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    Our DIY Wedding
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
Life

The Best of 2020

January 4, 2021 by Nikki No Comments

There’s no need for me to talk about 2020 and how much of a dumpster fire it was. We all experienced it and hopefully came out relatively unscathed on the other side. But for all of the things that went wrong and sucked, there were oh so many that went right. For me, I enjoyed getting to spend some extra time in our old house before we sold it, as well as spending the extra time with Nick and Sebastian as we worked and learned from home, and creating our new traditions while making the best of crappy situations.

In November, I started a daily practice of gratitude that I’ve worked to continue into this new year.  Then a colleague & friend of mine on Facebook gave me the wonderful idea for this blog post: She posted one photo from each month of 2020 that captured joy and I wanted to do this same.

And honestly, the best part of this little project was realizing how hard it was to pick just ONE photo!

I’m so grateful that I had so many happy moments that I can cherish and remember when I look back on one the worst years ever.

So, here are my best parts of 2020.

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Fashion

REAL TALK: ModCloth

August 7, 2019 by Nikki No Comments

Welcome to my new series, Real Talk, where I talk openly and frankly about my experiences with brands, products, life hacks, etc. The following are my opinions based on my own experiences. Please remember that not everyone will have the same experiences so what may be true for me won’t necessarily be true for you. 

I have a love/hate relationship with ModCloth.

I was really excited when I first discovered them years ago because the clothes were really stylish but had a cute, unique spin to them. They offered classic shapes and styles adorned with animals, food, and/or planets. I loved the vintage feel of a lot of the pieces, and I always thought the outfits looked like they would be worn by cool librarians who wouldn’t shush you for laughing too loudly in the reading nook.

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Reading time: 5 min
Fashion

All-Time Favorites for 2016

December 31, 2016 by Nikki 4 Comments

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared Life1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15

Happy birthday to me! I’m 32 years old today and I think I’m looking & feeling pretty good. Also, I hope everyone has a very happy new year!

For the past few years I’ve written a review post featuring my favorite outfits from that year. Since I took a six-month break this year and haven’t posted many outfits in 2016, I decided to instead share my favorite outfits since I started documenting my outfits. I technically started blogging in 2010 but it was just an ‘every now and then, when I felt like it’ sort of thing. I started blogging my outfits in 2013 when I started graduate school. So the outfits outlined above and detailed below are from the past three years. The majority of my favorites are from 2014, when I was finally hitting my stride in blogging. And the outfits I chose are the ones I’ve worn the most in real life and would totally (read: will most likely) wear again in the coming year.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 1: Plum is one of my favorite colors. Even in 2013 when this was taken.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 2:  I was figuring out how to dress like a graduate student and succeeding.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 3: Weekend layers are perfect for any backyard bbq.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 4: Wearing sweaters in the summer because of office air conditioning.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 5: When a short girl is able to successfully pull off a midi skirt — it’s not too long!

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 6: I have a lot of little green dresses but this is one of my favorites. Perfect for holiday parties.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 7: Sequins are perfect for any party, but especially a holiday party.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 8: A fuzzy sweater, boots, and a knit hat to keep me warm and cozy in the winter.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 9: Warm breezes in the middle of February make you dream of warm sunshine.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 10: I’m drawn to neutral colors, especially white, with maybe a splash of color in the form of an accessory or blazer/jacket.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 11: My favorite little black dress that can be worn for day and night.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 12: I finally found a job after grad school and got to wear cute outfits like this again.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 13: That one piece of clothing that I love more than anything but I’m afraid to wear, even though it has shown up twice in this list.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 14: Adding some color to my collection of jeans/bottoms with these purple pants. And rocking a cute baby bump.

All-Time Favorites for 2016: Outfits | NCsquared LifeOriginal post 15: When a short girl is able to successfully pull off a blanket scarf and it doesn’t swallow her whole.

I’m hoping that 2017 is a much better year than 2017. Also, one last time:

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photo source

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Fashion

2015 Favorites

December 30, 2015 by Nikki 1 Comment

2015 favorites1

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15

Happy Birthday to me tomorrow! I can’t believe another year has gone by and that it’s time for me to share with you a few of my favorite outfits from this past year. Nick and I are spending my birthday at our nation’s capitol, visiting an old friend. Not a bad way to welcome 31.

Looking back, I see that I wore more skirts, dresses, and non-blue denim, which tells me that I’m doing a good job not automatically reaching for my jeans. In May, I graduated from my master’s program and after 6 long months I rejoined the workforce. This coming year, I plan to show my many neglected pencil skirts some much-needed love. And according to my favorite outfits, I seem to be well on my way to creating more office-worthy looks.  I feel like I’m trying to get a good grasp on what my style really is while still trying out new looks and trends. Since things are going to calm down a lot in 2016 – meaning I’ll be finding and maintaining a better routine – I believe this will be the year I really find myself.  So, without further ado, here are my 15 favorite outfits from this year.

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Original Post 1: One of the best Pinterest-inspired outfits I’ve created

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Original Post 2: A warm breeze in February had me dreaming of warm sunshine.

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Original Post 3: For Valentine’s, Nick surprised me with dinner and a show… and I had to decide which look to go with.

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Original Post 4: Sunshine and 80 degrees give you shorts weather.

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Original Post 5: A gorgeous beaded tank that also *slightly* feels like a suit of armor!

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Original Post 6: On Saturday, May 9, 2015, I graduated with my Master of Public Health degree from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University!

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Original Post 7: I loved everything about this fun, spring-y outfit.

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Original Post 8: In an attempt to reassess my closet, I found that I’m drawn more and more to neutral colors.

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Original Post 9: I found a floral tank that mataches almost every cardigan and balzer in my closet.

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Original Post 10: Here, I found a way to use inspiration photos to make the outfit my own.

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Original Post 11: This is what I wear for a double date that includes lots of wine and cocktails.

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Original Post 12: LBD look for day (and for night!)

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Original Post 13: The Grecian-inspired dress that I wore to my friend’s Muslim wedding.

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Original Post 14:  A new part-time job allowed me to dress in my office attire.

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Original Post 15: I love this shirt, as evidenced by it showing up twice in my list!

I believe that 2016 is going to be the best yearyet for me, and I hope everyone has a happy New Year full of love and fun and whatever else you desire!

<3,
NCsquared

Linking up with Start the Week Stylish | Hello Monday | Trend Spin | Confident Twosday | Garay Treasures Blog

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Food

Banging Chicken Salad Recipe Review

January 27, 2015 by Nikki No Comments

Banging Chicken Salad Recipe Review | NCsquared Life

I didn’t make any official New Year’s resolutions this year, either for myself nor for the blog but one thing I would like to do is share more lifestyle posts since I consider this a “lifestyle blog.” My first lifestyle post for this year is food-related. I am terrible at coming up with my own recipes but I’m great at following instructions and putting my personal spin on existing recipes – much like I do with my fashion. For example, I often make this Charred Chile Relleno recipe by Rachael Ray but I add chorizo and skip the green rice.

I’m a big fan of Gina at Skinnytaste.com so I try her recipes regularly. I can honestly say that I’ve never been disappointed by anything I’ve tried from her site, and she’s really good with cooking directions. The other night, Nick and I decided to try her Bangin’ Good Chicken Salad recipe. It definitely lives up to the name. It’s extremely easy and simple and I’ll definitely be making it again. But, of course, I put my own spin on it. More on that below.

It starts with romaine lettuce and red cabbage. Look at those beautiful colors: green and purple, my wedding colors! 😉

Banging Chicken Salad Recipe Review | NCsquared Life

For the chicken, simply cut up a chicken breast (or some chicken tenders, which is what we used) into bite-sized pieces, coat them in a little olive oil, cover them in breadcrumbs, and bake for 8-12 minutes. Baking the chicken doesn’t give it quite the crunch that frying would, but it still turned out really yummy.

Banging Chicken Salad Recipe Review | NCsquared Life

My personal spin is that I decided not to make the skinny bang bang sauce as specified in the recipe. Instead, I found a bang bang sauce that has become my go-to so I used it instead. The recipe I use is fromThat’s So Michelle and can be found on her blog here. (I haven’t tried that actual recipe yet but I have used that recipe with shrimp instead of cauliflower and it actually turned out to be amazing)

Banging Chicken Salad Recipe Review | NCsquared Life

So, with the greens, chicken, and bang bang sauce, this recipe was a hit. The ONLY thing I would change for next time would be to add more vegetables to the salad since we ate it as our main course without any sides, so maybe some red bell peppers, carrots, snap peas, cauliflower, and/or edamame.

Banging Chicken Salad Recipe Review | NCsquared Life

I hope you enjoyed this post and  don’t mind seeing more like them. What do you think, would you try this recipe? Do you come up with your own meals or put your own spin on other recipes?

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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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Wordless Wednesday

January 20, 2021
The Best of 2020

The Best of 2020

January 4, 2021
36 Life Lessons on my 36th Birthday

36 Life Lessons on my 36th Birthday

December 31, 2020

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