Under Construction

As you can tell- crazy, beautiful life is undergoing a makeover! Check back by the end of the week to see it all come together and for an exciting new blog post!


If you like love what you see, head over to Bella Lulu Ink and give Chelsea some love! 

Lovely Products

There are a few products that I have really enjoyed over the past few weeks, and I just thought I would share them with whoever wanted to know! Maybe you'll find you enjoy some of these things as well...

It's Potent! is an eye cream from Benefit that I have been enjoying for a few months now. At first I did not notice any difference, but now I am noticing that under my eyes have been brighter lately from using this. And aside from that, it just feels good to put on after washing my face each night. 

Triple performing facial emulsion is my absolute FAVORITE facial moisturizer! It has SPF 15 in it so every single day I have SPF on when I walk out the door. It feels and smells amazing. 

total moisture facial cream - this little gem I just purchased on Friday night. I love it so far. I was looking for something that would be really moisturizing for nighttime. I did not want to waste my facial emulsion with SPF in it for bedtime, so when I went to get my brows done on Friday I found this and purchased it. So far, so good. It feels really nice and not thick and heavy. Plus, I've loved all my Benefit moisturizing products so I am not surprised I like this as well. 

365 Organic White Cheddar Popcorn is one of my new favorite snacks. You can purchase it at Whole Foods for only $1.99. I call that a complete win! And when you're pregnant and craving popcorn with raspberries nearly nightly, different varieties are fun. However, after my popcorn and raspberries snack the other night, I realized the cheddar on the popcorn tastes funny with the berries, so it's just a yummy snack. I keep the regular popcorn for raspberry and popcorn night. 

Noodle & Boo Super Soft Lotion that's exactly what it is. Super soft and it smells so, so good. Ok, I admit this is for babies. BUT- I love it. I used it when we were registering for our baby a few weeks ago and then they gave me a sample and I've already used it. I added it to our registry for the baby, but I am going to need to buy a bottle for myself soon. It feels so nice and clean on your hands. Perfect for winter!

Favorite Navy Bundlers this one might seem odd. The baby is not due for another couple months, but I purchased these bundlers a week or so ago and am already completely in love. They are so soft and very well made. I cannot wait to wrap our new baby boy in these when he comes home :) 

Orange La Croix is probably my favorite beverage right now (and always has been) aside from still water. Obviously I would rather indulge in some nice wine or a mixed drink, but while I'm pregnant, this is my go-to. I can drink it at work or at home and it is a treat either way. The bubbles make it feel fancy and refreshing. 

Pregnancy Favorites... so far!

At almost 22 weeks, I have definitely developed a few favorite products that have made my pregnancy either easier and/or more enjoyable. 

This post is for my girlfriends who are not currently pregnant. I want to get this down in writing for you now so I can remember when you ask me or you can take note now. 

1. My Bump Nest pillow. It may have been pricier than I wanted, but it has been worth every penny. It is like a giant snake candy cane residing in your bed. This was purchased pretty early on in my pregnancy, before sleeping was even a problem. But as I grow, I love it more. It positions me and I can shape it into any form I want/need for a good night's rest. 

2. Starbucks/Caribou Tumbler. I drink water constantly- other than orange juice, it is the only thing I really enjoy drinking. And, as a new mommy-to-be, you need a lot of water. So, having these tumblers, with a straw, I drink so much water on a daily basis. I have a fun Starbucks and Caribou tumbler- both make drinking water more fun!

3. Two words: Gap leggings - ok three words, Gap maternity leggings. These things are amazing. So SOFT! I had a hard time with anything that was not leggings for a very long time. I recently (um, today) graduated into big girl pants. I look like an actual working professional again and that was only possible thanks to number 4 on my pregnancy favorite list! 

4. The Bellaband. Funny story actually- I purchased this at Gap weeks ago and never used it, so hubby pulled out the receipt because I wanted to return it. However, I got a super cute new shirt from Target's Liz Lange maternity collection not long ago and wanted to wear it to work. It totally needed black pants to go with it, and I do not have any that fit right now. So this was sitting in what will be baby's bedroom and I decided to give it a try this morning. AMAZING!!!! Where has it been my whole pregnancy. Get this ladies- you do not even have to be able to come close to buttoning or zipping your pre-pregnancy pants. This is made to cover all that up- and it does. And it stays there- ALL DAY LONG. Get one- even if it is just for a big dinner you're about to enjoy. You'll thank me :) 

5. Pizza. Frozen, gourmet, thin, thick... I don't care. I just want PIZZA! I guess you could call this a craving, but I've always loved pizza. But it has been much stronger since being pregnant. My current favorite- Blaze Pizza. I blame this obsession on my mother and father in law. They introduced hubby and I and there is NO GOING BACK! Go try it. Especially if you crave pizza while pregnant. 

6. My husband. I must admit that I have not been as crazy as I heard pregnant women can be, but I have sure had my moments of crazy freak outs and moments where I am slightly over the top about something. Hubby has been completely and utterly amazing through the entire process. He has come to doctor appointments, brought me food, rubbed my shoulders, cleaned our home, and strolled through Pottery Barn kids more than once. I'm a lucky lady and I never take that for granted!

Observations on the CTA

I’m normally a drive-one-mile-to-work kind of girl, and depending on traffic in this city, it can sometimes take me less than 7 minutes to get to get there.

On Friday I had a doctor’s appointment downtown, and it was still my winter vacation, so no need to drive and pay eleven dollars to park! I decided to ride the train down with the hubby because he would go to work directly from the appointment anyway. I knew we would be boarding the train at rush hour, and the geek inside of me was a little excited to see how busy the train was on a week day, at rush hour.

So at ten after eight we left the house, bundled in several layers, and descended into the snowy artic air that is Chicago in January. We made the short trek to the train station just north of our apartment, and almost immediately a train pulled up and we boarded. To my disappointment, I wasn’t squeezing into a train like the images you see of commuter trains in India. We actually boarded a fairly empty train, and even got two seats (score!). So the train rolled along and with each stop more and more people boarded. The guy sitting next to me (not hubby), was drinking his morning joe and continuously hacked up a small portion of his lung. I ignored it at first, but then horrible thoughts of how warm the train was, and how tighter and tighter the people were packing in, and I suddenly was convinced I was catching some form of bird flu from the seemingly innocent guy next to me drinking his joe. Belmont! Yessss!!! Only time in my life I was actually happy to switch to the red line.

As red line run 458 pulled up, I couldn’t help but notice that train looked remarkably similar to an image I had seen before… ahhh, the India commuter train! Finally, my image of Chicago rush hour on the train had arrived. We pushed ourselves onto the train car and gingerly grasped something to hang onto. I cleared the image of Bird Flu Man from my head and decided to enjoy this rare workday treat- observing the people of the CTA. This is what I observed:

·      Some people check stocks and social media on their way into work

·      Some people catch up on zzz’s on their way to work… standing up

·      Some people pick their boogers and eat the treasure

·      Some people read books. Really HUGE books. Get a Kindle for your commute!

·      Some people absolutely cannot stand still. And this guy wasn’t a toddler or small child!

·      Some people wear really nice clothes and do not bathe.

And most importantly, I observed that I actually like my short drive (all observations took about 15 minutes to obtain) to school. And I appreciate the fact I do not have to rely on the CTA each and every day. Go take a short morning ride, it’s well worth the observations!