bits & pieces.

i'm excited to start a new feature on style of a songbird, called bits & pieces. i have been so struck by this quote lately: 

{source}

i want to document some of those "little things" throughout my week that in the end, add up to be the "big things." i'm linking up with lauren and carina to highlight five moments {or bits & pieces} of life that i am grateful for:

one. enjoying a "just right" cup of coffee in my favorite new ikea chair.

two. so much *love* inside this envelope full of treasures to incorporate for my art journal from a dear friend.

three. not too many things that can make a day better than a fresh pedicure.

four. "i create love that spirals through me and dances with joy." art journal page inspired by hannah.

five. date night with my love.

have a beautiful weekend! <3

high five for friday.

hey everyone! linking up with lauren for high five for friday to celebrate the bright parts of my week.

the best day of this week was spent with my mom.
i thought i would highlight five fabulous parts of that day.
here they are {in no particular order}: 

five.
shellac manicures!

four.

we stopped at starbucks for some pick me ups. my mom got the new refresher (the lime one). it has a really different taste {i think it's for more mature taste buds...}. i stuck with my iced soy chai. 


three.
makeup shopping! there's nothing better than new mascara, lipstick or foundation, right?
i picked up some new tarte mascara (all natural) at ulta. 

{find it here}.

two.
jewelery shopping at charming charlies. that place is amazing! 
one of my favorite items i picked up was this statement ring:

one.

thrifting. i got a pair of skinny jeans that fit perfectly. score.

{my mom's sunglasses are thrifted too. aren't they awesome?!}

hope you enjoy your weekend! we have a big week ahead: my 26th birthday & our 4 year anniversary!

high five for friday.

happiest of fridays to you! here's a look back at the past seven days of my life...

five.

i spent a morning at the beach...a mile away from our house!

{heaven}.

four.

since we have three bedrooms in our new place, one of those gets to be my "art" space. i've spent some time getting the room set up...now if i can only find my art journal hidden somewhere in a box! :( 

three.

slowly but surely, i'm starting to work out again. i've been jogging through our neighborhood and have used this youtube video a few times. anyone else have any great free online fitness videos to share?

two.

i'm enjoying the seventy degree days vs the ninety degree days. i love summer, but it's nice to have a break from the oppressive heat. 

one.

if you ever come to Connecticut, you have to go enjoy a delicious meal at Chip's. i'm usually not a huge breakfast person, but this meal was incredible!

coconut + almond + chocolate chip pancakes and a california omelette! 

linking up with lauren for high five for friday. 

happy weekend everyone!

high five for friday.

here i am, on thursday evening reflecting on the past week. it's been a week full of peace & settling in. i enjoyed lots of time getting things set up here and finally bought groceries! {one of the coolest things i discovered here is that they put RIPE stickers on their avocados. SO helpful! am i the only one who had the worst time picking the right avocado?!}

here are five wonderful things about the past seven days... 

five.

i enjoyed the beautiful 80 degree weather on our deck.



four.
we had dinner with our friends Rachel and Felix who just moved to Connecticut from Michigan too! such a great time of conversation and lots of hugs from their three adorable kids.


three.
made this DIY beauty treatment. my skin feels amazing!!

two.
scored some awesome thrifting finds. two new {to me} pairs of shoes! already worn them both. l o v e! 

one.
my baby officiated a wedding. so proud. :)

{he looks SO good in a suit.}

linking up with lauren for high five for friday.

happy weekend!

high five for friday!

happy friday everyone!
i link up with lauren every week to share five things that made my week great!


five.

we got an outdoor table and umbrella! LOVE it. can't wait till it's not 90 and we can sit out there :) 

four.
j & i sang at our friend's wedding. it was so beautiful! (he looks HOT in a suit :)

three.

i got a neon mani inspired by andrea. yeah, she inspires me a lot...:)

two.

we braved the heat and went to a parade on the 4th of july!

one.
the incredible lindsay from out of alabaster sent me the silhouettes that i won from mandy's blog.
i am in love.
cannot WAIT to display it in our new home!

{isn't it amazing?? and she got every little hair of mine perfectly!}

have a great weekend everyone!

high five for friday.

hey everyone! hope you had a great week. mine was filled with getting settled in our new home. i am so lucky to have a husband who cares about decorating and arranging. he could be on HGTV. seriously.

here are five bright moments from my week: 

five.

getting my jewelry organized and displayed was a must. {priorities, right?} 

here are my earrings and necklaces: 
{still getting my rings and bracelets organized}

you can find the DIY directions for the earring organizer here.

four.

living five minutes from IKEA is a blessing.

three.

i took a break from the oil cleanse method for a few months, but i started it again and my skin is thanking me! you can read about the OCM here.

two.

we enjoyed a wonderful dinner overlooking the water this week. the salmon was amazing!

one.

i am enjoying the unlimited possibilities that this part of our lives holds.
i'm now an east coast girl!

i link up with lauren every friday. you should too! :)

high five for friday.

phew, it's friday. {anybody else feel that way?}  hope your week has been fabulous! i'm linking up with lauren to celebrate the past week! and what a whirlwind it has been! here's a glimpse into the last seven days in my world...


five.

we drove 14 hours and moved to connecticut. no biggie.
i've learned that connecticut citizens are crazy drivers, extremely blunt and exceptionally friendly.

four.

i enjoyed some sushi from trader joe's. yes. 

three.
we started painting our new place. traded in the pink walls & fireplace with a fresh green + white.

two.
the deck is my favorite.

one.

the giveaway winner of "I Receive Your Love" is: RUTH!! (email me your mailing address: erica.simpson1@gmail.com, and i will get the CD sent out asap!!) congrats!

wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

high five for friday

i link up with lauren and so many others every friday to celebrate fun parts of my week.

it's a great way to keep my perspective on sightings of joy, blessings and relationships i'm so grateful for! {this often comes in the small things, like necklaces and coffee and manicures}. 

here are my top five for this friday...

five. 

had the best girls night ever. five hours of heart to heart conversation and sushi!! 

(yeah, they fed it to me... :)

four.

tomorrow we get to sing at our first wedding for the season. my dear friend kate is marrying the love of her life, jimmy. excited to be a part of their wedding day!

three.

i love how i have been connected with people i never would have known outside of the blog world. my sweet friend chrissy wrote this post and incuded me in it. so thoughtful.

two.

i've seen this necklace floating around blog land (the original was j crew for like $100) but i scored this version at Charlotte Russe for $5!! 

one.

spent the most wonderful afternoon with j on our porch.


the happiest of fridays to YOU!

high five for friday.

this week flew by! we had a blast on memorial day floating in the lake...SO relaxing! 

here are five highlights from my week:

five.

i got to see my girl rachel. 13 years of friendship and going strong!

four.

this sweet note from jeremy's grandma. 

(she has arthritis so it probably took her a while to write this...i will keep this forever :) 

three.

i fried tilapia and made a lemon cream sauce to go with it! 

SO delicious. here's the recipe.

two.

we are still trying to sell our house. we've had lots of showings, but no offers yet.

it's kinda fun to be kicked out of your house for an hour because i go to a cafe and get a scone and read fashion magazines. 

one.

i found the cutest blog that i have to share with you all. 

for the love of.

she makes pregnancy look like a million bucks. her style is so fun. and she has amazing DIY's. 

have a great weekend!

high five for friday.

happy memorial day weekend! we have plans to go to my family's lake cottage! bring on the floating, boating and relaxing! :) 

here are five highlights from my week:

five.

the amazing wedges i scored while on vacation. 

(they were 10 dollars, so i got both colors :)

four.

last sunday, jeremy and i were in a concert at a local church.
there's nothing quite like singing with a full orchestra and 200 voice choir! it was awesome!

three.

my earrings came from the giveaway i won!

sweet laura wrote me this note too. made my day!

two.

jeremy's CD arrived this week!! SO excited to see this dream of his fulfilled. i will post details next week about how you can purchase your copy online! (and i'll be doing a giveaway with one of his cd's for a lucky reader! :) 

one.

tonight is the CD release and farewell concert for us before we move to Connecticut in a few weeks. if you are in the Grand Rapids area, you won't want to miss this!

have a great l-o-n-g weekend!! 

♥erica