Labor Day Deals + What I Bought

I was so excited to check out the newly re-opened Zara at the Galleria mall today, but I didn't end up buying anything for myself (more on that later).

I headed there around noon today when Harper went down for her nap and I visited the few stores I wanted to check out. While I love being able to try on clothes before I buy them, I don't really love shopping in malls anymore. These days, I'm doing most of my shopping online and dealing with the returns if items aren't what I expected or don't fit. 

I spent two hours checking out some stores and I came away with some fantastic items from Banana Republic which I'll share first. My entire purchase in-store was 40% off and you can get 40% off through tonight at midnight using code BRLABOR online.

Jacquard Elbow-Sleeve Top

This is one I'm still unsure about. On the right I'm wearing a size small and on the left a medium. I ended up getting the medium. I like the sleeve length and texture of this top. Let me know what you all think!

Next up is this must-have long sleeve tee. Oh my goodness it's so soft and stretchy. Highly recommend. I got a size small.

Mini-Stripe Long-Sleeve Tee

I also picked up a blue soft-wash oxford shirt. I got a medium as I liked the length, but I see they have it online in a size small tall, so I may order that to see if I like the fit better. You can see I layered it here with the striped tee from above.

Soft-Wash Oxford Shirt

I loved the print on this large checked plaid shirt. Black and white is classic. I want to layer this under a thin black sweater. I can't find this one online, but I LOVE this one that is very similar. This is also a medium.

I also picked up this charcoal-gray chambray-style shirt. I thought it would be good for layering and on its own for cooler weekends. This is a medium. Unfortunately I can't find it online.

This dress  is one I tried on but didn't buy. It was on sale too. Cute, but I passed.

Space-Dye Faux-Wrapped Dress

I also went to LOFT and had the chance to try on one of the dresses from Lou & Grey that I shared in my post on Saturday. It's perfect! Great for casual summer days and will be great for our upcoming beach trip. I ended up getting the medium. The small fit too but I worried about it shrinking with how short it already is. Plus, I liked that it made it a little looser.

LOU & GREY SPACEDYE BLOUSON TANK DRESS

Now, before I get to the bad, let's start with the good. Zara expanded their Galleria store to include a kids and baby store upstairs and I couldn't be happier. I had seen the baby collection when I was in Toronto and was hoping we would get a kids/baby store too. I picked up a couple of things for Harper and I'm sure I will be getting many more there as time goes on because they have so many cute items.

Now to the not-so-good. I have always been a huge Zara fan, but their current offerings are not for me. I used to get a ton of clothes there and the last time I shopped there (in Toronto) I saw a ton of cute items, so I know this is just a fluke but I didn't like one item I tried on (everything felt shapeless). The fitting room lighting was also terrible, as you are about to witness...

Not good folks, not good. Maybe next time!

Before I go, here are two cute dresses I got for Harper at Baby Gap:

Checkered flannel dress

 Mix-media stripe dress

And lastly, I was running low on my beloved peony blush and picked up another. Thank you Bobbi Brown for making the greatest blush color in all of the land.

Hope your Labor Day was amazing!

Gap Picks & Fitting Room Photos

Today I got off of work early so before heading home I stopped in at Gap and Banana Republic to exchange some items I purchased online that didn't fit.

In this post I'm going to share some purchases and passes---and right now you can get 40% off of your entire purchase (in store + online) using the code "EVENT" at checkout.

I was IN LOVE with this blue dress. It is perfection---only the size 8, on the left was too big on me (I am cinching the waist form behind to show how I'd want it to look) and though the picture doesn't show it well, it was shorter than I wanted it to be. The size 2, on the right, fit nicely in the bodice, but was way way way too short. Sadly it doesn't come in tall---but you can scoop it up here as it would work for most ladies under 5'9 or so!

raw hem fit & flare dress 

(sold out in blue, of course, but it's also available in white!)

I knew this sleeveless, lightweight chambray shirt would be a keeper as soon as I saw it! It's a little longer in the back than the front and it's versatile beyond belief- you can pair it with shorts or pants or tuck it into a pencil skirt to dress it up for work. This is a must-have! Mine is a size small.

sleeveless chambray tunic

This dress was a favorite! It's long for a regular length dress and it's a nice looser fit for those hot summer days. The fabric is great too. I got this one in a size 6. 

colorblock shift dress

I ended up ordering this online in a 4 tall when I got home. The one I'm wearing in this photo is a 6 regular which is all they had left. I love white dresses for summer and like that this can be dressed up or down. I need the extra length so the tall will be arriving when it's off of backorder.

flared shirtdress

This dress must have been a store return because it's a medium tall. I liked the color and neckline but didn't love the fit at the bottom. I think a small or xs tall would have fit more nicely---but without the sash it was quite baggy. Either way, I think I would have purchased if the size had been right.

sleeveless shirtdress

(this color is no longer available in regular and tall, but is in petites if you need M or L)

I think we can all see just from these pictures that this dress was a total fail�it was like a sack�no shape and I was swimming in the medium. I don't even think an xs would fit to be honest. I do love the general idea of this dress though, just wish it was shaped differently. 

(on sale in stores)

Lastly, I picked up this sweet baby pink dress for Harper---the color is actually a true light sweet pink, a little more bright than this photo shows. 

eyelet dress

I hope you enjoyed my picks and passes! Did you score anything during this sale?! Let me know :)

PS---here's what I picked up for Kevin at Banana Republic---also having a 40% off sale on full-priced purchases:

vintage crew in purple

vintage colorblock polo

Baby Gap New Arrivals!

Just thought I'd do a quick post to share the Baby Gap items I purchased for Harper during their last 40% off promo! (they're currently running one for 30% off if you didn't get a chance to order last week) The items just arrived in the mail today. All items I purchased are 18-24 months (except for the shoes), so many are from the toddler section (tear!)

starry tie romper

eyelet flutter body double

strawberry boxy tank

dot racerback dress

texture stripe tie tank

mixed media tie dress

shirred cardigan

marled sweatshirt dress

striped tights  (radiant blue)  |  chambray espadrilles

I also got these sweet strawberry bubble shorts for Harper. Too cute! Her bow is by PrettyLittleElm.

Have a great week!

Our Weekend...

Harper's 11 month update is going to be a little late because poor baby girl has been sick.

Daycare called us Wednesday afternoon to let us know that she woke up from a nap with a 102 temperature. They took it again five minutes later, and it was down to 100.5. Kevin picked her up and I came home earlier that day.

We had noticed that she had a few (what we thought at the time were pimples) on her face and her temperature was between 99 and 100, but I thought she was just getting sick because she also had a congested and runny nose.

The next morning I posted a photo of Harper's "pimples" on instagram and quickly many of my awesome readers mentioned that it looked like hand foot and mouth disease. I didn't know much about it or the symptoms, but after a quick google, it was clear this was a possibility. We bathed her the night before and she only had the red dots on her face�but the next morning, an hour after I posted that photo on IG, she literally had blisters/red dots on her hands and feet, torso and her bottom. At that point I was 99% sure it was HFM. We made an appointment with our pediatrician who confirmed the diagnosis.

Although it's tough to see her body with bumps and rashes all over, I have to say I feel blessed that she did not get HFM sores inside of her actual mouth. I know a lot of babies who get these are unable to eat because the sores cause pain, whereas Harper just has rashes on her skin that didn't hurt or itch. We gave her tylenol about twice a day for the low grade fever and because she was fussier than usual.

She slept a lot for the past four days. Sometimes she would nap for 2.5 hours. I think her body just needed the extra sleep to recover. Plus, when she's with us, she loves to snuggle and sleep on one of us and typically she sleeps longer on us than in her crib (for naps). We love that she still loves to cuddle like that, especially because now that's she's on the go she wants to be "free" a lot.

She was in really good spirits on Sunday and back to playing as much as usual. Her rash on her body is pretty much gone and the blisters on her hands and feet seem to be crusting over. Her face is healing too, though the spots are still very red. 

(this was when the rashes were really bad)

On Saturday night I went to the Galleria with Candice. I hadn't been in a really long time so we decided to grab some food and get some shopping time in. Nordstrom was having a 25% off sale on designer shoes and I've been waiting for the Tory Burch sandals to go on sale for forever.

First I went to J.Crew where I tried on this gorgeous white dress. Unfortunately the waist was too big on my normal size but the size down didn't fit me in the chest (in the photo I am holding about 2 inches of the fabric in the back to make it appear how I would want it to fit). I may wait for it to go on clearance and then pay for alterations because it's beautiful. It is currently 30% off so check it out here if you like it too!

Then I went to Baby Gap and scored these pretties for Harper all for 40% off! I was surprised to see a promo in the store for all of the new arrivals because I feel like the online promos usually happen more often. 

scalloped bow sandals

bow jelly sandals

printed romper (sold out online---but here is a similar one)

pintuck dress (on sale for $19.99 and absolutely gorgeous!)

After Baby Gap we went to Nordstrom so I could try on the TB sandals and that's where Candice discovered these gorgeous Jessica Simpson heels. I was thisclose to buying them but then I talked myself out of them (now regretting that a bit) because our daycare has a policy of having to take your shoes off and I hate bending down to unbuckle them when I'm already carrying my 22 lb baby and a cooler bag full of bottles and food.

Some of my readers suggested I wear flip flops and change into heels and I may try that though it's just so easy to slip on a pair of pumps because they come off hands-free. I have several pairs of shoes right now with ankle straps and I never wear them because of the fuss to get them on and off at drop-off and pick-up. Maybe once she transitions to the toddler room the no shoes rule will no longer apply. If you want to buy these pretties, you can order them here. I may just order them too...

But the good news is that I got these fab Tory Burch Miller nude sandals for a sweet 25% off PLUS I had a Nordstrom note for $20!

Lastly, I picked up a hair product one of my co-workers recommended by Aveda. It's a heat protectant and helps with split ends (which hello, is basically my life). I will report back on it soon.

 I hope you all had a great weekend! Thanks for everyone who sent will wishes for Harper!

...she's feeling much better!