Friday Focus- Capes

I just finished lunch.  I'm sitting here in yoga pants and t-shirt (mom life), looking outside my back doors at the sunshine and leaves blowing in the wind.  It's around 70 degrees today.  Not really fall-like, but soon enough the cooler temps will be here-  this weekend in fact! The nights have been chilly but the days still haven't really called for sweaters or jackets.   I may have said this before, but fall is my favorite season.  I'm not pumpkin spice obsessed but I do enjoy it, along with the changing of the leaves, cool nights that turn into cool days, chili cooking on the stove, an occasional football game, and the holidays.  I also love cozying up in a sweater and pulling out my boots to wear.  I still love my summer wardrobe and think that summer is the easiest season to dress for because there are less layers to "match", but cooler weather clothes are more comfortable.  Below, I've shared my one of my favorite on-trend season styles- the cape.  Any of these would be so chic paired with skinny jeans or leggings (depending on the cape length), and a simple tee or turtle neck underneath.  Which is your favorite?  I love them all, but really eyeing number one or five!

ONE: here TWO: here THREE: here FOUR: here FIVE: here

Recipe- Almost-Famous Burgers

I follow several food bloggers, restaurants, and other food related accounts on Instagram.  They give me great ideas for recipes and also give me hunger pains on occasion.  This is especially the case if I'm in the mood for say, a chocolate dessert and then a delicious, decadent double chocolate cake pops up in my feed.  I also have several hard copy cookbooks in my kitchen and have hundreds of recipes pinned to Pinterest for inspiration.  This past week, what caught my eye was the Almost-Famous Animal-Style Burger, so it's called, from The Food Network.  It's a fairly simple way to dress a burger but I don't think I've had it this way before so I had to try!  I purchased the best quality ground beef at the grocery, but with some fat because that apparently makes a juicy burger.  I also picked up some dairy-free buns since I can't have diary right now because my infant son has a cow protein allergy and I'm breastfeeding... more on that later. Burgers typically go over well in my household and my husband rarely rejects the idea of having one for dinner.  They're obviously not the healthiest food to eat but they sure taste good!

Recipe found here

Let me know what you think and how yours turns out if you decide to try!  Below is mine!

Big News

We're expecting!  We're so excited that Mary-Grace will become a big sister in late Feb/early March.  We found out pretty early on that we were pregnant and couldn't believe it!  It took a long while to get pregnant and have Mary-Grace (another story for another day) so we were pleasantly surprised when this time it really took no time at all.  We trust in God's timing and his plan.  Mary-Grace doesn't really understand what's going on but I think she'll be a great big sister.  So far I've had some pretty severe nausea and tiredness on a daily basis, but thankfully no vomiting.  I've been taking naps when Mary-Grace does in the afternoons and that has helped.  We had one scare about 2 weeks ago where I went to the ER with some heavy bleeding but thankfully it stopped and the baby is doing fine.  My doctor said there's a small part of the placenta over my cervix and that she thinks part of it bled out.  We had a few similar scares when I was pregnant with Mary-Grace too.  I just keep praying everyday that it will all be ok and we'll have a healthy baby.  I'll post a few updates here and there as we take this exciting journey!

Spring

Hey everyone!  I've been having issues with Google and was locked out of my account for a while, but I'm back!  I can't believe that it's already spring.  We had a wonderfully busy Easter.  We attended my mom's side of the family's church, then drove about another 30-45 minutes to my moms house for lunch.  Mary-Grace was exhausted by the end of the day!  Holidays or an out-of-the-ordinary day can sometimes be challenging with a one year old because their routine is different and napping can be an issue with all of the events and traveling... as you other parents know!  She's down to one nap a day now which allows us to do more things in the mornings, but by the time the afternoon nap rolls around, I'm worn out too!

I love the spring season... the blooms (which my sinuses hate), the warmer temps, and the fresh fruits.      I also love getting my shorts and dresses back out and upfront in my closet.  You never know with living in NC though; might be able to wear those shorts once or twice in the winter!  I love buying and wearing warm weather clothes much more than cold weather clothes.  I also love that I don't have to worry about layering much and having the layers go together.  I've listed below a few of my current favorite spring essentials.
Happy Friday, everyone!

J Crew fitted top / Jack rogers flip flops / Merona oversized beach tote / Caslon summer shawl / Illesteva round lens glasses / Hunter bubble umbrella

Our Halloween

I hope that everyone had a great Halloween!  We took Mary-Grace to our friends house where she went trick-or-treating with their little girl and another friends little girl.  Mary-Grace didn't quite understand what was going on, which I figured would be the case.  She started off walking up to the first couple of doors with us but would just stand there.   When the homeowner would show her the bowl of candy, she would just look at it.  She's not going to eat much of it anyways so it was just for the fun and experience.  All she wanted to do for the rest of the time was ride in this little push car that belonged to her friend.  Josh would push her up to the doors in the little car with her bucket in her lap... even carrying the car up the steps if the house had front steps.  I couldn't help but laugh my butt off.  I took quite a few pictures but a lot of them didn't come out well.  It was either too dark or she was moving too fast.  Below is the best one that I got of her, our little Minnie Mouse! Now time to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas (and a few birthdays too!).  

My Current Favorites

Skirt: Loft | Top: Banana Republic | Button Down: Zara | Wellies: Nordstrom (Hunter) | Sweater: Loft

Happy Halloween everyone!  This was one of my favorite holidays as a kid.  I loved dressing up and of course loved the candy!  We decided on Mary-Grace dressing up as Minnie Mouse this year.  It was either that or a puppy; her favorites.  I ordered her costume on eBay for a steal but it didn't come with the mouse ears so I had to hunt for some.  I went to Party City yesterday and they were packed!  All they had were pink Minnie Mouse ears and her costume is red.  I did end up finding a pair of Mickey ears after digging through the party section so I snagged those and went next door to Michael's and found some red polka dot ribbon.  After I glued a bow to her ears, we held her and her Minnie Mouse up to the mirror together and she thought it was the funniest thing.  Tonight we're going to our friends house for pizza and maybe some trick-or-treating.  Mary-Grace won't really understand what's going on but I'm sure she'll still have fun.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow!  Have a safe and fun day!

Cool Weather Favorites Under $40

Old Navy gray socks / Old Navy white socks / BP circle scarf / Hat / Zara hat / Cost Plus World Market infinity scarve


I've been loving this cooler (and now sunny) weather. After having rain and clouds for a good 11-12 days straight, it's been nice to have some sunny days this past week.  I took Mary-Grace to the park a couple of times to enjoy the weather.  The flooding in SC and parts of NC have been terrible and my thoughts and prayers go to those affected.  I hope for some more sunny days ahead!

I've rounded up some of my cool weather favorites that are all under $40!  I already own the fuzzy socks, black infinity scarf, and gloves (in black). The scarf is only $4.99!  You can't beat that.  I think the quality of it is really nice for the price.  I also got it in blue and have been wearing it frequently, even with t-shirts when it's been in the 70's.  I've really been wanting to wear my boots but I don't think it's been quite that cool, plus I haven't seen anyone around here wearing any yet... I could always be the first?!   What are your current favorites?