Did anyone else experience the post-pregnancy clothes buying surge? After seemingly wearing the same two dresses, one shirt, and one pair of shorts for my final two months, I was ready for something new!! My buying “spree” resulted in three finds I want to tell you about…

Not me, but I kind of really want those pants :)

First up: these jean shorts from, of all places, American Eagle. My maternity jean shorts (which I LIVED in this summer) had a longer inseam than my normal ones, and when I put back on my normal ones after Shep’s birth, they just felt… short. I remembered my friend Shay sharing that she wore AE ones, and sure enough, with a 4″ inseam, their “midi” style is just longer than the jean options available at most stores. They are quite stretchy and run small, so I’d recommend sizing up a size or two.

Next: this shirt. Also from American Eagle. (What?!) It is soft and cozy, but also looks pulled together. Also, nursing-friendly! And I feel like a character in a Nancy Meyers movie when I wear it, so there’s that. I first bought the white, then when I went to link this post last night, I bought the blue because it’s now on super sale and I love it so much. I sized up to a medium (I usually wear a small or XS) for a looser fit.

Finally: these jeans. I CANNOT say enough good things about them, and am joining the chorus of several friends who also sing their praises. I have previously been a J.Crew and LOFT jeans gal, but these outshine them both. At the risk of sounding rhapsodic, from the minute I stuck my foot inside I could tell they were well made, with the right amount of stretch and a great weight to the denim. I love the wash, I love the high waist, and I love that they look great cuffed or straight. Plus, they’re a great price – $60 on sale right now! And they feel SO GOOD on. Would highly recommend if you’re in the market! (These fit true-to-size for me.)

After reading this post from Young House Love, I realized I’m inching toward my own “uniform”… and it looks like a lot of dusty blue, navy, denim, white/cream, and tan. (That’s why I chose the photo above – it would fit right in in my closet!) There might be a post in the making as I explore this more, if you’re interested! :)

P.S. Early evidence of my uniform here and here.

Affiliate links are used in this post!

Tonight is the third anniversary of Articles Club!

When Stephanie and I launched our experiment three years ago — by inviting total strangers into our homes, no less — this introvert had no idea what to expect and was more than a little nervous. What a happy surprise and abundant blessing our monthly gatherings (and the ladies who gather) have been to me ever since! More than the articles we read, the gift is in tucking in around a table with ladies who are different in many ways — younger, older, married, single, mamas and not — but all united by their curious minds, care for one another, and interest in our world.

If you’ve ever wanted to start something like this, do it. And if you just want to follow along at home, read on – I’m sharing a few of the articles we read together in the last year! :)

Patriotism
John McCain’s Farewell Letter
Straining to Keep Faith with America

Routines
Lessons Learned from 98 Morning Routines
Routines: Comforting or Confining?
I Tried Seven Different Morning Routines – Here’s What Made Me Happiest

Sustainable Fashion
Why Consumers Forget Unethical Business Practices
Behind a $13 Shirt, a $6-an-Hour Worker
What is Sustainable Fashion and Why is it so Expensive?

Race in America
What Does it Mean to be White
Action Items for New Allies
When White Parents Won’t Integrate Public Schools

Parenting Now
How to Raise an American Adult
Seven Reasons We Hate Free-Range Parenting
12 Rules for Life

The Magic of Summer
How to Celebrate Like the Nordics
Going for a 1970s Summer
Fireworks are our Shining Stars of Summer

Being Stuck
How You Get Unstuck
Why We Feel Stuck in Life and the Secret to Dealing With It
Feeling Less than Grateful? Some People are Just Wired that Way

The Mystery of Personality
Inside the Enneagram
The Combination to Your Team’s Recurring Problem
Personality Tests are Popular, But Do They Capture the Real You?

Beauty
The Truth About Beauty
Aging and My Beauty Dilemma
What Makes a Pretty Face?

Grab Bag :)
My Year of No Shopping
The Best New Year’s Game
You May Want to Marry My Husband

If you’re so inclined, I’d love for you to share an article or essay in the comments that you’re itching to discuss with someone! Maybe you’ll see it show up in next year’s Articles Club recap :)

P.S. How to host an articles club, and what we read our second year

Friends, ten years ago to the day I wrote my first ever blog post. You can still view it here, just like every other post I’ve written since — posts about weddings, mostly, at first. A heck of a lot of inspiration boards. Little bits of lovely before Pinterest came along. Funny DIYs :)

And then, here and there, a more personal post. Longer ones. A few poems, so close to my heart. A new name and site design.

A turning point. Another one. Another one.

A passion project begun. Scary posts to write and sad ones and the most joyful. So many adventures, so many anniversaries, so many goals.

Posts on this blog have changed my life. Some of you have been kind enough to write that they’ve changed yours, too.

Sneak peek of our newborn session with Graham! :)

Even aside from catapulting blog posts, a lot changes in a decade. You’ve graciously watched me become a college graduate, a North Carolinian, an editor, a first-time-apartment dweller, a fiancee, a wife, a homeowner, a person-who’s-been-to-Europe, a mama, and a mama again. And all along the way, writing this blog has not only been a place to capture those changes, but a cause of them.

Because before I was any of those things, I was a writer. Writing is the way I’ve processed, held myself accountable, and grown since I was young. Writing is a way of becoming, for me. “In the end, people don’t view their life as merely the average of all of its moments — which, after all, is mostly nothing much plus some sleep,” wrote Atul Gawande in Being Mortal. “For human beings, life is meaningful because it is a story.” Yes.

I have shared many times about the importance of the narratives we create and believe about ourselves. Writing here invites me to make meaning out of my days, to decide what I believe about the things I do and the things that happen to me, the person I was and the person I am becoming. That person matters. She shapes generations. (You, of course, do as well.)

So yes, writing this blog matters deeply to me. This is my story I’m telling, but it’s not just me. It’s mostly my parents. It’s a whole lot my high school English teacher. It’s a heaping portion of John. It’s every wise, kind, talented, thoughtful person I’ve ever come in contact with. And it’s all God.

I hope that you have found something here over the last ten years that has made your life better, and allowed you to be better for other people. I know that I am better for writing here, and for being accountable to you all. If nothing else, blogging has kept the shine in my glittering eyes, seeing magic everywhere I least expect it, and that is a marvelous way to go through life.

Finally, friends, thank you for reading. I began addressing my posts to “friends” in the beginning because it just seemed like that’s what people did. Now when I write “friends,” I picture real people who have encouraged, inspired, and challenged me, even if we’ve never met in person. You all bless me greatly. To ten more years together!

P.S. The history of this blog, and one of my favorite quotes about blogging ever.

P.P.S. I have a MASSIVE anniversary thank you giveaway to share tomorrow – you will not want to miss it!!!

Over the last three years of making (and sharing) June in June, I’ve had many questions about how we film and edit these yearly movies of our daughter. It’s surprisingly easy to create a really fun and halfway decent finished product if you have just a few tools and tips, with the end result being something you’ll treasure forever. Today I’m sharing our best practices, if you’d like to try it yourself!

TIPS FOR FILMING:

— Pick one month where you commit to having your cameras more readily at hand and filming multiple clips a day. The idea of capturing everything all year is daunting and overwhelming to me, but one month I can do! Even though kids change so much month-to-month, when we’re looking back from the vantage point of an eighteenth birthday, I think 18 mini movies will be enough for us :)
–We shoot almost all of our clips with my iPhone. (I have a 7 Plus – John has a 5S, so we don’t use his too often, ha!) The quality it produces is pretty incredible. We also have a GoPro, which we’ve used for underwater and action shots in a few movies! Very important: don’t forget to shoot horizontally!!
— Always film slightly longer than you think you need to – you never know when an extra half second will help you time something with the music, and it’s always better to have more footage rather than less.
— To help with editing, aim for variety in all ways! Film some scenes where your child is aware of, and interacting with, the camera, and some where he or she is not. Film multiple versions or angles of the same scene (like I did to create the opening montage of June watering flowers in Volume 3), as well as multiple versions of the same action over several days (like the opening sidewalk montage in Volume 2!). Film up close to your subjects and film from a distance. Film your subjects walking past the camera and towards the camera and away from the camera. Film them sitting and reading and film them running/walking/swinging/dancing/jumping.
— Just like with photos, try to shoot in good light – but don’t let “bad” light discourage you. Some of the sweetest moments happen in the evening or in the bathtub in a windowless bathroom :)
— Make sure to get both parents in front of the camera, as well as any siblings, family members, or friends that are particularly important to their life right now. Same goes for places you frequent, favorite activities, everyday routines, and funny habits or mannerisms — anything that’s a marker of their life at this age.

TIPS FOR EDITING:

— I edit in iMovie, a program included with Macs. Since I’m far from a professional, keeping the editing simple and classic results in the most polished product. I don’t use a theme and generally don’t use transitions between clips (I did in Volume 1, so you can see what a “fade to black” transition between each clip looks like there, if you’d like!). I almost always use the “expand” title for text.
— We use Amazon Prime for phone photo backup. At the end of the month I download all of the videos from our back-up to my computer, delete any I definitely won’t use, then load the rest into iMovie. I usually use at least a piece of about 2/3 of the clips from the month (but that means about 1/3 end up on the cutting room floor).
— I purchase my song choice from iTunes, which easily loads into iMovie. Song choice is critical! I am on the hunt year-round for possible June in June songs, and store any possibilities in a note on my phone. If you’re stuck, try perusing Spotify playlists that fit with the feeling you’re trying to capture – they’re always a treasure trove of new-to-me songs and artists!
— I like to include a clip at some point where I can hear laughter or talking, since their voices change so much. Cue all the mamas sobbing in the corner.
— Switch things up! Here’s where you’re grateful for the variety of clips you captured! :) Mix close up and pulled back shots and quick switches with a few longer shots (like at :44 in Volume 3) to give the viewer a chance to breathe.
— Don’t leave a clip on the cutting room floor because something is out of place. This is meant to capture your real life — don’t stress about your messy house in the background or your hair looking weird. The sweetest and most memorable moments are not fancy – some of my favorites in Volume 2 include June eating oatmeal in our bathroom and her ridiculous camping bedhead.
— Three minutes is my max finished length – I usually shoot for between 2:00 and 2:30. This year’s was 2:45.

Most of all, remember this video is for you. Childhood passes all too quickly, and these yearly videos are my favorite way to capture all those things we’re so likely to forget: the length of their hair, their baby chub, the way they walk and run, their smile, the way they hold a spoon, the outfits they wear on repeat… all those things that, years later, will make you say, “Oh wow, I almost forgot about that…”

Happy filming, friends! If you have any questions I haven’t covered, drop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer!

P.S. For those of you who have asked… YES, we will be making movies for Shep, too! Stay tuned for Sheptember Volume 1 in 2019 :)