Hello! Happy February! I'm not on the blog much these days anymore. It was nice to step back from regular blogging in 2023 when my life was turned upside down with my son's senior year and his heading off to school last fall. It was a wild year to say the least with lots of highs and plenty of tough moments. The more I think about this space, the more I want to bring it back, it's my roots! It all started here 15 years ago when I decided to stay home full time with my kids (then 1 year old & 4 years old!!!) and was searching for my personal style as a newly stay-at-home mom.
I can't promise I'll be here daily like I used to, but I'm going to dip my toe into some more longer(ish) content here (longer than an instagram post to start!) and see where it leads for 2024.
To start I thought we could chat some current favorites, what's been up lately, what I'm watching lately and then answer a few reader questions!
Lately:
Thank GOODNESS January is over. That month man. I am not a winter person and January is always a really difficult month for me. The cold, the clouds, the short days... all of it. It always seems like the wasteland of the year. Ugh. I try to embrace it all with cozy nights in and lazy weekends, but now that it's over I couldn't be happier. I never feel my best in January no matter what I try. I'm ready to be a snow-bird. Is that too much to ask?
Now that we finally have January behind us, I'm looking forward to some spring travel we have coming up and longer days with hopefully some sunshine. We will be taking a warm weather trip the four of us over my son's spring break and I can't wait to all hang together for a few days.
I've mentioned it before on social media but the adjustment to having my son in college has been so jarring. He is really enjoying campus life and all it has to offer and thriving in his classes. So I'm very thankful for that, but on a personal level... I don't know!?!? Does one ever recover from their children growing up? I don't think so. It's so beautiful and heartbreaking in one breath. Everyday it still surprises me how much I miss him and how much my life has changed in just a few short months.
This month has not been a dry January in our house. Instead, we've been experimenting with making some new (to us) cocktails. Some of our new favorites are a Negroni, a Campari spritz (this is delightfully light!) and Tom Collins. Usually I'm a gin and tonic (with extra lime) girl so it's been fun to try some new options.
Watching, reading, listening:
- I just finished watching Super Models on AppleTV+ and it was SO good. OMG. I loved it. I wasn't big into "following" the super models back in the 80s and 90s but I was a HUGE fan of magazines and, of course, knew who all the super models were. This documentary was just fascinating and gave me the biggest girl crushes on all of them both retroactively in their hay day and now into who they have all evolved to be in modern day. It was a fun and inspiring girly watch!
- My husband and I watched American Nightmare on Netflix. I never go for those types of true crime shows and halfway through my husband and I definitely regretted starting it. Yikes! But then we couldn't stop watching! What a wild ride. Did you see it? I still have so many questions.
- I'm halfway through the show Twin Flames and honestly dragging my feet going back to it. What. The. Heck!?!? Mostly it's just difficult to imagine why people would fall into that trap and take so much bad advice.
- I'm halfway though the book Homecoming by Kate Morton. I have loved SO many of her books (The House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper) but this one is incredibly slow. Like painfully. It's a quite long book, so now I feel invested and like I can't quit. I am going to stick it out, but only because some reviews said the second half of the book picks up speed a bit. Wish me luck!
- The How I Built This podcast episode with Tiffany Masterson who founded Drunk Elephant was fascinating. I've loved and used Drunk Elephant forever but it's definitely very of-the-moment right now with teens. The brand has tons of really great products, many which I've ordered multiple times. But the highlight of their lineup is the BabyFacial. I'm not sure what year that launched, but I've been using it since about day one and have reordered multiple times. It's so good.
Currently loving:
- I bought these jeans in blue a few seasons back and just got them in white. I'm in love. So ready for white denim season! They run a touch small, I went with my bigger size, 26
- New arrivals from J.Crew I'm swooning over: this bold sweater (!!!), stripes are always in my cart (this is so fun!) and a little white dress is always a good idea.
- Just snagged these budget sandals. They are verrrrry cute in person!
- I've had this dress in my cart for a week or so and then it sold out! But it's back! Perfect everyday dress for spring break and into summer!
- As a long time gel manicure addict I finally had to take a break late last year because my nails were super dry and brittle. It was, in the end, my own fault, I should have been taking breaks with the gels... but I was lazy and wasn't doing it. Then I discovered THIS nail system. It's an at home gel-like manicure system with no UV light to dry and no soaking to remove the polish. And it fully dries in 5 minutes! As a chronic nail-chipper, I'm impressed. A mani lasts longer than even gel nails and I usually am inspired to change the nail color before the manicure has chipped or grown out too far. I've also swapped in my own nail colors in the system too - so no need to buy more color if you already own a few favorites.
Let's do some Q & A!
Q. What to wear to Disney over Easter weekend/beginning of April?
A. I rounded up my Disney looks from last summer HERE. It was HOT... we went in August. So check those looks out for sure. Beyond that it's 100% dependent on the weather. Florida has had a cool winter and I'm hoping it warms up down there soon since we are headed to Flordia soon too. You could always add a sweatshirt or cardigan or sweater over the shoulders to any of those looks if it looks to be cooler. But otherwise fingers crossed for lots of sun and warmth!
Q. Hot trends for spring besides wide leg jeans?
A. Yes, definitely wide leg jeans, pants and trousers are among the big trends for spring. I love the trend, but if you don't care for it there are plenty of straight leg options too! As I always say... all trends are optional. You can opt in or out of them as you please! Beyond that - we are definitely seeing a lot of 90's inspired trends like menswear inspired pieces (blazers, button front shirts, loafers with socks and vests), red is back in a HUGE way (you can see some fun pops of red for spring that I've pulled together here, here and here) and a big return of silver in accessories is going to be another very modern look for spring and into later 2024 too.
I will say that I am shocked at how little spring clothing has launched at my favorite retailers. In years past (I have the receipts - haha!) spring clothing has popped at all the retailers by now. This year it seems to be very slow to roll out and I'm not sure why. Of course, I've got my ear to the ground and will be bringing tons of spring inspiration to my closet and Instagram once it starts popping up at retailers.
Q. What is your workout routine like? I'm in a rut and need something new!
A. I've been playing tennis for about 5 years now. I started late in life and it's been such a fun outlet. I play tennis about 2-3 times a week. I started back up with pilates a year ago, it was something I did when my kids were very young but hadn't tried it in a while. I really, really enjoy it for feeling strong and centered. I do pilates 2x a week. My favorite physical activity is walking. It's a huge stress reliever for me and it's so good for you too! It was difficult to keep up with through the busy-ness of December and then of course January was so cold and snowy it was not enjoyable (or safe really!) and I have really missed it. Now that we are getting some temps above freezing and in the 40s I will be excited to start walking regularly again. I always feel best when I'm getting 8,000-10,000 steps a day. Both mentally and physically.
I think working out has to be fun. I never see it as a punishment or "catching up" after time off. I do it for fun or for my mind or health or nothing at all. For instance, for a while I was doing weight lifting with a trainer. I know weight lifting is SO good for us women, especially as we age. But I found it so dreadfully boring that I just ended up switching to pilates. It's got lots of similar benefits. Someday I might return to weight lifting, but if I'm not feeling it, it's not going to get done. So I have to be into it. That doesn't mean that most mornings I still drag my feet (especially when it's cold!) but in the end I love tennis and pilates.
If you are looking to mix it up, try a new class at a new studio, ask some friends for a walk or try a lesson (like tennis!) - it can be so fun to try new things!
