Now and then

We are home and settling back into normal post vacation life.  I have a lot of photos and things to sort through but I really wanted to post this. One of the very first things I bought for Kate when we got her referral was a cute little dragonfly bathing suit.  It was on clearance at a nice boutique in Richmond, VA and I could not wait to see my daughter in it.  I posted about it here. She wore it on her first trip to the beach (Hilton Head) and I took these photos.....

Well, fast forward 5 years and I spot this same suit on Zulily.  I HAD to buy it!  She loves it and wore it to the beach this year too (Seaside)...

Gosh I wish I could freeze time!

mini me

For today's post, let's just pretend/imagine that my legs are as long and lean as cutie pie Kate's gams.  Okay, imagine that now....  Are you imagining?  If yes, you may proceed....

still imagining....

And yes, once in a while, I shop for myself at Gapkids.

You might think it is silly that we dressed alike.  I don't.  We had fun and I know that I need to really appreciate these years when Kate adores her Mama.  You might not know this but I have a teenager that thinks I am such a dork!  Really,  he can barely stand me sometimes.  So I gotta embrace this while I can people!!

As an aside....Most things work just fine for me in their kid's section but I kind of have a big bust
(32D-- but let's keep that our little secret;)

I hide it pretty well most of the time but it is hard when I wear kid's clothes.  This shirt isn't tight but you can tell I have a chest and I usually like to hide mine.

  So, if you're petite, give the kid's section a try.  You cannot beat the savings! I have also shopped the kids section at J.Crew, Old Navy and Target!

I also got this darling skirt last week at Gapkids too.

How cute is that?!
Seriously, you cannot beat the price especially with the constant sales.

P.S.  We just got these shirts last week but it looks like they are sold out already.

(similar one here for girls)

Guess what?!

This bathing suit that I bought for Kate about 5 years ago is on sale for 13.99 at Zulily today! It is in the Sweet Potatoes sale. So many people have asked me about it over the years!  I just ordered it in Kate's current size.  So excited!  It was one of our favorite suits of all time and I have never seen it anywhere since I bought it at a boutique in Virginia!  I bought this bathing suit before Kate even came home from China so it has a very special place in my heart.  It was one of the very first things I bought for her. Okay, enough talk...go to Zuliliy now before they are all gone!

Spring is in the air (shoppes)

I will be back with Part 2 of Harry's story very soon and thank you for the compassionate comments and prayers thus far.  A few of them had me in tears.  Y'all are the best.

I have been on the lookout for Spring and Summer clothes at Zulily because Kate has gotten tall and she will need some new ones.  Spring and Summer are what it feels like most of the year here! I  LOVE what I saw today at Zulily and had to share.

Dresses are  from Beary Basics and bathing suit is Marina West (13.99!) and perfect for 4th of July!

My lil snow owl

It is a little chilly here and my Katie Ru wanted to wear this cute lil hat to school today.  I snapped these as she was walking out the door...

I got the hat at a local market but you can find similar ones here,  here, and here (for bigger sizes).

Jacket from Zulily.

It's the little things...

I have been in such a good mood the last few days.  I am working a little bit again doing marriage and parenting coaching and I am really enjoying it. But mostly what has put me in a good mood is that it finally feels like FALL here! I have gone on some walks, helped a friend with a fall craft (monogrammed pumpkin) and thoroughly enjoyed the crisp weather!

 Also, Kate and I have had fun trying out our fall fashions.  We are gaga over our faux fur this year.

{jeans}

I bought Kate's faux fur at Nordtrsom and Zulily.  But this one from Old Navy is really cute too

{source}

Use the code ONAUTUMN to get 30% off!

  This one from Gap is so cute too!!

And there are some cute ones out there for us Moms too...


{source}

Oh and the boots.  I have finally gotten to wear my boots and I LOVE them.  I highly recommend Frye.  Once I could wiggle my feet in them they feel like they mold around them...so comfy.  Zappos had them here in no time  (like a day) and exchanged a pair for me quickly and easily when I needed to.

I have been able to just sit on my front porch with my feet up in the sunshine (sun flare all natural).

Harry comes home tomorrow:)  Enjoy your Fall weekend!

Some of my Fall faves

The temps have dropped a bit here in TX and I am getting in the swing of Fall.  Here are a few things I am crushing on right now....

Carry On

A deep romantic burgundy.

I have this on my hands and toes right now.  At first glance it can look black but it has a beautiful plummy, eggplant tone to it.

The other color I like (below) is called Sew Psyched.  It is described as a "cashmere soft sage pewter."  But it is no doubt green. Harry thinks it is "halloween-ish" but I think it is chic and a touch edgy (for me anyway).

Sew Psyched

Image via flickr  (not my nails-I wear mine short)

Okay, the other thing I am loving this Fall is my faux fur vest....

I have not been able to wear it yet (still too hot) but I look at in my closet a lot:) And if I find one for a better price, I might exchange mine.


Anthropolgie



When Kate saw my vest she LOVED it and asked if I could find one for her.
 I scored a cute one for her just before it sold out.



She actually did wear it one chilly morning to school (it was 87 by the afternoon).  It is SO cute! I'll catch a photo next time she wears it:)

And I did get some boots.  Again it is too hot to put them on yet but I love them.  They are really pretty.

Funny story---I have a high arch and these boots have no zipper so I could NOT get them on.  I was SO sad. I was about to return them when I googled it and found a tip.  Put your foot in a thin plastic grocery bag to slip it into the boot and then pull (and rip the bag to get it off).  The boots are the right size once my foot gets past the shaft and supposedly that part will stretch and I won't need the bag trick after a few wears:)

The other thing I am loving is a fashion blog that I have just found (I must be living under a rock).  I kept pinning these images on Pinterest and finally realized it was all the same girl and the same blog. I love this blog..Atlantic-Pacific!  Blair has the best sense of personal style.  I could not dress like her in my day to day life but I love the looks she puts together.

Here are some of her other looks I adore...












{all images via pinterest and Atlantic-Pacific}

I think she is tres preppy chic:)
 I LOVE all of her ensembles--even though I could not pull many of them off myself!

Have a good weekend.  Will returns to the nest:)

fashion crash

I love fashion (so does Miss Kate) and I love when Target collaborates with high end designers. It is always fun for me to see what they come up with (although I am always disappointed when I see the actual quality/fabric).  Still, it is fun for trendy clothes especially when you are buying for kids whose clothes only fit for one season anyway.

So, yesterday was the Missoni debut at Target.  And within 45 minutes my whole Target was completely cleaned out!!!  Missoni is not exactly my style (all those zigs and zags make me a little motion sick).  But I did wander (on my very sore foot) into the store yesterday to see if there was a cute sweater dress for my little fashionista.  Nope. Nothing. Nada.  There was a lone onesie hanging all by itself on the racks.  And there was NOTHING left in the women's section. Not one thing in any size.

Apparently, the launch was so popular that the Target site crashed most of yesterday.  You can read about it here.

So while I did not get any Missoni, I did score a deal at The Mini Social yesterday.  It is a website like Zuilily.  Designer/boutique brands offered in small quantities at discounted prices.  I am really buying very little for Kate these days as she wears a uniform to kindergarten.  But I did get these....

It's reversible in pink and green....

And this...how darling is this????

and they don't make me motion sick either;)

Tell me.  Did anyone score any Missoni yesterday?  The bike perhaps?

Does this match, Mama?

Kate dressed herself yesterday and she came down like this....

Black polka dot bow, lime and cream polka dot shirt and navy polka dot shorts.  And you know what? I let her stay in it ALL day!  We did get a few sideway glances but I didn't care.  She was happy.  Polka dots can make a girl happy, you know.

Another thing that makes us SO HAPPY.... Some of our very best friends in the whole world (Harry's Godparents) moved back to town this week after being overseas for a few years (you can read more about them here--that post makes me miss my VA house so much.)  They were transfered shortly after we moved to VA and we always hoped we'd wind up back here together.  We met at story time at the library when Will and her oldest son were just 4 months old.  And we have been great friends ever since (14 years).  We put together a basket of some our favorite TX things to welcome them back...

We put in my favorite tortilla chips and salsa (Salsa Texas--it is the BEST!), Shiner Bock local beer, St Arnold's local root beer for the kids, phiton necklaces for the boys (since they are very popular here in the US), Dave's favorite Goode Company BBQ sauce, TX BBQ potato chips, and a real Simple magazine for my friend because she likes it.  I also put in a Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon because you always need stuff there when you move!

I must tell you that Dave came up with the idea for the basket.

And just one more reason to be happy... Di and Jeff have sweet Miss Emme Jade.  They are in China adopting again and they are now the official parents of this beautiful little girl!

I am really behind in posting.  I have all these things I want to post about but we are spending a lot of time this week in dentist, doctor and orthodontist offices (Will is getting braces) before school starts.  I will catch up soon.

***We have a few road-trips coming up in the next few months and Dave and I really enjoy listening to a book on CD together in the car while the kids watch their movies.  Does anyone have any suggestions for something we would both like?  We listened South of Broad last year when we drove to Disney.  And while we loved the plot and we could not wait to hear what happened next, the language and themes were a little too much to risk the peanuts overhearing. They wear earphones but you never know when one will decide to take them off.