Stitch Fix #13 arrived this week! I had a few specific requests for Tan this time around. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. First, let's chat about Stitch Fix. 

If you don't know about Stitch Fix (<-- Referral link!), let me give you a short synopsis. Stitch Fix is a clothing subscription service, and you decide how frequently (or infrequently!) you'd like a shipment. You'll fill out a detailed style profile about your sizes, style preferences, and budget (If nothing else, it's super fun to fill out the profile just to see where your style preferences sit!). 

Then, you decide when you'd like to receive a shipment! Stitch Fix will send you five clothing and/or accessory pieces to try on in the comfort of your own home. This is perfect for seeing if the pieces you receive will work with pieces you already have. Your Fix also arrives with detailed styling cards to give you ideas of how to wear each item. Each Fix costs $20, but that fee is credited toward anything you decide to keep. When you've decided what you don't want, you simply check out online (you have three days to do so) and mail the items back in the prepaid mailing envelope. If you keep everything, you score a 25% discount. I love that I can work with my current wardrobe to see if the new pieces will match anything I already have! 

And, if someone signs up through your referral link, you get a $25 credit to use toward your next purchase! I love this service because it really gets me out of my fashion comfort zone (which lately consists of yoga pants and nursing tank tops!). 

As a side note, I also really love Stitch Fix's customer service. My Fix arrived the same day my grandpa passed away last week. I emailed them explaining what happened and asked if they'd be willing to give me two extra days until I could get some time and energy to figure out what I wanted. They emailed me back immediately and told me to take an extra WEEK. So, so kind of them!

You can see me previous Fixes here:

Stitch Fix #1

Stitch Fix #2

Stitch Fix #3

Stitch Fix #4

Stitch Fix #5

Stitch Fix #6

Stitch Fix #7

Stitch Fix #8

Stitch Fix #9

Stitch Fix #10

Stitch Fix #11

Stitch Fix #12

This Fix was styled again by Tan, and she did an amazing job of meeting my requests. This time around, I asked for something with a scalloped detail (I love the look, but don't own anything with it!), a potential new purse, and a romper because I've been really wanting to try one! 

And now I need your help. What, dear friends, do you like the best? (Also, note the fabulously orange photos below because clearly these photos were taken in our basement. After a long day. While our son was magically asleep.)

1. Urban Expressions Marsha Bowler Satchel Bag ($54) 

I'm getting pretty desperate for a new purse since I was still using the one I was sent in 

April of 2014! I asked Tan to include one in this Fix, and she sent this one made by the same company as the previous bag. I like the color (kind of a pinky-tan) because I think it could work in any season, and the hardware is almost a rose gold, which I love. What I'm unsure about is the size (see dress photo below!). These days, I'm typically carrying a diaper bag along with my purse, and this is kind of a large bag. On the flip side, I could probably tuck a diaper and pack of wipes in this purse if we're just making a quick trip and skip the diaper bag completely at times. AND, it has a strap so I can wear it cross body, giving me an extra free hand. My husband thinks I'm convincing myself to like it because I want a new purse. What do you think? 

2. Dear John Kyleigh Straight Leg Jean ($78)

3. Daniel Rainn Marconi Embroidered Bib Top ($58)

These jeans are fabulous and fit like a glove... when they're cuffed! But when they're not cuffed, they're really kind of too short for me, especially since they're a straight leg jean. So... will I wear cuffed jeans enough? That is the REAL question here. What do you think?

The top is a GORGEOUS shade of blueish-green, and I love that it's nursing friendly, but I think the silhouette is wrong for me. It just sort of... hangs there, and it might be a little too boho for my tastes. This one is headed back! 

4. Everly Dixon Scallop Trim Dress ($64)

Oh, hi. I kind of love this dress. I've been wanting something with a scallop detail for so, so long, and this is beautiful. I love the neckline and the v in the back. And I wish so, so much that we had a summer wedding because this would be perfect! I don't really have a specific occasion to wear this too, but I'm honestly contemplating keeping it anyway because at some point I'll need it, right? 

5. Pixley Frida Romper ($68)

Oh, friends. I wanted to try a romper because I've never actually worn one before. Yeah, these do not flatter me. The pattern is super cute, but I just don't think I can actually pull this off. (To be fair, I actually like it in the picture better than I liked it on me in real life!) The top half is cute, but the bottom half... billows. 

So what do I do? Keep the dress? The bag? The jeans (and always leave them cuffed)? I just don't know. Weigh in and help me decide! 

Stuff I'm loving Saturday #16: Grandpa memories, candles, and books galore

Ahhhh, Saturday. This week has been a tough one for our family, and yet, it still brings lots of things to love.

Grandpa G

(Photo credit: OMG Photography)

My sweet grandpa passed away on Thursday at the age of 90. I will miss so much about him, but he was suffering so much at the end. When we were kids, he taught my brother and I a song in Hungarian (it was about a little boy who went in the oven and got dirty and then got in trouble by his mom... which is super odd now that I think about it!), and if we sang it to him when we saw him, he would give us a dollar. You better believe we capitalized on that! But he quite literally has one of the coolest life stories I've ever heard. He immigrated to America from German occupied Hungary after World War II. His family had been in a displaced persons camp (his father and sister both died there), and he and his mom got to America with little money and knowing no English. And yet he made an amazing life for himself. And despite being in America for almost 70 years of his life, he still never lost his accent. Love that about him. He will be missed. 

The Grotto

(Photo Credit: Cari Hughes Photography)

If you've lived in or ever visited South Bend, Indiana, there's a solid chance you've made your way to The Grotto. Located on Notre Dame's campus, The Grotto is nestled near two lakes and The Basillica. And it's easily one of my favorite places in South Bend. In college, I used to walk there with fellow Saint Mary's students whenever we felt stressed (i.e. finals). Dan and I went there a lot during our courtship and engagement. And we even visited frequently to pray for our baby during my pregnancy. I just love it there. 

Yankee Candle's Jasmine Green Tea scent

One thing I've been doing every day is adding a scent to our home. I either light a candle or turn on our Scentsy warmers, but lately my go to scent has been Jasmine Green Tea by Yankee Candle. It's light and warm and makes our house smell delicious. And these candles seriously last FOREVER! My friend Beth got us some of the large sized ones for our wedding last year, and I still haven't used them all up! So stinkin' yummy! (Pun intended.)

The Little Books Boxed Set

I try to read to Henry every day, and the past few weeks, we've been reading the Little Books Boxed Set over and over! The books tell the stories of Little Oink, Little Hoot, and Little Pea, and each of them wants something not typical for them (Little Oink wants to be clean, not messy, Little Hoot wants to go to bed early, not stay up late, and Little Pea is sad that he has to eat candy, not vegetables, for every meal). They're adorable and very cleverly written, and Henry and I both get a kick out of them! 

Four day weekends with the husband
Dan had a four day weekend over the Fourth of July, and I'm telling you, it was amazing. We both felt WAY less stressed, and it was wonderful to have the extra help with Henry. We both kept commenting that if he could have a four day weekend every weekend, we would get a ton done and probably feel much happier! If only we could become independently wealthy and BOTH be stay at home parents! 

The MUST TRY s'mores recipe I made this weekend... twice

One of my favorite parts about Fourth of July weekend is spending time with our friends and family. And the other favorite part is the food! 

This weekend, I wanted to try something new for our rib cookoff on Friday with our friends Nick and Alishia. Enter my Pinterest boards. I seem to be queen of pinning a billion recipes and never really making them. This summer, my goal has been to try one new recipe a week, and so far, I've been succeeding! This awesome recipe was no exception! 

I'm a sucker for anything s'more flavored. Coffee. Chapstick. Actual s'mores. I love them all! And this seemed like the perfect sweet treat to take to a barbecue. The recipe came together pretty quickly, and I actually had most of the ingredients already on hand! 

Adapted from rachelschultz.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1+ teaspoon vanilla (I added a touch over a teaspoon)
1 cup flour
1 cup + 1 extra shake graham cracker crumbs (I added a touch over a cup to really get a good graham cracker flavor) 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3+ Hershey bars (I used 3 plus some leftover chocolate pieces)
1 and 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Cream butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg, and vanilla together in large bowl. In a seperate bowl, stir flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. 
3. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into butter mixture. After mixing, you may need to hand knead to form in to more of a dough. 
4. Press half of dough into a greased 8x8 pan. Set chocolate bars on top. 
5. Spread marshmallow fluff over chocolate and top with remaining dough. (I use the term spread loosely, as it's really hard to spread something this sticky!)
6. Top with remaining dough. 
7. Bake 35 minutes, or until golden.

These came out totally amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I made them a second time on Saturday for a party at our best man's house! Both times I served these, they had cooled, but I'm pretty sure they'd be even better piping hot. Just don't burn your mouth on chocolatey marshmallowy goo! 

What's your go to dessert for barbecues? I'm always looking for new ideas! 

Stuff I'm Loving Saturday #15: My favorite list yet!

It's the 4th of July, ya'll! The weather in northern Indiana is near perfect this weekend, and we're planning to take advantage of it! We're also celebrating our brand new niece (born July 2) and her big brother too! I love that we now have a nephew AND a niece! 

 There are SO many things I'm loving lately, and I can't wait to share them all with you! Read on to see what my new favorite things are! 

Marcelle Cosmetics Golden Glow BB Cream

Remember a few years ago when BB creams got super popular? I tried a few, and I could NOT understand what all the fuss was about. What were these things supposed to do?! They didn't do anything for me! But then I met THIS BB Cream in my most recent Birchbox, and now I totally get it! It's light! It's airy! It offers really good coverage! It's absolutely perfect for days I want to look put together without putting on a face full of makeup (because it's summer, people!). This is the perfect addition to my makeup arsenal. 

Latched Mama

Nursing mommas, this one's for you! Anyone else struggling to find cute nursing tops? Because, we're still nursing quite a bit over here, and I'm pretty sick of the same six Target nursing tops I've been rotating. I stumbled upon this site via Facebook, and ordered a few shirts on a whim. And I'm pretty sure I could LIVE in them forever (see the tank below!). Plus, I ordered on a Tuesday and the clothes were here by Thursday. Of the same week. Amazing! The customer service is amazing, and shipping is only $5! Sold! And one of my favorite things from there is my new...

Nursing necklace
Henry loves to hold on to something when he nurses. And lately it's been my hair. And he pulls. Hard. But now, he's got an awesome teething necklace to hold on to, and it's awesome! He's happy. I'm happy. And fashionable. (See above!)

The did-do list
This is something I read about on a mom blog. The mom was talking about how she was a total to-do list person prior to her baby's birth, but afterward, her list kept getting longer and longer and it made her feel terrible for not getting things accomplished. But then she started making a did-do list -- a list of things she DID do during the day. She treated feeding the baby ten times, emptying the dishwasher, writing three thank you notes, and making dinner as the huge accomplishments they were after having a baby. I LOVE the idea of the did-do list because it allows you to look back at your day to see how much you really did get done. Even if it's only a mental did-do list, it still helps to have something to reflect on at the end of the day. 

Family time
Because really, what's not to love! :D 

What are you loving this Saturday?

July's Bock Box: Lovely and literary!

Another month is here (July! How is it July!?) and that means my latest Bock Box has arrived! This month's surprise is lovely and literary (and a gorgeous shade of green!)! 

If you haven't heard of the Bock Box, let me fill you in! The Bock Box is a subscription service of all sorts of personalized, often monogrammed, goodies had picked just for you! Courtney Bock Designs offers a variety of items for home, ladies, babies, and more. When you sign up, you'll fill out a questionnaire that asks you for your sizes, interests, hobbies, and favorite colors. From there, surprises start showing up monthly (3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions are available!). 

This is my seventh month of getting the Bock Box, and I absolutely love it! July's box contained the Drink the Wild Air tank (the green is beautiful!)! The front has an awesome little bow and arrow design on the front. As an added bonus, the back contains an awesome Ralph Waldo Emerson quote (my American Literature teaching heart sang when I saw it!)! The fit is a little bit looser than my other CBD tank, so it's perfect and airy for summer. 

I love that CBD focused on my love of reading this month! And others received great items too! My mom got the awesome Canvas Clutch with Trim and Bangle and my bestie Andrea got the gorgeous Gold Monogram Tote for carrying to all her fun summer events! 

Bock Box continues to knock it out of the park for me, and I can't wait to see what August brings! 

To run 13.1 or to not run 13.1? That is the question.

When I began running in 2009, I never EVER would have thought I would run a half marathon. On that first fateful day I ran, I went two miles without stopping, and I felt like queen of the world. 

But by the fall of 2011, I was craving more. And that was the year I signed up for the 2012 Disney Princess half marathon. It was the perfect first race. It focused on having fun and mostly catered to women. Plus, it was in Florida in February. Umm, yes! A vacation to a warm location in the middle of a northern Indiana winter? SOLD! Even though my knees were throbbing by the end, I crossed the finish line positively elated that I'd accomplished my goal. Three months later, I did it again at the Indy mini. 

And I haven't run one since. 

I wish I had a good reason. Life just got busy. Dan and I started dating seriously. And we got engaged. And we got married. And I got pregnant. And we had a baby. And now it's 2015, and I haven't been running anywhere near half marathon mileage. 

But I want to. 

I find myself having the urge to run, really run again. I want to wake up on the weekends and put in some long mileage. I want to feel that drive to go another mile. I want to embrace the soreness in my legs. I want to have a goal, a real goal that I'm trying to achieve. 

So now I have to decide. Am I going to do this? Am I going to try to commit to running with a 4-month-old baby and limited time to really train? And if the answer is yes, when and where do I run it? 

I need your advice, fellow runners. Should I do this? 

Crafting the perfect writing in three easy steps

Oh, hi! It's me! Where have I been, you ask? Surviving the four month sleep regression/growth spurt, that's where. Open mouth, insert caffeine has been my mantra for days now, but I think the light at the end of the tunnel is coming! Henry has learned SO much during this Wonder Weeks Leap, it's unreal. He's doing something new every single day, and it's SO cool to watch! 

But, that's not why I'm here today. Today I'm here to talk to you about the art of the written word. 

Writing has always come easily for me. I know I'm lucky on this account, because that's definitely not the case for everyone! And boy, have I been writing a LOT lately. 

Let's back up to about a year and a half ago. We had multiple bridal showers, and I wrote multiple thank you notes. Then we got married. More amazing gifts, more thank you notes. Then the school year started (I teach upper level high school English), and I was asked to write a lot of wonderful students their college recommendation letters. Then we started having baby showers. More thank yous. Then I wrote a bunch of scholarship letters for students. Then we had a baby and more thank yous were written. And in the past several weeks, I've been spending time writing graduation congratulations cards. 

Phew. That's a whole lotta writing right there. But I've gained some tips and tricks over the years that will hopefully help you today, so alas, I pass them on to you! 

1. Make it clear why you're writing. 
This probably seems obvious, but over and over I've seen people never mention why they're writing. A simple, "Thank you so much for the awesome thingymabob you sent me," or "It is with great pleasure that I recommend Jane Doe for admission to Best College Ever," goes a long way. Keep it simple. But start there!

2. Be genuine. 
It doesn't matter what you're writing, if it's fake, people can tell. This tip comes in most handy for writing recommendation letters. I've never said anything about a student I didn't mean. Does that mean it was sometimes mildly difficult to find a way to say Little Timmy talks a lot in class and hasn't turned in an assignment on time all year? Yes. So I would focus on other, positive things. I never wanted to write a lie. Same goes for thank you notes. So, you're  not sure you're going to use that under water basket weaving kit Aunt Sally got you? Tell her how thoughtful it was and how much you appreciate her thinking of you. Done and done. 

3. Make it personal with anecdotes. 
This is always my favorite part of letter/note/recommendation writing. Think about something that stands out to you -- a story of something a student did in class, the countless ways you've already used the gift you were given, the reason you know a person is going to be a successful graduate/parent/all around person, and write it down! It doesn't have to be an epic, life changing story to make an impact. Simply stating how a person stepped up in class with the only dissenting opinion or saying how thrilled you were that you got to see s0-and-so at the party makes your writing stand out. 

I hope these tips help with your next written communication!