Not too long ago, ModCloth invited me to a special lunch event. I was still feeling sick to my stomach due to my pregnancy (puking in front of fellow fashionistas would NOT be ideal), but their promise of “exciting news” piqued my interest. I love a lot of the retro, feminine designs on their website, but since the smallest size often started at a Small, it meant I usually had to spend more money to get it altered. Over time, I stopped buying things from them.
Dear friends,
I know I’ve been gone for awhile. And the longer I’ve been away, the more foreign it feels to write, and yet this morning I felt so lonely that I knew writing would be more therapeutic than talking to anybody about it.
I’ve been sick. The kind of sickness that normally comes with weight gain, cramps, forgetfulness, and a parasite that finally leaves your body after nine months. [Read more…]
I love my job. I’ve had my share of miserable work experiences, and being able to honestly say I love what I do is a true blessing I don’t take for granted. I love being able to select clothes for women that helps to boost their confidence and make them feel good – getting positive feedback really makes my day!
However, I will admit that as a stylist for Stitch Fix, I never got around to getting my own box. As a 5’2” petite that wears a 000 at J.Crew, I figured it’d be hard to find anything that would fit me.
Nothing speaks of summer quite so perfectly as a white eyelet dress. The one I purchased nearly ten years ago is so worn that I’m embarrassed to say there are yellowish stains I can no longer get out in the wash. I had been hunting for a replacement for a while, when I finally came upon this version from J.Crew and fell in love.
A simple white dress is extremely versatile and a refreshing alternative to the LBD. There are numerous ways you can style it, but here are my two favorites:
I was never one of those girls who planned on getting married or dreamed of her wedding day. But then I met Mr. Wonderful, and spending the rest of my life with him just made sense. I warned him, though, that I didn’t care about a house and I wasn’t sure I wanted kids. Ever.
Living in San Francisco, I rarely get the chance to wear shorts. I had friends who came to visit from the hot and humid East Coast recently, and lamented over the fact they forgot to bring their jackets. It’s California, so isn’t it sunny all the time? Nope. Not in San Francisco. Even in the summer, we frequently need a second layer (travel tip if you ever visit my foggy city!).
So when the weather finally reached the 70s, I eagerly pulled out my new pair of LOFT distressed shorts. There’s something about being in my 30s and feeling more age-appropriate in a longer hemline. When Mr. Wonderful and I did our great purging recently, I realized I hadn’t touched my shorts with a 3” inseam in several years. When I do wear shorts nowadays, I favor Bermuda styles and capris. My shorter shorts were some of the few things Mr. Wonderful did not want me to get rid of!
I have a love-hate relationship with hats. I love trying them on, and I love the idea that a hat can instantly add some effortless style to your whole outfit.
But wearing a hat also adds to my insecurity. Does it fit right? Is it angled right? Am I pulling this off? In high school, I once wore my mom’s gray felt hat to class. I thought I looked great, until one of my closest friends pulled me aside and asked if I was ok. I was confused. Why wouldn’t I be ok?
“Well, you look ill. Like maybe you have a terminal disease.”
I kept the hat on for the rest of the day (I figured hat hair was worse), but I never borrowed it from my mom again. [Read more…]
I have a soft spot for Disneyland. It’s one of the few places where I feel everyone is just a little happier, a little kinder, and a little more relaxed. It’s like Christmas. You just have to pay for it.
Mr. Wonderful and I get our fix about once every 2-3 years, and with the Diamond Anniversary celebration that just started a few weeks ago (translation: brand new World of Color water show, brand new fireworks show and brand new electrical parade) we just had to go.
Many Disneyland fans will argue that trying to do Disneyland Park and California Adventure in one day is a bad idea – you feel rushed, you don’t enjoy the magic, and it’s hard to soak up the atmosphere of each “land” if you’re constantly walking from one thing to another. I get that. But I’m the type of person where if I’m visiting Paris for the first time, and I only get one day, I’m going to cram the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Louis Vuitton store and my Laduree macaroons in one day. I’m not going to sit at a café all afternoon even though, yes, that would be the local Parisian experience. In my opinion, one should check out the highlights on the first visit, and then soak up the atmosphere another time. But if that’s not you, then both Disney Tourist Blog and DIS Unplugged have a good 1-day plan for just Disneyland Park.
Otherwise, this would be my suggested 1 Day itinerary (including my favorite rides and eats!) for both parks (note this plan would not be ideal for pregnant women and young children as it does involve a lot of roller coasters): [Read more…]
I hate shopping at H&M. The store is usually a mess, and the quality of most of their items is so cheap that it’s better to spend a little bit more on a sale item elsewhere.
But every so often, I pop back in against my will. The European brands thankfully have not given in to vanity sizing, so it’s one of the few non-designer places where the size 2 fits better on me than the 00 from J.Crew. And sometimes I’m rewarded with a rare find, like this striped skirt I discovered last time. [Read more…]
Last week, I wrote about how Mr. Wonderful and I got rid of 400 sq ft worth of stuff. It was definitely not an overnight process. There are plenty of websites that suggest “5-Minute Decluttering Tips” and “Fill a Trash Bag with Items to Donate” but in all honesty, I can fill up a garbage bag simply by opening a few cupboards. A real purge takes a true commitment, and you won’t achieve it by “only” spending 5 minutes a day.
Trying to set aside an entire weekend never happened for us (who wants to clean when the sun is taunting?), so we committed to decluttering a few weekday nights a week. This meant turning down double dates and fun events so we could clean. It meant “working” after a long day at work. Not fun. But commitment is the first step, and the ultimate goal of having a more simplified home kept us going. It took us about a month, but we did it!
Here are our tips:
