I discovered my passion for home design and decor when I bought my first home (a bit of a fixer upper), where I discovered the joy of transforming spaces to reflect my personality and style. But really, I think it started a lot earlier in my life. I remember even back in elementary school I would get Architectural Digest magazines and just pour over each page. I used to look at floor plans…for fun. That interest has only grown over the years, evolving through now three homes and countless projects. Each new space has deepened my love for interior design, fueling my desire to help others create their dream environments. I believe that a well-designed home can truly enhance one’s quality of life, and I’m excited to share that passion with you!

Virtual Interior Design Services

Transform your space with my virtual interior design services. Through an easy online consultation process, I’ll collaborate with you to develop a tailored design plan, complete with mood boards, color palettes, and furniture & finishes selections. Whether you’re looking to refresh a single room or revamp your entire home, I’m here to help you bring your vision to life. Let’s create a space you’ll love!

Virtual Interior Design Services | What You’ll Get:

• mood board
• furniture sourcing & selection
• finishes (light fixtures, tile, flooring, knobs, pulls, decor, etc.) sourcing & selection
• paint color selection
• furniture layout recommendations
• shoppable item list of final concept, for you to purchase & install on your timeline
• 1 included revision to item list
• 1-1 contact with me via text or email

Virtual Interior Design Services | The Pricing:

• Per room (less than 500 sq ft): $400
• Per room (greater than 500 sq ft): $525
• Powder Bathroom: $250
• Full Home- Renovation Selections or New Construction Selections: $2/square foot
• If you would like guidance on specific choices (picking out a new rug, couch, or light fixture, for example) without the need for a complete room design, I offer personalized consultations at my hourly rate: $65/hour.  If you’re interested in this service, please fill out This Intake Form.

Virtual Interior Design Services – How to Get Started

Choose which service item best describes what you are wanting. Then just Send me an email! From there I will send over an intake questionnaire. An intake questionnaire will give me the preliminary details I will need to begin our project. Once I get the questionnaire from you, I will send you the payment request to your email. Once the questionnaire and payment are both received, we will get started!

Have another idea or question about something I might be able to help you with? Send me an email and we can chat!

Looking forward to working with you!

xo,

Bess

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Hey friends! Craig and I recently completed the DIY Wall Moulding in the Nursery and I got some questions about how we did it…so this post is going to outline that.  I knew I really wanted an accent wall of some kind, but wasn’t sure initially which direction I wanted to go in. I was *this close* to getting a wallpaper, but since we just spent SO MUCH TIME (ok and some money too) getting the previous owner’s wallpaper taken down, it was just not something we were mentally prepared to do on our fresh walls.

So, instead we added our own DIY wall moulding and it was overall a pretty easy and relatively inexpensive project! We did the moulding itself in a day.  Paint came later, so we didn’t include that here other than priming the moulding pieces.  That was our very first step, in fact!  We primed them first, let them dry (which was pretty quick) and then got to work.

Here was my vision…I sketched it out on paper and did some math to figure out how far apart we wanted everything to be, etc. so we had a game plan going in.

Basically, I took the overall height and width of the wall.  I decided to have the moulding pieces 6 inches apart on the perimeter as well as in between, so I kind of just worked my way in from there to make everything even. Mostly just some basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division will get you what you need for your space. As with most projects, we had to slightly pivot when the distance I had originally measured actually ran right into the electrical outlets on the wall because that wasn’t something I accounted for with my measurements.

Since we were trying to minimize cuts in the moulding as much as possible to keep the project as easy as possible, we ended up keeping them 6 inches apart on the width but about 4 inches from the ceiling and floorboard trim.  The outlets were, in fact, in some pretty inconvenient places for us (lol), but we made it work. I had Craig hold up some pieces so I could visualize it before committing to it.

We basically measured everything out first using a level (you definitely want to use a level so that everything is even and your cuts will go together seamlessly) and made little pencil marks on the wall where each piece would go before we nailed it in.

From there it was just about cutting the 45 degree angles on the moulding and nailing them all to the wall. We used a miter saw to make our cuts.

Here’s some progress…

Were there some mess ups along the way? Of course. A few we just measured slightly off so when we made the cut it wasn’t long enough, which would have made it not level.  Just double check each one before you nail it in to make sure it’s level. For this reason, I recommend buying a few extra pieces of moulding just in case you mess up.  We bought 2 extras (11 total) and that worked well for us.

Once they were in place, we caulked the seam of the moulding to the wall and filled the nail holes with caulk as well. You could also use wood filler or spackle if that is your preference, then let it all dry.  Craig sanded the caulk over the nail holes once it was dry and then we were able to proceed with the next step: paint!

Here’s the finished look of the wall moulding, with a sneak peek of the paint!  If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen this little sneak.  The color is Sherwin Williams “Oyster Bay” in eggshell sheen.  We aren’t finished with the paint just yet. I plan to paint the floorboard trim the same color for a complete color drenching of that wall. Stay tuned for the finished look.

DIY Wall Moulding – What You’ll Need

• Wall Moulding
• Measuring Tape
• Hammer
• Nails
• Level
• Caulk Gun & Caulk
• Wood Filler (if you prefer this over caulk to fill small nail holes)
• Sandpaper
• Miter Saw (if you don’t have one of these, you could instead try using Miter Shears and wall moulding that can be cut with them, like this kind which also already comes primed)

DIY Wall Moudling – The Steps

• Measure height & width of walls, determining how far apart you want your moulding to be and how far away from the ceiling and floor.  From there you should be able to do some basic math to find the even measurements for your room.
• Prime mouldling pieces, if not already primed
• Use level and measuring tape to mark off where each piece of trim will go. We just used a pencil to make a small mark for each piece
• Next you will trim to fit the size you need using the miter saw or miter shears.
• Double check each piece is level and the right length before nailing it in, but then just go piece by piece and install them all!
• TIP: We found out after the first box we made that it was easier to cut all the vertical pieces at the same time (this way we only had to measure one, then cut them all the same to fit) and then we did the same thing with the horizontal pieces.
• Once all are nailed in, caulk the seams and fill the nail holes with wood filler. Allow those to dry, sand the wood filler smooth, and then you’re ready to paint!

Since we had basically all the tools and equipment we needed minus the wall moulding itself, this project only cost us about $95.  Even if you have to invest in the other tools, they can be used for so many things you’d definitely get more use out of them later on.

TIP: If you don’t consider yourself to be very handy and don’t want to do a project like this but love the look, there are pre-made kits you can get on Etsy (like this one) where they will do all the math and frame out everything for you, and send you a peel & stick version.  All you’d have to do is peel it and stick it to your wall. I’d still recommend caulking after so it’s truly seamless. This is a more expensive option, but another option nonetheless!

Hope this helps you with your DIY wall moulding project! Let me know if you give it a try. I actually foresee doing a few other spots in the new house so I’ll be sure to share those, too!

SHOP THE POST:

xo,

Bess

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I made this salad for Thanksgiving and it seriously might be one of my new favorite things. It is SO GOOD. Like, the kind of salad you actually get excited about eating. Dang, now I want it right now. It’s also incredibly easy to make, which is a must and a huge bonus in my opinion.

Chopped Kale, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, & Candied Bacon Salad

Ingredients:

• 4-6 cups of kale, chopped with scissors
• 1 15oz bag of frozen sliced brussels sprouts (you can also buy fresh and slice up yourself but this would take a lot longer!)
• 1 package bacon
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• Manchego cheese
• Chopped walnuts
• Cranberries
• Olive oil & vinegar dressing

Directions:

• preheat oven to 325 degrees & line a baking sheet with parchment paper (for use for bacon)
• cook the frozen brussels sprouts with olive oil over medium heat for 30-40 minutes (low & slow as possible!) stirring frequently until they are crispy
• massage the kale with olive oil and place in a large salad bowl
• use kitchen scissors to cut up bacon into approximately 1 inch pieces. spread out onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. sprinkle the brown sugar over the bacon and press into the bacon, flipping the pieces over and doing both sides. Then place into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked slightly crispy and the sugar has caramelized.
• Once the bacon is done, lift up entire parchment paper with bacon on it, and place over a wire rack to cool. You could also put it on another baking sheet to cool as well.
• Once bacon is cooled and the brussels sprouts are done, layer onto the kale
• Then add the walnuts and cranberries
• Finely grate the manchego cheese over top of the salad
• Toss just before serving, and drizzle the dressing over top.

Let me know if you give it a try! Hope you enjoy!

xo,

Bess

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Another family trip in the books! We went to Glacier National Park in Montana and spent a week both exploring and relaxing. The trip was planned by my MIL, so I can’t take any credit for finding the house or for any of it, really! Except packing up 2 small children and flying them across the country, which, TBH, is no small feat. But let’s get into our Glacier National Park Montana trip recap!

Where We Stayed

We flew from Asheville to Kalispell, which is the closest airport to Glacier. The house we stayed in was actually in Bigfork, MT, which is about 45 minutes to an hour away from the West Glacier entrance. Speaking of the house, I’m linking it right here for you since I got several DMs about it.  It was super quiet and peaceful, and the river being right out the back yard was so nice. Craig & his bros fly fished easily and Emma loved playing in the very shallow water with her cousin. It was super helpful in keeping kiddos occupied!

What We Did in Glacier

So before I get into the things we did in Glacier, I want to say you need to buy passes ahead of time as they sell out. From 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., a vehicle reservation is required for four areas of the park: Going-to-the-Sun Road, the North Fork, Two Medicine, and Many Glacier. In addition to a vehicle reservation, a park pass is required to enter the park. A vehicle reservation does not include a park pass, and the park pass does not serve as a vehicle reservation. We booked ours back in April for our August trip and things were selling out. You can book your reservations on this website.  I only did a couple hikes and there’s SO MUCH we didn’t get to see but here’s some of what we did.

Hidden Lake

The first hike we did was Hidden Lake.  It’s an easy-moderate out & back short hike (little under 3 miles round trip) with pretty views and a lake at the end. We saw a mountain goat on this hike (which was our only major wildlife sighting) and sadly it was pretty smoky the day we went, but still had beautiful scenery.  If you’re going to do this hike, you’ll park at Logan Pass parking lot. Plan to get there by 7am at the latest to ensure getting a parking spot. We were there by 7:30 and it was *insane*. We got lucky to find a spot but some people waited and looped for 30 minutes to an hour! Just do yourself a favor and avoid the stress, get there by 7am or earlier.  This is the same parking lot you’ll use if you choose to do the Highline Trail, which I’ll come back to.  You can also take the shuttles to these places, but we read the lines for the shuttles are long and they can take a while, so pick your poison I guess!

Trail of Cedars/Avalanche Lake

I loved this hike! It starts at the Trail of Cedars trailhead and then the Avalanche Lake Trailhead breaks off it of about 0.5 miles in.  From there it’s about 2 miles to Avalanche Lake and overall it’s not too difficult of a trek. I’d still say it’s easy-moderate relative to all the other hikes I’ve done in my life.  Everything is relative I guess Emma even hiked a good bit of it herself.  I carried Tegan in the backpack the entire time and was definitely tired by the end!  It’s worth it to see Avalanche Lake, it is stunning.

After this, we went to the Apgar Village near Lake Macdonald to get lunch.  There were beautiful lake & mountain views here!  You can rent kayaks and go out on the lake, too.

Highline Trail

So I actually did not do the Highline Trail, wah!  Craig & I had planned for months to do it, but since I had kind of hurt my back the first day we were in Montana, I thought maybe I shouldn’t do a 14 miler.  I had majorrrrr FOMO from missing this but Craig did it with his brothers and our SIL. I’m glad he was able to talk them into doing it since I couldn’t go with him. Here are some epic pics.  I’ll be honest, the one part I was relieved about is the narrow bit of trail (that drops off on one side) because I am scared of heights!  There is a rope to hang on to, but I know that part would have been hard for me to get through mentally, lol. I would have done it but it would’ve caused some anxiety! They said it was amazing though, so add it to your list. Note: you don’t have to do the full 14 miles, you can turn around and go back whenever you want if you want to make it an out & back hike.  The 14 mile option is if you hike from Logan Pass down to Loop Trail.  If you do that, you can catch a shuttle back up to your car.

Other Things to Do

I know, it’s weird I only did 2 hikes on a weeklong trip out to Montana, but it gets hard when you have 2 babies and a back injury to get out much more than that, ha. I didn’t mind having some relaxation time at the house in front of the river, and one day we went into Whitefish, which is a little town about 45 minutes away from Bigfork.  My cousin lives there, and so we went to meet her for lunch and we tooled around the town a little bit.  Emma requested some ice cream, so of course we did that too!  We went to Sweet Peaks and it was yummy.

Speaking of cute little towns, Whitefish gets a lot of press amongst the blogger crowds I’ve noticed, but downtown Bigfork is SO freaking cute.  And, my cousin that lives in Whitefish said that Bigfork actually has better restaurants, so there’s that. We ate at a lakefront brewery one night before walking around the town a little bit.

If you’re into fly fishing, there are so many different places to go. Craig and his brothers fished almost every day either at the house or they drove somewhere else.  I didn’t get details on that but if you need them just leave me a comment and I can track them down

In Closing

I think those were the highlights!  Def worth a trip, and I think if you can do it before you have small children, even better!! Lol but seriously, we made it work and I know Emma had an amazing time.  Tegan won’t remember but we have some awesome pics to show her one day!  On the topic of kids, we brought our own backpack carrier but since we only have one, we also rented one from Glacier Outfitters. You’re able to pick up and drop off at the airport which is very convenient. Hope that this Glacier National Park Montana Trip Recap post has been helpful!

If you enjoyed this post, you can also read my blog post from our trip to Utah/Zion National Park/Bryce National Park/Grand Canyon here!

xo,

Bess

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I got my Oura Ring back in December and have been using it with the Natural Cycles app since then, so I figured it had been enough time using them that I could give a detailed review on my experience!  My decision to get an Oura Ring, and by association, a Natural Cycles subscription, was ultimately rooted in my desire to track my cycles and for it to assist me with the Fertility Awareness Method for birth control/family planning. This post will give my Oura Ring Natural Cycles review as well as answer all the questions you sent in to me via Instagram!

Review Introduction: Some Background

I have had zero desire to ever get back on hormonal birth control after going off of it back in 2018 prior to the birth of my first daughter. I learned a lot about the Fertility Awareness Method in the months leading up to her conception, and I felt confident afterwards that I could practice it for birth control/family planning instead of going on hormonal birth control. When we decided to try for our second child, I used the FAM method again but I actually decided to get the Ava bracelet to help me be more accurate in my ovulation predictions (This was before I ever heard of the Oura Ring).  I have to say, I was beyond disappointed in the Ava bracelet.  I was still taking my own temperatures as well as taking ovulation test strips while I used it, and for months and months it was *never* right about when I was ovulating. I know it takes a few months for it to learn your body, but even giving it time to do it, it was still wrong. It sucks, because it was expensive. I know it works for some people but personally, I wouldn’t recommend it from my experience as I wasn’t happy with it. Maybe I got a dud.

Using LH test strips and taking my BBT each morning with a thermometer helped us conceive our second daughter.  I’d also check cervical fluid which is another part of the FAM method. Those things are all you really *need*, so if these devices & subscriptions are too expensive, don’t worry, it can still be done!  I personally just hated taking my temperature every morning like not being able to get out of bed to pee first or move too much before doing it, it was just a little over the top lol. So knowing that the Oura Ring takes your temperature each morning and automatically syncs the data to your Natural Cycles app was a huge plus for me.  As far as LH test strips, it’s up to you if you want to use them in addition but that information does help the Natural Cycles app calculate your predicted ovulation and overall cycle even more accurately.

Next I’m going to share more info about the Oura Ring as well as the Natural Cycles App separately, since they are independent products and you do not have to use them together.

Oura Ring

I have the Horizon Style Oura Ring in Gold.  When you purchase, you will be a sent a ring sizing kit that you can use to determine the right size for your finger. They recommend you wear it on your index finger, but say that the middle finger or the ring finger will also work. I have chosen to wear it on my middle finger because it’s just more comfortable for me there and I also prefer how it looks on that finger! At first I had to get used to it just because I didn’t usually wear a ring on that finger, but now I am used to it and don’t even think about it and it’s comfortable even during sleep. I wear it for most every activity, but will take it off when lifting weights. The ring can get scratched so I just take it off.  I don’t find the activity tracking portion to be super accurate anyways (which was a question I got a lot) so I would not recommend it for activity tracking if that is your sole purpose in wanting to get one.  I wear an Apple Watch for activity/workout tracking.

Other than that, I wear it all day and at night. For sleep tracking purposes, it is AMAZING. The amount of detail you get is so cool and it absolutely has helped me foster a better sleep schedule.  Given that I had a 4 month old when I started wearing my Oura Ring, that should say something!  Each morning it gives you a readiness score and a sleep score out of 100.  Readiness takes into account your recent sleep scores, activity, & other biometric signals. I’d describe it as basically a score for how good and energetic you will feel that day!  And I’ve found it to be pretty accurate.  10/10 recommend if you want to better your sleep habits.  It gives you lots of insights into when your body operates best, how much sleep you need, the time of the night to go to sleep and the best window of time to wake up in the morning.  When I stick to those, I feel GREAT.

Below you can see some of the other info it gathers from you. I originally had it on “I think I could sleep better, I’m often tired” (again, I had a 4 month old when I started!) and just now I changed it to the second picture, “I sleep well and feel energetic”.  I think the ring has played a big role in helping me achieve that.

It’s got up to 7 days of battery life, depending on how you use it.  If you exercise a lot, it’s going to be less because it works to track those times of activity, for example. For me, I find it’s about every 4 days I need to throw it on the charger, which is no big deal at all. The ring will notify you to remind you to charge it and you can see the remaining battery life in the app.  Mine usually fully charges in about an hour! I haven’t had any issues with the ring or charging. I wear it in the shower and it’s water resistant so swimming etc. is fine.

When I was sick back in February for several weeks, my ring went on Rest Mode. It “automatically turns on when Oura detects that your body might be under stress; your daily goals are adjusted to put your rest and recovery first.” It’s even able to detect you getting sick before you may even feel it.

I do have the Oura Ring membership which is $5.99/month.  I like being able to get all of the data but I do think it’s necessary to have it if your goal is to track body temperature. If you don’t care about that part and are just interested in the sleep tracking, you’d still have access to 3 simple daily scores: Sleep, Readiness, and Activity, as well as the interactive and educational Explore content. So I do have the Oura Ring membership as well as the Natural Cycles subscription – more on that below.

Natural Cycles

Natural Cycles is the first FDA-cleared birth control app and I have been loving my experience and it’s functionality. It’s very intuitive and user-friendly, plus has tons of information without feeling overwhelming. It’s as effective as the birth control pill with typical use at 93% and with perfect use the effectiveness is 98%. The only thing more effective than that on the market for birth control is the IUD at 99%.  But I really love how much I’ve learned about my body since starting the FAM method. Tracking it all in the Natural Cycles app is the best experience with an app I’ve had.

The app is subscription based, but you can try a free demo once you download the app to check it out.  It’s either monthly or annual, and I chose the annual plan. This page outlines how you can get a discount on the annual plan + get a discount on an Oura Ring.  Also, heads up that Natural Cycles is also covered by some insurance in the US, check that out here. You may be able to be reimbursed the cost!

Basically, I wear my Oura Ring to bed every night and when I wake up, I open the Natural Cycles app and tap on “Sync Oura Ring”.  That will open the Oura Ring app and populate all of the data from the previous night, and send that data to the Natural Cycles app, the most important of which is temperature!  No more thermometers for me The Natural Cycles app will give you a “red” or a “green” day based on if you’re fertile or not, and if you’re trying to get pregnant or not!  Green days for people trying to conceive will be the opposite of green days for people who are trying *not* to conceive.  You will tell the app this information when you create your account!

The algorithm will predict your ovulation and then confirm it after it has taken place. You can see your temperature charts on the app as well as expected period dates. Of course, these things take a couple of months to learn as you input the info. For me, it took longer because I was breastfeeding 4x a day when I first started. Therefore, I did not have a cycle. I did not get my period back until I weaned one feed. Once my cycle came back, it was able to start tracking it! It took a couple months for it to get the predictions correct but now they are on point. Definitely accurate in tracking my cycles. Here’s a snapshot of my temperature history so you can see an example. Like a BBT thermometer, it registers the 1/100th of the degree.

And then you can see my temperature spike on my graph below, as well as my confirmed ovulation.

Overall, I have really enjoyed using both and if we ever decide to have another baby, I know this will be so helpful to doing so.  If we decide not to have another baby, well it will continue to be helpful in doing that! I get all the awesome sleep and health information in addition and have really enjoyed that aspect.  Prioritizing my health and wellness is something that’s important to me, and our sleep is such a crucial factor for that. If you decide to get the Oura Ring, you can use this link for $40 off.  I think it’s only valid for 5 uses, so if it’s no longer working it’s probably because other people have already used it.  You can learn more about Natural Cycles here. I hope you’ve found this Oura Ring Natural Cycles Review helpful!

xo,

Bess

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Summery Salmon Bowls

We love these summery salmon bowls…they are so easy to throw together and are pretty healthy too!

Ingredients:
– Salmon
– Avocado
– Edamame
– Purple cabbage
– Matchstick Carrots
– Green onions
– Jasmine rice
– Sesame seeds
– Sesame Ginger Dressing (I like the Primal Kitchen kind)
– Soy sauce
– Sesame oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop up veggies + in a separate bowl combine chopped purple cabbage & carrots in 1 tsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Marinate salmon in Primal Kitchen Sesame Ginger dressing + salt & pepper

Cook rice & edamame according to package directions.  I use microwavable options for these just to keep it easier!

Bake salmon for 10-12 minutes or until it is opaque & flakes with a fork.

Combine everything in a bowl, top with more sesame ginger dressing or sriracha aioli & enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these summery salmon bowls!

xo,

Bess

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When I shared that I was pumping on our trip to Spain last week, I had several requests to share tips about pumping while traveling.  I will share what I have done so far and things I’ve felt were helpful.  This is going to be a long post, and I’m sorry about that but I have different scenarios to share – so I hope you find them helpful to read through.  I have only done it twice – once on our trip to Colorado back in February and then during this trip to Spain.  Actually I guess I’ve done it three times, because I also did it on our trip to Philadelphia for a wedding, but that was only one night and less than 24 hours total so much easier to deal with in my opinion.

FYI- most airlines count a bag for a pump a “medical device” bag and doesn’t count towards your bag allotment. So for both the Colorado trip and the Spain trip, I had a bag with my pump in it, my personal item (usually a tote bag), and my carry on luggage. No one said anything to me about it, but I did have the airlines’ & TSA policy screenshotted on my phone in case I needed to show someone.  I’d recommend Googling the policy of whatever airline you are flying just so you know.

My trips have been different in that my plan for the breastmilk was different.  When we went to Colorado it was a 4 night trip and I wanted to bring my breastmilk back with me.  Since I don’t pump much, if ever, while I am at home, I wasn’t sure the best game plan in terms of actually pumping routinely. There’s definitely a learning curve because pumping is just not the same as a baby drinking from the breast. To me at least!  For that trip, I got this backpack that is part cooler, part backpack so that I could carry all my pump parts and breastmilk together.  I took breastmilk storage bags and freezer packs with me. Just a note- the freezer packs need to be frozen solid to go through TSA so I’d leave them in your freezer as long as possible.

I ended up bringing my Elvie portable pump, my hand pump, and then 2 flanges/bottles for the Spectra pump – my friend I was visiting had the same one so she just let me use hers rather than have to pack it.  This trip is the one I learned that the Elvie does not come close to emptying me like I need and it caused some clogs off the bat that I struggled with for the duration of the trip. Luckily the Spectra helped a ton, not sure what I would have done without that. I kept all my milk in my friends refrigerator, and then on the last day I packed it all into the cooler.  I believe you can travel with less than 100oz of milk.  Mine was not frozen, and before going through security, I just told them that I had breastmilk in the bag. I was prepared for them to have to test some of it or something like that, but my bag just went through the scanner and that was that. I have TSA pre-check, so I don’t know if that makes a difference or not in that regard, but I think TSA pre-check is worth it for many reasons!

Since we were only gone 4 days, I was going to be able to get back home and then put the breastmilk in the freezer (since it can stay refrigerated for up to 4 days before needed to be frozen) so that made it easier on me.

I ended up having some bag clogging issues that trip, as I mentioned, and had to make a Target run to get a Haaka + Epsom salt to help me get the clogs out. I later packed these on my trip to Spain so I’d have them if I needed them! The ziploc bag of Epsom salt did get flagged and checked out in security (I guess a ziploc bag of a white powdery substance is suspicious?!) but they tested it and it was fine.  Luckily I needed neither of them in Spain!

When I went to Spain, I took my lessons I learned from Colorado and decided that for my sanity, it would be easier for me to pump and dump. It seemed like internationally traveling with a lot of breastmilk would be harder, and because of how long we’d be there, I’d have to figure out a way to keep it frozen the whole time. With how long the traveling is to get to the other side of the globe, I just felt like dumping it out would be easier (even though emotionally, not easy, I sobbed a little pouring it down the drain). My postpartum anxiety has been bad this time, so whatever I could do to make myself have an easier time I did that. Leaving my babies in the first place was hard enough, but I simply could not miss my best friend’s wedding in Spain!

To Spain, I packed my own Spectra S1 (the one with a rechargeable battery) and my hand pump. I was able to find places to pump in the airport (most have mother’s rooms/nursing rooms/lactation pods) and on the way there, since it was overnight, I didn’t have to pump until we got there the next day.  On the way back, I had to pump on our flight from Munich – Charlotte twice (it’s a 9 hour flight), but it wasn’t bad. I just wore this pumping bra + a nursing friendly shirt and then had a little lightweight sweater I just draped over me so no one could see anything.  When I was done, I poured the milk into bottles with lids and kept it in my bag at my feet to dump out later.  I had the window seat for maximum privacy and Craig sat on the other side of me.

I tried to keep my schedule as best I could with the time change. My hand pump also came in clutch because I figured we’d be out and about some during the day and bringing along the Spectra would be a pain. When disassembled, the hand pump can fit into even really small bags, so I took that with me one day when we went on a catamaran ride to lunch. I pumped before we left and then just took the hand pump to the bathroom with me after lunch. I awkwardly had to stand in the bathroom stall pumping for 15-20 min but one thing I like about the hand pump is that it is efficient. I feel like it is much faster than the electric pump!  I also used it one day when we went on a scenic drive through the mountains & coastline and could discreetly use it in the front seat no problem.

I had to leave the wedding reception for about 30 minutes to pump in my room…but luckily the wedding was at the same hotel where we were staying so it was pretty easy to pop up there for a bit. Otherwise I would have used my hand pump like I did in Philly…

So speaking of that situation, I used the hand pump when we went to Philly for a wedding there, and like I said it fits into even small bags! I fit into this one that I took to the wedding. Again I had to do another awkward bathroom stall standing up pump session, but ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. Again I did not try to keep my milk from that trip and just dumped it out to keep it easy on me.  I had about 100oz from our trip to Colorado + a few other at-home pumping sessions that Tegan used while we were in Philly and Spain, plus we supplement her with this formula once per day.

I exclusively breastfed Emma (she never took a bottle) but with Tegan I intentionally weaned 1 feed (of 4) per day just to make the Spain trip a little easier on me. So I’d only have pump about 3x a day rather than 4. It also takes the pressure off having to bring all the milk back, because I know in a worst-case scenario if I’m not able to breastfeed her, she can take that formula.

One thing I learned about my own needs when pumping is that I need to do it for longer than I thought. I need to try to empty otherwise I get backed up and clogged. For me that means I’m pumping the full 30 minutes on the Spectra. I originally thought doing that would cause me to make more, but really it helps me just stay where I am. Not sure if that tip will help anyone else but it is what I’ve learned about myself. I have a bit of an oversupply and always have, so there’s that.

Overall, having to pump of course was not ideal but it wasn’t awful either. I’m hoping I don’t have to pump anymore though since we don’t have any other trips planned sans-kids, and pumping is just not fun. Major props out there to the moms who do it every day.

I hope this has helped and let me know in the comments if you have any questions or tips for other mamas who are pumping while traveling!

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xo,

Bess

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I am going to preface this entire blog post by saying that the reason we took this trip in the first place was to go to celebrate the wedding of one of my very best friends. And not only that, but the bride & groom planned basically of the details you’ll see in this post (with the exception of the last day, when we were on our own!) so I can’t take any credit for it!  That being said, we had a great time and they took care of everything so I’m happy to share in case you visit and use some of these ideas!

I’ll also share outfit links at the bottom of the post.

We flew into Palma Mallorca Airport and got in on Friday morning. We ended up renting a car after going back and forth and I think that was the right decision. We were told by someone who visits often that taxis are hit or miss so we got a car and it was nice to have!

The bride & groom rented out the entire Son Julia Country House for the long weekend and it was so beautiful. The rooms are stunning, it’s a very quiet hotel, the food was delicious, and the staff was all so super friendly. I haven’t a single bad thing I could say about it!

So on Friday we just hung around the hotel and had a little pool day, trying to beat the jet lag til we could go to sleep!! There are 3 pools on the property so it’s easy to find a spot to relax. There was a welcome dinner at the hotel that night.

Every morning the hotel had an awesome breakfast buffet and I took the opportunity to eat nutella croissants every day. We did this when we went to Italy so I had to try to recreate it haha. I love it with a cappucino, yum.

Saturday morning we all headed to the marina because the bride & groom rented a huge catamaran to take everyone out on a boat ride to lunch! We anchored for a bit before lunch and some of us took the opportunity to go for a swim in the Balearic Sea. The boat also had a bar…Aperol Spritz yes please!

Lunch was at PuroBeach and it was the best food of the trip and like, also maybe of life?? It was so good. We got basically everything on the menu and every single bite was amazing. Then after lunch we got back on the boat and headed back to the hotel! We had the rehearsal dinner to get ready for that evening!

The rehearsal dinner was at Ribas winery, yet another stunning location! They only do food for private parties of 10 or more, so just fyi on that. But regardless, I highly recommend going for a wine tasting. They absolutely had the best rose I’ve ever had…SO good. We wanted to buy a case to ship home but sadly they don’t do that. You can buy individual bottles but we didn’t have a way to get it back because we didn’t check a bag.

Sunday was wedding day!  Mostly just hung out with the bride in her suite, ate & drank, got ready…then it was showtime!

The wedding was beyond gorgeous, like straight out of a magazine.

Monday we checked out of the Son Julia and headed to Playa de Palma for our last night. We figured we’d change up the scenery a little bit and see the beach before we headed home! After we checked in we tried to go into Palma to see Old Town and the Cathedral, but it was SO SLAMMED packed we couldn’t even find a spot to park. If you want to see this, I recommend getting there early. There are parking garages but they fill up pretty fast.

We drove around trying to find street parking, but while we were (unsuccessfully) trying, it started pouring down rain. So then we pivoted our plans and decided to take a drive up the coast. We headed to Coll de Sa Gramola, which was a gorgeous drive up the mountains but with coastal views towards the top.

We also came across Restaurant Es Grau at the top and ended up having lunch there. The drive through the little towns and back down into Palma was a couple hours but it was so beautiful!

Back in Playa de Palma we took a walk down the boardwalk on the beach before winding down for bed. We ordered room service for dinner because we were so tired from the wedding the night before, & we had a 4am wake up call to get to the airport and head back to NC!

If you have any questions about the trip let me know in the comments!

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xo,

Bess

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Tegan’s Nursery Reveal

Wall Color: Snowbound by Sherwin Williams | Rocking Chair in Cream | Crib (reused Emma’s) | Crib Mattress | Rug | Light Fixture | Mirror | Curtains (size: 50 X 96, color: Porcelain White) | Curtain Rod | Curtain Pullbacks | Dresser and Side Table (we painted both Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore) + used this Hardware | Wall Hooks | Name Sign (Font: Heron, Size: 30 Inches, Natural Stain) | Flower Wall Art (size:11″x14″ inches) | Black Frames | Olive Tree | Olive Branches in Vase (similar) | Lamp | Nightlight/Sound Machine | Woven Hanging Rainbow Decor | Diaper Pail | Cozy Knit Throw Blanket

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xo,
Bess

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I’m just going to jump right into it. Do you see that before & after? That is one application of the No. 36 Supernatural Tanning Mousse.  It was very easy to apply (highly recommend also getting the mitt for the best application) & the color is perfect.  Most sunless tanners seem to give a more orange color and this color actually seems really close to my natural tan.  The Supernatural Tanning Mousse is easily the best sunless tanner out there.

Another great thing about it was that it dried in 5 minutes max.  You can put your clothes on after it dries and go about your day.  You want to leave it on for about 8 hours before taking a shower so avoid water until then.  You can definitely put it on at night and sleep in it – don’t worry about it transferring color to your sheets. I have white sheets and none transferred.  For sure you want to exfoliate before use, I use this product in the shower, and then simply apply limb by limb in large circular motions.  It lasts for about 3-4 days and gradually and naturally fades with no splotchiness.

Also, everything smells amazing.  I also highly HIGHLY recommend the face drops to match your face to your newly tanned bod. I use 3-4 drops and mix it in with my facial moisturizer and use every other day.  Maintain your tan by using this body cream (the best body lotion I’ve ever used hands down).

Lastly, every product is non-toxic, which is huge for me and I love that these are products that work well and are safe to use. So, yes, this entire post has been basically a love note to Lux Unfiltered products, but they do everything they promise and I think I’ll be a fan for life.  I think you’ll enjoy them too.  Let me know if you give them a try & what your favorite product is!

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xo,

Bess

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