Current Favorite: Necklace

I was trying on clothing at Evereve (formally known as Hot Mama), a rare occasion only made possible by birthday money. As I returned to my dressing room with an armful of goodies the sweet sales lady held out her hand to the clothing I already had placed in my room, "Hope you don't mind but I accessorized the clothes you picked out. It is a slow night and is fun for me to do."

Of course I didn't mind, she was especially kind and since I knew I was not going to be purchasing any of these beautiful necklaces it was not a problem. I am a pretty die hard fan of Forever21 and Charming Charlie jewelry since their prices are cheap and for the most part I cannot tell the hugest difference between their stuff and the expensive stuff.

Then I saw this necklace. I took the bait and tried it on with a shirt that was just an "eh" shirt. Bam. Loved the shirt, it suddenly appeared polished and hip...all because of that little necklace. I tried it on with a few other tops and then, in a final attempt to convince myself it was a pass I put it on with my original outfit.

So good.

I pulled the trigger and already know is going to be one of my closet staples. As I dressed this morning was excited solely because I knew I got to top it off with this lovely gem.

It hits all the right notes
1. classy but set apart enough to not be boring
2. lightweight ( I made the mistake of purchasing a very heavy necklace once and have worn it all of no times)
3. great color-but a neutral that can go literally with anything
4. dress up, dress down-it works with both looks


And now, without further adieu the necklace.

I tried to link up to it on Evereve's website but cannot find it....sooooo you just might want to go to a store and check. They have it in a silver as well and I just might need to get it too.

Aeropress: How To Use

I enjoy coffee more than any other drink out there. To me the whole experience of brewing and drinking a cup is comforting and therapeutic. I own five different devices that I can brew coffee with and enjoy each of them for different reasons.

 

Recently on Instagram my friend Dar asked if I had used an Aeropress. She and her husband (a coffee snob-her words not mine) used this mode of brewing and said it was amazing. I googled "aeropress" within ten seconds of reading her comment and found a trail of people praising this as the best way to make a cup of joe. And the real kicker, super fast execution, reasonably priced gadget. I was sold.

 

I bought one for Nate's birthday (which is also my birthday, I know crazy) because he shares this coffee obsession with me...(sidenote: the man didn't drink coffee until we started dating...just another reason I picked a winner!!).

 

The hype is valid.

 

Go get yourself one or come over and I will brew you up a cup.

 

It won't take long, just 30 seconds.

Hand and Cloth

It is getting to that time of year when all anyone really wants to do is snuggle up on a couch with a blanket in front of a fire.

 

I don't have a fireplace anymore and my heart is still recovering so let's move on from that picture portion.

 

A couch and blanket I do have and boy do I plan on spending some quality time snuggling on it with my babes and hubby. Blankets can be a tricky thing, I would never have thought it but I can be kinda particular about what I am wrapping myself up in. Whenever I ask Nate for a blanket he always prefaces bringing it to me by asking..."Your favorite one?"

 

I guess I have a favorite. I also prefer a certain side of it over the other one-but trust me I am not as high maintenance in all areas of my life (I hope!).

 

I rarely purchase blankets and to be completely honest I think every single blanket (besides baby ones) we have in our home was given to us. It just never occurd to me to buy one.

 

And then I saw these beauties......and the thought did indeed occur to me.

 

all images taken from here

Those colors. Those patterns. Be still my beating heart.

 

They also have stockings. Nailing it on every level. I purchased one for each of us last year and will add one more since sweet Eliza needs one. The stockings are my favorite part of our Christmas decorations they are so entirely my style! So if you need a new blanket or stockings I suggest you order from here, their cause is as beautiful as their blankets.

A snapshot of today...

I feel like today this is a good picture of my life.

 

 

Trying to have order and accomplish things but realizing I have four small children who want to be just that, small children. I pick up, they play with put away toys. I sit down, they need something. I try to have a moment alone, they happily join me. I want to relax, they want to go go go. I want to daydream about decorating for the holidays, they want to live in the present.

 

Yes-I know you can relate to this...if you have children or not. This is kinda how life happens. Not always in opposition to itself but often enough. And life is meant to be lived and I believe enjoyed (as far as one is able) so I am going to try to marry these two perspectives of what a Saturday should look like. I know it will involve disappointment on both sides but I am optimistic it will involve some satisfaction on both sides as well.

 

a discount and tip

 

About a month ago I went to the Anthropologie store opening in Naperville. I purchased the sweater below for $100 plus tax. Ouch. After coming home and thinking about it for a while, I decided to return it. For me $100 is a lot to drop on a single clothing item! (hello, I could buy a whole new wardrobe at resale shops for that!!) I did miss having the sweater though and kept it in my basket online to check to see if the price ever dropped. And to my delight it did-and then to sweeten the pot today they are running a promo for 20% off of all sweaters (even sale sweaters!!). I called the store to see if they had my size in stock so I could save on shipping and handling. But they didn't.

 

Did you know if they don't have your size in store they will have it shipped to your house FOR FREE!? (some of you are probably saying...duh, yeah we knew that...wish you had told me!)

 

Sooooo I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for waiting a month.

 

And if you have been eyeing any sweaters there you just might want to get them now.

 

 

 

image taken from here

adding mature sparkle

 

Honestly overall I am not a fan of glitter on a woman. It too often reads childish for me.  However, I have discovered a way glitter looks good on any woman, no matter what their age. Nail polish. Not the big white chunks of glitter you find on the painted fingers of young girls, but the more refined shimmer.

 Zoya Pixi Dust nail polish reads sparkly without reading kid. It has a level of sophistication to it because it has a matte finish rather than a shiny one. The Pixi Dust is to be layered over any polish and left without a top coat. It has a gritty feel to it, almost like a sandpaper once dried. My favorite way to wear the Pixi Dust is in a neutral shade over a similar hue of polish. Below I paired Zoya's Pixi Dust in Godiva with Chanel's Trapeze and the end result is just what I like. Festive and eye catching but not "senior prom", if you know what I mean. I plan on wearing this combo a few times for the coming holidays. Do you have any polish selections you go to for celebrating this time of year?