Thursday, October 10, 2013

My Next Diaper Bag AKA Purse

Ah, the important things about having a baby like selecting the perfect diaper bag. I am so not a fan of traditional diaper bags that scream "I'm a mom." I prefer to invest in a tote/handbag that could be used for an everyday bag as well. Before Sterling was born I invested in a kick ass Gucci Tote that I still love and carry as my purse frequently. Those were the days back when I was working full time and could afford luxuries like that, now I can't be dropping that kind of money even though I wish I could. I have narrowed down the bag to a few options so help a sista out and tell me which you think would make the perfect diaper bag for baby girl.   Keep in mind I will most likely use as my purse too.

 I adore this tote, its python and the perfect size, plus they will emboss initials in gold that look so good.  I am torn between going the neutral route and getting the black or tan or getting a fun color like magenta.



This one by far is the best price but I just can't decide if it is too boring.  It is a great size and also can initials embossed on it in gold.

I have a soft spot in my heart for all things Missoni.  This is a bag I could pass down to baby girl one day.  Such a fun pattern, but would I tire of it?

OPTION FOUR || REBECCA MINKOFF TOTE
My mom found this tote at TJMaxx and I am kind of smitten with it.  Love the leopard and hot pink combo.  It zips and is the perfect size.


Love this tote, would love it just to have as a purse, but of course it is the most expensive.  Is it worth the money? 

and I ordered this pouch for Diapers and Wipes, so cute right?  Plus it can double as a clutch for me.


Take a vote and tell me which diaper bag you think is best for baby girl- option 1,2,3, 4, or 5?


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Kale Ceasar Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

  
I love kale, in a major way. I add it in my juices, saute it for lunch,  and love to make salads with it. This was a recipe I have been wanting to try for awhile.  It is off the charts amazing.  I think the dressing is what makes it so good.  It is creamy and filled with Parmesan Cheese and the crunchy chickpeas are the perfect addition to top the salad..  You can dress the salad well ahead of time because the Kale won't get soggy but I would wait and add the chickpeas right before you serve so they don't get soggy.   I actually ate this salad again the next day and the kale stood up to the dressing fine, it was still delicious and firm.   This is by far my new favorite kale salad, I will be making this frequently.
Enjoy!


|| K A L E  C E A S A R  S A L A D   W I T H   C R I S P Y   C H I C K P E A S ||
recipe adapted via Mountain Mama Cooks
    For the Dressing:
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons of water to thin if necessary
  • salt and pepper to taste

  • For the Garbanzo Beans:
  • 1 15oz can garbanzo beans
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper

  • For the Salad:
  • 1 head lacianto kale
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Caesar dressing
  • crispy garbanzo beans
Instructions
    For the Crispy Garbanzo Beans:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
  2. Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans; lay them on a double layer of paper towels and dry them as much as you can. Slightly rub each garbanzo bean between your fingers to remove the thin layer.
  3. Line the dried garbanzo beans on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Roast the garbanzo beans for 35-40 minutes until brown and crispy.
  5. While the garbanzos are roasting, make the dressing:
  6. Combine all ingredients except oil, salt and pepper in the base of a blender.
  7. With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream into the blender.
  8. When the dressing is thoroughly mixed, test for desired thickness. If you want it a little thinner, add the water a teaspoon at a time.
  9. Season with salt and pepper.
  10. To assemble the salad:
  11. Clean the kale and remove the leaves from the thick inner stalk.
  12. Chop the kale and transfer to a large bowl.
  13. Dress with desired amount of Caesar dressing (I used about 1/2-2/3 of this batch) and grated parmesan cheese.
  14. Top with crispy garbanzo beans.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Obsessions

This cape is kind of amazing and the price even more so.  A must have for Fall.  It comes in Camel and Gray such great neutrals for fall.

This is such a great versatile necklace.  I love how it is longer so you could even layer some other smaller necklaces with it.  It kind of reminds me of House of Harlow pieces but it is only $36.   Plus right now Baublebar is having their Friends and Family event, use code FRIENDS to get up to 20% off your purchase.


I think this might be the perfect fall sweater.  Pretty sure I am going to invest in it.  It would look great with skinny jeans or faux leather leggings.

This reminds me alot of the faux leather jacket I ordered from BB Dakota.  It is such a classic black jacket that you could toss on with anything. 

Lulu and Georgia just started offering a fabulous selection of gifts on their website.  These coasters are two of my favorite things.  They would be adorable to put out for a girls night or a great hostess gift.
Also side note my friend Michaela Noelle who works with Lulu and Georgia just started her own design business, you must check out here site here.  My girl has major talent she is going to be a huge success in the design world.



Last year Milly came out with a blouse almost identical to this one.  I have a similar version from Forever 21 that I wore all the time last year over the Holidays.  Such a fun and festive blouse.  Right now you can get an additional 30% off this blouse with code FALL.


I am convinced Sterling needs these Fox sheets for his bed and the fact that Serena and Lily is having 20% off everything right now makes me even more certain they need to be ours.  Use code HEART20 to get 20% off the entire site.  Also loving this Fox Pillow Zebra Pjs, and Penguin Bookends.

Dying over this Rag and Bone- Hunter Collaboration.  Those are some amazing rainboots. 




Monday, October 7, 2013

Scenes From Our Weekend + Two of my Favorite Outfits

We had a jam packed weekend this weekend. Plans everyday, so it flew by and boy was I tired by Sunday night (and a little pissed that Breaking Bad was over so we had nothing good to watch).

Friday night I went out to dinner with Sam,  Caycee and our friend Kyle who flew in from NYC.  I met Kyle through blogging so it was so fun to finally meet in person!

I wore my new favorite dress out to dinner.  Ladies this is the perfect dress to wear while pregnant and its non-maternity so you can wear it after too.  I am so getting another color in it.  It is under $100 (such a steal) and so comfortable.  I am going to wear it well into Fall with my BB Dakota Jasper Leather Jacket.  The back is super cute too.

necklace is vintage from my grandmother and shoes Tory Burch Emmy Flats



We ate dinner at Indaco a fairly new restaurant here in Charleston and it was really good.  We ordered several apps and pizzas to share.  I wish I had a taken a picture of the crispy chickpeas because it was one of our favorite apps.  We also had the prosciutto and burrata that were awesome. Then we had the Brussels Sprout and Margarita Pizzas.

  
We had a lovely evening.  Good friends and good food is always a fab time!


Saturday I took my little man to the Farmers Market.  He is full on ready for Halloween.  He insisted on wearing his Pirate costume.  He is gobbling down a doughnut from Glazed our favorite stop before the Farmers Market.


Later that afternoon we had a Birthday Party for one of Sterling's friends.  I found the most adorable mustache paper at TJMaxx, I was pretty happy with my professional looking wrap job:)



It was way out in the country and all the kids had so much fun.  There were jump castles, hay rides, and food galore.



Matt and I even got a few minutes of alone time out by the docks.



 I ate entirely too many Lucky Charms all weekend.  It is my latest pregnant obsession, why are they so good?


Sunday I participated in the Wine, Women, and Shoes Charity Event.  Such a fun event for a great cause.  Had a blast with my ladies Amy, Chassity, and Caycee.  I walked the runway modeling two pairs of shoes and didn't fall- huge sucess!


Wore a fitted Vince Shift dress to show off my massive bump.  Because at this point there is no hiding it, you just have to show it off.   The Vince Dress is great pregnant because it is so stretchy.  It really is the perfect black dress to add to your closet pregnant or not.  Such a timeless and classic piece.  I can't tell you how many times I have worn mine.

ok, that's all I have got!  Have a great Monday!


Saturday, October 5, 2013

Weekend Style Files : Best of Tory Burch Sale


Tory Burch is having their Friends and Family event right now and everything is 25% off with the code FRIENDS. This is such a great deal considering alot of her classics like shoes and handbags never go onsale.
I am a huge Tory Burch fan.  Now alot of her clothes don't fit my body type well, but I do love her blouses and sweaters.  I have the Simone Boyfriend sweater in two different colors and wear it all the time.  It is the perfect sweater to toss with skinny jeans or leggings and a tank and you look put together and cute.  It is a looser fit which I like for pairing with leggings and boots.  I also own a similar version to the dress featured that I wear often.  It is great for church, showers etc.

 I own like 6 pairs of the Reva flats and swear by them.   I love the metallic version for Fall.
I am this close to ordering the Thea cross body purse I featured below, its amazing.
Scroll thru to see my top picks!
Go check out the site HERE to shop everything!
Happy Saturday and Happy Shopping!


Friday, October 4, 2013

Your'e Gonna Miss This




Do you ever feel like time is flying by?  I swear it feels like just yesterday I was in college, but here I am 11 years later,  married and a mom of soon to be two kids.   When did I turn into a "mam"?  I mean I am only 33 does that warrant being called "mam", it makes me feel old.  I refuse to believe 33 is old. 

Sometimes I look at all the young college kids here with a bit of envy.  College is such a carefree time in your life, no real responsibility yet, you can come and go as you please.  I remember being in college thinking I can't wait to graduate and get my own house and work!  Now I realize I should have savored those moments, I had it good then when my parents footed the bill and all I had to do was attend a few classes and fraternity parties.  Life was good.

I think being a parent the same thing happens.  We keep saying I can't wait til my baby sleeps thru the night, or my child is potty trained, or til they go to school;  always trying to rush things.  Same with my pregnancy I am always counting down the days until I have this baby.  But you know what these are some good times probably the best in our lives when our children are young and innocent.  They are so sweet and pure hearted right now.  I know one day soon Sterling will not want to sit in my lap or have me kiss him in public anymore and that makes me sad.  I know after I have this baby, I will miss feeling her kick me and move inside me.  There is something so amazing about feeling your baby move and grow inside of you.


While some days it feels like this pregnancy has crept by for the most part I swear it has flown by.  Your second pregnancy goes by in the blink of an eye.  I can't believe my due date is 49 days away.  The end of pregnancy is brutal indeed and not gonna lie I am ready for this baby,  but I am trying to enjoy and make special these last few days while Sterling is my only child.

I am so guilty of spending way too much time on my phone and the computer not really savoring these moments with Sterling.  I tell him to go play or watch a tv show not really taking the time to sit and play with him with no distractions.  I am always trying to fold clothes, clean house, work on my blog, always something, not giving him my full attention.   As moms we have to multi-task and we are constantly on the go and so busy.  But I am really trying to slow down and take advantage of  these moments with Sterling as my only child and the last few weeks of my pregnancy.  If my house is kind of dirty or the clothes don't get folded til tomorrow that is ok.  Truly listening to my son and putting him first is most important.   I  am trying to be grateful for this crazy and busy time in our lives.


Sterling turns 4 in February and I swear the last 4 years have gone by in the blink of eye.  Who ever said the days are long and the years are short was right on about parenting.  So many people are fighting such big battles from illness to poverty that if my biggest worry of the day is Sterling pitched a tantrum or peed on the floor my day is pretty darn good.   Sterling asked me the other night if I would still rock him when the baby came and my heart about melted.  My sweet almost 4 year old still wants me to rock him and love on him, doesn't get much better than that.

Today, I challenge all you moms, soon to be moms,  and even those without kids to just be grateful and take some time away from your phone and computer to really appreciate the spot in your life you are in right now.  For one day you may look back and realize this was the best time in your life.


I know I have mentioned this song before it, but I think of it often, it says its perfectly.

"You're Gonna Miss This"

She was staring out that window, of that SUV
Complaining, saying I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said I was just like you

[Chorus]
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her It's a nice place
She says It'll do for now
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says Baby, just slow down

[Chorus]
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'
He says They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but ...

[Chorus]
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gonna miss this 



I think Fridays are my deep thought days:)  Have a great weekend friends!
xoxo


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Hattan Home Where You Need to be Shopping

I am always on the lookout for cool new online shops, so when I came across Hattan Home I was instantly smitten.  The online store is full of so many cool things for your home at really affordable prices.
They have everything from pillows, poufs, jewelry, to small decorative items.
Lindsay, the owner and creator of the site was sweet enough to send me a blanket for baby girl and her nursery.  When the blanket arrived I was so impressed with the quality.  A Pom-Pom blanket like this would normally cost like $150-200 at other stores but at Hattan Home it is only $55.  I am so in love with it. It looks just perfect hanging over the side of our crib.  Plus who doesn't love a little pom-pom action!




I rounded up a few of my favorites from the Hattan Home site.  I am obviously a huge fan of the Pom-Pom blanket and it comes in so many other great colors.  I love the white animal head bottle stoppers, I am going to stock up on several of these to save as gifts.  It would be so cute tied around a bottle of wine for a hostess or birthday gift.  The poufs are such a steal at $175,  normally they are $400 elsewhere.  and Loren Hope Jewelry is always on my wishlist.

Hattan Home is graciously offering  my readers a 20% discount on anything on the site thru Monday October 14th.   Now is a great time to start your Christmas shopping (I know I have) or just treat yourself to something special!  Use code DBDD20 at checkout.
Head on over to Hattan Home and check out all their wonderful offerings!


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