Fashion, Favorites

Spring Favorites

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It snowed here again. We woke up to a winter white wonderland, complete with school cancellations and continuing flurries. While falling snow can be quite beautiful, anyone who knows me, knows I am SO over it.  I am a windows open, bare feet, sundress kind of girl– through and through. Winter is just not my jam.

With that said, I am patiently counting down the days until spring weather gets here. I’ve been eyeing a few things lately that are perfect for that upcoming spring weather!

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Fashion, Holidays

Would you be my Valentine?

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and for the first time, in a long time, the hubster and I are headed out on a Date Night! Granted, it’s the weekend after Valentine’s Day, but it includes free babysitting so we are not complaining. 
One of the best things about going out, for me at least, is getting ready! Spending all day with a toddler, “looking nice,” consists of putting on a bra and maybe washing my face. You know, in case I have to answer the door. With a date night in an adult atmosphere with adult conversation & adult drinks, I can trade in my sneakers for heels, my lunch smeared tee’s for pretty tanks…and I can wear a necklace without worrying about grabby toddler hands! Ah yes, date night is really just an excuse to look nice for a change.

For our Valentine’s Date I’m going for the “I don’t have a toddler with me but I still want to be comfortable,” look. What’s that you ask? It’s my go to “look put together,” outfit. A simple textured blouse, a snazzy jacket, skinny jeans and booties. Slap on a pendant necklace, some subtle studs and a complimenting watch and I am ready to roll. 
Are you doing anything special to celebrate Valentine’s Day? 
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Capsule Wardrobe, Fall, Fashion

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Update

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Fall Capsule Wardrobe of a Stay at Home Mom.


I haven’t learned much from this capsule wardrobe except these few things:

  • I can’t tell the difference between a regular wardrobe and a capsule because I didn’t have a lot of clothes to begin with, so sometimes, getting dressed is still hard. 
  • My clothes suck. Pairing down what I own to “the best” it became apparent that I need a higher standard of quality in my life. I have items with holes, stains, stretched out collars, and almost every sweater I own is pilling like a junkie. 
  • I really like neutrals. My capsule mainly consists of shades of taupe, cream, grey and black. I have the odd burgundy and emerald green. The pieces with more color get the least wear. Lesson learned? I love neutrals.
  • I am cheap.  And so are my clothes. Continually wearing the same things on repeat and I’ve started to get holes in some of my tops, my knees on my $7 jeans are threatening to tear and the clearance flats I purchased are almost worn through. See second point. 
  • I have no idea what’s in style anymore. It’s happened. I fell off the trendy bandwagon. I don’t know when or where, but somehow I’ve went from stylish & trendy to cheap & sometimes frumpy. Whhhaaaaat?
  • I thought if I held out long enough my feet would be back to pre-pregnancy size… well, after a year of squeezing into shoes a size too small, I said enough! My capsule contains all shoes that fit me, and it’s been glorious. 
  • Accessories can be fun! I don’t have many pieces of jewelry, or other accessories but what I have I have been utilizing more and I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly. 
  • Your hair matters. When all you have are a lot of similar outfits your hairstyle can really transform the whole look. Same goes for lip color.
And now, for your viewing pleasure, I’ve compiled shots of some of my outfits from my fall capsule. To get you in the holiday spirit all of these outfits feature my green pants and red jeans. Fa-la-la-laaa.
In summary, I’ve learned that my wardrobe reveals a lot about my life. At this point I’m continuing to wear things from my capsule but have started a mental list of what I would like to upgrade or replace. First on my list? Jeans that fit! Make sure you keep following along. Only about 3 more weeks or so of this capsule and then I’ll give you the final run-down along with more outfits created from this fall capsule.

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Fashion, Favorites, Makeup

5 Minute Makeup

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As a stay at home mom I find that our best days start when I feel good about myself. Days where I enjoy wearing the clothes I picked out, fixing my hair and putting on makeup. I feel much more put together, my confidence rises, and I feel ready to face whatever challenges the day has in store. When you look good, you feel good. 
Looking good doesn’t have to break the bank. I do believe in spending a little extra money to get quality products like a great eye shadow palette & a good matte bronzer. Yet, the majority of my favorite makeup essentials are drugstore brands. Without further ado, here are my top choices for the busy mom:


1. Wet-n-wild Balm Stain: this stuff is amazing. It’s smooth, it’s moisturizing, and it lasts all day long. I loved it so much for my lips, that I started using it as a tinted blush as well. Works great, and takes literally a few seconds to apply. Forget about reapplying, one swipe and you’re good to go!
2. Sephora’s Pro Bent Liner Brush: I use this brush for lining my eyes, and also for filling in my brows. It’s easy for my brows to get lost in the frames of my glasses. A well defined brow helps fix that. Using the two darkest shadows in my Naked Basic palette and this brush, it’s a cinch to get a polished look in minutes. 
3. Elf’s Small Tapered Brush: At 3 dollars a brush, this is one of my favorite cheapy, but oh so good, items. I use this every single day when applying my bronzer. It’s small enough to really help contour my face. 
4. Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Bronzer: this bronzer is amazing. I am always pretty pale, but this is the perfect matte shade for contouring. 
5. Urban Decay’s Naked Basics Palette: the only eye shadows you ever need, all in a convenient palette. I use this palette for my everyday look. I not only use it to create my eye shadow looks, but I also use the black to line my eyes, and the dark brown to fill in my brows. 
6: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer:This is magic for your eyes. It’s so good, I went out and bought the foundation, which is equally amazing. It’s like smearing silk on your face, if silk could take you from looking tired/having been beat up since your bags are so extreme you look like you’re walking around with black eyes….. to looking fresh faced and dewy. It’s unique sponge applicator makes it super fast and easy to swipe on in the morning. You need this in your life. 
7. Mascara: This is my backup mascara. I typically use whatever high end samples my sister gifts to me, but when I’m out of those, I always choose this one. Fuller lashes without clumping.
These 7 things are just about the only things I use everyday. It takes just about 5 minutes to put on a “full face” of makeup. Being busy doesn’t mean I have to be frumpy or messy. With these simple makeup essentials I can put myself together before Emmie has time to pull out everything from the sock drawer. 
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Capsule Wardrobe, Fall, Fashion

Capsule Wardrobes and Summer’s End.

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The end of summer snuck up on me and I find myself catching moments of panic, where I fast forward to what winter will be like with a bored toddler on my hands. You know it’s close when Target clears out it’s summer gear in favor of fall scented candles, Halloween decorations, and chunky knit sweaters. Even writing this I can feel my palms begin to sweat.

Cue the self pep-talk:

Don’t be upset, you knew this was coming. Here, let’s take it one step at a time and think of all the nice things about fall…
okay. I mean, it sounds like a good plan.


It is! Just think of all the fun activities Emerson can enjoy this year: hayrides, apple picking, fall hiking, possibly fall camping! 

hmmm… that does sound like a lot of fun. I bet Emerson would love Weber’s farm with the rubber duck races, hayrides, and pumpkin activities. She could even do some sensory activities with pumpkins. 


Yes! And you know what else we love about fall? All the warm, cinnamon spiced scented candles. Let’s not forget scarves and weather warm enough not to need a coat but cool enough for cozy sweaters!

Well, that’s about 75 degrees for me, but I get your point. I do like a good fall wardrobe. Plus, toddler Emerson is going to look way too cute in big cozy sweaters.


Okay okay, so maybe you’ve convinced me Fall isn’t so bad after all! And speaking of wardrobes I think there’s something I’d like to try this fall. Maybe you’ve heard of it? The capsule wardrobe. The idea behind a capsule wardrobe is to eliminate all the work of putting yourself together in the morning, by limited the selection from which you do so. Basically, besides PJs and workout gear, your entire wardrobe for 3 months (or a particular season) is no more than 33 items. Although, truthfully this item limit varies person to person. Some choose less, some choose more. I’m not sure the exact number of piece I’ll choose, but I want it to be reasonable. My wardrobe is already pretty tiny, so it will be interesting to see just how many pieces I end up with. I’m hoping this challenges me to further understand my personal style. What do I prefer? What works well for my body and what doesn’t? And most importantly, what keeps me warm?! Because, and I’m just keepin’ it real, I’m a total baby about the cold. Yet, like it or not, fall has begun!

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