the best and worst of this twin pregnancy

You know that quote about comparison being the thief of joy? As it turns out, it's also true if you're comparing yourself to yourself. Last week, I kept finding myself saying things like, "When I was pregnant with Claire, I ________." I was feeling better by now. I was exercising a lot more at this point. I had a much smaller and more manageable baby bump. I had enough energy to teach 30 fifth graders full-time, for crying out loud. 

I thought I'd be the type of person whose pregnancies are all pretty similar. If one thing was true with my first pregnancy, it would be true with my second pregnancy. And then I was disappointed every time this pregnancy was different (and harder) than my first. Which of course is silly. I'm growing TWO BABIES AT ONCE this time around. Of course everything's going to be different.

So this week, I stopped comparing my pregnancies. My only exercise is one long walk every morning, but I'm celebrating the fact that I felt well enough to go on a walk every day last week. I still have to nap every few days or I feel super sick, but I'm celebrating the fact that naps are good for me, and as long as I take them, I'm feeling pretty good these days. All the little aches and pains and minor inconveniences I'm feeling are great signs that my babies are developing normally.

And it's working so far. As it turns out, when I trust my body, and give it a lot of grace during this crazy time, I feel so much calmer and at peace. Not to mention, I'm able to focus on all the great things. I have a cute bump already! Almost all my food aversions are gone! I can feel when the twins switch spots with each other, and it's a surreal and amazing feeling!

With that, here are some 17-week bump pictures. I have to say,  I fell in love with this maternity maxi dress the moment I put it on. It's so comfortable! It's so soft! It's so low-maintenance! It's twirly and easy and perfect for the warmer days ahead. The best part? I feel beautiful when I wear it.

This dress is from my favorite boutique for cute maternity clothes, PinkBlush Maternity. (I'm also loving this maternity dress, and I loved their dress similar to this one last pregnancy for my brother's wedding.)

I wanted to share the PinkBlush love with you today, so if you head over to my Instagram you can win $75 to their boutique! Good for the maternity section, the regular section (which I also love to death), and the plus-size section. There's something for everybody! And they always have great sales, so $75 should be enough for two fun new pieces, plus shipping.

Happy Monday!

Let's hear it for looking on the bright side,

and for the cute twinners growing like crazy!

Foiled Prints + A Giveaway!

Yesterday I got a job offer for my dream job... and I turned it down. My dream job! Director of Education at an after-school tutoring company! The whole time I was in the interview, I kept thinking how perfectly this job fits me. But the second I walked out, it started feeling soooo wrong. The hours felt wrong. The daycare Claire would go to felt wrong. The commute felt wrong. The pay definitely felt wrong, but hey, I work in education, so there's nothing new there. ;) It just felt like a really bad fit for me and my family. So today I turned it down, and as much as I braced myself to feel sad about saying no, it felt like one big sigh of relief when I got off that phone call.

Anyway, on tomorrow's to-do list, I wrote, "Figure out my life???" Which should definitely keep me busy all day. Ha! Wish me luck?

Instead, let's talk about something infinitely less stressful and infinitely more cute. Decorating my new apartment! I keep seeing gold foiled prints pop up in everyone's home these days, and I can totally see why. It's classy. Gold goes with everything. The prints really pop out from the wall, and make any room instantly more bright and fun.

Exhibit A: These gorgeous things Foiled Prints sent over for Claire's nursery.

^^^ This one comes in a few colors, and I think it's darling for any bedroom

^^^ Did I start crying a little bit the first time I saw this print? Maybe. Is it too late to claim postpartum hormones if your baby is thirteen months old? Probably. I don't know, there's something about this that is just so sweet. 

^^ I love this arrow print because it can work with anything. It's the perfect addition to any gallery wall or home office. If you go the baby route like I did, it works for little girls rooms and little boys rooms equally.

I love these prints so much that I'm giving away $20 shop credit to Foiled Prints (that's enough to buy almost any print, plus shipping, and still have money left over!). I'd love to grab a state print with a little heart over my city, or this awesome thing for our office. Also, pineapple.

Hop over to my Instagram post here to enter the giveaway! Or, if you just can't wait, go ahead and take 15% your entire order with the code SILVERLINING. The code is good until August 26, so hurry your buns over there before your plans get foiled. (Oh my gosh, I had to. I just had to.)

my funny little Valentine (a Yasmi and Crew giveaway!)

Claire does this new thing when she gets frustrated. She crinkles up her nose and breathes really fast. Tiny little puffs of air huffing in and out between those award-winning chubby cheeks. It's so cute.

She also does this new thing where she screams at the top of her lungs during naptime if her pacifier has fallen out. It's less cute. I should conduct a scientific study about pacifier wormholes, because I swear we lose one of those suckers (heh, get it) a day during naptime!

But the whole point of this post isn't to tell you about our pacifier naptime woes. It's to tell you about an Etsy shop I fell in love with.

You guys. Yasmi and Crew. They have it all. Baby headbands! Baby bows! Baby boy bowties! Bracelets! Yasmi and Crew is a quality (and extremely well-priced) online shop, and Silvia, the owner, is such a sweetheart on social media.

I convinced Silvia to send some of her Valentine bows over.

 Even the packaging is cute, darn it!

 These bows are from the Valentine's Three-Pack (click HERE to see them). You can pick your own colors, and as you can see, they stay put even on babies that don't have very much hair.

 These next pictures feature the set of three comfortable bows (click HERE to see it in the shop). These are the ONLY cute headbands I've found that don't dig into my daughter's scalp, and I've looked around! They also stretch to fit your baby's head into their teen years (I'm wearing the grey striped one myself right now).

 Not sure what's going on with this face? ^^^

 Presents aren't for looking at, mom! They're for eating!

Whether you need something for a Galentine's Party, a baby shower, family pictures, or just a Wednesday afternoon pick-me-up, head over to Yasmi and Crew. And while you're at it, I'm giving away a $20 shop credit to Yasmi and Crew on my Instagram account today, so click HERE for your chance to win! (This one's only open to Instagram users, sorry.)

Hey, want $50 to Target? (Plus a Painted Happiness giveaway!)

The truth is, during this season, I am so incredibly grateful for YOU, blog readers! I know this whole blogging thing is weird and silly and hard to explain to outsiders, but I love it! The friends I've made through blogging are very real. In fact, I count some blogger friends as some of my closest friendships. I love being inspired by the stories of so many men and women out there through reading blogs.

So, to celebrate this blog, how far it's come, and my amazing readers, I'm giving away $50 to Target to one lucky reader. Let's be honest, we all could spend $50 at Target in about 15 minutes (I could do it in 3 minutes tops. It's a talent.).

Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you so much for reading!


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Oh and PS my cute friend Elise just opened up a new shop called Painted Happiness to sell her handpainted signs and decor. Everything in her shop is darling. I would hang anything of hers in my home, and they all start at only $12. See the giveaway below to enter to win! One winner will get to choose a 16x20 sign and another winner will get to choose an 8x10. Good luck!

1   2   3   4

If you can't wait to see if you win the giveaway, use code: HOLIDAY10 for 10% of your order through December 19th

 Elise|Hunters of Happiness                     Rachel|Rachel Sayumi                      Kati|Glitz & Gold

          Marsa|Daylee Journal                    Elise|A Lifetime of Rain                     Kristen|Wild One Forever

         Deidre|Love the Skinnys                        Ariel|Auteur Ariel                     Jessica|North Carolina Grown

Jessi|Haircut & General Attitude                Brie|Breezy Days                              Brooke|Silver Lining

     Jessica|Afternoon Style                        Jess|Golden Swank                       Lily|Blushing Boulevard

We're sorry but this giveaway is only for US and Canada followers

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Want to win $250 cash? Yeah, I thought so :)

Who doesn't want $250 extra cash in their pocket? Yeah, that's what we thought. That's why Camille, Katie, and Megan got together and decided "hey, let's do this!"

Check out the awesome group of 25 bloggers who have teamed up to make this giveaway possible and then head to the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. You can earn up to 75 entries, so get crackin’!

 

Friday We’re In Love / Katilda / Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson / Stay Gold Autumn / Nykki-Talks-Beauty

    Mr. JP & Me / Love, Love, Love / Sincerely Laura / Elise’s Pieces / Hunters of Happiness

Mom, the Intern / Freckles Never Go Out of Style / Rolled Up Pretty / What Happens When You Live / Delightful Deets

Let Me See You Sparkle / Lora Knight Photography / Silver Lining / Gentri Lee / Bella

Kerrying On / Origami Owl / Alexis Laughs / Not a Couple’s Blog / Make It Happen

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The giveaway closes at 11:59pm on Friday, April 26. Good luck to everyone who enters!

Valentine's Group Giveaway

Because it's Valentine's week

and because it's Plum Pudding Day (true. look it up.)

even though plum pudding sounds kind of gross? -

Let's do a giveaway!

Here are the prizes. It's sweet and simple, and so easy to enter. These prizes come from my fabulous sponsors, so make sure to show them some love by entering! Winner must be a continental US resident, and will be chosen Saturday morning.

 

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Cheerfully Charmed G I V E A W A Y

Today's giveaway is sweet and simple - Cheerfully Charmed is giving away any one item of the winner's choice from their online boutique. You may recognize Cheerfully Charmed from when they first became popular with their {affordable!} JCrew bubble necklace lookalikes. I'm currently loving the jeweled elephant and any of their pastel necklaces for spring.

They sent me this bib necklace, which I'm wearing here with other jewel tones for a cool wintery look (and I got tons of compliments at the party I wore it to, if I do say so myself). 

Want one? Leave a separate comment for each entry up until Friday the 11th. Go fight win!

1 comment each:

visit Cheerfully Charmed and tell me your favorite item

be a GFC follower of this blog

follow me on Instagram (@brookejanette)

follow me on Bloglovin'

like me on facebook

blog about this giveaway (I'll count this as 3 entries)

visit one of my sponsors and leave a comment (one entry per blog you visit)

tweet this giveaway (mention @BrookeEmery2)

Pampered Chef G I V E A W A Y

There's something about cold weather that puts me in a baking mood.

I don't know if it's the homey feel that fresh cookies brings, or the fact that you have an excuse to stand over the oven and warm each limb methodically (that's just me?), but the change of seasons always gives me that cookie-cooking itch.

Which is why I'm excited to bring you a Pampered Chef cookie package giveaway today valued at $65!

What you'll win:

large stoneware bar pan

stainless steel serving spatula {alliteration}

holiday dessert cookbook

cookie scoop {you guys I swear by these things}

Cool stuff, right?

This giveaway is hosted by Myranda. Have you seen her cute blog yet? It's growing quickly, and between her awesome family posts to her new Pay it Forward project, can you seriously wonder why?? She's so nice to work with and is always sweet about staying up with my life. AH this girl has it all. Which is why I'm so grateful she's hosting this giveaway!!

We're doing entries the old fashioned way. 

Leave a comment for each thing you do and we'll make this happen! 

follow this blog via GFC (see left sidebar)

follow Myranda's blog, Pretty Living PDX

follow me on instagram (@brookejanette)

follow Myranda on instagram (@mizzjb85)

follow me on twitter (@BrookeEmery2)

follow her on twitter (@PrettyLivingPDX)

email me to become an October sponsor of Silver Lining (5 entries)

leave a blog post comment telling me your fave cookie

Good luck!

*open to continental US residents only. Ends Friday, October 5.

Item of your choice from DownEast Basics! G I V E A W A Y

So, DownEast basics and I are friends.

First off, I've been wearing their undershirts for years.

Second, I wore one of their shirts for part of my engagement pictures (and it was darn cute, too!).

And third, they're giving away any one item of your choice today!!

That's right. I got to choose any item I wanted from their huge online selection, and you get to do the same. 

I chose the Amy Bee Floral skirt. It's the perfect length for a teacher, I love the pattern, and it has pockets. (Pockets get me every time. Once I almost bought a wedding dress that looked terrible on me simply because it had pockets.)

I wanted to go simple to emphasize the beautiful skirt, so I wore it with a black henley and my ankle boots. It's so comfortable, and I don't even have to wear a slip with it (major plus in my book).

Disclaimer: if you're between sizes, choose the smaller of the two. I chose the bigger, and it's definitely a little loose. But I mean, I've worn it twice in a few days, so obviously that's not stopping me much :)

Your turn!

One Silver Lining reader will win a single item from DownEast of their choice. A skirt, a dress, a blouse- anything you want. Oh, and if you get a two-piece swimsuit, you can get the top and bottom for free since they count as one ensemble.

Happy Wednesday :)

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Four Things G I V E A W A Y

Today, I have four awesome things to giveaway. 

(1) The talented Alyx is offering a custom business card design! That girl can do anything. If you're looking for some blog business cards (or business cards for anything), this is your chance! All you have to do is print them.

(2) Meredith is giving away an advertising space on her cute fashion blog!

(3) You can win a medium ad space on my blog too!

(4) Tereza is giving away these beautiful, original design custom floral earrings. All her earrings are SO awesome, but I think these are my favorite pair, so I'm excited that she chose these to give away!

One lucky reader will win them all. Easy as pie, right?

Happy Tuesday!

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Feature Thursday: Giveaway Winners!

Just a few things on this gorgeous freezing afternoon.

1. I just got out of my very last class of the semester. Three cheers!
2. My husband has gone to school dressed up for presentations every day this week. He looks dang good walking around campus if I do say so myself.
3. This article captivated me.
4. Winners have been chosen for my first giveaway! I chose them last night via random.org. Aactually, I made Husband press the button. It was just too much pressure for me to handle! You can't mess with fate, you know?! {Jen, remember when we drew names for cousin gifts? same thing}

For the beautiful watercolor portrait done by Corina, our winner is.....

Baby Sister who said 

And the MyMemories software giveaway goes to..... Katie! She said

This almost isn't fair, since Katie and I were roommates and best friends for three years straight. But it totally is fair, even ask random.org, and my husband, and fate himself. We're getting together tonight to play around with our cool new software.

P.S. Still want the software? Looking for that perfect gift for that crafty and cute someone? I can offer you a $10 discount on the software AND a $10 gift certificate to the MyMemories store! Use this code at checkout {STMMMS43822}.

Finally, since Every Good Post Should Have A Picture {rule #4 of blogging, didn't you know?}, here's a snapshot of Sam and I. We were just walking in between shots during our bridals. See what I mean about being handsome?

xo,