Thoughts on Thursday: Favorite Finds!

Have you ever had those weeks where every morning you wake up, you have a feeling that "Oh, it's Friday!" but then no... nope it's only Tuesday, and then Wednesday, and then you finally wake up on Thursday and think "Okay, it's not Friday yet but it's Friday EVE so I can manage this"?  No? Just me?  Ah, well that's been my week in a nutshell.  So much so that Starbucks was calling my name loud this morning, so I'm hoping that after my caffeine and little spinach feta breakfast wrap (so dang good) that I'll be ready to take on the day!

And let us not forget that Molly, the 75 pound dog who still sleeps in our bed, was up and 2am and 4am this morning.  At one point she did need to go out, but when she woke up at 2, she woke us both up and then kind of stared at us like "Let's play!"  Uh, nope.  So my 5:30 alarm came quite early today, also contributing to the need for The White Cup.

Now, I have to share two purchases that I made yesterday and am probably way too excited about but whatever-- better to buy a shirt and go home happy than wish you had and go home bitchy, amiright? 

BRINGING BACK THE FLARE
I'm a curvy girl, and bootcut/flare jeans tend to flatter my shape more than skinny jeans, so I'm all about the style coming back.  Slightly flared, not... bell bottom-esque, thanks.  I placed a big Old Navy order a couple of weeks ago to stock up on basics during one of their big sales and threw in a new pair of dark flares just for kicks-- I'm obsessed and wish I could wear them all day, every day.  The dilemma was that I've been buying tunics and more flow-y types of tops for so long now to go with skinnies that I was left with very few tops to match the sider bottoms-- flowy tops + wide pants for me = a look similar to a potato sack. 

So I started browsing my Pinterest boards for inspiration and came across this look from The Northeast Girl.  SOLD! If I have anything already in my drawers, it's slim fit, striped tees-- CHECK!  The jeans are washed and folded, just waiting for their next wear-- CHECK! But that sweater-- I fell hard for that sweater.  But I couldn't justify impulse buying a $70 sweater after seeing it for 2 seconds on a website.  I filed it away as "The Perfect Sweater That Will Probably Be Gone By the Time I Decide to Buy It" and moved on.  Well, I was pleased as punch when I checked my email yesterday evening and saw that Loft was having a flash sale, 50% off all new fall arrivals. Guess which sweater was in that batch?  Oh yes, I couldn't sign-in to my Loft account fast enough.  This baby is comin' home to mama!  

Patience is not one of my strong suits, but I guess sometimes it pays off!

jessicaNdesigns
Usually when I get to my desk in the morning, I log in, enjoy my coffee, check through/respond to any pressing work emails, then take a few minutes to look through my Gmail inbox and blogs-- it's a nice, calming little start to my day.  I have definitely started to feel inspired by the Christmas spirit, mainly because I'm being proactive (for once) about actually getting things done ahead of time-- I'll say it again, I can't be cray-cray at Christmas again this year.

One of my favorite small shops, jessicaNdesigns, had sent out a Christmas promotion email, which I of course had to click into. I love everything that they do and would stock my entire kitchen with their products if I could.  We even ordered our custom cake forks through them for the wedding last year (can't wait to pull them out one month from today to celebrate our anniversary!  How has it already almost been a year?!?). So I love their homegoods... but I was pretty darn delighted to see that they also not only have their entire Christmas Collection out, but that that collection includes holiday t-shirts!  Y'all... I cannot even with this shirt-- it's the perfect gray tee AND a Christmas movie quote!  

I am the queen of Christmas movies. Truly.  If I haven't watched all of my favorites by a certain date in December, I feel panicky, like I can't fit them all in by Christmas (I know, it's a sickness).  So when I saw one of the best Home Alone quotes ever on that shirt, I didn't think twice as I gleefully submitted my order.  I mean, I love to dress up for Christmas shopping, but when it's nose-to-the-grindstone tone and you need to get shit done, there's nothing better than jeans, cute sneaks, a tee and a sweater or scarf to top it off-- easy layers, yet still spirited!  Or, you know, you can totally wear it with your candy cane pajama pants while watching "Love Actually" for the twelfth time since Thanksgiving-- no judgement here. 

And no one has an clue that I'm raving about their stuff-- I'm just that excited about my new finds and wanted to share the love!  

With that, I'm off. Have a fabulous day, lovelies!

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday, y'all!  This has been the longest week in what feels like forever, so I am oh-so-happy to welcome the weekend with open arms.  Let's get right to a little Five on Friday, shall we?

{one} family/new house photos
Since we moved into our house the week of Thanksgiving last November, the holidays were a little cray-cray for us.  We were still in boxes, I hardly decorated, none of the rooms had furniture or decor... it drove me crazy.  And I hated that our first Thanksgiving/Christmas didn't really feel like the holidays because of all of the chaos.  Well, with a year (and MANY trips to HomeGoods) under my belt, the house is finally in a place that makes me feel happy and warm when we walk in the door.  Add to that the new addition to our family last January (Miss Molly, obvi!) and you have what I see as pretty perfect for us right now.  With the traditional first wedding anniversary gift being paper, I surprised Brian and hired our wedding photographer to come and take photos of us with Molly at the house.  Who knows how our lives could change in the next year, and I really want to document what and where our family is right now... and I'm so excited!  She comes Halloween afternoon and I'm already thinking about outfits and such-- loving the look of something like these!

{two} flats 

I'm on my feet a lot during the day, running around for photo shoots, meetings, etc. so I tend to stick with flats at work.  I purchased a pair of black TB Revas two years ago and while I loved the look, I've a) worn them into the ground, and b) hate how much they hurt me feet for the price that I paid.

Is it common for the Reva to rub your feet the wrong way?  Moreso my heel-- it's awful and painful!  And I definitely sized correctly-- I tried on sizes bigger and smaller, did the walk test, etc.  Since I'm in the market for a new pair, I'm considering the Caroline flat.  Any insight on one or the other?  I won't be buying another pair of Revas but could consider the Caroline if y'all can persuade me!

{three} workin' on my fitness

After a long hiatus from the gym, I've made myself a little commitment calendar to get back it for the month of October.  We have two weddings coming up and I would love to feel even better in the two dresses that I've already bought to wear.  I'm thinking I might do a check-in one day each week to keep me accountable.  My little reward for myself is happening if I complete every workout-- I'm buying myself a FitBit (finally).  Working out is such a trigger for me-- once I get in a routine, I'm overall happier, I sleep better, I make better food choices... basically, it's a necessity!  AND it keeps me sane.  What more could I ask for in something FREE that literally just requires me to move my body and put myself first?

Last resort motivation?  Our (destination yet-to-be-determined) beach anniversary trip in January.

{four} christmas crazy

Call me crazy, but in line with my whole "I want to enjoy the holidays and not be stressed!" approach to the end of the year, I've already started my Christmas shopping.  I've made two gift purchases, ordered our Christmas cards (thank God for Minted and their "Buy now, personalize later" deal), bought a new return address stamp from Etsy (with our married name and new address-- woohoo!), and have my list made for the rest of the family/friends that we buy for. I'm convinced that in the long run, shopping early will save me money too-- am I the only one more apt to impulse buy something for someone when I'm stressed and under the gun on December 22?

I want time to watch my favorite Christmas movies with my guy, bake cookies for our neighbors, decorate early enough in the month to enjoy and soak it all in... not be running around like a lunatic on my lunch break and after work to wait in line and lose the sentiment of the reason for the season!  I'm also loving that this is our first Christmas with Molly.  I MIGHT (ok, I totally did) have ordered her a mini stocking that matches ours (monogrammed, of course), a jacket to wear in the rain/snow (again... monogrammed) and a Bark Box subscription. I can't wait to have her as a part of all of the fun, but I'm totally preparing myself to come home to a disaster once we put the tree up-- Molly loves few things (aside from tennis balls and mint bones) more than branches and logs in the yard.  Could be interesting...

{five} weekend fun

The first thing that Brian and I said to each other this morning was how ready for the weekend we are. If I can just make it through until 5pm, I'll be good to go.  I'm painting our living room and we're mounting our TV (seriously so excited-- the battle that ensued over to mount vs. not to mount is one for the books AND I WON).  Tomorrow we're planning to watch football and break in the firepit with lots of wine and pumpkin beer, and Sunday will be lots of relaxing while Brian plays in a golf tournament.

Cheers to the weekend, friends!

Thoughts for Thursday: October Bucket List

October is, without a doubt, my favorite month of the year.  The weather and leaves are changing, sweaters and boots get dusted off and ready for weather, soups and chili just seem like the answer to "What should we do for dinner?" more often than not, and it's finally cool enough to leave the windows open at night and add that extra blanket to keep you snug and warm.  

And we can't forget the fun stuff-- football Saturdays and Sundays, pumpkins and mums everywhere, HALLOWEEN, all of my favorite spooky movies (I cannot wait to say hello to the Sanderson Sisters for the 22nd year in a row-- can you even believe that Hocus Pocus is 22 years old?!?)... ah, yes.  October, it's been a long year waiting for you but I welcome you with open arms.

I'm sure you've seen various forms of fall bucket lists floating around different blogs, but since a lot of the items on those lists don't really apply to me (we don't have Littles of our own yet, so count us out for anything related to hayride/pumpkin patch/arts & crafts), and while I want to soak in as much of the fall as possible, I know that this month and next are going to be BUSY for us.  So, I made my own little custom bucket list that I know works for us and won't be a pain in the bum to feel obligated to complete!  Some are related to the season, others are just things I'd like to focus on this month-- can't wait to start checking away!

Books to Read

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  This would be a reread for me, as I've read this countless times before, but not in several years.  I came across this fantastic list of children's books from Good Housekeeping that lists 50 books that adults should read (or reread) and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of them.  It's perfection-- I can't wait to tuck under a blanket and read a Saturday away!

Halloween Movies to Watch

No explanation needed!

Sandy, Nicole, two crazy aunts living in a Victorian house in New England, a love story with Aidan Quinn, and Stevie Nicks on the soundtrack-- perfection.

Call me crazy, but it's not Halloween unless I watch it!  It puts the fear of God in me (literally) every year, but it's just too well done, classic and downright terrifying to not pay homage to.

Halloween/Fall Activities 

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Have friends over for supper, games and drinks around a fire! 

Go apple picking.

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Make our yearly trek to Salem for a beer and wine festival (one of my favorite traditions, obviously).

Halloween Fun for the House!

spiders, punkins and bats-- halloween perfection!

a few chevron pumpkins never hurt anyone

I'm really loving these bats for the side of our house!

New Fall Recipes and Cocktails!

the apple ginger smash

beer mac and cheese (brian would be super pleased about this one)

apple cider moscow mule

butternut squash ricotta stuffed shells (what diet?)

bourbon maple apple cider

apple cider doughnuts

and we can't forget pumpkin bones for my sweet Molly girl!

I think it's safe to say that I've got a busy little month of October planned out for us... LOVE IT!  I'll document as I check things off, and to keep me accountable :)

And as if you won't see this all across your Instagram today...