Reader Q & A!

Here ya go! You guys this was so much fun to do. I really loved all of your questions and it was great to see what you were interested in knowing. I included nearly everything I got on here and via email, and combined the repeat questions I received. I answered thoroughly and honestly {because I like feeling like we are besties}, and I assure you, you will all know far more about me now than you ever cared to!! Grab a snack...this is a long one!

{1} Could you show us more photos of your house? What about Munchkin's nursery?

Sure! Here is our entrance hall:

This is our kitchen:

And our dining room:

And another view of our living room, which I posted the before and after of here:

FYI my mother is an interior designer - Terri Elizabeth Interior Design - and helped me with our decorating. If you would like her contact information for design services, please email me or comment below and I will pass along her details. 

This is the patio:

And here is the nursery:

I used the same nursery for both Squish and Munch. It is very classically baby with pale, icy blue and sunshine yellow being the primary colors used. I originally had custom bedding made to match the draperies, but they were silk and getting ruined, so I switched to this set from Serena & Lily for Munchkin and it is great. Biz and I don't find out the sex of the baby before birth, so I decided to just do one nursery that would be gender neutral and always work for a boy or girl. I also knew I would be dying to do a big boy or big girl room, so I did not want the added expense of a nursery plus a more grown-up redo! I taped and painted the ceiling stripes myself...at 36 weeks pregnant with Squish. See:

{2} What is your professional background? Did you have a job before your clothing line? If so, when did you decide to devote 100% of your personal time to it and quit your full-time job?

I have never officially been in the job field! I began interning at the Prada Press Office in London every summer while I was going to college in Europe. The morning after I moved back to Texas, I was in a car wreck and broke my back in 14 places. I pretty much spent the next five months in a body brace on my parent's sofa and met Biz about a month after I could take it off for good.

My mom and I began working on a crib bedding business shortly after Biz and I met, but we realized in that process that her heart was with interior design and mine was with fashion design. I was pregnant three months after Biz and I got married, so I decided to shelve the crib bedding and enjoy being a newlywed and my pregnancy. Nine months after Squish was born I had the opportunity to start my clothing line and knew it was a once in a lifetime thing, so I jumped on it!

{3} What is your absolute favorite piece of your wardrobe?

Oh come on! Geez. Choosing just one is like cruel and unusual punishment! Probably my green Miu Miu heels that I got while working in London. I have worn them OUT and don't know what I will do when they finally fall apart. I swear I will wear them until the heels break and the soles have been repaired a hundred times. They go with everything, and are the best wardrobe purchase I have ever made. Here are some old pictures of me wearing them:

{4} What is your ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner? What do you eat on an average day? Do you follow a strict diet? How many calories and grams of fat do you have every day?

I loooooove Eggs Benedict and would eat that for five meals a day, but rarely indulge in the dish. I also love gnocchi with alfredo sauce and an entire bucket of freshly grated parmesan for very special occasions! {Like watching The Bachelor, The Bachelorette or Sex and the City}

I follow a Paleo diet as much as possible though - about 80% of the time. Paleo is short for Paleolithic, and essentially calls for eating what our bodies were meant to eat before agriculture came along and began enabling humans to eat foods that caused disease. No bread, grains, oats, wheat, rice, flour, refined sugar, dairy, legumes or soy, because frankly all of those are TERRIBLE for you. {Further questions on this are welcomed, but please, do not start telling me I am mistaken, need to follow the food pyramid and listen to suggested guidelines for whole grains and dairy until you have at least read the book I suggest below. Once you do that, we can talk!} Meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts are the foundation and bueno. I am definitely NOT 100% on this day in and day out though. Last week for example I pretty much ate an entire pizza by myself at a friend's birthday party, and this past weekend we were visiting friends in Houston and I wolfed down blueberry pancakes. But I definitely do it the vast majority of the time, and when I am making unhealthy choices I am very much aware of it.

Typically I have grain-free granola with coconut or almond milk for breakfast that I either make myself, or that I have ordered from Steve's Original. Click here to buy {it's called PaleoKrunch Cereal} and see all their awesome Paleo products. For lunch, if I am eating on the go I will have a Paleokit. If I am home I will have some sort of meat with this vegetable drink, fruit, and chocolate or maple almond butter to get some good fat in. OR one of these from Hail Merry - click. For dinner the same thing goes - meat, salads, veggies, meatloaf, pot roast...there are tons of Paleo options! I drink A LOT of coconut milk, love coconut oil, steaks, avocados, nuts, almond butter and CHOCOLATE almond butter saves my life!! I NEVER count calories and I NEVER count fat grams. I did that in high school and it lead me to eat more. If I did count now, I would probably guess I have at least 2000 calories a day and at least 100 grams of fat a day...maybe 150 to 200 with the amount of nuts and oil I eat. {Good fat like coconut oil fat or sausage fat, not bad fat like Cheetos fat...or any of the fat that is in all the awful sugar-free food}. I also NEVER drink any sodas. Not regular. Not diet. ZERO. Ugh. Gag me.

Wait I lie. I will have a Dublin Dr. Pepper once every year or two when we make it to Dublin, TX to the bottling plant. It has real cane sugar though so it is not as bad for you as regular Coke or Diet Coke or anything along those lines.

If anyone is interested in reading more about Paleo, this is hands down the best book regarding the topic: The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. It is a quick and easy read {minus the two scientific chapters, but they are important to read in order to understand WHY grains, sugar, dairy etc. are harmful} and it will change your life. Robb was a former vegan as well, so it makes for very compelling reading.

{5} Where did you get the chunky gold necklace featured in your lookbook?

That one was imported from Asia and I bought it at the World Trade Center in Dallas. I love it!

{6} How do you stay so fit? How often do you work out? What do you do for exercise?

CROSSFIT! I mean, chasing after an energetic child all day long definitely helps, but for actual exercise, nothing beats CrossFit. I like the short {5-25 minute} workouts, and can't stand running on a treadmill or just standing in a gym doing machines, so it is awesome for me. I try to go 3 times a week, but usually I just make it twice. CrossFit is SO misunderstood; people think it is about lifting heavy weights and getting big muscles. Nothing could be further from the truth! It makes you strong and lean. Click here to find an affiliate in your area.

{7} What is your favorite, can't live without beauty product?

I have a lot of favorites in every category, but can't live without would be Witch Hazel and L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black.

{8} Who is your favorite singer, performer or musician? What about the best concert you have been to?

It's funny - I love music to the moon and back, but I am not a big concert go-er. I went to see Muse and U2 a couple of years ago and it was an amazing show. I could never pick just one favorite artist though! I get more attached to specific songs. Again, way too many good ones to even pick 5 or 10 or my 20 favorites, but if I had to pick just ONE wonderful song, the most perfect ever, I would choose Colorblind by Counting Crows. Just looked at my iTunes and I have played it 2730 times!

{9} Will you share your mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe? If not, do you have another recipe you would recommend?

I have only shared this with one other person in the entire world - a dear friend of mine from college {you know you you are LP! Call me!!} - and am going to still keep this under wraps for now. I'll let this secret out at some point but it will have to be a really special occasion, like when Oprah calls ;)

My other favorite recipe of my mom's that I will share is for her Zucchini Bread {and can also be used for Banana Bread}

I love that the back of the recipe card says this:

{10} If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Right here in Fort Worth. No question. I adore visiting other places as there are so many that I love and are close to my heart for different reasons, such as London, St. Andrews, the Scottish Highlands, the Greek Isles, South Africa, New York...but for making a home and having a family, I would never want to be anywhere in the world other than Fort Worth. It still has a small town vibe with big city amenities, great schools, fabulous food, world-class museums and the friendliest people you will ever meet. What more could you ask for?!

{11} What are Big Squish and Munchkin's real names? What are their birth stories? {THREE people asked what their birth stories were which completelytook me by surprise. I hesitated at first and considered not answering...too personal, I thought, but since I got multiple, very sweet requests, I abided. They are definitely personal though, so some of you might choose to skip directly to Q13 if this is TMI for ya!}

Well, their names are bits of information that I will always keep to myself. I love talking about their birth stories though which are vastly different from one another! I was induced with Squish at week 39 of my pregnancy {for no other reason than convenience really...I was just tired of being pregnant}, had only listened to my OB and had not taken the time to educate myself on what childbirth was all about. I trusted her implicitly and had no reason to look to other information. It was an A++ hospital delivery. We checked in that morning {since I could plan for this my hair was washed and rolled, makeup was on, and I had a fresh manipedi}, I was hooked up to Pitocin, my water was broken, I was fully dilated 6 hours later, pushed three times and he was out. Quick, easy and very clinical. It was more of a delivery rather than a birth.

I immediately knew that was not for me. That was not how I wanted my future births to be.

I began researching and came across a documentary that would forever change my life: The Business of Being Born. I highly encourage every woman to watch it. Here is a link to the trailer - click. {Literally if anyone takes just one thing out of this Q&A, I hope it is that they watch that trailer.} Upon seeing that film I became ravenous for more information. I read book after book after book {23 cover to cover} every day and night for the following months, decided to leave my OB's practice and join a midwife group associated with the same hospital I delivered Squish at. I hired the best doula ever which I am still head over heels in love with, and Biz and I took Bradley Childbirth Classes, which guide a couple in how to have a husband-coached natural childbirth. My goal was to have a completely drug-free water birth.

I was in the tub until about an hour or so before Munchkin was born and it was *amazing* beyond description. I experienced the process. I love thinking back on it. It is fuzzy thinking back on it though because I had been up for 69 hours at this point, but I ended up getting an IV put in for pain relief for the last hour and therefore had to get out of the water {sad}. I did not know this until it happened, but she was coming out sunny side up {face up}, and these babies are notorious for being the most painful deliveries and often have to result in c-sections. I still regret getting the relief as I know I could have handled it, but in the moment, the pain was too much. I will always strive to have a natural birth though, and will definitely be in the tub once again!

At the end of the day, every woman has the right to decide how she wants to bring her children in to the world. The most important thing is to be aware of all of your options in order to make the best, most educated decision for yourself and what will work best for you personally.

{12} How do you fit everything into your day with two kids? What is your average day like? Do you have help? How do you balance everything?

One word answers: I don't / Insane / Yes / There is no such thing.

Longer answers: I never fit everything into my day and always have a to-do list a mile and a half long. I always put family first as well so sometimes work just has to wait. My average day is compleeeeetely insane. Last year I was only able to work during nap times and after Squish went to bed. This year, I started getting my sweet sweet housekeeper to come every day for three to four hours so that she is here to help with the kids if I have work to do and I can actually get a lot done if I need to...and not have to stay up until 1am! I do not have a nanny though. But, I am extremely fortunate and have my mom here as well. She helps A TON and I have absolutely no idea how people function with children without living in the same city as their mothers. Seriously tell me - how do you do it?! If I have learned one thing over the past year it is this: There is no such thing as balance! If there is, I do not know how to do it.

{13} What is your love story? How did you and Biz meet? Tell me how you found Biz! Was it love at first sight?

Oh I just love talking about this! Well, I had just joined this mail order bride service....

KIDDING! {I crack myself up}

This will probably be a longer answer than you were hoping for so brace yourself ;) I was completely adamant about NOT meeting him at first. As I said above, I had been living in Europe, broke my back in 14 places the morning after I moved back to Texas and proceeded to spend the next five months in a body brace on my parent's sofa. On top of that, I had just gotten out of a very serious relationship and was in no state of mind to meet anyone new.

One of my best friends insisted I meet him though. His mother and her mother were dear friends and, as she put it, Biz would be a great new acquaintance to have now that I was back in town after so much time overseas. My answer was no and no and no, but after some email communication between he and I, and his endearingly endless persistence of asking me out to dinner and not taking no for an answer, I gave in with these requirements: This was not a date. He would not pick me up. I was going to wear leggings, a t-shirt, and no makeup. And we were going to eat pizza in front of the TV.

I showed up on his doorstep in my leggings and tee, and suddenly got very nervous as I waited for him to answer. Biz opened the door and my heart sank. It was the closest I have ever come to fainting. I literally thought, "CRAP! HE. IS. SO HOT. WHERE IS MY MASCARA!?!?!?!?!" After making a dash for his powder bath and slapping on any makeup I could find buried in the bottom of my bag, we sat on the sofa, ate pizza and spent the next three hours talking and talking and talking.

I would have married him the next day.

We had a whirlwind courtship not spending more than a day apart since that first evening, he got down on one knee three months later, and our wedding was four months after that. I was pregnant within another three months - not yet having known each other for a full year.

{14} Please share your homemade granola recipe!

Done and done! Paleo Granola:

5c nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, flax, pecans, sunflower, walnuts, slivered almonds, etc.

1/3c honey

1/3c coconut oil

2t vanilla

2t cinammon

1t nutmeg

1c raisins

1c shredded unsweetened coconut

Mix honey, oil, vanilla and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let cool. Spread nuts on baking sheet {or two or three, depending on size and whether or not you double the recipe} and pour honey mixture over it all. Spread granola out evenly. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Allow this to cool and mix in raisins and coconut.

Usually I do not follow the recipe exactly since I am always short on time. I don't let the honey mixture cool before pouring it over the granola, and I add in the raisins and coconut at the same time rather than after baking. I also tend to add more honey and coconut oil than it calls for. I never measure out the amounts with cups and teaspoons though, especially since Big Squish ends up dumping way too much of one thing in most of the time! It always turns out yummy though.

You can also add almond butter to this and freeze the mixture into granola bars, but I have yet to try this!

{15} Will you have another baby? Are you finished having children? When are you and Biz going to have more kids?

Yes we will have more babies! I want a huge family. I don't exactly know what huge means to me, but I hope to have at least four children. As to when...I don't know that either! I do know that I do NOT want work to guide my family decisions. I will not plan around work, but rather what I want as my ideal family situation. I will work for as long as I can manage both children and career, but as soon as it gets to be too much I will give up work in a heartbeat without hesitation. Work won't always be there but family will, so my heart will guide me in this realm and nothing else.

{16} What is your favorite picture from your wedding?

This was the most difficult question I got! We have over 2000 wedding photos and I love every single one. If I had to pick one.....just one......

It would be this one:

I still get little butterflies every time I look at it.

Phew! That was a lot of information!! See, I told you - that was waaaaay more than you ever cared to know ;) Thanks to everyone who submitted a question and as always, thank you for your endless support. I cannot wait until we figure out what to do at the 1000 and 2000 follower marks! Get some ideas brewing...

xoxo Sheridan