Toddler Tuesday

G baby,

I just taught you to say, "Stop hatin' Dada", which I'm pretty happy about. Sometimes that naughty Dada tries to get you all riled up, and you have a nasty habit of yelling "SHUT UP" even if it completely doesn't make sense, which still gets you a time out. I feel like 'stop hatin' is a good replacement.
It really amazes me how intelligent you are, and I can only sit here and wish that I am around other kids your age to know if it's normal or not. Know your ABC's? Check. Count to 20? Check. I feel like it's not so hard to memorize the ABC song or a string of numbers and recite from start to finish, but we made sure you can actually recognize the letters and numbers if pointed out on their own as well. (And when I say 'we'...I mean mostly your Dad, the toddler-teaching genius.)
You're also not afraid to get in touch with your feminine side. I'm painting my nails, you want me to paint yours too. You love playing with my jewelry supplies. Trying on my shoes. You had some of my jeweled flats on the other day and when I urged you to pick another pair to play with (I love those shoes...I was afraid they might not survive your abuse) you said "No...these perfect." When you hang out with your grandma, you always show up with her mousse in your hair.
You like to balance all this out with lots of rough and tumble fighting complete with swords and anything you can pretend is a gun (you don't actually have any toy guns, but apparently that won't stop you). You also, like every man I know, take pride in your yard work. In fact, it's kind of scary to have you visit anyone's house because you have no problem letting them know if their yard isn't up to par-"Dis yard need lawnmowa-ing  bad. Right now."
Just for shits and giggles, here's some pictures of a naked crazy monkey, running around our yard.

Love,   Ma

Indian Summer

Yeah...it's still hot here.

 Top-Ebayed (This is actually a really low-cut dress that I turned into a top. All I did was tuck the straps in, which you can do with any dress that has a sturdy elastic waistband.  I almost threw it away a zillion times but couldn't because...are you ready...this dress is what I was wearing the VERY FIRST time I ever met my husband on campus while we were in college)
Shorts-Wal-mart
Headband-(necklace) Claire's
Earrings-Burlington Coat Factory
Sandals-Wal-mart
Yellow bracelet-Wet Seal
bangles-gifted

                                                    Before I decided to rock my headband.

XoXo,

L

Trying a new link-up. This one is a must-see!

Outfit of the Day: Polished Bohemian

 Here is my take on how to rock the bohemian style (which I love) without look all a'mess! Pull more 'out there' pieces like my colorful crocheted shawl with more structured pieces, like a great pair of skinny jeans. Let one piece be your focal point and don't go overboard with accessories (but please, accessorize!) I chose to wear some simple gold hoops and forgo a necklace. Instead of piling on bracelets, I went a little less flashy by forgoing bracelets all together and wearing some amazing rings (see last pic).

 Jeans-Banana Republic
Tank-Calypso St. Barth @ Target
Belt-Wal-mart
Crochet Shawl-Target
Espadrilles-Colin Stuart by Victoria's Secret
Gold Hoop Earrings-Burlington Coat Factory

        I love this shawl, and I don't wear it nearly enough!

Large Turquoise Stone ring-The Limited
All other rings-gifted


Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
XoXo,

L

Daily Finds:

Nasty Gal-$78
This blazer is perfect, and looks like it costs wayyy more than it does.


Tobi-$38
I am completely in love with this color, and this top could be so versatile-and guess what? All of the four other colors it comes in are just as rich and inviting.


The Fuss Boutique-$88
This one is self-explanatory.



Closet Cult-$45
A sophisticated sequin top.


Telltale Hearts Vintage-$65
EEK! I love this vintage dress!

Modcloth-$59.99
Lady-like and classic.

Modcloth-$94.99
Cut just right.


XoXo,

L

Thrifty Thursday

Welcome to Thrifty Thursday, where I show you my best web finds under $50 for this week.



forever21-$19.80


all three of these for $10.80 at Charlotte Russe



Pink Ice-$37.99


The unique and dangerously chic No Model Lady gets dibs for this cute little dress find, since she introduced me to the amazing shop Hallelu!
Hallelu-$24


Akira-$49.50


Strut-$44


Lulu's-$37


Lulu's-$49

Forever21-$27.80


Happy Shopping!!
XoXo,

L

Outfit of the Day: Sorry Ma, it's vintage

This beautiful top was my Ma's, I abducted it from her closet about five years ago, freeing it from it's shelved prison. I am pretty sure it's from some time in the 70's, so sorry Ma-that makes it vintage!!
Sorry for the artsy/weird nature of this photoshoot-my amazing photographer *cough husband cough* has gone back to pharmacy school so I am limited to my tripod, timer, and G baby's naptime.

Top-Vintage
Shorts-homemade cutoff Abercrombie&Fitch
Sandals-Target
Hoop Earrings-Wetseal
Bracelet-Forever21
Friendship bracelet-Homemade

XoXo,

L

Because Jenna Lyons just gets it...

For those not obsessed with fashion, Jenna Lyons is the director/mastermind behind the American staple called J.Crew. Now, if you're thinking, "Um...I've been to the J.Crew store in the local mall and I was NOT impressed" stop your hating right there. I have never been impressed with the selection in their stores, but check out their beautiful stuff online or in their catalogs and you will be in love. Today and tomorrow you can get an extra 30% off of their sale items, and there are around 1000 pieces in Women's wear alone to choose from. (I can only afford their stuff on sale) They have great mix-and match pieces for any occasion, but if you are in need of work clothes, their perfectly tailored and well-crafted blazers, trousers, and pencil skirts are a must.
Here's some of the amazing stuff you can snag:


Love this intricate bolero-and the rich color makes it seasonless.

Silk+Colorblock, what's not to love?


Brown opaque tights will take these shorts right into Fall.


I love the drape of this dress, and the price is unbelievable.



Pockets on a skirt are always a DO for me.


J.Crew is known for their amazing well-made shoes. They are also VERY expensive (for my taste at least). With the discount, these amazing wedges are under $50, which is unheard of, even for their flip-flops. Yes, I said flip-flops.


This is actually a romper (one piece)!


Love that this has such a tailored look, but the knit means it is super-comfy.


A moto jacket made out of light-weight Merino wool? For under $50?? YESS!!!


When you use these colors with sequins, the look is completely luxe without a hint of silliness.


originally $225, you can snag this dress for $70.


This one was $250, now $70 as well!! (more beautiful colors too)

Click the link to check out this amazing stuff at J.Crew : ) Happy Shopping!

XoXo,

L

All images on this post are property of J.Crew.

*I was not paid or compensated by J.Crew to do this post. But I wish I was ; )

Outfit of the Day: Cerulean Sky

One of my favorite fashion developments in the past few years is the mixing of tie-dye prints into dressier clothing. When I was thumbing through my Harper's Bazaar a couple years ago and came across Blumarine's spread featuring the below tie-dye dresses, yes, I died a little (pun intended).  Here is a top that I tie-dyed myself using a kit I got from Wal-mart, dressed up with a pencil skirt.

Blumarine's version (source) Amazing, right?

And my version, slightly less impressive-

Top-Target dyed myself!
Skirt-Express
Necklace-Beamon Baubles
Watch-Guess
Shoes-Sears (J.Lo brand)

I'm thinking that there is definitely more tie-dye kits in my future...

XoXo,

L