Truth be told, I’m not really sure I like this outfit on me. Ok, I don’t. I kept trying to make these pants work, but I’ve had them for over a year and have never worn them. I put them up on eBay, and someone asked to see pictures of them on. Well, if I was going to bother taking pictures of them, I might as well blog it haha. So, I dressed Maya up and this is a take on a holiday look. 













On me…
Tag Archives: Mother and Daughter Fashion Blog
What we wore for our holiday pictures…
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…
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 🙂
Oversized sweaters and playing on the beach…
I have been on the hunt for the perfect oversized black sweater for a long time now. I’ve bought/returned and bought/resold so many over the years.
THEN…one of my favorite people to follow (Sheree of It’s Not that Deep) started her own shop-Deep Style! She has the best eye for vintage and thrifted clothing, so I checked it out right away. When I saw this sweater in her store, I couldn’t hit buy fast enough. Those ruffly sleeves! The cowl neck?! $35!!??! When it came in the mail, it was even better in person. So thick and soft…even better than what I had been picturing in my mind during my search! I will try and repeatedly wear it on my non picture taking days so you don’t get sick of seeing it on me 😉
We haven’t been going down to the beach as much lately (weather being crazy and life being even crazier), so I’ll apologize in advance for the massive amounts of pictures. We were both in our happy place! 🙂 And nobody else was there, so I didn’t feel like a total nerd moving the tripod all over the place 😉


Kind of love this next one…. 


So impressed she threw this big ol’ piece of driftwood! Goooo Maya!







Coming in for a kiss hahaha 🙂
And then this happened…OH MY GOSH-DYING!!!! And no, there is no way I could leave it at just a few images… She got up there, and just started busting a move!





On me…
Little Black Dress from day to night…
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…
The power of Social Media…
You can say anything you want about pictures and make it so…
I could lie and say I took these a few days ago when we had a random hour of sun and 60 degree weather, but…they are from about a month and a half ago. I’ve been so busy with work and life! Plus, it’s been off and on POURING and windy lately, so we haven’t been taking as many pics. Thankfully, I have few that I never posted for one reason or the other, which is what you’ve seen posted sporadically lately 🙂
I DIY ripped these vintage Levi’s because my collection was growing a little out of control. I thought I’d at least make these different 😉 I did a tutorial on how I do the DIY ripped jeans here.
Of course I had to DIY rip a pair for Maya too!









Seriously…love this city on a gorgeous day.
On me…

Jeans that feel like pajamas? Count me IN!
I’m a little embarrassed by how many days in a row I’ve worn these jeans :} They are not the most flattering jeans, but you cannot beat them for comfort! Not only are they super baggy, but the cotton is this super soft thin fabric. Even better? I got them off eBay for $15!
I recently scored this sweater from StyleMint when they had their get 3 for $20 sale. Yes, this sweater was less than $7 (regularly $69.98)!!






The road to having this sweet little nugget was not an easy one. Looking back now, I’m glad for every road bump, every hope dashed, and every tear shed, because they’ve been blown away by all the laughter and love she has brought into our lives. For those that have struggled to have a child, it’s SO hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Believe that it is there…
I vascilated between leaving it at that and telling the whole drawn out story (I actually did, but ended up deleting it because it was literally a novel that maybe 2 people would read…)
My story really isn’t any different from many. We started trying to have Maya a little before I was 35, aka “advanced maternal age”-UGH, can they not think of a better phrase now a days??!! So…I was somewhat prepared for complications and not so easy road. What I wasn’t that prepared for was exactly how much of an emotional roller coaster it would be. Every month, getting your hopes up, and then having them crushed. A process that is supposed to be joyful, ended up just being frustrating and depressing.
BUT…after two years, almost as soon as I became pregnant, I knew! Before any kind of testing, I just knew, and I WAS!! I’m tearing up just typing this. I took a test early, and it came back positive. Yes, I still have the test (gross to some, but there is no way I’ll ever throw it away!!)
And then…I got to go get the official word. The only real bonus to going to a fertility specialist is ALL the extra/early tests you get! I remember the crappy parking on a downward hill to get to the clinic. I remember getting in the elevator to get to the office. I remember it ALL. And I have the worst memory ever!!
The minute I heard the heartbeat…it became a reality. Maya became a reality.
A reality, I could never have imagined… A love I could never have imagined. A joy I could never have imagined, and yet it was mine.
I know so many people that have stories way more complicated and heart wrenching than mine. The ability to have a child is such a gift. A gift many can’t have.
I will never stop being thankful for this gift.

How to keep warm with 3 levels of layering…
This day was deceptively cold. It was clear and sunny, but in the 30’s. Not so cold that we needed our ginormous coats and hats, but cold enough for layers…
hahaha, I love that she just busts a move out of nowhere 🙂
Can you tell it was WINDY?





On me…

Classics never go out of style… Leather Jackets + Converse
Ok, so I did it again. I dressed us alike. I honestly didn’t mean to, but then it just happened. Oh well.
Just wait for it…. 🙂

You know, because who needs a jacket it the winter??? Obviously, not Maya…
And then I managed to wrestle it back on her!
On me…
One of my favorite posts…Because I can’t think of a title…and it is :)
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…
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! 🙂Leather + Coated Denim…again :)
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…






