1. The best cookies I’ve ever had in my entire life:

Look no further for the most delicious, crusty on the outside, gooey on the inside cookies and colorful macaroons galore (not to mention a mean cup of coffee) —The Bakeshop by Woops in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is THE SPOT!!! Adorable white tile and distressed brick everywhere are also a major (and highly instagrammable) plus.

2. In with the new; out with the old:

As hoarding is basically my worst nightmare, I love nothing more than purging my life and the contents of my home and getting rid of any extraneous items– after Christmas, when you acquire lots of new things, Tim and I always make it a point to clean out our closets and get rid of old clothing and accessories  that we don’t wear anymore.  Instead of just donating, my favorite place to bring my (slightly used, good condition, decent brands, current trends) old clothing is to Buffalo Exchange.  Lots of iterations of this kind of used clothing resale store exist; I like Buffalo Exchange because they let you donate any clothing they aren’t going to buy from you, and will pay you cash 30% of what they will resell your items for– we banked $170 this past trip! Call or check out their website before you go to see what they are most interested in buying currently.

3. Currently reading (and LOL-ing to):

I read Mindy Kaling’s Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? years ago and loved it– so I knew to ask Santa to drop her follow up Why Not Me? in this year’s stocking.  By far, the best of this “kind” of female, semi-autobiographical, comedic non-fiction (sorry Tina, Amy, and Chelsea!)

4. Furry Zara jacket on sale!

I’m obsessed with adding this unexpected topper to otherwise casual looks like the one above– and this is the best time of year to score a piece like this on major sale! Shop my exact one above here.

5. Coveting (for Valentine’s Day?!!?)

This Mansur Gavriel simple, candy colored crossbody is just good enough to eat! The designer’s clean, minimalistic designs caught fire with their take on the bucket bags of last season– this crossbody is too good to pass up on!

6. (I usually do 5 items in my “Round-Up”; this time a 6th is pretty justified):

My thoughts on having a BOY:

I’ve never been one of those women or girls who feel like their purpose in life was to become a mother.  I don’t swoon over my pregnant belly and tear up at the thought of decorating my nursery.  Although I’m a teacher, and a pretty good one at that (in my humble opinion!), I don’t have a very strong maternal instinct– I feel like the sarcasm, tough love and dry humor that work so well on my 8th graders, may be lost on an infant or toddler…

But once I found out that I was pregnant, I did get excited– excited at the thought of having a fashionable little mini-me to hang out with, another girl to watch my sweet, amazing husband dote on.  I looked forward to “us” outnumbering Tim, kindly torturing him with all sorts of girliness. Plus I am a girl (duh) and I know how girls operate pretty darn well– I grew up extremely closely with my younger sister, and had THE BEST TIME with her.  I have lots of close girlfriends, who I treasure.

So when the sonogram technician pointed out a now pretty obvious part of the picture on the screen, I smiled, laughed and showed excitement on the outside, but on the inside, I secretly, (actually not so secretly– I shed a few tears at home to Tim that night!) was really sad that it was a boy–and no amount of hard work, effort, care, wishing or hoping would change that.

I felt disappointment, coupled with the then guilt that followed, because doesn’t it seem like nowadays, more often than not, women have trouble conceiving, lose unborn babies, and bear and raise children with all sorts of physical and mental challenges?? Shouldn’t I just have felt grateful to be carrying a healthy baby– to be carrying one at all??

I’ve always craved honesty– so I’m putting it all out into the open here: I’m still a little sad that I’m not having a girl.  I see pics of mothers and baby girls all the time and think meh! Why do I get to have to block my face from pee while changing a diaper?! But, like most things in life, every day I accept it (and am happy about it) more and more.  Lots of my friends have baby boys– and obviously they are just as in love with them as any mom of a girl would be.  Other comforting thoughts on this subject include:

• There are so many cute, fashionable options for boys now– not just limited to the typical blues and greens.
• Boys, according to all the boy moms I’ve come across, “are just easier” (remains to be seen!)
• I get to still be (for now) the only girl in the house!
• There are plenty of boys I like and love, who are great role models and examples for my future son- Tim, being the greatest ❤
• and the best advice, from a good friend who is also expecting- I now have the job of raising a man who I would want for any girl to meet, love and spend her life with– a gentleman who is masculine and sensitive, tough and kind, smart and polite, funny and adorably awkward, athletic and nerdy and rowdy and messy and all of the awesome things that boys just are.  Or whoever, or whatever he turns out to be.  However he turns out, he’ll be our little man, and very, very loved.

Have an awesome week guys!

xo, ❤

Christine

Black Leather Moto Jacket: Mango (sold out, but this one is awesome and very similar| Faux Leather skinnies: Zara | Black sweater: J. Crew |Quilted Lambskin Bag: Chanel | Silver Sneaks: Adidas Originals via Asos

I have zero qualms about admitting that I am a HUGE Star Wars fan– always have been, always will be–which I attribute to having an older brother and sister who introduced me to the 70s and 80s trilogy when I was very young.  So naturally, I was SUPER PUMPED when this newest installment was released; Tim and I planned for weeks that we would have a brunch and Star Wars date the day after Christmas.

I’ll call this my Darth Vader/Dark Side inspired look– and like most New Yorkers, I love an all black look every now and then.  For me, the key is to vary the textures of the different black pieces you’re wearing, so that the look doesn’t fall completely flat and boring.  Another trick that I like to use is to use an all black look to show off one star accessory; in this case, the star of the show is this pair of holographic/silver Adidas Original Shelltop sneaks that my sister got me for Christmas! A black shoe or sneaker would be too harsh and expected, and the metallic sneaks give the look just the right amount of an unexpected, sporty vibe.

*Bump Fact/Side note* : Notice how I don’t look that pregnant in the shots above?! No, it’s not the magic of an all black look (at least I don’t think so)– My bump just wasn’t that big yesterday!  A friend of mine who just had her baby a month ago warned me of this strange phenomenon– how on some days, she would wake up and feel SUPER PREGNANT, and her bump would feel huge, and other days she would feel way flatter and less “bumpy” (lol).  This is definitely true for me– funny how two days ago I felt GINOURMOUS, and yesterday my leather leggings slipped on just like old times (well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture!)

Shop my allblackeverything look by clicking on the links above– and may the force be with you! 😉

xo, ❤

Christine

Red Crushed Velvet swing dress: Forever 21 (similar options here, here and here) |Gold pointed toe pumps: Zara (old, but similar here and here)

Anyone else get a little sad when Christmas is over? I definitely enjoy the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day almost MORE than the actual days themselves– they’re filled with parties, decorating, shopping — all the preparations that make every day feel special.

This was one of the fist dresses that I purchased once my bump started showing, and its a bit of a departure from most of the dresses that I’ve been wearing lately in that its NOT from fitting, but a sort of swing shape instead.  I was a super affordable find from Forever 21, and in crushed dark red velvet, I knew that it would be perfect for Christmas.  The Christmas Eve look above was what I wore to dinner with my family, so I paired it with gold pointed toe heels and a black and gold lucite box clutch.  I also wore this same dress to my work Christmas party, but slightly more casual with a black leather moto jacket and black high heeled booties– and you guys KNOW my fave thing to do is wear a dress multiple ways, with booties, sneakers and heels– it just makes a piece way more fun to play with in terms of versatility!

My exact dress is sold out, but I’ve linked similar options above, all under $100– shop them now; even though the holidays are over, this would make a great Valentines day look as well!

xo, ❤

Christine