Ahhhh, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. A craze that suddenly fills your Instagram feed with bloggers and shopaholics sharing faux fur coats, chunky sweaters, and suede boots in the DEAD of summer. I've only been shopping the N-Sale for the past two years, and I have to be honest, it's a little anxiety inducing. It's completely counterintuitive to be buying fall/winter items when temps will remain in the 80s (at least in Tennessee) well into October. And, like I said last year, "I hate that the power of influence makes you feel like you're missing out if you don't buy seventeen cowl neck sweaters just to put them away in your closet until December." 

 Even at the sale prices, I still find most N-Sale items I'm interested in to be splurges, so I plan on sticking to some advice I heard last year: To avoid overspending, feeling overwhelmed and wondering why the heck you bought so much stuff you truly don't need, focus on only purchasing two to three items you are really loving. And remember, nothing from the N-Sale is worth going into debt over!!! I cannot stress enough that most items you see in the N-Sale will be similarly recreated at cheaper prices by other retailers later in the season. 

Last year I only bought two things and ended up returning one. The year before, I bought two items as well. While I've scoured the entire Sale Preview online, I plan on only purchasing the following pieces this year.

1. Barefoot Dreams Cardigan - $67 / Originally $114

2. Patagonia Vest - $70 / Originally $100

3. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color Trio - $58 / Originally $87

Historically, Nordstrom restocks some items that have sold out during Early Access. However, this cannot be guaranteed. Again, I'm not telling you to sign up for a Nordstrom Card by any means. Remember, if what you want doesn't get restocked, it probably wasn't meant to be! And, you will most likely find something similar later in the season.

Be sure to check out the N-Sale Tab I've created with all of my favorite sale picks this year!

Also, if you love something I've recommended and take the time to shop through one of the links that I share, I get a small commission from Nordstrom! Taking the extra steps to ensure you're using my links means the world to me and helps me keep Abbylish up and running. 

Best of luck in all of your sale shopping endeavors! Can't wait to see how good we all look in the fall. Fingers crossed we can actually go places then! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 But seriously....

Lots of love!

XOXO, 

Abby

More Sale Items I'm Loving

*I receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.

However, I simply promote the brands and products that I love, and all opinions are my own.*

5 Things We've Learned in 5 Years of Marriage

1. Communication is Key

I know that this point (maybe in this exact wording) can be found in almost every book or article touting relationship advice. But that's just because it's so true! In fact, pretty much every point I list after this somehow relates back to good communication. 

One of the most important things I've learned regarding communication is that, as much as you want them to, men. cannot. read. minds. 🤪 If you want your husband to do something or know something, you have to tell them. Sure, Greg has surprised me a few times and done something like clean the house while I'm stuck at work or plan a weekend getaway. But ultimately, you must communicate things that you want him to know.

Also, after being disappointed a few too many times (due to my lack of communication), I've started planning things myself. If I want to do something for my birthday, I organize it. If I want dinner reservations for Valentine's Day, I make the phone call.  Though I do think that Greg could stand to read between the lines a little bit more, I have to remind myself that it's not fair to hold him to standards that he never even knew existed. 

There's a phrase I've heard somewhere before that says something like, "expectation without communication leads to disappointment." This is something I'm still working on daily, but if you create a home that is a safe space to talk to each other about anything, you can freely communicate your expectations with one another and hopefully avoid disappointment and frustration! 

2. Determine the Vacation Planner

Growing up, my dad was always the vacation planner in our family. I think he literally enjoys the logistics of planning trips. Maybe more so than the actual trip! I always assumed it was a "man thing." However, Greg always experienced trip planning as a "woman thing" seeing as his mom usually booked all of their family vacays. Unfortunately, we didn't figure out this little discrepancy until a few years into our marriage. After a a couple of trips where we stayed in absolute DUMPS and Greg stressed about every detail, I realized that he truly hated organizing and planning. I offered to take over planning our getaways in the future, and his response was something along the lines of, "thank goodness, I thought you'd never ask." 

While this may be a silly example, the main point is to consider loosely defining some "roles" in your marriage. Know your own weaknesses and allow your spouse to take over when necessary and vice versa. It all goes back to the first point. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

3. Pray to be a better spouse.

Ask God to equip you with the tools and knowledge to better understand, appreciate, and respect your spouse. If you BOTH consistently pray for this, you’ll be on the right track. 

4. Remember the Past

Some of the things that annoy me the most about Greg are some of the qualities that initially attracted me to him: his steadfastness, predictability, responsibility, attention to detail, and sense of security. I try to really remember how appealing these attributes were (and still are) to me whenever they frustrate me. 

5. Go On Dates

This is another one of those obvious tips that you hear over and over again. But, again, that's because it's true! Greg and I try to have some form of a date night at least once a week (granted, it's been slim pickings recently thanks to the 'rona). It doesn't have to be anything super formal, but there's still something fun and special about looking nice and going out like you did when you were first dating. Even better, leave your phones in the car. That way you can truly converse, or dare I say, communicate?? 

Now, I'm not pretending to be an expert on marriage. With just five years under our belts, Greg and I have a lot left to learn. But, these are the biggest nuggets of wisdom I've gleaned in the last five years. Whether you're engaged, newly married, or have spent a lifetime with your spouse, I hope a point or two from this list will resonate with you and inspire some new growth in your relationship.

To end, I thought it would be fun to share a few anniversary gift ideas. I'm a sucker for the traditional yearly anniversary gifts. If you didn't know that was a thing, give it a Google! It's so fun to see all of the old traditions and the new modern versions of gifts that people have come up with as well. Keep scrolling to get a few ideas (just for years 1-5...I don't have all day, people!). Even if you've been married longer than five years, or not at all, maybe you'll still get a few fresh gift ideas.


1st Anniversary: Paper
Think personalized stationary, a new bible, or a custom couples portrait!




2nd Anniversary: Cotton
Greg literally bought me a single stick of decorative faux cotton for our second anniversary. 😂




3rd Anniversary: Leather
To all the men out there, Louis Vuitton makes excellent leather products. Just sayin'!




4th Anniversary: Fruit/Flowers
Honestly, the best thing you can do here is get an Edible Arrangement.




5th Anniversary: Wood
You can just use your imagination to guess what crude comment Greg made about a "wood" gift. 😳

What are some of the most important things you've learned in your relationships? Do you give traditional anniversary gifts or come up with your own? Maybe you opt for no gifts at all?? Let me know!

Wishing you all the best, forever and always!

XOXO, 

Abby

*all photos by Zach and Sarah

My niece suffered a brain injury during the tornado and remains in critical condition. She’s been in the hospital for almost two weeks now with a long road of recovery ahead. Her nurses bought her a Frozen nightgown and the gaudiest bow (y’all, it lights up) for her 2nd birthday which we celebrated in the hospital, one day after the storm. These sweet clothes bolstered all of us. Friends, family, and even strangers have offered clothes to my sister and her family. Everyone knows the importance of literally having something on your back, especially something cozy. My closet remains full of pretty things, yet I keep choosing to wear the most comfortable and functional pieces. They just make me feel the best. My uncle made t-shirts with my niece’s sweet face on them. They encourage everyone who wears them and remind them to continue praying for her. In each of these moments, clothing brought me so much comfort. 

“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”

Colossians 3:12-14 MSG