Black & White

Blazer (MNG, similar here, here and here) - Pants (H&M, similar here, here and here) - Pumps (Kelsi Dagger) - Necklace (F21, similar here and here)

 

So, this weekend I bought a couple of printed pants so that I can try this trend out.  I like these pants because they are still fashion forward, but not too "loud" so that I can wear them to work.  I first paired them with a 3/4 sleeve black top with pleated shoulders.  Since the printed pants brought so much attention to the bottom half of my body, I thought I needed to tone it down.  But after looking in the mirror, I appeared so short! Standing at 5'4", I can't really afford to loose any visual height.  Well, I love mixing patterns and you all know how much I love stripes, so I tried it on with this white blazer with striped interior and was good to go.

Mommy Skills

Baby S got sick last week.  It is her first time being sick; thankfully, it was just a cough and cold.  But a sick baby means a sick mommy.  Baby S started getting sick around Tuesday last week.  This weekend, I started with the runny nose and cough :(

All this has led me to thinking about my new mommy skills.

1. Learn to eat with one hand, the left one.  Since having a baby, I've learned to hold the baby in one arm while grabbing bites of food with the other, hand that is. 

2. In conjuction with #1, learn to appreciate and enjoy a cold dinner and cold coffee. My little angel is usually really sweet when it comes to letting me cook and eat, but sometimes, she gets a little fussy and just wants to snuggle.  Now that she's reached the "swat at everything in sight" phase, it isn't practical for me to eat or drink when she's in my arms.

3. Learn to relax and take a nap, no matter what time of day it is.  This was a really hard thing for me to get in to, even until now, I stay up late doing things while the baby is asleep and then regret it when I'm exhausted in the morning.  When the baby goes down for the night or takes a morning nap, you should too!  Dishes and laundry can be dealt with later. 

4. The multiple uses of baby wipes.  Spilled something on your shirt? Baby wipes gets anything out, even coffee.  Need to wash your hands, but no sink or bathroom in sight? Baby wipes! Freshen up your make-up? Do a quick swipe with a baby wipe to freshen your face and remove make-up, then re-apply/touch-up. Spilled coffee on the center console of your car? Baby wipes!  I spill a lot of stuff, don't I?

5. Savor every moment. I've always had this overwhelming need to do everything and handle everything.  When I first had my daughter, I felt that I need to keep up with my pre-baby lifestyle and tasks as well as care for a newborn.  The sooner you learn to slow down, the more joy it will be.

Container Gardening

 

So in my Cara Box reveal (here), I shared that I was going to try to do some container gardening. I've been doing a lot of research and read some books on the subject and I can't tell you how excited I for this!  Above are a couple of the books that I really loved and a picture of my seed starters for sunflowers and poppys.  I'm growing veggies too, but the planters were too big to photograph with the books.  Don't worry, you will get to see them! 

So why do I want to do this? Besides the fact that it would be a great project/hobby for me that will let me be home with the baby, it's a little step that I can take to minimize my carbon footprint and be a little more ecofriendly.  I am realistic; I know I'm not going to harvest crops to feed my family.  But if I can grow 4 carrots to add to a single meal for my husband then that's 4 less carrots I need to buy, 4 less carrots that traveled miles and miles to get to my fridge and 4 little carrots that bring happiness to me. 

Since becoming a mother, I've become much more conscious of things that I put on and in my body.  I've also become more conscious of the impact I have on the world that my daughter will grow up in.  I am one person and my little life decisions aren't going to change the world, but I am one more person helping to make a difference.

I'm so excited to share my progress with all of you!  If you have any tips or ideas, I would love to hear them!

Cara Box Reveal - Finally!

My sincerest apologizes for the delay on this post! I feel so horrible. It has just been so ridiculously crazy as posted here, then right after that post, both Baby S and I got sick and are still sick **sad face**

I cannot express how thoughtful this Cara Box from Amber @ Assorted Whimsy is.  We only exchanged a few emails, but each item has really touched my heart.

Insulated to-go cup with reusable ice cubes

If you follow me on Instagram, you know my love for all things coffee.  What totally bums be out is that when I take iced coffee to work, I basically have to gulp it down before the ice melts and it ends up being a waste.  This item is not only perfectly functional, but it decreases my carbon footprint (i.e. no more mid day Starbucks runs for iced coffee and wasteful containers).

Super cute gardening gloves

Okay, Amber...are you totally spying on me or something?!  I've been doing a lot of research on container gardening lately.  I don't have a yard or anything, but I really want to make a little shift to sustainable living.  I'm not unrealistic, I know I'm not going to grow enough food to feed my family, or myself for that matter.  But I thought it would be a fun, therapeutic project that would benifit my family's lifestyle.  So needless to say, these gloves will definitely come in handy!

Felt flowers

These felt flowers with rhinstones in the middle are absolutely adorable!  Can you believe that she even kept my daughter in mind?  I love to sew and do arts and crafts so I can't wait to use these and show you guys! Plus, they are made from 100% recycled fibers.

Decorated mason jar

This mason jar was one of the centerpieces from Amber's baby shower.  By sharing this with me, I really feel the love of this blogging community.  When I started my blog a few months ago, I was really scared to communicate with other bloggers.  I was afraid of what they might think and maybe they wouldn't want to communicate with me and my little corner of the internet.  But Amber and a few others have really made me glad that I started my blog.  I love this mason jar, not just because it's so cute and will go perfectly in a few areas of my home, but because of what it represents to me.  I've seen mason jar crafts on Pinterest that I wanted to try.  This one is so cute; I can't decide if I want to put a candle or flowers in it.  When I do decide, I will be sure to share!

The Gnarly Whale lip balm

Since I found out I was pregnant, I have been very wary and cautious about what I put on and in my body. This lip balm is from an Etsy shop called Gnarly Whale. They provide vegan bath and body products.  The flavor I got is cherry vanilla.  I must say, YUM! It smells so good that I could eat it. I love lip balm. I literally keep them everywhere! I'm typically really picky though because a lot of them leave my lips feeling waxy - but not this one!  It goes on really smooth and doesn't have that waxy/coated texture. They have such an array of flavors to try, too. I'm definitely going to have to order some - Asian Pear, Coconut, Pomegranate and Strawberry Champagne to name a few!

Thank you Amber for the wonderful Cara Box and for touching my heart. 

More Stripes & Denim

I am so in love with stripes for any season.  It's still a little chilly over here sometimes so I took this purple and white maxi dress that I made (tutorial will come soon) and paired with a denim jacket that I also posted here.  When I looked in the mirror, it just looked so blah, like it was missing something.  I remembered that I bought this belt a little while ago and it seemed to really pull everything together.  I threw on some strappy flats and was good to go!

Denim Jacket (Marshall's, similar here, here and here) - Sandals (Old F21, similar here) - Dress (DIY, tutorial coming soon) - Belt (Local Boutique, similar here and here )

Where has the time gone?!

 

My last post was April 16? Life has certainly been a whirlwind the last two weeks. Where do I start?

Work: New projects have started and the old ones weren't wrapped up yet. One of them had a little bit of a hiccup because I wasn't getting the answers I needed. Then there were emergencies, one after another, on top of my regular work duties. I have a much better grasp on everything and can finally breathe...for now.

Baby: I've been having a hard time these past couple of weeks adjusting to being a new working mom. They say going back to work after baby is hard, but I didn't realize it would be this hard. She's almost six months old and I am just now getting it together; when I was at work, all I thought about was being home with her and when I was home, I couldn't help but think about all the work I had waiting for me at the office. My sister gave me some good advice - it never gets easier, but you learn to deal with it better.

No eating out in April: I have been cooking pretty much every night with the exception of left overs and when my mom brought us dinner a few times. As you know, I hit up Starbucks. Whether that counts as cheating, I don't know. Can it be partial cheating? But I did go out to lunch with my dad for his birthday, so that is definitely cheating. To sum up the month, I guess I failed, but I did a lot better then I thought. I have so many recipes from the month that I have to share with you guys, so stay tuned.  Here are a few pics to tease you a little bit.

Plus, my sister and nephew are in town visiting! Yay! I won't get to see them much because of work, but there's always the weekend!

Chiffon Skirts

The high-low chiffon skirt trend is really starting to grow on me.  When I first saw them, I thought they looked a little strange, plus I'm not a hugh fan of chiffon.

I'm going to say it - I have a really big complex about my legs. I feel that they are "thick" and not as slender and feminine as I would like.  Having said that, I try to elongate them whenever possible and not draw too much attention.  For example, I find that fitted, structured pencil skirts slim down my legs and make them appear longer.  So when I tried on my first high-low dress, I gasped in horror at how they made my legs look.  So I passed on it. 

Recently I tried on a high-low chiffon skirt and absolutely fell in love.  Granted, I can't pull it off with the cute flat sandals everyone is pairing them with, but I threw on a pair of nude heels and we were in business!  Needless to say, these skirts have become a Spring must-have in my closet.  Maybe one in a neutral color like nude or black and one in a cheery spring color?

What do you think of these skirts?

Chiffon Skirts by lifebyrikki featuring a high low skirt