Gingham For The Weekend

Good Lord, my legs are pale! I guess you don't see it until they're photographed, right? Note to self: gradual self tanner, STAT.

Having said that, this gingham dress from Old Navy is just too cute not to share. I wore it today to run errands and then later to a casual birthday party at a friend's home. I also carried my new Tory Burch Thea Convertible Tote, which I plan to do a full review on soon!

dress- old navy  |  vest-  nordstrom (almost identical)  |  sandals- tory burch  |  
bag- tory burch

Look who photobombed me! ;)

I also filmed a "haul" video of recent purchases. You may have seen some of them on my blog already and there are some new ones, too!

Happy weekend!

Tory Burch Friends & Family Sale + What I Bought

While scrolling through my Facebook feed yesterday, I noticed a few friends posted about Tory Burch's Friends & Family Sale (take 25% off using code FRIENDLIEST). 

All of the new fall stuff is in and I fell in love with Thea Convertible Tote in black.

I haven't purchased a handbag since I got my LV Neverfull when I was pregnant. I didn't see the need--- my NV was great for work, travel, etc. I actually feel guilty even looking at bags because I really love my LV. However, my LV is very large (I have the GM) and I do want to add a bag to my collection that is classic---but slightly smaller than my LV.

What attracted me to this bag was several things--- its classic black color, the fact that it can be carried by its handles or crossbody with the chain, its large (but not huge) size and the subtle logo�and of course, the tassels. I have not seen this bag in person so I'm hoping I will love it just as much when it arrives. I can always return it if I don't love it as much in person, but I had to snag it up during the promo since TB doesn't discount very often. I will let you all know what I think when the bag arrives!

In honor of this fantastic Tory Burch sale, here are a few other favorite items of mine:

clockwise, from left:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |

clockwise, from top:  1  |  2  |  3  |  

flats  |  booties  |  pumps  |

clockwise from top left:  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |

Happy Shopping!

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!

Recent Purchases...

I hope everyone had a great Saturday!  We started our morning with Starbucks lattes and breakfast (yum!) and then I headed to swim class with Harper. She did awesome today and didn't cry once (she is having some stranger danger issues and cried a few times during her last two lessons). Harper always takes an amazing nap right after class so I took that time to relax a bit before we set off to return some Christmas gifts that didn't fit (we were a little, uh, late on that, ha) and check out some convertible car seats (because we will eventually switch out the infant seat in my car).

I got an email reminder that I had GAP Cash to use (it's a promo where when you shopped about a month ago you got $25 back for every $50 you spent to use towards a future purchase).  Wanting to take advantage of getting clothes for 50% off, I picked up a few items for Harper and for me. I'm buying all 12-18 month clothing now. The tank top is actually a size 3T because the 12-18 one was teeny tiny. It looked like a 0-3 month size.

wide stripe leggings (navy)  | eyelet flutter sleeve top  |  heart print ribbed tank (navy)  |  dot leggings (baby pink)

custom name puzzle  |  stripe poplin shorts |  chaturanga crops |  

I also wanted to mention a lovely custom name puzzle I got for Harper from Fat Brain Toys. I heard about it on Megan's blog Willow Way- she has one for her daughter Olivia! It's such a pretty puzzle and it arrived just a few days after ordering- I was super impressed!

Okay- back to GAP--- I picked up a pair of sleep shorts with a pretty mint green trim on them. I like these because they are a little longer (i.e. my butt doesn't hang out of them like most sleep shorts) and the lace detail is pretty. 

Lastly, I made my first ever purchase from Athleta, a sports/workout apparel store owned by Banana Republic (who also owns Gap and Old Navy). I was immediately drawn to the bright spearmint color of these crops. A few seasons ago my beloved Lululemon had wunder under crops in a color similar to this one and they sold out before I could grab a pair. I had always hoped they would bring the color back, but I haven't seen it re-released.  So, when I saw these Chaturanga crops, I just had to try them on. I have to say, they are very flattering and fit/look just like my wunder under crops from Lululemon. The fabric appears to be high quality, feels nice on and they have a lifetime warranty on their products! They cost $54, less than Lululemon but still pricey for workout apparel. But, you know how I feel about that--- I prefer to invest in pieces that will last a very long time---and I have Lulu pieces that are damn near 8 years old that still look great. I will update once I've worn them to let you know how I like them. 

Athleta does their sizing on the S, M, L, XL, etc scale so I wasn't sure about fit. I took a S and M into the fitting room and the small fit perfect. The sales associate told me their sizes run larger, so I'm going to say that their size small fits like a size 6 wunder under from Lululemon since that's the size I take there and they fit the exact same.

Wishing you a wonderful rest of your weekend!  By the way, we are researching "baby cages" (haha, baby gates/playyards) to keep Harper contained now that she is crawling and pulling up on all of the things. Let me know if you have any you love�time to baby proof this house!

*this is not a sponsored post, all products purchased with my own funds.

Our Saturday...

This Saturday, I was especially thankful for antibiotics. I left work on Wednesday afternoon feeling so terrible I don't know how I even made it through the morning. I don't get sick very often and I haven't taken a sick day in over a year. I hate missing work, but I also wouldn't want other to be exposed to what I have and in order to get better, I really needed to rest.

First it was a stomach virus that also made me feel like I was also hit by a bus (hot flashes, soreness, clammy hands, it was awful) and that was all followed by a sinus infection that kicked in Friday night, just as I was starting to feel like I was making progress in the stomach virus department. My GP doctor, who I haven't seen in 2 years since I wasn't sick before or during pregnancy, squeezed me in on Friday right before his office closed (so grateful) and I was able to get on amoxicillin.  

I was prepared to come to terms with the fact that our weekend would be ruined since I was so useless. I was needing to rest a lot and I felt really awful and was in a lot of pain from the sinus pressure and continued to have stomach cramps. However, when I woke up this morning, it was like I was a new person. The terrible migraine from my sinus pressure was gone and my stomach no longer felt like it was being jabbed by sharp objects. Phew!  I was feeling so guilty because my husband was doing 80% of Harper duty plus everything else around the house because I was so miserable and I felt bad that I didn't get to interact with her a lot because I was feeling so crummy. So to wake up and feel almost back to normal again was a true blessing.

In my ongoing quest to save time, I order nearly everything we buy online.  Sometimes though that means that sizes are wrong or the item doesn't look as cute as it did online when it arrives. We headed to the Osh Kosh store to return some leggings I ordered that were way too small. Harper is five months old tomorrow and I ordered the nine month size leggings and she would have grown out of them in a week (and had I washed and dried them first, as I always do before she wears anything, they may not have fit at all). So size up on the brand's leggings!

We ended up picking up some additional items from Osh Kosh because the entire store was 40% off and an additional 20% off of clearance.

All items are from Osh Kosh except for the sleeper on the bottom left which is from Carter's. 

My husband picked out the adorable navy blue onesie with red hearts. Can you tell I love navy blue?!

Next we went to Nordstrom and embarrassingly, after 6 years of living in Houston, I had no idea that Nordstrom had a third floor which has a---you guess it---baby section. I was cruising Harper around in her stroller in the baby section and when I held up a little purple sweater dress from Nordstrom's own baby collection, she smiled and it was adorable so that was enough for me! I also got a cute little "xoxo" tee by the line "peek" a touch and feel soft baby book (a total must-have!) as well as a Sophie the giraffe teether (which clearly, she loves).

Finally, Banana Republic is having a 40% off sale through tomorrow so I picked up this pretty cobalt skirt with a bow and slit at the front and a pair of my fave Sloan Fit slim ankle pants in a dark green color (they look darker IRL).

I've been wearing flats a lot more lately because daycare drop off is a lot easier in flats and I thought this skirt looked cute with flats whereas I feel like I have to wear heels with my J.Crew pencil skirts, though maybe that's more out of habit than anything. I still love heels but sometimes they are a pain and I always worry I'm going to trip or something when I carry the baby. Plus, we have to remove our shoes before entering her class, so heels are more annoying to manage.

Today Harper wore her Baby Gap mint green stretchy pants today and the striped top she's worn about 100 times. I just love it so much I'm getting as much wear out of it as we can before she outgrows it. She's already wearing 6-12 and 9 month sizes. It's unreal!

Harper's hair bow from Pretty Little Elm

Hope you're having a great weekend and thank you again for all of the well wishes!

Our Saturday...

Saturdays have been awesome lately.  Harper is sleeping through the night most nights and if she does wake up, usually putting her paci back in is all she needs to go right back to sleep (sometimes, she even grabs it and puts it back in herself!) On Saturdays she has her morning bottle and then we all sleep for another two and a half to three hours and it's GLORIOUS. Those few extra hours of sleep are such a Godsend, especially because I still wake up for my usual 5:30 a.m. pumping session even on weekends (because if I don't, I get plugged ducts, which are no beuno).  Plus, after going through the 4 month sleep regression for the past several weeks, the extra rest is truly a blessing.

Today we went on the hunt for a Halloween costume for Harps. I love the ones from Pottery Barn Kids but at $60 a pop and them being basically snowsuit level warmth in all their fuzzy glory, we weren't convinced they were the best option for this climate, even though we are just having her wear a costume for fun.  

We ended up finding this cute Minnie Mouse costume at Babies R Us and we also have a pumpkin tutu costume that my MIL bought for her.  I can't wait to see how cute she looks in them!

Minnie Mouse costume, Onesie, Bib- Babies R Us

We also picked up a Halloween onesie and bib. Everything was 40% off, so we figured for her first Halloween, why not? 

Next, we went out for lunch at PF Changs (yum!) and because it was absolutely beautiful outside today I decided to wear Harper in my Ergo carrier and we walked all around Highland Village to enjoy the fresh air.  

Vest- J.Crew | Cords- GAP | Flats- GAP | Tee- J.Crew

Speaking of the Ergo, I absolutely LOVE it. It's so comfortable and it distributes your baby's weight so perfectly and more into your hips so your back and shoulders don't hurt at all like with most carriers. Plus, I like that it's better for baby's hips than the ones that let their legs hang loose. Thanks to everyone that recommended it to me!

I had seen Marissa post a photo of an adorable "Happy Halloween" banner from Pottery Barn Kids on Instagram earlier in the day and I knew we would be by a PBK so I went in and picked one up to our Halloween decor (it was the last one in the store, the floor model actually). At $22 I thought it was a steal considering I would have to spend way more to actually make it myself. I LOVE making my own decor, but sometimes you end up spending more than just buying it ready-made so I try to DIY projects that save me cash. You can see a better photo of the banner on Marissa's blog, The Simple Sawn. It has big black glitter letters with beads in between.

We were also lured into Williams Sonoma today because the store smelled like fall as you walked by it. It smelled like a combination of amazing cappucinos and pumkin spice everywhere. The had a bunch of local vendors selling baked goods, coffee, etc. and we discovered a local baker from Beaumont who makes the best pumpkin bread I've ever had (ever). It's moist and delicious and has the perfect amount of spice to it...mmmmmmm...nom nom nom. Her business is The Mixing Bowl and her info is below!

When we came back home later that afternoon, there was a box on my doorstep with these lovelies (minus the Kiehl's self tanner which I picked up in the Highland Village flagship store):

Blouse, Shoes, Tights- J.Crew Factory |  Kiehl's Self Tanner (it's amazing, especially for your face!)

Also in our mailbox---these adorable knit leggings for Harper! (H&M)

Tomorrow we are going to relax and head out to a pumpkin patch somewhere local.  I hope the weather stays this amazing!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Weekend Snaps + Some Purchases

It was the ideal weekend for the weather to be awful. My allergies appeared out of nowhere and Friday night I got reconnected with a box of Kleenex. It was terrible. I didn't want to take anything because of my milk supply but I was assured that Zyrtec was safe to take so I did end up caving and it seems like it's helping.

We spent most of the weekend cuddling and I also picked up the house a bit...it looked like a disaster. I always forget to call the awesome ladies who clean our house in advance and suddenly I realize it's been 3 weeks since we had a nice deep cleaning. 

I went to Target today and picked up a few things for me and for Harper (and some food, of course!)

Hoodie (on sale!) /// Sparkle Skirt (in stores---similar cute option)/// Striped Blazer /// Socks /// Socks /// Leggings (in stores- just $5 each!)

FYI- the blazer is a nice, soft, breatheable cotton and super comfy. I had a striped blazer from Express that I sold recently because I didn't like the fabric as much (though I did like the blazer overall). This one almost feels more like a cardigan. For reference, I got a small in the blazer and an XS in the zip-up (it was the last one and it's just for lounging but I can fully zip it with no issues so size down on this one if you end up getting it).

 I also got new hair bows and booties for Harper recently!

Hair Bows- CharlieCocos on Etsy /// Sherpa Boots /// Polka Dot Booties

weekend cuddles...

and reading books...(that's not my panda!)

and tummy time...(and realizing you need to get your eyebrows done)

and sticking her tongue out...

and being obsessed with her Baby Einstein Exersaucer...

we had an awesome weekend! Hope you did too!