Last week I styled these jeans in a more casual post here. I wanted to share a dressed up post featuring the same pair to show one of the main reason I love this silhouette – it looks just as great with flats as it does with heels. AND, this similar pair is on sale for only $20, so also… there’s that!
I’m loving the return of the high-waisted “mom jean” because not only does it flatter girls that like to highlight their waists (confessions of a crop top lover), but it also provides a little more suck-you-in power than low-rise denim. No muffin-tops welcome here!
I think these jeans would also look fab with ankle booties, a black turtleneck and Gucci belt or a crop top and strappy sandals. They’re fun, they’re different and best of all, they’re really comfortable.
– a boho fringed throw blanket from Little Giraffe that is my new favorite blanket, AND readers can get 20% off all full-priced items site-wide with code KATHLEEN20! –
– new earrings from Kendra Scott that are perfect for summer, find them here and here –
– some new coconut products from Marc Jacobs that smell like summer in the best possible way, find them here, here and here –
– a neutral purse AND backpack that is going to be a summer bike ride essential – love that it’s convertible and can be both! –
– after a long hunt, finding the perfect denim skirt that’s under $30! PS – size down if you buy! –
Happy Friday! I think I’m still on cloud 9 from all of your incredibly sweet comments on Tuesday’s post and on Instagram. If I saw Christian for more than like… four hours this week I would have read them all to him! But I speak for both of us when I say thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Isn’t it crazy to feel like you’re friends with people you’ve never met in person? I feel that way about so many of you!
This week has been a great catch-up week. C (poor guy) has been working some really long days but I’ve just hunkered down at my desk and caught up on a lot of projects and emails. Which means I’ve been going through a lot of coffee and snuggled up in my desk chair with my new Moroccan wedding throw blanket from Little Giraffe.
You. Guys. I LOVE IT. I am a lover of all throw blankets, but I don’t have anything like this and it’s just as soft and cozy as it is cute! You can get 20% off with code KATHLEEN20, and it also comes in charcoal gray. And on that note, there are some amazing sales happening this weekend:
Bloomingdale’s | $25 off $100 with code PRIVATE through 6/25
This weekend C is on call and I have a project to work on and need to steal his Wrangler to take a big load of things to The Salvation Army. The summer clean-out this week has been real! Hoping to squeeze in some pool time in between so I can finish up this book and this book – I have like, less than 50 pages of each to read. I always stall when I don’t want books to end!
Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate you guys so much. XO –
I don’t know what feels more like summer than classic denim, straw accessories and blue jeans. A classic look that everyone can pull off! And when it comes to classic summer outfits, PacSun has you covered. They have such a great selection of denim and after loving the cropped flare denim trend on so many other girls, I decided to give them a try.
I love that this pair is high-waisted, has some stretch and is so comfortable. You guys know I’m not shy about loving a crop top, and a high-waisted pair of pants or shorts is the perfect duo when it comes to balancing out the trend. I also think this look would be perfect for back-to-school, paired with a top like this!
I’m linking some additional summer favorites from PacSun above that I think would look awesome with cropped flare denim! Thanks so much for reading and tell me – is this denim silhouette something you’ll be trying? It took me a little longer to jump on the trend train, but now that I have I have to admit… I dig it.
Stay tuned because I’ll be sharing how I dress up these jeans next week! XO –
If this off the shoulder maxi dress looks super familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it in this post or on maannnyyy other bloggers – either one! I have loved the other color palette version so much that I was tickled to receive a surprise package from the Donna Morgan team with the same silhouette in another color scheme.
You know I love it.
Even better that it is on sale at three different retailers, so if you’ve been eyeing it too – today’s your day!
And of course I cannot go without saying thank you x a MILL for yesterday’s sweetness in our “fellowship reveal” blog post. We could have been packin’ all of our lives in pods and moving across the country (again), so we feel really blessed, relieved and thankful that we can just hop up the coast a few hours! God is good and I appreciate you guys so much!
I shared recently in this post that this spring has been a more-stressful-than-usual season for us because Christian has chosen to pursue a medical fellowship after his Otolaryngology (ENT) residency. This means he has traveled to 14 cities and interviewed for a one-person fellowship position… with less than 50 available spots in the U.S. + Canada.
As a surgical subspecialty within an already small speciality… it’s extremely competitive. It’s stressful, exhausting and quite expensive.
I shared his ENT residency match in this reveal four years ago, so it felt appropriate to do the same this time, showing all of the places he has been traveling since March.
New York x 2, San Francisco, Austin, Houston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Atlanta, Chicago x 2, Philadelphia…
Christian has matched in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in…
Oh snap! Cali has us hooked for another year and you know I’m not complainin’! Christian matched last week and we’ve been celebrating ever since. We still have one more year (year #5) for Christian to finish up his ENT residency and then we’ll move to San Francisco for one year for his 10th and final year of training post-college. Ten. Years. The light at the end of the tunnel is there, guys. I can see it!!
In the meantime, we are really enjoying this palm tree journey God has blessed us with. It would have been really easy to stay in Mississippi or the South, and that would have been great too… but I am so proud of Christian for spreading his wings and seeing what’s out there. To put yourself out there is not only extremely vulnerable but also can be a big risk, and dreaming BIG doesn’t come without both successes and failures (speaking from my own experiences). We’re in it together and have always encouraged each other to take the leap of faith… and here we are again, with another adventure ahead of us.
I’ve always thought he was one of the smartest fish I’ve ever met, and it’s been a beautiful thing to watch him discover that for himself. My boy is growing up and I feel so privileged to be a small part of his success! CHBoo, I’ll ride the coattails of your lottery ticket any day.
Thanks so much for all of your support over the years. Honestly, there have been some really long and hard/lonely days and your comments and feedback have given me a feeling of community and a lump in my throat. You guys will never know how much I value and appreciate you.
And of course… I have another year to soak up SoCal and graciously accept any SF recommendations you guys have! C has dabbled in looking at housing in the area where he’ll be working and it happens to be one of the most expensive neighborhoods in one of the most expensive cities in the country… so I am just expecting to shell out, enjoy it and live like this for a year. That handbag I was going to buy myself for my birthday? Yeah, I decided that maybe I would just save that cash instead. #Adulting.
I actually pulled up this post back in 2014 when Christian and I drove up the coast to San Francisco to visit my brother and his fam when they were living there. And I already started making a bucket list like I did for SoCal when I found out we were moving here!
Thanks so much for reading and sharing in this celebratory moment with us – love you mean it! XO –
One of the questions I get the most from you guys is, “what do I wear to a (insert season) wedding?” SO, I’ve decided I want to share a post every season this year so that everyone’s questions are answered!
In the spring I shared my spring wedding style here, and today we’re covering summer. If this summer you’re working with a tan, I love wearing something yellow, mint, red or coral to really highlight that bronzed glow.
No tan? No problem (although you can always try out my favorite self-tanner, love these too!). If you’re not rocking a little color, I love pink, anything floral and shades of blue.
Below are some of my favorite summer wedding dress options. And of course, it goes without saying that never, ever wear white or cream to a wedding or any of the bridal events. Unless it’s like… a white crop top with a patterned skirt or something. This is coming from a former bride that had someone wear white to her hometown engagement party and a few guests got us confused. Don’t be that girl!
If you have something to add that you think I’m missing, I’d love to hear!
– this rustic portfolio bag from Duluth Pack, use code CARRIELIED20 for 20% off handcrafted items –
– waking up to a special delivery from Crumbs of what I call “jacked up cronuts,” the churro one was the best! –
– a new seriously gorgeous Naked Heat Palette from Urban Decay that is going to be all I wear this summer –
– a special Sofia Coppola delivery that is the perfect way to kick off summer (and I mean that straw!!) –
– Christian bringing me flowers to celebrate some exciting news in our house –
Happy Friday! This has been one of the happiest week’s I’ve had in a while because Christian matched for his fellowship in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery! Yayayayaya! I plan to share more about the experience (including where we will be moving next year) in a full blog post next week, but this week we’ve been relishing in the celebration of his success with family and close friends.
To say I’m proud of him after this exhausting interview journey would be an understatement. He continues to blow me away with his smarts, and it brings me so much joy to find others who are also charmed by this gentleman I have the privilege of claiming.
Ok – now if that wasn’t braggadocios enough (I’m sorry… sometimes it just spills out of me like word vomit and I can’t stop), let’s touch on this week’s highlights, shall we? This Duluth Pack Portfolio is my favorite travel bag lately because it perfect fits our tech gadgets and still has plenty of room for extra travel needs. Plus it’s perfectly gender-neutral. The Bison leather is seriously just so pretty. AND you can get 20% off with code CARRIELIED20!
Also, can we just stop to admire this new Naked Heat Palette from Urban Decay!? I’ve literally been wearing it every time I do my makeup since I received it and I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think it looks insanely gorgeous with brown eyes. I’m not really an orange person but turns out… it looks bomb with brown eyes.
I think that’s a wrap for this week! Thanks so much for all of your love and suggestions for blog posts. I am like, waist-deep in tech/coding/design things with this site so I’ve been so left-brained for the past month, my right-brained creative side just wasn’t functioning! Appreciate you guys. Thank you for reading! XO –
As I shared Tuesday in this post, you guys recently gave me a lot of post suggestions and feedback. One of the overwhelming requests was for more recipes, so here we are! I’m excited to share two of my favorite non-clothing passions with you guys… MacKenzie-Childs and pasta.
Christian’s family is from New Orleans, so he grew up eating plenty of jambalaya, red beans and rice and all things deliciously Cajun. Thankfully I also love all of these dishes, and one of my favorite one-pot dinners to make is pasta jambalaya.
I love this simple and budget-friendly recipe, and I usually add some extra heavy cream… because I’m from Mississippi which means I am not afraid of the extra calories if it makes dinner more delicious. Of course if you’re trying to keep things on the lighter side you don’t have to do that!
As I’ve shared here when I went on a behind-the-scenes tour of MacKenzie-Childs, I’m a longtime fan of the brand. Now that I have some of their cookware (which has been on my lust list for years), it not only makes my stovetop a lot prettier but also makes serving meals out of the pots and pans so much more fun!
I usually leave my cookware in the kitchen but these pieces are too pretty not to bring to the table.
Thanks so much for reading! And if you have any favorite Cajun dishes I’d love to hear – XO –
Last week I shared some Father’s Day gift ideas here, and today I want to share some more options for those of you who might be putting together some last minute gifts (nothing wrong with that – I’ve been there)!
I think a robe is a great gift. I grew up always seeing my dad in his big white terrycloth robe in the mornings, and when I realized Christian didn’t own a robe I quickly solved that problem. Bonus points for a white one that can be bleached when it has one too many coffee stains.
I think this Google Voice Speaker is the coolest thing ever. I’d really like one for myself, and I am 100% sure any gadget lover would dig it. It could just be because I’m glued to my phone, but a mophie charging case is always a good idea, especially for the dad that leaves his phone in his car until it dies… not calling you out or anything, Dad!
I have a special something ordered for my dad and I’d tell you BUT he reads this blog from time to time so it has to say a secret for now…
Oh! AND if you’ve already snagged a gift for the dudes and you’re looking for a deal for yourself – you’re in luck. Shopbop is offering an extra 25% offall sale items until 6/16 with code SCORE17. So don’t miss out on that!
I wore this red maxi wrap dress on a recent vacation in Mexico (shared here and here), and it’s one of my favorite maxi dresses to pull out for a summer date night. SO I thought today I could share some of our favorite summer date night activities!
Although I can’t claim I came to this idea on my own. A few days ago I asked those of you who watch my Insta-Stories on Instagram for some suggestions of content that you would like to see. I was so excited to get so many fantastic suggestions and am getting started with them this week, so stay tuned!
But let’s get into it, shall we? I quizzed Christian and below are some of our favorite summer-themed dates. I know that not all of these can be done in every town, but I’m just sharing some of our favorites here in OC.
1. Bike rides to dinner, drinks, a brewery or wine tasting, farmers markets, lunch – you get it.
2. Taking the top off the Jeep and going basically anywhere.
3. Walks on the pier and bonfires on the beach.
4. Pulling out our record player and listening to vinyls under the bistro lights on the patio, grilling out with some wine.
5. Sunset picnics in the park or at the beach.
6. Showering early and watching a movie in pj’s in the bed with popcorn.
7. Evening swims or visits to the jacuzzi.
8. Play bocce ball, dominoes or scrabble. Who doesn’t love a board game?
9. Go to an Angels baseball game (we can actually ride our bikes)!
10. Go see a comedy show. I am so excited to have tickets to Heather McDonald‘s live podcast taping this weekend at the Irvine Improv, she has other stand-up shows this weekend too! We’ve also seen some other great shows there and some hilaaarrious shows in San Francisco.
A few more things we’ve never actually done together but would love to do are a drive-in movie theater, rent a tandem bike and go mini-golfing or bowling.
Yesterday I shared a post about my recent week at the Fairmont Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, and I have so many photos I want to share with you guys that I wanted to split the review up into two posts!
One of my favorite days of the trip was the very last day. Most of the other girls had headed out, and while I would have loved to hang out with them some more, I stayed back because I was catching a direct flight to Vancouver.
I skipped breakfast for a long bike ride around the property and was at the beach by 10:30AM. I read my book, napped off and on, drank piña coladas and ate lunch on the beach under a tiki hut. By about 3:30PM, I left the beach to head back to my room to pack up. I took a long bath, got ready for my last dinner at the resort and took a book to La Laguna for a classic Mexican meal.
It was fabulous (no surprise there), and one of the most memorable days of the trip. I’m used to spending a lot of time alone in Orange County with Christian’s work schedule, but something about traveling along can really bring such independence and peace. And without anyone around to help me snap all my instas (#basic), I was forced to really relax and take in the scenery.
A beautiful day in the most gorgeous setting and a memory I’ll always treasure.
In my opinion, you can’t vacation in Mexico enough. It is one of my favorite places to get some R&R, and I would absolutely love to visit the Fairmont Mayakoba again – this time with Christian in tow!
Have you vacationed in this area!? I’d love to hear about your visit or what Mexico spot is on your travel wish list! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
I’m so excited to finally be sharing some photos from my week at the Fairmont Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico! I was SO excited to head back to this gorgeous area after honeymooning there five years ago (shoutout to 2012!), and I’d never seen the Fairmont property so this trip sounded like a dream.
The resort organized a really fun itinerary for us that allowed us to enjoy a boat ride through the lagoon (where I learned there are over 100 kinds of birds that live in this area), a Mexican tequila and beer tasting, spa treatment and multiple fabulous dining experiences.
My favorite restaurants on the property were La Laguna, El Puerto and Brisas, and the service was nothing short of fantastic. You can actually purchase an Inclusive Luxury Dining & Beverage Package that allows you to either have a an all-inclusive experience or not. I think this is a really cool option because most properties are either one or the other, but at Fairmont Mayakoba you can pick whichever option suits you best.
The property is really large so you can bike around or hitch golf cart rides – both of which are fun options. I will share that the last time I was here it was November and the weather was perfect. This late May visit was hot. Really hot. And humid – everything is air-conditioned here, but I was still basically sweating 24/7. Which is why my hair is slicked back in every photo and my face was puffy from the heat.
Living in California the past several years I’ve actually forgotten what it was like to be this hot (#weatherprivilege), SO my recommendation for anyone looking to visit this area would be to examine the weather patterns and choose what’s going to work for you so you can avoid some of that upper lip sweat (don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about).
I absolutely loooooved the beach area here, not just for the breeze and perfect-temperature ocean, but the tiki huts were the cutest ever and there were so many perfect seats to choose from. On the last day I parked here for the entire day and it was pure paradise.
What might have been the most delicious piña colada I’ve ever had. So good that I ordered a second one and the crows around me attacked it before I could drink it, so that was cool. Those little guys are intense!
Have you ever vacationed in this Mayakoba area?! It’s so gorgeous – like staying in a tropical jungle! I’m going to be sharing more about this trip tomorrow – including outfits from the trip.
