Good Stuff

I had quite a bit of time on my hands in February. Here's how I spent the past month...

I became obsessed with Bohemian Rhapsody (and so did my mom). We bought it on Amazon Prime and I've watched it five times. I don't think I've ever been this enthralled with a movie. Now I can't stop listening to Queen music. Such a great band and movie. I'm so glad Rami Malek won best actor. 

I also got into a couple podcasts. I always struggle to find ones that keep my attention. I end up losing interest after a few episodes. The Drop-Out and Over My Dead Body are (completely different) true stories that keep me coming back each week.

 Lastly, a few new albums I've had on repeat... Ariana Grande, Tall Heights, and Maggie Rogers. Something for every mood between these three artists. 

Life Lately

I was MIA last week because my mom was in town! 

Brady was traveling for work last week. Thankfully, my mom was able to visit and help take care of Evie. I'm still recovering from hip surgery and slow on my feet so her help was greatly appreciated. 

Evie loooved having her stay with us. She woke up every morning asking for nana. My mom took care of her each day while I worked and we also had a few days together. Evie now begs for play-doh and "pone" (phone). She insists on "bubble clothes" during bathtime and requests lotion to put on her feet... the things she learns from nana😂

We finally had some decent weather this weekend. We got Evie back on her balance bike and played at the park. It was Brady's 31st birthday so Evie and I baked cookies (because he 's crazy and doesn't like cake). We sang HBD to dada at least a dozen times. Evie's new favorite song!

 Nana cuddles!

 Trying new oils

 Cheers (to mom being a CPA and doing our taxes)!

 Back on the balance bike

 This girl loves the park

Evie pushing me off the rock so she can jump lol

 Dada the doggy

Clothing Maintenance

To follow-up on last week's post (my wardrobe staples) I thought I would share how I take care of my clothes.

My younger self was very lazy and wasteful. I washed (and dried) everything. Therefore, I ruined/shrunk a lot of clothing which resulted in excessive turnover. I donated or threw away clothes constantly. I cringe to think about it now. 

In the past three years, I've developed a capsule-ish wardrobe. I have clothes that I actually enjoy and look forward to wearing. I often purchase multiples of the same item because I like it so much. With that said, I want these items to last so I've had to take more time and effort to look after them. I have a few guiding principles I follow now...

1 | Fold sweaters. We all know this one, but folding is annoying so I used to hang everything. I had the horrible hanger marks in my sweaters and never even thought about changing this practice. I told you... lazy. I simply had to clear off a very small section of shelf in our closet and voila - I now fold sweaters.

2 | Don't overwash. Do cashmere sweaters need to be washed after each wear? No! I don't know why I felt the need to wash everything after a singe wear. I guess I didn't know any better. I blame my mom😂 My sweaters certainly aren't "dirty" after wearing them for 9 hours at work where I've had zero physical exertion. I also tend to wear a tee under my sweaters to act as a barrier. 

3 | Purchase reusable laundry bags. I bought this set of five from Amazon for $8 and it has been a game-changer! I wash everything (cashmere, wool, silk, bras) in the washing machine. I put all my delicates in these bags. Wash on a cold, delicate cycle with gentle detergent then lay flat to dry. I only dry clean two items in my wardrobe - they're both Burberry trench coats with 5-6 parts/layers. 

4 | Take the time to use a sweater comb. I tend to wear cashmere so pilling is apart of my life. I have this sweater comb and I use it weekly, after ironing (with this iron). I really hate ironing and combing my delicates so I force myself to do it weekly so it stays manageable (usually 3-5 items). 

5 | Have stain removers on hand! I always carry a Tide-To-Go Pen in my bag. It's been used dozens of times (by myself, friends, coworkers), but there are some stains too big for the pen. Fun story - I spilt coffee down the front of my outfit at work a month ago. I was wearing a charcoal sweater and white jeans! It was everywhere. I could have died. Fortunately, I live close to where I work. I quickly drove home and covered the coffee stain in OxyClean Gel Stain Remover. I let it sit for 3 minutes while I changed into different pants then threw them into a cold wash with detergent and OxyClean powder. The stain was completely gone! I've used this combo on a lot of Evie's clothes. 

Two Years

Evie girl is officially two-years-old! 

After weeks of coaching, she can tell you "I'm two!" when you ask "How old are you?"

Evie is an absolute joy (95% of the time). She's happy, kind, and charming. She'll give you a pat on the back, stroke your cheek with her hand and whisper "I love you" before bed. It's heartwarming and manipulative. She knows the little things that will buy her more time before bed... asking for water, grabbing one more book, and showering us with affection. 

Ev has her moments that call for time-outs. We have a designated corner in the condo where she sits for 2 minutes when she's hit us or thrown something in the midst of a tantrum. She doesn't get time-outs often, but they're usually pretty effective. She takes them seriously. She will sit for the 2 minutes, but she really does not want to apologize when she's allowed out. It pains her to say "I'm sorry." It's usually whispered. 

Current favorites include coloring, babies, cleaning and Cocomelon nursery rhymes (on YouTube). Coloring has been a favorite for awhile, but she's really into bath crayons and coloring on the iPad with the Apple Pencil. Evie has become a baby fanatic in the last couple months. She wants to help all (real and doll) babies. She gives them blankies, pacis, toys. She pretends to feed them and now has stroller for her baby dolls. It's adorable. I know Evie is my child from her love of cleaning. She says "I sheen" every single day. I give her Method all-purpose spray and a rag. She sprays the floor and wipes until I take it away. Evie doesn't get much screen-time, usually just when we're traveling. She doesn't have an interest in TV, but she does request "baby" on our phones which means looking at pictures of her or Cocomelon nursery rhymes on YouTube. 

I love this stage because she's so affectionate, but also very predictable. She eats well (still obsessed with yogurt) and sleeps great. She sleeps 12 hours every night (7-7) and takes one nap (1.5-2 hours) every afternoon. She's even getting better to travel with. I thought 10-18 months were really difficult ages for travel, but the last few trips have been so much better now that her attention span is longer than 3 seconds. 

We're currently at the beginning stages of potty training. She sits on the potty 4-5 times every day at daycare, but cries every time we mention the potty at home. Her incentive is toilet paper. The girl is desperate for a couple squares of TP. Wish us luck with this one!

Weekend Update

We celebrated Evie's birthday!!

I cannot believe she's two-years-old! We kept coaching her to say "I'm two" when we asked "How old are you?" She was so confused. She kept responding with "Good!" because we usually ask "How are you?" She also couldn't stop singing Happy Birthday to herself by the end of the day😂

I baked a bunny cake like my mom used to make for my sisters and I. She kept asking to "open the rabbit" throughout the day. We gave her the entire cake expecting her to smash it, but she just scooped off all the frosting. She didn't even touch the cake. 

It was a baby and pink themed birthday. She's super excited to open presents now. She got a stroller and baby bottles, plates, spoons. She got a lot of clothes. Brady and I got her a Strider bike and new Babiators. 

 Toddler friendly wrapping by Brady

 Baby things are always a hit

 She's a good little mama

 Ready for her next present

 Eating with her baby

 Blowing out the candles (she did it!)

 Bike time!

So adorable

She was getting the hang of it pretty quickly

Putting her babies to bed

Wardrobe Essentials

Marie Kondo is taking over the world... and I'm here for it! 

Like everyone, I'm all about organization at the moment. I've tackled every inch of this condo (it's only 1200 sq ft so it hasn't been a long process). Oddly enough, the linen closet has been the most satisfying. Maybe I'll take some photos to post later because it really is👌

My closet has been a work in progress for years and it's finally to a point where I'm happy with (pretty much) everything. I've found what works for me in terms of style, color, price. If you've seen any of my "weekly wardrobe" posts then you probably picked up on my uniform... skinny pants, wool or cashmere sweater, flats or sneakers. I'm a simple girl. Here are the basics I cannot live without...

AQUA cashmere sweater

HM merino wool sweater
GAP modern tees/tanks

JCrew v-neck tees
Saint Laurent cardholder
Cuyana tote

Calvin Klein cotton blend bralette

Calvin Klein cotton blend bikini

Natori Feathers Contour bra

Hanky Panky low rise thongs

Balega socks

Rothy's loafers/flats

Adidas Ultra Boost sneakers
Lululemon Wunder Under tights

GAP joggers

Frame denim

Weekend Update

We've had terrible weather the past week! Evie's daycare was closed yesterday and today. They had reduced hours (or closed) every day last week. We have actual snow accumulation, which is the first I've seen in the four years we've lived here.

Poor Brady has two dependents to look after. I'm still on crutches for at least one more week. I nearly passed out trying to get the bandages off my stitches yesterday. Right after that, Evie threw up on our family room rug. Brady had to bathe her then clean the rug. We don't know why she vomited. No fever. Good appetite. We gave her pedialyte with a bland dinner then put her to bed early. 

Brady went the gym yesterday while Evie was napping and I told him I would understand if he didn't return😂

Evie cuddles

Making protein shakes is LOUD

This will seem like nothing to Iowans, but it's a lot for the PNW