January, 2015 | A Lovely Living

January 30, 2015

High Five for Friday

What a week! I see that those of you out west have been enjoying some pretty decent weather while those of us on the east coast have had quite a different story. We started off the week with two snow days and a lot of effort on my part to keep my two little ones entertained. Jack lost his second tooth (which is big news in a 5 year old’s life) and the tooth fairy was close to getting busted! That’s no small task she has. Madelyn worked with me to make space for ‘baby sister’ and I was reminiscing as we pulled out her old newborn clothing. I’ve had a number of dreams of the baby arriving early, which is hopefully just a part of me feeling totally unprepared for this child. Thankfully babies never know how prepared we are. All they need is our unconditional love, and that I’m positive she’ll receive in overwhelming amounts!

Here’s a look back on our week:

1) We’re working our outfits together for my SIL’s wedding in March. We’re also working on Jack’s ‘thank-you smile’ when people compliment how handsome he is. It’s a much better response than his roll of the eyes! You can find his suit here for a pretty decent sale price.

2) My sister has begun selling Stella & Dot jewelry which means my collection has no choice but to grow! These are two pieces that should be arriving any day from their new spring line. You know me and pastels! How pretty are they?!

3) Our fort creation during snow day #1. I am no architect, but I’d sure enjoy decorating the interior :)

4) One of my most favorite people sent not one, but two of these dresses for Madelyn and baby-to-be. They are the sweetest things!! You can check out this dress and more from Arrow and Lace here.

5) My TJMaxx bargain this week. But the real question…do I need another watch??

How was your week? Anything exciting or out of the ordinary?

January 29, 2015

Out with the Old

And by out, I literally mean digging it out of your closet. At this point in the winter, I tend to become bored with any purchases I made at the begin of the season. Maybe not bored necessarily, but I realize what I’ve been over-wearing as winter continues to drag on. That’s when I start to dig and find some of my favorite items from years past. Do any of you remember shopping at RUGBY by Ralph Lauren before they discontinued the line? I was a huge fan and very disappointed when they closed up shop. This cardigan was from them and I loved it so much that I also have it in lavender. It’s a great classic piece that’s held up over time and I get excited to rediscover it year after year. Granted the store has since closed, but I have linked some similar options for you to check out below. Any items in particular that you find yourself returning to every year?

Details: Rugby by Ralph Lauren cardigan (love this and this option but you can find some of my favorite cardigans here) / JCrew maternity pants (similar non-maternity) / Dolce Vita boots / Motherhood Maternity t-shirt / Michael Kors watch / Stella & Dot monogram necklace / Rayban aviators

January 28, 2015

Valentine Gift Guide for the Mini’s

It’a hard to believe Valentine’s Day is approaching so quickly. Although my husband stole my heart long ago, it’s most certainly shared with my children. I enjoy playing up the holiday (although I typically forbid my husband from paying for over-priced flowers the day-of) and love dressing them up in appropriate apparel and gifting them a little something. I’ve gathered some ideas to share with you for your young ones. For those with teens, I’m not sure they’d let you dress them up in hearts…so you’ll have to fill me in there!

1 / 2 / 3 /4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13

January 27, 2015

Avocado Chicken Sandwich

I realize that I should be posting some overindulgent recipes for you all to enjoy during the Superbowl this weekend, but I hope you’re not too disappointed. Let’s think of this as the healthy lunch you could enjoy prior to your overindulging later that evening? I’ve been seeing a lot of versions of this recipe going around lately, so obviously it’s quite versatile depending on your particular tastes. It’s become a go-to for our lunches lately…and sometimes dinner too!

Although you could certainly poach some chicken, using a rotisserie chicken makes this a no-brainer.

Avocado Chicken Sandwich adapted from this recipe:

Ingredients:

2 C shredded chicken (I use rotisserie)
1 avocado (cored and mashed)
1/4 C chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp light mayo
Seasoned salt (we love Tastefully Simple’s)
Bread or rolls

Directions:

-Mix chicken, avocado, cilantro, mayo and salt in a bowl until well combined.

-Serve on bread or roll.

January 26, 2015

In the Wild

After purchasing and becoming quite fond of this sweater coat, I knew it would be beneficial to add more to my closet. What I love about this one (in addition to the colors) is that it is perfect for fall, winter and spring and I look forward to putting it to use! I also love the play on animal print in the softest of colors. It was so peaceful and serene when we shot this look and it felt appropriate that we saw the most beautiful hawk perched on a post as we drove out. It flew away just before we could get a good shot of it. Camera shy I suppose ;)

Details: Sheinside sweater coat (love this one too) / JCrew shirt / Target maternity denim / FRYE boots (option) / Stella & Dot bracelet / JCrew Factory necklace (similar)

January 23, 2015

High Five for Friday

Hey Friday! Did this week fly or was it just me? We enjoyed the week and even the snow. I love when we get a beautiful blanket of snow, it’s such a beautiful sight before it all turns to slush. I wasn’t out playing with the kids this time around, but I hear snow angels were made :)

Here’s a look into my week:

1) A girl who dives into her big brothers toys as soon as he heads off to school :)

2) The nuggets all bundled up. Poor little girl. I don’t think she was thrilled that she had to wear her brother’s old snow pants/boots and a jacket that’s about a year too small for her. Oh well, the troubles of being a younger sibling!

3) Freshly fallen snow as I waited for Jack to arrive home from early dismissed school.

4) Are you all familiar with the Afterlight app? I’ve had it for a while but had forgotten how much I like it. It gives you many more options to play around with before you post to Instagram (or wherever you’re posting). I used it on a few of the above shots. It’s my way of making art :)

5) Have you guys played around with wallpaper in your home? I’m toying around with the idea of the girls potentially sharing a room at some point and I’m in love with this wallpaper to use on an accent wall. I hope they share the same love of colors that I do!

Enjoy your weekend gang!

January 22, 2015

Keeping it Casual

It can be rather frustrating looking into your closet and realizing that you can’t fit into the majority of your clothing. Although I’ve added a few t-shirts (which are necessary) I’m still doing my best to avoid much maternity shopping this (last) time around. It has little appeal to me anyway, so it’s honestly not all that hard to avoid. I have, however, had to tackle finding a dress to wear in my SIL’s wedding at which I’ll be a lovely 33 weeks pregnant. Thankfully, ASOS maternity seems to have done the trick. It’s certainly not my ideal pick, but I don’t exactly have all the options in the world at this point. In the meantime, I’m going to continue dressing in loose comfortable layers, enjoy the money that’s being saved and appreciate the little miracle bouncing around inside :)

Details: Target sweater / Motherhood Maternity t-shirt / Gap maternity denim (similar non-maternity) / Madewell scarf / Converse sneakers / Madewell tote / Stella & Dot monogram necklace and bracelet / Tiffany bow necklace / Michael Kors watch

January 21, 2015

For Your Bride to Be

I don’t know if I should proclaim this as the year of the weddings or the year of the babies because both seem to be in full swing. Although babies are certainly on my mind, for good reason, I’m going to chat about the bride’s-to-be in your life. I realize it’s convenient and appreciated by the Mr. and Mrs. to receive monetary gifts, but for those of you that are close to the bride, adding something a bit more personal can be a very thoughtful touch. There are a ton of cute ideas out there and I’ve gathered some of my favorites to share with you. Logo tee’s would be perfect as the bride prep’s the morning of. They’re also great for traveling and to show off on the honeymoon immediately following! I love the thought of tying in a ‘something blue’ with a cute new pair of pj’s or an adorable polaroid camera. Again, think honeymoon. And there’s always the ‘wifey’ and ‘mrs.’ logo’s displayed on various items they’d use on a regular basis (ie, coffee mug, jewelry and iphone case). Any of which would bring an immediate smile to her face day after day.

Being a bride and becoming a wife is an extremely exciting time in a girl’s life. Going a step above your traditional gift will without a doubt overjoy your bride and help to make her day as memorable as ever!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

January 20, 2015

Green Smoothie (with a side of sweet pea)

Being the one that’s in charge of the grocery shopping, and basically all of the food choices for our family, can be quite the task. I do my best to make healthy choices in order to set a good example and hopefully set our children up for a healthy lifestyle throughout their lives. This isn’t to say we don’t ever indulge! I know there are many recipes I’ve shared that speak to the contrary, but in moderation, everything’s alright ;) Smoothies are one way I can pack in vitamins and nutrients for all of us, yet our children continue to see it as a ‘treat’. I often find myself begging for drinks of my own smoothie before they slurp it all down! These photos should be proof enough. I could barely get a shot of the smoothie before my daughter snagged it from me!

We’ve had a Nutribullet for a while now and it does a rather impressive job. It’s also convenient (and saves on clean-up) as it allows you to blend the smoothie in the same cup you drink out of. Kind of like the Keurig of blenders.

We love this smoothie recipe that I found on Lexi’s Clean Kitchen via Pinterest. It calls for vanilla protein powder, but chocolate (which is what we had on hand) works just as well.

Ingredients
1 cup spinach
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp coconut oil
1 scoop vanilla protein
Optional: 1/2 tsp mint extract {not peppermint}

Instructions
Place all ingredients in your high-speed blender and blend until smooth

January 19, 2015

Blush

It’s hard to go wrong with a cute tee and a blazer. I realized that most of my blazers were on the neutral side in navy and grey, so when I found this one in blush I knew my closet needed to have it. I should also mention that it’s a great maternity piece allowing me to layer and maintain a sophisticated look despite having a belly that’s growing by the day. I like this look in particular because it can be varied in so many ways. I could lose the statement necklace and throw on some skinny jeans for a more casual look or take it up a notch with a cute pencil skirt (weather permitting) and some pumps. The point is, stock up on your blazers and t-shirts, they’ll take you places!