Rowan Oak

While I was in Oxford, Mississippi visiting my family, I knew I had to visit one of my favorite spots, Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s home.  When we snapped these photos I had a four-day old nephew named Rowan, so it was an extra special trip!

When I was in college, I remember coming to Rowan Oak on a spring day and laying out a blanket to study from a text book – yes, just five years ago we studied from text books and not just computers.  #stoneage

I love these cypress tress that line the path to the front door, what a beautiful place to be inspired to write, right?

denim – Paige (on sale!) | boots – Frye | top – c/o L.Mae Boutique, love this one too | scarf – Zara, love this one and this one | sunnies – c/o People by People | lipstick – Urban Decay Venom | cuff – c/o Brahmin, similar here

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Wednesday Wish List + 25% off at Shopbop

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Leather and suede and everything in between – these boots are everything I’m looking for in a great pair of fall boots.  Stacked heel and a neutral color that will go with everything.  And blanket scarves – are they not the best?  They’re perfect for cool summer nights in California where I need something more than a cardigan and less than a jacket.

And this “B” sweatshirt – I mean – is it meant for this Mrs. Barnes or what?

In other shopaholic news, Shopbop and East Dane are having a 25% off site-wide sale with code FAMILY25 through tomorrow!

SAKS is offering 25% off of jewelry this week with code FRNFAM, as well as 30% off at Forever21 this week with code TAKE30. What is on your wish list? Are y’all as addicted to midi skirts as I am?  Do share.  Thanks for reading and don’t forget to enter the Bad Bad Jewelry giveaway! XO –

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Friday’s Five

– arriving in Oxford and visiting one my favorite spots, Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner (and this time around it was extra special because I just gained nephew #4 this week and his name is Rowan!) –

– this gorgeous, handmade Lilli & Tori necklace –

– this #werk mug that makes my mornings a little sassier –

 

– this photo (my Carrie Bradshaw moment) by Megan Mueller Weaver being featured on PureWow Dallas –

 

– the most fab People by People shades to add to my collection –

So I’m in Mississippi and it’s beyond amazing to see so may lovely faces that we’ve only seen via FaceTime and Skype for the past year and a half.  We’ve played in my husband’s hometown of Jackson and are now in Oxford with my family.  We head down to Fairhope, Alabama tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see my bestie get hitched!

It’s been a great week and I know it will be a little sad to say goodbye, but I look forward to getting home to my sweet pets and the newest addition to the Williams family – my new nephew Rowan.  He joins his big sister Edie and is with my brother and sister-in-law in Los Angeles.  I can’t wait to have this little guy in my arms!

Thanks so much for reading and don’t forget to enter the Lisi Lerch giveaway! Have a beautiful weekend XO –

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Ladylike

When I pieced this outfit together, I thought, “this is the perfect combination of my Southern style and California style.” Ladylike and feminine with a little edge thrown in with the sandals and cropped sweater.  It’s the perfect blend of two cultures I adore!

I love the understated details of this midi skirt that give it a vintage feel.  It pairs so well with this lovely Laguna Pearl necklace and Trades of Hope silver necklace – you know me, more is more.  After seeing Carrie wear pearls so much in the first SATC movie, it made me whip out my lovely pearl strands more.  The first pair being from my mom for my 16th birthday.  I remember her saying, “you won’t appreciate this now, but one day you will.”  She was right – every girly girl needs a strand of pearls!

 

skirt – c/o L.Mae Boutique | cropped sweater – Lulu’s | heels – Lulu’s, love these and these | pearl necklace – c/o Laguna Pearl | silver necklace – c/o Trades of Hope (supporting underprivileged women – read more here) | sunglasses – Amazon | snake cuff – c/o Le Tote, love this one | gemstone ring – c/o Kendra Scott | assorted David Yurman | date plate necklace – c/o TAudrey | #winenot necklace – c/o Bad Bad Jewelry | arrow bracelet – c/o INPink | gold bangle – c/o Gorjana | lipstick – Urban Decay F-Bomb

How would you describe your style?  Thanks so much for reading and don’t forget to enter the Lisi Lerch giveaway! XO –

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Spanish Tortilla Recipe

Christian and I recently bought some eggs from our neighborhood farmers market and while they sat in my refrigerator, I was trying to think of how the two of us would go through a dozen eggs.  I like a hard-boiled egg occasionally, but other than that and the occasional baking, I don’t really eat them.

I stumbled up this recipe and knew it would be the perfect way to take advantage of these fresh eggs and veggies.  Easy and fresh – it tastes great warm or at room temperature.  It was a great dinner and an even better lunch the next day.

Are y’all big egg-eaters?  If so, what’s our favorite way to cook/serve them?  This is starting to sound like Runaway Bride (remember?), but I’m genuinely curious!

Thanks so much for reading and let me know if you try this recipe! XO –

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Friday’s Five

– the first few blooms on our bougainvillea tree –

– loading up on fresh veggies –

 

– falling in love with my new Shu Uemura eyelash curler –

– our first yellow lemon from our lemon tree –

 

– being inspired by this post to spray paint this dinosaur to house some bangles, a little DIY jewelry holder –

The day has finally come – we are heading to the motherland to visit our family and see one of my college besties get hitched!!  I can’t wait to eat some real Southern food, hug the necks of all of our family members and for me, most importantly, meet my 15-month old nephew, see my grandmother and watch one of my closest friends marry a truly amazing man.

While we’re away my California sister-in-law is expected to give birth to her second child.  I am so bummed we will miss it, especially considering we are their only CA relatives, but we had this trip planned before we knew they were expecting, and I know I will be lucky enough to get to see this child often in LA. They have been so understanding which only makes me wish I could be there for them even more.  I can’t wait to hear what gender this little one is, making our niece/nephew count 7 under 7!

I’m sure I’ll be instagramming our adventures along the way – thank y’all so much for reading and have a wonderful weekend! XO –

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Carrie Bradshaw Lied Stoop

On my last night in New York, I spent the evening downtown in West Village having dinner with my college bestie at Joseph Leonard.  Before that delicious meal (while watching the side streets be shut down for an Infiniti commercial), I was so fortunate to meet up with the oh-so-darling Megan Weaver to snap these photos.

While we were walking around looking for a more private spot to shoot some photos, we came across this swoon-worthy alley and it was a vision and moment that reminded me why New Yorkers fall in love with Manhattan.  I also had a Carrie Bradshaw stoop moment, sitting on the steps of a brownstone – hello.  A huge thank you to Megan for capturing a photo I will always treasure!

This outfit was not something I had originally planned on wearing together, but I wanted something comfortable with a touch of dressy and I thought it did just that.  This is one of the many reasons I love packing solid colors when traveling, so you can mix and match if you’re in a pinch (I also mentioned this strategy last week here)!

 

photos by Megan Mueller Weaver

lace skirt – vintage, love this one and this one | tank – Forever21, this one | heels – Zara, similar here | necklace – honeymoon souvenir, love this one | sunglasses – Amazon | bangle – David Yurman | bag – Chanel, love this one | knuckle ring – c/o Kendra Scott | lips – Urban Decay Venom

 

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Wednesday Wish List

 

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Like most girls ready for a closet shift in clothing, I’m ready to welcome fall with open arms. However California is not so much, and we are still having the sunny 70-degree days of summer.  I realize how ungrateful I sound complaining, but sometimes a gal just wants a change in season to wear all the scarves, boots, sweaters and hats I have hanging in my closet, left untouched!

Christian and I are hoping to get up to the mountains soon to enjoy some cool, fall weather and you know I’ll bring all my coziest pieces.Until then, I’m trying to get creative in incorporating fall trends while still staying cool.  Sweaters with denim shorts, open knit sweaters with breezy dresses and sandals, cotton tees with midi skirts – you gotta do what you can!

How are you wearing your favorite fall pieces right now?  Thanks so much for reading! XO –
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NYFW at Lincoln Center

Y’all might recognize this skirt here, but I can’t stop throwing it on and I can’t stop getting compliments on it.  It is super soft, the perfect midi length and best of all – it has pockets!  I knew I would be taking it in my suitcase to New York for fashion week and I was so glad I did.

The leather top however in the New York heat and humidity?  Maybe not the best choice.  It felt like the devil’s hot breath outside, and I was wishing I could trade leather for cotton.  Live and learn!

skirt – c/o Curate Boutique | top – vintage, similar here and here | heels – Zara, love these | earrings – Forever21, old, similar here | bag – Chanel, love this bag | cuff – Bryant Park Market, love this one | sunglasses – Amazon

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Friday’s Five

– taking some feng shui tips from the Real Housewives to see if a bowl of 9 pieces of citrus fruit will bring us good vibes –

– a surprise beauty box in the mail from Her Fashion Box –

– a street-side farmers market –

 

– a new clutch that I am beyond obsessed with –

– pick of blooms for the week –

Call me crazy, but having air conditioning this week has made me a new woman.  There’s a legit heat wave in Southern California, and I’m not lovin’ it.  Being able to come home and relax (I’m getting better at that thanks to your enormous support and inspiration yesterday – in case you guys need reminding, you rock) in a cool temperature after a long day is something I shall never take for granted again.

Christian has this weekend off so we plan to do some lounging and grilling (thanks to our new little grill – I have to show y’all a picture it’s the cutest thing) before heading to Los Angeles for the day for a small blogger brunch and some sweet time with my brother’s family before they welcome a healthy baby to their brood in October.  She is to join her fabulous big sister Edie (another post on her here and here).  With 5 nieces and nephews in Mississippi, Christian and I love that we’ll have two nieces/nephews (they don’t know the gender!) close-by.  God is good and we are grateful.

Thank you again for all your words of encouragement yesterday.  I love when I see women supporting women and that’s one of the many lovely things this blog has brought into my life.  Thank you for sharing how you find balance and peace when you’re trying to juggle too many things.  I truly learn so much from you!!  Have a beautiful weekend and don’t forget to enter the BANDED giveaway if you haven’t already!  XOXO –

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Stretched Thin

 
image via Pinterest

 

Don’t we all feel like this sometimes?  When I was in New York, I had to the opportunity to chat with some fabulous girls about balancing full-time jobs, marriages, blogs, children, pets, etc.  It was beyond refreshing to talk to others who were trying to balance the same responsibilities as myself and realizing that while we as women can do anything we put our minds to, we can’t necessarily do everything and everything well.

This has been a big struggle for me since we’ve moved across the country.  I’ll never forget a short conversation Christian and I had while walking to dinner on our honeymoon.  I asked him what he was most looking forward to about marriage and living together and he said “the meals.”  When he asked me the same question I said “sharing responsibilities.”  I know, I am beyond lame, but acts of service is my love language (the other four being physical touch, gift giving, words of affirmation and quality time) and when Christian takes out the trash and vacuums the house, it’s practically equivalent to a bouquet of roses to me!

With Christian’s schedule, he can’t be around very much and that’s why my girlfriends in California have been everything to me!  Most of them haven’t even met Christian and I’m left defending myself that he’s real and not a fictional character.  This being said, it’s been pretty difficult to try to keep my life not only balanced, but also fulfilled and grateful.  It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to get everything done better and faster (this is where I sing Kanye West), but is that truly leaving me fulfilled?  What will I be most pleased with in a year – the fact that I checked everything off my to-do list each night of the week or the memory of taking a late-night swim in the pool with Christian and drinking wine while watching The Normal Heart (and maybe crying my eyes out)?  Or getting after-work drinks with my girlfriends on the beach while watching the sunset?

There will always be things to get done.  I can always do more – clean the house better, make a more delicious dinner, be more driven and ambitious in my day  job, spend more of my free time working on this blog – but most of all, I need to live in the moment and not just take photos of it.

Do any of you feel this way?  How do you try to keep your life balanced and fulfilled?  I would love to hear!  Thanks so much for reading and sharing and don’t forget to enter the BANDED giveaway! XO –

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Hot Child in the City

 

I know I wear these DIY distressed boyfriend jeans all the time, but it’s because they are just so unbelievably comfortable! And they were exactly what I needed for a packed day in NY on my feet. I kept it neutral since it was in the high 80’s and ridiculously humid on this day in the city, before that cool breeze swept in when everyone was leaving after the weekend.

Luckily there was iced coffee and air conditioning (you heard my AC love story last week) nearby that I was almost always ducking into. No shame for this Ice Queen.

Y’all be sure to check out this vest – I bought it months ago and have been obsessed – it’s now on super sale!


denim – Forever21 mens, distressed myself, similar here and here | top – Lulu’s, old, love this one and this one | vest – Nordstrom (on sale!) | heels – Nine West x InStyle, no longer available, similar here | cuff – NY market, love this one | sunnies – Ray Ban | necklace – San Francisco market | assorted David Yurman | earrings – Studio Manhattan Vintage, love this pair

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

PS – The title for this post came from Season 3 of Sex and the City, also titled “Hot Child in the City” and it played this song in the credits!  The song now always makes me think of Carrie, which of course always makes me happy.

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