Wheaton & Whaley Designs is LIVE!

As if I didn't already have enough going on, I have started a new business venture with my sweet mama. 

A few years ago, a friend & I had a dress line. We were pretty successful (by small business standards), but people just didn't really understand that a dress is made for an overall size, not to fit perfectly. Because of this, we spent more time changes dresses than we did designing, so we called it quits.

Since then, I've missed sewing & creating things. Since home decor has been one of my favorite things for many years, I figured it would be best to incorporate that with sewing. Enter Wheaton & Whaley Designs (my married last name & my sweet Nana's maiden name)! 

If you visit the site right now, you will see there are only pillow covers available. There are over 5 fabrics as of yesterday, and all covers can be made in sizes 16x16, 18x18, and 20x20 (or smaller/larger if you wish). 

I will be adding more covers within the next few days. I also love custom orders, so if you are wanting a specific fabric, just message me through the Etsy site & we will set it up.

We also will be featuring monogrammed baby items such as custom burp clothes, bips, bloomers, and onesies. 

Since I am new to the monogram & embroidery scene, I am working on finding & creating new designs that are different, but still classic. Once I get that section ready to go, I'll let you know!

We are SO excited about this venture and hope you are too!

You can view the site by clicking here!

Much love & happy Monday!

26 Week Bump Update!

We are definitely on the downward slope of this pregnancy. It's kind of crazy to think that we could legitimately have a baby in 10 weeks. We are just SO excited. I know people say they are, but it's just SO true. I swear this is how Andrew feels:

True statement.

Jeans ~ Shoes ~ Necklace

Weeks: 26 

Gender: Girl!! The pink keeps piling up, especially with the nursery taking shape.

Name: Abigail something. 

Size: As big as a head of lettuce (which seems small to me...I guess maybe my grocery store is just not supplying the good stuff). She's 1.5-2.5 lbs and 13.6-14.8 inches long. 

Movement: Still active! At our last appointment her heart rate was faster than it had ever been, 152. Glad it's variable! They have been doing heavy construction near my office & let me tell you, she is NOT a fan. It's almost instant...when they start drilling & jack hammering, she starts kicking. The minute they stop, she stops. Guessing she is going to like a more calm environment. 

Cravings: The last 2 weeks it's been egg salad sandwiches. I've probably had 20, no joke. Still loving popsicles and have rekindled my affair with the Skittles in the purple bag.

Mama thoughts & feelings: I am still feeling great. Such a blessing to feel so good during pregnancy. I am starting to get uncomfortable at the end of the day from sitting so long, but that's probably expected. We probably all should get up & move more often. 

Now that her nursery is almost complete, it feels even more real. I walk through that room several times during the day & every time by heart just skips a beat. 

This week I am just especially grateful that God has given me this precious soul to love & take care of here on earth. I see so many women around me who are struggling with infertility, loss, and grief. I want to wrap my arms around each one of them & let them know that I am praying fervently for them. I prayed before, but of course, I pray even more now. God please grant them their wish. 

Ok, drying my eyes now. The jeans I'm wearing above are a great maternity flare jean for fall. Since that trend is coming back (YAY), I figured we probably all could stand a good pair!

So excited that it's almost the weekend!

Much love!

Football Fashion: Because it's really about what you wear!

If you live in, have visited, or even have heard of The South (yes it's a proper noun), you know that football is king. Not just for the men folk either. Ladies here either love the sport, love the food, or love the fashion.

Today I've put together some options for several teams. The good thing about these outfits is that these pieces can be worn during football games but don't scream football. It's all about versatility! 

Since some colors transition to many colleges, I'm going to do this more by color than school. Crimson & Garnet are 2 very popular school colors. A quick search shows over 30 schools with one of those as their primary color option. For this outfit, it's probably best that you are a USC Gamecocks, Alabama, or Oklahoma University fan.

Necklace ~ Earrings ~ Booties ~ Bag ~ Dress     

Another popular color is orange. Clemson, Auburn, Tennessee, & Texas all have some variation of the color. Since it can be hard to find orange anyway, people generally clump this color together, no matter the shade. 

Jeans ~ Blouse ~ Cardigan ~ Flats ~ Necklace     

Yellow or gold is not the most primary color on the college scene, but you do tend to see if come up a lot as a secondary. Colleges like LSU, GA Tech, Wake Forest, & U of Michigan are just a few. Since the corresponding colors for these places are little easier to find (purple, black, royal), I thought it might be nice to showcase a gold/mustard option, especially since this is a great color for fall in general.

Skirt ~ Boots ~ Striped top ~ Bangles ~ Necklace     

And just in case you need a really cute LBD for game day or just to have, this one is amazing! Love it paired with booties & gold jewels!

Tassel dress ~ Booties ~ Necklace ~ Earrings            

Need help finding something to wear to a game & I didn't list your college colors? Leave a comment and I'll get to it! 

Happy Wednesday lovelies!

Much love!

Weekend Recap: Golf trip to Connestee Falls, plus a nursery sneak peek!

If you've ever met my husband (or looked at my instagram, @ehwheaton), you know that he loves golf. I honestly think that if he could, he'd play everyday. He might get frustrated & say it's the worst game ever on hole 14, but deep down, I know it makes him happy.

He plays in a "league" of sorts of Monday nights, and this weekend they did a road trip to Connestee Falls in Brevard, NC. Even though it was overcast & rainy for the most part of the day, the temp was amazing. When we got there it was only about 70 degrees. I cannot even explain the happy that I was experiencing. It was SO nice. 

The website says that it offers abundant wildlife and they were right. I have never seen so many deer in my life. And they were not afraid of people. We got to get pretty close to them several times.

   

The baby deer would just plop down wherever they felt like. I was scared that someone was going to hit them with a ball, but thankfully that never happened.

Also, the views were amazing. We are so lucky that we live only an hour from the mountains. Even still, it's a real treat to get to see these incredible views. I'm hoping that we can get back in the fall when all the leaves are changing & the chilly weather rolls in. I'm trying to convince Andrew that a weekend babymoon trip is definitely in order! :)

On Saturday, it was nursery transformation day. Since Abigail's room was once our dining room, it has to be completely changed. Thankfully I had picked a neutral paint color when it was originally the dining room so we didn't have to paint...but that's about the only thing that hasn't been changed. 

We are SO close to being done with this room. There's a few finishing touches that I hope to get done in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout for the full reveal very soon.

Other than that, we just did lots of resting, Milly's favorite activity.

Here's to a stellar week lovelies!

Much love!

Wine for Women with Child, and other fake things

So if you can't tell from my post, I'm not actually drinking during my pregnancy. #duh. But, those that know me know how I really enjoy a good glass of wine. Forty weeks is a long time, but it's nice to know that there are options. Here is what I've found & like (enough).

First up, wine

There are 2 brands that I've found in my local Publix or on Amazon: Ariel & Fre. Of the 2, Ariel is better, but it's also more expensive. Typically I'm not a white/rose lover, but they seem to be the better fake, so you may have to try a couple to find what works for you. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find this in any restaurants. Here's what I liked the best:

 Funny story about this Cabernet. On our recent beach trip, I bought this bottle so that I could feel like part of the group. Well, since it looks like a typical bottle cover, Andrew didn't realize it was my wine. He poured a glass and said "this is not normal wine". Had to laugh at him. He wasn't there when I told everyone, "don't drink this!".

This is a pretty good White Zin. It tastes like it normally does, but is just a hint sweeter than normal. I drink it with ice since I don't care about it getting watered down, and that seems to help make it even better.

Next, beer

I have tried several of these, but I wasn't really impressed by any of them except O'Douls. Now total disclaimer, I'm not a big beer drinker anyway, so that might have something to do with it. Also, I don't drink this at home, but if we are out, most restaurants will have this or something similar.

Bubbly stuff 

Pre-baby, I really enjoyed a glass of champagne. Fre (the same brand that makes the wine above) has a pretty good mock-Brut. I have drank it by itself, but the way I liked it best was with OJ or grapefruit juice. 

So, there you go! Nothing earth shattering, but I didn't even know this stuff existed until a friend shared it with me. Since we are friends, I'm sharing with you too!

Happy weekend lovelies!

Much love!

Thoughts on Thursday!

You know all those randoms thoughts that go through your head on a daily/weekly/monthly basis? I have them too. My husband swears that my mind never actually turns off because it can be 1am and I'm still talking about random nonsense. So to keep Andrew from thinking I'm totally crazy, I figured I would just write down all those things I casually mention to him & share them with you instead! :)

1. Why is it not fall yet? I know people say not to wish your life away, but really. Why? If you didn't read my post from yesterday, go back & see why I love fall so much.

2. Wonder what Lady Gaga is up to? I asked Andrew this one day and he gave me a very puzzled look...but really! Where has she been? I mentioned yesterday that she's probably hanging out with Mase, who hasn't done anything since Welcome Back in 2004. Ahhh high school. Does anyone remember that song?

3. Baby Abigail is doing great. She is kicking like crazy and giving mama heartburn. Hoping that means she's an athlete & has beautiful hair. 

4. My name is Elizabeth and I have a problem. A problem buying too many smocked clothes for this baby. We had to have a "you need to cool it on the baby clothes" chat yesterday, but I mean, come on, how sweet is this???

Get it here!

I mean, melt my heart.

5. I am opening an Etsy shop in the next month, and I am SO excited. I also bought a monogram machine...this could get dangerous!

6. Today is my brother's 26th birthday! For those that don't know, he's in the Navy and is currently on a submarine somewhere. We have no real idea where he is, but it's very comforting to know that he's looking out for us. Growing up in a military family I have SUCH a deep appreciation for the sacrifices that these individual makes for our country. Please, if you see a service person, THANK them. You never know where they've been, what they've witnessed, or what they've given up to keep you free. 

7. My sister started 10th grade this year. How did I get so old? On the topic of old, when did I get these bags under my eyes. Those didn't use to be there...

8. We are working on the nursery this weekend. Can't wait to get it all together & set up for our sweet baby girl. Can't wait to love on her!

Ok, that's it for now! Any random thoughts you want to share?

Much love!

Wardrobe Wednesday: For the Love of Olive!

Anyone who has ever met me knows how much I love fall. I'm not talking about your usual "yay, pumpkin spice latte" person, although those are lovely. I am talking about a full on change in mood. I become visibly happier & more cheery. Fall is my Christmas or summer, depending on who you are.

I mean really, what's not to like? The smells: leaves, cinnamon, pumpkin bread, warm smells. The temperatures: 70's and breezy? YES PLEASE! The activities: tailgates, football, pumpkin carving, HALLOWEEN (my favorite), & my birthday. And the colors: burgundy, orange, mustard, and olive...

My mom is probably the national spokesperson for this color. It is her favorite & she wears it year round. I am not kidding, the woman has 5 tops the same color...but they are very different! :) I guess that's where I get the love of that color. I am physically drawn to it like people are drawn to black. 

Thankfully, it is a huge color this year for fall. Since not everyone feels they can wear the color, I thought it might be nice to show you some simple outfits that incorporate the color, in both large & small ways! I know, you can thank me later.

Olive Vest ~ Leopard flats ~ Jeans ~ T-shirt ~ Necklace

Since everyone already has dark skinny jeans, I thought I'd throw in the lighter wash to mix it up a little bit. I'm loving that this wash is showing up more! This outfit is great for someone how wants to try out the color because the other pieces can be paired with SO many other things!

 

Booties ~ Dress ~ Similar Bag ~ Necklace ~ Denim Jacket

This outfit is great for my pregnant & non pregnant friends...and if you're like me, you already have several of these items in your closet! If your office doesn't allow denim, opt for a scarf instead!

 

Booties ~ Black Jeans ~ Shirt ~ Necklace ~ Bracelets

So you've realized that you love as olive as much as I do & you really want to jump in? This outfit is perfect for you. These booties are definitely an investment since they aren't taupe or black, but don't think that they aren't a neutral. Imagine this same outfit with camo pants, or brown pants. Wear them with a black piko dress & festive tights. You have SO many options with these booties.


If this post doesn't get you ready for fall, I don't know what will. Come back tomorrow to hear my random thoughts for the week!

Much love!

Try This Tuesday: Chicken Spaghetti!

My husband says we are not, but I've felt like we are in a food "funk" recently. Know what I mean? We fix the same meals every week. Andrew said "but I like all those things!", which is sweet, but I think pregnancy has me wanting to change everything. I've already rearranged the living room furniture, emptied out the dining room to become the nursery, and have my eye on the bedroom (honey, don't freak out). 

So, each week I'm going to try out one recipe & share it with all of you! I promise I'll only post things that at least one of us liked. My taste buds are a little off, so I'm not a great judge of food here recently. The cheap Kraft mac & cheese used to be my FAVE, but now it's kinda blek...

The other night I made chicken spaghetti. My husband is not a fan of red sauces so when I mentioned spaghetti I got a look, but I reassured him that it was cheese instead of tomato.

I served this meal with Texas Toast (b/c mama is loving some bread right now), but it really is good by itself. 

Ingredients (serves 6-7)
3-4 medium sized chicken tenderloins or 2 chicken breast  (I only buy frozen b/c chicken freaks me out) 
1 can Rotel, original or with green chiles
1/2 Velveeta cheese block, melted (I bought the 2% to save calories, but I would probably just stick to the regular)
1 cup frozen peas (or veggie of your choice)
1/2 box of spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1. Boil your chicken until cooked all the way through. I am always cautious and boil mine at least 30 minutes. Probably excessive, but again, chicken. After the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot. There will most likely be a film on the top of the water, try to spoon that out too. 

2. Add your pasta to the chicken water & cook per the directions on the package.
3. While pasta is cooking shred the chicken and mix in the rest of the ingredients. I dumped in my peas frozen b/c I knew the oven time would cook them enough. 
4. Hire a handy assistant. Mine is super cute.

5. Drain pasta & add to sauce mixture, stir. Pour the entire mixture into a sprayed casserole dish (I love this dish that we got for a wedding present). Spread shredded cheese on top.
6. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. 
7. Remove & enjoy!

Overall for me, it wasn't my most favorite thing, but again, I'm not the best judge right now. It has only things I loved pre-pregnancy, so I'm sure come December I'll be singing a different tune. Andrew really enjoyed it, and he's got pretty refined food tastes, so overall, I'd say it was a win!

Much love!

We joined a church, and other weekend happenings!

When we moved to Greenville almost 2 years ago, it was easy for us to decide Westminster Presbyterian. It was close to our house, we loved the congregation, and most of all, the sermons were easy to understand (and the Pastor tells funny jokes). So we made a decision, this will be our church! Woo, what a relief. I've had friends who it took months to find a "home" for them & their family. 

Fast-forward 2 years...and we still weren't members. Go figure. Between weddings, vacations, holidays, our marriage, and a million other things...we never actually pulled the trigger. That doesn't mean we hadn't been attending, because we had (I'd even sung with the choir several times)...it just never seemed to line up right with our schedules. 

BUT, the stars finally aligned and we did it Sunday! Nothing like impending parenthood to get your moving on your list of important things to do!

I can't say this is the best picture we've ever taken, but it was early so cut us some slack. I also joked with Andrew that we look very presidential. Andrew says he couldn't be president, but that he'd make an excellent First Gentleman if I decide to run! :)

Going backwards, Saturday was tree cutting day. We are very fortunate to have my dad (the original Mr. Fix-it) just live a few miles down the road. I'm not kidding when I say he can do anything. He might not know how to do it beforehand, but he'll figure it out. Anyone need a handyman? haha.

We have 2 huge pecan trees in our yard, which are great for shade, but they are the self-pruning variety, so limbs are constantly falling off the trees. Not small limbs either. See below:

Since we use that walkway to get to our cars, we really needed to cut the trees back. Don't want a limb falling on Milly or one of us. Enter Dad to the rescue!

So that's our weekend. Nothing spectacular, but lots of fun & exciting things happening for us. Come back tomorrow to see a recipe we tried recently!

Oh - one more thing: Bath & Body Works has their fall candles! I might have done a happy dance in the middle of the store. 

Much love!

Maternity Style: Pieces I can't live without

I remember when my mom was pregnant with my sister (hi mom!) and there just weren't many stylish maternity clothes. Mom had a few cute sets, but because of the limited options, she had to wear the same outfits over & over again...I vividly remember a red & purple pants set (shudder) that she wore all.the.time. Pretty sure she arrived at the hospital to give birth in one of them.

Thankfully, designers got smart & realized that there are a lot of us that realistically just want to continue our normal style into pregnancy. They got too smart, honestly, and came out with such cute stuff, but charge some crazy prices for it. So it's a catch...stylish clothes or an empty wallet. Well I'm here to tell you, you can have both!!! I feel like Oprah when I say that, "you get cute maternity clothes, you get cute maternity clothes!".

Now, this is what has worked for me. These things might not work for you, but hopefully they will.

First thing you need, a good black dress. I have one that's solid black & is not maternity, and then one that has a design & is maternity. Unfortunately, the one pictured below is sold out online, but they have another good stripe one. 

One word of advice on Target Liz Lange maternity. Never buy something that the material description is 1x1 ribbed. It stretches SO bad & just looks frumpy. You want jersey. It keeps shape all day. 

 MK Wedges - Similar Dress - Stella & Dot Knock-off

The wedges I have on are the some of the most comfortable shoes I own right now. I love them so much that I bought them in both colors. Now if you click the link you'll think I need my head examined b/c they are expensive, but never fear (mom), they came from ebay and were like less than half the price. The necklace is one I have on constant rotation. It is a Stella & Dot, but there is a great knock-off.

We recently got back from a wonderful trip to Florida with Andrew's family, which means I didn't have to get out of my bathing suit but a couple of times. On our last night, we went to dinner & I wore a fun and very comfy Boden tunic/dress that I definitely recommend. It's not maternity, but I'll wear it now & then next summer when I'm not pregnant. I ordered the petite, but I probably should have done the regular. And the best part, it's on SALE!

Boden Tunic Dress

Some other staples that I have that I can't live without are white jeans (order one size up), maternity tanks (order your normal size), stretchy dresses (the one listed below is not maternity, & ya'll I'm not kidding when I say I have it in 4 colors; for maternity order one size up), and comfy shoes. I have listed the ones that I recommend below. I have several colors in all of these items so I can attest to them many times over.

Maternal America White Jeans

Black Maternity Cami

Old Navy Tee dress

Toms Wedge sandals

I know this was long, but hopefully it helped someone out there that is strugglin' like I was at the beginning. You have to be willing to do some research & read reviews...but thankfully, I did all of that for you! :)

See you next week! Much love!

24 week Bump update: Baby Girl Wheaton!

I had full intentions of writing a journal for this baby with weekly updates about how I was feeling, what size they were, etc....but that lasted about 4 weeks & then I lost my planner where I was keeping all the information. Thankfully it has been found, but I missed several weeks in between. Since you can't really lose a blog, I figured that I would start doing those updates here, mainly for my own memories, but also for any inquiring minds (if any of those exist). :)

Just a heads up, this is a long post, so grab a glass of wine (since I can't have one) before you start!

Full disclaimer on this picture. This was taken last night at about 830pm...after I'd eaten lots of carbs, so my belly might look bigger in this picture that is actually is, but I'm not a morning person...

Weeks: 23-24 (one doctor says I'm due one day & one doctor says another, who knows)

Gender: Girl!! You should see the amount of pink that has already taken over our house!

Name: First name is definitely Abigail. We are tossing some middle names around. For some reason I feel like it might be a "day of" decision

Size: As big as a cantaloupe, so anywhere from 10.5 to 12 inches long. She definitely weighs over a pound, but could weigh as much as 1.5 lbs.

Movement: She is very active! Every ultrasound we have she just runs the entire time. (Good for her because mama is no runner, unless there's a sale at Nordstrom) I have just started feeling her move, which is the coolest & weirdest thing ever. She's most active at night, but thankfully not enough to keep me awake. Andrew got to feel her kick for the first time last week.

Cravings: Honestly, I haven't had many cravings that aren't foods I normally love. I eat a lot of macaroni, lasagna/spaghetti, & popsicles. My husband teases that I have the diet of a 5 year old, which may be very true. :)

Mama thoughts & feelings: I really have felt great this pregnancy, other than the few weeks at the beginning where I was nauseous. Of course I'm tired a lot, and have a hard time rolling out the bed, but that's just part of the deal. I'm afraid I might be one of those women that loves being pregnant. We want a big family, so I'm sure I'll get tired of pregnancy eventually, but right now I'm loving it.

Some days it still hits me that we are having a baby. Everything happened so fast that I sometimes have to stop & catch my breath from life just flying past me. We can't wait to meet our baby girl and hold & cuddle her. I can't wait to see Milly with her. Her only interaction with a baby was like "ugh, why is that thing crying?", and turning her nose up. This could be interesting! :)

Most of all, I can't wait to see Andrew with her. I know that she is going to have him wrapped around her finger from day one, and I'm totally OK with that. She will definitely be the most loved little girl around. 

We have started an email account for Abigail that we will sporadically send emails to from now until she's 18, so I'll save my words to her for that place. Andrew found the idea somewhere, and I thought it was a great way to let her know how much she's loved & adored even now, and forever. Of course, she'll know it from our actions, but I want her to confirm it for her in many ways. 

Woooo, that was long. Aren't you glad you had your glass of wine?

I am no fashionista, but I know it's hard to find pregnancy attire that isn't Little House on the Prairie-esk, that isn't super expensive, and that you can wear after pregnancy. I'll be back tomorrow with a few pieces that I could not live without, where I found them, & how they fit.

Much love!

Woah, it's been a long time!

So I didn't really plan on taking such a long sabbatical from blogging, but it just kind of happened...and SO much has happened since then. 

When I looked back at my last blog post I realized something: I was pregnant then & didn't even know it. I guess that's the main reason I forgot to blog...I had many exciting things on my mind. Our sweet baby girl will be arriving in December & we can't wait. Like really, we want to cuddle her now. BUT, we want her healthy so she needs to stay put for a minimum of 12 weeks. Wait, 12 weeks??? I need to get to work on the nursery. 

So this blog was never really a "themed" blog. I wish it was, but it's not. I'm hoping that as I document pregnancy, life as a newlywed (b/c...oh yeah, we haven't even been married a year), and all the other changes that life brings...maybe a theme will develop. But if not, I'm hoping you'll stick around.

I know many of you loved following the blog because of house updates, and I'd love to tell you that we've gotten a lot done, but we really haven't. If you've done home renovations before, you know you reach a place where you say "No more!" even though you still have much to do. That's us. We lost our fire for reno. But with the baby coming, I'm hoping we can get the last few things off our checklist before Thanksgiving. 

What are those things you ask? Here they are...in no particular order.

1. Finish the backsplash - The materials are in, it's just taking the time to get all the crap stuff off the counter to actually do it.
2. Paint the bathroom - This is harder than just going in there & painting. For one, there's wallpaper that the 1970's is jealous of...and the room itself is TINY. Both my husband & dad are taller men, so them getting in there & painting is tough, which leaves me...and I don't really want to make my baby high, so yeah.
3. Paint the kitchen ceiling - There's a very funny story behind the ceiling that my husband and I tell VERY differently. Either way, we ended up peeling off (yes in sheets, that crumble at the slightest tough) old oil based paint to find another layer of...paint. And since we pulled down some cabinets from the ceiling, it needs a good coat of white.
4. Hang curtains - This one is SO close to be completed. Just have to find rods for the living room.

I know that is the saddest update ever, but don't you worry...I will have more soon! I promise to take LOTS of pictures & share!

Thanks for coming back!