Fall by Adam Lippes for Target

This has got to be tiring hearing about because it is SO tiring living it - we are having CRAZY heat in SoCal right now.  It was the second weekend in October and we had temps over 100 degrees this weekend.  We only have AC in my son's room, so I cranked it on high and had a fan blowing the cool air out into the rest of the space.  It was still like 85 or more degrees inside, but compared to the triple digits outside, it felt cool.  Fortunately the sun is setting earlier, so its cooling earlier, and we're supposed to have cooler weather as the week progresses, so fingers crossed!

I was able to meet up with an photog friend of mine early one morning, before the real heat set in, to shoot these looks that I'm anxious to actually wear.  He's the first photographer I ever shot with when I was attempting to model and act, and we've stayed in touch.  He shot my maternity photos when I was pregnant with my son and we always have a great time shooting, but haven't done it in quite a while.  It was such fun to work together again - I hope we can do it more regularly now that the blog gives us purpose. :)  

Adam Lippes recently released a very cute capsule collection for Target - all these pieces work so well together and will totally work apart.  The heels run about a half size small, but they are the perfect height, and so cute (there are some adorable flats as well.)  The shirt dress is long (I am 5'11" and wearing a small - the sleeves are actually long enought!!) And the sweater vest has pocket! Yay for pockets!  I think all 3 are still available online if you can't find them in your local store.

Click the images below to shop the links:

Links I Love - 10.09.2015

1. It's Friday.  Take a break and watch a few of these.  This guy will crack you up.  He works at BuzzFeed, and films these video where he drinks wine at work (and may or may not become inebriated) and comments on life.  HIL-AR-I-OUS!  (whineaboutit.tumblr.com)
2. Pictures can say certain things better than any words can sometimes.  Here are some beautiful/inspiring/heartbreaking images to make you thankful/happy.humbled. (weblasters.com)
3. Anything that can simplify life is a good thing in my book. Some of these beauty hacks are so simple I wonder why I didn't think of them on my own.  (cosmopolitan.com)
4. Who doesn't love mac'n'cheese? Isn't it like the unofficial king of comfort food?  Not that it takes super long on the stove top, but here's a quicker microwave version from scratch. (theviewfromgreatisland.com)
5. It really is fascinating to me how differently men and women see the same thing.  Sometimes I am so confused about what my husband thinks is attractive clothing on me.  Apparently I'm not alone. (cosmopolitan.com)
6. Holiday time is fast approaching (can you believe it?!!)  Time to start thinking about holiday gifts.  I think these DIYs are super pretty and also look like they take more skill than they actually do.  These make impressive, attractive and useful gifts.
7. Netflix is really killing it with quality original programming lately.  But in case you forgot, they also have movies from the big screen.  When you're done with your latest binge series, here's a list of the best films on Netflix. (agoodmovietowatch.com)
8. Isn't the color of this glass soap dish so gorgeous? It reminds me of my wedding invitations, actually.  Maybe that's why I'm partial....  (houzz.com)  
9. There have been studies that show that coloring is actually a good thing for adults to do, to books mental energy and creativity.  I'd forgotten that its actually fun until I started it at home with my toddler.  Here's some free printable sheets that are better than Mickey Mouse and Goofy.  (thecountrychiccottage.net)

Gettin' Lace-y

We are 7 days into October already - what the....?  Don't have a Halloween costume for the little Dude yet - he's not old enough to have an opinion (or even know what is coming) but he's really in to "Finding Nemo" right now, so we can't decide if he should be Nemo, or a shark (he loves the sharks in the film, even though they only have like 5 minutes of screen time.)  Part of me doesn't want to bother with a costume because I don't think he's going to want to wear it, and trick-or-treating with an almost 2 year old doesn't sound like a very productive activity. But on the other hand, little kids in costumes are SO CUTE! LOL  So we'll see.

But once Halloween comes and goes, it will be Christmas time before you know it.  While I feel like the holidays make what's left of the year go by even faster, I do love the occasions to dress up more than usual that usually arise.  I'm loving this dress for parties to come.  It is SO comfortable, the lace is very soft and stretches, and the pattern of the lace and the fact that it is black makes it very forgiving, despite being formfitting.  It is dressy on it's own, but I think that it can even be dressed down for just a casual night out with a jean jacket and some moto boots.  And for less that $70, totally worth it.

You can get this exact dress below, and while my shoes are old, I'm loving these very similar ones, which are also a great price.

It's Beginning to Feel a Bit Like Fall

Hope you had a good weekend. Here we are at Monday again. I'm thinking about starting a petition to make weekends 3 days instead of 2.  Anyone interested in signing?

So I actually woke up one night this weekend because I was cold, and had to pull the blanket up (we've just been sleeping with a sheet on, because it's been so hot.)  It was a nice feeling.  I also woke up to the sound of rain outside at 2am on Sunday, and while it had stopped by the time the sun came up, it left us with a cool and fall-like day.  I would have lounged in my PJs for half the day, if I could have (lounging in any capacity happens very rarely these days. You know, with the toddler and all.)  We did have about an hour of family snuggles that morning watching Baby Einstein in mommy and daddy's bed though.  ;)  Overall, the weekend was good (mommy and daddy we able to go out TWO nights in a row, the first in ages.)  

Timewarp (and a pink maxi)

For last Christmas, my sister made me a custom 2015 calendar with pictures of my son for the year prior (his first full year of life). Last night I flipped to October and had a momentary trip down memory lane as I viewed the images she chose for this month.  Every time I see pictures of my son from last year I am literally stunned.  I feel like I'm in another dimension, that the baby in those pictures is someone different than the toddler I chase around now. A year to an adult is most times not a dramatic change.  But a year in the life of a small person is so dramatic.  And for most of us, until we become a parent, we don't witness these dramatic changes on a first hand basis until we have our own kids.

Think about it: when you're a kid, you don't notice yourself changing. And your friends are all changing at the approximate same pace as you. And the adults in your life are already adults and always will be adults, so you don't notice change in them at all.  And when you're an adult, you're mostly with adults, and there is not usually dramatic change in them.  But with a baby, they literally grow over night.  It's the most surreal thing.  I see those pictures of my little chub when he was learning to walk, and I remember scooping him up in my arms and how he fit just right.  I felt like he was mostly the same from one day to the next, but now a year later, the change is so dramatic, and that little baby is gone.  Its such a weird thing, when I think about it, I'm almost in mourning (my eyes tear up, my husband doesn't really understand. Its a mom thing.)  I am so excited by my son's developments and watching him learn and grow - it's so amazing and fun - but I can't deny I miss that little baby a bit.  

Because babies make everything better - had to snap a few with my photographer's son.  It feels like yesterday my little guy was this small, now he's running and talking and so big!