Ruffled Madras Top and Skirt (The shorts are adorable, too. Also love this madras top, which I wore here!) / Tuckernuck Hat (Also comes in black and navy) / Lisi Lerch Earrings (More colors on the website) / Jack Rogers Sandals (Mine are old, but this pair and this pair are close. I also love the classics, the monogrammed pair, and THESE.) / Emma’s Jumper and Bow (GUYS. We also have this plaid bubble and it’s the cutest. Also, who knew there was a matching madras baby dress?! And guys’ shirt?! MISSED OPPORTUNITY, haha.) / Replacement Sunglasses / Straw Bag (This one is super similar. And love this one, this one and this one!)

GUYS. I love me some work-free weekends.

I know that blogging can often appear to be very easy. And I’ll admit that sometimes it is, and those times are 🙌. But this past year was not a cakewalk, and I often found myself daydreaming about quitting because I knew I was doing a crappy job. Which is sad, because I love blogging! I really, really do. But you know: when you’re spread too thin and you’re tired, it’s hard to love any hobby or job. Heck, I found myself disliking writing and photography–two things I’ve always loved.

This is my second work-free weekend, though, and I’m back to lovin’ life–and my “job.”

Because Mitch is currently on summer break, I have enough time to complete projects, meet deadlines, and schedule content for Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays–which has made all the difference in my happiness. Never have I been more aware of how important downtime is. Weekends are no longer spent playing catchup; instead, they’re spent with family and friends. They’re spent relaxing and recharging and rolling around in the grass with my almost-one-year-old. They’re good.

And when Monday rolls around, I’m excited and ready to go.

Isn’t it funny how quickly life can change? When I think back to June, I was just barely holding it together. The house was constantly a mess, the mound of laundry was a mile high, I had a zillion people mad at me on any given day, and I nearly always felt like I was drowning. Now, though, I have some much-needed help… and things are starting to fall into place. Am I caught up? No, definitely not. But I’m getting there!

So often, I think we look at blog photos and we imagine the fantastic lives that these characters live. But I think it’s important to remember that they aren’t characters. They’re real people, and they experience ups and downs like the rest of us. Are there fantastic times? Yes, of course. But there are also daily, regular struggles.

I owe you an apology. I was relentless with the “I’m tired” posts this year, and I’m only now realizing it. Bah. It had to be very annoying. I’m currently in a good place, though, and I can see the error of my ways. It’s like that phase I went through back in 2013 or 2014 when I was super unhappy in my job. I swear I started every post with, “The weather has been…”

Yikes.

In the future, I’m going to try really hard to not be so focused on one aspect of my life. I think it’s important to be real about what I’m going through, but the truth is that I didn’t spend all day every day thinking about how tired I was over the course of this last year. I did a whole lot of other stuff! I think my main problem was that I was sitting down to write my blog posts late at night… and hello, people are tired late at night. ;)

Anyway, this was my longwinded way of saying that I’m currently very happy, and I promise to talk about more than just my energy levels from here on out. I’m grateful for the sunshine, for the quality time I get to spend with family, for my renewed love of writing and photography and blogging, for good times with friends, for exciting trips, for the great city of Chicago, and for Mitch and Emma.

Life is good.

~~~

Some info about what I’m wearing:

Top and Skirt: Can’t stop won’t stop with the midi skirts. But this one caught my eye immediately. Much like this madras top that I wore here, it reminds me of the madras patterns reminiscent of J.Crew circa the 80s and 90s. And the top?! I think I love it even more. Paired with the skirt, it looks like a dress… and paired with white or dark jeans, it’s the cutest. It’s also very long, btw, which is super flattering! I’m wearing my normal size here–definitely don’t size up. As for the skirt, though, it sits pretty high… so I went one size up. I might suggest ordering a size up so you can eat french fries without worrying. Oh, and the skirt has POCKETS. The shorts are adorable, too… as are the matching madras baby dress and guys’ shirt. Believe me: If I’d known they’d existed at the time, Mitch and Emma would have been wearing ’em in these pics. ;)

Bag: What a great deal on a go-with-anything woven tote! I’ve been carrying the thing everywhere, and I last wore it on the blog hereThis one is super similar. And love this one, this one and this one!

Sandals: Jack Rogers are my jam during the summer. This year, I’ve been wearing my monogrammed pair more often than not, but I recently started wearing an older (sold out) pair again. This pair and this pair are very similar!

Hat: I know. I wear this thing all the time. But remember: I’m 92-percent vampire, and I sparkle in the sun. Half the time it’s cool and entertaining, but skin cancer is the real deal and I’ll take whatever help I can get… especially if there’s a beautiful bow attached to it. Hands down my favorite hat on the market.

Hope you guys had a wonderfully relaxing weekend! And if you didn’t, remember that this too shall pass, and you’re working toward a worthwhile goal. <3

Shop the post:

Ruffled Madras Top and Skirt (The shorts are adorable, too. Also love this madras top, which I wore here!) / Tuckernuck Hat (Also comes in black and navy) / Lisi Lerch Earrings (More colors on the website) / Jack Rogers Sandals (Mine are old, but this pair and this pair are close. I also love the classics, the monogrammed pair, and THESE.) / Emma’s Jumper and Bow (GUYS. We also have this plaid bubble and it’s the cutest. Also, who knew there was a matching madras baby dress?! And guys’ shirt?! MISSED OPPORTUNITY, haha.) / Replacement Sunglasses / Straw Bag (This one is super similar. And love this one, this one and this one!)