Friday Favorites: May 19

Friday Favorites is a series where we share small, seemingly mundane moments from the past week – little details, often overlooked, that comprise this thing we call life.

One project I keep coming back to again and again this week is Emily Henderson’s patio reveal. Have you ever seen anything so pretty?! That tile! The styling! The color palette! So much goodness, I hardly know what to do with myself!

Speaking of outdoor living, did you see the 20 dreamy pergola ideas that inspired the design of our deck? We are so close to being finished with the deck – I can hardly stand the excitement! Next week on the blog I’ll be sharing what outdoor furniture and decorative accents we already own and what else I plan to purchase, and then soon after that will be the grand reveal!

By the way, shout out to my fellow black thumbs. As for the rest of you gardening gurus and plant whisperers, I need your help! What are some of your favorite (and more importantly, hassle-free!) indoor and outdoor plants? And what are some of your favorite sources to buy plants and planters? Those babies add up real quick!

With my baby shower being only two weeks away, I’m looking to add lots of plants to the deck as part of the modern boho decor – and I need your recommendations! Where do you usually shop for (inexpensive) plants?

Speaking of the baby shower, as a first-time mom (and the world’s most indecisive person ever) I had the most difficult time adding items to my registry. One day I’d add ten items; the next, delete 17. Our bungalow is quite small, so I don’t want to stock up on items that aren’t a total necessity, because then I have to figure out where to store them. Yet at the same time, you can ask 10 mamas and all 10 of them will give you different opinions on what’s considered a necessity.

After months of back and forth deliberation, I think I’ve finally narrowed it down. But if any of you have very strong opinions about a particular product or recommendation, I would love to hear it before it’s too late! Please help a first-time mama and share your thoughts on all things baby in the comments section, below.

While we’re on the topic of babies, thank you so very much to everyone that’s left the sweetest comments, sent the kindest emails, and otherwise shared about our nursery reveal. You all have blown me away by your sweet responses.

Can you believe I’m already dreaming of the next One Room Challenge? For anyone interested, it starts October 3, and I’m already brainstorming which room to transform next. Never mind the fact that I’ll have 2.5-month baby at that time…ha!

Other than our nursery reveal and the occasional Instagram update, I’ve been pretty mum about the pregnancy – and a few of you have asked why.

First, can I just say how quickly it has flown by? Tomorrow I’ll be 31 weeks – a mere nine weeks away from meeting our baby girl! Although at my last OB appointment, the midwife did say that baby girl is measuring “quite large” – nah, really? – so she just may make her debut sooner.

I honestly struggle in sharing such an intimate part of my life on the Internet. I’ve always believed that certain parts – especially marriage and family – aren’t meant for public consumption. The minute you start creating content around such personal topics, it becomes quite the slippery slope to navigate.

Moreover, I do not pretend to be any sort of expert on pregnancy or child-rearing or baby products, etc. Yet I continuously receive emails and messages asking for my opinions on this or that, and all I can do is share from my personal experience.

All that to say, I’ve yet to find that fine line between oversharing and creating a community for other first-time mamas. Many of you are in a totally different life stage, and babies are the farthest thing on your mind – and I understand that as well.

So going forward, if there are any particular baby-, pregnancy- and motherhood-related topics you’d like me to explore, please don’t be shy and say so. I’ll start going through the message I’ve received thus far and hopefully creating content that you’ll find not only interesting but also helpful for those of you that are, in fact, in the same stage of life as us.

One last note related to the baby: can we talk about maternity photos? I’m having the most difficult time finding a local photographer whose aesthetic I like and maternity session I can afford. Do any of you Chattanooga-area locals have recommendations? With my due date quickly approaching, I don’t have much time left to capture these special last days – but I desperately want to! Help…?

Well, that concludes today’s ramblings. Nearly three months have passed since the last Friday Favorites update (can you believe it?), so my mind is all over the place.

Wishing you an amazing weekend of relaxation, sunshine and lots of quality time with loved ones. We’re planning a week-long getaway to Gulf Shores, FL with lots of family starting next Wednesday, so this weekend we’ll be scrambling to finish a few house projects and preparing a couple things for the baby shower the weekend after next. Oh, and there’s a wedding to attend somewhere in there, too – so a very busy weekend for this mama-to-be!

What are your Memorial Day plans? Or better yet, anything exciting happening this weekend?

Don’t forget to shop Memorial Day sales, especially if you’re in the market for outdoor furniture and accessories:

• Hayneedle: The season’s biggest outdoor sale, with up to 60% off
• Target: Up to 30% off patio furniture, garden deals and outdoor rugs, plus an extra 10% off with the promo code “PATIO”
• Wayfair: Up to 70% off outdoor living items
• Overstock: Up to an extra 20% off garden and patio items
• Pier1 Imports: Up to 50% off all outdoor furniture and accents
• West Elm: Up to 30% off outdoor furniture and planters
• CB2: Up to 20% off select outdoor furniture
• Crate & Barrel: Up to 40% off outdoor furniture
• Pottery Barn: Up to 40% off outdoor furniture

Now, tell me all about your week! What are you doing, searching for, thinking about, planning, and obsessing over these days? Please share in the comments section, below.