Nikki by example - Just a girl trying to lead by example
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Nikki by example - Just a girl trying to lead by example
  • Home
  • Style
  • Health
  • Motherhood
  • Travel
  • Extras
    • DIY
    • Food
    • Music
  • About Nikki
    • Our DIY Wedding
Hobby•Life

Orange Wines

June 7, 2019 by Nikki No Comments

Have you ever heard of orange wine?

Durham has an amazing little wine bar downtown called Bar Brunello. The owner, Esteban, is the real deal, having received a “Rising Star Sommelier Award” from the New York-based culinary magazine StarChefs and having trained with the International Sommelier Guild. It was here that Nick and I first discovered – and ultimately fell in love with – orange wines.

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Baby•Life•Motherhood

Labor Day Weekend 2018

September 5, 2018 by Nikki No Comments

Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer.

We were invited to my friend’s wedding in Wilmington, NC over Labor Day Weekend this year and decided to turn it into an end-of-summer family vacation. We brought Nick’s mom, brother and sister-in-law with us. We played in the ocean, had a date night, went to the aquarium, and attended the wedding, and a great time was had by all!

Nikki by example | www.nikkibyexample.com

It’s too dang hot out here.

We spent Saturday morning at the beach. It was Sebastian’s first time, but he loves sand and water so we figured he would have a blast. At first, he was not having it. You can see in the photo above that he thought it was just too damn hot outside. He’s very much like his father that way. He wasn’t sure what to think about the ocean or the waves, and he was a little afraid at first, especially when the tide would roll out and his feet would sink into the sand. He was not a fan of that at all. However, he liked the water when it wasn’t knocking him over, and of course he loved the sand. The beach is one giant sandbox, after all. Toward the end of the morning, he was feeling much more brave and started running toward the waves!

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Reading time: 4 min
Fashion•Life•Motherhood

Date Night with Baby

September 29, 2017 by Nikki 4 Comments

Nikki by example

In Durham, where I live, breweries and bottle shops are very dog and family friendly. Most of the breweries have areas separate from the bar where parents can gather with their friends and kids to have a beer and play a few board games. Some of them even have nice outdoor spaces where kids can run around while parents hang out with their pals. I’m thankful for this because it allows Nick and me to go out for a drink last-minute without having to find a babysitter. And after a ridiculously long week, that’s exactly what we did. We headed to a small bottle shop near our house with Sebastian in tow. And this is the outfit I wore!

Regardless of how family friendly it was, I still felt a little like this:

via GIPHY

Nikki by example

We weren’t out for very long, maybe an hour at most. I had one glass of wine, and Sebastian slept most of the time so I don’t feel bad about it. But I did want to feel like I was actually going out instead of having a drink at home in my pajamas so I grabbed this new pair of jeans I got from a recent Stitch Fix. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the frayed hemline of these jeans but I slowly warmed up to them. While these may not be the first pair of jeans I reach for, I definitely wear them a bunch. And I will probably wear them even more now that the weather is starting to cool down ever so slightly.

Nikki by example

A few weeks after Nick, Sebastian, and I went to the bottle shop together, we met up at the bottle shop with our neighbors who have a kid who is slightly older than Sebastian. It was a fun time all around. I’m sure the bottle shop won’t be the last crazy place we take our baby.

DSC_8949

True story:

via GIPHY

Where’s the craziest place you’ve taken your baby?

Nikki by example

Shirt: via Le Tote | Jeans: via Stitch Fix | Shoes: Banana Republic | Necklace: Old Navy | Watch: Target | Clutch: Nordstrom

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Fashion

Double Date Night

July 21, 2015 by Nikki No Comments

Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

Nick and I went out on a double date a few weeks ago for wine and cocktails, and this is what I wore. These coated denim jeans just scream “going out” to me… so much so that I rarely reach for them during the day. They also feel more appropriate for fall, probably because they *kind of* look like leather (if you squint your eyes really hard) so maybe I’ll wear them more during the day once the weather starts to cool down a bit.

Y’all, I bought these shoes on super sale at Banana Republic back when they were having their 50% off of the already 50% off sale. AND on top of that, we got an additional 10% off with Nick’s employee discount  and yet I still managed to pay $40 for them. I rarely purchase shoes from BR because they only carry my size online and we can’t use our discount online. Someone returned these beauties to the store so that’s how I was able to snatch them up. A sincere thank you to whomever did that!

Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

I almost wrote that this is the first time I’ve ever worn snake skin print on my shoes but I just remembered a time in high school when I had a pair of red snake skin shoes very similar to these and I wore them with a shiny pleather skirt and a redish-purple sweater with feathers around the neck and sleeves. It was very Cher-esque from “Clueless” and I freakin’ loved that outfit!

Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

This top is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I’ve worn it a bunch since I got it. In fact, you’ll see it again soon. I also bought it in green! I’m a big supporter of buying multiples when you find something you really like.

Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

THESE SHOES THO!

Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

Here’s the fun one: Say Cheese!

Blooper: Double Date Night | NCsquared Life

Blouse: Target | Jeans & Shoes: Banana Republic | Clutch: Nordstrom | Necklace: Old Navy

Linking up with Charming Friday | Tucker Up | Mix & Match Fashion | The Tiny Heart

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Fashion

My Valentine’s Date Surprise & Guess Which Look!

February 16, 2015 by Nikki 7 Comments

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

Nick and I don’t usually make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. In fact, our usual tradition is to eat dinner at Chipotle (or somewhere similar) on Valentine’s because it’s less crowded and we’re of the mind that we don’t need Hallmark to sell us a day to show our love. BUT, with me being away at school so much these past two years, Nick decided it would be a nice, romantic date night opportunity.About a month ago, he told me not to make any plans for Valentine’s because he already did. Nick doesn’t plan things like this very often (if ever) so I was pleasantly surprised. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going or what we were doing – except that we were going to dinner but he wouldn’t tell me where – because it was a surprise, but he did tell me I could dress up. So, only knowing that we were having dinner but nothing else, I put together two outfits and told Nick to pick the most appropriate one. I chose a nice blouse and pants for outfit #1 and a really cute dress for outfit #2.

Scroll through to see the outfits in more detail, and at the bottom, you’ll see what we did and which outfit he chose!

Outfit #1: Black and white blouse, black pixie pants, pink heels

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

Outfit #2: Black and white print dress, tights, and ankle boots

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

The Date

Our date was dinner at Taberna Tapas, a delicious and authentic Spanish restaurant serving small & large plates, including charcuterie and paella, and then a comedy show at the Carolina Theatre featuring Maria Bamford! I had mentioned to Nick as soon as I found out she was playing in our city that I wanted to go see her and he remembered! (And he doesn’t remember ANYTHING!)

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

And the Winner is…

The dress! Nick said he liked both outfits but this was his favorite of the two, so it’s what I wore.

My Valentine's Date Surprise | NCsquared Life

We had a great time and I’m really glad we celebrated Valentine’s this year. And the best part was, as we were leaving the theatre, it was snowing! It didn’t last long, and it was REALLY cold and windy, but there was something a little magical about it.

Which look is your favorite? Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Outfit 1: Blouse: miami via Francesca’s | Pants: Old Navy | Shoes: Christian Siriano via Payless | Bracelet: Old Navy | Earrings: gift from my MIL

Outfit 2: Dress: Soprano via Nordstrom Rack |Belt: Target | Tights: Banana Republic | Booties: Target | Bracelet & Necklace: Old Navy | Earrings: gift from my MIL

Linking up with More Pieces of Me | Still Being Molly | InDUFFinitely Me | Because Shanna Said So | The Pleated Poppy | Tucker Up | The Tiny Heart | Mix & Match Fashion | The Penniless Socialite

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About Me

Hi, I’m Nikki. This is where I blog about my life and personal style. I’m a wife and mom, sushi lover, wine drinker, and coffee enthusiast. Welcome to my little corner of the world where I try to lead by example!

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