Favorite Purchase & Currently Craving

Please excuse the awkward bathroom selfie. But these overalls! You guys! I am living in these. They are the most comfortable things ever and from all of the reviews I read before I got them, I think they flatter just about every body type. 

You can find the link to them here. Remember that if you bring in any old pair of jeans to your local Madewell store, they will credit you $20 towards your denim purchase. 

I'll admit I was a bit hesitant to take on this trend. You know, at the ripe old age of 36 and stuff. But seriously, I could wear these babies every day of the week so there is no shame in my overall game. Do yourself a favor and go try them on and while you're at it, kick your sweatpants to the back of your jammie drawer. 

Also, I can't find these sandals on line but they had lots of them at my local Target. I am always looking for a pair of cognac heels, sandals, boots... these are so comfortable and they go with everything. It will only be a short amount of time before these bad boys start making their own tan line on my feet, I wear them so often. 

So help me friends because I am in a season of some serious want. I feel like this happens at every turn of the season for me... I begin to crave new and different. But with the bathroom renovation underway and alllll of the small purchases that added up in a big way towards its completion, I am on a major spending freeze. 

If I weren't, here is what I would be adding to my shopping cart this minute: 

This hat! 

It's packable and perfect for covering up unwashed hair all summer long. I keep looking at it and reading reviews and I feel like it would get some serious usage in my clothing rotation. 

New swimwear

My body is forever changing with pregnancies, postpartum recovery, and all that goes with that. I haven't even attempted to try on any of my old suits yet. But that hasn't stopped me from eyeing a few new ones online. I am loving the one piece trend. 

I have a history of collecting cheap suits that only last for a season or two. But last year I bought my first nice suit at Anthropologie that looks almost identical to this one from Target. 

If I were to splurge on something new for this summer, I would want something that gives me more coverage up top. I have been eyeing suits like this from albionfit. And I also love the look of this one from anthropologie but yikes! The price tag is a bit steep. 

Anyone have any successes with some cute suits with coverage? I am all ears. 

Lastly, I keep eyeing necklaces handmade by my new blogger crush. How pretty is this tassel necklace? I love a long necklace in gold. It goes with everything! All of her pieces are only available for a limited time so I keep eyeing them with all of the shopping constraint I can muster. 

And finally, to top off this vain post of mine... hair! I am constantly going back and forth wondering if I should chop or not. 

(source)

I really like this blunt cut with layers. Mine is a grown out a-line and I am ready to even it out. 

(source)

And the great bangs debate. I have finally grown mine out but sometimes I miss them! Especially when I wear my hair up in a ponytail or a bun. I think bangs seem to make everything look more styled. Hmmmm. 

Or do I wait and let my hair be a frizzy mess all summer and save my pennies for a good cut when I return to work in August. Decisions, decisions. 

Today is the first day all week where we've had a hint of sunshine. It's making me that much more excited for the summer days to come! 

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

xo

Currently

Is it seriously almost JUNE? I apologize for the lack of posts. It's been a crazy few weeks around here as Dustin's baseball season wound down, Donovan's All Star season began which means 3 late night practices a week and 4 weekends in a row of tournaments. 

Also, the bathroom demolition started... TODAY! The two weeks leading up to this have been so crazy. Last minute online purchases are being tracked by the minute to make sure they arrive on time... unexpected delays on purchased items have lead to heated arguments and augmented stress levels between Dustin and I,  not to mention the late night painting we've been doing every night this week so far. Oh, and have you ever spent an entire Sunday toting three small kids through Home Depot AND Lowes. I would not advise it. It's a miracle that our marriage survived it, I tell you. Like I said, it's been CRAZY around here!

So currently, I am locked up in the family room downstairs listening to more crazy happening upstairs with great anticipation of the finished product to come. 

I am working on Emmerson's Shutterfly birthday book because her birthday is in one week! I can't believe our baby girl with be FOUR. Cue the tears. 

I have been obsessing over this blog that I stumbled upon recently. Her style is spot on with everything I love and I have found so much inspiration in her posts. 

My mom, Taylor, and I went shopping and stopped off at Madewell last week and I purchased these which are oddly reminiscent of the pair I used to wear 20 years ago.  Can I tell you how much I love Madewell? I have been living in these since I had Taylor. Seriously, on constant rotation. Madewell offers 15% off for teachers all the time and gives you a $20 voucher to spend on denim when you bring in any old pair of jeans in that you want to donate/recycle. 

I keep going back and forth about wanting to get my hair cut. I haven't had it done since December and it is due time. My hair is falling out like crazy right now... thanks postpartum hair loss. Do I spend the $ to style it up now, or wait until summer is over and the hair loss slows down? 

Dustin and I visited a potential daycare for Taylor for next school year. I may have cried... a lot... after we left. It was a great spot and she will most likely go there but the reality that my stay at home mommy days are numbered just about slapped me in the face. This is the first and only time in as long as I can remember that I am not counting down the days until the end of the school year. I keep reminding myself over and over again that God will provide exactly what I need, as I need it. Putting my hope in that truth. 

I really want to read a good book. Not sure what kind but it has been ages since I've read a book I couldn't put down. Any suggestions? 

That's all for now, I guess. I hope you are all having a great week so far. 

xo

Favorite Finds

These are a few of my favorite purchases, as of late. 

 1. This rug from Ballard Designs. I originally saw it pinned on Pinterest and I loved it. We already had an old IKEA rug under our kitchen table, but I thought we could use a little update and something more interesting. This was a perfect solution. I used a birthday check from my parents to buy it. It was very affordable and bonus: it's an indoor/outdoor rug. In reading the reviews, some people commented that when it gets dirty, they just take it outside and hose it off. I think that's perfect for underneath a table where small kiddos eat. Don't you?

 2. I have become addicted to ETSY. (As if I wasn't already) I love searching for things for baby girl. I wanted some sort of scripture print in her nursery and I really liked this one that I came across while browsing endlessly on ETSY. Proverbs 3:5 has always been one of my favorite verses. Proverbs 3: 5-6 were the verses we chose for Donovan on his dedication day. I think the little flowers added to it perfectly. So it found a happy home in her nursery. And also, the shop that I got it from has so many other cute prints and cards. The package came with many great details, including different washi-tape designs sealing each part of the package, a complimentary coupon for the next purchase, and an extra little print with a C.S. Lewis quote that is equally as sweet and frameable.

3. I may be the only mom that hadn't seen this little work of genius. Our bottle-drying rack that we used for Donovan was 2 tiered and things were constantly falling off of it. It seemed like there was just never enough space for everything to be propped up for drying. So this little contraption just sits on top of your counter and you can pop the bottles and pump accessories right on top. There's a little tray underneath that you can remove and wash. I think it's so smart and I was super excited to find it. It was one of those things that you know you really don't need but you kind of do that makes your Target grand total shockingly more than you anticipated spending. Dustin should know by now that I should never go to Target without a chaperone. There's just way too much goodness calling my name down every aisle.

Next up on my list of hopeful purchases: Baby Headbands.
That is the one thing I keep searching for on ETSY that I can't commit to buying. I don't want anything too pricey, but I love the look of newborns with their dainty little hair bands. I definitely want to try out a few and I'm sure once she's here there will be many more to come.

Any other baby girl things I HAVE to HAVE before she makes her arrival?

these are a few of my favorite things

I popped into anthropologie on Friday night with a specific purpose in mind... Mother's Day shopping. But oh how I secretly wished that my birthday had been in May so that I had a birthday coupon to spend. Anthro has much cuter selections in the spring and summer time. I was good, I stayed on track and I didn't even try on one thing. But then I got home and looked over the website. Here are just a few of the things that I am loving at this moment in time. 

vandermeer blouse

Ladylike tucked into a tailored skirt or also perfect with some tight fit and flare jeans and some platform wedges. I kind of have a thing for white blouses.

stitched horizons pullover 

This light weight sweater looks perfect for weekend comfort. I'd wear it with mid-length cut off jean shorts, or white skinnies and some strappy flat sandals. I love the open neck line... so feminine and yet completely comfortable and versatile. 

scalloped stripes dress

I like how simple this dress is. It kind of reminds me of this one from Madewell which I have loved for quite some time. I'd pair this with a bright colored belt. This is one of those dresses that could be worn in any season. I think it'd look so cute with some bright hunter boots, too... like these... but it just doesn't rain enough in San Diego to justify that kind of a purchase!  

flared anabelle dress

And this dress! I saw this in the window of the store and I actually dreamed about it that night. How pathetic is that? Please tell me you dream about clothes to... no? Okay I'm a freak. 

This dress is so ladylike, the shape, the neckline, the longer length. And the blue watercolor florals remind me of blue hydrangeas which are my favorite flower. Sigh, this one is perfection in my eyes. 

If it were 5 years ago and D and I were getting ready for our summer wedding, this one would be my rehearsal dinner dress, no question. 

Okay. Enough clothing lust for one blog post. Until next time. 

Dreaming up some stuff...

Oh Pinterest, you have me lusting over spring styles. These pictures are so dreamy. 

(source)

I am obsessed with longer skirts that hit just past the knee paired with heels. There is nothing more feminine. I especially like this one coupled with a simple tee. It makes it look effortless and so pretty. 

(source)

I am a huge fan of all things Kendi! This lady-like look just screams spring to me!

No source for this one. Another pin that I found. I want to wear this all summer long. A pocketed buttoned down with feminine details is on my wish list. I love that this one is a bit sheer. Perfect for a beach cover up. 

(source)

Lace. Always a favorite!

(source)

Again, the longer skirt with heels. Plus the pastel colors... perfection. 

(source)

These little sandals remind me of the ones I wore on my wedding day. A flower added to anything is a bonus in my opinion. Unfortunately these beauties are from seasons past.

(source)

Sigh. Let's talk about hair. Before I had Donovan I had been growing my hair out for ever! It was long. Long, for me, anyways. I loved it. (I say that now, but I probably didn't love it that much then either.) And then Donovan was born and I hated it. I chopped it. (Typical new Mom thing to do.) It was great at first and now I am so bored with it and my hair just seems like it doesn't want to grow the way it used to. For starters post-pregnancy hormones gave me wavy hair, but only in the back. This now requires daily burning, ruining, destroying, blow drying & hair straightening. My hair has had it. So have I. If I had a million dollars in my pocket to spend on myself, I might join the masses and get hair extensions. I would bring in these two pictures and say, "See these. Yep. make them mine. Thanks." 

(source)

California lottery, perhaps? 

FaceTime with Elmo

Have you heard of this app? Your kiddo can do FaceTime with Elmo. My neighbor taught me this tonight. I am so old school when it comes to the tech world. I only upgraded my phone last year after my Zach Morris Nokia model finally called it quits. My new-er phone is as prehistoric as they make them. However, being able to FaceTime with Elmo kinda makes me want to get with the times. That and the fact that her phone was cool enough to take a picture of Donovan enamored with the app. Just look at those chubby cheeks and curious little eyes!

Oh modern technology, how did we grow up without you? 

Dear Anthro

Hello anthro,

It's me... your old devoted pal Meghan. I know, I know my trips to visit you are few and far between. I still think of you often and sometimes while pumping, I drift into a dream-like state while browsing your latest and greatest online. Today I saw these...


Torture my dear friend. Torture. I'm a new mom on a teacher's budget after all. Let's make a deal. Either you stop producing lovelies that make my heart skip a beat, or maybe cut your prices by about 85%. Deal?

Until we meet again. (Tomorrow night. 9ish?)

(P.S. It's cold out! Hello Fall. I missed you!)

The luck continues...

Oh San Diego, I love you so. There are many reasons to give thanks for living here. The weather, the nearby beaches, and today I am giving thanks for the random power outage yesterday that canceled all San Diego County schools today. 3 cheers for an unexpected 3 day weekend!

Yesterday was a whirlwind day of teaching. I barely took a breath let alone sat down to eat; I was exhausted and in the middle of a meeting after school when zap... the entire school's power turned off. I assumed it was a school specific incident and waited around for about 20 minutes in my classroom when I realized that there was no reason to be wasting time staring at a blank computer screen in a room with no AC and no lighting while my boys were at home waiting for me. So I grabbed my purse and along with all of my colleagues called it a day. The parking lot was uncharacteristically empty. We all headed home early. Loved it! And a good choice too, because not long after I left, I received a call from Dustin telling me that it was the entire county effected and that the power was expected to be out through the night.

I got home and low and behold the entire neighborhood was out and about. It looked like the 4th of July. I grabbed Donovan, a blanket, and some of his toys and we laid outside in the shade hanging out with neighbors I haven't seen for months. Kids were out playing until it was pitch black last night. And after getting Donovan bathed and into bed, Dustin and I lit a bunch of candles and poured a glass of wine and proceeded to play cards until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer. It was quiet, relaxing, and oddly romantic. I kinda like this no power business.

And the icing on the cake came when we received a voicemail from our school district that all San Diego Schools had been canceled for Friday. (Even though power was restored sometime around 1:30 in the morning) Woo hoo! So this morning Dustin went out and picked us up a Starbucks. My first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. Yum! We hung out lazily playing with Donovan and enjoying some time in the backyard and then decided to go shopping! I haven't been shopping in months!!! Dustin spent time at the Apple Store and I my friends, indulged myself in some Anthro. Oh, the way that store smells. It's like a trip to the spa for my soul I tell you. Even more icing for the cake... I found a skirt for $9.95 and a dress for $19.95 and splurged on something I've been longing for...

Before I got married a friend of mine gifted me with some Lollia lotion for one of my bridal showers. I saved it for our honeymoon and have savored the rest of it so sparingly that even now, 4 years after, I still have some of the lotion left inside the small tube. On the rare occasion that I do use some, Dustin always says, "Hawaii!!!" when he catches a trace of it. So today I also popped the perfume version of the same scent on the counter at Anthro before I could talk myself out of it. It smells like heaven and totally reminds me of our honeymoon every time I sniff it. Pure joy!

So this is my Friday. Completely unexpected and completely wonderful. Tonight Oma and Grampy are coming over to babysit while Dustin and I go downtown for his Junior Golf Banquet. Free dinner and drinks with friends, A $20 dress, and the scent of our honeymoon. Thank you power outage! More than you know!

Lucky Me

Look what I found in my lunch box yesterday!

I love him and I know I'm late jumping on this bandwagon but I love Adele, too.

The End

Welcome to the Mom Cave

As I mentioned last week I was inspired by Bec, at Little Lucy Lu to create my very own version of a "Mom Cave!" And here she is!!!

Our home has 3 bedrooms. Before Donovan joined the family one belonged to us and the other 2 served as the guest room and office. When mini-man took over the office the 3rd bedroom became the office/guest room combo. I wish I had taken a before picture, but I was too eager to get started and completely forgot.

Here is a blurry shot of the whole room to give you a little more perspective:

As you can see there's not a whole lot of space. But I still wanted to make it useful space that we could enjoy being in.

Let me show you a few of the details...

This bulletin board came from an old frame that hadn't been changed out in too long. I removed the glass and purchased a piece of thin foam insulation from Home Depot. ($6) I wrapped the foam in one of my favorite Amy Butler fabrics and hot glued it to the back. Voila... bulletin board that completely brightens up the space. Now I have a place to hang all of the little things that kept piling up on the desk top.

I LOVE shopping for school supplies... still! Don't you? These polka dotted cups that house all of my colorful goods are from IKEA they came in a set of 6 for $4.99.

The tin jar and plant are also from IKEA. $.79 for the jar and $2.49 for the plant.

With the other frame that wasn't being used at all, I popped out the glass, purchased hard board from Home Depot ($7.50), had it cut down to size and then painted it with Rustoleum Chalkboard paint. A perfect spot to write downs words of inspiration & little reminders.

This lamp shade was a random find from my old closet at my Mom and Dad's house. I think my mom got it from Michael's. It's a self adhesive lamp shade. Basically you remove the paper cover and the shade itself is super sticky. You cut the fabric to the shape of the paper and then secure it to the lamp. I confess, my mom did this for me... but it seemed easy enough to do.

This little waste basket was a Target find from the dollar bins.($2.50) Perfect size and shape for gathering my magazines and journal/devotional.

And this was a little card I picked up at the Queen Bee Market a few months ago. Just a little extra something to add color to the space.

And there it is! My tiny, but very happy space. I think I'm in love!

It's Wednesday

Here's what I'm loving this week:

This is my first full week of working since I've become a mommy. It's just a one week conference sort of thing but it's giving me a good idea of what I'm in for next year. Let's just say morning coffee is a necessity!

It's also crazy how fast the evenings fly by. I feel like I hardly have time to enjoy Donovan. So I usually love to cook dinner, but with me trying to soak up all of D's waking minutes when I get home, we haven't been getting around to eating until around 8:00. Anyone else have this figured out? I'm all ears.

Tonight I made a quick and easy recipe that Dustin and I both like. I posted a more detailed version here. Barbecued Chicken Pizza... but the star was the salad. It has, lettuce, half of the BBQ chicken shredded, black beans, corn, diced red onion, shredded mexican cheese, avocado and then I mix BBQ sauce and ranch for the dressing. It's so yummy! Dustin even said tonight, "If there was a 6th love language... it should be food." Ha!

Another recent love of mine is Trader Joe's low calorie lemonade. Have you had it yet? Even better than drinking it by itself, I diced up a watermelon into little cubes, froze them, and then added them into my lemonade like ice cubes. Added bonus.

In a few weeks all of my girls & I are celebrating Kim's bachelorette and are going to do some sort of a poolside/spa day. I can't wait! I did some pretend online shopping for the occasion and here are my loves of the week.

This hat from Forever 21.

A girly cover up from Anthro

This bikini and I'll take the bod that goes with it por favor

And some sandals to finish it off

I am SO grateful for my Mom! I could write a novel about all that she does/has done for me, but for starters, she is graciously hanging out with her grandson all week while Dus and I are both at work. It's so nice not having to worry about Donovan when I'm away. He's in very good hands. She also came over for babysitting duty today with a bag full of goodies from Carter's. Donovan has lots of new clothes to show off on the blog. Stay tuned.

In these pics, he's modeling a little tie onesie that my mom sewed for him. She's sewed me some dresses too and a cute little bag that she blogged about here. I'm the luckiest!

And last but not least, my boys! They make me so happy every single day. Nothing better than coming home to these cuties.

Happy Wednesday everyone! Now go stop by Jamie's blog and share what you're loving today...

WILW

I'm back to Jaime's blog again linking up with what I'm loving on this sunshine filled Wednesday.

1. It is almost summer. And summer is synonymous with fruit eating, to me anyways. I have been loving breakfast around here lately. So much so, that I felt the need to place mine in front of my flowers and take a picture of it. My husband thinks I'm insane when I do these things... but you know how it goes, right? So here it is. Strawberries, blueberries, vanilla yogurt, granola, and some coconut on top. MMMMM MMMMM Good!
2. I gave in to my anthro purchase protest and picked up this little pretty this week. Let me explain. I saw this on sale. It was an additional 25% off. Plus I saw a picture of a friend of a friend wearing it on facebook and she looked amazing. Are you convinced? This is the justifying I do for my husband. It rarely works... but it makes me feel better. I intend to wear it to 2 weddings this summer. Dress it up with some heels, a little clutch, and some big, dangly earrings. Can you picture it? Yep, me too.
3. While I was eyeing anthro goodness online, I used my justifying powers to convince myself that we needed this. The bedding, not the bed. (Half off in this color, friends... it was a must.) It's supposed to arrive today. I can't wait!
4. My boys are cute. Donovan made his way up to his Daddy's shoulders last night. Don't mind the yucky garage backdrop. Later, when we put him down for a nap, Dustin reached his hands behind his head and asked, "Why is my hair all wet?" Baby drool was the undeniable answer. Gross.
5. My little man may not be sleeping at night all too well, but he's napping like a champ. I feel like I deserve a pat on the back. He's taking a 2 hour nap in the morning and about an hour long nap in the afternoon... IN HIS CRIB! This is monumental as most previous naps have either been in someone's arms or in his swing. He got that little dog blankie from his Auntie Shannon and he loves it. And I love that he loves it. Nothing cuter than a baby boy with his blankie.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!