Obsessions

||JCrew Open Cardigan || 

Ever since seeing this cardigan in the new JCrew catalog I have been convinced I need it.  It would be the perfect cardigan to pair with a tee and leggings.  I love all three colors it comes in:  Navy, Gray, and Burgundy.

|| Vinyl Aurora Bib ||

Love this lucite bib necklace.  Would be perfect for the Holidays!  It is a steal at $42, I have seen similar ones that are $200+!

|| Joie Armelio Sweater ||
I am loving the asymmetric hem on this sweater.  Joie makes the best sweaters.  This would be great with leggings or skinny jeans.   Such a great cozy light weight sweater.

 || Steve Madden Booties ||
How awesome are these booties?  They are the perfect shade of cognac brown!  They would go with everything!

|| F21 Ribbed Poncho ||
I tried to find this poncho in the store but all they had left was a size large.  In person it really looks way more expensive than it is.  Definitely ordering a small.  Would be so cute over dresses or with jeans.   Such a great deal at $29.  It also comes in camel color.  Great for any of you preggos too.

|| Tibi Silk V-neck Dress ||
Somebody please snag this dress, it is on sale right now at Saks.  Such a great color for Fall and fit!  I bet it would work for early pregnancy too!

|| West Elm Mid Century Three Tier Dessert Tray ||
I adore the modern sleek look of this three tiered serving piece plus it is on sale for $39.  I love these as table toppers at the Holidays pilled with glass balls.

also love the ice bucket

|| Boys Glow in the Dark Christmas Pjs ||
I love to get Sterling fun Christmas Pjs every year, in fact we are still sleeping in ours from last year:)  Love this JCrew version that actually glows in the dark- how cool is that??

Scenes From Our Weekend + What I Wore

Happy Monday Friends. Did everyone have a good weekend? Here is what we were up to.

 Friday night we took a stroll on the beach near our house, we are so lucky to love so close to the beach.  We saw a giant snake, Matt tried to snap a picture but it was moving too fast and got way- it was definitely creepy.  It was huge with black diamonds- the stuff nightmares are made out of.

Saturday Morning I took Sterling out to breakfast, Matt got up early to surf with a friend so it was just me and my little man.  Really savoring these moments just the two of us.  Normally I would have been lazy and picked up drive thru food but figured with the impending arrival of baby girl it might be awhile til the two of us can do a solo breakfast date again.  We both were craving pancakes so we hit up Sweetwater.  Please take a look at the amount of syrup on my little mans plate.  The pancakes were swimming in it!

I finally started writing thank you notes from my Sprinkle two weeks ago.  My friend Sam designed me the most adorable note cards with our family on them.  If you are local she works with Mac and Murphy and does these custom note cards.  I love mine! It looks just like us, right?

I received the sweetest package in the mail Saturday from my friend Sarah Swanson (Flourish Design and Style), she sent some of her watercolor paintings for the nursery.  You must check out here Etsy site Here, all her paintings are only $10- you could do such a fabulous gallery wall for cheap with these beauties!

 Saturday night we met my brother and wife for happy hour and apps at the Roof Top Bar.  It was the perfect weather for outdoor dining!

 I wore my David Lerner coated leggings that I blogged about last week, I love them!  Paired them with an old Joie Blouse (similar versions HERE,  HERE, HERE ) and Rebecca Minkoff Booties.  Seriously the leggings are the best so comfortable!

Sunday we all went to church together which was nice because it is normally just me and Sterling.  Sometimes it is hard to convince Daddy to join us.  I bribed him with the lure of Bojangles afterwards and it worked. 

 I wore my JCrew Sweater dress.  The colors in this dress are so awesome for Fall.  It is on major sale right now online.  Runs on the larger side, I got an XS.

||JCrew Charley Striped Dress ||

and now we are down to two weekends til my due date,  freaking out a little.

xoxo

Weekend Style Files : The Winter White Sweater

One of my favorite simple looks for the Fall is a white sweater with jeans. It is such a classic and timeless look that always looks put together and chic. I invested in a white Vince Sweater last year that I was lucky enough to find at Marshalls and it remains one of my favorite sweaters, Vince is always worth the money!  Similar version to mine HERE on sale now.
 Look how amazing my girl GP looks in her Winter White Sweater.

 I rounded up a few of my favorite white sweaters in different price ranges.  Always a great investment for your closet!

Thoughts For Friday

It has been awhile since I did a Thoughts for Friday post, so here is your daily dose of random this lovely first Friday in November. 

We had a super fabulous Halloween last night.  Sterling is at such a fun age he loves everything about Halloween and who doesn't love all the candy??  I need to be cut off I ate so many Twix yesterday.

I am super flattered because Carolina Style Magazine named me one of The Carolina's top bloggers of 2013.
You can check out my feature HERE!

The light finally arrived for our nursery and I am smitten with it.  We installed it this week, now just to find a few replacement bulbs because several were broke while trying to hang this beauty.

|| Lulu and Georgia Lyra Light ||

Pretty certain these Carne Asada Nachos will be made this weekend.  How amazing do they look?

 

 I am so excited about this book that was just released by Aerin Lauder.  I love her and her style.  It is definitley on my Christmas List!

|| Aerin Lauder at Home ||

Piperlime is having a great sale right now, like seriously good prices.  I snagged this dress to save for next Summer.  Check out the sale HERE.  With my rewards and all I ended up getting this dress for $30!

||Line and Dot Trapeze Dress ||

Lastly, I am officially full term this weekend.  37 weeks!!  This pregnancy has flown by!  Normally I don't do full on bare belly shots but I wanted to document the size of this belly, that and the fact I really have no belly button anymore.  Things are about to get real.

Happy Weekend!

Leggings: Two Must have Pairs for Fall.

Leggings you either love em or hate em and I absolutely love them. First and foremost they are comfortable which is always nice. Plus I think they make for a really cute fall outfit. A few of my favorite leggings outfits (now if only my legs looked like Blake's):

I recently found two pairs of leggings that I am smitten with and I know you will be too!    I have found you don't want leggings that are too loose and have no structure that is just plain unflattering. Both of these leggings fit like a glove.  So far they are the best leggings, I have tried but I am always open to suggestions!  Since I am 9 months pregnant I won't scar your eyes with pictures of me in the leggings but just trust me they are amazing.  Both are a little on the pricey side for leggings but I swear they are worth every penny!

|| SPANX READY TO WOW STRUCTURED LEGGINGS ||

These are great everyday leggings,  they suck you and are so flattering.  I love the waist band at the top it really sucks you in and flattens out your tummy.  They run true to size, I ordered a size small.
They are a cotton blend and super comfortable.

|| DAVID LERNER CLASSIC COATED LEGGINGS ||

I have wanted a pair of coated leggings forever and these came highly recommended.  They are super comfortable, I am actually able to still wear them pregnant.  They come in black, espresso, and merlot.  I went with classic black, and they also run true to size I have a size small.  They don't have quite as much structure as the Spanx but I still found them very flattering.  Great for a dressier pair of leggings.

Choosing tops to go with leggings can sometimes be a struggle, I rounded up a few of my choices.  The key is to find tops that hit at your hips or a touch longer.    I love sweaters or loose blouses with leggings. 

Vince Dip Dye Oversized Sweater | Equipement Stripped Sweater (on sale) |  David Lerner Leggings | JCrew Leather Pocket Sweater |  Vince Double V Tee |  Vince Cashmere Cardigan |  Joie Marlo Blouse |  Joie Crush Sweater

I am living in leggings this last month of my pregnancy so I have to sing their praises!

xoxo

Spicy Black Bean, Green Chili, and Manchego Enchiladas

 I am trying to jump on board with Meatless Mondays. Now don't get me wrong I could eat vegetarian everyday,  it is the hubs who likes meat with his meal.  He claims he is hungry an hour later with no meat and not satisfied.  But I am trying to keep him healthy much to his dismay, so we are trying out meatless Mondays.  This week I decided to make Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas.  I thought they were awesome and Matt even remarked for health food they were very good.  They were super easy to whip together- most time consuming task was dipping the shells in the sauce and rolling them up.   You could easily add more veggies or meat to this mix but I thought they were good just with the black beans.  Such an easy week night meal full of flavor!

|| S P I CY  B L A C K  B E A N,  G R E E N  C H I L I  & M A N C H E N G O  

 E N C H I L A D A S ||

Recipe adapted via

Ingredients

• 12 small corn or flour tortillas (I used flour)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
• 1 28-ounce can red enchilada sauce, such as Las Palmas
• 1/2 cup grated manchego cheese + more for topping (or sub another Mexican cheese, such as Cojita or Pepper Jack) (I used a mix of Manchego and Mexican Quesadilla Cheese)
• 1/4 cup light sour cream or greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
• salt and pepper to taste
• Topping Options: Diced green onion, cilantro, avocado, salsa, sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position a baking rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Combine black beans, green chilies, sour cream, cumin, chili powder and 1/2 cup manchego cheese in a mixing bowl. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
3. Warm 3/4 of the enchilada sauce in a large shallow pan over low-medium heat.
4. Pour enough enchilada sauce to also lightly coat the bottom of a 9×13 dish. Swirl to coat and set aside.
5. Using your hands or tongs, carefully dip the tortillas in the warmed sauce until both sides are well coated. Transfer the tortilla to the baking dish, scoop in 2 Tbsp of the black bean filling and roll up. Place seam side down and continue until the pan is filled – should be about 8 enchiladas.
6. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and use spoon to make sure all parts of the tortillas are evenly coated. Top with a bit more cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
7. Serve with toppings such as avocado, guacamole, sour cream, green onion, cilantro or lettuce.
8. Will keep in the fridge for a couple days. Reheat in oven

Obsessions

|| CHINESE LAUNDRY EASY DOES IT D'ORSAY FLAT || 

I lucked up and found a pair of these Chinese Laundry flats at TJMaxx and I now I am obsessed with them and want another pair.  They are so comfortable and look cute with everything from dresses to skinny jeans.   Mine are a snakeskin so I want a more solid color this time.  They are a steal at $59!  I can't say enough great things about these flats.

|| BB DAKOTA V PATTERN SWEATER||

Another gem of a sweater from BB Dakota, I swear they are killing it this year!  This would look great with black skinny jeans or leggings.  It looks so comfy!

|| J BRAND MARIA HIGH RISE POWER STRETCH JEANS ||
My mom just got a pair of these high waisted JBrand jeans and they are so flattering!  They sucked her in and made her look so thin.  I swear high waisted is the way to go!! They are top on my list post baby when I can fit in regular jeans again!  Really dig this green/charcoal color for Fall.

|| GOLD IKAT DESSERT PLATES ||
There is a good chance I may be in the hospital over Thanksgiving delivering our baby or I will have a newborn at home, so why I am planning Thanksgiving table scape ideas is beyond me, but I love these gold ikat dessert plates.  They would look so pretty with pumpkin pie on them:)  They would be great for Christmas too!

 || REBECCA TAYLOR ARTISANAL A LINE DRESS ||
I have been stalking this dress forever and it is finally onsale for 40% off!  Really want to snag her to save for a few events we have next year!

 || LANSTON BF MINI DRESS ||
This dress is so awesome and such a great price.  Love the blush color, but it also comes in black too! Such a great dress for everyday wear.  I would pair mine with my gray Rag and Bone Booties just like the model.

|| OLD NAVY TASSLE TOTE ||
I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this tote from Old Navy.  It comes in 5 gorgeous colors and is the perfect size and price!  All the reviews say it feels like real leather and looks real.  Love the turquoise and tan colors.

|| ASOS LEOPARD SHIFT DRESS ||
I can't stop thinking about this leopard dress I spied on ASOS.   I have two leopard dresses already but can one ever have too much leopard??  It is such a fabulous style.