out with the old, in with the new

Happy New Year! Well, I guess I should have said that a few weeks ago seeing as how it's almost February and I've been absent on the blog for quite a while. A LOT has happened in the 6 weeks since I've last blogged.

Here's a run down of the craziness:

We moved.
We decided to not renew our lease at our apartment. The house we were renting before the move to L.A. last year came back on the market and we couldn't pass us getting back into it. My parents own the house so they love when we live there (we take good care of the place!) and we get a great deal on an otherwise expensive house in a nice area. The only stipulation is that we only had a few weeks to pack up and move. 24/7 packing and moving = no time for blogging (plus no internet!). During this short time frame we also had to complete some minor renovations/painting in the new place (i'll share more on that later).

Changing up the blog/shop.
During the break from moving I thought a lot about the blog and my etsy shop. I've been thinking about how both have evolved since I started them, what I want them to be, and how my style, thoughts, and life are expressed here on the blog. I'll talk more about what I plan to do in another post, but lets just say there will be changes coming...

More babies.
Travis and I are beginning to talk about expanding out family with another child this year. We all know this is exciting (and kinda freaking me out!), it's going to be a lot more work, and just another change that 2012 will bring. A lot of my time lately has also been focused on throwing my BFF a baby shower for her 2nd child. Baby D is due in just a few short weeks, and the shower is right around the corner, and we all know how party planning can suck you into it's detailed death grip.

Apologies...
I dropped the ball on sharing with you what I received from my CHWH partner. Ugh, I feel so bad, but the timing was just...not good. I had everything out to photograph her great package and the next day it was all packed up. Sorry Lisa!

So this is where we're at. Another year gone by, but a new fresh start for 2012. I'm looking forward to this year!

CHWH swap- what i sent

Here is a visual map of the goodies that I sent Lisa my partner for the Cold Hands Warm Hearts swap. I really thought about the things she said she liked and tried to include them. Paris, traveling, owls... I think I nailed a few. And yes, that white box is a surprise item from Anthropologie for Lisa. You'll have to check out her blog post what she receives it to see what special awesomeness is inside. 

What again?

1. Sleep Mask

2. Blue Eyelet Pasport Holder

3. Surprise item from Anthropologie 

(you'll have to check out her post to see what it is)

4. Ruffled Note Cards

5. Fingerless Gloves

6. Paris Notebook

7. Reversible Coffee Cup Cozy

8. Owl Pouch with Waterproof Lining

Come back soon where i'll be sharing what Lisa sent me! Yay!

cold hands warm hearts swap

I'm really excited to be participating in the Cold Hands Warm Hearts swap this year. It's a fun blogger gift exchange hosted by the lovely girls over at Sandy a la Mode and Much Love, Illy.

The Cold Hands, Warm Hearts Swap is a swap created to keep your hands warm as Winter approaches and the weather gets colder. It’s also a way for bloggers to make new friends across the blog-world. Doesn’t your heart get warm when you make new friends? Rules for the swap state that each package should include a pair of gloves and any other items you think your partner would like. You can never have too many pairs of cute gloves and who doesn’t love getting some extra unexpected goodies in their packages too? Most importantly the packages are made from the heart! 

I've been paired up with Lisa from the blog Like Rain Inspirations. She loves her husband Andrew, homemaking, traveling, Paris related things, girly things, fashion and vintage (a girl after my own heart)! Her blog is filled with lots of great photos of inspirations and fun ideas from around the web, check it out!

I've been having a lot of fun gathering my items for Lisa. I'm looking forward to mailing out her package this week. I'll share what I put together for her after she receives her package and i'll be sure to share what goodies I receive from Lisa. Can't wait!