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Monthly Archives: July 2015

My finds from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

19 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Fashion, Fitness, Shopping

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Tags

Aniversary Sale, basics, cashmere, closet staples, fall fashion, Nike, no-show socks, Nordstrom, running shoes, running shorts, sneakers, white tee shirts, workout gear

Have y’all checked out the this year’s Nordstrom Anniversary Sale yet?  It’s my favorite sale of the year and we do a lot of our Fall shopping during this time.  My picks this year are just no-fail closet staples:  tees, workout wear, and classic cashmere.  It’s always a win when you can find high-end basics at a reduced price!  Slide1

Clockwise beginning from top left:

1.  Nike ‘Venom Tempo’ Dri-FIT Shorts & ‘Tempo’ Track Shorts:  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to commit to a regular gym routine since my baby was born.  BUT, what we do love are our regular evening walks around the new ‘hood just before her bedtime.  These shorts will serve me well outdoors during our hot Texas summers.  I went with a fun print (hello, hot pink leopard!) and a classic black.

2.  Nike ‘Performance’ No-Show Socks (3-pack):  Quality no-show socks are hard to come by!  I’ve tried several cheaper brands and they usually slip off at the heel or the elastic wears out prematurely.  My other Nike socks are the best I’ve got — slow to wear out and quite breathable.  I don’t ever see them marked down, so this was a solid buy in my book.

3.  Nike ‘Free Flyknit 5.0 TR’ Training Shoe:  Because, new shoes.  And if I’m going to be doing the utilitarian mom look in public, I might as well have fresh clean kicks.  Grocery store runs deserve a dose of cute, too.

4.  Halogen Relaxed Slub Knit U-Neck Tee:  Another great Anniversary Sale staple!  I nabbed this classic white tee because of the nice lightweight cotton fabric and the super-flattering fit.  Trust me, the V-neck tees at Target aren’t cut as well or feel as soft — this one is on sale at a similar pricepoint so definitely check them out!

5.  Halogen Zip Back Cashmere Sweater:  A go-with-anything, dress-up or dress-down topper.  With temps in the 100s later this week, I won’t be able to wear this Fall find for awhile, but the cashmere material stretches it between seasons.  Love the longer length & all the prints & colors.

To my baby girl on her 6-month birthday…a first-time mom’s reflection on making it this far

05 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Baby Girl A, Everyday Joie, Motherhood

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Tags

6 months old, baby, breastfeeding, church, first time mom, half birthday, motherhood, New mom, purees, stay at home mom

Baby A at 6 months

Dearest Alexandra August,

Happy half-birthday, my girl!  I can’t believe we’re already halfway to your one-year birthday.  Today was a big one for you:  first, we gave you ‘real’ food for the first time!  You sure made some funny faces upon tasting that spinach puree and well, we could tell it wasn’t your favorite.  At one point, as Daddy was walking away from your highchair & back up the stairs, you gave him this look of longing, like:  ‘take me with you — this green goop is yucky!’  But, there were no tears and you kept trying out your new food with each spoonful given.  Mother’s milk is still your preferred food and to my surprise, our breastfeeding is still going strong!  Initially, I gave myself permission to stop by this milestone — after half a year of feeding you in this way every two hours, my new goal is to continue for a full year.  However long we make it, I’m very proud to have gotten this far in providing for your nutritional needs in this special way.

Next, we took you to church.  Mama and Dada are in the process of finding a church home and are visiting places of worship near our new home.  Besides looking for a place to worship, learn & grow in Christ myself, I strongly desire for you grow up within a community of brothers & sisters in Christ.  Even though we struggle to reconcile our somewhat liberal social views with select religious-right stances, we are guided to find a church home for reasons more important than politics:  we know you will be blessed in life by the influence of Christian fellowship.  Aside from our personal religious preferences (style of the preaching, type of songs, what particular Protestant-based denomination a church is, etc.), we find ourselves gravitating to whatever place we feel that’s best for YOU.  Mama prays for you everyday and hopes that one day you will reach the age of understanding and desire to follow Jesus!

So, after your interesting baby food brunch, a visit to the church nursery, and being good for us during a little lunch out, you are currently napping peacefully.  You take one nap a day, usually about two (sometimes 3!) hours long.  You sleep through the night and been doing so since you were about 6 weeks old.  ~Mama is soooooo incredibly thankful for that!!!  I wasn’t handling sleep deprivation well and feel so lucky that you began sleeping for longer stretches at such a young stage.  Nowadays, you go to bed at 8:30 p.m. and wake on your own each morning at 7:30.

Physically, you’ve mastered rolling over and are now yearning to crawl…we’ll even catch you in full-on plank position, trying to figure out how to move those little chubby knees up under your belly.  You can sort-of sit up…you definitely can sit upright in my lap but unassisted, you usually topple over after a minute.  I recognize your rapid growth when I examine how big your little hands are getting or when I realize you’re ready for size 3 diapers.  We’re so proud of how you’re thriving but I’m crying right now just thinking about how fast you are changing.  Dada loves to watch your eyes wander inquisitively around a room.  Mama loves when our eyes meet and you immediately respond with a sly smile.  In this action, you remind me to snap out of any kind of cranky or anxious mood I might be in…to smile and choose positivity in each and every moment.

In fact, your influence on my life has been nothing short of monumental.  It has even altered my concept of time.  The saying about motherhood is so true:  ‘The days are long but the years are short.’  As a stay-at-home-mom, it’s like I have all of the time but none of the time (if that makes any sense).  I’m fortunate to get to experience baby swim school, music class, and more with you but on the other hand, I now grapple with what feels like zero personal time.  I’ve given up even part-time professional pursuits, put my charitable committees on the back burner, my goodness…I even struggle to fit in a shower for the day.  However, despite sometimes wondering where a shred of my old life is, I thank God literally every day for my new life as your mother.  (You know you were an answer to three years of fervent prayer for a child, right?)  When I feel overwhelmed, I remember what I hear time & again from random people who see us out & about:  “it goes by so fast — in the blink of an eye, she’ll be 18.”

Yes, I hate that I sometimes pine for the next step –maybe I’ll be changing a diaper and wish for the day you’re potty trained or I’ll be carrying you up the stairs for the 20th time and hope for when you can climb up them yourself– so I’m training my mind to focus on the ‘now.’  Admittedly, it’s been quite an exercise in strength & patience, but since having you I’ve never appreciated the present moment more.  I witness in awe how my journey here on Earth will forevermore be navigated by your gravitational pull.  You truly are the light of my life.

I love you,

Mama

How to: festival style with a sophisticated spin

02 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Fashion, Shopping

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ACL Fest, Austin, CUSP by Neiman Marcus, festival style, live music, music festivals, outdoor concert dressing, R29 Style Festival, Simon Malls, SXSW

Living in Austin, a.k.a. the Live Music Capital of the World, concerts are a regular part of life.  Besides hosting widely acclaimed mega-festivals such as ACL Fest and SXSW, there are more live music venues per capita here than any other place on Earth.  You can even stumble upon free shows (GOOD ones, too!) at the local grocery store.  Safe to say, us Austin gals know our festival style.

Let me preface:  I’m not hipster or boho or rocker-chic or whatever-enough to pull of those badass outdoor festival looks a la Coachella.  I never go costume-y; I just dress like a more eclectic artsy version of myself.  Also, now that I’m in my 30s and have a tiny breastfeeding babe at home, gone are the days of raging for a 2-day outdoor live music scene. –That ish requires a more utilitarian/camper-girl uniform aimed at enduring the heat & other smelly sweaty conditions in order to survive until the headliner each night.  Nowadays, I beeline for a tent to stand under, map out exact stage times for my fave bands, and only stay for a set or two.

At the last couple of fashionable festival events I attended, I had the honor of my ‘street-style’ being captured by photographers from some of fashion’s most fabulous retailers.  First, let’s talk the biggest media/music gathering around and one of the first big festivals of the year, SX:  CUSP by Neiman Marcus was on the scene for #NMMakeSomeNoise and their stylists shared their top ensembles to forecast looks for the rest of festival season 2015.  –I was thrilled to find I was included in their list!

nmv3

Next, came the R29 Style Festival hosted this past weekend weekend at The Domain.  It was super innovative and quite interactive:  they had a DIY band tee styling station, braid bar, flash tats, and pop-up shops from indie designers.  All the fun was capped off by an intimate show by the band MAGIC!  If you live in any of the cities remaining on the tour –Miami, Philly, Boston-area, or D.C.– I highly recommend you make it out to this free event.  It was pretty cool to see that Simon Malls reposted my Insta from this fest on their web site:

Simon Mall

simon mobile

Photo credit: Lauren Cevallos, Director of Photography, Luxe Apothetique

So, if you’re wanting to create a more sophisticated festival style look, I would steer clear of the overdone booty jorts, cut-off tees & combat boots.  I tend to gravitate to trousers in a lightweight fabric with a tank & vintage hat or a breezy printed dress topped off by milkmaid braids & sunnies.  Other stylish yet fest-functional pieces I love are:

  • Kimonos:  packs a beautiful sartorial punch & keeps those shoulders from burning
  • Booties: keeps those toes grass & mud-free; bonus if they’re faux (because shoes get stained & stepped on at these things)
  • Cross-body handbags:  Holds essentials so you can throw those hands up in the air
    • Recommended packing list:  driver’s license, medical insurance card, cash, lip balm, sunblock stick, and Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths (because you have no idea how handy wipes can be out there!  These are awesome & come lightly scented with a powder finish.)

Also, current trends that I think translate well onto the music festival scene are fringe (on boots, bags & more) and tassels (on long necklaces & at the ends of boho sleeves). Whatever festival look you’re going for, don’t leave home without a hat, sunscreen, and closed-toe shoes.  Drink lots of water and rock on, ladies!

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