Recent OOTDs

Over here in CA, our weather is all over the place. Today and tomorrow are supposed to get pretty cold, but the rest of the days are freezing in the morning and mid 80s by the afternoon. I have a few sweaters and scarves I've been wanting to wear, but it's just too dang hot! I've been wearing a lot of the same items repeatedly lately. We're also going through some dress code changes at work so I've been dressing pretty boring to stay within the guidelines (no bright colors, long slacks, nylons, it's pretty dated). Hopefully, I'll be able to get some more outfits posted soon, especially some more work ones- I always like to see what people wear to work and get inspiration for the ho hum of the work week.

Jacquard Tunic// Jeans

I haven’t actually worn this top yet, but I bought it and tried it on at home. I plan on wearing it to Thanksgiving with these jeans and some booties. I spotted it at Target and immediately tossed it in my cart. The jacquard detailing is really pretty and is such a pretty cream color, the sleeves have a darker underside which looks great when you roll them for a more casual look. Target has been killing it in sweaters this season, I saw a ton of really cute ones when I got this one.

Gingham // Bottoms

I’m so glad I snagged this top a few weeks ago, it’s so easy to wear and washes well. It’s cute for both work and personal life and is great to layer with cardigans and sweaters. When I was pregnant, I had these pants in the maternity version and I bought two more non-maternity pairs for work. I really like them and think they fit true to size, I want to get the navy color as well. I love the ankle length, but we are no longer allowed to wear ankle length pants at work and I’m pretty bummed about it.

Cardi // Tee // Skinnies

This cardigan is so soft and it's the one from my Closet Clean Out post that I was on the fence about. It's definitely too casual for work, but I'm glad I kept it. These skinnies are super comfortable and soft too, I've thought about distressing them and making some holes, but I'm too scared to do it and ruin them.
 

Sweater // Nursing Tank // Leggings // Jeans

I’m so completely obsessed with this sweater! I’ve been wearing it nearly non-stop, it’s just so comfortable. I wish I had bought it in more colors and I went back to the store and they didn’t have my size left (crying face emoji), so I’m going to order the fig online. If you’re looking for a great pair of leggings, I’d definitely check out White Plum’s, theirs are so soft and comfortable, they are honestly my favorite leggings to date.

Tulip Top // Bottoms

Another repeat, this tulip sleeved top is one of my favorites. Most of the time I’ll tuck it in for work and leave it untucked if I pair it with jeans on the weekend. It’s lovely with a skirt too. I have the top in lime as well and want to get it in black. The tulip sleeves are just so soft and pretty, I love feminine details like that.

Happy Thanksgiving eve! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!!

Old Navy Work Wish List

In a previous post I talked about how I'm sick of my clothes right now, I feel like I wear the same thing all the time and that everything looks the same. I'm just stuck in a rut, but I don't want to go and buy a bunch of clothes I can only wear on the weekends or to work. I mentioned that Old Navy has a ton of great stuff right now and wanted to share my wishlist with you. If I'm honest, my shopping bag for Old Navy has 26 items, but I included only the items that would be work appropriate (unlike the Fabulous t-shirt or Wide Brim hat). I did order two items online last week that's included in today's post so I'm excited for them to come in. They're more for fall though, so I won't be wearing them anytime soon. Fall, ugh. Does anyone else feel like summer just came and went as fast as a weekend?

Everything is on sale right now too at Old Navy, up to 50% off! I ordered a few more items yesterday, so if you have your eye on something get it now!

Quilted Jersey Dresses- A dress with sleeves! Yay! I also love the quilted detail, this dress will be adorbs with tights and boots.
Ponte-Knit Circle Skirts- I love this skirt! It's fun and super cute. I just wonder about the length? I'd want to try this on in person, before purchasing. It does come in tall, so maybe I'll order it online after trying on in-store.
Sleeveless Ponte-Knit Dresses- I have this dress in black and wear it weekly. The material is awesome, doesn't wrinkle, has a bit of a thickness, and is easy to layer. This dress has a detailed material that's gorgeous.
Jersey Pencil Skirts- I love this bright blue color, it will be a great skirt to wear year round. Grays/blacks/emerald for fall and bright green/yellow in summer.

Sleeveless Shirt- I have a similar shirt from ON already, but it has to be ironed so I rarely wear it (plus it wrinkles like crazy), but this is rayon so no ironing! Woohoo! I love this color, it's beautiful! I plan on picking it up with some Old Navy cash I earned.
Satin Boho Tops- Another easy top to throw on and go. The color is so vibrant and would be cute paired with a colored statement necklace.
Marled Crew-Neck Sweaters- I added and ordered this top immediately. I love the marled look and I'm sure I'll be wearing this all of the fall and winter season.
Felt Smoking Flats- I've always liked the smoking loafer look, but never purchased any myself. I like the look of this flat's color and material.

Shawl-Collar Open-Front Cardi- This is another item I ordered, it's shawl-collar makes it a bit more casual, but paired with the right top and accessories it will be great with slacks. I love the blush color and it will be super cute with some skinnies and booties on the weekend.
Lightweight Cardis- I already have this cardigan in gray and wear it weekly, I definitely want to add some more colors to my closet and this navy and wine color are gorgeous and easy to pair with sleeveless tops and dresses.

What are some of your favorite work to weekend items? Where do you like to shop for work?

OOTD: Stripes

DRESS: Old Navy (similar here) BLAZER: Lauren Conrad for Kohls (similar here) NECKLACES: Stella and Dot, GroopDealz BRACELET: Very Jane HEELS: Tahari (similar here and here)

Happy Hump Day! Only a few more days until the weekend!

Be sure to enter my Tiny Tags giveaway and enjoy 15% off your purchase through 07/31 using LLP14!

OOTD: Seeing Spots

Top: Forever 21 // Skirt: Forever 21 (old, similar here) // Shoes: Nordstrom Rack (similar here and here) 

Bracelets: Very Jane (available here and here too!) // Lipstick: MAC Angel with Angel Lipglass 

This has to be one of my favorite outfits I've worn to work. I was browsing online and fell in love with this top and ordered it almost immediately. The tulip sleeves are so sweet and feminine, I love the high collar with the little details, and I don't have a lot of polka dotted items- I had to add this to my closet! I can't wait to wear this again, it's such a versatile top, it will look cute with jeans, shorts, slacks, etc.

Have you bought anything recently you just loved? I love when I find an item I can't wear enough. 

OOTD: Skirting the Issue

SKIRT: Forever 21 (old, similar here) TOP: Old Navy (old, similar here) Cardigan: Old Navy 

PUMPS: DSW (old, similar here and here) NECKLACE: Stella and Dot

Skirts are one of my favorite pieces to wear for work, I've worn three just this last week. I don't think women wear skirts that often in the work place. In my last two positions, most of the women I've worked with almost always wore pants. Even though our dress was casual and we wore jeans daily, we would have days or meetings that we would have to dress up for and I always chose a dress or skirt, but would be the only one! What do you prefer to wear?

This weekend I was reviewing my closet to see what items I wanted to be on the look out for to add to my wardrobe and I definitely need to get some more dresses, but it's so hard to find ones that are long enough or have a sleeve (so I don't have to wear a cardigan). I think I need to step out of my comfort zone for stores and shop at new places. On a side note, I've had these heels for years and there one of my favorites. They are so comfortable, I wish I had bought them in every color! 

Hope you guys are having a great week!

Don't forget to enter my White Plum Giveaway and enjoy 20% off through July 18 using LIPSTICK20 at checkout!

OOTD: Nice to Mint You

TOP: Forever 21 (old, but similar here) PANTS: Express Columnist HEELS: Nordstrom Rack

NECKLACE: Very Jane

Happy Friday! Thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback and support on yesterday's blog/IG post! I'm hoping to do more OOTD posts of my work outfits. It's been a big transition going from casual to business, did I tell you we have to wear nylons? I feel like I'm back in my sorority chapter meetings! 

This weekend we don't have too many plans. Tomorrow we plan on cleaning/organizing our garage. We have so much stuff that we need to get rid of by throwing it away, selling, or donating. I've joined a couple of exchange Facebook pages for our area and hope to purge some items through there. It's pretty cool, you post what you're selling/looking for and can get it local from your neighbors! Our family who use it have had good experiences and I've seen some legit items so hopefully our stuff will find good homes. Then Sunday we have some family parties then it's back to getting ready for the work week.

I'll leave you guys some cute pics of child labor in it's finest. Next week I plan on teaching her to fold and put away the laundry.

Don't forget to enter my White Plum Giveaway and enjoy 20% off through July 18 using LIPSTICK20 at checkout!

Have a great weekend!

Work OOTDs

This week has been so great! Last Thursday I moved all of mine and Ellie's stuff to our home where we are finally living full time! It's been amazing to wake up and go to sleep every night here and see Matt everyday. Ellie sleeps so much better too and is so happy. Our night routine is better, the last few nights at bedtime I ask her if she's ready to go to bed and she says "ya" and then we get her dolly, her paci, give kisses and she goes right down. It's so cute! She's also learned where her bellybutton is and points to it when asked. We are trying to teach her where her ears are now, but she keeps pointing to her bellybutton, ha ha! Sometimes she'll get it and point to each one individually when asked, but we're still working on it.

On Monday, I started my new position closer to home and I've really enjoyed it. It's a lot of training and I can't wait to be done and dive in fully. I'm still with the same company, but my new position is a whole new ballgame and a completely different environment than my previous one. It's a lot of fun and I look forward to the new role.

DRESS: Old Navy (Similar here) CARDIGAN: Old Navy HEELS: Nine West Flax Pumps
NECKLACE: Nordstrom (super old, similar here)

TOP: Old Navy SKIRT: Forever 21 (old, similar here) SHOES: Nordstrom Rack (I hate this color, it's very yellow, I plan on getting the Nine West Flax Pumps I'm wearing above in the nude)

I've really enjoyed dressing up this week for work, it's been a nice switch these last few days. I still need to build up my wardrobe with business clothes, I'll just add things over time. I have a lot of blouses, but I need to get more heels, skirts, and dress pants. I definitely want to still wear a lot of color and not just black/gray all the time. It keeps life fun.

Hope you guys are having a great week!

Getting Ready for Work

When I went back to work, I was so worried about how my morning would go with Ellie and how to work the timing for us. I asked all my mommy friends what they do and have been able to work out a routine that works for us. I’ve been back to work now for just over a month and my routine has worked great so far for us (even with some hiccups) and I thought I’d share what I’m doing with you. Of course, this may not work for everyone, but may give you some ideas on how to make getting ready in the morning a bit easier.

Here are some things to note:
- I am responsible for taking Ellie to Daycare each day (Matt picks her up)
- I’m alone in the mornings, as Matt leaves for work when I’m just getting up

Things I do the night before to make my morning easier:
- Shower
- Pack snacks for my lunch
- Pack Ellie’s daycare bag, all but the milk (toys & extra clothes)
- Pick out what I’m going to wear (even my jewelry) and lay it out ready to go

One of the best pieces of advice I was given was from my sorority big sis who advised me to give myself 2 hours in the morning before I have to leave to get ready. It would give me plenty of time for any baby mishaps whether Ellie woke up too early, had a blowout, whatever, I would have enough time to still fix the issue and get out the door on time. So far that has really worked for us!

Last week when Ellie woke up early we had enough time to read some Dr Seuss before leaving the house
Here’s how my morning typically goes:

• 5am Wakeup call!
• 5-530 Hair/makeup/bathroom break. The quickest I’ve been able to do my hair/makeup is in 18 minutes! I still do a “full face” and haven’t left anything out of my beauty routine. My hair is really easy to maintain and holds a curl well (see my secrets here) so I usually just have to brush it out and sometimes curl the front pieces and around the crown.
• 530-6 I eat breakfast with one hand while I pump one breast at a time using my other hand (I keep one electric pump at home and another at work).
• 6-610 Make my sandwich, pack Ellie’s milk for the day, and put my pump parts together and pack them in my bag (I wash them all each night after work and let them air dry overnight).
• 610-615 Get dressed, but I leave any necklaces and sometimes my shirt off so I can nurse Ellie easier.
• 620-645/650 Wake up Ellie softly, change her diaper, nurse, and snuggle.
• 645/645-7 Take Ellie to Daycare, snuggle a bit more, talk with our daycare provider about her night/day and let her know when she last ate and such.

There have been a few days where Ellie would wake up at 4 or 5am to nurse and kind of throw off my little schedule, but I was still able to nurse her and put her back down and get ready in time. Last week she woke up Thursday and Friday both at 530 bright eyed and bushy tailed so we got to spend a lot of time together before she went to daycare. Some days I’m doing things to the minute and other days I’ll find I have some extra to myself or to wake her up earlier and spend time with her.

Depending on how our night went I like to keep Ellie sleeping for as long as possible, but I try and have her up for the last 20 minutes before I leave giving her enough time to wake up before daycare and it gives us time for any accidents. Sometimes she takes a minute to wake up and then be bright eyed and bushy tailed and then other days it takes her a long time to wake up and she’ll mostly relax or sleep on me for that time.

I'm always looking for ways to get ready quicker or make life simpler. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!