City Girl Finds the Country//Skagit Valley

Day three is Washington was such a good day! We met up with Marcus' brother and had a picnic overlooking the Puget Sound. We spent most of the time down by the water, throwing rocks in with Simon. He couldn't have stayed there doing that for hours and hours and hours!

On our way back to town, we pulled over at Snowgoose Produce, near Mount Vernon, for a gigantic ice-cream cone of local creamy goodness (Cash Only). It was definitely one of the prettiest farmer's markets I've ever been to. It was one of the highlights of the trip FOR SURE! That whole Skagit Valley is absolutely breathtaking, and my kind of beauty for sure! We drove past a stunning nursery/greenhouse that I still regret not insisting on stopping at--next time we will.

Then back to Lizzy's where we soaked up the prettiest golden hour in her backyard that's littered in these beautiful flowers and bunnies too! It's pretty easy to see why Liz loves her newish life in the PNW :)

boy cousins exploring in Woodinville. WA

My Simple Pregnancy Essentials//

1//Smith's Minted Rose Lip Balm

I've been a fan of this stuff long before there was a human growing inside of me, but for whatever reason my skin and lips have become even more dry since said human showed up, so know it's a must have before I go to bed and right when I wake up. I love it, because most lip balms I've tried have a weird smell or chemical taste, but this one is the golden ticket for sure.

2//Coobie Soft Bra

I tried this after I saw it recommended by Sydney, from The Daybook. So glad I did. I'm not sure if this is a normal pregnancy symptom or not, but I get really sick (nauseated, dizzy, achy) when I have anything restrictive on my torso region. I can't handle any tightness around my ribcage or my stomach, so all my normal, sized, wired bras were NOT working. This bra basically saved my life. It's super stretchy and has (removeable) lining so you don't have to worry about things showing through that you don't want showing through. I don't have experience with this yet, but I'm guessing it will be nice for nursing as well, because it's so stretchy; I guess we'll see if it makes my Post-Pregnancy List...

3//Bump Nest Pregnancy Pillow

This is almost surely my absolute favorite thing on the list. I can not tell you how this pillow has improved my life! People who know me in real life are probably so sick of hearing me talk about this gem, but I'm sorry, I'm an evangelist for it. It is so freaking comfortable--Marcus (and Poppy) try to steal it from me almost every night because whatever foam/stuffing they put in this thing is magic. Plus the cases are so darn cute! When we went on our trip to the PNW, I didn't bring it and my SIL said she had an old pregnancy pillow I could use. It was the same basic shape, so I figured it would work just as well. People, IT DID NOT. It was terrible and you should not buy any other body pillow than the Bump Nest, because it trumps all. Amen and amen.

4//Handheld Percussion Massager

Alright, this is a new find this week and I'm majorly in love with it. I started having pain in my sacroiliac joints when I'd be on my feet a lot, so I went to my chiropractor and he said it was due to my loosening ligaments in my...FEET. He adjusted the arch of my foot and to my surprise the pain was gone within a few hours. He told me I could use this percussion massager on my arches to do mini-adjustments at home. It doesn't work quite as well as when he does it, but it definitely helps! Plus this thing feels so good on my back and shoulder blades and Marcus loves it too. Twenty-five dollars well spent, I'd say!

5//Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

As I mentioned, my skin has been really dry and dead looking and it's really got me feeling down because a flakey face is not a pretty sight, but I recently remembered that when I was living in freezing/windy Idaho, my dermatologist recommended I try this moisturizer and it saved me then. I picked some up a couple of weeks ago and I've already seen a lot of improvement on my face. I usually just use it at night before bed because it's pretty thick and makeup doesn't really adhere to it, but it's a great night cream.

6//Dr Bronner's Peppermint Soap

Marcus picked up a travel size bottle of this on our last trip and he fell in love. We then got a big bottle of it and so I started using it as well. It's a natural/organic soap and because of the peppermint oil, it's super cooling and refreshing. BE CAREFUL not to get it in your eyes though--it's crazy painful, but if you can keep it clear of those babies, I'm happy with this soap.

7//Gillian & O'Malley Robe

I love having this longer length robe to throw on if the UPS guy shows up in the morning before I've gotten dressed (let's be honest, sometimes it's after noon and I still haven't gotten dressed, but I digress...) It's super soft and the midi-length provides the modesty to be able to open the door, without being so long that it trips you up. I think it will be nice to bring in my hospital bag as well, or I might order this cute one from Gap.

8//Maison du Soir Florence Kimono

Now this kimono robe is quite a bit shorter, but it's so dang pretty and even though it looks and feels totally luxury, it's machine washable! I like to wear this one when I'm having a lazy weekend morning at home with Marcus and I'm not ready to get dressed (I'M NEVER READY TO GET DRESSED! Getting dressed while pregnant is SO HARD!) but I still want something pretty on. It also looks super cute with a pair of leggings on underneath, now that the mornings and evenings are finally cooling off :)

9//Hempz Pomegranate Lotion

Alright, I don't claim to be someone who does tons of research on making sure everything I use is perfectly natural, but I do try to have an idea of not putting totally toxic stuff on my body, especially now that I'm carrying a growing human inside of me! So I was looking for a lotion that smelled yummy and was relatively natural. I had gotten a sample of this at a blogging conference I attended and Marcus loved whenever I put it on, so I read up a little more on it, and thought it sounded pretty good, so I ordered a full bottle and I'm a super fan. Next time I think I'll try one of the other scents, just to mix it up. I use this all over my body, but most often on my belly, in hopes of keeping it moisturized enough to avoid/minimize stretch marks...fingers crossed!

10//Commodity Goods in Gold for Men

So, I'm sure you've heard the idea that a pregnant woman's sense of smell is on high alert, I can't say that mine has gone up that much because I was always at the top of the scales with my super senses, but smelling good is of high importance, and it's quite important that Marcus smells good if he wants to get...snuggly with this pregnant lady. Commodity sent us a pack of their sample scents and this one was both Marcus' and my favorite smell by far. He got a full size bottle and every time he wears it, he get's lucky, let's just be honest. Ha! It's so good.

Alright! Your turn! 

I'd love to hear things you've tried and loved. 

What am I missing to make this pregnancy more comfortable? Anything on the list you're excited to try?

As always, thanks for reading and commenting! Feel free to pin this post if you found it interesting!

CLOSED: braologie giveaway two of two!

the winner is Rebekah Norton!

and the second giveaway is for the mini-vest which works best with the braologie posture bra, but can be worn with your regular bra as well:

(read more about why i love this company and enter the first giveaway here)

 to enter simply like braologie of facebook here and let me know you did

extra entries:

share this post via pinterest, twitter, or Facebook

+open to U.S. and international readers

+you may enter one of both giveaways

remember to use the code unicorns for 5% off your purchase in their shop here.

CLOSED: braologie giveaway one of two!

The winner is April Sheen--sending you an email now!
first winner didn't respond, so a new winner was selected.

so it's been quiet around here because i've been off on a fun little adventure that you know about if you follow me on instagram. i have plenty of pretty pictures to share from said adventure, but i'm still busy getting our house back in order and our fridge stocked back up, so before i get to story telling i wanted to tell you about a company i've worked with in the past that is now offering two lucky readers somethings from their shop!

my sister, mom, and i were all part of a focus group i guess you  would call it for a new company that sells bras and the like that are supposed to help with the long-term health of you back and overe-all posture.

they have you fill out a survey, send in headless and fully clothed pictures and they send you a thorough analysis of your current posture issues--very interesting!

this is the bra i got but in beige: HERE

we all got to test out bras, mini-vests, and posture contour pants before the store launched and give our feedback.

i thought it was cool that they had me (in my twenties) my then pregnant sister, and my mom who is in her 60s trying out different custom picked bras since we were all at different body stages.

all i really need to tell you is that 

1. they women we worked with, Talia, was so incredibly dedicated and helpful 

2. when i first got the bra it was so unlike any bra i had ever tried on that i thought i hated it and would never wear it. i thought it looked funny and was uncomfortable. i told Talia that and she apologized, but encouraged me to just try it out for at least a week and see if it got better. she explained the concept in more detail and so i decided to give it a week. by the 2nd or 3rd day it wasn't uncomfortable anymore and by the end of the week i liked the way my body looked in the bra and even felt like it was providing more posture support. Now it's (almost) the only bra i wear--the only time i'm not wearing it is when i'm washing it, at the gym, or need a white bra. it feels so weird to put on my old bras that i thought were supportive--THEY'RE NOT!

anyways, i'm not getting paid for this pitch or anything, i truly love this bra (so does my mom and sister) and the customer service i've received so i wanted to share it with you.

the posture contour pants they sent me (and my mom) is pretty awesome, to be honest, i've only worn mine a few times because i'm lazy and don't really feel like i need it even though i know it would help improve my posture, but my mom loves hers and says it really shapes and smooths, so if you're someone who maybe feels like they need a little tummy/bummy help, or if you're just less lazy than me--this may be for you :)

so here's the first little giveaway from braologie, a pair of posture-contour pants 

*see and read more about them here

To Enter (must be a public follower of i believe in unicorns.):

1.  like braologie on Facebook here and tell me you did

optional extra entry:

2. share this post on Facebook, twitter, or pinterest and let me know!

3. write on braologie's wall letting them know you came from i believe in unicorns.

+open to U.S. and international readers

there's also a 5% discount with the code unicorns to use in their online shop here, as well as a free online fitting at braologie.com available to everyone!

Happy Birthday Week Lauren!

10 reasons i love lauren k. brimley:

1// she loves me through my shiny white ghost phases. why do i look like this?

2// she's best story teller i know. you guys, this girl has me rolling with shock and laughter during our weekly cinema night.

3// she's ubber thoughtful, like one of those people you feel like you could call at anytime and she would do whatever she could to help.

4// also amazingly creative, did you see that baby shower she threw for Sierra?!

5// "best hair in high school"-- the volume this woman achieved is something the rest of us can only dream of.  i don't know if we ever got to vote on this for the yearbook, but i voted in my mind, and she won--"She owned that ponytail; she worked that updo!"

6// she sang a duet with me in our high school musical, that was not High School Musical, but rather Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. We chose to forgo solos because we didn't want the whole school to hate us for our exceeding talent--not because we were scared or anything. Definitely not because we were scared...

7// she trusted me with her secret (please tell me you've checked her blog to read her secret?!)

8// she wrote me a letter one time when i was going through a transitional phase in my life. i didn't think she ever thought of me after high school, so i was pretty touched when i got the cutest letter in the mail from her.
(said 'transition' was not pirating, in case you were wondering...)

9// She changed my life by introducing books like Delirium and the Hunger Games to me!

10// i kind of have no idea how we became such good friends again after high school, but i'm so glad we did, because she's one of my very favorite!

{Top Five} Friday

{top five} easy breezy day dates:

Marcus' job is really great because he doesn't work weekends and he usually has a day off during the week as well, so we really like to go on little day dates to keep from being bored at home all day.
Here are some ideas that could be fun for you and your significant other, or even just your friends, and the best part is, they're free!

Visit a Nursery and learn about different plants, pick up a little plant, or just take pretty pictures.

Go to Barnes and Noble or any other bookstore and pretend decorate your dream house using all their design books.

Visit Ikea (or any other fun furniture store) and play house, discuss styles and grab a bite to eat while you're out.

Find out about your local Farmer's Market, I believe they're usually on Fridays and/or Saturdays. They're fun to browse and their produce are usually better than the grocery store's.

Antiquing! 

We have one of the best antique shops I've ever been to just about 5 minutes from our house, and we LOVE to go down and admire all the beauties. Most of the time we don't buy anything, but it's still so fun to look at the wondrous things people made before the times of mass production.

What's Your Favorite Type of Date?

Fancy? Morning? Evening? Active? Relaxing?

I'm so excited that Fall is officially here and we can start doing lovely things outside without melting to death :)
Happy Fall!

{Top Five} Friday

This weekend we have the pleasure of meeting our best friends Jack & Jenny at the ranch in New Mexico. They're driving from Texas to Idaho and decided a small detour was definitely on the agenda. While we're away, I predict such things as dressing up, riding quads, visiting trading posts, fill our little hearts and hands with dream-catchers, turquoise jewelry and head-dresses galore, and eating DQ Blizzards until we once again have to say our goodbyes, but do not cry in our behalf, we're very good at coming up with adventures that require meet-ups! I haven't even told you about our last...
But before we head off to the land of enchantment, we're going to the lake with some Arizona friends on one last summer hurrah (not that summer shows any signs of stopping in Arizona...)! Yippee!

And now I leave you with my {Top Five} Iphone Apps at Present:

1. Instagram (do you follow me? Then you already know how much i like it...)/Postagram (turns your instagram photos into postcards! done it and love it!)/Stickygram (haven't done it yet, but I've seen it done and I can't wait to have my own fridge so I can justify it!)

2. Seven Little Words (found this thanks to Kristine. It's my go-to game while waiting in doctors offices or the like.)

3. Kids-In-Mind (I personally don't like to go to/rent a movie, pop it in and then realize there is a 5 minute sex scene or a topless girl, so this app spells out exactly what you're getting yourself into, before you do. Very helpful while standing in line at RedBox)

4. Dolphin (New browser that uses the address bar as a google search bar as well,(my biggest complaint about Safari.)

5. Songify (totally goofy app, but it keeps Marcus and I very entertained on long drives. Basically a free version of auto-tune with backup music). We made this one for Jack and Jenny to inquire if Luke would be joining us on our New Mexican adventure. Sadly, he is not. We'll miss you, Luke!

Any I Need To Know About?

{Top Five} Friday

source

{Top Five} Qualities I Admire In A Person:

1. Genuineness

There's nothing that makes me feel more uncomfortable and nothing I fear being more than insincere. 

In fact, I fear it so much that I sometimes hold back completely heartfelt compliments or loving feelings in fear that the receiver will think me counterfeit. Please know that I don't say things unless I mean them, and I'd prefer if you ('you' meaning the human population) didn't either. 

Oh my heart sings when I can make friends with an authentic person. They really put me at ease. 

People that come to mind: Jenny, Marcus, Beth, Heidi

2. Healthy Amounts of Confidence

Confidence is something that we all struggle with in some form or another and in all sorts of varying degrees, but it seems like almost all vices can stem from either too much of it or not enough. 

Too much and we're haughty, cocky, flaunting and unfeeling, and not enough and we're often offended, catty, and self-deprecating. 

It's so refreshing to meet someone who knows who they are, where they're going, and have the direction and drive to make it happen. All the while, still boosting up those around them. They're confident enough in themselves, that they don't need to push people down in order to shine. They shine no matter what, because people genuinely like them.

The people I know with a good balance of confidence in their life seem to always be the most successful at balancing success and quality relationships. They inspire me.
People who come to mind: Ashley L., My Mom

3. Open-Mindedness

I used to be a very closed-minded, stubborn person, and don't get me wrong, I can often be found slipping back into that bull-headedness, but as I've grown up and interacting with a variety of diverse people, I've learned that while it's always important to have standards and stand strong for what you truly believe in, it's also a beautiful quality to be able to listen to where people are coming from, try and understand their point of view and be willing to compromise on things, or at least respect that we all have our agency to think differently.
I now look forward to the opportunity to interact with people who have different opinions than mine. You always come out on top after hearing a new perspective--either you feel even more confident in your beliefs because your educated about both sides and you actually had to defend what you believed rather than just riding on some tradition, or you learn that what you had been doing really has no validity and it's time to rethink things. Oh how wonderful diversity is!

People who come to mind: Lauren, Danielle

4. Helpfulness

This is a quality I most need to work on. It's one that seems to boil down to two things--thoughtfulness and laziness. I'm generally pretty aware of what's going on around me and what things need to get done, the problem is that sometimes I'm just too lazy to get up and do them. I don't respect that about myself and it's something I have only recently become aware of. I can probably blame my sister and her boyfriend for that one. They're both incredibly helpful--always serving everyone around them with hardly ever a complaint and I really admire them for that. I'm thankful for the reality check they brought to me. I really do love having things to challenge myself on, and that's one I'm working on at present.

People that come to mind: Leisel, Sterling, Reachel, Jay, Jenee, Jenny, Jack, Luke, Kevin, Darin, Beth

5. Passion

There's just something so beautiful about being with someone who is truly passionate about something.
I had some amazing professors who just loved what they taught. They could make a subject that I had never expressed interest in seem like the greatest thing I could be listening to at the moment. Not only did their enthusiasm spark interest in the subject, but I was also just so encouraging that anyone could feel so excited about something they get to do regularly. I aspire to find something like that in my life.

People that come to mind: Jason, Stephanie, Elizabeth,Tango teacher, High School Spanish teacher, High School choir teacher
What are some qualities you admire in people? 
Any you'd like to work on?

{Top Five} on Friday

{Top Five} Fall Lookbooks:
1. I die for J.Crew's Fall color pallet. 

i'm more than obsessed with this yellow on yellow look...

i must have those leggings. please inform me when they become available!

Skinny Pants by J.Crew

2. Seriously Anthropologie, would you just stop it already.

Shop the Look:

Tees by Anthropologie

3. Seeing as I live in Arizona where most of Autumn temperatures is still in the 80s and 90s, Ruche's line is more wearable (not to mention affordable!) 

4. Asos is one of my favorite new finds because they offer so many knee and midi length skirts!

everything and the shoes, please.

click below to get the look:

Evening Dresses by Asos

5. EmersonMade is my idol. That is all.

I've been dreaming about these for 2 years now, one of these days I'm going to sell my lung and get me a pair.

Nobody can even know how much i want one of these. I dream about them. I pretend I have one. I must come to terms with the fact that I will never.

Are there any amazing places you should tell me about that are carrying a fall line yet?