do you dbrie?

to say i'm proud of my friend is an understatement. life has dealt her some crazy curve balls, but she has overcome each obstacle and pushed forward. she uses her bruises to make herself better, never taking her eyes off her goal of being a designer and owning her own company.... both of these goals have (and continue to) come to fruition. 

honestly, this girl has more creativity in her pinky than most people have in t heir entire bodies. she's so good. 

yes, i might be biased, but just take a look at her work. or maybe you saw her on Deco Drive recently... or maybe you've seen one of her fashion shows... or maybe you own a bathing suit of hers. 

love this dress by Danielle Pinder, owner/creator/designer of dbrie.

{dress: dbrie // wood & gold bracelets: lovestrung // shoes: target}

   

regression session

been trying to put these thoughts into words for a few weeks... ever since Lyla started waking up every 3 - 4 hours again at night (she hasn't done this since she was newborn). 

it's amazing how many life lessons God has revealed to me through the birth of my daughter. there are at least a handful i could mention, but most are pretty common ones other parents often talk about.

this lesson, however, i feel is a little more unique. maybe you can relate?

i am notorious for not enjoying the moment or current season of my life - this was painfully pointed out to me by my loving husband. i fully acknowledge this fault and try to be conscious of it... BUT LIFE, MAN!

now as i ride through this being-a-mommy season, again i find myself looking back OR looking too far ahead.

here's how God showed me up ///

sometimes, we have to be dragged backwards in life to be able to see how far we have come, the doors God has opened, or the fortuitous path we have carved. this was made clear to me though my baby these past few weeks. she had been sleeping 8 - 10 hour stretches at night and while i recognized her achievement, i still wasn't happy... i wanted a FULL night of sleep. why? because other mommies said their babies could do it, so why not mine. (it hurt to write that.)

then four months came knocking and we hit the dreaded (according to Google) Four Month Regression. supposedly this is very common for most babies. they wake more and eat more due to changing REM cycles and evolving motor skills.... OH!!!!!!

all of a sudden, i found myself praying for those 8 - 10 hour stretches of sleep to return. as i sat there feeding Lyla in the middle of the night, it dawned on me that this regression session might not be as necessary for Lyla as it was for ME. i needed this slap up side the head to stop and be present in the moment. just be. just enjoy. just thank God for the blessings instead of consistently wanting something more.

hopefully this regression will end soon and we can all resume our normal sleep schedules. in the mean time i will be grateful for what is good and full of His grace.

oh, and a husband who knows me too well. {insert cheesy wink face here}

   

stars & stripes //

got dressed this morning in an attempt to match Lyla and ended up matching my shower curtain instead.... so naturally i documented the moment.

stars: Marshalls
stripes: Zara
jeans: cut from an old pair of Levi's

{{literally sneezed here}}

just because...

fun times in the backyard with these easy going jeans from old navy (in darker color) on super sale. just because...

sunnies: ray ban, scarf: from south africa, shirt: gap, jeans: old navy & shoes: zara

   

the unexpected.

one of the funnest things to do with your closet of clothes is mix the unexpected. you know... like putting a sequence shirt with ripped denim and heels or placing a glitzy statement necklace with a t-shirt and adidas original sneakers.

the pioneer of this activity has to be Leandra Medine of famed blog, Man Repellar. her idea of mixing the unexpected is layering a mui mui skirt with fitted skinny jeans and valentino heels - she nails it every time. sadly, my collection of designer pieces and overall closet budget is just not as extravagant as ms. medine's.

no worries! there is still tons of fun to be had in the budgeted closet. for this post i wore this new fabletics tee (it's really meant for a little sweat or yoga), my over-sized old navy shorts, custo barcelona jacket (found this gem at kimberly boutique in West Hartford, CT), steve madden booties, and my fave turquoise necklace i got on a trip to England with my cousin, Grace.

hooray for unexpected finds in your own closet!

   

chilly VS cold

since moving back to miami from connecticut, i've realized that it's only ever mildly cold here when the northeast is being blasted with a snow storm.

this last storm (juno?) that came thru had my husband and i thinking, "do we miss it?"
and by "it" i mean the storm, the snow, the cold.
and the answer we came to was, yes.
and we recognize that's a bit nutty sounding.

there's just something about the idea of an impending storm. when the snow starts to fall you feel like you're in a snow globe and nothing else exists. the day after you're in a winter wonderland... and all of this while freezing your bum off.

{{i'll just fail to mention all the not so magical parts like power failures and snow covered cars}}

so in honor of the freezing cold up north, i pulled on a sweater and scarf. burrrrr!

scarf: zara (similar)
sweater: target
pants: purchase in South Africa a while back
shoes: birkenstock

   

tomorrow's another day.

in my last trimester of pregnancy I did some extensive research, reading, and general questioning of and about how to care for a baby. the knowledge I gained was vast and at times very overwhelming, but always helpful.

however, there's this one piece of easy going advice that really stuck with me:

"if the day doesn't go well, you fall off schedule, or baby is not co-operating... breath and remember tomorrow is another day... you can just start over."

the source of this tidbit was referring to an eating/sleeping cycle for baby, but i've started applying it to other aspects of life. 

the statement is true in terms of baby; they are a clean slate in the morning so start fresh. BUT we too are clean slates in the morning. so brush it off and start a new. 

obviously, some messes we make are bigger than others and take more dusting in order to "start fresh", but it can (and at times must) be done.

i try to remind myself of this mindset every time Lyla doesn't go to bed exactly on schedule, OR i have a really bad day in general due to hormones, people, personal expectations and/or uncontrollable circumstance. 

so far this little thought process is working for me ...if you need it, try it too!

   

a popped collar.

got this Michael Kors shirt from my mom's closet.
i love the color and especially love the way the collar stands up.

these days getting dressed needs to be as simple as possible - dressing my lil lady is way more important! so ease and effectiveness is key for me.

too bad you can't wear gym clothes everyday and everywhere.

had some fun with this...