Category Archives: Girl’s Night Out

Summer Dresses…

All white…day to night.

I’ve found that lately on the rare evening I get dressed up and go out, I’m left scrambling. I usually am in a total rush to get out the door, and of course am like

“I have nothing to wear!!”

Well. We all know that is NOT true, but my brain can’t function when I’m in a hurry. I have all these outfits in mind during the week when I’m NOT going out, but my brain goes completely blank the minute I step out of the shower and the 30-45 countdown begins for when I’m supposed to head out the door. SO…I may try and incorporate more “if I weren’t chasing a toddler” looks in here and there, just to remind myself of outfits to throw on when the time arrives again 🙂

There’s something about heels with an outfit that doesn’t really look like it warrants heels. Like loose ripped jeans. Yet, I like it! These are actually skinny straight jeans that I bought to wear when I was pregnant with Maya. They are a size too big, but I like that they fit a little looser. Like a skinny boyfriend jean 🙂 These were the first pair of DL1961 Jeans I bought that started my obsession…Oh, and I’ve had these heels for…15+ years!! Betcha I’ll be able to find a link to a pair almost exactly like them. Classics never go out of style… I swear she wasn’t punching me, but it totally looks like she is! 🙂 And, then for the shoes I really wore during the day 😉 I got her this little parachute lady that you throw up in the air and it floats down. Well, her brilliant idea was that it would float really high if I threw her and she threw it. Got to be impressed with her logic. It worked… 🙂 Not as high without my throw haha. This face kills me!!! And then she couldn’t help but laugh. I took about 20, so really…these are the edited down ones 😉 And…she spied the playground. I really believe she might have hopped the fence if I hadn’t stopped her! On me…

Top- Fresh Laundry (old, similar here)

Jeans- DL1961 Kate (old, similar here)

Heels- Banana Republic (old, similar here and here)

Flip Flops- Havaianas

On Maya…

Top/Dress- GapKids (thrifted)

Jeans- Joe’s Jeans (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Superga (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

Hey Maya, can you look at me? Ok….maybe just keep looking at the tree….

And that kissing shot that really would have been sweet if it had been from the right angle and if my mop of a hair hadn’t been in the way…

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Accessories can make the outfit…bonus when they’re thrifted!

2 Replies

For $9, I took this relatively simple and casual outfit, and dressed it up ($4 for the vintage silk scarf, and $5 for the sandals). I scored this super cute vintage silk scarf while I was on my girls trip. I keep wanting to figure out how to wear it in my hair, and a) have it stay put b) not look like I’m totally trying too hard. So far, I haven’t succeeded in either of those, so…instead I wore it as a belt! 🙂 This was supposed to be a hug. Maya had other plans. Does she think she’s in the circus?? Maya calls this her “Rapunzel dress”. I have no idea why, but I totally know what one she means when she asks to wear it. I usually say no (it’s silk…), but since she’d been super sick for the past 4 days, I said yes. Truth be told. Getting out of our self imposed lock down to play dress up for a little bit sounded really nice. Oh, you’re going over there? I see… I know how to get her back though 😉 She’s obsessed with other people’s mail boxes!! And…my jewelry as of late. She found this bracelet of mine and carries it/wears it everywhere. It’s a cuff, and I bent it so it closed. It aaaaalmost fits her.Telling our neighbors how old she is. Nope, not 6…just a double dose of 3!On me…

Top- Zara (old, but similar here for $5.90!!)

Scarf- Vintage (thrifted, similar here)

Jeans- DL1961 “Amanda Skinny” in Seville (eBay, similar here and not distressed here)

Shoes- Me Too (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Dress- Crewcuts (thrifted, but loving this one here)

Shoes- Zulily (search “Link”)

Keeping it Real…

Didn’t quite get the focus stand out of the way in time 🙂

And…we have a daudler-shocking.

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Mother’s Day 2015

9 Replies

Every year, both my mom and I ask for one thing on Mother’s Day. Pictures. The apple doesn’t fall far haha.

I got soooo much more though, and it truly was the perfect day. Maya and I started off going for a morning walk with my parents while the Huz got some work done (and snuck away to Pike Place to get both me and my mom gorgeous flowers!). Then, we took a little day trip to Snoqualmie Falls. Came home in time for Maya to “nap” 😉 while I got some work done, then my parents came over for an AMAZING dinner the Huz prepared. Couldn’t have asked for a better day…

I ditched the tripod and my mom got these of me and Maya before dinner.Btw, my entire outfit is thrifted, and the total cost was around $20! 🙂 This looks super sweet, but she’s just about to bite my nose haha. 😉 I could just eat her up!!!And then my dad got these of the three of us. That little smirk KILLS ME!!After dinner and a liiiittle wine, we all came back outside. I switched up Maya’s sweater so that she would match the Huz 🙂Dancing with Daddy 🙂The Huz finally got on the receiving end of Maya’s licking kisses 🙂And then my mom got a few of me and the Huz.LOVE this one.Yeah, Maya wanted nothing to do with getting in a pic with us.But you couldn’t get her OUT of the pictures I was trying to take of my parents hahaha. She’s actually in the one above this too, but I zoomed in and cropped her out 😉On me…

Top- J Crew (thrifted, similar here and here)

DL1961 Emma in “Cellar” (thrifted, but similar on sale here)

Shoes- Faconnable (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Sweater- Both are GapKids (thrifted)

Dress- GapKids (thrifted, but similar here)

Shoes- Zulily (search Eddie Marc Kids)

Keeping it Real…

And…this is a true keeping it real hahaha.

Nose bite…

“Toddler kiss” 😉

(Pictures taken by my mom, dad, the Huz, and me :))

The Mommy Manicure

3 Replies

I love having my nails painted! For some reason, I feel like even if I haven’t showered, and have no make up on…painted nails signify that I tried haha. Weird, I know, and most days…I don’t try 😉

However, I swear even after a professional manicure, I’m lucky to get one day out of it before it chips. Plus, who has time for that??! It’s an rare extravagance to go into a salon for me. I did try the gel manicure for my friends wedding, and I LOVED how long it stayed on, but hated the removal process!

Then, I saw the Sally Hansens Miracle Gel polish at Target. And because it wouldn’t be a trip to Target without me tossing a few random things in my cart, in it went!

It boasts-

2 Steps (true!)
Up to 14 Days of Color & Shine (the most I’ve gotten is 5, but still…FIVE?!! I wash my hands about 87 times a day, so total win in my book!)
Easy Removal (you can use regular nail polish remover!! It takes a little longer than normal polish, but still SO much better than buffing and then soaking in acetone like salon gels)
No light needed (Meaning no magic lamp, but you do need to dry your nails in sunlight. I did the first time, when I got the 5 day result. My second attempt only lasted 2 days, but then I realized I had just let it dry inside the house with no sunlight. So…I wouldn’t skip this step)

Oh, and if you are wondering. You can’t just use the Miracle Gel top coat on regular polish and expect it to last as long. I tried. It didn’t work haha.

Below, I’m wearing “Wine Stock”, which is appropriate for most Moms 😉Still…most days, I don’t have time to do this. Mainly it’s the dry time. Just sitting and waiting for nail polish to dry…not happening.

SO, what I’ve been doing lately? I call it my “mommy manicure”. I use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri (this isn’t a sponsored post, I’ve just found both of these products work and they happen to both be by Sally Hansen :)) It dries in 60 seconds, and you only need one coat! That means you can literally paint your nails and then run out the door, pick up your toddler, wash your hands, wash their hands, make everyone lunch, scarf lunch, or any of the other 100 things that you need to do during the day. It usually chips a little after a day, but it comes off in about 60 seconds too because it’s only one coat! So…for those days or nights when you want to add a little extra fun, you can do it! Truth be told, I wear it for about 3 days haha. I’m still waiting for the “chipped nails” to become totally fashionable. Let’s all band together and make it happen, no?! Who’s with me?!! 🙂

Below, I’m wearing “Grease Lightening”With the time I saved NOT doing my nails, I actually had time to do my hair for an impromptu date night last weekend. Woo hoo! Maya was still napping, so no shots of her 😦

This would be my “Oh, hi Mom and Dad!” They just walked up to start Maya duty, so me and the Huz could go out. 🙂I’d love to hear if anyone else has any time saving beauty tips! Mine usually are just…throw my hair in a bun and run, so I could use some help haha.

On Me

Jacket- Elliott Lauren (eBay for $2.80!!!!! similar here)

Watch- Michele (old, similar here)

Top- Zara (similar here)

Jeans- DL1961 (Funky Jane Consignment, similar here)

Shoes- Circa Joan and David (thrifted, similar here)

( all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod 🙂 )

My search for the perfect black leather pants is OVER!

4 Replies

I’ve mentioned many times my search for the perfect leather pants. I think we all know there is NO WAY IN &%$$ that I’m forking over $900-$1500, so of course my search has been limited to eBay, thrift stores, and Nordstrom Rack.

I’ve settled for really cool coated jeans (these are my favorite thus far!!!). I’ve even tried faux leather, but nothing has fit just right.

Until now…

I talked about the perfect pair of marbled copper ones I scored over the holidays on eBay for $50 that I wore here. Yes, $50!!!! Granted nothing will compare to that deal…

Then…I came across a listing for one of my favorite denim brands on one of my favorite sellers site. The going price was $49 up until a few hours of them ending. I was hopeful!! And then, I got into “must.win.these.pants.” mode. I think all serious eBayers will know what I mean here. hahaha It really is sad how the adrenaline and competitiveness kicks in. But…it does. And I set an alarm in my calendar. :}

I know how perfectly this brand fits, and I read the reviews online of this particular pair-I wanted them! And then the countdown began. I may or may not have put off dinner “things are still cooking!!!” while I ran downstairs and hovered over my “confirm bid” to be able to hit it in the last 5 seconds, because my phone sometimes delays. Sad??? ABSOLUTELY!! But…I ended up getting these GORGEOUS leather pants that were regularly $995 for…$89!!! New with tags!! I’m not going to lie. My bid was A LOT higher than this, because I wanted them so bad!! When it ended, I had to do a double take. Then I practically skipped upstairs to make dinner!!! 🙂 Oh, and I’ve mentioned before that they are the perfect mom pants. Maya’s boots were so muddy, but a little wipe with a wet wipe, and my pants were good as new! Then there’s the fact that they suck you in (WIN!!!). She kept twirling on her own, and then getting dizzy. I totally remember doing that all the time as a kid…Then she kept getting into my purse. First for Tic Tacs, and then she found a protein bar. I told her she couldn’t have it, but for some reason she thought it was hilarious to balance it on her head 🙂 A lot of times the bright sun can be your worst enemy for pictures. And then…it’s your best friend. On me…

Jacket-Levi’s (thrifted, similar here)

Top- Free People “Two to Tango” (Nordstrom Rack, sold out, similar here)

Pants- Genetic Denim (eBay sold out, similar here and here)

Shoes- Superga (thrifted)

On Maya…

Jacket- Amy Coe (thrifted, but similar here)

Denim Vest- Gap DIY fron a jacket 🙂 (thrifted, but similar here)

Dress- Cyrillus (thrifted, but similar here)

Tights- GapKids (thrifted, but similar here)

Boots- Baby Quiz (thrifted, similar here)

Keeping it Real…

90% of the time we really do have as much fun as it looks like we are having. Then there’s the other 10%. When Maya is just full of sass, running away from me, not listening, etc. I walked to the car at the end of this adventure SO ready to put her down for a nap. On the way home, she was all slumped over in her car seat, and I asked

“Were you being difficult because you were tired?”

One word. “Yes.”

And then I laughed. And she laughed, and all the crankiness was forgotten.

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

What we wore for our holiday pictures…

4 Replies

I’ll preface this to say…our family pictures were more along the lines of those viral forwards that everyone laughs about and says “thank GOD that wasn’t us”. And just wait for it. The truth is in the pudding. Really, I don’t even know what that last phrase means, but…it sounds better than the truth is at the end 😉

And yet… I’ll start of with what we wore, because well…that’s what this blog is mostly about 🙂I scored this top from The Oxford Trunk for $10 (!!!) when they had a big sale. I got it in both white and black, and I looooove them!! A post with me wearing the black version is coming soon. These next two are a little out of focus (we missed our mark in the excitement), but I don’t care 🙂 She’s been extra into giving kisses lately, and I’m not complaining!! And…here’s our holiday card 🙂 Not at all what I had planned, but it’s what we got. And…I kind of think it’s perfect 🙂SO….keeping it real ahead of the real “Keeping it Real” at the bottom. All of the above pics of me and Maya were taken a few days ago. The holiday card…3 weeks ago…

I have a list of suggestions for clients before we take family pictures, and I absolutely LOVE when they put some time and effort not only into what they wear, but how they want their pictures to look. That said, my number one goal is to make sure everyone has FUN…and then I capture that.

Well….none of that usually happens for us haha. What’s the phrase “The cobblers children have no shoes”??

I’ve been insanely busy doing everyone else’s holiday pictures, and we’ve had a LOT of stuff going on personally so I honestly wasn’t sure we’d even have time to take ones for ourselves.

ANYWAY. I had a last minute cancellation about 3 weeks ago, the weather was actually clear, so we scoured everyone’s clothes to find things that were clean and somewhat went together, I grabbed the tripod and away we went. Maya is always so excited when her brothers are in the back seat with her, so she was chatting and laughing the whole way there. I was getting hopeful that we would get some great shots of everyone…

We all get out, and I get a few pics of the boys with the Huz. Again thinking “This is going to be great!!” Maya was just running around happy as a clam, playing and then trying to get in their shots. As I’m getting the tripod set up to get a group pic, Maya starts howling. Like a hysterical crying that I’ve never heard before. I make sure she’s not hurt (she’s not). All she wants to do is have me rock her on the bench. Um….are you kidding me?! The kid that gets her picture taken almost every day of her life, and is totally used to having it taken with a self timer and tripod is now flipping the F out! Inconsolable even??! I tried taking a few and playing with her like I always do. NOT WORKING. At this point, I’m losing my patience and am getting totally frustrated. Tears may have been shed from both of us. Honestly, I really just wanted to get ONE picture of all of us, and a few of Maya with her brothers! It sounds like something that would be easy to get, but with teenage boys and us all being so busy. It just isn’t… Oh well. I Photoshopped two images together to get the one for our card, and honestly, that’s all we needed. I got a few of the 3 of the kids at Thanksgiving, and that is better than most…

On me…

Top- The Oxford Trunk (sold out, but similar here)

Jeans- DL1961 Emma in “Cellar” (thrifted, but similar on sale here)

Boots- Circa Joan & David “Kirstin” (thrifted, similar here)

On Maya…

Jacket-Gap (thrifted, but similar here)

Dress- Gap (thrifted, but love this one here)

Tights-H&M (old, similar here)

Boots- Zulily (search Link Boots)

Keeping it Real…

This is what really went down… hahaha. I can somewhat laugh about it now :{

And here’s the Huz finally calming her down, and honestly my favorite picture of the entire shoot… She looooves her Daddy!! Sadly, it was too late to get all of us into this moment. I don’t care though, because THIS…was all worth it for me 🙂

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya and her Daddy :))

Little Black Dress from day to night…

6 Replies

I feel like I keep saying I’m not a dress girl, yet whenever I make myself wear them, I love them! They are so easy, and comfortable. At least they can be… Yet, for some reason I think they are more work than they are? I don’t know why that is, but I’m happy Dressember spurred me onto thinking differently. I for sure didn’t make it on the wearing a dress for each day in December, but a few days for the month already is a big step, and I’m planning on trying for more!

But in order to make it really count, I thought I’d go for a twofer 😉 Day to night dressing is honestly a Mom’s best friend. Although…I rarely do anything at night, so whatever. BUT…if I DID have plans, this would be a great transition outfit! 🙂 And then for night…remove a few layers, add a classic pump, apply a little make up, go from a no shower top knot to a twisted side bun, and voila….ready to go to holiday party!On me…

Dress- Rhyme (old, but loving this here here)

Top-StyleMint

Leggings- Forever21 (similar here)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted, similar here)

Heels- Via Spiga

On Maya…

Dress- Zulily (search Yo Baby)

Leggings- Gap (thrifted, but similar here)

Boots- Zulily (search Link Boots)

Keeping it Real…

I could lie and say we went to some fancy party, but truth be told I just ran outside to take the “Night” pictures after I put Maya down for her nap. The Huz (who also works from home), came upstairs and was like

“WOAH! Where are YOU going?!!”

“Oh, you know…party on the sidewalk. Whoop whoop!” 😉

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

One of my favorite posts…Because I can’t think of a title…and it is :)

5 Replies

I envy anyone who has a way with words. Someone that pulls you in with their story. One that can make you feel as if you were there by the way they describe what happened to them. Witty titles. Heart wrenching stories that pull you in, and make you ache from what you read or make you laugh out loud. Or…just a recounting of their day (good or bad) that makes you think of a day you similarly had that makes you connect to them.

I follow people’s blogs or on Instagram that have this gift, because they inspire me and leave me in awe, but I will never be that person. I’ve never had that special way with words. I’ve always used another medium to express myself. Right now…it’s pictures. And, honestly, I feel blessed to be able to do that for other people, and honestly…for myself.

I’ve never been good at story telling. I always forget 75% of what I’m trying to tell. I’d never be able to accurately recount to Maya all the fun we had in her childhood, but through this blog…I can. And I am forever grateful for that. Zero followers or a bunch of followers. It doesn’t really matter. The end result is that I can show her this later and show her how much fun we had and how much I love her. Because by the time she actually reads this, she will “hate me” for telling her she can’t wear this or that I’m sure haha :{

I’m sure it isn’t a secret that I don’t really feel comfortable in dresses. I love them, buy them, but never wear them. One of the pages I follow on Instagram is CoastToCoastCentral. Not only do they have great fashion posts and challenges, but they are very involved in raising awareness around sex trafficking. It literally makes my shudder to think about this being a reality, but is sadly it very much is. They recently partnered with Dressember in order to raise awareness of human trafficking. Honestly, I can’t wear a dress for the entire month (ugh, maybe I could, but…this year, I will try to commit to wearing them MORE! Baby steps).

Sooo, day 1 (or, in reality Day 8 by the time I post this)! Honestly, this dress would be indecent on a 40 year old mom (who’s 5′ 8″!), so I paired it with some skinny jeans and boots and I was happy as a clam! Extra bonus? Totally hides all the holiday indulging-WIN!!

And then the sun went away… In case you were wondering 😉OMG, loooove that I captured this!! Usually, I only capture the after math (ginormous hug), but this is what leads up to it, which…is almost just as good 😉 Ok, this is better 🙂 “Maya, can you stand like a flamingo?” haha. Because she’s obsessed with flamingos, and there’s no way she would follow “Can you do what I’m doing?” Hey…whatever works, because…how cute, right?? 😉 I cannot tell you how much I love it when she just busts a move!! 🙂OH MY GOSH, I have no words. She is so freaking cute I can hardly stand it. And no, I’m not biased (haha ;)) SHE IS!!!Looove this one too.Does anyone remember Geoffrey? Yeah, he disappeared, and no other stick has lasted past the walk we are on. This stick stayed on the path. For those that don’t remember Geoffrey, he came with us everywhere for…a month? Broke twice, had bandaides all over, and kept on going until…he was lost. 😦On me…

Jacket- Levi’s (thrifted)

Sweater- Inhabit (ebay, LOVING this one here)

Dress- Free People “Sunbeam Mini Dress” (Nordstrom Rack, love this here)

Jeans- DL1961 “Emma” in Bloom (C/O)

Boots- Frye 12″ Harness Boots

On Maya…

Hat- (thrifted, but similar here)

Sweater- (thrifted, but similar here)

Vest- Old Navy (thrifted, but similar here)

Top- Little Boogaweezin (sold out, but the SS15 is preview is AMAZING!)

Jeans- DL1961 “Chloe” in Rafaeli C/O

Shoes- Vans (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

Ok, this first one…hahaha. I was trying to show the movement of the dress and in my mind I wanted a graceful twirl. What I got instead! HA-NOT GRACEFUL! Hey…you try twirling for 10 seconds and have it time it just right 😉 Totally cracked me up when I saw it though!! I look like a tween line dancing (no offense to line dancers!!)

And, this next one wouldn’t be an outtake if there wasn’t a guy walking his dog (I probably could have removed him in photoshop), and the voluminous dress didn’t look soooo unflattering when I bent over :{ But…it happens, and I still love it, so it’s an outtake! 🙂

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Leather + Coated Denim…again :)

2 Replies

So, in my quest to wear things that I love but that I wasn’t wearing, I’m now on repeat haha. Hey, there are worse things. Plus, these coated denim are basically like spanx, so you’re lucky you don’t see these on me every single day. Although, these pictures were taken a few weeks ago before the holiday binging, so they might not even fit me right now ;} “C’mon Mom, this way!!” Love, love love these next three. I couldn’t decide which one to post, so I’m posting them all…because I can 🙂 On me…

Jacket- Doma (old, similar here)

Sweater- Inhabit (ebay, LOVING this one here)

Top- StyleMint

Jeans- J Brand

Shoes- Vans (thrifted for $5!, similar here)

On Maya…

Jacket- Gap (thrifted, but similar here although, hers is a boys jacket :))

Dress- Old Navy (thrifted, but similar here)

Tights- H&M (similar here)

Boots- Zulily $9.99! (search Link)

Keeping it Real…

Maya had gotten up earlier than normal on this day. She’s actually been pretty good about sleeping in until 7:00-7:30. She goes to bed at 9:00. Has since she was a baby. I’ve tried to put her down earlier, because I always just assumed kids slept from 7-7 (like my brothers kids and friends kids did). Hey, I would have been excited about 8-8 or 9-9. BUT…I really l can’t complain, because she’s always been (and still is) and amazing napper. That’s when I get all my work done, so I really wouldn’t trade that for anything! Plus, it’s nice that she gets to stay up and see and hang out with all of us vs going to bed right after dinner.

ANYWHO…she got up around 6ish on this day (if I remember correctly), and we had time to kill before preschool. So…we took pics. Disregard the bags under both of our eyes, and the fact that I didn’t shower. At this point, the fact that I haven’t showered isn’t really “keeping it real” anymore :}

Here she is eating an after breakfast/before preschool snack.

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: