Friday Favorites

Today I am linking up with Momfessionals and Grace and Love to write about my Friday Favorites!

{ 1 }

Carolina and I got matching Converse shoes!  We were both so excited to get them in the mail yesterday.  We still may need to exchange sizes and maybe even the style, but we will definitely be sporting some very soon.  

Carolina has flat feet and needs inserts in her shoes which is why we may have to try the different style.  Those soles are glued down and not going anywhere!  Anyone have advice on trying to either take them out or fitting insoles in?

Nico wanted to get in on the action too.  I love his little chubby feet.

Matching Mommy and Carolina shoes 

{ 2 }

Summer clothes shopping is here!  I say that like I love it and I so don't love buying shorts.  I go in the dressing room with a sense of dread and look for the ones I hate the least.  That's so terrible to say and I was hyper aware of anything I said to the salesperson with Carolina in there.  I don't want her to have body image issues.  I don't want myself to have them!

The way I'll decide if I like something in the dressing room is to take a picture and see myself in them.  I'm going to post those pictures so you can see how they look on me compared to the model on the website, for reference.


These are the Pilcro denim shorts.  They were the darkest wash and they seem to be comfy so far.  They stretched out just enough to make them not so tight on my legs like the picture of me wearing them. Also, they are 25% off.

I also got these camo shorts from Anthropologie here .  I sized down to a 26 and I normally wear a 27.  These seem to work like a neutral with a lot of my tops.  I love them and seeing on how much I wore my army green military jacket in the winter, they are going to be my favorite.

This is me wearing the same ones but the grey color.  I didn't get the grey.

{ 3 }

The third is a funny story about when I was in Anthropologie last weekend.   I was near the checkout by a young teenage girl and she was exclaiming how much she loved the scrunchies that are shown here.  Scrunchies! I just looked at her while she continued to extol the benefits of scrunchies in her hair and how they don't crease it.

I just really couldn't even process it except to shake my head and acknowledge that the 80's are back and in full force.  The high waisted pants brought their scrunchies with them and we're all doomed.  Just kidding, I think.

Thanks for reading!  That's all I have for this Friday.  I hope you all have a lovely Memorial Day weekend!  

Join Me in An Experiment in Minimizing Makeup

Every once in a while I'll need a good escape to youtube videos and I'll find some "project pan" videos.  Why is this a thing and why is it fun to watch, I really don't know.   In spite of it, I'm in!

Join me in using up some makeup and declutter some drawers.

Ok, this isn't my first time doing a Project Pan Challenge.   I remember when these first started.  The girl who started it doesn't even do youtube makeup videos anymore, but she sure did make her mark.   I really think this trend has done it's good work in the youtube and makeup lovers community.  The turn-around in mind-set from the obsessive collecting and not using makeup did a 180 to wanting to use things up and get the value out of money spent  Thumbs up to a good change of philosophy!

In the years since I did a Project 10 Pan before (read about it here), I have used up many things and even though I don't add too much to the mix, it still seems to dwindle slowly.   It takes forever to use up an eyeshadow or blush!  I really love the concept of Project Pan because it makes you make a decision of whether you really like something or not.  I mean, it can rattle around in your drawer for a couple of years before you acknowledge that you aren't going to use it.

My goal is to use up these 15 items before using other things I have.  Ultimately, I want all my makeup to fit in one small bag and that definitely isn't happening right now.  It is almost fitting in one drawer though and I'm pretty happy about that!

I recently canceled my Sephora Play Box subscription for this very reason.  There were just too many things to use.  Oh, I loved getting it.  It was like a birthday present every month, but as the deluxe sample items kept mounting up, it was stressing me out.  I was neglecting the items I actually chose and bought for the myriad items that were randomly sent to me.  That being said, if I get my makeup down to a reasonable amount, I may subscribe again.  In the meantime, Sephora will give you samples of things that you want to try.

Some guidelines for decluttering your makeup or doing a Project Pan Challenge:

1.  Be Purposeful:  Make a pile of your intended products.  I say, if you use it a couple of days and hate it, just chuck it out or give it away.  Done and done!

2.  Be Mindful:  The point of this process is to be aware of how much you are spending, storing and using your makeup.  If you have an issue with overbuying, which many of us have, let this be a discipline to make you aware of what you will use now and enjoy now.

3.  Be Smart:  Makeup is not an investment, no matter how beautiful it is.  Maybe we could find a certain person who is a collector, but be honest and ask yourself if you want to invest so much money into something that expires and goes bad.  Chances are, you cannot use up your makeup if you own too much.


Would anyone like to join me?  Go pick out 10 products and set them aside to finish off!

Remember, you only have one face!!

Nico's Travel Themed Nursery

Well if this isn't an embarrassingly late post, here's the nursery of my almost 21 month old little boy!  Regardless of that, I am thrilled to show off his little love-injected space.  Nurseries are always full of sentiment for us, little bits of love that I've accumulated through my life and that are so cool to repurpose for a nursery.  

Let me show you around!  That cuckoo clock was my parents'.  They got it when they lived in Germany, where I was born.  The tin, round photo is a picture of my parents that they had made in Turkey.  The other items on the gallery wall are a map of Puerto Rico, song lyrics for Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, a quote from Jim Eliot and a drawing that our nephew drew when he lived with us 7 years ago.

The hot air balloons were made by a friend for my shower and I love them.  The frame was made by Gustavo from old slats off a bed that was my great aunt and uncles bed they gave me in college.  

We made the nursery with a travel and mission minded theme.  I fretted and cried putting it together as I whispered to my belly to never actually leave me in spite of what it looked like that is what I was suggesting to him.  

That little leather jacket!

These shelves are full of little meaningful quotes and items too, everything from a UNC football my Nanny gave Carolina to the monkey that Gustavo made for me our first Christmas together.  Theres a book about Puerto Rico and some quilts my friend Nancy gave me that were her son's.

Everything has a story and I could go on and on.  Thank you for taking a tour of the nursery with me!  It was really such a blessing to create something for our sweet Nico!

21 Day Food Challenge

Carolina's Portrait of Me

So I've decided to do a food challenge with our YMCA.  It's a clean eating challenge that is pretty strict and not something you do for the long term, but more of a reset to clean up your eating habits.  I am on day one and sitting here slightly hungry.  Yikes.

You really need to have a "why" to do something like this.  It's not for the faint of heart to be sure!  You have to be prepared with food plans and preparation to be successful.  I have done Whole 30 several times and it's similar to that except you can't eat fruit or potatoes.  One caveat, for me is that I'm still nursing and even though you aren't supposed to do this if you are nursing, I plan to modify it for myself slightly by eating potatoes, which are starchy carbs.  They tell you that you can modify like that if you need to do so. 

Here is my "why" list:

1.  Eat more vegetables.  I feel like if I'm left to my own devices I never choose vegetables.  

2.  Cut out dairy.  Every time I do Whole 30 I feel fantastic and I don't really miss it much.

3.  Cut out sugar.  I love to bake and eat sweets.  It's good to take a break and it usually doesn't bother me with Whole 30 but I also can eat fruit with that.  We'll see how this goes!

4.  Lose the rest of the baby weight.  I have 8 pounds to get back to pre-pregnancy weight and I only seem to lose weight if I do diets that force me to restrict sugar and bread.  

Here is the link if you are interested in joining too.  Or maybe you are doing Whole 30?  I really loved that and it has a lot more information and support.  I just chose this one because my gym group is doing it and I wanted the accountability and fun in being part of a group.

I'm certainly not advocating this particular challenge because I'm just beginning but if you are interested in what I'm eating, or some recipes that are healthy and creative, let me know!

Here is breakfast and lunch from today, along with some almonds and coffee for an afternoon snack.  

Spinach omelette with garlic and herbes de Provence

Tuna salad put into jicama tacos with a side of guacamole

Oh, and I made these homemade strawberry pop-tarts for my Doctor's birthday last night!  See why I need to do this?

New Haircut

Why is it so hard to cut long hair, especially when it's a perfectly renewable resource?  Why is it so loaded with feelings and potential regret?  Why is long hair supposed to be young and short hair means you are getting old?

I said phooey on all of that and took the plunge.  I had been cutting 3-5 inches for the last couple haircuts but I needed a change.  All the stresses of a helicopter mama deciding the future of her firstborn kindergartener got to me.  I also got it considerably blonder.

I love it!  I love that I was brave enough to do it, even though that seems completely ridiculous to say.  It's only hair, but the truth is that your hair makes a big difference in the way you feel and how you get ready for the day.  My hair was always in a ponytail and it wasn't even the cutest ponytail.

Now I am forced to fix my hair.  Ok, that's not always a good thing.  Now I am forced to fix my hair.

What else can I be brave enough to do?

Catching Up in May

I'm not sure where to ever begin when it's been so long since I've updated the blog.  Life with two little ones is so busy and although I'm always writing in my head, it rarely makes it onto the computer.  I'll do a quick and easy list style update.

1.  Life has been consumed by kindergarten discussions for months now.  We have finally chosen a school which is a classical homeschool curriculum that she will attend a school setting for two days and be at home for three days.

2.  Nico is starting to say more and more words and has turned out to be quite the boy's boy.  He loves to throw balls and get into everything all of the time.

3.  I spend a lot of time cleaning up messes.

4.  This week I have fasted from Facebook and Instagram.  Maybe that is why I actually have the time to update my blog.  Hmmmmm...deep thoughts.

5.  There is still so much decluttering and simplifying efforts in our home and life.  I have systematically eliminated so much clutter in the form of things that may surprise you this year.

6.  Here's a picture, because what is a blog without a picture.

7.  I would really love to write more on this space.   High five to me for doing it today.  Baby steps while baby naps!  

8.  It's amazing to me that I can actually still write a sentence without relying on emojis.  

xoxo