It took me a solid five minutes to figure out how to begin this blog post.
The struggle is real.
I do the same thing with what I wear every day. It honestly doesn't matter whether I'm just running around town with the girls or going out on a date with Matt, I have been known to just stand and stare at my clothes hoping something will jump out and inspire me.
I've just always felt that in order to create a great style, I had to have a loud mix of colors and patterns.
Not long ago, I got so frustrated with this process that I started trying to really focus more on styling the simplest of outfits that still feel put together.
The idea of just wearing chambray with black denim sounds super uninspired. I'm technically wearing denim from head to toe. But just keep in mind that simple does not have to equal boring.
Simple is just simple. I'ts chic. It's polished. It's not fussy and doesn't take much to accomplish.
I've been to NYC once before but it was actually when Matt's flare up was beginning so it was really a hard trip for him and in turn for me too. We still had a great time -- he's such a trooper-- but I'm just excited to go back now that we've got a better lay of the land and Matt's health is heading in the right direction.
I'm going the first week in December with two other lifestyle bloggers so naturally we are already planning our outfits for each day, trying to decide how many coats we can each bring, and trying to uncover every quintessential "Christmas in New York" activity we can take part in.
There will be lots of brunching, lots of shopping, and lots of exploring the city. Last time we went, my sister and I didn't really take into consideration how painful it would be to try to walk all over a massive city in booties. Even our flats left us with blisters. This year I'm packing theseshoes and plan to wear them every day! I'll change into heels for dinner. But when it comes to sightseeing, I'm going comfortable.
One of the dream come true moments from our last trip was having tea at The Plaza.
We went on my birthday and my sister, Anna, arranged a black SUV to pick us up from our hotel to take us to tea. It was the sweetest! We rolled up feeling like celebrities. Well, she looked like a celebrity. I felt like her assistant. It's fine. Anyway, it was absolutely everything I dreamed it would be.
When Pink Blush reached out to me about doing a collaboration with them, as soon as I saw this gorgeous black tulle skirt, I immediately thought about wearing it to The Plaza. The skirt has an elastic waste band but it's so soft and forgiving. You could even wear it over a baby bump if you're expecting. It was hard to narrow it down to this skirt when I saw all the cuteness on their site, but this was just speaking to me. Ladies, when you're in this season of baby carrying and having, you know an elastic waste band is your FRIEND!
This bow tie from ASOS is everything for me right now. I'm really trying to refrain from styling it 25 different ways. Don't be too shocked when see it reoccurring over the next few months!
We would love to hear from you about any tips on seeing NYC. Favorite spots to eat (especially dessert!), what to see aside from the big stuff, and any secrets you wanna share for how to make the most of our time there.
Hope you have a great day! As always, thank you so much for reading!
1. Spend a cool Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market: I love going to our local farmer's market! Our tradition is to throw on some comfy clothes, load the stroller, grab me a PSL, and just meander thru the rows and rows of local farmers, artists, and bakers. You can get a solid breakfast in thanks to the abundance of delicious samples being offered. I can embarrass Matt by asking the farmers what chemicals they use on the veggies. The girls are perfectly behaved as they look forward to the promised King of Pops Popsicle at the end of our walk. It's just the best!
2. Go Pumpkin Picking: Every year in late October my whole family (over 30 of us) meets up at Burt's Pumpkin Patch in the North Georgia mountains. It's the sweetest family owned operation complete with a hay ride that has talking pumpkins sharing the Gospel. Bless. They have kettle corn and hot boiled peanuts to munch on while you scour the fields for the perfect pumpkin to take home. It's also a LEGIT photo opp... golden leaves and pumpkins? Yes, please.
3. Go to the Fall Festival: Normally it's my family who are the steep tradition keepers, but Matt's family has a few of their own. One of those is going to the Fall Festival in McCaysville, Georgia. Matt's dad grew up in this teensy tiny town so every year we make the treck back up to explore old stomping grounds. Reese and Rowe are just in it for a ride on the tractor with their Poppa. I'm mostly there for the apple cinnamon donuts from the orchard down the road.
4. Go Apple Picking: The same weekend we go to the Fall Festival, we venture over to a small orchard to pick apples straight off the trees. Last time we went, we were the only people there so we got a private tour and got to learn about all the different kinds of apples they grew. It was beautiful and SO fun. Rowe will even be big enough this year to run through the orchard instead of riding on Daddy's shoulders.
5. Bake an Apple Pie: What are we gonna do with all those apples we pick? I'm glad you asked! We gonna bake us a PIE! I'll be trying my hand at a gluten free crust so Matt can enjoy it with us. It'll be good practice for Thanksgiving. I think I'm up for the challenge and my lovely little baking assistant can't wait to get her hands dirty!
We always like to add in a few more fun Fall-ish activities like eating chili by the fire while football is on TV. I also love sipping hot apple cider and roasting marshmallows for s,mores. We also take our family Halloween costumer pretty seriously. Stay tuned for that!
So what about you? What are you looking forward to this Fall?
I wish I could have each of you over to walk through our cozy little home as we prepare it to welcome the cooler weather. Just imagine you're walking in the front door where the sound of a crackling fire and the smell of pumpkin bread and spiced apple cider is in the air. Kick off your shoes and make yourself at home. I will fill you a mug to warm your hands as you wander.
My goal for this year's fall decor was to keep it simple. I have a tendency to go overboard with decor and I really just wanted touches of the season. I'm not a huge fan of orange but I do love the warmth of cranberry mixed with a hint of pumpkin hues so it's not all white and green. I used all fresh eucalyptus and mostly real white pumpkins. I did snag a few fabric pumpkins that I incorporated here and there. So glad to be able to look forward to re-using them next year!
I hope you had the best weekend!! Ours was so laid back and chill, which is just what we needed.
In case you were wondering, I am aware how random of a post title this is. Who talks about family health crises and cognac bags in the same blog post? Well, I do. This is my life, y'all. We may be struggling thru the toughest times our family has ever experienced, but that doesn't mean everything else in life stands still. It's a balance between being grounded in reality (which can be scary at times!) and escaping thru creativity.
Matt was diagnosed with a chronic disease (ulcerative colitis) when he was 18. If you know anything about our story, you know we were dating at that time of his diagnoses so we went through a lot at a very early stage of our relationship. He's been in and out of the hospital over the past 12 years but this past year has been a doozy of a relapse. Every doctor he's ever seen has told him that his case is the worst and most complicated they've seen in their careers. Flattering for sure.
He's spent a combined total of two months hospitalized since January and oddly enough, it was during this time that I started getting the idea to start a style blog.
I know, weird timing.
My first ever "style post" was actually on the Emory University Hospital campus during a visit with Matt. I finally got up the nerve to pose in front of the i-phone while random strangers walked by and stared.
There were so many nights I spent alone and scared and as far as I could see it, I had two options:
I could worry myself to tears, conjuring up all the horrible possibilities with his health
OR
I could choose to focus my energies on something that breathed life into me.
I chose the latter and here we are.
Matt is such a trooper and has THE best attitude. Even with all he's gone thru, he is just the most positive and hopeful bright spot for our family.
He still has to go in for treatment every few weeks and gets admitted each time for at least two to three days, but we are so thankful that he seems to be improving!
We know he will have at least two lengthy stays (two to three weeks) due to major surgeries between now and the end of the year. I'll try to keep you posted on his progress. That's one area that we sort of forget to fill people in on. But I'll try to do better! Thank you to those who have prayed for us. We love you to the moon and back!
Now onto bags!
I had a friend ask me to help her do some shopping for a new cross body leather cognac bag. I look at these all the time because I just don't think you can have too many of these neutral bags! I'd have hundreds if I could. But I can't. So I'll just look at pictures of them and drool.
Here are a few of my favorites!
I love this color bag because it can literally be worn with anything. The color is so rich and just makes me feel fancy even when I'm not at all fancy. #momlife
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you had a great day!
