I work at a church, so it's normal to pray around the office. It's not even abnormal to be walking through the hallways and see someone laying hands on a coworker in the middle of a highly trafficked doorway. This time, however, they may have crossed the line.

It was a regular morning, and I had been drinking lots of coffee and water as I do to keep myself alert in the wee hours of work. I needed to use the restroom so I walked over, pushed on the door, and felt it hit something. I pushed again, and standing there right inside the entrance to the women's bathroom was a spontaneous prayer circle with women praying and crying. My mind instantly raced with thoughts about how I was going to proceed and if it was rude for me to interrupt and ask them to move over a little so I could get around.

Fortunately, one of them glanced up and saw me so she moved over just enough for me to squeeze by. But now what about the issue of the actual business that I went in there for? Do I wait? What am I supposed to do?

I realized there was another woman in the stall next to me, pondering the same quandary. We had a silent moment of solidarity when we both decided to go for it. After all, the prayer circle picked the location.

I don't recall what the women were praying about, but maybe the sound of rushing water was a metaphor for the power of God rushing into their lives. At least, that's the only explanation I can think of.

This weekend, we threw an early birthday party for Toby, who turns five in a few days. It was such a sweet afternoon. Here are a few photos, if you’d like to see…

As always, we had a picnic in a waterfront meadow in downtown Manhattan, the same place where we had Toby’s parties when he turned one, two, three and four.…

The post Toby’s 5th Birthday Party appeared first on A Cup of Jo.

Fashion trends are fun, but can sometimes feel intimidating. (One example: the ubiquitous “Naked Dress.”) So we chose three of our favorite spring trends and figured out ways to incorporate them into an everyday wardrobe. Our lovely friend Gaby agreed to model…

LOOK #1:

Jumpsuits are hugely popular this year, and for good reason. They’re quick to throw on (just one piece!) and incredibly comfortable. The genius of a jumpsuit is that it looks as stylish as a dress, but is way more versatile — it can take you everywhere from work to dog walking to picnics in the park.

Jumpsuit: Hinge; Vintage clogs: similar here.

LOOK #2:

Overalls are back — we’ve spotted them on women everywhere, looking effortlessly chic. The styling trick? Buckle just one strap and roll the cuffs to prevent looking like a toddler. We especially love them layered with stripes, or paired with a tank top on warmer days.

Overalls: Madewell; Striped sweater: Treasure & Bond; Tote: similar here; Sneakers: Vans

LOOK #3:

A lacy top is a warm weather staple, for hanging out with friends and dinners in gardens. To channel Jane Birkin in the 70s, we love pairing this crochet piece with flared jeans (another big trend) and chunky clogs.

Lace top: Hinge; Vintage jeans: similar here; Vintage clogs: similar here.

What do you think? Which outfit is your favorite? Are you wearing any of these trends this season?

P.S. 9 big trends this spring.

(Photos by Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo. Makeup by Ashlee Glazer. Thanks to our friend Gaby Cetrulo for modeling. This post is sponsored by Nordstrom. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Cup of Jo.)

The post Three Spring Outfits appeared first on A Cup of Jo.

What was your favorite moment from your wedding (or weddings you’ve been to)? Mine was probably the few seconds right before our wedding kiss, when my heart was about to pound out of my chest. Here are 12 amazing photos from Moment Junkie, my favorite place to browse amazing captures…

Above: The arrival.

The bride and maid of honor having a drinking race during their preparation.

The bride had been nervous and shaky all morning. Right after her dad walked her down the aisle, the groom gave her an unexpected kiss to calm her down.

“The bride fist pumps after she wins an impromptu game of rock-paper-scissors with the groom over who would get to read their personal vows first.”

The column.

The weeping groom.

“This moment happened at the end of the wedding ceremony, during the ‘vidai,’ when the bride bids farewell to her family, as she leaves her home and begins a new chapter of her life at the groom’s home. This part of the Hindu ceremony is always emotional, and you can see the bride and her two sisters sharing a very teary but loving hug.”

The fun adult. Every wedding has one!

An awkward moment. Ditto.

“This wedding had the best [Gaelic] ceilidh I’ve ever seen. Their friends here were enthusiastically encouraging the groom to dance down the ‘tunnel’. I love that the bride wants him to as well, her expression is great.”

Dance floor action.

The bride and groom doing the worm and nailing it.

How sweet are these? See many more here.

P.S. More unforgettable moments: A groom does the splits and a first look that will make you cry.

(Photos via Moment Junkie; The awkward moment by Ian Weldon; The arrival by Sergio Cueto; The dance tunnel by Fiona Walsh; The fist pump by Carly Chaney; The fun adult by Jen Ochwat; The race by Jason Shum; The rice fight by Shelley Hartman; The worm by Amanda Kopp; Three sisters by Rahul Khona; Tickle monster by Stori Heleen; Unexpected first kiss by Roberta Matis; The elated groom by David Tam)

The post 12 Unforgettable Wedding Moments appeared first on A Cup of Jo.

What are you up to this weekend? Since reading everyone's podcast recommendations, I've started a new ritual: Some evenings, I'll sneak out for a bike ride along the water and listen to podcasts. (This was one of my favorites.) Also, this weekend, we're taking the boys to the Dumbo carousel to ring in the spring. Hope you have a good one, and here are some fun posts from around the web...

First off, obviously everyone saw this hilarious and amazing skit, right? Love those women so much.

"Things I definitely thought of first."

An ode to rainy-day hair.

Families ditch cars for cargo bikes. So cool.

I want to dress like this girl all summer.

Do you agree with this map of state foods? (I've never had a Michigan pasty!)

Of course Italy has a carpooling app for scooter rides.

5 things happy people have in their homes.

An oral history of Mad Men.

What it feels like to fall asleep. (Sounds about right.)

How to make barista coffee at home.

An (adorable) reason to drink wine.

This family eats ONLY steak. No, but for real.

Hope you have a good one. xo

(Photo of Alex and me from last summer. State foods link via Cupcakes and Cashmere. Steak link via Miss Moss)

My friend Abbey Nova (writer of the blog Design Scouting) is smart, hilarious and always has the best recommendations (including most of the products I currently wear). Here, she shares the secret to getting a good night's sleep, a life-changing hair product and the item she never leaves home without...Read More >

As a sixth grader, I had a major fashion moment: I went on a bike ride around our Michigan suburb wearing a Hypercolor shirt, stonewashed jeans and a fanny pack. I felt so cool that I almost felt embarrassed anticipating how much people would be admiring my ensemble.

Cut to two decades later: People are now riding bikes, wearing fanny packs and actually looking cool. As you may have seen, designers have been releasing highbrow fanny packs this spring and calling them "belt bags." And they're weirdly appealing. Wouldn't it be liberating to go hands free this summer? You could just bring along keys, a $20 bill and a lipstick.

Here are a few pretty ones: leather, black, convertible and striped.

Would you ever wear a fanny pack? Definitely not? Maybe yes?

P.S. 9 spring trends.

So thoughtful, these folks!

(via reddit)

related: Maddie’s turning one! 

 

Spotted by Tom in Newcastle, UK. I had to look closely at the markings to make sure it wasn’t the same fat cat Sam spotted in London a few years back.

related: It takes a village to (not) feed a cat!

Last year was all about normcore—aka wearing stonewashed jeans, fleeces and sneakers like Seinfeld—but this spring, fashion is getting fun again! Here are 9 big trends this spring (what do you think of them?)...

1. Flared jeans. Think: 70's style icons Jane Birkin and Farrah Fawcett. Flared jeans are sultry, flattering and make your legs look miles long. Pair them with a striped shirt and a braid and you're good to go. Picks: These and these.

2. Maxi dresses. This year, they go ALL the way to your feet (no ankles allowed!), but have slits or bare backs that feel irresistibly sexy. Picks: This, this and this.

3. Swing tops. These effortlessly cool shirts cover up any belly and draw attention to your pretty shoulders. Plus, they look great with flared jeans. Picks: This and this.

4. Jumpsuits. One-piece wonders are gorgeous, current and as comfy as wearing pajamas. They're pretty fashion-forward but easier to pull off than you'd think (I tried one on a lark and was surprised). Thoughts? Would you wear one? Picks: This and this.

5. Shirt dresses. Not in a buttoned-up news-anchor-y kind of way, but instead relaxed and bedhead-dy, as if you pulled on his shirt that morning and forgot to wear pants. Picks: This and this.

6. Anoraks. These hooded jackets make you feel like you're walking on an English heath or through a small town in Maine. You can wear them almost year round—layered with jeans and sweaters, or pulled over dresses as spring rolls around. Picks: This and this.

7. Lace-up sandals. I'm not 100% sold on every shoe in this style (they can get crazy!), but the subtler styles can look really sexy. What do you guys think? Picks: These and these.

8. Flatforms. Walking in elevated sandals takes practice, but they make you look tall and lanky, and they're so pretty with jeans or dresses. Picks: These and these.

9. Slides. When my friend Gemma bought these last summer, they reminded me of those sandals you wear into college communal showers so you don't get a foot fungus. But she looked so cute wearing them with slouchy pants, ripped jeans and even summer dresses. Then Jenna Lyons put them in the J.Crew catalog and Gemma's argument was forever won. Picks: These and of course these.

Thoughts? What do you like? Love? Loathe? I would love to hear!

(Photo by Angi Welsch for Madewell)

This week, my dad and brother are visiting for a couple days. As often happens with family, we've been reverting to our childhood selves and making dumb jokes, busting out old nicknames (my brother is Tiny, and I'm Fofie) and giving each other riddles.

This morning's conversation topic? The hardest tongue twister in the world: "Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat."

Seriously, try it, it's impossible. Alex can almost do it but then starts to sound Canadian.

Here's a longer list of tongue twisters, if you're in a nerdy mood like we are.

P.S. More random posts: How a key works and how to introduce someone.

A few weeks ago, Alex and I escaped the New York winter and took a weekend trip to Jamaica. My mom took care of the boys (we were so grateful!), and it was such a treat to spend a couple days relaxing. Here are a few photos, if you'd like to see...Read More >

(via)
There’s a book of these! No kidding!

New York Magazine just did an issue on nightlife, in which they interviewed a bunch of celebrities about late-night anecdotes. I liked this one from Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick...

Sarah Jessica Parker: Before we were married, we used to walk a lot because time didn't matter.
Matthew Broderick: If we had a fancy outing in midtown, we'd walk all the way home to Tribeca.
SJP: One thing that Matthew used to do to me, he used to walk me with my hand over my eyes...
MB: I led you, and the rule was you had to keep your eyes covered.
SJP: And he would walk me into completely random places and take my hand off my eyes and I would be in the most strange, unconnected-to-the-previous-spot places. I would be in the lobby of a residential apartment complex, or a Starbucks, or at the very door of a tenement that I obviously couldn't get into.
MB: You're like listening and trying to figure out where you are, and then when your eyes finally open, boom, you're two inches from a lamppost.
SJP: He would spin me and sort of make me lose my bearings.
MB: The first time it happened, we were somewhere near Union Square, and...
SJP: We ended up in the lobby of Zeckendorf Towers. I was very delighted by it. I think the reason we remember it is that it paints a portrait of a time that, for many couples, they don't have anymore. There's a sort of leisure, before more grown-up responsibilities dictate your life.
MB: New York has so many close-together, completely different, crazy things you can suddenly be staring at after a five-minute walk from one spot to the next. You're in a totally new environment.

Sweet, don't you think? (Don't you want to try it?)

P.S. 9 crazy things about NYC.

Anton is almost two years old (I can't believe this was so long ago!), and he's really starting to speak. It's such a fun age! To help him learn words, we made him his own Pinhole Press Mini Book of Names & Faces.
It's so sweet to show Anton photos of him with people who love him.
Since our relatives live far away, this book helps Anton remember them between visits (and excitedly recognize them when he sees them again).
We also included photos of his favorite toys and animals, so when he learns words like "ball" and "house," the images will actually look like the things in his everyday life.
Anton now requests it every night before bed–it has definitely become his favorite book. And it was quick and simple to put together—you could use Instagram photos! Thank you so much, Pinhole Press xoxo

Bonus: Get 15% of any Pinhole Press order using code CUPOFJO15, good through Sunday, April 26th. See all their other photo gifts here.

(Photos by Christine Han for Cup of Jo. This post is sponsored by Pinhole Press, whose products we've loved and ordered for years. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Cup of Jo)

Last fall, I met Cailin at our neighborhood playground. While our kids climbed up the slide, we chatted about books and babies. When it was time to leave, I mustered up the courage to ask for her number. Happily, we've been friends ever since! She works for Elizabeth Arden and is a genius with makeup. Here, she shares her tricks, including a sweet marriage tip and the lipstick that lasts all day...Read More >

This is rather delightful.

So, have you seen these posters around east London?

instagram.com

What's the story here?

instagram.com

Well, they were put up by James McMahon.

James is from South Yorkshire. By day he edits Kerrang! and writes for Mojo, Q and Mirror Football. He tells BuzzFeed: "I draw cartoons (normally about a depressive pig called Sad Pig). I make music with my band. I write books I'm too scared to send to anyone who might publish them (one is about Bigfoot, the other about football and mental health)."

He tells us he put the posters up because: "I get bored really easily and I wish the world was a bit more magical."

instagram.com

He's received all sorts of replies. From people keen to help...

James McMahon

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View Entire List ›

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On Friday, the day that the world was abuzz about what color The Dress was, I had to go to the passport office because J and I had let ours expire. Getting new passports has been on my to-do list forever but because it wasn’t quite as pressing as other items such as Raising A Kid and Binge Watching The Entire Series Of Veronica Mars so I sort of never really got around to it.

Plus, I reasoned that it wasn’t like anyone was ever just going to randomly invite me on a trip to Europe so it wasn’t as though I was going to need a passport all spur of the moment or anything.

(This is the same reasoning I used to not clean under my couch before The Today Show came to my house and we all know how well that worked out for me. Get it together, inner monologue!)

Luckily for me one of the few expedition offices is in Atlanta so I spent the morning driving downtown.

I arrived at the office about twenty minutes before my husband and so I had to go through security without him.

Now, I am the sort of person who strikes up conversations with total strangers with an alarming frequency. But even I expected my sojourn through the security line to be fairly uneventful. Except it was not.

As I discarded my bags onto the conveyor belt and stepped forward to go through the metal detector the guard put his hand up to stop me.

Then he looked at me and said “White and gold or blue and black?”

Y’all, I laughed SO HARD.

Until he said it was blue and black.

And then I was like “That dress is white and gold. I do not feel as though I should hand important documents to someone who sees blue and black. You might be a part of The Matrix.”

After that I asked where I should wait for my husband since I couldn’t get in line without him. A couple of the security guys overheard me and one pointed to a guy walking in and asked if he was my man.

And because I am incapable of just answering a simple question without being awkward, what I said was: “Nope, I don’t even know that guy. Stop trying to marry me off to strange men, you with your ability to see blue and black dresses.”

So for the next fifteen minutes they made a game out of guessing which man walking through the security line was the one who happened to be married to me.

They’d be all “That guy! That guy looks like a decent fellow. How about that guy?” or “I bet it’s that one. That one’s got good shoe game.”

And so that is the story of how when my husband finally made it just a few minutes before our appointment he was slightly bewildered at the enthusiastic greeting he received from the United States Passport Office Security Team.

It was definitely the most fun that I have ever had at a government agency and totally made up for spending the next five hours in a room where all cell phone use was prohibited.

The lesson here is, keep your passports current, because sometimes people do randomly invite you on last minute trips to Europe in some sort of crazy awesome and expediting a passport costs a small fortune. And also that I will never be convinced that dress is not gold.

(photo of beautiful Europe c/0 minnystock )

The post The Perils Of Passport Offices appeared first on Kayla Aimee Writes.

Last week, Caroline went backstage at the J.Crew presentation to see what Fashion Week is really like behind-the-scenes. Here, she reveals the secrets of perfectly messy hair and the one thing EVERY model does...Read More >

(via)

(via reddit)

related: Do you pocket like it’s hot?

On a hike with my family last week, I announced the time has come. I want one good picture of myself. It's been long enough. I'd estimate it's been a good solid 6 months of awful pictures. If I took a good picture, I'd stare at it and marvel. This is the best one I got from the hike. Still on my losing streak. It's so bad. What gives me hope is when I see average people on the cover of magazines looking amazing. I want what Lena's having. And Tina and Amy.
I fear I'll have to go to a Glamour Shots Studio to solve this problem, but I really don't want to. I want the photo to be taken by accident. After a team of stylist and photographers and graphic designers take care of it. Start snapping.