Tuesday, December 28, 2021

mama & me: fall 2021

I'm excited about the second installment of my "mama and me" series! Last season's was all about my time as a stay at home mom, trying to figure out summer style in a time of being recently postpartum and being home with my children. Now that I've starting working full time again, with a more balanced work/life schedule, and much more time in the office rather than the hospital, I've been having some fun wearing real clothes again! Still working on branching out from the place that feels comfortable (skinny black paints + blouse), but we're working on it! 

family thanksgiving

sweater: nordstrom [exact | similar]
jeans: paige [exact]
shoes: michael michael kors [exact]

theo's jumper: H&M [exact]
theo's shoes: c/o little grapefruit [exact]

clinic day

top: H&M
pants: j.crew [exact]
shoes: michael michael kors [exact]
headband: amazon [exact]

theo's sweatshirt: target [exact on clearance]

clinic day

bodysuit: everlane [exact | link for $25 off]
pants: madewell [exact on major sale]
shoes: tory burch 

theo's chambray: gap [exact]

clinic day

scrubs: figs [exact]
vest: ll bean [exact]

penny's hairbows: amazon [exact]

clinic day

blouse: loft [exact on sale]
pants: j.crew [exact]
belt: gap 
shoes: michael michael kors [exact]

Linen-Blend Courier Pleat-Back Shirt
clinic day

top: madewell [exact]
pants: j.crew [exact]
shoes: c/o birdies [exact]

V-Neck Poncho Sweater
children's museum

sweater: loft [exact]
jeans: uniqlo
shoes: c/o birdies [exact]

penny's sweater: H&M [exact]

room details //
bed: west elm
bedding: crate & barrel
rug: safaveih
mirror: wayfair
curtain rods: amazon
curtains: ikea
theo's pack-n-play: guava 


 

Sunday, December 19, 2021

nordstrom trunk club: december 2021

Hello! After an unplanned little hiatus while starting at my new job, I'm back to talk about my Nordstrom trunk this month! I accidentally skipped last month's trunk, which actually was really wonderful, and landed a new dressed up sweater, a cozy casual turtleneck, and winter booties in my closet. 

Unfortunately, we somehow took a turn after three great months worth of trunks. This month's trunk reminded me of how I approached shopping around the time that I first started blogging - I remember I always bought items in different colors so I had an even amount of colors in my closet. Like I wouldn't buy a sweater in black because I already owned a black sweater, so instead I would buy it in like bright green so "even out" my closet. That left me with a closet full of clothes that 1. didnt go together and 2. didn't flatter me and 3. didn't get worn because I didn't actually like them. Now, after years of blogging and assessing and writing out why and why not I like something, I personally gravitate towards neutrals, and occasional light blues and soft pinks, because I like how they look on me and therefore actually get worn. That's not to say that it's not nice to branch out once in a while, but for the most part...I now know what I like and how it will work in my closet. So to get a trunk full of colorful items, after saying I really prefer neutrals, was a bit of a loss for this month's trunk. I also wasn't able to decline items before they were shipped, which means instead of removing items I know I don't want even without trying them on, they were all shipped to me without my input. Not sure if there was a glitch, but normally I would have said I wouldn't want some of the items in my original trunk. 

Sunday, October 31, 2021

nordstrom trunk club: october 2021


I have been looking forward to my newest Trunk Club for weeks! First of all, I just love getting things in the mail, so that's always fun, but I love the combination of having someone pick some clothes out for me, letting me have a say in what I actually want, and then getting a few more surprises! I've been wearing my items from last month a ton, with the Barbour coat being worn almost daily. This month I asked for a few more cooler weather work tops, as well as some jeans. Here's what I got!

 

Saturday, October 16, 2021

review: *sweater weather*

If you've been following along on instagram and/or tiktok, you know that I've spent the last month slowly revamping my closet to get ready to start my first attending job. If you've been a long time follower, you know that I used to actually wear real clothes prior to residency...but then I didn't wear anything except scrubs (and yoga pants on the rare time off) for 4 years, so literally 95% of my closet consists of clothes from 2017 and earlier. So I've been trying to update my closet for the current styles, my current body, and the work I'm going in to. 

The big one I needed to work on was finding dress pants! The Limited used to be my go-to - I wore the hell out of those pants for 4 years, but sadly they closed so that's no longer an option. I had minimal luck finding long enough pants while at the mall - most stores don't have tall versions in stores, and some places, like Ann Taylor, don't even make dress pants in the tall option. Long story short, I had good luck with the J.Crew Cameron pants - they come in a tall option online, so I ended up ordering the black and navy version, and both are currently at the tailor to hem and take in the knee (I think this is such a game changer when it comes to making dress pants look sleeker!). 

I ended up trying so many things in the last few weeks that I'm going to break it up into a few posts, so here are the sweaters I've tried and/or purchased recently!

Loft CAP SLEEVE V-NECK SWEATER

This Loft sweater vest is my new favorite item. I've seen several sweater vests over the last year and they gave me major 5th grade vibes, and I wanted nothing to do with them. But then I tried this one on, and fell in love. I think because it's a big longer, so it's the more updated cooler version. I did size down to a medium, which gives it a more fitted look - I'm wearing it with this Treasure & Bond top in the picture on the right. I also bought the blue grey version this week! It's a great layering piece going into the cooler weather. It's currently 30% off. 

I bought this short sleeved sweater during the same visit. In pictures they look so similar but I promise they are different! I love this top for the current weather - it's ideal for low 60 degrees! I also sized down to a medium on this top. Looks super cute tucked into jeans or even dress pants. 


Loft POCKET PONCHO SWEATER

This poncho though...not great. Too short on me, the pockets add too much fabric around my waist, and just made me feel very square. Reading the reviews, it looks like others felt the same way. It's a shame, because the pink color is so pretty!

gap boyfriend shaker-stitch cotton cardigan

Speaking of pink sweaters though, I'm all about this comfy oversized knit cardigan from Gap. I got it in a large tall - the length is great for covering your butt in leggings, or for just an oversized look. I've already received so many compliments on it! The reviews are also raving about it. I wish the cream color wasn't sold out in my size because it's that good. 

jcrew Relaxed turtleneck poncho

My favorite sweater of all time was lovingly washed and then subsequently dried by my dear husband, which was so nice...but because it was a cashmere, it shrunk to about children's size, so R.I.P. I've been trying to replace it for 4 years, but haven't found anything close. I tried this J.Crew sweater in hopes it would be closet...but this guy is ginormous. I am wearing the medium/large, and could size down I suppose, but I think the very oversized style of it is not going to be the ideal replacement for my old sweater. 


Banana Republic Duster Cardigan Sweater

I've wanted a long duster cardigan for some time now, so I was excited to see this beautiful version from Banana Republic. It's thicker so it's warm but not too thick that you lose your shape. It has hidden side pockets, so it's not adding extra material in the middle but...you know, pockets <3. I'm wearing a size large here, and the reviews agree that it fits true to size. It is definitely on the more pricy side but it was 20% off in stores and I had a reward so it ended up costing me $50, which I was very excited about. I knew I had to get it when I kept trying it on and trying to convince myself I didn't need it. 

Universal Thread Women's Open-Front Cardigan - Universal Thread™
We had friends stay with us a few weeks ago, and both of the girls had this adorable Target sweater...so I ordered it while we were all sitting around the fire. It's definitely oversized, so I would suggest sizing down - I'm wearing a medium here. I'm wearing it in the color rust, which keeps popping in out and of stock. The cream is also super pretty, and probably more versatile though, so that would be the one I would suggest getting if you are interested!


Will be back next week with more reviews. My latest Trunk box also just shipped, so that will be up the following week. Have you purchased anything you're excited about lately? Would love to hear about it!

Monday, October 4, 2021

mama & me: summer 2021

Throughout the summer, I tried to remember to snap a few pictures of my outfits. I definitely don't have the time anymore to scout a location, set up a tripod, take a few hundred pictures, and edit them...so quick snaps on my phone is as good as it's going to get currently ;). I also have a two year old who most of the time refused to take a picture with me! Doesn't she know we are trying to BLOG HERE. Luckily Theo was always willing (...against his will). 

Summer is my least favorite season to dress for, so the majority of the time I just wore my favorite old shorts with an easy top to nurse in. Transitioning out of 100% scrubs has been hard for several reasons - the nursing sports bras I used to wear don't work with real clothes. Luckily, these bras from Target have built in pads so I don't have to worry about putting nursing pads on all the time! I also don't really have any dedicated nursing tops, I just wear looser tops so it's easy to pull up. 

going to the children's museum

top: loft [exact]
shorts: gap [similar]
belt: gap [similar]
sandals: steve madden
headband: amazon [exact]

Penny's romper: target
Theo's overalls: H&M [exact]

 
going to the zoo

chambray: j.crew (comes in talls & on sale!) [exact]
shorts: target [exact]
tee: j.crew 
shoes: steve madden

Penny's big sis shirt: etsy [exact]

going to music class

tee: free people [exact]
shorts: gap

penny's watermelon romper: old navy [exact on sale]
theo's jumpsuit: H&M [exact]


going to the library

top: treasure & bond [exact on sale]
jeans: 7 for all mankind [similar]
headband: Amazon [exact]

Theo's pants + chambray


going to costco on the last day of summer

cardigan: target [exact, 20% off!]
jeans: uniqlo 
shoes: treasure & bond [exact]

Penny's fleece: gap [current style]


room details //
mirror: wayfair
theo's pack-n-play: guava 

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

nordstrom trunk club: september 2021


Several of my girlfriends are in a similar position I am when it comes to work clothes - recently out of residency, having not really purchased new items in a while, and now needing a whole closet of work clothes. One of my friends mentioned that she was having a lot of luck with StitchFix and Nordstrom Trunk Club. I tried out StitchFix this spring but didn't end up loving anything, and then felt my $25 were kind of forcing me to keep items I wasn't 100% in love with. What drew me to ordering a Nordstrom Trunk though was that if you have a Nordstrom card, their $25 styling fee is waved! So I can order trunks and not feel like I have to keep anything just to not lose $25. I really love that a box full of clothes just shows up at my house, I get to try them on in the privacy of my own home with my own closet, keep what I want, and have FedEx pick up the box from my front door. It also helps to have a stylist give me new styles to try on, to see how they work with my body, life, and current wardrobe. I am fairly consistent about basically buying the same items just in different colors/patterns, so this kind of forces me to try new things that I may love.  

I signed up through the app, answered a few questions about what I was looking for, filled out my sizes, and the next day got an email saying my box was ready to be reviewed. I swapped out a few things I knew I wasn't going to like at all, and left a few spots open for my stylist's suggestions. A few days later, the box showed up at my house!

Here's what I got!

Saturday, September 4, 2021

penny's play kitchen


The room I am probably the most excited about, truly, in our new house is what is going to be the playroom. It was previously used as an office, but with its location directly off the living room, it's the perfect room for our children. In our last house, we did not have a separate space for Penny - her bedroom was very small, and only could hold her crib, small dresser, and rocking chair. We had a small cabinet in our living room that housed the majority of her toys, but as she and Theo grow up, the toys get bigger too, so I'm just so thrilled to make their own little space for them to play and explore and have fun!


One of the first projects I knew I was going to do was make her a little play kitchen. I've seen so many "Ikea hacks" for the Ikea play kitchen, and so I spent hours looking at different ones on pinterest. The one that spoke to me the most was one I found on the blog Katie Lamb. I love the gender neutral colors, and her step by step instructions made it pretty easy to follow. The only difference is that I used a latex brush on paint rather than a spray paint! Basically the steps to making this little play kitchen your own: 

Figure out parts //

Take out all parts from the box, and figure out which pieces you will paint what color. I made 3 piles - the blue pile, the white pile, and the don't touch it pile. 

Things I should have done here: sanded and primed. Things I didn't do: sand and prime. Instead I just taped off the pieces I needed to tape off, and started the painting process. 

Paint // 

Each piece got 2 coats of paint. I then let them cure for a few days before starting the assembly process. For the metal pieces, I used Katie's trick of using a box to peg all the metal parts up to paint easier, then they got 3-4 coats of spray paint. I let these sit for a few days before attaching to the kitchen. 

Countertop //  

I used this butcher block contact paper to make over the countertop. I used a credit card to apply it tightly across the top, and then cut out the holes for the sink and stove top. I also applied a little super glue on each of the corners to really secure it where it would likely peel off first. 

Backsplash //  

I bought a thick plastic board from Michael's. I got one pack of these stick & peel hexagon "tiles" on Amazon that I just love so much. They are a great neutral with some variation in color that adds a nice texture to the backsplash. I measured the size of board I needed for the back splash, cut it to that size, and then attached the tile. It was super easy, and a lot cheaper than some of the $40 options I saw on Etsy!

Assemble // 

After everything had a few days to cure, I followed the instructions to put everything together - honestly, probably the most annoying part, but also so fun to see it all come together! Then during nap time, I brought it inside from the garage and got to set it up with all the little accessories I had found. I was so excited to show Penny!


There are so many adorable play food items out there, that it was hard to stick with just a few items! We have a little wood toaster that has a little lever that lifts the toast, and comes with butter! That, and our little espresso machine are the biggest hits. We have a little set of fruit and vegetables that are connected by magnets, which is so nice since they can't wear out like velcro could. Although we do have a little egg set that is probably the most played with item, and it's held up very well so far. She was gifted this little apron that we had personalized with her name, and I can't wait to eventually get one for Theo as well. I think for Christmas we are going to get her a set of little oven mitts!

I loved making this little kitchen for my babies, and am excited to get started in converting the office into their playroom. Next up on my projects for the room is this magnet wall!

Kitchen: Ikea
Blue pain: Behr Adirondack Blue
Metal color: Rustoleum Champagne Mist
Countertop: Amazon
Backsplash: Amazon
Espresso machine: Hape
Toaster: Hape
Pots & spatula: Pottery Barn Kids
Play eggs: PB Kids
Magnetic fruits/veggies: Amazon