Check Mate

Disclaimer: I'm pretty much delirious as I'm writing this, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm babbling or not making sense. I recently read a meme that said, "You have the same number of hours in a day as Beyonce." Thanks for that reminder, thanks a lot. But I suppose it's true that if you have a passion for something you've got to make time to pursue it, even if it means bags under your eyes and more gray hair. Oh wait, maybe it's my kids doing that to me. Hmmmm....let's just take this opportunity to give a shoutout for makeup and photoshop. 

Tonight after I got the kids to bed (Sylvie finally stopped protesting at 9), I pureed some sweet potatoes for Parker and sliced up six mangoes. SIX MANGOES. Who in their right mind goes to Costco and buys wholesale-sized containers of mangoes? This girl, apparently. I love them, but as my friend Ivy recently noted, they are a lot of work for very little return. But I'm kind of obsessed with mango coconut smoothies right now, so at the time of purchase, it made perfect sense. Clearly my lack of sleep is impairing my judgement.  

I finally started on this post after my kitchen endeavors, and here I am at 11pm in my cuckoo bird state droning on about mangoes. So let's get to the important stuff, shall we?

The birthday bouquet featured in this post is from my dear husband, and it's from Farmgirl Flowers, who are amazing. I had a great birthday weekend, filled with Irish Coffees, good food, a bridal shower, an Oscars gala, and best of all, a visit from my parents. This week is pretty much all-around depressing after a weekend like that! 

The dress in this post can be found here, and I've also added some other cuties below.

Can I just tell you that each and every time I see one of you and you tell me you read my blog, it makes my week. You're the best!! Have a great week and THANK YOU for following along with me! 

xoxo, Lisa

Fierce Florals

This may come as a surprise, but I come from a family of hunters. As in, don your camos, rise before any sane person would ever rise, head to the woods, shoot a deer sort of hunting. As in Katniss Everdeen hunting. Now while I have no problem with the activity, it's really not my cup of tea (and details of hunting trips are verboten for my sensitive, animal-loving ears!). But I do think I have the gene, even if mine manifested in the thrill-of-the-hunt at say, Nordstrom, or even better, a discount store like Nordstrom Rack. The skills required for both activities are actually the same, when you get right down to it--you have to have a keen eye, stay focused on the prize, and be alert at all times. Same same, right?

Enter this dress. I was at my local Last Call Neiman Marcus shopping for an event when my keen intuition kicked in and I spotted this dress on the rack. It was mere moments from rack to fitting room to purchase, adrenaline pumping all the while.  I ended up wearing something else to the event, but decided to keep this dress and figure out how I could layer it so I could wear it to work (it needs tights for work too; don't worry, I'm aware of the high hemline). I think it looks far cuter with a white shirt underneath than it did without. Voila! 

Can we just talk about these booties for a minute? They are under $50, and I cannot get over the gold geometry going on on the heel. They add a little edge to any outfit, and I love that, because it's a rare day when I want straight up girly. I like to mix it up a bit, to keep you on your toes, you know?

I'm really into florals for spring, so I linked a few additional floral dresses below. 

Alright, this old lady needs to hit the hay (or watch Downton Abbey...you'll never know!). 

Thanks for reading! 

Go Big or Go Home

This jacket is my most complimented article of clothing I've ever owned. I can't tell you the number of times I've been stopped on the street, hollered at across the road ("fabulous jacket!"), or been asked if someone can pet me. And, I will be the first to admit, I EAT IT UP, hook, line, and sinker. My husband is always teasing me about my unabashed love for compliments--I seriously can't help it. This self-help book I'm reading right (Better Than Perfect; I highly recommend it) now is pointing out my incessant need for affirmation from others, which makes me feel like I should not be so desperate for people to like what I'm wearing and what I'm doing...but hey, at least I have a sense of humor about my neediness. 

It's been a crazy couple weeks for me personally, and while sometimes I feel like walking away from this blog because it can be incredibly stressful to find time to fit it in, I see a shoot like this and it completely re-energizes me. Nahal and I work so hard to get the right lighting, the right focus, hell, even the right outfits! So when I come home to find a shoot full of great photos, it makes me feel like maybe we're getting something right. 

Feel free to compliment below. :)

xoxo,

The Needy Blogger 

Shaken, Not Stirred

Happy January! I hope you are all surving this gloomy weather and the obnoxious colds that come along with it. We have been passing the cold around (sniff, sniff, give...sniff, sniff, give), but I think we're finally coming through on the other side. Here's to hoping we (and you!) are all healthy for the upcoming 3-day weekend.

I titled this post as such not because I'm busy drinking martinis, but because I feel like this vest shakes things up a bit in regards to workwear. When I ordered it online, I wasn't sure how I would style it. If I had gone out on New Year's Eve, I would have actually worn it as a dress with some tights and heels. However, given that I was sporting jammies and a robe on NYE, I had to Plan B. I wasn't sure if this vest was in fact work-appropriate, but no one batted an eye when I wore it, so I guess that's a good sign! I'm sad to say it's now sold out online; it went quickly!

Normally I don't spend my whole posts talking about my outfit, but I do want to point out my two favorite accessories of late: this Winky Designs bag and this Jackie Jones necklace. I've told you guys about Winky before, but I'm telling you again because I love their goods, and they're all so reasonably priced! Jackie Jones is a friend of my mother-in-law's, and she designs these super cool necklaces (which unfortunately aren't sold online). This one is a hit-you-over-the-head statement piece, but we all know that's my favorite kind of jewelry.

I hope you're all doing well, and I'd love to hear your plans for the upcoming holiday weekend!