Stitch Fix: How I Love to Shop

A few months ago, I stumbled across this company that hand picks a number of outfits for you based on a style profile you create. They then send you the clothing in a cute little box, you try on the pieces, then decide what to keep and what to send back in the little postage bag they give you, and then you pay for the items you want to keep all while updating your profile and preferences for the next shipment.

Stitch Fix is my jam.  I never want to go shopping in a big store again.

There is something so thrilling with receiving any type of snail mail; make it a box of clothes hand picked just for me and I'm obsessed. I think it's so fun to see what the stylist picks out for me, based on what my profile says. It's like the thrill of the hunt at a clothing store without leaving the comfort of your bedroom.

I love their packaging too! 

Stitch Fix allows me to jump out the box every once in a while with the clothing I buy but also helps me build up a timeless collection of clothing that I will wear for a long time. I have a horrible habit of buying the cheapest stuff I can find even when it isn't quite what I'm looking for to wear and then I wear it until it completely falls apart. I'm finding that investing a little more into some pieces that are high quality and stylish, I am setting myself up for clothing success.

Stitch Fix sends some ideas as to how to wear the outfits. 

I signed up months ago and was on a waiting list for bit of time. I received my first box at the end of June. I tried on all of my outfits, narrowed it down to two pieces, filled out my thoughts and comments on each piece of clothing on their website, paid for the items I wanted, and sent back the ones I didn't. I would probably have kept one or two more things in the box but I was diving head first into my No Spend July and I didn't want to tarnish that whole plan right from the get go.

I ended up keeping a striped maxi dress and a pair of leggings. Not wearing cheap, five dollars leggings is amazing. I wear the new ones to work almost every day I can.

I can't wait for my next fix to show up on my door step. It's like Christmas every single month. They were so awesome and understood my clothing needs as a new mom when I wake up feeling like nothing fits me anymore. 

Are you interested in getting a fix that fits your needs? Click below, tell them Baily Hollen referred you, and start building your style profile. You won't regret it, I promise!

I WANT A STITCH FIX. 

Baby Marin: Week Three

I feel like we have come so far already. Am I still pretty dang exhausted, of course! But, it all seems to be falling into place, one day at a time. Today we find ourselves with a three week old baby. Three weeks. Time has flown by. I am always shocked when I look at the clock at some point each day and realize that it is already 5pm. Throw a time change into the mix and all of our hours seem a tad mixed up. 

I can say for once in our little relationship as mom and daughter, that breastfeeding is going so much better. She's latching like a little rock star. Most nights Marin wakes up twice for a feeding. We've had a few fussy nights but overall, things are going far more smoothly than the entirely frustrating first week we were home with our little one. 

She is growing right before our eyes. 

Marin at 3 Weeks: 

1. She is far more alert this week than the weeks before. 
2. During tummy time, she is able to lift her head up and move around quite well. 
3. I can tell that she is able to focus on what she is seeing a lot more.  
4. A co-worker gave us a baby swing and I would like to tell her "thank you" a billions time over. Thank you, thank you! Life saver. (I'm writing this post as Marin swings and sleeps next to me in the office.) 

Mama at 3 Weeks: 

1. Even with the lack of sleep, I feel like I am slowly getting the hang of all of this. I have never functioned on this little sleep though in my life, even back in college when I hardly slept!
2. I scheduled a pamper day next week that I am looking so forward to: massage, mani, pedi! Hallelujah! I seriously can't wait! I am realizing how important it is to take care of myself during this season as well. It's best for everyone that way. 
3. I am constantly researching baby stuff: bottles, cloth diapering, how in the world I will ever be able to return to work, pumping, etc. 
4. I made the mistake of trying on some pre-pregnancy jeans....not a good plan this early in the game. I am ready to get back to working out. I need it. And maybe some new jeans for a little while. I can't wear pajama and yoga pants for the rest of my life, unfortunately. 

Dad at 3 Weeks: 

1. Ryan went back to work on Sunday after being on a family medical leave with us for 4 weeks. I loved having him here with us, but he had to go back to work at some point! 
2. He is a pro at diaper duty and burping this baby. He has the special burping skills that I just don't. 
3. He still gets up with me once at night since he's up usually any way. I will be really excited when she starts taking a bottle every once in a while and I can sleep a little longer at night. Soon, someday soon. 
4. His parents have offered to watch Marin sometime next week to allow us to have a date night. I am also looking so forward to that as well! 

I will leave you with this entry from my journal this past week:  

Until now, I never fully knew what it meant to love someone I hardly know yet, so intensely, my heart aches. I also haven't ever felt this amount of stress, frustration, and confusion, coupled with an elated joy and a purely dumbfounded love that I almost can't put it into words. I have spent most days so sleep deprived yet strangely alright with it. I have questioned every little thing; wondering if my child will come out into this world and succeed fully and beautifully. Or, will her parents mess her up somehow in this process called parenting? 

I feel so connected to this little human. She makes me want to be better, to strive harder, to dream bigger. She causes me to realize that I will never fully have the life I did before I became a mother, but I am completely alright with that realization. She is worth it in every single way.

Baby Marin's Nursery

Everything is as ready as it will ever be. We are still waiting ever so patiently for our little nugget to come into this world. 

I officially had my last day in the office (for a while) yesterday afternoon. Walking out the doors was a little surreal. I've never had this much extended time away from my place of employment. My 5 year anniversary at the dental office is actually this Sunday. Time has flown by. A lot has happened in the past 5 years and now we wait for the arrival of our first child. I started working there a bit after we were engaged, then we were married, and now we are waiting to become parents. 

The nursery came together better than I had envisioned. What once was an office and then a bedroom for a roommate and then a workout room, now has transformed into our little girl's room. 

Shelves from IKEA. Everyone brought books for my shower. 

My mom made this banner for my baby shower. 

This was my toy chest when I was a child. Made by my grandpa. 

Studio Journal: Day Two & Three

Creativity is a process. Art is a journey. Recording isn’t always easy. I think at times we can dream up a recording process as something that is simple; a bunch of musicians coming together to play some music and to create something out of nothing. It’s hard. It takes a lot of work, dedication, sweat, and tears. That’s why I love the process. Of course the end goal is that of a finished, mastered album, but the journey to get to that point is nonetheless as important and intense as having the final product in your hands, ready to go to the masses. 

Being here makes me think of being merely eighteen, bright eyed and bushy tailed, moving out to Washington to record my first project. The fear, the nerves, the lack of much knowledge in that of recording sciences. I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since then. 3 records of my own under my belt and helping with numerous other projects has helped me craft, well, my craft. The vibe must be right. You must learn to play to a click track. Singing in a recording microphone should literally be considered a sport. You are forced to learn as you go, making many mistakes along the way and gaining only few triumphs; ones you have fought long and hard for. 

Yet, there is nothing quite like handing a stranger your finished product and knowing that your blood, sweat, and tears will somehow present themselves in every note, word, and arrangement. That is the destination of the journey of recording. 

Currently we sit on Day 3 of the process. It has been slow going. We’ve hit a few snags along the way and time has been passing at sloth speed. But, we endure nonetheless. Currently, Ryan is tracking the final acoustic guitar tracks. Drums and bass are mostly done. Matt and I wait patiently for the time when we actually get to track keys and guitar lines. 

This record excites me. To see my husband finally experiencing this lifestyle, this art form. This journey. There’s nothing quite like it and I hope to be in this environment for a long time, in whatever capacity. I hope someday for our kids to discover our old albums in an attic somewhere and think that their parents were actually cool when we were their age. Music will always be a part of us and I dearly hope to pass that on to our children in the future. 

So, today, we carry on. We get the job done, or as close as we can. We discover more about ourselves, our boundaries, the things we must learn, and the bond that bands us together. 

Studio Journal: Day One

(Written on Thursday night) 

I’m a proud little wife today. I currently sit in the studio, awaiting the time when my man embarks upon the long-awaited journey of recording his first full length record. This is a new season for him, for us, and for the creative lives we strive to live out somehow in the midst of our grown up jobs, mortgage, and other desires. This feels like a distinct turning point in our lives. Not a detour, not a fork in the road, but a continuous journey down the dirt path we have always in one way or another walked upon. All is new, all is fresh, and somehow still unknown. 

I fall more in love with this man and this life everyday, hardly grasping that realization at times. It’s kind of a slow burn into a deeper fire. He loves me so well; even through all of my short comings. He focuses on my triumphs and my dreams. He knows me far better than any other being and for that I am thankful. 

This weekend shall be full of creativity. Full of a group of friends coming together to mold something out of what was once nothing or merely just a spark in the heart of the man I have given my heart to. 

Our 2nd anniversay shall be celebrated in the midst of this new journey. I wish I had the words to express my love for this man. No material gift shall ever suffice. I am his and he is mine. 

This is all part of our journey. 

Catch Up: Weekend in Black and White

Morning Pages. Every morning. 

Also, every morning. 

My hairy friend, Shawn. 

Easter Dinner at the Hollens

Writer's Block Pt One

Writer's Block Pt Two 

Portland, OR

Seattle: Day Four (In Black and White)

Little words this evening. Seattle in black and white.

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.  

-Ansel Adams