- Part 83

October 16, 2015

Life Lately

I haven’t taken the time to update you all on life around here for a while now, so I figured I’d take a minute to do so. Fall is in full swing and I’m finding myself keeping busy with the kid’s schedules (sports, dance class, birthday parties…. kids have quite the social life, don’t they? Much more so than I!) We haven’t even had a chance to get to the pumpkin patch yet, but I’m hoping that happens this weekend. House projects continue to be in the works and now I’m adding to the mix helping my sister plan for her wedding next April, yay!

Madelyn was due for another haircut. We’ve cut it a few times in the past and we always forget how darn cute she is with her little bob! She kept looking at herself in the mirror and gave the cutest little grins :)

Little Miss Audrey Grace turned 5 months old last week. Yes, it’s flying by, but she is at my most favorite stage of infancy. So much fun, laughing giggling, understanding, but not moving or getting into any trouble just yet :)

Here she is, the beautiful bride to be. For any fellow Say Yes To The Dress fans, here’s a little eye candy. Gosh, I’m a sucker. These were some top contenders, but none of them (I repeat NONE OF THEM) made the cut. You’ll all have to hold out for that one!

So, onto the house…this was a little afternoon project I tackled recently. Our garage entrance into our home needed a coat of paint, but instead of keeping it white, I dug into our left over front door paint (Sherwin Williams ‘drizzle’) and brightened it right up. It’s funny, the majority of our walls are fairly neutral, but when it comes to a door, I love color!

Our family room has been slow moving in progress. I’m realizing that sometimes it takes patience for the right pieces to come along. I had been stalking the rugs at Home Goods for months (you can’t beat their prices!) and one afternoon the perfect one appeared! I promptly texted a pic to my husband who in return promptly ignored me ;) But once I got him into the store he agreed. Or he simply didn’t want to talk about rugs any longer? Either way, it was another check off of our list!

How about you guys? Anything fun going on in your life at the moment?

October 14, 2015

Wishlist Wednesday

Today I’m sharing a few favorites from my current wishlist. Shawl collars, draped details and fringe accents (I mean, those booties, come on!). All in soft shades that you know I am a fan of all. year. long. I’d love to know, what’s topping your lists these days?!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

October 12, 2015

Striped Cape

I’ve mentioned my love of capes/ponchos before, most recently here, and this particular cape is one of my top favorites this season. I grabbed it during Nordstrom’s big sale when the weather was still well into the 80’s but I pat myself on the back now for thinking ahead. Luckily for you guys, it’s now on sale again! Talk about an easy fall outfit. Jeans and a long sleeved tee topped off with this beauty for a layer of warmth. You really can’t go wrong!

Details: Cape / AG Denim (similar) / Sperry booties (similar) / Madewell tote / Stella & Dot necklace

October 9, 2015

Loving Lately: Burgundy + Pink

It’s no surprise that I am a fan of pink. Burgundy on the other hand is a color that I am warming up to. I bought a burgundy bucket bag last year and have found it to be much more versatile than I originally expected. Pairing pink with burgundy is a combo that I am eager to put together. I love how the colors play off of each other and throwing some grey into the mix seems to top it off for me. How about you, have you done this combo before?

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

October 7, 2015

Pipe Shelves – Joanna Gaines Style

We’ve been tackling our fair share of projects around our home since moving in this past summer and today I’m sharing with you our most recent and one of my favorites! I’m a huge fan of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. If you aren’t yet, you need to be watching. Joanna is incredibly talented and her decorating style is so creative and right up my alley (along with tens of thousand of others!). My husband, Jack, works in the creative field and finally has his own home office. I knew he needed an inspiring place to work each day but I was lacking inspiration myself! I wanted something that would really make an impact and when I ran the idea of Joanna’s piped shelving past Jack, he loved it. I’m not going to get into any specifics on measurements etc, but I’ll lead you to the blog post that we used as reference here. I can tell you though, that I think you may need more than one day to tackle this project unless you or someone you’re working with is extremely handy.

I have to hand it to my husband, we’ve never been in an environment where we’ve had to or been able to work on many household projects. We moved from the city with a hammer and a screwdriver in terms of tools ;) So let me give him a huge shout out for tackling all he has, and for YouTube for helping us figure out what we’ve needed! He may not agree, but I love this shot of him as he assembled the pipes in preparation. That chair came from my grandmother’s basement and we plan on refinishing it for Madelyn’s room. But for now, it’s all his :)

After cleaning the pipes, Jack spray painted them in a matte black and purchased pine wood planks. He then stained them in a satin pecan finish. There was a LOT of precise measuring to make sure that all of the screws lined up with the studs and all of the pipes were flush and level.

After all of his hard work, I sat and stared at his massive piles of books with a blank stare. I settled on color blocking them which I think turned out looking very cool. There are still things that need to be added, but for the moment, it’s done.

The room remains far from finished, but this is the rug that we used from Ikea. My girlfriend has had this in her kid’s playroom for a while now and she gave it two thumbs up for wear and tear. Jack loved it for it’s creative appeal and you can’t beat the price!

I’ll circle back around to this room once it’s a bit more complete so you can see how it all turns out!

October 5, 2015

Plaid Ruffles

As I was editing these photos, I realized that not only do I love the autumn season for it’s weather, but it’s also my favorite time for fashion shoots. The colors are vibrant, the temperatures are perfect and not to mention, the clothing is my favorite! I have a thing for plaid shirts this time of year and when I ran into this one I fell in love with the unexpected ruffle detail on the back. I pulled out these boots for the first time this season and was reminded just how comfortable they are. I have a feeling this outfit is going to be on repeat over the next few months!

Details: Free People shirt (navy found here, other color options on sale here) / JCrew pants / Dolce Vita boots (similar) / Stella & Dot necklace / Michael Kors watch

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October 2, 2015

Rain, rain

It’s been a wet week in these parts which naturally led my mind to rain gear. I am not a fan of being in wet, or even damp clothes so I try my best to stay covered when the sky opens up. When I lived and worked in the city, I did a lot of walking which left me vulnerable to the elements and now as a full time mom I’m always doing my best to keep not only myself, but three little ones dry as well! I love umbrellas, especially when they are as cute as the ones below, but typically I’d need an extra hand or two to manage holding one in addition to my littles. In/out of the car, buckling/unbuckling carseats, loading groceries…..anyone else with me? Obviously I get much use out of the hood on my rain coat! I also get much use out of the Starbucks drive-through….but that happens rain or shine ;) Here are some ideas to keep you looking stylish and dry the next time a storm passes by…

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

September 30, 2015

Peach Cobbler

What happens when Trader Joe’s is stocked on peaches and you find yourself at home on a rainy afternoon? Peach Cobbler would be the answer. The stars aligned, both girls napped at the same time and I had just enough time to tackle this recipe. It’s a good one, I promise ;)

Peach Cobbler via The Slow Roasted Italian:

8 fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

For Cobbler:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup boiling water

For Sprinkling:
3 tablespoons white sugar (I didn’t measure this, but I know I didn’t use 3 Tbsp, likely closer to 1)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° (if you are using a dark or glass pan – 425° if you are using a light color pan).

In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish (Mine was 2.5 quarts). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt.

Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them.

Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar. Set your baking dish on a baking sheet (this cobbler can drip into the oven otherwise). Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

September 28, 2015

Sleeveless Sweater

Fall is most certainly in the air. The leaves are changing, the temperatures have been perfect, and I just discovered my new favorite latte at Starbucks, toasted graham (sorry pumpkin, dare I say you’re starting to over do it for me?!). I’ve been on a kick lately of pairing my fall pieces with light denim. It has such a fresh look about it that I love. I grabbed this turtleneck sweater when I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago and I’m loving it. Sleeveless may seem odd, but to be honest it’s perfect as it allows you to layer over it or under it without making things feel too bulky. I threw on my denim jacket here but I plan on wearing long sleeved layers underneath as the temperatures continue to drop in the months to come.

Details: Anthropologie sweater / Pilcro via Anthropologie jacket / JCrew pants / LOFT necklace / Dolce Vita booties / Blair Ritchey bag / Marc by Marc Jacobs watch (similar)

September 25, 2015

Loving Lately: Capes/Ponchos

As I was looking through my closet the other day, I came across this poncho that I wore last year. Since fall has officially arrived, I’m all the more ready to start layering up! The poncho/cape trend is one I plan on wearing out. Honestly, what’s better than wrapping yourself in a beautiful blanket?! And since we’re on the subject, what the heck is the difference between the two? I should probably have that answer for you, shouldn’t I? In my mind, a poncho consists of one piece with a hole for the head and a cape is one that wraps around you. But when perusing online, my thoughts didn’t always hold true. Call them what you will, I’d take any! And by all means, if anyone knows the difference, feel free to enlighten me! Here are some of my favs…