Wedding Planning: Location, Location, Location

Back story: I've lived in Tallahassee for almost all of my life, and I'm ashamed to say that I had never visited this place until last summer. It's not in Tallahassee, it's actually in a small town in Georgia, but still...I had passed it lots of times and even after making plans to go I never went. Until October. We went on Family Day, because it was free, and got to tour the main house and explore the 3000+ acres of another time. I fell in love instantly, and I just knew that if I ever got married this would be my *dream* location. Even though we weren't talking or planning a wedding, Bean and I came home and looked up all the info.♥

Fast forward to today: When we got engaged (only two months later!) this was the first thing I mentioned! We looked at other places in town, places on the outskirts of town, up, down and everywhere we could look but nothing came close to being as charming as this place. It's a massive, beautifully maintained southern horse plantation. There was only one problem, the insurance lease agreement. Has anyone ever planned/planning a wedding heard of this? I had no idea it existed! The place we want to rent for has a mandatory $300,000 policy, meaning that we have to put our house deed (which um, hello, we do not have!) on the line just to have a wedding. Luckily they offer bonds for people in our situation (read: people who don't own a house)
for the day of your wedding. 

The thing I love most about it though, is that it reminds me of some fancy palace they'd have in England. It has a grass tennis court, a maze, a blacksmith shop, concrete pathways and lots of horses!  Each and every room in the main house had a different wallpaper, and there are well over 15 rooms to the house. My favorite room is the "Native American" Room. It's filled with old guns, so many arrowheads, and has a massive mural painting of an actual battle that the Native Americans were involved in. But all of the rooms are noteworthy.

We've picked a date*, we've picked a theme, we've pretty much picked a bridal party, we've picked a budget, the colors, the dress, the menu, and even the place  but the one thing we are having a hard time picking is where to have the ceremony. There are two beautiful spots: the Main House and the Kitchen Garden. Bean likes the garden, I like the house. I guess it was bound to happen at some point that we would have differing ideas about something! 

*We have a tentative date set for the second weekend in September! The only problem is that another bride wants the second weekend in September. Both the first and second weekend's are open, but it's basically whoever pays first gets to choose. Now, we wouldn't be heartbroken if we had to go with the first weekend (Sept. 1) instead of the second (Sept. 8), but obviously, we'd rather have the second. It all comes down to, like I said, who pays first. We were completely ready to sign the lease agreement, but we are waiting on Bean to get paid before we can move forward. I know that God will provide and have a hedge of protection over us as we try and reserve our date! 

I'm so excited about this, can you tell? I can't wait to go back! ;) xo, Meghan

What I wore: Sunday's Best

I actually wore this dress two days in a row, because it's one of my favorites and I don't think it gets enough wear. I styled it a different way, so I'll share that another time! I'm sure you will be able to notice the massive hole in my tights. Such a sad day; when we were at church I noticed a small string sticking up on my knee-and I'm a very nit-picky person-so I picked it and somewhere between walking, bending down to scoop up babies, and chasing kites all over the field my tights saw their final day. I'm not sure if I'm the only one, but when I wear the tights from Target, I can only get a few wears out of them then I have to retire them to the great box of once loved tights. Don't get me wrong, I  LOVE that Target offers such a variety of colors + styles: footless, knee length, ankle length, tights, and that they're so cheap! But I'm thinking that I should invest a few more dollars and get a few pairs in staple colors that will last a bit longer. 

Even though I love this outfit, I feel a bit self conscious about it. The dress was already too big when I bought it, but I loved it so much that I didn't care. To make matters worse, I accidentally put it in the dryer. Thank goodness my mom was here, and showed me how to stretch it back to it's normal size!!! (Reason No. 1 million and 11 why moms are awesome!) So the dress is wide on me, and when I decided to pair it with a long sleeve shirt, I had to tuck the shirt up and under to make it the right length. This made me look even more fluffed out and wide. I'm thinking if I wear this again, I'll pair it with a belt, that way you can at least see my natural waist. 

                                                                   >>>>>Outfit:<<<<<                                 

lace skirt (dress): Forever 21 // striped shirt: Forever 21 // black tights: Target // boots: Forever 21 // watch: Betsey Johnson (Christmas gift!) 

Photo Challenge Updates: week 4

52 Weeks of Instax:  This picture, again, is out of focus! It's very hard to take close up pictures. I hope by next week I will have a decent one. I took this on Saturday. Bean and I took a little road trip to visit our wedding location (!!!!) (I'll talk more about this later!) and the town it's in happens to have the cutest/quaint/yummy 50's style diner called Izzo's Soda Fountain. We went there when I was pregnant and had the best chicken philly's, and so of course we had to go again. I tried to take a picture of how yum it looked but I have a feeling that this isn't very appetizing!

This week on Instagram: (@ahoynative) 1. Something Old // 2. Guilty Pleasure // 3. Something You Made // 4. Colour // 5. Lunch // 6. Light // 7. Inside Your Fridge (would not load on web.stagram so I'll share it next week!) 

I feel so exhausted tonight! I'm going to curl up in my soft blanket and watch svu with Bean. Happy Sunday! XO 

Songbird Saturday #16

I'm super excited this morning, because later this afternoon, we're taking a little road trip to visit our dream wedding spot! Eeep! Can't wait! It's on an old plantation about 45 minutes from town and it's so wonderful and lovely! On a music related note...that darn Young the Giant is so catchy! I can't help but get a smile on my face when I hear this song. Hope you have a lovely Saturday. xo, Meghan

Valentines are sweet!

In the spirit of Valentines, we're offering free shipping in our etsy shop! If you've had your eye on something, or love any of our Valentines goodies now's your chance to snag something before it's gone! With the code VALENTINE, shipping is free. Be sure to get any and all Valentines Day gifts or accessories purchased no later than 2/10 to assure that they will arrive to you on time! Happy shopping. xo Meghan 

ps- Yes, shipping is free internationally as well!

Something New

If any of you follow me on Instagram (@ahoynaitve) then you know I've been a busy little sewing bee. At first, I was scared to even look at my sewing machine the wrong way for fear that it would spontaneously combust. But once we got threw with the introductions; I was eager to learn. It only took me two days to figure out what I really wanted to do; sew pouches. Since that first fateful day where I started with a 7in. zipper, couldn't figure out how it was done, sewed the front awesome and the back inside out, and threw my hands up in defeat..I've come back full force. Yes, I do realize how small this time span is, nonetheless, I am really proud of myself. So proud in fact that we have decided to carry these pouches + clutches in our shop; Deliciously Sew! I'm working on creating a signature design for DS and it's been really fun and relaxing to put on an episode of SVU and sew for an hour or two each night. *Especially since Bean will be working overtime for the rest of this week and the next!* I'm crossing "learn to use my sewing machine" off of my goals list for this year! I'm no where near seamstress status, but practice makes perfect.

A. Floral Mini Clutch // B. Four Little Owls Pouch // C. Vintage Florals No.2 Pouch // D. Vintage Florals Pouch

These are only a few of the pouches + clutches available in the shop right now. I'm currently adding more, and will be adding more for the rest of the weekend. We're currently sourcing fabrics and materials, making sure that we bring something new and fresh to this cute industry! It's really fun to go shopping for fabrics and supplies!♥ Some of the pouches are one of a kind, some only a few of each design will be made! So if you see something you like, check back, because we have a sweet deal to offer! I'll be back later to share! XO. Meghan

Wednesday Rut + a Song

Wednesdays usually feel like a rut to me. Close to the weekend, but not as close as Friday where it is acceptable to kick up your boots and impatiently wait. No, on Wednesdays you're still expected to do work, and clean house, or do whatever you do. I haven't really felt very motivated today, I'd much rather sit on the couch and watch SVU; but then I started listening to this song and it got me moving! One of my very favorite bands is The Gaslight Anthem, so when I heard that one of the guys from the band (Brian Fallon) was creating a side project, The Horrible Crowes, I was super excited! His voice, oh man. This song is my favorite from the EP/CD. It's too good to put on a playlist, so I'm sharing it today!
Hope you're Wednesday is productive! xo, Meghan

What's in a name

Dakota when she was 9 months old

I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now, but I'm afraid to do so because I am slightly embarrassed. My child has well over 15 nick names. Is this normal? I have no idea, but I am leaning towards the no side. No, it is not normal. I don't plan on sharing them all, because you will probably think we're crazy! For a while there, we were calling her so many names I started to wonder if she even knew what her real Some have a story and some have no rhyme or reason at all. Some are probably average names you'd call your sweet little one, and some will leave you wondering why!

----------------------------

Loaf: We, or should I say 'I' started calling her this days after she was born. Something about her reminded me of a tiny warm loaf of bread. The kind of bread that was so yummy I wanted to butter and eat. No folks, I am not in any way saying I wanted to eat my child. Just, you know, 'so cute you could eat them up', was the type of mindset I had when we gave her this nickname. I'm sure it startled everyone when I started calling her that, but no one dare question a lady who just gave birth! So needless to stay, the name stuck. It's funny to me that almost everyone refers to her as Loaf!

Moon Pie: This could be, by far, my favorite nickname for anyone. ever. period. Dakota's middle name is Moon-Dakota Moon. One day we were chatting about nick names at Bean's moms house and Uncle Judah said Moon Pie. It was kind of like an "ah-ha" moment. Why hadn't that been said before? It's just so adorable. I hope she will let us call her that for the rest of forever. Or at least until she goes to middle school! He even made her a hair clip for her birthday in the shape of a chocolate Moon Pie and had stitched those words onto it. Cue the tears! 

Ling: This nickname happened on a road trip to South Carolina. We were bored and our bag of tricks was running low. We started rhyming (this is where most of her nick names came from) and took "Loaf" dropped the "oaf" and added "ing". Ling Ling. We still call her this a lot. Almost anyone can use this technique to create a nickname. Say your name is Meghan, you take everything after the first letter and forget about it. Add "ing" in its place and there you have yourself a fine nickname. Ming. We did this for everyone in the car, Ning, Bring, Ging (Gigi) which is what I call my mom all the time now. I think she secretly hates it!

A few others: Dinga, Babycakes, Pumkinbutt, Derb, and Merb (Derb's evil twin.) Please tell me we aren't completely crazy, and that you have something equally as off the wall as we do that you call your kids? 

xo.

Photo Challenge Updates: week 3

52 Weeks of Instax: You're not getting tired of seeing these, are you? No? Well good! Because I'm having so much fun doing them. This time last year I was probably half way done with my 5 double packs of instax film! I wasn't kidding when I said I couldn't do the challenge because I used all my film in the first month! This week's photo is a sad attempt to capture the adorable bows I created Thursday night. (You can find them for sale here) Like I said last week, I'm still getting used to the camera so the picture is slightly-okay a lot-out of focus! Side note: I read a lot of reviews and posts about the 210 being hard to use, and for some reason I blew them all off. I kept blowing them off when I first got it, because it was so easy to capture people on film! However, I am biting my tongue now because it's down right HARD to get an image up close or of something other than a person!

This week on Instagram: (@ahoynative) 1. Morning // 2. Water (Somehow, I forgot to do this one!) // 3.Something you bought (or need to buy, in my case!!) // 4. Sweet // 5. Someone you love // 6. Reflection // 7. Your shoes

Hope you're having a lovely Sunday! xo, Meghan.

Songbird Saturday #15

Today's playlist is full of classic 90's pop and alternative/grunge songs! This playlist gives me serious nostalgia! I was not old enough to appreciate most of these songs when they first came out, but when I started middle school I somehow got my hands on the name Nirvana and the rest is history. I was seeking out other music like it, all the Soundgarden/Pearl Jam/Stone Temple Pilots type bands and filling up my iPod with as much as I could get my hands on. (Obviously I'm not tooo old if I had an iPod in middle school, right?) Kurt Cobain will always and forever be my favorite, but I really like listening to these songs, on occasion, too. However, a lot of the pop songs I can remember listening to on the radio. Basically, a fun playlist from childhood! --Now excuse me while I go put on my daisy print dress, pull my socks up to my knees, and sport a sleeveless jean jacket. Happy listening!

Are you a 90s fan?! xo

Wedding Planning: And so it begins

source

It is perfectly okay to be talking about wedding planning, right? We've set a date, and therefor I believe it is completely acceptable to be dreaming up the perfect day! Oh, did I mention it's in 8 months? EIGHT months!!! I've already scribbled down pages and pages into my journal, and devoted an entire board on my Pinterest to the wedding of our dreams! To say I am over the moon excited is an understatement. I plan on sharing our ideas here, just so that I can have another outlet besides my journal, and Pinterest. Kind of like a combination of the two in one place...here.

Anyway, enough of me validating my reasons for why I think I should share this.....and onto the sharing! We've basically got our color scheme, "theme" if you will, ideas for entertainment, dresses and suits (or lack there of!), and venue picked out, but one thing we haven't yet talked about or even taken photos for is Save the Dates/Engagement Photos. I've been poking around, trying to find exactly what we are looking for, but it's sooo hard to choose. There are so many lovely artists, DIY Save the Dates, engagement announcements, types of paper, and commercial places to choose from! These are a few of my most favorite ones:

One // Two♥ // Three // Four //  Five  // Six // Seven + Eight (not pictured!)

See what I mean when I say it's so hard to choose? Aren't they all so adorable? I kind of favor number two because of the story...it's actually true in our case. I haven't told anyone that, but it is! I wonder what people would think if they received that one in the mail? And the ones on the bottom (5 + 6) Are so completely simple, but so cute. We've got a lot of deciding to do! I can't wait! Maybe you know of some awesome sites that do save the dates/invitations? I'd love a link if you do. xo. 

PS, in case you didn't know, those color block sections are our wedding colors! Yellows, Reds, Blues, Creams, and Pinks! When you see what our "theme" is, it will make much more sense.

Favorites! part two

>>Indian Outlaw Headband<<

>>Brown Foxie & Bow<<

>>Spring Hydrangea Newborn Headband<<

>>Mini Owlet Plushies<<

>>Blue & Red Songbird<<

As you can see, we offer things for the young, young at heart, and everyone alike! Hope you enjoyed seeing some of our favorite things. Happy Wednesday. xo.

Favorites! part one

I thought it would be fun to show both myself and Angela's favorite things from the the shop! Maybe some of these things will be your favorites too! This first set is a few of Angela's favorite things.

*Owlet Newborn Onesie*

*Proud Peacock Headband*

*PB & J BFF Keychain Mini Set*

*Bacon & Egg Breakfast Magnet Set*

I'll be back in a little bit to show a few of my favorite things! xo, Meghan

Deliciously Sew Grand Opening!!

As you may remember from my New Year's goals and mentioning it in this post, I wanted to devote more time to Deliciously Sew. This has been a dream of mine to create DS for over 2 years now. When I told Angela that I thought we should do this together, she agreed and we've been working towards it ever since. Thank goodness she agreed!! At first, we just talked about it for a while, but once we actually started getting ideas, It's been go go go from then on. It seemed only natural that we open an Etsy to showcase and sell our handmade cuteness. So that is just what we did!

We only started adding items yesterday, so there is still a lot to be added. I had no idea how much work it would be to make sure you take the perfect pictures, that your words are interesting and enticing. Or that something other than remedial math would be needed to calculate shipping costs and Etsy fees. But what fun it has been too!! And doing this is proof of all our hard work. I hope that you'll poke around and see what we've been making and selling all these times I talk about DS! 

I'll be back later to share both mine and Angela's favorite things from the shop with you! If you get a chance to look, I'd love to know what your favorite thing is! xo, Meghan.

Style Muse:

This little lady is a powerhouse! She's been in a number of films including one of my favorites; 500 Days of Summer. She's funny and witty, clever and cool. I am envious of both her clothes and her hair. (Could someone teach me how to do that swoop poof bang thing?) Oh and did I mention that she's only 14? I only found this out when I got last months issue of Teen Vogue, which she was the cover girl. I think she's just darling! 

As if being adorable and being in awesome movies wasn't enough....she's in a music video for Best Coast! It's one of my favorite songs. Do you this she's darling too? xo, Meghan.

Photo Challenge Updates: week 2

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52 Weeks of Instax: Week two and I'm still going strong! I really wanted to take a picture of my cute tights, socks + boots combo today, but I'm still getting used to the Instax Wide...so you have a picture of my feet that I tried to make look better by writing on it. I'm breaking all the rules...! --- Also, isn't that fabric lovely? Bean took me to pick out some fabrics from Hobby Lobby on Saturday night  (Dakota was staying the night with Gigi!) and this was one of them. We came home and realized we had no idea what we were doing, but we did manage to thread the machine, improperly, and stitch a few lines. Sewing is so intimidating!  

This week on Instagram: (@ahoynative)  1. Your Routine // 2. Childhood // 3. Where you sleep // 4. Close Up♥  // 5. Whats in your bag // 6. What you're reading // 7. Happiness

This is turning out to be super fun! I wish you the most happiest of Sundays! xo, MB. 

Songbird Saturday #14

Today's playlist is super random. I just wanted to touch base on the fact that I love music, so much. I mean who doesn't, right? There is a song for every occasion, songs about every feeling, and almost every important event in history.

I also think it's amazing how versatile music is, and how a song that could remind me of such a wonderful time can do the exact opposite for someone else. Music is what brings people and friends together. If you think about it, a lot of your friends have the same taste in music as you, no? Music draws in people from other countries (Hello N'Sync and Backstreet Boys!) It's constantly evolving and means something different to each person. I can put on a song and be instantly transported to my Sophomore year, driving around town with my bff and laughing. I can hear a song that reminds me of something I'd much rather forget, and it can upset my mood. It can be the perfect mood lifter at the gym. Or the downfall of someones party, if the songs aren't chosen correctly. Every song has a million and one stories, and I'm willing to bet that some of the songs I've posted in the past resonate with you somehow. Anywho....here's today's playlist! Hope you have a wonderful Saturday! xo, Meghan

What's in my bag?

Today's challenge on Instagram is to post a picture of 'What's in your bag.' So I thought it would be fun to share the details of that here! I've seen lots of people do it, and it's neat to see what things people keep in their bags. And to drool over all of the beautiful bags people carry. It's super cold here today so this was the perfect activity to do inside! Don't mind the ugly carpet, we rent! Do you do regular posts of what's in your bag? xo.

Clockwise From Top: Cosmo Mag with Dakota Fanning (she's adorable!) + Parent's mag ♥ Dainty Squid pouch with DS business cards ♥ 2011-2012 Daily planner (from Target) + headphones ♥  Owl journal  + Papermate pins--my fave! ♥ Lemon hand sanatizer ♥  Olivia Sticker + Movie Stub (We saw War Horse!) ♥ Taylor Swift CD ♥ Boy Girl Party Owl pocket mirror ♥ Gloves ♥  Random Instax and ribbon ♥  Nail Polishes: Forever 21 + Milani ♥  Headband + Dakota's cell phone :) ♥  Gum + WWJD Post-its ♥ Vera Bradley Folklore Pen ♥  Foxy Wallet ♥ Mini tape measure + EOS chapstick ♥ I got my bag at Target!