New Purchase

So I just ordered myself a pair of snow boots.  The Uggs weren't cutting it. I definitely need something waterproof 'round these parts.  While browsing, I couldn't help but throw these babies into the cart.  I'm in love with the vintage vibe!  They're real leather and at 49 bucks--they're a steal.  

Coming soon to an outfit post near you!  Get them HERE.

Have a great weekend!

Brrrr....

 

Coat - Old Navy (green sold out) // Hat - Old Navy // Scarf - F21 (old) // Boots - DSW (old)

Yes, it's cold here in the Kansas City metro area.  We're actually expecting 2-5 inches of snow today! I can't deny--I'm loving being able to wear my current favorite coat and hat from Old Navy.  Bright side to everything, right?

Happy New Year!

The First Days

If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that we are now in the Kansas City area.  If you're not, following me on Instagram, then all I would like to know is why AREN'T you following me on Instagram??!!  Hop to it! *smile*

We got into Kansas City about 5 days ago and are currently staying in the corporate apartment hubs has been residing part-time while being back-and-forth between KC and ATL.  Our house is ready and waiting for us, but we're waiting for the truck with all of our stuff to show up before we begin staying there.

 The day we got in, the kids were pleasantly surprised to see some leftover snow that was still on the ground from a previous light snowfall.  They were so ecstatic!  This was my youngest boy's first time seeing snow ever, and was like the first time for my oldest as he was so young the last time it snowed in Atlanta that he had no recollection.

Even though the snow was fairly sparce, we found a nice patch that we were able to make a dwarf-sized snowman with.  I have to say, as much as I dislike the cold and all that comes with it including snow, it feels awesome to experience these "firsts" with my boys.

So, now we're pretty settled in until we make the next move to the house, and I've just been trying to get familiar with the area.  We don't have any New Year's Eve plans, and will just chillout and bring it in as a family.  I'm sure the boys probably won't be able to stay up until midnight, but I'll let them try!

2013 was awesome, and I have no doubt that 2014 will be even more amazing.  "Embracing change" will be my motto for 2014!

Wishing all of you the very best in the New Year!

KitchenTALK on MichiHIGHLIGHTS

Hey guys, be sure to checkout my little video "interview" on MichiHighlights!  I was stoked that she chose me as her first "out of town" guest in her series.  If you care to know a little more about me and my insight on life, family, etc.--take a gander!

Tell me what you think!

Happy Holidays

I hope you all had an awesome Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Whatever-You-Celebrate, etc!  Mine was great.  Nothing like seeing the smiles on my boys' faces on Christmas morning, especially since this is the first year that they've shown a real interest and belief in Santa Clause.  So this year was extra exciting.

Anyway, at this very moment as I'm typing, there are movers here packing up things all around me and loading it on a 16-wheeler.  The time has come to say goodbye to my beloved Atlanta.  I hope to get back to posting more often real soon!

Oh yea, I cut my hair--really cut.  A separate post/video on that soon.

Take care!

Holiday Smoky Eye

Okay, I have to be honest with you guys.  I may seem like a "girl's girl" for the most part....but I'm really kind of not.  Confession: I don't really know how to put on make-up.  I dabble a bit and am able to do what's necessary for me to look nice when stepping out, but really, I have no real skill and I find it a bit intimidating.

I've been slowly making an effort to learn get better, and when I was sent this Studio Gear Smoky Eye Holiday palette, I has happy to have something else to practice with.  This palette truly has everything you need to achieve the perfect smoky eye, and I love how it comes with "instructions" of sorts.  It definitely came in handy!

The end result, I was pretty happy with.  This was my first try.  The camera's flash sort of washed out some of the "smoky-ness" (I promise it was there), but I'm sure the next go 'round I will get it right!  I truly do appreciate the dramatics of a true smoky eye and think it's perfect for those holiday events.  Wish me luck that I get it down pat before I have to step out in my party dress later this month.

By the way, the blush color is PERFECT.  I may make this my go-to blush.

Studio Gear Cosmetics is offering my readers 10% off their purchases by using the discount code: SGHOLIDAY at checkout.  Be sure to take a look at their products at www.StudioGearCosmetics.com.  They have all of your beauty needs! I look forward to reviewing some of their other stuff!

Hope your weekend is going well!

*This is a sponsored post, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Rainbow Bright

So, I feel like I haven't shown my face 'round these parts in a minute, so here's a little outfit post I conjured up for ya. *smile*  Everything but two items in this post are fairly old.  The colorful dress is by XOXO and I bought it off of Amazon for a steal at 13 bucks a couple months back.  It's still for sell, but for a higher price from another seller.  Ah well.  The jacket I've had forever as well.

The two new items in this post are the new infinity scarf from Old Navy (that I adore), and the black leather satchel (that I also adore maybe more than the scarf) from Nine West.  Let me just say this...I have NEVER been one of those huge satchel/shopper/tote carrying kind of girls.  This right here is my very first "tote" bag and I am now officially an old lady a convert.  I love that I can fit EVERYTHING in this thing--my stuff, kid stuff, diapers, my camera, etc.  Did I mention, that I've also thrown in my MacBook from time to time??  I knew I wanted a large bag, and the only bags I would consider were bags that also had a long strap to wear over the shoulder or "crossbody style" and this fit the bill.  The leather is heavy and of excellent quality as well.  I've never purchased bags from Nine West before, and I have to say that I'm impressed.  The price was pretty reasonable to me at $199 (it's on sale for $139 now!).  It's not cheap--but it also won't cost you what a Michael Kors, Coach, etc. would be either.  I'm all for happy mediums!  By the way, I must give Melissa of Melissa's Sweet Style a shout out because I saw this purse in one of her style posts which is what caused me to go looking for it online.

Scarf - Old Navy //  Jacket - Forever 21 //  Dress - XOXO via Amazon

Tights - Target //  Boots - Shoe Dazzle //  Bag - Nine West
Lip Color - Wet n 'Wild MegaLast in Cherry Bomb

Happy Hump Day!

P.S.  They have more colors of the infinity scarves in the store than what I see on OldNavy.com

What I'm dealing with...

This is what I'm currently dealing with at the moment.  My body is in shock.  Reality is finally hitting me regarding this move, and I can't deny that some of the excitement has waned.  Ah well.

There is some good news in all this----we're under contract!  We did find another house and are now under contract.  So now the "fun" begins.  The next month will be filled with preparing for and getting the actual move done.  I'm going to fly the kids down to the Bahamas and leave them there with hubs' family and come back and get it all done.  We will then reward ourselves by going back to the Bahamas in time for Christmas and New Years, and plan to soak up as much of the sunshine as we can before heading back to Kansas.  My posts will probably slow down considerably while all this is occurring, but I hope to get a few things up and keep you all updated on the latest.  I actually have a quick outfit post that will be up this week, so look out for that!

Have a great week!

EAT :: Chick-a-Biddy

First off, how can you not like a name like "Chick-a-Biddy"??!  Second, you'll like it even more after you've had the food!

A few days ago, a friend and I decided to meet up for a late lunch.  Because it was a nice day, we decided to head over to Atlantic Station, since it always provides such a nice atmosphere as well as after-lunch shopping.  We decided to eat at a place we hadn't tried before and settled on Chick-a-Biddy.  Chick-a-Biddy and it's sister restaurant, Bantam & Biddy are the brain child of two known Atlanta chefs, Shaun Doty (of "Yeah! Burger" and former owner/head chef of "Shaun's", what was an excellent restaurant) and Lance Gummere.

Chick-a-biddy boasts that it only serves "farm fresh chicken", but it also has a lot of other items on the menu as well.  My friend chose the fried chicken with mac-n-cheese and sweet potato fries.  I, however,  decided on the piri piri chicken with mac-n-cheese and sauteed Brussels sprouts.  Let me tell you, all of it was good....but those Brussels sprouts were thee best Brussels sprouts I'd ever had in life.  The mac-n-cheese looks sort of "regular", but it was really good as well.  Last, the chicken was flavorful and I liked the piri piri spices.  My friend said that her fried chicken was winning as well.

The only negative--I do not go to restaurants to be served wine in stemless glasses!  Even though, it's a casual restaurant, I just have something against drinking out of stemless wine glasses when I'm out on the town.

I didn't get any photos of the restaurants interior because we decided to eat on the patio.  The patio is really nice and is in a good spot for people watching. The inside decor is really cute, and reminds me of places in Miami.  It has a very modern styling with a white & orange color scheme.

I look forward to going back and trying some of the other menu items.  If you're ever in Atlanta, go hang out in Atlantic Station and definitely give Chick-a-Biddy a try!

EAT :: Cupcakes!

They just make people happy, no?

If you're in Atlanta--go get your happy on at CamiCakes.

Pom

I juiced a pomegranate today for the first time.  It was relatively easy and it was delicious!  Some of the health benefits of pomegranate juice are:

• Most powerful anti-oxidant of all fruits
• Potent anti-cancer and immune supporting effects
• Inhibits abnormal platelet aggregation that could cause heart attacks, strokes and embolic disease
• Lowers cholesterol and other cardiac risk factors
• Lowers blood pressure
• Shown to promote reversal of atherosclerotic plaque in human studies
• May have benefits to relieve or protect against depression and osteoporosis
• Good for your teeth.  Rich in polyphenolic flavonoids—compounds with antibacterial properties—pomegranate juice has been found to be just as effective as prescription mouthwash at ridding the mouth of plaque, the bacteria that causes cavities and gingivitis.

You should definitely give it a try!

Have a great weekend!

Taupe'd

Taupe is sort of a "somber" color.  It's unassuming and quiet. Kind of like my mood today, go figure.  It's also pretty classy.  It can make even a stand-out print like snake print seem demure.  

I got these jeans (though they feel more like pants) on sale from Old Navy for 17 bucks.  Here, they fit right in with fall/winter wear, but I also like that these will also fall right in line with my spring/summer wardrobe with ease, as well.  I'm all for versatility!  I topped it all off with this "floppy" hat I'd bought from Target weeks ago.  I'm just wearing it now because it doesn't fit my head when my hair is curly.  #BigHairProblems

Sweater - Thrifted // Denim shirt - Target (here) // Hat - Target (here)

 Pants - Old Navy (on sale! here) // Boots - Target (old) 
Bag - MARC by Marc Jacobs (here)

Now back to that mood, I'd mentioned above... 

^^^This, my friends, is the face of a disappointed woman.  We thought we'd found "our" house.  Unfortunately, someone else found the same house a few hours before we did.  What a bummer.  We did have a "second place" house, but in reality--who really wants second place?  So we passed on putting an offer on that one.  We instead want to find another #1 (to us) house!  So the cycle starts all over again.  At least now we have an idea of exactly what we're looking for.  New listings are always added to the market daily, and we're on a mad scramble.  Wish us luck....again.  

Happy Hump Day!

Check out my interview!

Hey gals (and guys)!  Head over to a quick interview I did on "Doing Me: Mind, Body, & Spirit" blog.  I've been following this blog for quite some time and have always enjoyed how each post is filled with something inspiring or encouraging.  The blog owner, Kirt, is also what I consider a "fab mom" as well! So, I am quite honored to be featured there.  Go take a looksee HERE.

A Kansas Halloween

We're currently in Kansas City (actually Johnson County which is on the Kansas side) for a few days house hunting.  We're hoping we find something we love as soon as possible so that when we make the move, we can skip the step of living in a corporate rental while we looking for said place to live.  Because we just happened to be here on this date, I guess you can say this is officially our first Halloween spent in Kansas.  We hung out with some friends and took the kiddos trick or treating!  They had a blast.  And if you couldn't tell, the little Power Rangers belong to me.  They were accompanied by what I was calling, "The Princess and the Frog", but I think he was actually a dragon.  haha  And let's not forget Mr. Banana.

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!  This was the first Halloween in like 7 years that I didn't dress-up.  So I intend to make-up for it next year, definitely.  Cross fingers for us that we find our house!

Bob.

I posted this picture on Instagram a couple days ago, and just thought I'd let you guys know where to get this Bob Marley t-shirt, in case you're interested.  I bought mine for $12.99 in store at Target, but they are on sale for 10 bucks on Target's website!  This is a men's shirt.  I bought it in size small and then cut the neckline into a boatneck shape--and that was it!  Grab them while they're hot!

Bob Marley Tee found HERE.

Have a great weekend!

*tweet tweet*

You guys already know how much I love "animal prints", especially the atypical ones, i.e. animals in print.  So of course, when I saw this sweater at Old Navy, I couldn't resist.  It didn't hurt that it was on sale, either! They have a few variations with other animals, which I was tempted to grab.  I resisted the urge--as I usually jump on a trend, over buy said trend, and then at a later time catch myself wondering "What is all this junk in my closet?!"  So I tried to spare myself.  I'm still debating that fox, though.

I finished off the look with cropped jeans and the cutest shoes I'd gotten a few weeks ago from DSW.  Yes, they are almost identical to a shoe that Zara use to sell a couple seasons ago.  I wasn't able to snag them before they'd sold out at Zara and have been keeping my eye out for a pair that were similar (or in this case, identical).  Also, unlike the Zara version, these are real suede, yet were similarly priced. Yay me!

Sweater - Old Navy // Jeans & Bag - F21 // Shoes - DSW // 

Earrings - c/o Sweenee Style // Watch - Michael Kors

By the way, aren't these handmade earrings great?!  I am totally smitten with all things African Ankara/Wax print and that's what these remind me of.  I won them via a giveaway from a fashion blog that I follow--Sweenee Style.  I love her looks, so be sure to check her out!

Feeling Blue...

Red Carpet Manicure in "Who Are You Wearing".

GO :: Georgia Wine Country

So now that the countdown begins on our move from my beloved Atlanta, hubs and I decided there are some things that any resident of Atlanta should go/see/do at some point.  Since our time here has now been cut short, we're going to be checking some things off of that list.

Something I've always wanted to do, but just had never gotten around to it is go check out Georgia's "wine country".  Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia and stretching all the way over as far as Savannah, this "wine country" is home to a significant number of vineyards.  We visited two vineyards in Dahlonega, Georgia which were Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery and Frogtown Cellars.  Wolf Mountain is one of the more popular vineyards.  They have gorgeous grounds and a cafe with amazing food.  Maybe because this was a holiday weekend, Wolf Mountain was wayyyyy too crowded for us.  It detracted from the ambiance a bit, so we moved on rather quickly.  We decided to hit up Frogtown and it was quite a treat.  They were busier than usual too, but it was a bit more manageable.  So we spent the rest of the afternoon, noshing on small plates and partaking in some wine tasting.  It was just so nice.  I really do cherish moments like these with my husband, as we don't get "alone time" as much as would like.  The backdrop of the mountains along with the beautiful scenery of the vineyard below gave us the perfect casual but romantic atmosphere.

We really liked a some of the wines that we'd tasted and left with a few bottles.  It was a great day. *smile*

And yes, I'm wearing those pants again--and, no, I don't care how that looks.  They are my faves. *chuckle*

By the way, check out this movie called "Sideways".  It came out in 2004 and won an Oscar.  It's a funny, quirky film that we enjoyed.  We happened to watch it a couple weeks ago, and that is what gave us the nudge to make this quick little roadtrip.  We're actually planning a trip to California wine country, too!

Kansas anyone?

Last week, me and the fam took a quick trip to Kansas City.  It was actually a work-related trip for my hubs (and I guess us too).  In the past, I've made a couple posts talking about a possible move in our future.  Moving to the Bahamas (where hubs is from) was contemplated, and then found out about some opportunities in other cities at hubs' company.  We actually thought we were going to end up in Houston, Texas--but as it turns out, Kansas City came a callin'.  I know, I know....I was a bit apprehensive too when I was asked "How would feel about living in Kansas City?", but after our trip I do feel a lot better about it.  It is actually a really nice town.  Who knew?!  We don't plan to live in KC indefinitely, hopefully the things my husband wants to get accomplished happens in a few years tops.  I know I will be missing the climate and diversity of the south. *tear*

Anyway, here are pics of our trip.

My boys are seasoned travelers. lol

Lobby

We stayed at this hotel/resort-ish place called Great Wolf Lodge.  It was pretty cool and super family-friendly.  As you can see, it is set up to look like, well...a lodge.

Lobby

In the rooms, they have this little "cave" area with bunk beds for the kids.  My boys LOVED them.  We're actually going to upgrade their toddler beds to bunk beds after we move.  My youngest (who still crawls into our bed in the middle of the night) stayed in his little bunk the whole night every.single.night we were there!  So yea, bunk beds are in the works.

Did I mention, that there is an indoor water park at Great Wolf Lodge?

The water park was huge!

Also, in Kansas City, there is this huge shopping district called The Plaza.  It is 15 blocks of shopping and more shopping, and eating!!  It was this area that sealed the deal for me.  Not only because of the shopping and eating, but because the area is modeled after Seville, Spain.  The Spanish style architecture is gorgeous, and there are statues and fountains scattered throughout.  This gave me a little bit of a nostalgic feeling of my living in Miami days.

You can't go to Kansas and not eat any Kansas barbeque!

By the way, the fountain water is pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I think they should keep it that way year around!

I look forward to keeping you all posted on the big move.  Happy Tuesday!

*NikG*

Hair Talk & Colgate SlimSoft

Just thought I'd switch things up and post a video!

Product was provided by Colgate.  All opinions are my own.