Autumn:

If I've learned anything about my style from this move, it's that 1 - I have too many clothes and 2 - I keep things fairly simple.

Our bedroom has been in disarray since we moved in. Specifically my closet once it became the storage space for our contractor during the master bathroom renovation. There are a couple boxes of clothes that have yet to get unpacked. And guess what, I haven't missed much. I'm sure there are some cute tops, shorts, light sweaters, etc waiting to be discovered in these boxes. But I can't tell you what they look like! So that tells me one thing, I don't need them. Don't worry, they'll be getting donated.

But isn't it funny that mentally cleaning out my closet can lead to a few new purchases? How horrible is that?! Some Fridays at work are more productive than others. Last Friday? Awful. Hey, it was my anniversary and all I wanted to do was get to our dinner reservations! So when I decided to scan the promotional emails instead of immediately delete, it was clear to see that everyone is having sales. Major sales. 50% off JCrew Factory, yes please! I ordered #2 & #3 below and threw in a new pair of jeans for J to make him feel good about my spending. What?

 1 / 2 / 3

Then I learned that Old Navy was having quite the in-store sale (30-50% off). So somehow I conveniently ended up near one over this long-weekend and snagged a new vest and some long sleeve cotton T's. My definition of autumn this year is cozy. That's how I want to feel; bundled up and cozy. 

These purchases definitely fall under my keep it simple style. 

How would you define your style this season?

In the Spring & Summer I think my style is definitely more fun and bright. But this fall has me leaning towards more neutrals and cozy layers.


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Cheers to 4 Years.

It's hard to believe that four years have gone by since our wedding. 4 years! I think, and more importantly I hope, that our wedding day will always feel like it was just yesterday.

Playing along with my typical fun facts Friday, here are 5 of the best memories we have together to date:

1. We've been lucky enough to have traveled both 5,000 miles west to Hawaii and 3,500 miles east to Morocco. Rich in memories, not savings is best right? ;)

2. We rescued this little guy. Best.decision.ever. Well, behind saying yes to J.

3. We've celebrated the weddings of our brothers and sister. One brother to go!

Meg & Dan / Jackie & Adrian / Natalie & Greg

4. We bought our first place together in the city. Sold said place, and have now started a life in a house in the suburbs.

5. And most importantly, we've had so much fun! I can't picture my life with anyone else. And I am so excited to see what the future brings.

And baby, the way you move me it's crazy

It's like you see right through me

And make it easier

Believe me, you don't even have to try

Oh because, you are the best thing

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

Ever happened to me

Baby, we've come a long way, baby

You know, I hope and I pray that you believe me

When I say this love will never fade away

Oh because, you are the best thing

You are the best thing

You are the best thing

Ever happened to me

Cheers to our lifetime together.

xoxo

What I Wore: Wedding Style, Part III

Sadly, our wedding season has come to an end. So this will be my last What I Wore recap of Wedding attire. I had so much fun finding the right outfit for each and every wedding we went to this summer. And my curling iron sure got a workout! This seemed to be the year of wearing my hair down to weddings. Something I never used to do.

Wedding #1

Dress: Calvin Klein (via Rue La La), on sale here

Necklace: Monogram from Etsy (gift)

Bracelet: Target

Watch: Michael Kors

Shoes: Ralph Lauren (via TJ Maxx years ago)

Original wedding recap here

Wedding #2

Dress: Nordstrom

Necklace: C. Wonder (borrowed!)

Bracelets: Alex & Ani

Watch: Micahel Kors

Lips: Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain

Original wedding recap here

I actually had all intentions of wearing my hair up to this wedding but thought I'd be sweet and ask J what he'd prefer. He said down. Welp, so glad I went out and bought the bobby pins I forgot to pack. You can never have too many of those though, right?

What's your wedding style?

I've realized that I tend to stick to simple dresses, no pattern or busy print. Weird, huh? I'm not really sure why because I always love the fun dresses I see on others. Maybe I'll branch out next year. :)

If you missed the past wedding wear recaps, you can find them here and here.

Until next year wedding season!

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Linking up with What I Wore Wednesday, Three-fer Thursday

Fall Home Maintenance

This weekend was all about getting things done around the house again. With the bathroom renovation nearly done, the construction crew finally cleaned up and removed the ram board floor protector used to cover our hardwood floors. So you better believe I got those new floors back to their shiny self! There was a lot of sweeping, vacuuming, and steam cleaning around the house this weekend. And a bit of gardening and clean up outside as well. Couldn't have been happier to have a front porch to decorate!

But as we head into the fall months, there are certain maintenance projects we need to do that we can't exactly do ourselves. One room I cannot wait to spend time in this coming winter is our living room. I haven't had a fireplace since we moved when I was in the 5th grade. I envision myself curled up under a blanket, reading or enjoying a hot drink by the fire this winter.

Before we use our fireplace though, it's really important that we have it cleaned. If it's anything like the rest of the home we've taken on, it may not have been deep cleaned for quite some time. So for safety's sake, we've decided to hire the pros (you can't really DIY chimney cleaning/sweeping). I should point out that the more often you use your fireplace, the more often you want to get it cleaned. Ash buildup is no joke - we're talking the possibility of chimney fires and carbon monoxide leaks. Scary stuff.

While this may not be the cheapest home service, it's a necessary one. The average cost in the Boston area could run you about $350, but like I said, it's a necessary maintenance expense. You can read more here.

In order to find a chimney sweeper in the area, I filled out the pre-screened pro service request on Homeadvisor's website. Guys, it was so easy! And possibly even better? There was no initial profile set-up, mandatory registration, or annual fee to use their service. Now that is my kind of website.

After looking through the list of professional's in our area, we chose one we felt confident with and have scheduled our cleaning. While I may not be ready for winter weather yet, I'm excited knowing we'll have a clean, safe fireplace to use.

Zip code and town removed for our personal privacy.

If you're looking for a chimney cleaner in your area, click here. And get this done before the cooler temperatures hit!

Home Maintenance

Do you have a few other maintenance projects you need to get done? Another one on our list is cleaning the gutters and downspouts. There are a lot of leaves out there. Oh, you too? Check out this profile to learn more on what you can expect to pay in the Boston area.

And best of luck to all you homeowners / house renters out there! As we're learning, home maintenance is no joke!

Disclosure: I've teamed up with HomeAdvisor this month as part of their Blog Ambassador Program. Although this post is sponsored by HomeAdvisor, all opinions expressed are my own.

Fun Fact Friday 10.04.13

Hellooo Friday! This work week wasn't too crazy busy for me which was refreshing. Although I'm still exhausted by Friday, how does that work? I was able to have dinner with my longest group of girlfriends this week and I so cherish these times. We may not be able to get together all that often, but when we do we pick right back up where we left off. There's nothing like friends who have known you since elementary school, some even longer! Yikes.

So here's what we've got going on over here:

1. I've deemed this weekend, let's see how much we can get done without spending any money. Somehow weekends have been adding up too easily for us lately. I mean I know why, paint, lawn care, Home Depot trips, etc but it's time to start making do.

2. Except I am giving myself a small budget for mums, pumpkins, and the like. I must decorate our front porch. And I can't wait.

3. Goodbye remaining yellow kitchen! Here's a peak:

4. Last weekend the weather was so nice that I decided to open the double doors in our kitchen. During the summer it was SO hard to open but now that the weather has cooled off a touch, the lock on the left door is much more manageable. I only have so much strength in my fingers! I made Tucker be my model. It made such a difference having both doors open.

5. Oh, and good boy no longer. We left the doors open while we got things done. Tucker has been great about hanging in the yard and coming in when he wants to. Well apparently he got a little too bored, and I didn't check on him soon enough. Suddenly he was gone! Very thankful he does come when we call him. And he came strolling down the road! Ugh. You've lost your privileges Tucker.

Well, that's about all we've got going on around here lately. A bit boring. But tonight we are heading into the city to meet up with a group of high school friends. I can't wait.

What are you up to this weekend?

Will you be decorating for Fall too? Send me some inspiration!

Have a fantastic weekend!

If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!

Linking up with H54F, That Friday Blog Hop, Friday Favorites

What I Wore: Wedding Style, Part II

I realize my outfit posts have been few and far between lately. Honestly, my closet is covered in a layer of dust, half of my sweaters still aren't unpacked, and neither are my fall shoes/boots. Until our bathroom renovation is done, my daily work wear isn't all the exciting. It's more of a what's not wrinkled/ what's not covered in dust decision lately. I'm hoping to have an hour or two this weekend to get out my cooler clothes and put away the summer ones. Oh and clean up the contractor's mess! Ugh.

So until then, I'd love to share the rest of my wedding outfits this week and next. If you missed my first recap, you can find it here. As I've mentioned before (and recapped here and here) we had two weddings Labor Day Weekend. Not only did I love the weddings themselves, but I just loved the dresses I was able to wear. One thing I can recommend now, tailoring. It makes such a difference. And depending on what you need done, it can be reasonably priced.

Wedding #1

 Dress: Lily Pulitzer (via Rue La La)

Tip: I googled the dress name before buying since it was a clearance, final sale item and found many reviews. Including, and most helpful, Rent the Runway where reviewers can leave photos of themselves in the dress (here). This was incredibly helpful!

Wedding #2

Dress: Modcloth

I didn't do so well getting photos of my dress at this wedding. Especially since the back is the best part! Check the link above.

With so many weddings this year, I only bought dresses if they were reasonably priced, on sale, etc. The final sale deals on Rue La La can be totally worth it if you know what size you need (since they're usually final sale).

What's your favorite shop/site to buy dresses?
My go-to's tend to be J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, Rue La La


If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!

Sending a Smile

I'd love to start this post by saying earlier this month but I guess I can't. How is it October?! Insanity. During September, I found out about the site Cardstore. I don't know about you, but I really enjoy sending out greeting cards when I get the chance. Who doesn't love getting a card in the mail?! They tend to be less frequent due to staying in touch through e-mail, text messages, and social media so they're even more surprising these days. Good old fashion snail mail.

Well Cardstore lets you personalize a card through their website and send it right off to a recipient. The minute I found out about this, I knew exactly who I wanted to send a card to - my Nona. She's someone I don't get to see as often as I'd like to and knew how delighted she'd be to receive a card in the mail.

I asked my mom to e-mail me a few photos of fun memories with Non that I'd be able to use and chose from one of the many thinking of you photo cards.

Here are a couple screen shots of the website I took. It was so easy to use!

Since this was the first card I was making on Cardstore's site, I decided to have it shipped to me first so I could see the final result. 

What do you think?!

For under $4 plus the cost of postage, you can send a personalized card to anyone you'd like. How fun is that?! I'm excited to give this site another go soon. I don't know about you, but I have the hardest time finding cards I like at the store these days. So sending a more personalized one, that doesn't flat out say "to someone special," is right up my alley.

Disclosure: I received a promotional code to send one free personalized card of my choice. But all opinions expressed are my own.