Olivia here, again - while Jordan is ruminating on the beauty she's seeing, I thought I'd come by and share an interesting POV; I met Jordan over ten years ago via her blogmates on NonSociety (fun fact: I designed the NonSociety t-shirts...weird) and when Jordan began Ramshackle Glam, I naturally journeyed over here and I've been a loyal reader ever since. There have been so, so many posts of Jordan's which have hit me in the feels, made me laugh, and taught me something; but, there have also been posts of Jordan's which have left me scratching my head or with my hands over my eyes. I'd thought I'd share some of my all-time favorite Ramshackle Glam posts, and a few which made me shake my head. What's your favorite post of Jordan's? Which Ramshackle Glam post made you laugh or cry? I'd love to know!

1. The Great Impossible is one of those posts I bookmarked on my computer and would read almost daily. I almost memorized these lines, "Because marriage is hard – so hard that sometimes it feels impossible. It’s so consuming that when it isn’t working, there’s no lonelier place to be than next to the person you promised to spend forever with." It felt so nice to know other women were having similar thoughts, but also could come back from the thoughts and grow and learn. I feel similar about this post, too. At the time of reading both of them, I felt so seen and heard. Marriage can be tough, and it's okay to talk about the valleys as well as the peaks. In fact, Jordan talks about the fact that 'we don't talk about it' in this post - another fave.

 On a recommendation from a friend, I tried out a wine delivery service called Wine Simple: it creates customized boxes of wine based on your specific tastes, and is a great way to branch out beyond your default picks. How it works: you answer a (fun) series of questions about your tastes in everything from coffee to cheese, are given your "Taste Profile," and get sent a selection chosen just for you. I ended up with three bottles that I wouldn't necessarily have chosen myself, but that I totally loved (all three came to the desert with us, and none returned home).

 You know how Mother's Day cards are usually on the cheesier side? Not these. These are for your mom friends, and they are the best.

 Obsessed with this drop-waist mauve dress.

[Contest is now closed and the winners have been notified via email. Thank you so much to everyone who entered!]

Carrying On has been out for a couple of weeks now, so I thought it was time to celebrate by putting together a little gift for you guys. The book is half-pregnancy-memoir, half-handbook for new mom style, beauty and decor, and contains some of my most personal essays ever (you can read an excerpt here).

Writing this book - much of which was typed out sitting at the little desk in our temporary apartment in the weeks before I gave birth to Goldie - was without a doubt one of the hardest and most rewarding things I've ever done in my life, and it means so much to me to see it out there in the world; thank you to those of you who have already picked up a copy.