Denim Dating, High Rise Edition

Finding the right pair of jeans can be so hard - it reminds me of dating until I met my husband! You look and try, but nothing fits just right, until you find the one, ha! 

I have been eyeing several high waisted jeans for a few months now and finally pulled the trigger on these Madewell 9" high rise! They had only 2 sizes left at my Nordstrom...one being mine! I have been living in these jeans - they are perfect for project days when I am working from home or running around with my family! 

I wanted to do a quick round up of some other high rise jeans if you are looking for just the right pair! There are a variety of price points - starting at $40! Happy Friday friends! 

{affiliate links used in this post}
1 -  These are the jeans I am wearing, Madewell 9" High Rise Skinny 
2 -  This Topshop Moto High Rise pair of jeans has such a great price point! I normally wear my regular size or one size up in Topshop.
3 - These Levis might be my next purchase - I love the distressing and the super high rise - 9.75"
5 - $40 can't be beat for a pair of jeans and I love the wash and rise of this pair 
6 - I looove these tailored dark skinny high rise jeans! They are perfect for casual day at the office or weekend wear. 



Summer Dresses, $40 and Under


I was at an event for moms at my church a few weeks ago, and the speaker equated Target to a casino...you can be lost in there for hours, and not know what happened when you come out. I totally resonate with this! One time I took the girls after their afternoon nap around 4 and they were (somewhat shockingly) behaving and enjoying themselves, so we ended up leaving at like 6pm when I thought it was maybe 5! Ridiculous! 

I bought the above dress a few weeks ago, and it just went on sale for $22! Most dresses at Target are 20% using the code DRESSY until the 29th. I love the tassel hem and the fabric reminded me of this pricier dress. There are so many cute dresses available at Target right now, so I did a round up of my favorite dresses that are all on sale for $40 or less! Some would be great 4th of July options! 


{affiliate links}
One // Two // Three // Four // Five // Six // 

A Woodland Rustic Shower Baby Shower

A few weeks ago, I helped host a baby shower for my sweet sister-in-law and dear friend, Mel! It was so wonderful to have a great friend join our family, and now I am sooo excited to be an aunt again to this new baby girl!

The baby's nursery is so precious and has woodland creature details. It is classic, inviting and the woodland creature decor pulls it all together! Whenever I host a baby shower, I like to match the shower theme to the nursery decor so pieces that we use to decorate the shower can be included in the nursery if desired.

Below are pictures and sources for all of the shower details! All photos were taken by our dear friend and amazing photographer, Sarah Carson! I hope you enjoy!

The centerpieces that we picked were birch wood covered vases with a mix of flowers - hydrangea, peonies, roses, baby's breath and tulips. Some of the larger arrangements had curly branches to add variety. We took large wood slices and arranged the vases of varying heights on them. Here are some really reasonable vases that have the same look! These are a little bit pricier but are so pretty! The wood slices were actually from trees that my husband's parents had removed from their yard before the shower!



As guests walked into the shower we had a welcome table with place cards, flower arrangements and a basket of favors filled with honey. I designed the welcome sign using a logo we found on Etsy whic you can find here.  The place cards were made by using kraft cardstock like this with colorful paper attached to the front.




As a gift to the parents to be, we asked each shower guest to place their fingerprint on the tree print below creating pink and green leaves. There are many options on Etsy to pick from including this and this!  We picked a bible verse - Galatians 1:15 and had it added to the print as well.



At every place setting we added a menu, a woodland creature cookie and a tag I designed with paper found at Joanns! These are not featured, but we also gave woodland creature soaps including these cute hedgehogs in cute ribbon wrapped boxes.



As part of the invitation, we asked each shower guest to bring a book for the new baby's nursery! They were arranged on this table with the cutest sign from Hobby Lobby, but there are similar here on Etsy!


Now onto my favorite part, the dessert! We picked a cake that was designed to look like birch wood with a glitter name topper. I love how the cake has an etched heart with the parents first initials!


We also had cake pops from Candy's Cake Pops...they are the best! 




Off The Shoulder Gingham & Charming Charlie Favorites





Last week I shopped at a store that I had never tried before - Charming Charlie! I had an appointment near a mall that I had not been to in forever and was looking for some new jewelry...so Charming Charlie was my first stop! I love how their store is organized by color making it super easy to find what you need. Also, their collection of apparel, jewelry and other accessories is really varied; I had to walk through the store several times to be sure I wasn't missing anything! I also loved their price points - so reasonable! I picked up a few items including this off the shoulder gingham top! It was $25 and the fit/quality are fantastic! 

At check out, I signed up for their Charm Club Rewards program and got a coupon for $10 off $40 my next purchase which you can increase to $15 off $40 by creating an account.  This isn't a sponsored post, I just loved my shopping experience and this cute gingham top! Below are some of my other favorite finds!

{Affiliate Links Below}
1 - Gingham Off The Shoulder Top // 2- Cold Shoulder Tassel Top // 3 - Seersucker Bow Top // 4 - Slide On Espadrille // 5 - Pink Slides // 6 - Watermelon Umbrella // 7 - Mom's One Line  A Day Journal // 8 - Luggage Tag // 9 - Pom Pom Hat // 10 - Palm Weekender // 11 - Gold Bar Necklace // 12 - Grey and White Baseball Hat // 13 - Tassel Keychain // 14 - Tassel Necklace // 15 - Beaded Tassel Earrings // 16 - Multi-color Bangles // 17 - Blush Beaded Tassel Earrings // 18 - Rose Measuring Cups 

Zara Sale Favorites



Zara has been one of my favorite stores since I lived in Madrid, Spain the summer before my senior year in college. Zara was started in Spain and there were Zaras all over; I think I went to a Zara in every city we traveled to within the country, ha! 

I love their on trend pieces...and of course their price point. I was in Miami this week with my sweet friend Katie of Palm Beach Farm doing some blog work and we made a little detour to Zara to shop their amazing sale - literally almost the entire store was on sale! I got number 1, 6 and 14! Items are going quickly - a few things here that I picked as favorites this morning are already sold out this afternoon! If you have a Zara near you definitely try going in person, I found that our store in Miami had so many options in stock!  I hope you are having a great weekend!

A Floral Wrap Skirt, Two Ways

This Sunday was one of the first weekends where I was not volunteering in our children's ministry. I started working in the nursery when Avery was about 6-7 months old. Prior to that she and I stayed together in the mother's room, but she was starting to get mobile...and loud, ha! The other mothers trying to keep their infants asleep probably did not appreciate the babbling and me trying to keep her contained!

Avery had so much fun her first Sunday...and then realized what was going on the next week! She was NOT happy and full of separation anxiety. We tried a few times, but I would get called to pick her up every. single. week. One time I didn't even make it to my seat - LOL! It was Christmas, they were super packed...and she was over it.

So, I decided to try my hand at going with her to the nursery as a volunteer. Well it worked! Over time she got more comfortable with the room and the other volunteers. The amazing thing is that I found that I loved my time helping other parents to go to church, and playing with their sweet babies! I am taking some time off now as I have done it for four years, and need to look for my next "thing" to get involved with at church!

So since I was not working this Sunday I had the chance to get dressed up a bit! I was able to wear this cute floral wrap skirt both to church and then for shopping/dinner with the family later that night! So here is how I wore this skirt two ways :)

Look One Worn To Church: Floral Skirt // Off Shoulder Chambray (Old from Nordstrom) Similar Here & Here // Fringe Earrings // Bag (Prada) // Shoes



Look Two Worn To Dinner: Floral Skirt // T-Shirt // Jacket is old (Similar) // Sunglasses // Hat // Crossbody Bag in Stone // Fringe Shoes are old (Similar - 50% off!)


Weekend Update & My Favorite New Top





Happy Monday, loves! This weekend was a little different for us because Avery spent the weekend with her Grandparents and our family in South Carolina. She is such a little grown up now and couldn't wait to see her cousins and spend one on one time with her Grandparents! Both of my grandmas passed away before I had the chance to know them, so this time Avery gets with them is SO precious! She didn't miss a beat but we of course miss her like CRAZY and are crying post Facetime sessions, etc. Ha! Charlotte has been soaking up her 1-1 time with us, which has been so fun! We went to a birthday party and had a family date night by the beach on Saturday which was so fun! Sunday was church, another family date dinner (yay for not cooking!) and some shopping! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

So last week, I brought the girls to Kohls to pick up a gift for one of their friend's birthday parties. They love to go to our Kohls mostly to either ride in the escalator or elevator, ha! As we were leaving I spotted this gold/white striped breezy top and fell in love! It has a cute cold shoulder cut out with white pom pom trim! I love how the material is high quality, but also feels light and airy - perfect for our crazy hot summers! And the best part is that it is $30!  I couldn't find this exact top online, but I think it is new because they were wheeling a rack of these tops into Kohls that day - check your stores! I linked the Chambray version which is also super cute!

{Affiliate links} Lauren Conrad Top (Chambray version) // White Jeans // Necklace // Wedge Espadrilles (also, similar under $60 here!) // Bag // Earrings


15 Finds Under $30!


Hey friends! It is stiiillll raining here in South Florida! I am thankful for it, because we needed it...but after non-stop rain for several days, it's getting a bit crazy! We had about 2 hours of sun this morning, and now the rain is back.

Since my outfits posts are not happening with the current downpour, I decided to put together a list of some of my favorite shopping finds...the best part is that they are all under $30! Most of the tops/dresses qualify for free shipping if you have Amazon Prime, yay! 

Our Mac & Mia Experience

Last week Avery's sweet grandma sent her a box of clothing from Mac & Mia. I had never tried it before, but have seen advertisements on Facebook, so I wanted to share our experience with y'all! Mac & Mia is a non-subscription service where a stylist hand-picks items for your little one, and the items are delivered to your door! They consider your child's size and how items run (large or small) to try and send items with the right fit. The styling fee is $20, but it is waived when you keep two or more items from the box. And if you decide you like everything, then the styling fee is waived AND you get 15% off the total. I like that it is a non-recurring service, because I am the worst at remembering to cancel or postpone them each month!


Now onto the good stuff...what was inside our shipment! The packaging is super cute and comes with a list of your items, their pricing and an adorable paper doll/sticker set. Some of the stickers match the items in the box, which Avery loved...until her little sister ripped it apart #sisterproblems

First up is this cute Angel Dear Watermelon Dress! I had a few Angel Dear pieces for Charlotte and loved them because of their super soft material. This muslin dress feels like an Aiden & Anais swaddling blanket but the muslin is much thicker. And it has a cute watermelon print! Perfect for a hot summer in Florida :)

Next up is a mint green cross back top with matching leggings. This top is my favorite! I love the light muslin material and the cross back is the cutest. The leggings by Petit Peony (here) are super soft and actually fit my little peanut! Avery is super petite (hysterical considering I am 5'10") and we have a hard time with pants being too long, but they got it right! The package also included a super cute pink, fabric bead necklace, which was definitely Avery's favorite! She wore it to school the next day with her uniform.

This coral/peach dress by Everbloom (here) has embroidery and tassels! I wish I had for myself! The bright colors and embroidery make it such a fun summer dress. One thing that I love about Mac & Mia is that it introduced me to some new brands that I had never heard of previously. For example Everbloom is the cutest brand!

The shipment also included a super cute peplum top by Nano (here) and jean shorts from DL1961. The peplum top feels so grown up for my 4 year old, but it looked so cute on! And the shorts will be on heavy rotation this summer!


After talking to Avery about what she liked and sending pictures to her Grandma (who loved it all), we decided to keep all of the pieces. They will be perfect for our summer adventures! Overall, I was really happy with all of the items that were sent to us from a quality perspective. The price points varied, but the total cost after everything was purchased (15% off) was about $170. I wouldn't use Mac & Mia as a regular way to update my kid's wardrobe because I try to shop sales and find great deals with them changing sizes so often, but I think it is a fun splurge to add some unique items to Avery's wardrobe. We really enjoyed our Mac & Mia experience!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday y'all!! How do short work weeks seem to be the craziest?! Well, we made it! 

Today marks my girl's last day of pre-school before summer begins! It seems like each year goes by faster than the last and I can't believe that Avery is going into PK4 and Charlotte will be 2 in July! During the summer I try really hard to reduce my client work and have fun with the girls exploring our city! Last summer I did a summer live list that included all kinds of fun things for us to do together and this year I am going to do the same! It's not a "must do" list, just boredom breakers and ideas to make our time together intentional...so we don't end up at Target every day...ha! 

Here are some of my favorite moments/finds from this week! Have a wonderful weekend friends! XO

   1.  The Nordstrom half yearly sale is still going on with full force! I have purchased a few cute things for myself, but these are the items I am looking to scoop up for my girls! Everything is less than $25!
{Affiliate links are used in this post}



        
2. These shoes...My girls loooove princess Belle and Beauty and the Beast, so when their Mimi sent these shoes they were so excited! And we have been reenacting the movie daily. Avery said that I am Mrs Potts since she is Belle, ha!

Princess Belle herself! This is the dress Emma Watson wore at the end of the live action movie. Avery has asked to wear it to school every. single. day. Ha!

3. I am in the process of redecorating our guest room and we found this vintage dresser on the Facebook marketplace for $275! The quality is great the price could not be beat. I have never purchased anything from the Facebook marketplace, and I was super happy with it! 

4.  I tried this bronzer at Sephora last week and am obsessed! It is vegan and cruelty free. It also adds color with out being cakey and because of the highlighter it adds a really pretty glow for summer. It is a little pricey, but it was worth it!
5. While we were in Lake Placid last weekend, I saw this mug in a local boutique and it made me laugh out loud! It perfectly describes how I feel most days, especially at the end of the school year. Anyone else with me?? 

Joining these sweet ladies for Five on Friday

Tips for Road Trips with Toddlers & My Favorite Travel Outfit







{Affiliate links are used in this post}
Dress // Jacket //  Hat (old, but similar for $31) // Bracelets // Shoes ($25!) // Bag (in Stone)

Last weekend Kris and I packed up the girls, and hit the road for a little vacation!  I wore this dress, which is so soft and comfortable! I paired it with a jean jacket because Kris likes the car to be colder than I do, ha! I also got the chance to wear these gingham slides - they are THE cutest on and only $25! I l typically wear some variation of this outfit for every road trip! 

We only drove to Lake Placid which is a relatively quick drive, but it can seem veeery long if you have a crying baby! Kris and I have done our fair share of road trips with the kids, mostly to Disney, which is about 4 hours away. Some have gone better than others, but I have learned a ton about what works and does not work for us during a road trip with toddlers! I wanted to share some of my favorite strategies for taking surviving road trips when you have little ones!  

1. Lists Lists, Lists! This is so key! As you are trying to get out the door with kids in tow, you are bound to forget something if it is not written down.  I will make a list of everything that we need for the trip, and break out what needs to specifically be available to use in the car. I use these Rifle notebooks because making lists is much more fun when you have a pretty notebook, ha! I also found some super cute notebooks from Hobby Lobby that are narrow enough to fit in my purse and work well for list making! On this last road trip, I got a bit over confident because we have done this drive so many times...didn't make a list...and ended up forgetting 2 major things! Lesson learned! 

2. Time Your Road Trip Carefully. As much as we can, we try to plan our road trips around our girl's nap schedules. Charlotte will normally nap between 1 - 3:30 and Avery only naps about 50% of the time, but when she does it is at the same time. If we are going on a 4 hour road trip to Orlando, I will feed the girls around 11:30 and then we will leave by 12/12:15. That way they have some time to wind down before taking a nap and hopefully they sleep for the majority of our drive. Doesn't always happen, but that is the goal! 

3. Make Them Comfortable. I try to dress the girls in comfortable clothing and socks for our road trips, which typically means inexpensive leggings and t-shirts from Target. It makes it easy for sleeping and I won't be upset if their outfit gets messy. Let's be honest, it's going to happen! We also bring a light blanket for both girls and a pillow for Avery. The blanket can be used as a sun shade if necessary as well! When the girls were younger I would also pack the portable noise machine that clipped onto their carseat.

4. Pack Enough Snacks For The Length Of Your Trip. And then add in a few more :) It is amazing how quickly Annie's Fruit Snacks will turn a mood around, ha! Mini bags of crackers/goldfish/pretzels, lollipops and baby food pouches are my other go to snacks.  

5. Bring Ziploc/Small Trash Bags. I keep a lined dry cereal container in the side door of my car for trash, but on a long road trip, you will want to have more ziplocs or mini trash bags to contain trash! Oh, and have a million wipes on hand!

6. Pack a Variety of Toys/Entertainment. In addition to watching movies/playing games on our tablets, I also like to pack a magnetic drawing board and smaller toys that make noise like remotes or phones. Avery will get a sticker packet (I love this one) with paper/crayons as well. I also make sure that I pack their favorite lovey - my girls can't leave home overnight with out them!

7. Make a special playlist on Spotify/iTunes. I created a play list of the girls' favorite songs that we use daily in the car, in addition to on road trips. These playlists include mostly Disney songs and praise music that we sing at church/chapel. It is a great distractor and everyone has fun together! 

8. This is SO random, but it has worked every time...if your little one is crying, open and close the sunroof if you have one! I can't even count the number of times Avery and Charlotte have been crying, and the only way to get them to stop was to open the sunroof! It instantly distracts them and allows you to change what they are focused on to something more positive. 

I would love to hear your tips for taking road trips with your kids!! 
XOXO Meggan 


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