NCsquared Life got a face lift!

I’m loving the new logo font, the new colors, and all of the simple, clean lines. I hope you continue to enjoy reading as much as we continue to enjoy sharing.

Feel free to let us know what you like and dislike about the redesign. We welcome your constructive criticism.

Salutations!

For today’s Sunday Morning Serenade, I’m sharing the song I’ve been listening to on repeat all week: “Stay the Night” by Zedd featuring Hayley Williams. Seriously, I’ve been listening to it over and over and, somehow, I’m still not tired of it. I love the line,”Don’t dull the sparkle in your eyes” because I think it’s great advice.

This Week’s Top 5 Things (that make me happy):

1. Autumn. It’s my favorite season and it’s finally here in full swing. There’s a constant chill in the air and I can comfortably wear a blazer all day. There are leaves and pumpkins and apple cider. Lots to love this time of year.
2. Booties. Yes, it’s finally boots weather. This year I’m embracing booties/ankle boots in my wardrobe. Up until now, I’ve owned one pair of gray booties that I’ve only worn a few times. I got two new pairs over the weekend so don’t be surprised if you see them on the blog very often.
3. Clean sheets. Really, there’s nothing better than clean, warm sheets on your bed. Maybe it’s just my imagination but I think I sleep better when the sheets are fresh out of the dryer. Mia really likes them, too, because she curls up right in the middle of the pile before I even have a chance to make the bed.
4. Long walks. At least once a week we try to take the dogs for a long walk around the neighborhood. Not only is it good exercise for them (and us), but it allows Nick and I time to contemplate life choices and have great conversations that we’re sometimes too busy to do during the week.
5. Mexican food. It’s at the top of my list of my favorite foods (second only to Sushi) and we just discovered a new Mexican restaurant that opened up near our house. We had dinner there last night and it was delicious. The gorditas were authentic and the pinto beans were so flavorful. It might be my new favorite place.

Photo of the Week:

Look at this beautiful sky! How could one not love nature?

The Sunday Morning Serenade series is where I present you with music and a list of happy things to help start your week off on a positive note.

Vest: Old Navy | Sweater: Banana Republic | Jeans: Banana Republic | Shoes: Rocket Dog via Zappos | Pearl Necklace: Francesca’s |Feather Necklace and Bracelet: Old Navy

I’m wearing my white puffy vest again! I almost didn’t get it when I saw it in the store because I was afraid it would get dirty and that it wouldn’t go with much. I had the same fear about the white vest as I did with white pants but I’m realizing just how well it goes with just about everything! And, unlike white pants, I love pairing it with dark colors.

I decided to switch out the dark denim for these lighter washed Old Navy jeans and rolled them up at the bottom. I think I like this look better than the long jeans because you it shows off the shoes, and the rolled bottoms add a nice balance to the sweater and vest.

Would you wear a puffy white vest?

This year I’ve been busy with grad school and Nick is busy at work so Halloween was very last minute.  This is why I’m just now getting around to posting about it (and putting away decorations) on November 7th. We might be a little more on top of our game next year, but I won’t make any promises.

Our costumes were inspired by the movie Pitch Perfect. I love that movie! If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and go watch it right now. I’ll wait. Or you can just watch this clip:

Luckily, Nick likes it a lot, too (we don’t always have the same tastes in movies) so I was able to convince him to dress up as a Barden University Treblemaker and I went as a Barden Bella. And it was aca-awesome!

How To Get The Look

The Barden Bella uniform is pretty standard: white, sleeveless button front; navy cap-sleeved blazer, navy pencil skirt, yellow paisley scarf and black heels. Oh, and don’t forget the microphone!

Button-Front: JC Penny | Blazer: Saks Fifth Ave (on major sale) | Skirt: Target | Shoes: Target (really old) | Scarf: Michael’s

The Treblemaker uniform was even easier in that all Nick had to do was find a maroon/red jacket, gray tshirt, jeans, and a patch.

He had to make the patch out of red and yellow felt that he purchased at Michael’s. Using a photo he found online, he cut the Treblemaker symbol out of the felt and then pinned it to the jacket. I think it turned out really well!

 The best part is that I can rock the blazer and skirt in job interviews after school!

BONUS: Since I wasn’t really blogging last year, I’ll leave you with a blurry photo of our costumes last Halloween; we were R2D2 and C3P0 from Star Wars:

We spray painted an old suit gold and wrapped a cumber bun in red and white plastic to achieve the C3P0 look and Nick painted R2D2’s details onto a white cotton dress for me.

So, please stay tuned….