HAPPY

 Happy, what it truly means to be happy now. I thought I was happy before my illness. Being a wife & mom was everything and anything I’ve ever wanted, dreamed of, prayed for, you name it! To get to be those, I considered myself so very fortunate. I also had a girl and a little boy on the way, a dream come true! I have a husband who loves me unconditionally & we both have families who love & support us whom we get to see all the time (we’re just a very close, tight-knit family) and for that I will forever be grateful. What more could a girl ask for?! Before getting sick I felt this void though, it’s hard to explain. I struggled with the fact that a lot of my best friends lived in different places (even if it is just on the outskirts of where we live). I mean my best friend from high school is right down the road on the outskirts, but it still takes forever to try and work out a play date or what not, so we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like. Same goes with my best friends from college. Then comes COVID & the world just becomes dark, sad, & for some… lonely. Individuals are fighting over whether or not your vaccinated or unvaccinated. Loved ones are dying & people can’t attend their funerals! You all lived it / are living in it, so you get my drift. Anyways, this is all over the place, so I’m sorry! I am actually working on a post to talk about everything that I’ve experienced this past year. It’s raw, I’m vulnerable, & it’s simply the truth about everything…. How I felt physically & mentally. I finally feel like I am able to share because maybe I can help someone that’s going through a similar situation, because I have felt soooo alone. I am working on that now & will be up on my 1 year diagnosis anniversary. It is by no means for any sympathy whatsoever, it is strictly this is what happened to me, this is my life, and this is how I got to where I am today. Obviously, it is not an easy journey… I still struggle myself & cry more than I’d like to admit. I’m also the happiest I’ve been since I don’t recall when. I thought I was happy, but I am truly, truly happy. When you get sick with an illness such as mine (I don’t know if any of y’all have googled Antisynthetase Syndrome or Interstitial Lung Disease), but the prognosis on Google is very grim and you know we had to live through that, the unknowns, the waiting on answers, etc. I’m still absolutely terrified of what my future holds, but I am I just trusting God. I’ve always been a strong believer. I’ve obviously had my ups and downs of going to church and you know I’m a sinner. I’m human & I am by nowhere near the Christian that I want to be or the one that I am striving to be, but my relationship with God has never been closer. I had to pretty much lay it all out to him and you know give my life to him fully. Trust in him with every single aspect of my life. I’ve done that and the blessings keep flowing in. I am still not healed and I do struggle with that. I might not ever get healed so that is something that is a mental struggle every single day and something that since I’m human, I have asked God why, why me? Still you know I get frustrated with it and I get scared if I’m being truthful, but with that being said I look at life so differently. I have always been appreciative of life, like I said, I have been thankful for everything and I have known how fortunate and blessed I have been in this life, but to view life the way I do now. I cherish every single moment, I am very slow to anger, very slow to get annoyed. I truly live each day like it is my last. & you know this might not be forever, I might go back to getting annoyed about the little things and stuff, but for now and for the foreseeable future, I feel like this this is my life.  The kids make a mess, I am absolutely thankful for that mess. The kids cry and won’t stop crying, I’m absolutely thankful that they are crying and that they need me. It’s just such a different way of living and I don’t know if any of y’all have experienced this feeling, it’s just really hard to explain. I don’t really know where I’m going with it all, but all I can say is that yeah I’m just very thankful for every day I’m here. I also don’t care about material things. I love clothes, I majored in fashion (before nursing) & started blogging right out of college, but that is just something that does not matter to me anymore. I’ve always known that it’s not the most important thing and you know material items should never be given much authority over your life. I’ve always known that material items should never be the front of anything, but I did spend too much of my time into it. I would aimlessly scroll trying to find the newest, latest, & greatest! I would over purchase when I knew I shouldn’t, just to post content. I wanted to be big, so I could stay home & be with my kids! With blogging (in my case) you just go down a rabbit hole of clothes and you do get caught up in it, you also think things like “her life looks perfect, blah blah blah”, you go down th-at rabbit hole as well and that is just toxic and that’s not healthy for anyone. I see that now and now I’m like oh good for her she’s got a new car, she’s got that new outfit that’s awesome, I’ve got my husband, two kids, a roof over our head, and I’m thankful that I’m alive today! It sounds silly, but anyway I still love following fashion bloggers. I’ve made incredible relationships with some real women in this industry! I don’t mean this in any negative way at all & I definitely still love buying cute clothes. I’m just telling you my story and how my life has changed in regards to social media. I’m glad there are so many great woman out there to follow & that I don’t need to browse as much anymore, because they are browsing for me!!! Moving on to relationships. I don’t need anyone that isn’t going to love me the way I love them in my life. I will love them and I will pray for them, but I only want to be surrounded by people that build people up. People that don’t talk about people in toxic ways. People that just make you feel better when you left them than when arrived, and you already felt good upon arrival! Those are the relationships that I want and that I need and God has fulfilled that. I have my old best friends that I still have such strong relationships with. I know that they will be there for me whenever I need them. Gosh, the amount of people that showed up when I got sick, it was indescribable! I had Florence friends, high school friends, sorority sisters that I haven’t spoken to in years reach out to me weekly. It was just a really eye-opening experience and it really touched my heart. I also had individuals not reach out at all, ones that I thought would & that was a hard pill to swallow at the time.  The ones that were there for the good, the bad, the ugly, those are the people that I want to keep in my life. Those that listened to me cry non-stop, that prayed over me. What a blessing those people are in my life. God has provided me with a new group of friends and they already know my story and they love me and I mean, I feel like I’ve been best friends with some of them forever and I just met them. I feel very fulfilled in my relationships. They are Christ loving women and you just feel better when you are with them. That is all I’ve ever prayed for and wanted.  I know that these women love my children just as much as I do (you know what I mean, not as much as I do, but you get what I’m saying). I’m just grateful for this community and this new era of life. I’m still sick, but I am happy, I am living. We have our struggles obviously. We don’t have as much money as we used to because I no longer work. Our grocery bills have gone up significantly due to my new healthy lifestyle. I got rid of everything toxic in our house, and had to buy a ton of new products. I lost a significant amount of weight so had to buy a new wardrobe. So there’s been a lot of adjustments and changes. A lot of struggles that we are still struggling and figuring out, but God is providing, He is showing up everywhere,  and it’s just incredible. I thought if you were out there struggling that maybe this could, you know, brighten your day. Also, turn off the news… I am a news junkie & love to be educated in everything that’s going on, but boy, it’ll cause you to have a heart attack, so just turn off the news & surround yourself with God loving people. Be the best version of you that you can be and continue to work to be better every single day. I’ll leave you at that. A stronger relationship with God is truly the key to happiness! Stay tuned for my post about everything that I’ve gone through this year and if you could continue to pray, my next lung function test is in the middle of January. I am just praying for good news, that my lungs will show no interstitial lung disease.  I’m leaving it all up to God, and that’s all I can do. I just want to say thank you for the people that have stuck by me this year and for the people that have been there for me during the worst of times. Those that have texted me through everything and just been my biggest cheerleaders. Like I said, there were people that I haven’t spoken to in years that literally texted me weekly and some of my friends texted & called me every single day.  I had family members & friends researching anything & everything tying to help figure out what was wrong with me, find doctors that would see me, etc. My cousin reached out to her doctor friends to find out who the best rheumatologist was. My coworkers at my old job did the sweetest thing ever. They provided us with months of fun activities because we were living in isolation and we didn’t know what my future held. I’m just extremely thankful from the bottom of my heart to each and everyone of you. I love you and I wish you all the Merriest Christmas. This time last year I didn’t get to enjoy much, so this year I am going all out and doing everything and anything. Taking all the pictures & probably posting way too much, but you only live one life and I need a place to go if my daughter drops my phone in the water because I have no pics printed! Note to self, print the pics asap. Alright, goodnight and if you’re still reading this woaaah! Thank you!!! 

Q&A Answers

 Hey hey! Here are the answers to the Q&A! I always enjoy this!!! As always, you can send me a DM anytime you want something answered & I’ll get back with you ASAP!

What is the wall color in your house? 

Silver Satin! It’s actually the same color that’s in my parents as well!!! It looks more tan in our house though, when compared to my parents! 

When will your bathroom remodel be complete? 

Good question! We actually hit pause on the bathroom renovations because we have house plans for an addition  🙌🏼🎉 My husband finally agreed to getting an architect to see what our house could become & boy is it everything I imagined & more! Downside, lumbar prices & inflation 👎🏼 Our quotes have been literally the cost of a new house, if not more, so we’ve hit pause on the addition as of right now! Hoping by next summer prices will be down & we can hit go! Even if it takes 5 years, so be it! It will give us everything we need & more!!! We love where we are & we are in no rush to (hopefully) end up in our forever home!!! We’ve showed the plans to our family & friends, but will probably keep everything private until it actually takes place! So long story short (even though that was long)…. The bathrooms will be turned into other things in the addition, so no need to redo them when they will be knocked down! We are going to do a few cheaper quick fixes to the bathrooms though, so make sure you’re following along! We are also tearing down our current shed due to mold issues & building a new one! This will serve as Taylor’s office, extra closet space, & a shed until we can hit go on the addition!

Splurge/Budget first baby item must haves

We splurged on the rocker/glider & it was 100% worth it because I lived in that chair! Make sure it’s something comfortable, especially if you are planning on nursing!!! Another splurge I couldn’t live without was the Owlet! It gave me extreme peace of mind! I am a worry wort though, especially when it comes to my child! I’m pretty sure HSA covers them now!!! Budget friendly first items that were a must… I didn’t know I needed this until someone gifted it to us, the kick piano! It entertained Scottie for hrs!!! Tubby Todd all over ointment cream, cleaned up any skin issues my little one ever experienced! Velcro swaddles from Amazon, cheap & worked the best compared to the expensive ones! I’m sure there’s more! I’ll keep thinking on this one, but these stood out! 

Recipes

Girl, I don’t cook, haha!!! My husband actually does most of the cooking! He’s currently teaching me & I’ve been trying some recipes myself! I do the grocery shopping & he does the cooking! That’s kinda our thing right now! I know this is a department I need to work in, so I really am trying! I’ll share as I learn though! Does that work?!! 

Are you done with work? 

I went back to casual status awhile back to enjoy the summer! That’s 3 shifts every 6 weeks (to keep my nursing license current). I actually just signed one last full time contract before the baby! I’ll be going back to work next weekend! Wish me luck!!! 

How tall are you? 

5 ft 5 1/2 in (yes, I give myself the 1/2 🤣) 

Where to find good finds other than FBM? 

Good question! I need the answer to this as well! FBM has been bumming me out lately too!!! 

What is your baby’s name? I see you use G in your post. 

We are keeping the name private from social spaces at the moment! Just seems right at the moment! Last time around, we didn’t share with anyone until she was born (that was so hard) this go around, we’ve shared with family & friends!!! 

Due date? I’m expecting a baby boy as well!

Nov. 1st! & CONGRATULATIONS!!! So excited for you & your growing family! 

Alrighty! That was a quick & easy one! I’ll do another one soon!!! ☺️

ISLAMORADA - FLORIDA GUIDE #1

Pareo // Sunglasses // Similar Hat

Hey Friends! HAPPY THURSDAY! I feel like I go way too long in between blog posts! I am working on all the Florida guides, and I can't wait to continue sharing!!! The first one is on our first stop, which was Islamorada, FL. Our original plan was to stop in Palm Beach and stay at the Colony Hotel! S was doing so well, we just decided to continue driving! We randomly booked a place called The Islander. We arrived at 11 PM on Thursday night. Our first thoughts of the place when we pulled up was oh gosh, what did we do! It looked like an old Motel from the street. As we walked into the Lobby we were immediately relieved! The receptionist told us the rooms had all been redone post all the hurricanes a few years ago. To our surprise our room was absolutely precious!!! Our biggest surprise came the next day though! We stepped outside our room, and BAM, PARADISE FOUND! The beach was absolutely stunning!!! All the lounge chairs were spaced out at a COVID friendly distance. There were cabanas you could rent for the day! We did that Friday, and it was so worth it with a child! S napped under the cabana while we lounged in the sun! There is wait staff that serve you while out on the beach or by the pool! It honestly didn't feel like a 3-star hotel, more like a 4-star for sure! Quick detour... when we were reading reviews we noticed a lot of complaints about the restaurant at The Islander. We did eat breakfast there that morning, and I can see why there were lots of negative reviews! I hate even saying that, because I hate saying anything negative, but I want to be as transparent and honest with you guys! Our breakfast was wonderful, but our waitress was pretty rude, and our food did come out all wrong! It was all fixed eventually, and the food really was good! I did just want to throw that out there if ya'll are reading the reviews and wondering about it! Okay, back to the beach and pool part! We ate lunch in our cabana, and it was good! Also, the wait staff around the beach and pool were absolutely wonderful! S had her first virgin Pina Colada and LOVED it!!! My Mom, Dad, and I were completely blown away by this places beauty! It was a hidden gem that we are so lucky to have stumbled upon! We met the nicest family while we were in the pool and they mentioned they vacation at The Islander often! They rent the villas, and they talked highly of them! They also mentioned how wonderful all the food was off the resort! They told us to go to Square Grouper for dinner. We did and BOY was it DELICIOUS!!! It was half indoor, half outdoor, so my parents felt comfortable eating there! I will say either show up really early, or really late, because there was an hour wait at prime dinner time. I would highly recommend Square Grouper! It was phenomenal! Another place they recommended for dinner was Bad Boy Burrito, said it was the best burrito joint! For best view, they mentioned Lorelei Restaurant & Cabana Bar (they did say the food was awful, but the cocktails were good). We only got to try the restaurants at the Resort and Square Grouper, but we wish we would of been able to try way more! For breakfast they mentioned Midway Cafe & Coffee Bar. We did attempt to go there, but they were way too packed for my Mom's comfort level. Must mean it's good though!!! Saturday morning we hung out by the pool for a couple of hours before we left for our next destination, Hawks Cay (which will be the next blog post). We would all 100% recommend staying at The Islander! We definitely plan on returning!!! Here are some fun pics from our amazing time spent at The Islander! Hope you enjoyed this post!!! xOxO, T

Pareo // Bangles // Sunglasses // Similar Hat

Dress // Earrings

Similar Dress // Hat

Dress // Similar Shoes

Coverup // Hat

Pajamas 

 

NEW THINGS HAPPENING

 Hi Friends! Happy Wednesday! This will be a long one, so thank you in advance if you read the whole thing! I’m so appreciative of you all!!! 

On Monday, I opened up about what’s been weighing heavy on my chest! I told you all that I’d share what this meant for Bows&Buoys moving forward! Don’t worry, I will definitely be sharing children & adult clothing with you, as well as home inspiration! I have a passion for fashion & design & I want to continue sharing pretty things with you all! I however made it a goal of mine to not buy anything February through April, for Scottie & I both (in regards to clothing that is). I did buy some Spring stuff this past month (up until Jan. 31st if I’m being honest) for the both of us & I will be sharing it as it comes in! Wanted to share that part because I don’t want to cause any confusion when you do see new stuff coming in the weeks to come (some was also preorder & won’t arrive until March)! I will also continue working with brands I love & that means wearing clothes I picked out, that were gifted to me! I only do collaborations with brands I truly love & have shopped with before! I’m forever grateful for brands that collaborate with me & give me the opportunity to keep sharing!!!

I will share a ton of outfit & home inspiration in the LIKEtoKNOW.it app, as well as let y’all know in my stories! It will be more of a “what I wish I had in my cart” posts! Or I’ll post mine & Scottie’s clothes, with something similar linked!!! I’m going to do more pic collages as well!!! 

I am also going to give myself a dedicated time to be on Instagram! During that time, I will post all content, respond to DM’s & engage! I’m not quite sure what that time will be, as I’ll be experimenting over the next few weeks. Idk if it will be during her nap time (since Taylor is also working), or night time once Scottie & Taylor have gone to bed! It might even end up being different times each day, depending on what we have going on! 

I have found myself on Instagram too much lately &  I want to focus more on God & Family! 

I hope you all understand & will continue following me on this journey! It is a dream of mine to hit 10k & give you all a swipe up, haha!!! 

Thanks for hanging around & reading this novel!!!! 

Lots of love, 

Ty 

CHRISTMAS GUIDE FOR BABY GIRL 1

 MY FIRST GIFT GUIDE - CHRISTMAS 2020

BABY/TODDLER GIRLS

PLUSH TOYS/DOLLS/DOLL ACCESSORIES

1. Penelope The Flamingo

S has Penelope in the little size! She is absolutely adorable! Plus, 1 doll feeds 10 families!!! I absolutely love this company! We will continue collecting these dolls for years to come!

2. Charlotte The Dog

S has Charlotte in the regular size! She loves to give Charlotte lots of kisses, and she says, "dog, dog, dog" non-stop!

3. Mia The Dog

Mia in the little size is on our wishlist! Maybe Valentines Day?!! 

4. Hannah The Bunny

Hannah will be added to S's collection this Christmas, in the regular size! I absolutely love her sweet design! Hannah comes in two colors! We ultimately decided on the ivory, since she already had two pink dolls!

5. Blanky

S has this blanket in the bigger size, but we might buy the smaller size for her doll! We are hoping she really starts playing with dolls in the future.... Can you tell?! 

6. Strolley

This has been on my wishlist for S for FOREVER! I actually just bought a different one for much less, but I don't think it will be in on time for Christmas (so I didn't link it). 

7. Doll Rattan Cart

Have you ever seen anything cuter?!! Another item I will be keeping my eye on for S!

8. Vintage Rose Teddy

I think this teddy is the sweetest teddy I have ever seen! I am definitely contemplating getting S both of the floral bears for Christmas! Such an awesome price!

9. Floral Teddy

Same as above, absolutely obsessed!

10. Bitty Baby

I had a Bitty Baby, and I hear I was obsessed!!! We are going to do this for her Birthday probably (when she's a little older). I'm hoping to find my Bitty Baby before then, so that we don't have to buy one!

11. Doll High Chair 

Every doll needs a high chair, am I right?! I can picture it now, the whole family... plus DOLLY around the dinner table!

12. Little G Plush Toy

S has this one in the elephant, and she LOVES it! Soooo super soft, and very sweet! Perfect for a baby!!!

13. Doll Changing Table

I feel like this is definitely for older girls, but I can see my nieces LOVING this!

14. Baby Doll

S has this baby doll! It stays at her grandmothers, but she loves it so much we are thinking about getting her it for Christmas to have at our house! 

15. Doll Vintage Pram

Talk about FABULOUS!!! That is all I have to say! 

16. Doll Closet

Again, another item for older girls! It was just too cute not to share!

17. Doll Cheerleading Outfit

I think this is sooo fun! A sweet doll cheerleader is the cutest thing in my opinion! I was a cheerleader in high school, so maybe that's why I am obsessed!

18. Storage Crib

Put DOLLY to bed, in STYLE!

19. Teddy Bear

I have wanted one of these dolls for S forever!!! They were out of stock for the longest time! If you want one, I highly recommend jumping on it! They have the most beautiful patterns!!!

20. Beach Chair & Umbrella Set

How fun is this?!! I mean, sunbathing in style! 

21. Rattan Doll Pram

Another OBSESSION! A girl can dream for her daughter right??! 

22. Sleep Doll

S is getting this sweet, soft doll for Christmas! It has lavender on it, so it is supposed to be used to help her fall asleep! I love the idea of her snuggling this cutie right before bed!

Alright folks, that is my first gift guide! I hope you enjoyed!!! I am working on little boys, older girls, women and men gift guides! If you have any request, DM me! I love helping in any way possible!

MARIE OLIVER SALE

Hey Guys! It's been awhile!!! I am working on some gift guides for all of you, as well as working on the Q&A blog post from the other day! Enough of that though, the real reason I am popping on here to make a blog post is because of the Marie Oliver SALE! Marie Oliver is one of my all time favorite brands! They offer classic, fun, vibrant pieces, that will stand the test of time! I have never seen a Marie Oliver piece that I haven't LOVED! They are offering an exclusive early access HOLIDAY SALE!!! 40% off side wide with CODE: BRIGHTFRIDAY (excludes masks and new holiday arrivals). Ya'll this sale is AMAZING! Below I have created a boutique of all of my favorites from the SALE! 

There are sooo many more items that I love, but I went through every item and selected a few of my favorites, so that it wouldn't be overwhelming! FYI: Sizing - I am a size small in all Marie Oliver, there are some pieces where I could wear an xsmall, but I usually always get a small! Here are a few pics of items that I already own, and love! They are all included in the sale! Each item is tagged in the boutique as well as below the image. 

~ MARIE OLIVER PIECES I OWN ~

Dress // Sunglasses // Similar Jacket // Similar Suede Boots 

Top // Necklace // Sunglasses

Dress // Sunglasses // Earrings

Top // Sunglasses

I also have shared some of my new pieces in my Instagram story! If you need any help with anything, just shoot me a DM on Instagram! It's the easiest way for me to connect!!! Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed! :) I'll be back soon, I promise!

 

ZULILY FINDS