Hannah Morrison

Sam Edelman Davis Knee High Boots 3 Ways

It’s THE BEST TIME OF YEAR… Happy first day of fall, y’all! I am my best self for the next 3 months hehe. I live for fall and Christmas. *Yes, Christmas… not winter* I am SO excited, if you can’t tell, and I kicked off today with GF Pumpkin Pancakes from Trader Joe’s! I will be sharing my favorite pumpkin finds soon from there 😉 But for starters, I will say their Maple Coffee is SO good. GO GET IT.

Today on the blog, I wanted to show you my favorite purchase from the N Sale styled 3 ways to show you knee high and OTK boots don’t have to be intimidating! I love this brown shade, but black is just as versatile, and the square heel detail is a funky little addition. Aside from a dress, it can feel a little scary to wear a boot. But, have no fear! I am here to show you they are versatile. I didn’t even share pics of these with denim and a tee shirt or a flouncy dress (always my personal go-to when I want to feel good!) In my personal opinion, there are only a few things to always spend more money on. A good pair of boots is one of them. Really, shoes in general are items to spend more money on, along with great denim that make you feel amazing no matter what they’re paired with.

Look 1: Oversized tee shirt dress, Knotted Headband, and THE Boots

*I own this tee shirt dress in multiple colors- it’s only $29!*

Look 2: Jogger Jumpsuit, Pearl Barrette, and THE Boots

*I totally re-created this ENTIRE look from Cara Loren, here is the inspo! This exact jumpsuit is Albion Fit, but I linked similar ones and my barrette was a gift so I found ones that look close to it.*

Look 3: Tweed Skirt, White Top, and THE Boots

*This square kneck tee is technically a maternity top I bought… but it doesn’t fit like one. I linked my body suit I own as well that I pair with this skirt!

Other: My Bathroom Stuff and Make-Up

My Favorite Recent Amazon Purchases

Hey gal pals! Today Carleigh is sharing her favorite Amazon purchases as of late, and I am not gonna lie… I have added quite a few to my own cart now. Shop with us and see what Careligh has found (that can save you a ton of money $$$)!

xoxo, Han

Beauty/Fashion

Tinkle Eyebrow Razors– If you’re not shaving your face, you should be! It gets all the peach fuzz and dead skin off and helps your makeup go on smoother. I use these for my whole face in addition to cleaning up my eyebrows.

Face Wash– I have sensitive skin and really enjoy this exfoliating face wash! I use it in rotation with my Tula face wash and I like the balance between the two.

Beauty Blender Dupes– You’ve probably seen these everywhere, and for good reason. I’ll never buy a real Beauty Blender again.

Vitamin C Serum– I’ve used this Vitamin C serum in the past and really liked it, plus it’s way cheaper than most others out there!

Gold Hoop Earrings– These are my everyday, go-to gold hoops! They’ve held up really well and haven’t tarnished at all.

Hair Clips– These hair clips are STRONG! I have long, thick hair and these are the first clips I’ve found that can keep my hair up. Plus, they’re super cute!

Leggings– You’ve probably seen these everywhere too, and also for good reason. SO worth the hype. They sell out fast because they’re so good so you may have to keep your eye on them to snag a pair, but it’s worth the wait. They’re high-waisted, so soft and comfy, and perfect for lounging or exercising. Fit TTS, I ordered my normal size and they’re snug but in a good way, I wouldn’t want them to fit any looser.

 

 

Home Items

Popcorn Maker– I found out about this from Dede Raad (@dressupbuttercup) and it’s changed my life. I love the taste of real popcorn kernels way more than the kind in the bag, and this pops them SO much easier than anything else I’ve ever used.

Amber Spray Bottles– The perfect glass spray bottles for my Thieves cleaner!

Wireless Phone Charger– I especially like this charger because of the stand, so I can still use my phone and even watch something on it while it’s charging!

Smart Plugs– You can control these outlets from your phone, and they sync up with Alexa! I like being able to turn a light on in my house when I’m not home and being able to turn a light on without stumbling through a dark room to get to it ha!

Folex Cleaner– Again you’ve probably seen this everywhere too, and it’s worth the hype. I’m ashamed to admit that I had a 5 year old stain in my car, but I’ll tell you because this stuff got it out. Seriously. I was shocked! It’s so so good and I don’t even worry when I spill something now because I know this stuff will get it out.

 

Is the Snoo Worth It?

I can’t tell y’all how many times I have gotten this exact DM. “Is the Snoo REALLY worth the money?” And my answer to every one of you has been, “YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!”

The Snoo was one of those things that could have been a total overly hyped product or one that was completely justified in its level of hype. My response: Completely justified and deserving of the hype. Rory has been a completely different sleeping situation than Knox from the get go and my GOSH I wish this thing existed when Knox was a newborn. Rory is an incredible sleeper… Like, insane. We aren’t sure if it’s because he was in the NICU and they sleep trained him for us (lol) or if he really is just the easiest baby from the womb.

Differences in Knox v. Rory as newborn sleepers:

Knox: Typical baby who had night and day flipped. Days were easy and nights were absolutely miserable the first 2-3 weeks. And, poor Paul, I was recovering from a C Section and literally couldn’t walk or help with anything for a large majority of the terror… He still has nightmares about those first few weeks 😉 BUT, week 2 we decided there must be an answer to getting Knox to sleep (again, the Snoo didn’t exist yet). So we had to sleep train him, getting him to stay awake during the witching hour of about 6-11 as much as humanly possible and then we gave him a large feeding to knock him out for as long as possible. 4 days later, we had a baby sleeping through the night (like, 11-4 or 5 ish).

Rory: CLOCK WORK. This kid literally was on his own schedule from the day we brought him home. He wants to eat every 3 hours on the dot. Grunts when he is hungry *doesn’t cry* and then goes right back to sleep through the night after feeding. We place him in the Snoo at 7:30ish right now after his big evening feeding, and we are making it through to about 11 for another feeding and go until 4 or 5 AM most nights now. We have had a few nights where he skips the 11 PM feeding, which is glorious. But most of the time have just one feeding in the middle of the night now vs. the first couple of weeks it was  (10, 1, 4)… we were going to bed at 730 PM with the boys the first couple of weeks (#tired) so that 10 PM feeding felt like a middle of the night feeding ha!

Anyways, all this to say, the Snoo has been amazing to give us SOLID sleep in-between feedings. We wake up more in the middle of the night than we did with Knox right now, but it’s easy and we are less tired than we were with Knox. Rory is lulled RIGHT back to sleep and we’ve only had ONE time the Snoo couldn’t soothe him back to sleep and it said we needed to pick him up. (Literally the app tells you to pick up your baby… haha) The Snoo is fascinating, changing sounds and motions according to the baby’s cry. I can hear it change from white noise to a heart beat when he starts stirring… insane! And it picks up the motion speed as if a mom is rocking him when he’s restless.

Some have said they’re afraid of having to wean the baby off the Snoo as they grow up, but honestly… we’ve not experienced that at all. Rory sleeps in the Snoo at night and occasionally for a day time nap if we know he needs to but isn’t falling asleep. We also nap him in our portable bassinet that we had for Knox (we keep this in the living room currently), The Dock a Tot on the sofa, and he’s napped in his own big crib now, too. I think if you generally just keep them switched up from day one -not relying entirely on the Snoo to get them to fall asleep- then you won’t experience the need to wean.

My honest opinion: Just give the Snoo a try at the very least! If we’d had this thing with Knox, I think our first weeks would have been so much easier. A great middle ground is to rent the Snoo, which is $130/month. Then, if you just are planning on them sleeping in it a few months or are afraid it won’t work for your baby, you won’t feel like you wasted your money. But, if you’re ready to just commit, I believe this thing is worth it!

Warming Up the Home for Fall

Okay, so it’s September and tomorrow is nearly 90 degrees *although, we’ve been in the 70’s a few days and it’s been such a teaser to fall!!* But I am in full on fall mode around here, pumpkin decor, pumpkin candles, pumpkin coffee… All the things. 😉 In general, my home is a fairly neutral palette with warm touches throughout year round (golds, rusty shades, and blush), so adding fall into my home is really natural. However, I definitely don’t have pumpkins and pinecones around all year long and I LIVE FOR THE DAY I CAN GET THEM OUT. This week has given such a tease for fall weather, and we even whipped up my favorite chili for our inaugural pot of the year last night. (You can try this creamy chicken recipe or this traditional one of mine!) I am a stickler for waiting until the first cool night of the year to eat chili!

I am sharing below some of my tips to adding budget-friendly fall pieces to your home that make a big difference along with some other current faves!

  1. We got this new throw for the couch and it’s just the perfect touch of warmth for the space! I have it casually draped over the corner. We bought the neutral shade that we stumbled upon in store, but I see they have one called “Bronze” online and I sorta want to buy that one, too… hehe. I might add it to our chair in our bedroom!
  2. I bought these little white and gold mini pumpkins last year and love them. I scatter them all over the house and they instantly make it feel like fall!
  3. Amber vases add touches of fall immediately to your home! I found a set of six for you on Amazon and then a bit more of a pricier option.
  4. Fall foliage – give me all the fake wheat and leaves! I do little arrangements in the vases around our home and add the little pumpkins in and around them with pine cones strategically placed throughout as well.
  5. Pumpkin scents: GIVE ME PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. However, I certainly have a select few that are my favorites. Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, and Pumpkin Cupcake! Right now Bath and Body Works has buy one, get one on their 3 wick candles!
  6. My Go-To *low cal* Starbucks order: A grande coffee with steamed coconut milk and 1 pump of pumpkin. It’s just enough pumpkin and sweetness to satisfy the PSL itch without the calories. And, frankly, the PSL is just too thick and sweet for me as is, so this is a nice balance!

    Here’s a full round-up of items to warm up your living room! 

On a separate note entirely, I have been using the Studio McGee Presets for my feed and editing, and I am REALLY pleased with them. I have been wanting to change my feed to a crisper, more “real” edit (less creamy/orangey) and these have been amazing. Their home played a heavy hand in our own home build’s design, so I figured their edits were going to be great for our new space and wanted to start using them. If you’re looking for a more “natural” toned edit- these are AMAZING. It’s $58 for 8 different ones (they all work together and are interchangeable!), but are 20% off right now with “YAY20”.

Hope you guys have the best Friday evening with somebody you love!

xoxo,

Han

 

Things to Prioritize When Choosing a Place to Build

As you all know by now, Paul and I are building a home! It’s been a dream of mine for years, and I cannot believe it’s actually happening. Despite the crazy season we’ve been in, we’ve actually spent the last year+ looking at builders and areas of the city we’d most like to be in longterm for our family. We knew the general area we wanted to be in, but figuring out which exact neighborhood we wanted to invest in was a big decision. Truly, we studied the schools, the projected increase in home value, growth, what businesses were coming around it, etc. These factors played a heavy part in where we eventually decided to say “yes” to! (It changed multiple times) Because this was something we started exploring so long ago,  when the pandemic/job changes/etc happened, we knew we still wanted to move forward. We knew that even when everything felt crazy, this was something we knew we wanted for our family regardless.

Below I have a list of things to consider when making the HUGE decision to build… or move your family in general. It’s a big decision for you and your family, and I hope these things help you!

  1. Drive to the neighborhoods you love most all hours of the day to see what it’s like. We legit drove to our top considered neighborhoods as we navigated the building process multiple times a week, and often at different times of the day. We wanted to see what it’s like in the morning, afternoon, rush hour, and evening. This actually is what ultimately deterred us from one neighborhood we thought was “the one”, because the heavy traffic on the road right in front just wasn’t worth it as we weighed the options.
  2. Time the drives to the places you would be going to most! We would time the drive from where we were looking to my most worked with clients, our favorite restaurants, family, church, Costco, etc. Having a beautiful home just isn’t worth it if you’re spending hours in the car a week to get anywhere you need to go to. This number will be different for everybody, too! Come to a decision as a couple together for your MAX distance you want to be from “x,y,z” and go from there. For us, we landed on a neighborhood about 15 minutes from the heart of where we will be doing the most of our “life.” It was the best fit for us – quiet enough to fit my desire for land but close enough to the city to fit Paul’s desires for a neighborhood, and all within an easy drive that is 15 minutes or less.
  3. Look at the schools! Whether you have a ten year old, a two year old, or have no kids at all but want to one day… Buying or building a home is an investment in your family so far beyond the physical presence of your home. Hopefully, if you build a home, it’s somewhere you get to stay put in for years. We looked at the schools our kids would attend if we chose certain neighborhoods, looking up everything from crime to test scores and everything in between. Most home search sites are great for all of this and include ratings of school from 1-10!
  4. Do the people look like you? Now, listen. I don’t mean “Is everybody a clone of me and have blonde hair/white/petite.” That’d be freaking boring. I don’t mean ethnicity or size or anything of the sort. In fact, I am grateful that we have seen quite a bit of diversity in our soon to be neighborhood! What I mean is do you see people you could do life with? When we would drive around our now soon to be neighborhood, we would watch what people in the neighborhood were doing. Big, small, old, young, we saw families out walking together with their dogs and kids. We saw people with strollers in the evening heading down to the lake. We saw grandparents out playing tennis at the tennis courts. We saw an active community of people who, regardless of age or color or size, looked like we value similar things that could be beneficial for us as a family to have around.

I will be sharing so much more over the coming months about the building process itself. You guys have asked great questions from how to choose your builder, your lot, your floor plan, and more. I will be sharing a peek into the entire process to hopefully help set you up well for your own!

xoxo,

Han

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