no caption could possibly do this photo justice!

Imagine waking up from a nap to this sitting in your inbox.


I can't look at this without grinning. I have so much affection for this guy! He keeps my heart light.

13 weeks, first trimester's last hurrah!

Hello, friends! I figured I should go ahead and get on track with a weekly-type pregnancy update. So, here's week 13!

1. First things first... belly. In a given day, my little belly can go from looking like this...

to looking like this...

Both were taken today. The first picture still shows the lovely thickening of my waist-line and the beginnings of a lovely little protrusion, but by the end of the day I always have a bloaty, rounder belly. Hopefully soon it becomes more permanent... I love rubbing my little bloat!

2. Food has begun to be appealing again! Whereas before I struggled to find anything... ANYTHING that sounded tasty, I'd say most things that I liked before sound yummy again. My favorite snack lately has been bread with peanut butter and sliced up bananas on it, then toasted... oh my. I also haven't thrown up since last week, which is wonderful!

3. Started getting some pretty gnarly headaches in the past couple of weeks as well. I've been trying to drink more water and make sure I'm getting enough sleep, so we'll see if that helps.

4. Little baby is the size of a peach and growing, growing, growing! Little one already has fingerprints... How amazing is that?


If there's anything in particular ya'll would like me to write about or talk about throughout the pregnancy, please let me know! I'll probably do some product reviews for the tummy products and skincare things I'm using, as well as these little updates.

grace and peace!

the most beautiful sound in the world.

Yesterday Colin and I were privileged enough to hear it. The steady, quick, and strong heartbeat of our baby, that is.

I can't explain the beauty of that moment. Colin and I both listened in awe, holding hands, crying and smiling like fools. The reality of a life being nurtured inside of my body is almost too much to handle. While our midwife was searching for the little one's heartbeat with her doppler (that little fish was swimming away from it like the dickens!) we even got to hear a few thumps... which she happily explained were the little kicks of our baby!

The past two months that we've known of the little life growing inside me have been so filled with joy. Joy in throwing up everything that I put in my stomach, joy in feeling utterly stomped flat by fatigue, joy in seeing Colin whisper, "Hi" and, "I love you" to his baby every night after he gets home from work.

Thank you for loving our little family! We are about 13 weeks along, and our little one is due to enter the world March 31st!

Checking another desire in life off the list! Seeing Ray Lamontagne live.

Yesterday, Colin and I made a quick visit to Cary, NC-- to see our good friend Ray Lamontagne! My parents are avid concert-goers, and, knowing of my love for Ray, bought us tickets to come and see him months ago. Colin and I were in NC for no longer than 14 hours (seriously), but got to spend some good quality time with my parents and see an amazing show.



Seeing Ray live was incredible. I firmly believe that he is one of the most solid and timeless artists of our generation. As I've read in interviews of his before, he's super shy, so most of the time the lights weren't shining on him. He kept his hat down low, and while he was cordial and thankful to the audience, he clearly focused on the music and that was all. We had GREAT seats , and it was at a nice venue-- Koka Booth Ampitheater. It was 70 degrees outside and couldn't have been a more perfect night. And oh, boy. If you can imagine his voice being more beautiful in person, it was. He wooed the audience. He sang with emotion. He rocked the harmonica, His band, the Pariah dogs, was awesome, and I was genuinely sad when it was over!

If you ever get the chance, see Ray Lamontagne live! I'll leave you with our favorite song of his.

Reverting back to childhood.

1. This is a new song off of Zee Avi's new CD! Celebrating the last stretch of summer...




This weekend Colin and I were able to go floating down the river with some dear friends. The coupling of spending time with them (and one another!) and enjoying the last weeks of summer was blissful. We "docked" our floats at one of our favorite spots on the river and relaxed for hours.

It's something I think about often when I reflect upon marriage, specifically Colin and I's, but I realized again how important the act and mentality of playing is. One of the most strengthening things about our marriage, we believe, is that we're best friends in the true sense of the words. Silliness knows no bounds, and the times we feel closest to one another are when we let our maturity go and just... play. Laugh. Splash the heck out of each other in the water. Push one another (unsuspectingly) down the rock slide. I sincerely believe the day that Colin and I stop playing together is the day that our intimacy will begin to wan.

I got to watch Colin's face light up with boyish excitement as he and Dan plotted their antics on the rapids. My friend, Carrie, and I couldn't help but comment on how one of our deepest wishes was that our husbands would keep that child-like excitement for life, adventure, fun... and us!

A weekend full of blessings. We hope you experienced much the same!

grace and peace.

the sleeptalking Chronicles: V

Colin's had a busy week as far as sleeptalking goes!

The other night:

(He wakes up, head off the pillow, eyes closed, fake gagging for about 20 seconds.)
Me (actually genuinely concerned): "Are you okay??"
Colin: "I don't know, I'm trying to fake and not be ruined by the crappy product."

last night:

Colin: "Good job, Polly!"

another year.

23 years. Some people are flabbergasted when they find out I'm 23, either because they thought I must've been older (having been married for two years!) or because they thought I was 16 and working my second job at Toys 'R Us (trust me, I've heard that one before).

The weekend was complete with a wonderful surprise party thrown by Colin and our friend, Savannah (grilling out and yard games!), and then a quick trip to Pittsboro to spend some time with my parents, my brother, and his girlfriend. I felt loved on all weekend and it was truly special.

Thank you for the well-wishes and happy birthdays! I think 23 is going to be a joyous year!


( Ignore my awkwardness. Trying, in vain, to blow out my trick candles. Thanks, Colin (: )

muchas gracias, and Origins' Charcoal Mask review!

Let's all talk about our fabulous new banner! I can't say enough about Sarah. Not only is she beautiful, talented, and one of the most interesting people I've ever met, she's charitable and so giving of her time. I emailed her late last night with a blog design question and within hours we're discussing ideas and she's sending me this lovely piece of work. She spent her valuable time help spruce up our little piece of web space, and we are so grateful! You rock, Sarah!

Just thought I'd pop in and do a product review. I'll be honest. I have been guilty for so many years of being one of those sinners who goes to bed with their makeup still on. I know, shame! That quickly changed, though, when I began working in cosmetics. Learning about proper skincare was so beneficial-- and slowly, a girl who rarely washed her face became somewhat of a product junkie. Thankfully I am able to feed these habits affordably, because let's be honest... I'm not going to pay $35 for my favorite moisturizer (Vitazing by Origins, if you're curious!).

Origins' Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask is by far one of my favorite things. It works to draw out impurities and yuckies from your skin... you know how, when you hear about people overdosing on drugs, the doctors give them a charcoal cocktail to consume? It helps to soak up and draw the bad things out of one's system. This mask functions in the same way. (Before you put the mask on, be sure to open up your pores with a warm washcloth!) The consistency is wonderful-- it's thick and clay-like. When you first put it on your face you get that refreshing tingle, and then it begins to dry. it takes around 15-20 minutes to dry, giving you that tight can't-move-a-muscle feeling. I'm not going to lie-- it is difficult to take off. It is best to take the mask off using an exfoliant to slough away the dead skin and cells that are extracted from your pores.

I use this mask twice a week. It's a nice little luxury to spend those few minutes to pamper yourself! The wonderful thing about it is that it won't dry your skin out if used correctly, but leaves your face refreshed and smooth. I've also noticed the larger pores on my nose shrink, which is great! It's $21 for a bottle that'll last you a long while.

Happy Thursday!