Part II of this year’s Valentine’s Day Gift Guide is here, and it’s all about the dudes (you can check out Part I here). Christian either has the item above, or it has been man-approved, so I feel confident I’m delivering honest picks (ok fine, I can’t make him use my Clarisonic, BUT I think it’s a great pick for a guy – we all need to exfoliate, right?).
This aquarium is extra cool to me – and seems so perfect for an office. What are some things you have in mind for your guy or some great gifts you’ve given in years past? I’m always looking for ideas!
You guys. This was A WEEK. I know that sometimes blogs and social media can feel like a constant highlight reel. “Look at this awesome outfit in a field of daisies with sunbeams in all the right places and candid photos of me casually laughing while putting a flower behind my ear!” And you know what? I’ve had some of these highlight reel moments thanks to this blog and YOU, the readers who actually take the time out of the day to visit and read, sharing your input and thoughts along the way.
BUT, I always want to be real. Even when it’s not cute. And even a little sad. Let’s get personal (and on that note, you can visit more personal posts in the “Personal” category at the top of the page under “Category” in the navigation bar – more on this next week!).
I’m pretty sure this week was God telling me to check the ego. To begin, I was emailed on Tuesday and invited to represent CBL the Grammy Awards. I think my jaw hit the floor. I said YES without even checking my schedule and texted Christian and my mom, envisioning what I was going to wear, down to the lipstick, jewelry and everything. They were so stoked for me and their enthusiasm was beyond amazing!
Within three hours, I was actually uninvited. As in someone better came along and better luck next time. I was SO SHOCKED, embarrassed, but also laughing out loud. I tell this story to my coworkers, who literally laughed so hard that one of them shed tears. And now everyone in my office thinks this is the most hilarious story ever (and it is), but I mean, talk about an ego check! I don’t know if I’ve ever had an invitation retracted from me, so it was most certainly humbling.
Wednesday I attended a hot yoga class thanks to ClassPass OC. On my way trotting there, my Havaiana flip flop broke. Let’s keep in mind this particular pair was bought in San Diego years ago when I was frantically running around a mall because my cell phone was stolen. While trying to relocate my cell phone (which I never found), my flip flops broke so I had to walk barefoot to Urban Outfitters to buy the Havaianas. So it was beyond perfect that it was this exact pair that broke on me, leaving me barefoot again. WAY TO LET ME DOWN FLIP FLOPS. I was like, “IS THIS FOR REAL!?” Still laughing, I show up barefoot to my yoga class like a true yogi. Even better? I live in California, which is so chill, no one even realized I was barefoot.
Thankfully, I have the biggest cheerleader and supporter in Christian who made sure to pick up the beautiful pity flowers above between rounds at the hospital so I would come home to “sorry your week has kind of sucked” blooms. I love him.
These are small problems. So insignificant in big picture life, but I had to share it with you guys – because it’s real, and it’s not perfect. Sometimes I have to put my phone away and avoid social media and magazines because I don’t want to compare my life to someone else’s highlight reel. Comparison is the thief of joy and I have the power to keep my joy. SO, this is my honest confession of my ridiculous week of ugly moments.
Tell me – have you had these moments when you don’t know whether to laugh or cry? Tell me you chose to laugh!
YOU GUYS – Valentine’s Day is right around the corner – can you believe it?! I’m already thinking pink, and this hot pink blazer is probably my absolute favorite blazer in my closet (besides my white blazer – an always-chic staple in my book). So I love Valentine’s Day a little extra because on 2/14/12 Christian actually picked up my engagement ring that he designed. He paid for the ring, and then the poor guy had to go buy me flowers, chocolates and a gift so I wouldn’t be thrown off! He ended up proposing on February 17th, but my favorite part of the engagement was hearing all the hard work he had put into the ring.
Can this mean that every Valentine’s Day brings diamonds?
What is your favorite Valentine’s Day gift you’ve ever received? Other than my left hand bling, my next favorite would be a giant teddy bear that Christian surprised me with after hearing me say no one had ever bought me a giant teddy bear. It is now being stored at my parents house in Mississippi because I want to put it in our one-day nursery, and my niece, Harper, enjoys wrestling with it whenever she’s at Doc and Gangy’s house. Go Harper!
dress c/o Ruche (20% off your Ruche item with code CBLHEARTSRUCHE20)| blazer – H&M, old, similar here | belt | heels | clutch | sunnies | bangles c/o INPink | watch c/o | assorted David Yurman | earrings c/o
Thanks so much for reading! And if you’re looking for something a little fancy for Valentine’s Day – know that you can get 20% off your Ruche purchase with the code above! XO –
It’s already that time of year – can you believe it? I’m still kind of bummed that Christmas decorations are down, BUT I can get down with pink and red any day of the week. Above are some of my picks that I might be casually hinting to Christian (ok fine, #3, #7, #8, #10 and #14 I already have – but I LOVE them!).
What do you typically do for Valentine’s Day – flowers and dinner or are there presents and chocolates?
Thanks for reading – gift guide for him coming soon (along with some really cheese/embarrassing Valentine’s Day stories and memories, please don’t gag)! XO –
What girl didn’t love a good tea party growing up? Whether it’s with empty plastic teacups or your grandmother’s fine china, I feel like tea parties are just as much a staple as playing grocery cashier (or was that just me… I mean those conveyer belts are pretty much the coolest thing ever when you’re six-years-old). I have some really adorable memories of having high tea in New York, Seaside, Florida and Corona del Mar – scones, tea sandwiches and pages of flavored tea to thumb through (and in Florida we even wore giant hats!). A friend recently suggested I try Paris in a Cup Tea Room that is actually just down the street, so that is most definitely on my list.
I recently had a day off work, so I decided to have my own little tea party with cinnamon vanilla tea and scones. Personally, I think scones or tea sandwiches, interesting flavors of tea, a tea pot, china, silver and linens are the necessities to an at-home tea party. I used this simple scone recipe and substituted craisins rather than raisons.
If only I could have had one of my nieces over! And if my curly-headed niece (I have a blonde curly-haired niece, a brunette niece and a redheaded niece – so we’ve got it all!) had come over, I would have totally left the raisons in because the curly-headed one is a real big fan of that little red Sun-Maid box.
Pinky up, friends!
Have you ever had afternoon tea? What was it that made it so special? Thanks for reading and sharing! XO –
This outfit takes me back to my traditional corporate work days, when I dressed in pencil skirts and blazers most days, with my own wacky twist (I mean, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do). Now I work in a creative, no dress code environment, so my workday wardrobe resembles more of my weekend wardrobe (and yes, sometimes this is yoga pants), but I do occasionally miss dressing so polished regularly! I dressed similar to this to work recently and was asked 15x why I was so dressed up!
When I worked in a traditional and conservative setting, I loved starting with a ladylike piece, like this dress, and then adding layers that represented my funkier personal style on top. In this instance, I added a leather jacket to the dress, a studded belt, and topped it off with a fur vest.
Welcome to the weekend! I’ve had a busy work week as I’ve had a lot of international meetings for my day job, which has been such an amazing reminder that there is so much going on outside of my own little world. Exposure to other countries – their business perspectives and languages – has been so eye-opening for me and a reminder that I am quite a small piece of this world.
Christian is working this weekend, and I plan to binge watch as many Oscar-nominated films as possible because I absolutely love awards season. Christian and I watched The Theory of Everything (C has read the book and was a Physics major, so he has always admired Stephen Hawking), and I just had a lump in my throat the entire time. Christian laughs at me because he says I am way too affected by TV and movies, it’s like I feel like I’m in the movie or something (maybe this just means I’m really empathetic? And a sucker.), but once the film ends I am still thinking about it days later. I’m one of those, “I mean, can you imagine being Jane Hawking? What that marriage must have been like for her?”
In reverse, I read Gone Girl years ago, so when the movie came out I was adamant we see it. Then I left the movie telling C how lucky he was that his wife wasn’t a complete psycho. Even though when he pops out behind a door (he loves to scare), and I tell him to sleep with one eye open… I don’t really mean it… actually sometimes I do. I recently took blackmail photos while he was asleep and unknowingly sharing his pillow with Lula the cat. Because a healthy marriage is about having the power, don’t tell me any differently.
What nominated films have you seen and would you recommend them? Thanks for reading and don’t forget to enter the Lookbook Store giveaway! XO –
I am first to admit I love a big ‘ol poncho. I actually kept a big blanket poncho in my office for three years and would wrap that baby around me like a delicious blanket when I was working in Mississippi and the AC was always on blast. Now I work in California, where the AC is rarely even on, so the work poncho isn’t as necessary but nonetheless, I’m a sucker for what my mom coined “the pajama fake-out.” Anything that is as comfortable as pajamas, yet visually appropriate to where outside of your house.
I’ve been wearing this goemetric poncho on repeat because not only is it super comfortable and cute, but it also is this thick blanket-like material that is so soft. Also, it allows me to eat as many breakfast tacos at brunch as I desire, which is actually exactly what I did after Christian so kindly snapped these photos.
A few months back I told my sister-in-law I would bring a pie for Thanksgiving. I have this problem of where I’m always wanting to try new recipes, which means that rather than opt for that tried-and-true dish that I know will be delicious, I take a risk on a new dish that may or may not be any good. I received this pie plate (and this loaf pan) that matches my everyday china from my in-laws recently, so I’ve been in full pie mode (Christian completely supports this)! All of this being said, I wanted to try a chocolate pie for the holidays and lo and behold I found this recipe for the chocolate pie from The Help!
You might remember this scene (of which Christian and I love to quote), but this recipe is quick, easy and absolutely delicious. I love that the recipe comes from Greenwood, Mississippi, where my grandmother lives and both of my parents grew up. Apparently they made over 50 pies for filming!
Fun fact: The home Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, “Hilly Holbrook,” lives in is actually my mom’s high school friend’s home and where my parents had their engagement party.
You need to make this pie. Not only because of the movie, but also because it’s delicious! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to enter the Lookbook Store giveaway – XO
Some of you saw our little townhouse (sneak peek shared on CBL here) last week on The Everygirl, and if you did – thank you so much for your kind words on our space! So here is where I share my Everygirl crush. I have read The Everygirl since I was a senior in college at Ole Miss. I have always admired the curators of this site who put together the most amazing articles and advice for young career women – everything from tips on buying your first home to relationship and travel advice and fashion + beauty tricks. It’s been a central hub for me for inspiration for so many years.
I have always adored the home tours and have looked to them for inspiration when decorating the six homes I’ve lived in since college (that’s six in five years, what is wrong with me!?). SO, when our townhouse was selected for a feature, I had a serious happy dance moment (except I looked more like this).
It was such a privilege to have our home photographed by the incredibly adorable and talented Monica Wang, and I know I’ll adore these photos forever! I wanted to share some of my favorite photos that didn’t make the feature, but you can see the full post here.
Classic Bailey – inserting herself in as many photos as possible. Thanks so much for reading! Also, you can find the details on this dress here. XO-
Stripes and plaid… will this combination ever get old? I don’t think so. This is a go-to look for me in the fall and winter months when I want to look put together for a day of shopping or playing around town, and just what I went for when we were with my family in Santa Monica and Malibu for the holidays. And this layered cardigan? Don’t even get me started. I’m having a serious navy moment (I recognize I’m late to said moment) and am even pairing it with black. I’m into it!
I snagged these boots on Black Friday and have been wearing them nonstop. A 3.5″ heel, which is comfortable for me for an all day boot… but not comfortable enough to walk two miles back from shopping to our rental house. It happens. Luckily, I had my sister, niece and Christian to keep me entertained!
– the fact that I am incapable of being normal in a photo booth (and that Golden Globes viewing party was really fun!) –
– surprise! an exciting mention in People StyleWatch (and thank you so much for all the sweet notes/comments on this – love you guys!), the outfit being worn can be found here –
– making a chess pie for my dessert-loving husband –
Second week back in the swing of things and I GUESS it’s not so bad being back in my regular routine… but I mean, not having to wake up to an alarm was real nice.
Also, I tend to eat more when I have more free time. Is anyone else like that? You would think when you have more free time, you can prepare healthier meals but instead I just dream of my next meal. I work in corporate retail, so the months leading up to holiday are busy. Very busy. Rather than gain weight during all the holiday indulging, I actually lost weight because I was too busy to stop for lunch. No worries, I made up for with all of the time off, so now it’s nice to be back in the grind because I have less time to dream of bbq, pasta, pizza and all things Mexican food.
On the note of food, I made this chili this week and it was the perfect January dinner. White bean & chicken chili was one of my favorite dishes at the Chi O house when I was in college, so it definitely hits home whenever I make a batch (I had to leave out the jalapeno because Christian is a weenie). Make it. You won’t regret it.
Last but not least, it was quite an exciting week spotting a mention in People StyleWatch and The Everygirl (I’ll be sharing more about this feature and some extra photos on Tuesday)! These are two fun little projects I’ve had in the works for a few months, so it was definitely a fun moment to share with everyone. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all your feedback, encouragement and support about both of these surprises! I am so humbled and honored, honestly, I don’t even know what to say besides I’m sending out Internet hugs and high fives to all y’all!
Lastly, I also have to share some great BaubleBar sales going on right now:
Take 15% off 2 items with code STASH15
Take 25% off 3 items with code STASH25
Take 30% off 4+ items with code STASH30
Have a beautiful weekend and don’t forget to enter the Nordstrom giveaway – XO –
