want.need.wear.read

Wanting this dress from Anthropologie

Need to continue menu planning despite my lack of enthusiasm for it

Finally found a pair of earrings I want to wear every freaking day

This is the book I'm currently reading for next month's book club meeting 

mood board monday{for like ever}

We're almost all the way through January. February brings with it gloomy weather but also my  favorite (completely created by the greeting card industry) holiday, Valentine's Day!

It's the only day where you can get away with being over the top sweet without inducing eyerolls. I can wear pink and red and hearts and glitter all the live long day. And, this, my friends, makes me one happy lady.

Nothing says true love like a Valentine's Day or love day inspired wedding. My own parents were married on Valentine's Day 62(you read it correctly SIXTY-TWO!) years ago. I guess Cupid was on his A game that year!

 

3/52{the 52 project}

A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2015.

We were at a children's book reading today. It's so funny how babies know when they are in the presence of other little ones. He's deeply fascinated by the little boys next us. Once they said hello to him he couldn't stop smiling and chatting with them. It was as if he'd found his people!

worn{r and me}

Maybe one day soon-ish I'll get back into the flow of using my camera and timer without such laughable results but today is not that day! My photo session was interrupted by the most adorable distraction ever!

This top from f21 has got to be one of the best impulse buys I've ever made. I wore it with cut offs over the summer, with leggings in the fall and now, that temps have dropped, I'm wearing it with jeans and boots.  

worn:
top-forever21(similar)
jeans- (here)
boots-(similar)

mood board monday{blue crush}

After a short break my crush on blue is back. I'm working on a collaboration with one of my favorite vendors and our minds immediately went to the same place-ettheral shades of blue with an almost watercolor like effect, inspired by the great impressionists. I can't wait to get started on this project!  

homegrown(pontiac bourbon+bbq and the macaron bar}

We love to eat pretty much anything in this house but there are two things we will never turn down. Good Mexican food and good barbecue! With barbecue on the brain we headed downtown this week to try the brand spankin' new Pontiac Bourbon and BBQ. For locals, it's the sister restaurant to The Senate and Abigail Street. Those two restaurants are known for amazing food and service(the Senate is one of our faves!) so the bar is set pretty high for Pontiac. It did not disappoint! We started with the buffalo fried pickles which were epic! Doug and I both had pulled pork sandwiches with comes topped with coleslaw. For sides, I chose crinkle cut fries and Doug fries and the mac&cheese. Everything was so good! Despite the fact that the restaurant had just opened the service was smooth, the servers were knowledgeable and friendly. We will definitely be back to try the ribs and a few cocktails.   I also have to note, the interior is great. I'm a sucker for the whole rustic/industrial vibe they've got happening in there.

 Someone loved the mac&cheese.

We couldn't head back to the burbs without stopping at the new Macaron Bar on Main St. for a little something sweet. 

I'm so happy I have to drive all the way downtown for these because they could become a dangerous habit!

worn{blue and a few thoughts on getting dressed}

So, there is much talk around blog land of capsule wardrobes(here) (here) (here) (and an interesting read here). As a girl who needs many options and has been known to change outfits at least four times before leaving the house, I was surprised by my interest in the idea. But when I really thought about it, maternity clothing is essentially a capsule wardrobe. Most pregnant women don't go out and drop a crap ton of cash on a pregnancy wardrobe. I knew this would most likely be my last pregnancy so I made due with some pre-pregnancy tops and sweaters, high waisted skirts, and a belly band to help extended the life of my jeans and when they finally got uncomfortable I bought a pair of maternity skinnies and a few pairs of leggings. I had about 15 things total that were in constant rotation.*this worked for me because I was working from home. I'm sure if I had an office job I would have had to invest more time and money in creating a work wardrobe.

With that in mind, and after months of beating myself up for not getting rid of extra pounds fast enough, I bought a few pair of jeans and five or six tops to work with some things that were already in my closet. It's not the most exciting wardrobe but it's working better than I thought it would. I've managed to reduce my getting dressed routine to about 30 minutes start to finish! This means that I can get dressed with time to spare during Rowan's morning nap. I also feel much more confident that I'm not leaving the house looking an absolute mess!  

I didn't go through the process of photographing my entire wardrobe because who has time for that?! But I'm currently working from a wardrobe that has 4 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of leggings, 10(or so)tops, and 10ish sweaters(I didn't limit myself on sweaters because I have a LOT of them! However, I find myself reaching for these 10 or so most consistently). I also have three skirts and a dress in the mix but I haven't worn them lately because it's freezing and they're also not exactly practical for rolling around on the floor with the little one.         

One unanticipated effect of the "capsule" mentality is that it's made me a much more discerning shopper. This is not to say that I'm over the notion of fast fashion, with a baby that occasionally spits on me and will soon graduate to a toddler with sticky hands mess is unavoidable and I'm not keen on spending a lot of money on things that will come in contact with the aforementioned messes, I am, however, less inclined to buy something on a whim. I've started thinking more about how things function in my wardrobe. I've also made a list of things I'm looking for to fill gaps in my closet. For example, I'd like to have two new dresses-one in a fun pattern and one in a more classic navy or gray. I've also got my eye on pair of earrings that are much more expensive than the ones I usually buy but I've discovered I wear the same earrings everyday so I should probably invest in pair that are a nicer quality.  

I'm excited to clean out my closet and work on transitioning my capsule into spring! And... I can't even believe I just typed that. Who have I become?!!    

worn:
jeans-f21
blouse-old navy (similar)
booties-target (similar)





Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

2/52{the 52 project}

 A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2015.

This week he started pulling up on every thing in sight. And, do we even need to talk about those tiny feet on tippy toes?!




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1/52 {the 52 project}

 A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2015.

Inquisitive and constantly in motion. I love you to pieces.

Read more about it or link up here

worn{back in the saddle}

I'm getting back into the outfit posting saddle and my first outfit of the new year is completely #basic. It's so every girl that I'm not really sure it's worth posting but you gotta start somewhere. And, I'm trying to earn back some of my style blogger street cred, although I'm not sure this ensemble will do much to earn me any style points.

I need to gush about these jeans. Seriously. These jeans are a  postpartum mom's dream. American Eagle Hi Rise Jeggings are pure awesome! It's like wearing denim Spanx. They're like maternity jeans without the shame. They are stretchy and soft and containing the post baby bulge like a champ. Go get you a pair!

I also decided to hit publish on this post because in spite of it's simplicity I felt good in this. If I'm going to be honest, days where I feel good about my body and the way I look are few are far between so it's nice to be able to look at these pics and think that maybe a little piece of my former self is still in there.

details:button down-target|jeans-american eagle|cardigan-american eagle|boots-so old I have no idea 

2015{cultivate}

Oh, hey 2015! The beginning of a new year always brings with it new resolutions and promises for #newyearnewyou. And by the end of  mid January my resolve has crumbled! This year I've decided to focus on one word.  

cultivate:

• to foster the growth of
• to improve by labor, care or study
• further, encourage
• to seek the society of: make friends with

The past few weeks I've made time to sit with myself and really think about what I want to accomplish this year. The word cultivate quickly came to mind. In fact, it popped up so quickly that I dismissed it. But, in trying to come up with not so much a plan for the year but a very loose outline I continued to circle back to this word. It applies to so many of my business and blogging goals as well as a lot of my personal goals.

I want to grow this blog into a space I'm proud of by sharing more honest moments of my life and family. I hope to grow my business by creating opportunity and being unafraid to engage with the creative communities I admire locally and online. I desperately need to develop a home/work/life/marriage/baby routine that is manageable and fosters a healthier more balanced life.


Here's to 2015 and making shit happen!