, you can stop by her store at 76th and 3rd ave.

xoxo

To Paint or Not To Paint...

in our six years of marriage, we've moved seven times. in all those times, we've owned one house, otherwise, we've lived in apartments. i find it funny that through all these moves i still struggle with mentally thinking that my apartment is my home, being that we don't own it. in the midwest where we grew up, pretty much everyone owns a house. when we bought ours, i didn't hesitate for a second to paint all the walls, change light fixtures, buy the perfect furniture and do whatever we wanted to it to make it more our style and feel like our home. however, there's something about the potential temporary-ness of renting that always makes me think it's not worth painting and such to make our house more homey. 

when we moved in to our last apartment (our first place in NYC) we didn't do any painting because we thought we would only live there for six months...well, that ended up being our longest residence, we were there 2.5 years.

 every so often i'd think how i would love to paint or put up temporary wallpaper and buy new furniture yet it seemed like it just wasn't going to be worth it in the long run. one thing about living in apartments is that you never know if your furniture will work in your next space. it's very challenging justifying new furniture that you might have to get rid of in the next year or two if you move again.

where do you draw the line of making your place feel like home and be somewhere that you feel is your retreat (especially in this city, you need that escape) but at the same time you don't want to put in so much effort and money knowing that you could move to a new space in a year...

when we moved into this apartment a few weeks before the babes was born, we took the time to paint our bedroom a dark charcoal. i love love it! it definitely has helped me feel less of a renter and more like this is our home. we havent painted anywhere else, but i'm beginning to get the itch to do something. ideally i'd love to get rid of both our sofa and loveseat and get a cool sectional sofa. that might happen once viv is thru her spitting up faze. i would hate to get a new sofa and have baby spit up get on it. 

i love the look of wallpaper, however, one of the joys of being a renter, it's not allowed. if we paint, we simply have to cover it up with white before we move, easy peasy..

i recently found this etsy shop OliveLeafStencils with some of the coolest wall stencils i've seen so far. now they're all i can think about! there are so many possibilities, what's a girl to do! all you do is paint your base color on the wall, then paint over with your stencil with your second color. 

here are some of my favies i'm considering:

{how fun is this?! i'd do a simple color them and then color them in by hand over time, whatever colors struck my fancy}

{love this in the white and charcoal combo}

{can never go wrong with a good ikat}

{i actually gasped when i saw this one, LOVE!}

{this in white and a lilac would be beautiful}

{something about this funky fish is drawing me in. it could be really cool in the right space}

{although not right for our home, i think this is beautiful}

{this lily pad print would be fun in more subtle colors}

{fun art deco print}

my problem is with so many great and endless possibilities, i take forever to make a decision! with the terrible winter weather, and my impending cabin fever, fast approaching, it seems this will be a great winter project...

now just to make my decision...hmmm..

which is your favorite? would you put any of these in your home?

xoxo

Small Business Saturday

i hope you've all had a wonderful thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and of course, too much food. we enjoyed our holiday on tuesday with our church friends, wednesday together as a family, and yesterday viv and i went to celebrate with a friend and her family/friends while mr. w went in to work. we feel so blessed to have great friends to spend the holiday season with  since we aren't able to spend them with our family.

as you all know, today is black friday! 

(i am in dire need of diapers for viv but am quite terrified to even attempt going to target with a babe in tow...i'd be crazy for trying, right? maybe i need a little crazy in my life tho...we'll see)

well, we also all know about cyber monday as being the day you get all your online deals. but what about the new small business saturday??!! have you ever chosen to participate? helping create business for the mom and pop types.

i love this idea and have decided to join in on the fun from and will be offering 

10% off any of my paintings

this weekend only!!!
(this discount includes any commission orders placed this weekend)

i figured why wait until tomorrow, so the discount starts today and will end at midnight saturday.

just simply go to my etsy shop ReverbyHannah

and use the coupon code:

SMALLBUSINESSSAT

at checkout.

it's as easy as pie....oy, pie...i've definitely OD'd on pumpkin pie...

'tis the season tho!

wishing you happy hunting on all your shopping excursions this holiday weekend!

xoxo

Without Further Ado...

welp, today is the big day...

i'm ready to share my news....

(no i'm not pregnant)

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

i have decided to launch a painting business!!!

it's named ReverbyHannah on etsy and you can check it out here!

 

 ever since i was a child i've had such a passion for painting, loving the creativity it releases, and the beauty that results from that creativity. as an adult, life had gotten in the way of my passion. since our move to nyc over three years ago, i've been dreaming of starting my own painting company, yet have allowed my fears to stop me from truly pursuing that dream. i've realized its time to stop living in fear, making up excuses, and its time to just do it...yolo, ya know? (that's you only live once, for all you non-rap  music listening peeps out there)
hence the name, rêver, which is french for 'dream away'.. this name has special meaning for me.
opening this shop signifies me finally living out one of my lifelong dreams..

as of now i have four paintings up for sale, but will continue adding more as they come and am happy to take commissions as well! 

i'm very excited to have this site launched before the holidays so if you are interested in getting someone special in your life a unique, one-of-a-kind gift this year, shoot me an email and we can collaberate to create the perfect gift.

thank you for your support, helping give me the courage to follow a passion and find joy in my journey...

mkae sure to head over to my etsy shop to check out the rest of my work.

xoxo

stay tuned!!!

exciting news coming to inspirational bliss the beginning of next week!

i'm so excited i could nearly burst!

i'm finishing up some final details this weekend and then will make the big reveal

 for now, i leave you with this...

 

xoxo

{kitchen bliss}

you know you just took the best nap evaaa when you wake up not knowing what day it is, you look at the time on your phone and see its 5:52 and think that means you have about thirty eight more minutes before your babes will wake for her morning feeding...

and then your brain wakes enough from its haze to remember you were just taking a nap, so it must be 5:52pm, but if that's the case, where did you put the babe?...

ahh, gotta love those moments of deliria (i think i just made up a word. ya know, it's sorta like deliriousness, but i didn't know if that was an actual word either..) caused by the occasional afternoon nap!

alas, now i am fully awake, refreshed and functional!

(oh, and don't worry, viv was napping during this whole debacle too)

anywho.

how's about these gorgeous kitchens? 

lovin' the modern yet inviting vibe they have..

{housetohome}

{source}

{source}

{source}

{source}

hope you're having a great night..

xoxo

too cool for school

we all know them from their cutie patooty days of tag teaming as michelle on full house, but these days the olsen twins are some serious style icons.

they do that "oh yeah, let me just throw on this sweatshirt and not brush my hair...and i'll still manage to look ten thousand times cooler than anyone else on the planet" thing...seriously, how do they do this? a girl can only hope to one be so cool as them..

continuously effortlessly chic..

{mylifeisbrilliant}

{cognacandcoffee}

{lovethisnthat}

{thesimplyluxuriouslife}

{imnotobssessed}

{source}

{epoustouflante}

{pandie}

{source}

{lamodellamafian}

{stylesome}

they are easily my all time favie style gurus...'nuff said..

ok, they also make me want to be a blonde again, but that's a different topic for a different day.

xoxo

I'm still here..

viv has been sick

i have been tired

work has been a bit cray cray

but don't worry,

i will be back soon...

once i can get my booty back in action...

let's hope it's soon...

xoxo

from the windows to the wall...

that always bring me back to the scene in the proposal where sandra bullock is dancing in the woods with betty white, haha!... :)

anywho, this girl is a huge fan of massive windows. windows that take over entire walls, windows that are also doors, anything...

one of the biggest selling points for me with our current apartment was that viv's room has a big wall of windows.

in my someday home we will have some form of magnificent windows, preferably ones that have some fantastic way of opening to bring the outside in

{thomortiz}

{browndresswithwhitedots}

this one is just beyond to me...i'm obssessed..

{pinterest}

{interiormagasinet}

{architecturaldigest}

seriously?!

{housetohome}

{johanfrancoise}

are you kidding me?!?! this is amazing...

{pinterest}

*sigh*

{pinterest}

windows? walls? doors? whatever..they're amazing

{tumblr}

glass garage door in the kitchen? this is on the top of my wish list for my someday home

{moredesignplease}

what is your take on this look? do you have a favie?

xoxo

{Bon Voyage}

bon voyage nyc...

{via}

viv and i are taking a girls weekend trip to see our dear friend heather in charolette! 

 

wish me luck as i travel for the first time alone with the little one.

i'll tell you all about our fun adventures when we return.

xoxo