Saturday, June 21, 2014

Saturdays Steals and Splurges


Happy Saturday Friends!  
The latest and greatest online deals.

The promo code for the Teddie Tote from Gigi New York is still valid and this weekend it is free monogramming and shipping!  
Use code DBDD25 to get 25% off your Teddie Tote.


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Theory just started their big summer sale.  Most everything is at least 40% off.  Shop whole sale HERE.

 I love this Adrayna Dress 
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I also love this V-neck Resort Dress.  A white dress is always a good idea.

and my favorite the Dindra Dress.  The style and pattern are perfection.


The most classic sophiscated classic romper ever.

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Neiman Marcus is running a big sale too.  Prices are already marked down and then you get additional 25% off the sale price.
This Rebecca Taylor two toned Chambray Dress is like 60% off.  Such a great shift dress for Summer.


I just love this Joie Dress, it is 50% off.  The color is so great and you could wear it with or without the belt.

Really love this Tie Dye Sweater too.

This may be the perfect black one piece.  I love the plunging neckline and peplum sides.

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The Tory Burch sale is still going on.  Shop the whole sale here.
I ordered this Calita Dress, just love it!  I ordered a size small for those curious.


Seeing Julia from Gal Meets Glam wearing it, really sold me on it- although everything looks good on her!


These sandals were another favorite of mine from the sale.

Julia's pom-pom wedges are also on sale.



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Lastly, my favorite Rag and Bone tank is now 40% off.  I own the gray and blue and have lived in them all Summer.  They are soft, and go with everything!  Plus you can wash them they don't have to be dry cleaned!




The back is my favorite part and yes you can wear a regular bra with this top it is hidden.


Happy Saturday and Happy Shopping!


Friday, June 20, 2014

A Day in Our Life : Summer Edition

If you are like me Summer hits and you are like what am I going to do all day with the kids?  I actually love Summer and having no real schedule, but the days can be so long!
I always love seeing a sneak peek in others lives so I thought I would share a day in our life. It has been awhile since I did one of these posts, last time I only had Sterling this time it's juggling two kids

6-7  \\ Wake up with Frances and feed her a bottle.  Now that school is out Sterling has been sleeping later which is nice.  I get a little one on one time with Frances.  After I feed her I proof read my blog and post it.


While I feed her I sip my hot lemon water.  I have basically given up coffee and just drink this in the morning now.  I read it has so many great health benefits. Plus is starts the day off right by re-hydrating my body.


7-7:30 \\ Three days a week I go on a run before Matt leaves for work, this way he can watch the kids because running with a stroller is hard!!  I have a 3 mile loop I do, I run a mile walk about a 1-2 minutes then run another mile.  I am still obsessed with these Zella Tanks, I ordered two more and they are all I run in.  They don't ride up at all and are not too tight.


8-9 \\ Get back from my run and I feed Frances and Sterling breakfast,  he is always up by then.  I also fix Matt and I a quick bite.  Lately we have been into hard boiled eggs, veggie sausage, avocado, and fresh heirloom tomatoes.  It is such a tasty and filling breakfast.  I have been trying to cut back on my processed foods and my beloved cereal falls in that category, so this is a new breakfast I am loving.


9- 10:30 \\ I put Frances down for her morning nap, turn on a TV show for Sterling and then I have a chance to get showered and cleaned up.


10:30- 1 \\ This is when I take the kids out to run errands.  Today we went and picked up my new contact lens, signed up for Fall Soccer for Sterling,  and hit up Trader Joes.  Then I try and squeeze in an activity that is fun for Sterling. I usually let him choose either the park, library, chick fila, pool etc.  He chose the library today.  It melts my heart that he loves the library so much because I am a huge book lover.  The library is such a great free activity.  He plays with the toys while I chill with Frances and read a magazine.  Then we pick out a few books and DVDS to check out.


1- 3:30 \\ Get home and put away groceries and then I put Frances down for a nap.  She usually naps about 2 hours. Then Sterling and I eat lunch.  His go to is PB and jelly,  he loves it and wants it everyday!  I made a salad today with leftovers from the Farmers Market.  I try to eat salads most days for lunch. 

 Sterling just recently stopped napping but I do still make him have quiet time.  He can sit in his room and play with toys or the IPad.  This usually lasts about 45 minutes then he is bored.  During that 45 minutes I quickly empty the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, and work on my blog.  If I have time I will start dinner prep too.


3-4 \\ Frances usually wakes up and is ready for another bottle.  After that I play a quick game with Sterling, today was Memory.  Then we all usually stroll around the block.  Frances rides in the stroller and Sterling rides his scooter.  If we have time we walk to the park near our house but sometimes we just loop around our block.

4-5 \\ Get back from our walk and I put Frances on her play mat with toys and let her and Sterling play while I start assembling dinner and get it started cooking.


5-6 \\ Bath Time.  Most nights I do bath time solo because Matt usually doesn't get home til 7 or so.    I have a plastic bath for Frances I still use that kind of hinges over our tub so I can bathe her and Sterling at the same time.   I have been loving this line of bath products called Weleda my friend and fellow blogger Jess recommended, I swear they have helped with Frances' eczema.




6-7 \\ Dinner for Frances Moon,  this week she is eating avocado, banana and butternut squash.  I feed her around 5:30-6.  Usually at this time I let Sterling watch TV til Matt gets home.  This is  when I pour a glass of wine if I am drinking that night (which is most nights haha).  I sip it while I finish cooking dinner and wait for Matt to get home.  Many nights we sit on the front porch and wait for Daddy.



7-7:30 \\ Feed Frances her last bottle and put her to bed.  Then Matt, Sterling and I sit down and eat dinner together.  I really think it is important to sit down and eat as family so we always do this unless Matt is working too late.  I made one of my all time favorite recipes Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Meatballs.  They are so good.


8-9 \\ Get Sterling read for bed, brush his teeth and then Matt and I each read him a book.  After that we clean up the dishes.  I usually work on my blog for about 30 minutes.  I try not to work on it at night while Matt his home but during the Summer I have a hard time getting it all done during the day since Sterling is out of school and no longer naps.  Matt and I really don't watch much TV, but lately we have been into Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown show on CNN.  We may watch an episode of that and then get in bed.  It is also on Netflix if oyu have never watched it, it so interesting!


9-10// We get in bed and read and lights are always out by 10.  I love going to bed early.  Currently I am reading The One and Only by Emily Giffin and I am really liking it.  I always love her books.


Go to bed, wake up and do it all over again:)  I would love to hear any ideas you other moms have for Summer activities!!


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Lastly, local friends don't forget about the Pixie Lily Sample Sale tomorrow morning!!  Seriously the cutest baby clothes around!!  Now is the time to stock up and trust me the prices are amazing at these sample sales!!





Pixie Lily Sample and Seconds Warehouse Sale
Saturday, June 21st
8:00 am - 12:00
Layette and Toddler
BYOB Bring Your Own Bag
48 Society Street (corner of Anson and Society)
 
 


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Tory Burch Sale!

Tory Burch just did a big markdown.  I finally ordered this dress I have been wanting.  Shop all my favorites, order soon because sizes are going fast!
xoxo






The Teddie Tote

If you girls are like me you are constantly on the search for that perfect everyday bag.  One that looks sleek and chic but can still fit all your stuff, your kids stuff, and your work stuff inside of it.  I have long been a fan of Gigi New York.  I own several of their clutches and a cross body bag and just love them.  The quality is fantastic and I love the fact that you can have your initials embossed in gold on them. This was my first Tote from them and it rocks.



My sister also has the Teddie Tote and swears by it.  She uses it for work and she loves the fact that her laptop can fit inside it with all her personal items too.   I love the fact that I can fit all my kids stuff inside it.  Plus I am a huge fan of the embossed snakeskin leather, I just love the look.  It is classic but still chic.
I am a sucker for blue, so I chose the Iris color and surprisingly it goes with everything!

Dress is old but the long sleeve version is available here and similar  here, here, and here | Gorjana  Collar Necklace



A peak inside my Teddie Tote so you can really see how much space it has!  Of course I always carry my planner with me too:)  Side note- my purse is usually not this clean, I had actually just cleaned it out the day before.  Usually it is overflowing with receipts, snacks for Sterling, and junk!


A close up of the snakeskin leather and embossed initials.  This time I decided to just do two initials.


The Teddie Tote comes in so many amazing colors.  I love the Iris but I also really love some of the neutrals too.

Gigi Teddie



In honor of the Teddie Tote's third birthday I have teamed up with Gigi New York for an awesome promo.  Use code DBDD25 to get 25% off any Teddie Tote until June 30th!!  This is an awesome deal for such a classic everyday purse.

http://rstyle.me/n/j87r6gf5

I am smitten with mine!


xoxo



Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Kale and Bacon Dip


 Holy wow is all I can say about this dip.  It was demolished in like 10 minutes this past weekend.  Huge hit.  You will not be sad you made this, except you may be mad at yourself for the sheer quantity you consume.   The original recipe called for frozen kale which oddly enough I could not find, although I am sure Whole Foods or Earthfare probably carries it.   Instead I used a whole head of fresh organic kale and lightly sauteed it.   It worked just perfect.  I also tripled the amount of bacon the recipe called for, we are bacon lovers what can I say.  The kale balances out the bacon right?   You can easily make this dip ahead of time and just keep it in your fridge and bake right before you are ready to serve it.  We served ours with tortilla chips but I think it would also be good with pita chips or if you want to be healthy carrots and celery.  I added some extra bacon crumbles on top for presentation:)
Enjoy!


|| K A L E  + B A C O N  D I P ||


Ingredients
  • 1 bunch kale, finely sliced
  • 1 cup Mayo
  • 16 ounces Sour Cream
  • 1 Package Knorr Vegetable Mix
  • 14 strips cooked Bacon crumbled (one package of the precooked microwave bacon)
  • 3/4  cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
  • Tortilla Chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Drizzle olive oil in a pan and lightly sautee the chopped kale until it has wilted slightly about 10 mins or so.  If you use frozen kale just thaw and squeeze out all extra water.
  3. Combine the kale, mayo, sour cream, vegetable mix, cooked bacon and Monterey jack cheese in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a medium sized baking dish and top with the shredded Parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake until bubbly and lightly golden on top, about 20 - 25 minutes.
  6. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.




Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Obsessions + Our Debt Update

I want to start this post off by addressing our debt.  About a year or so ago I wrote a post about our debt and wanting to pay it down.  I had good intentions of writing updates about it monthly but I got lazy and pregnant.  Often on my posts people leave snarky comments about my debt and my shopping, I realize now I should have never brought it up because it is very personal but I want to address it now because I did write about it.   I am proud to say over the past year we have paid off more than half of our debt.  We have two credit cards left to pay off and then we will be debt free (besides our mortgage and one car payment).  It has been a liberating feeling to pay cards off and cut them up.  I now only pay cash or use my debit card, I never use a credit card.  I do still shop which alot of you questioned but I certainly don't buy everything I blog about.  This blog has enabled me to make money and work from home which I am so grateful for, plus I just love writing this blog.  It is my happy place and I hate the negativity some people bring, we all have different spending and shopping habits and can afford different things.  I hope to be debt free in the next 3-4 months, that is my goal.  I am proud of myself and Matt for encouraging me to not use credit cards.  I plan going forward to only use cash to buy non-necessities and not rack up that kind of debt again.   If you are trying to pay off debt I loved the Dave Ramsey book, The Total Money Makeover- very eye opening about not spending what you can't afford.

Ok so there's my update, now on to my wish list!


I am smitten with this adorable top from baby gap.  You better believe Frances Moon is getting it!


I love the LemLem line so much.  This is one of my favorite cover-ups!
 
It is no secret I am a fan of white embroidered tops! 
This one is so pretty, the detail is gorgeous.


This may be weird but I have been loving camo lately.  These look like such cute casual shorts and how comfy do they look?



I love the pattern and style of this tank top so much!!  Until noon today you can get 25% off all Piperlime purchases with code SHOPFAST.



I just found out my favorite Current and Elliot Tee dress now comes in a tank version.  Perfect for Summer and I love the classic black/white stripes combo.


The perfect everyday earrings, so dainty and feminine.


What is not to love about this white dress??  The neon neckline is perfect against the white!

I was kind of over Tory Burch shoes for awhile but I am really digging these leopard flipflops.


West Elm just marked down a bunch of their outdoor stuff.  Use code SWEET to get additional 15% off.  Love these throws and they are down to only $19.99!!  Would make a fabulous gift for someone too. 


Lastly for all my Charleston friends, Pixie Lily, the cutest baby line around is having a sample sale this Saturday!  This is not to missed!

Pixie Lily Sample and Seconds Warehouse Sale
Saturday, June 21st
8:00 am - 12:00
Layette and Toddler
BYOB Bring Your Own Bag
48 Society Street (corner of Anson and Society)
You might remember my little man did a little modeling for them last year:)