By now I’m sure you’re all familiar with the home delivery style boxes like Stitch Fix. I’ve been doing Stitch Fix off and on for several years now, and I like it but not enough to do every month; I usually scheduled a Fix whenever I’m feeling like I’m in a rut (and have some disposable income), so maybe every 6 months-ish? I also did Le Tote for a while but their options were so limited because they had very few petite pieces so nothing ever really fit. Anyway, I feel like I haven’t had much luck with my past few Stitch Fix boxes so I decided to finally try Trunk Club. It’s the same concept: they curate some items for you, mail them to your house for you to try on, and you keep what you like and send the rest back. A few differences are that they send you 6-10 pieces (instead of 5 like Stitch Fix) and they let you view what they’re sending you ahead of time so you can swap things out if you don’t like the piece (much like Le Tote). It was like the best of both worlds so it sounded great to me!

I actually found out about Trunk Club through Nick because it started out as a men’s styling service and then added women’s when they were bought by Nordstrom. Nick had pretty good luck with them so I figured I might have some good luck, too. I really liked that I could speak directly to a stylist who asked me lots of questions about my lifestyle, how I currently dress, and what I was looking for in a box. I was really excited about the process and got my first box last night.

Life has been pretty busy lately, hence my sporadic posting. I know that’s to be expected when you’re adjusting to life with an infant, but on top of that, coordinating work and daycare schedules has been more challenging that I thought. We moved Sebastian to a daycare closer to our house because it makes our commute much easier, but I’m still getting used to the new routine. Also, I’m missing our old daycare because they were taking such good care of him. His previous teacher helped him finger paint, made little art projects with his footprints, and she gave him plenty of one-on-one time. The new daycare is fine; they take good care of him, too, but I don’t get the sense that the new teachers are as engaged as the previous teachers. Sure, they have a certain curriculum and they teach him things, but it doesn’t feel as personal as the other location. Maybe I just need some more time to get to know them better.

Blurry Sebastian photo

Anyway, when I got dressed, I thought to myself, “Here’s another ‘mom’ outfit,” but, just like I mentioned in my recent Mom post, I would have worn this type of outfit before becoming a mom. Also, when you’re a mom, every outfit you wear is a mom outfit! But this one is my new favorite because it’s comfortable and stylish. And I love this shirt. It has become my go-to, and I’d wear it every day if I could. It’s from the “A New Day” collection at Target. The boat neck design makes the shirt feel kind of preppy, and I appreciate that they added an extra piece of fabric in the shoulder to hide your bra straps. I hate it when my bra straps are showing!

I’ve worn this outfit to work, doctors appointments, running errands, hanging out around the house, dinner, etc. etc. You name it. It’s the best. It’s really good for transitioning into Fall, too!

Sebastian doesn’t love taking pictures today as much as mommy.

What is your go-to “mom” outfit?

Shirt: A New Day via Target | Jeans: Banana Republic | Necklaces: Old Navy | Watch: Old Navy

NCsquared at the Food Truck Rodeo

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We celebrated the unofficial end of summer by eating delicious food at Durham’s Food Truck Rodeo and having a night in with our neighbors on Sunday and by watching a lot of Netflix on Monday. It was pretty awesome. Luckily the weather was great all weekend because we had to turn off our air conditioner yesterday due to a possible freon leak — the house started to smell like band-aids every time the air would kick on, so weird — and the techs are coming out this afternoon to check things out. Other than that, we had a pretty uneventful weekend.

But this is my end-of-summer outfit. Warm enough for a sleeveless blouse and close enough to Fall for cute open-toe booties. Wearing boots in the summer can be super stylish, but I’m just now getting comfortable wearing them in warm weather. It actually took me a while to come around to wearing booties at all, which is silly because they *are* so stylish. They’ve become one of my go-to shoe choices.

On Monday morning, while Nick and Sebastian slept, I drank my coffee on our back deck. The air was crisp and the morning dew lightly coated the patio table and chairs. The birds chirped and playfully hopped through the branches in the trees. The sun peered through the clouds, creating a sweet halo of light around the yard, and it was pure bliss. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before but this is my favorite time of year. While I am very ready for Autumn, I’m glad we still have several weeks of warm weather here in NC. I don’t have to put up my tanks and tees just yet, but I can break out the comfy sweater cardis. I really love those things! And I love those beautiful, cool mornings!

Coffee on the deck, enjoying the beautifully cool morning

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed your four-day work week. I know I’ve already started counting down for this weekend when I can relax all over again 🙂

Blouse: Old Navy | Jeans: Gap | Shoes: Madden Girl | Jewelry: Old Navy | Watch: Target

Linking up: Start the Week Stylish | Link up on the Edge | Spread the Kindness

I’ve been blogging for several years now — even thought it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been that long — and I was curious as to just how much my style has changed over those years, especially now that I’m pregnant. It was really interesting to go back through the blog to see my outfits and the way I’ve evolved from year to year.

Reflections: I see consistent uses of a completer piece and denim. As much as I want to have a well-rounded wardrobe of jeans, dresses, and skirts, and non-denim bottoms, I always find myself reaching for the denim because it’s quick and easy to style. Also, I went through a phase, mostly when I was consistently working in an office, of wearing blazers ALL. THE. TIME. I still love blazers but it seems as though today’s style trends have started to move toward a more casual look, and blazers don’t feel that casual to me. I’m more interested in vests and sweater cardigans these days. Perhaps if I find another office job, I’ll be more likely to bust out my blazers. The biggest change I see is that my style and outfit formulas have gotten slightly more simple, which I think is a trend we’re seeing everywhere.  I don’t have a ton of time to plan what I’m going to wear so keeping it simple will also keep me sane! Do you think about your style evolution? Is it different or similar to what you were wearing 4 years ago?

2017 Original Post: Tee + Jeans + Boots

I wore this outfit to my doctor’s appointment and learned that I should be eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES.

2016 Original Post: Girls’ Day Out

A couple of my grad school friends came to visit me and we had a wonderful girls’ day out. We started with brunch & margaritas, then went to a wine tasting, then shopping, had “hipster” coffee, and ended the night at the best sushi place in town. And this is what I wore.

2015 Original Post: Distressed Denim and New Loafers

Flats in the winter because it felt like spring. NC just can’t make up it’s mind on whether or not we have seasons!

2014 Original Post: Winter Pink

This was a January day when NC decided it actually was winter and gave us 20-degree weather. Some of you might laugh at me because you regularly deal with negative temps in the winter but this was really cold for us!

Yesterday I talked about how my go-to formula lately has been sweater (top) + jeans + boots. Here’s another example of how well that works. It was almost 70 degrees so I got to wear a tee under the cardigan and I’m not complaining.

I wore this outfit to my doctor’s appointment the other morning and I told my midwife I was concerned that I’m not gaining enough weight. She said my belly and Baby S are measuring just fine, BUT I should start eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES. Pretty much all of my favorite things… and it’s doctor’s orders! This pregnancy thing isn’t so bad 😉

It was totally warm enough to not wear the cardigan but it wasn’t too warm that I was uncomfortable in it, so I mostly left it on.

You can see the tip of my sock, which I think is cute. I hate the advice I’ve seen some bloggers give that your socks should never be visible but there really isn’t anyone looking down my shoe so I see no reason to worry about it. Plus, it could give a nice, unexpected pop of color.

Tee: Gap | Sweater Cardigan: Loft Outlet | Jeans: Liz Lange Maternity via Target | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Necklace: via Le Tote