Friday, August 30, 2019

Currently Loving

style on a budget, mom style, what to buy for fall, north carolina blogger, style blogger, transitional style
Happy Friday! I hope you've had a great week! We are headed out of town to spend a few days in South Carolina to visit Josh's dad. I'm hoping to squeeze in at least a quick day trip to downtown Charleston while we are there. It's one of my very favorite places to go!

Today, I'm sharing weekly roundup of what I'm currently loving. This week's roundup if filled with lots of great, budget friendly pieces as well as a some closet staples that we will last for many seasons to come. I personally like to invest in bags, shoes, and denim because I get the most use out of those pieces in my closet, especially denim!


Which of this week's picks is your favorite?!

1. C A R D I G A N | Give me all of the cream, white, and ivory cardigans! I just can't get enough. I saw this one in person and it's such a great transitional cardigan. Throw it on in the morning now when it's a little cooler outside and layer it with skinny jeans when falls comes! The fit is true to size.


2. M U L E S | I bought this last fall and I still love them! I wore them so much last season and they are still in such great condition. They are an investment but totally worth it!


3. S W E A T S H I R T | I am loving the vibes of this sweatshirt! Size up one size in this style for a more relaxed, comfy fit. Wear it now with shorts and later with jeans!


4. D R E S S | This is such a pretty dress and such great quality for the price! It comes in several colors but of course, this pink one is my very favorite. Wear it now with sandals and transition it into fall with a denim jacket ankle boots.


5. B R A C E L E T S | Bracelets are my current favorite type of jewelry and I love to stack them! These bracelets come in a set of four and they are under $13. So cute!


6. P O L K A  D O T  T O P | I have always been a fan of polka dots so I love that I keep seeing them everywhere! This is such a pretty, feminine top. I love all of the details... and the print!


7. P U R S E | How adorable is this purse?! Round, leather, and perfect. I love a good quality, leather bag that lasts and lasts! Such a classic style.


8. W H I T E  T O P | Are you a wear white after Labor Day kind of lady?! I certainly am! I love white tops so much and I wear white year round. I love the button detail on this top!


Thank so much for visiting! I hope you have a great long weekend!

S H O P  T H E  P O S T:

Thursday, August 29, 2019

High Rise Denim + Moto Jacket

style on a budget, casual style, what to buy for fall, fall fashion, north carolina blogger, mom blogger, mom style
Hey y'all! Last weekend, we had our first little taste of fall. Sixty degree weather in August! Every year in North Carolina, we always get this tease of fall before it gets hot again. But, this fall preview has me planning outfits for the real thing! Today, I'm styling two new pieces from Liverpool that have earned a spot in my fall wardrobe. Also, a shout out to my nine year old who took all of these photos in today's post. She's the cutest photographer!

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I styled the Steve Hi-Rise Stovepipe Jeans with the black Moto Jacket and I love these two pieces together! Let's talk about the jeans first. I am such a creature of habit and tend to only want to buy skinny jeans because I find them easy to style. However, when I saw this high rise, cropped, slightly flared style on the Liverpool website, I knew I had to give them a try. I loved that they were cropped because that makes them such a good transitional pair of denim. I styled them with animal print mules but they would also work so good with ankle boots as we move into cooler weather. I found this style to run a little big so sizing down one size was the best fit for me. Also for length reference, I'm 5'5" and I loved the length. Also, these jeans are stretchy, which makes them super comfortable to wear to wear but the high quality denim doesn't get stretched out with wear. 


This moto jacket is so cute! It's a coated denim jacket and I loved the edginess of the style. I bought a moto jacket last year and didn't love it because it wasn't comfortable to wear. Well, this jacket is different! Since it's denim, you can move in it. This is definitely going to be my go-to jacket this fall and winter season. I love pairing an edgy piece with a simple white tee (the one I'm wearing is my favorite one and super budget friendly) and feminine pieces like this headband because it keeps the look girly and fun! Also, headbands are my favorite accessory of all time. 

style on a budget, casual style, what to buy for fall, fall fashion, north carolina blogger, mom blogger, mom style

style on a budget, casual style, what to buy for fall, fall fashion, north carolina blogger, mom blogger, mom style

style on a budget, casual style, what to buy for fall, fall fashion, north carolina blogger, mom blogger, mom style

style on a budget, casual style, what to buy for fall, fall fashion, north carolina blogger, mom blogger, mom style

style on a budget, casual style, what to buy for fall, fall fashion, north carolina blogger, mom blogger, mom style

style on a budget, casual style, what to buy for fall, fall fashion, north carolina blogger, mom blogger, mom style

Thank so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

S H O P  T H E  P O S T:

J E A N S | run big; I sized down one size
J A C K E T | true to size
T E E | true to size
S H O E S | I sized up a half size for the best fit

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Instagram Roundup

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Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week! 

Today, I'm sharing my weekly Instagram Roundup, including outfits that I wore last week. I wore nothing but skirts and dresses for the most part last week. Except for one day when I tried out bike shorts for the first time. When they first started appearing on my Instagram feed, I wasn't so sure about them. I didn't know if I liked them or if they would even work for me. Well, I saw a really cute outfit on Pinterest that included bike shorts and I had to recreate it. The first pair I purchased were a total miss. Way to tight and too much like actual workout shorts. But, the second pair were perfect! A great high rise and so comfortable. Y'all, bike shorts are basically like leggings but for the warmer months! I'm sold. I can't wait to create more outfits with them!


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This candle from Bloom Anthology smells amazing. Like volcano but better! If you're local, you need to check out this woman ran small business in Greensboro. She even created a custom, signature fragrance for me and Josh when I met her last week! So fun!

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I have purchased a lot of leopard skirts but this one is definitely my favorite! I love how it moves and how comfortable it is to wear. I got a size small and I'm typically a 4/6 in skirts.


style on a budget, instagram roundup, casual style, north carolina blogger, mom style, what to wear for summer, instagram roundup

Throw on and go is my favorite kind of mom style! This $15 t-shirt dress is the perfect dress for busy mornings when you want to look put together but comfy... and fast. 


style on a budget, instagram roundup, casual style, north carolina blogger, mom style, what to wear for summer, instagram roundup

This is was my first outfit that I put together with my new bike shorts. Just like with leggings, you need a longer top. This tee is perfect for bike shorts and leggings! I sized up one size in the bike shorts and stayed true to size in the tee (it fits a little oversized).


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I am loving this budget friendly, vintage inspired flower tee! I have already worn it several times since I got it in the mail. I got my regular size and it runs oversized. I love it!


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Thank so much for visiting! Have a great day!

Monday, August 26, 2019

Puerto Rico Travel Diary Day 8 & 9

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Happy Monday! It took longer than I had planned to get all of these Puerto Rico posts up! It's been almost two months since we got back from our trip. Today is finally the last post in these travel diary series. I have loved looking through the photos from this trip and recalling all of the fun moments. This is definitely one of the very best trips we have ever taken and I'm so happy that we were able to bring the girls with us to experience Puerto Rico! We are already planning future adventures!

Day 8 of our trip was pretty special because it was also our eleventh wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it's already been eleven years since we got married! I got married when I was 22 so it really feels like Josh and I have grown up together. Josh and I started dating back in 2006 and I learned right away that he was half Puerto Rican. He shared with me within our first few times together that he went to Puerto Rico when he was 18, in celebration of graduating high school. I remember him telling me then that he would love to take me to Puerto Rico one day. As a small town girl who had never really traveled much, especially somewhere that you had to fly to, that just seemed like a big dream. Something that I would never actually get to do. After our girls were born, the dream resurfaced and his passion for taking us to Puerto Rico grew even more now that we had children of our own. Years passed before we really talked about going again but last November, Josh took me to Ocean Isle Beach for my birthday, just the two of us. When you are alone for the weekend, you actually have time to talk (imagine that, lol). This summer's trips came up and I mentioned the idea of going to Puerto Rico and making this trip happen for real. Josh immediately agreed and we knew 2019 was the year we would go and that we did!

Since it was our anniversary and our last day of exploring in Puerto Rico, we wanted to see something unique. I found Cabo Rojo on a list of must see places in Puerto Rico. It wasn't actually on my original list of places I wanted to see, mostly because it wasn't super close to where we were staying. Cabo Rojo is located in the southwest corner of the island so it was about a two hour drive from Quebradillas. The main thing that sold me on visiting this area was the fact that one article I read mentioned that there was pink water. Well, y'all know I had to see this pink water.

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The water really was pink!

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I had never really heard of salt flats before visiting this area so we definitely learned a lot. I had no idea that Puerto Rico is one of the biggest producers of salt! Puerto Rico has been producing salt for over 500 years. The salt is produced through evaporation of ocean water. Check out this huge mound of salt in the photo below!

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Also in Cabo Rojo, we visited the Faro de Los Morrillos Lighthouse and Natural Bridge (El Puente Natural). The lighthouse was different than the ones we have here in North Carolina (it was also much smaller). The colors were so pretty! But, the real star of this area were the views. They were breathtaking! The limestone cliffs were absolutely incredible and one of things that you really just need to see in person to understand the magnitude of how amazing they were. This area was definitely worth the drive to see it!

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We wanted to end of our day at the beach so we went to Playa Jobos for one last time. I've mentioned this beach several times in my Puerto Rico posts and it was such a great place. Beautiful, calm waters, not too crowded, and it was in close proximity to where we stayed with Josh's grandmother. Such a great family beach! 

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I also finally got to see a sunset in Puerto Rico! So pretty!

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When we got back to Josh's grandmother's house, his aunt surprised us with a cheesecake from the Soto bakery as a gift for our anniversary. It was so sweet of her!

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Day 9 was our final day in Puerto Rico but it was short because it was our travel day back to the states. Like I mentioned in my first post, we flew out of Atlanta and had a direct flight to Puerto Rico. It was so much cheaper for us to do it that way! Driving to and from Atlanta was a little annoying but we saved so much money and I would totally do it again that way. 

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Puerto Rico was incredible. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. I'm sure that we will go back again in the near future but this trip will always be super special to me. There were so many firsts for our girls and our family with this trip. I can't wait to see where our adventures take us to next time!

P L A C E S  T O  S E E:


Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you have a great day!

S H O P  T H E  P O S T: