10 Things Happening in June + Life Update!

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Happy June! I can’t believe I am almost halfway through this pregnancy (19 weeks pregnant with baby #3!) - where on earth has the time gone?! I really get the feeling like this baby is going to be here like SO SOON. So we are trying to do lots of things this summer, both for fun (!) and for baby prep!

I decided to write this post old-school style, by dumping my iphone photos in here and chatting about what’s been going on. Lately the curated, planned-out posts just haven’t been making the priority list (kids home for the summer, man it’s kicking my booty!), and I’ve put a hold on all sponsored collaborations until I have capacity to really do them well. So here’s a post like those of the olden days!


I love this month of the year! Even in the thick humidity and mosquito-laden evenings, it’s the kick off to summer! Along with all the wonderful summer things like popsicles on the back porch and afternoons swimming, it’s also our wedding anniversary month! And this month also marks the season in this pregnancy where I am starting to feel great again - oh gosh, I am so grateful. I don’t know how I would function if I were still sick… my poor kids would be stir crazy while I laid on the couch. These guys were such troopers the past few months and I am just so glad that we can play a lot together over the coming months. I’ve been experiencing an overwhelming sense of gratitude since I’ve been coming out of the first trimester nausea that seemed to linger longer than my other pregnancies. I am just so grateful to be able to eat again! And laugh again! And exercise again! Life is beautiful, even when it’s so not perfect.

A few things that have been happening over here and things I’m looking forward to!

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1. Everett just finished his first golf camp and he LOVED it. Makes me think about signing him up for another session this summer if we can squeeze it in! We are also doing lots of swim lessons this month so there has been lots of sunscreen and pool time happening lately. My porch is littered with wet towels and sandals. And bubble paraphernalia because that’s been happening too.

2. I’ve been drinking this little combination and it has been the most refreshing treat! Fill a glass up with crushed ice and then do half green tea and half lemonade - it is SO GOOD. I got the idea from the Starbucks shaken iced green tea lemonade. I was going there way too much so I decided to make my own. Does the trick!

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3. There’s Stevie! I haven’t gotten enough pics with him this summer. One of our fave family outings during the week is jumping on the golf cart and heading to the golf course so the boys can hit a few balls. I usually do squats and lunges while they putt and chip - although once I’m out of this baby phase of life, I’d love to take golf lessons, too! This has been a really fun thing for all of us to enjoy together this summer, although it usually means bedtime happens later too…

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4. Ah, those haircuts! They look so big! Okay so I have to tell you a little bit about the lake! My in-laws have a new spot in Alabama on a beautiful lake, so we have been making our way out there as many weekends as possible this summer! It’s really special to get time away from home as a family, and oftentimes, as an extended family! Even though we live in the same town as so much of our family (especially Stevie’s side), we barely see each other because everyone is busy with kids and jobs and just life! So it’s been fun to catch up with each other out there. The boys are getting really comfortable on the water, and they love going out on the boat, fishing, and kayaking! I have decided to take a little hiatus from boating for the rest of this pregnancy because it makes me nauseous. But reading on the dock really does what I need for growing my brain and giving me that much-needed alone time. Have I mentioned how much I crave alone time?? Ha I never get it.

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5. I read this whole series by Kristy Woodsen Harvey and loved it! Perfect summertime reads if you need something light and easy for a beach vaycay. I’m about to start this biography but I am in desperate need for more book recs! If you have some good ones please leave them in the comment section! Thanks in advanced! Also, this is my fave sunscreen this summer and this is the incredible BECASA cotton pullover my friend Emily sent to me - the perfect cozy cover up!

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6. They still thinking matching is cool. How long do you think I get to live this up?! Their shirts and shorts here.

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7. Have you ever heard about Farmgirl Flowers?! They are literally the most gorgeous, fresh arrangements I’ve even seen in my life. They’re pricey but I feel like they make the most incredible gift. I’ve dropped an insane amount of hints about them and Stevie sent them as a complete surprise at the beginning of this month! The note said, “I love you more than all the hairs on your head”, which literally cracked me up and made me feel SO loved. This is a really lame picture of them but this blog post is about keeping things real, not creating a styled shoot of my flowers. Although if I had the time, I totally would have done it.

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8. Speaking of our anniversary! Stevie and I are heading to the beach this weekend for a quick getaway to celebrate our 12-year wedding anniversary slash babymoon situation. Every year of marriage marks its own milestones but this past year in particular has been such a growth season for us. Because of his travel schedule for work and the constant motion of life at home, we don’t always get a chance to connect in the day-to-day (probably most parents with little kids feel this way!), so I am extra excited to get away with just him for a few days. Like, we are going to talk and not get interrupted. Also, I’m excited to lay on the beach and not have to feed anyone snacks or sunscreen any wiggly little people. Like what is that life?!

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9. Pure Americana suburb life is happening over here - we hang out in the culdusac with our neighbors a lot and LOVE it. If its 6pm and not pouring rain, you can find us trashing the street with bikes, scooters, frisbees, sippy cups and lots of kids having lots of fun. We love our neighbors so much!

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10. Last but not least, we have been busy with house projects! We are in the process of creating a shared bedroom for Everett & Daxton and turning the nook outside of the bedroom into a bonus play space. The bedrooms in our house are small and I really want them to have more space to be boys and play, so I’m hoping this will be a good solution for them! We are sooo close on getting these spaces finished so fingers crossed that it comes together soon. After we finish their bedroom + play space we will work on creating a new office/guest space in Everett’s old bedroom and then working on updating our nursery for the new babe! And yes, the nesting phase of this pregnancy is absolutely motivating me - the hormones are crazy!

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What are your plans for summer? I really loved this blog post about not creating a bucket list for summer (I seriously breathed a sigh of relief while reading it!), and we have been really enjoying the self-discovery of letting June just sort of happen to us. Yes, I still keep somewhat of a routine and structure to our day, but I haven’t felt the NEED to hit all these items on a summer bucket list like I have in previous summers. It’s been really refreshing and exactly what I need in this season. Bring on the popsicles and impromptu golf cart rides and Monday night pizza! Happy June to you all! xx

The Llama Dress.

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Details:

Llama dress (30% off this weekend!), Target flats, Warby Parker "Louise" glasses, Amazon handbag, Stella & Dot Covet letter necklace, hand-made earrings from a shop in Santa Barbara (similar here and here!), Axiology lipstick in "Bonafide"


I kind of flipped when I was browsing after my bronzing appointment and saw this dress hanging on the rack at Raw Bronzing Studio. Most people don't know that Raw carries an incredible collection of unique clothing, chic home goods and boho accessories, and I love shopping there because it feels like an island oasis. This dress was a must-grab, because I think it will be a great fall transitional piece. This is coming from the girl that is trying, oh so trying, to wrap my head around putting together a fall capsule wardrobe. I'll keep you posted if I can get it together ;) If you are local to me, don't forget to use the code OYKRISTEN when you visit Raw at the southside location - you can score 25% off your first full-body organic spray tan! But back to this dress - I am in love. Plus, every time I walk, I feel like the little llamas on the skirt are dancing right along there with me. Bonus points in my book if your clothes dance.

Stevie and I went on a little date night to shop for some antiques and try out a new-to-us Italian restaurant, and he snapped these photos really quickly outside of a cool vintage shop. I have to mention that I love my Warby Parker Louise glasses in the Rosewater shade - I've had them for a few years and miiiight just be ready for another color! If you haven't tried it before, their Home Try On program is so easy and wonderful to use. I might be doing it again this fall because I really love these lenses and LOVE the prices. I've been a glasses wearer since I was in 4th grade, so I've had lots of experience over the years wearing glasses and contacts - this has been my favorite pair ever!

Unfortunately we didn't find any antiques that we agreed on because our styles could not be more different, but I think we came to some good conclusions about the direction we are moving in! I am having so much fun doing some home decor makeovers and I can't wait to share the results with you all super soon!

Happy Labor Day weekend to you! Stay safe friends!

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Sparkling Moscado Pineapple Pops!

This post is sponsored by Kroger.

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We've got a long weekend coming up (Labor Day, I'm looking at you!) and Kroger was kind enough to send along a little popsicle kit so I could share this fun, end-of-summer recipe with you! Sparkling wine + ice pops = happy mama. Why should my kids have all the fun? I hope you enjoy this one!

Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of Dellatorri Sparkling Moscato
- 1 bottle of Coconut Pineapple Sparkling Ice Drink
- 1 fresh pineapple, sliced

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Method:
1. Fill each popsicle mold with a few pieces of sliced pinapple.

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2. Fill each mold halfway with the Dellatorri Sparkling Moscado.

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4. Finally, fill the rest of each mold with Coconut Pineapple Sparkling Ice Drink. Make sure to leave a bit of room at the top to prevent overflow while freezing.

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5. Freeze overnight and then have your friends over! I know it's feeling like 5 o'clock over here!

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I hope you enjoy this recipe! I'm soaking up these last few days of summer with all the golf cart rides, stay-out-too-late in the yard evenings watching my boys play and of course, some of these yummy pops. Anyone wanna come over and slurp them up with me?!

Happy weekend, friends! xx


Linen & Dahlias on the Beach.

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Details:

Gal Meets Glam Abigail Dress (also available here), Soludos Wedges, Stella & Dot Cuff, Wrap Bracelet & Letter Necklace, Raw Bronzing Studio Tan


This day is even more vivid in my memory than these photos can capture. The water was euphoric, the joy in my heart was vibrant, and I was wearing the prettiest happiest dress. We were playing frisbee on the beach of the Pacific Ocean, just the two of us, laughing and joking together like we were still 18. After all these years together, no one can really infuriate me or endear me more than him.

Our time in Santa Barbara was meant for celebrating the wedding of our friends, but we also treated it as a really good excuse to toast our own 11-year wedding anniversary. I remember this day because I felt a tangible sense of bliss and elation and it was finally, a sigh of relief.

To be honest, these emotions were a pretty stark contrast compared to how I've been feeling for most of the summer. It's been a season of unforeseen circumstances and Stevie and I have clung to each other as we have been grappling with how to be adults through it all.

Sometimes the blog and Instagram world can look like a whirlwind of fun and endless joy, when the truth is that everyone has things they're going through and dealing with. This summer has been especially rife with emotion and decision making in our little family, and I have carried the weightiness around with me (that instead of a diaper bag, which I keep forgetting to bring with me lately). We live with the very real feeling that everything we do affects not only ourselves, but our two precious little boys, and this summer especially we have been examining how we are living and how it impacts our kids, for the good and the bad.

This trip was a refreshing break from all that emotion. I don't share this with you because I have everything figured out and I can tie a pretty bow around it. There is nothing really to share. No big conclusions or life changes or evidence of anything new (except that I cut my hair - like an inch). I feel like change happens first on the inside, and I can feel a shift coming even though my life might not reflect any tangible difference yet. Does anyone know what I mean? Perhaps I am just rambling, but I feel like I haven't really disclosed all of these feelings here on the blog because I haven't known how to put words to it yet. And also because there isn't anything to share! Except that I might be even more sensitive and emotional and contemplative now that I'm 30 and maybe I should just chill a minute. But that Pacific Ocean did me some real good and I am grateful that we got time to play on this beach, just the two of us, and revel in the beauty of the Earth. Just up the beach from us was a 150 year old fig tree and one of the figs fell square on Stevie's head as we walked beneath it - we both took it as a good sign.

P.S. - What we did in Santa Barbara for the weekend ;)



5 Must-Haves In My Summer Bag (+ 5 kiddo add-ons!)

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It's the first day of summer over here, and we are celebrating! We've already had a handful of days over at the pool, but since both of my boys are out of their preschool program for the summer, today makes it feel truly official.

I wanted to share a few essentials that I keep stocked in my summer bag - the contents don't change much whether we head to the pool, the park or the zoo. I even keep a stocked kit of most of these in our golf cart, since we hit the town via the cart paths almost daily in the summertime.


1. Sunscreen.
This summer I'm trying out Coola for myself and Bare Republic for my kids. I am always on the hunt for non-toxic sunscreen that doesn't turn my skin completely white, so I will make sure to report back if I love these versions.

2. Lip Balm.
Lately I am loving this 3-pack of lip balms from DoTERRA. Obviously I'm a big fan of my stellar essential oil brand, and they have a slew of lifestyle products that I have really gotten on board with. This pack is one of them - one for me, one for Stevie and one for Everett (because he begged for his own and I'm a softie.)

3. Water!
I've been a bad girl lately about drinking water - I need to make a goal for myself and just chug it each day! I go in spurts with doing this well and thennnnn not really. But I do love drinking out of stainless steel - my friend Becca got me this amazing water bottle and I love it so much that I got them for everyone in my family. I am also a water hybrid weirdo - I am obsessed with sparkling water, coconut water, adding essential oils to my water, and Spindrift (sparkling water with real fruit added in - no "natural flavors" garbage!) So even though I have trouble hitting my plain-water quota, I'm still getting there. Technically.

4. Hat. Hat. Hat.
I am in a baseball cap 4 days a week, minimum. Mom life my friends. I found this darling hat over on my friend Sarah's instagram and gosh, aren't they the cutest? Might need to add this one into my summer mix.

5. Sunglasses.
Some day I will graduate to big girl sunglasses. But these days my sunglasses are just a pawn in my children's games and they really can't be trusted with Karen Walker sunnies. So I am always rocking a $12 pair from Target! I absolutely love this pair and this pair, although I admit, over at RAW Bronzing studio they have some incredible looking Quay glasses that I'm feeling temped toward ;)

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Things that I add to my bag for my kids (because let's face it, my bag is really dictated by their needs #momwhipped):

1. Diapers and Wipes.
If you're in this phase of life - yeah. You need them everywhere and all the time. And especially when its super inconvenient - that's always when we need diapers! I like to throw diapers and wipes in a large zip-top bag to keep the wipes from "sweating" all over things in the rest of my bag.

2. Non-perishable snacks.
When you're on the go, you've got to be able to pull out some yummy snacks! We love Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, raisin packets & dried cranberry packets, Kale chips, and apple sauce pouches. When I have a mini cooler to take for a day's outing, I will also throw in some string cheese, Cutie clementines peeled and pulled apart,

3. Band-aids.
Because for some reason, we tend to need them more in the summer? Must be all that running to fetch popsicles. These Oh Joy bandaids are beyond cute, but not really for my boys, so Everett loves these Dory ones! In fact he's been known to ask for a band aid even when he doesn't need one...

5. Bug Spray.
In Georgia, the mosquitoes have the power and might of small birds. And we have to protect ourselves accordingly. I have been using this Terrashield oil to make my own bug spray bottle and it's worked beautifully so far! It's a blend of essential oils that repels insects and it's basically become my best friend, because I have the blood type that allllll the bug like a taste of. Gross. PS it also comes in a Bug Spray form, I just haven't tried it yet.


Bathing Suit c/o Yandy - top here, bottoms here

Bathing Suit c/o Yandy - top here, bottoms here

I'd love to hear what you keep stocked in your bag for summer adventures! Is there anything I should be adding into my mix? Would love to hear from you! Happy "official" summer break to you, friends!

P.S. - I shared more about keeping my skin glowing yet super protected this summer HERE.