Style Files - Little's Fall Must-Haves

Like any fashionista momma, my little one has to have fresh fall clothes too!  His are more out of necessity than being on trend.  He grew a good 4 inches since the end of spring...Mini Mister?

This year, I got most of his clothes from Gymboree.  Boy do they know 4 year old little boys.  Little is into all things bugs, dinos, and space right now and Gymboree knew it...

Since I am still a girl and new to this whole bug thing, I shied away from these items, but brought home some adorable space and prehistoric finds.


 
These shirts were right up his alley...and they had some adorable little shoes to coordinate.  Hey, I have to take advantage of getting to dress him while I still can!



Today we actually had our first rainy day since acquiring these and you'd better believe they went to preschool!


 How cute are these?!?


And for cooler weather...





I also picked up a few staples at Target.  They have great clothes for little kids.  I do have to say though, I am less than enthused with the bigger boy selection.  My son is tall, but still young.  I'd rather not cover him in Tony Hawk gear and anime characters.  Just me?

Carter's had a few shirts that passed my exacting standards.  Hee hee.  I'm kind of picky when it comes to what goes on my child.  I thought this was cute, not to mention, accurate!



For bottoms, we go for GapKids jeans.  They hold up really well and come in great washes.  We usually need at least 3 pairs as this is usually what we wear all week.  We do have some track pants and khakis for play time/dressy.  I try not to go too crazy as he'll outgrow it all next week! ;)

What are your kiddos wearing?  Do you let them pick their clothes out yet?  Little has started too.  He's doe a pretty good job, but if he had his way, he'd wear basketball shorts every. single. day. of. life. Love that boy.

XO,
  Sara

Style Files - It's Fall...What are you Wearing?

Howdy friends! I know, I know. I said I was back...and then I wasn't. I underestimated getting back into the swing of school, and baseball, and home life, etc. I've been taking things slowly, not rushing into a million projects and I love it! I see other blogs I love whipping out all sorts of cute new material, which used to make me feel panicked, but now, it's my pace. It may be too slow for some of you, and I apologize for that. I'm just trying to keep a good balance these days and so far so good!

 All that being said, it is now my favorite season and we can't jump into fall without first talking about what we are going to be wearing. I'm seeing a lot of leopard, stripes, plaids, navy, and preppy/traditional looks out there. All things I am on board with!

 Here's what I'll be wearing:



This dress is so much cuter on than in the picture.  For some, this may be too much of a full-body print, but I personally think leopard works as a neutral.  A very "spot" on neutral.  Get it?

I also scooped this dress up in this fun paisley. Very comfortable, flattering, and a show stopper!  Do I even need to tell you these are from Tar-jay?



Target is killing it with the fall staples this season!  I got these shells and I've already worn them several times.  Again, classic patterns that can mix with red pants, denim, a pencil skirt.  I recently wore the leopard shell with black shorts and flats for dinner with friends.




I'll still be rocking my assortment of chambray shirts this fall.  I have three now in three different washes.  They each give a different look.  Look for one that is relaxed, long enough in the tail, and looks good with cuffed sleeves.  This staple will take you all the way through spring.



I have quite a collection of cardigans.  Okay.  I lied.  I have an ENORMOUS amount of cardigans.  But, when you find a look that works for you, you go with it!  They are so versatile and just adding a new seasonal color refreshes the old staples in your closet.  A very affordable way to freshen your look!

Here are the colors I've snagged for the season.  Now if Atlanta would just realize it' fall...we're getting there.



I know.  I might be part cheetah.  Trust I won't put all the pieces together in one outfit!  It's a staple I tell you.  A staple!  Leopard always circles back around...



If these colors don't say fall, I don't know what does.  Love them!

Now, I have tops pretty well figured out, but I've been feeling the need for some really good jeans.  My friend swears by Not Your Daughter's Jeans, so a trip to Nordstrom may be in my future.  Oh wait!  We just had to replace the entire back end of the Mister's car.  Guess I'll have to make some more sales on ebay before that happens!!

          

Later we'll talk accessories.  You know I love to accessorize!

What are you wearing for fall?  Coming up I'll show you what Little will be wearing.  Can he just stay small forever so he can keep wearing cute clothes...that I pick out???

XO,
  Sara

Wait? Is That Really You?

I know.  I took the summer off and I didn't even warn y'all.  I didn't really plan for it, but when school ended, projects ended, blogging time ended, me time ended.  Instead, my days were full of sunscreen, water guns, Popsicles, and picnics.  And you know what?  I wouldn't have it any other way!

I have missed blogging and my loyal readers (even if most of them are related to me!)...The great thing about an extended break is all the new material I will have!

Little is safely back into school.  Pre-K.  Is it weird that this year is strangely bittersweet for me?  I love preschool.  I love that it means he is still small and needs me.  I am deathly afraid of Kindergarten.  I didn't think this would be the case since I was a teacher, but he is still so little!  The lunchroom, the class sizes, the loooooong day.  I. Can't. Handle. It.  Okay.  I had to get that out.  I will say, I've been making a point to enjoy our lunchtimes together, the Fridays he has off from school, and the laid back vibe that is preschool.  Such a sweet time.



The newest update I have for you is that I am now on Instagram.  I even have some new fancy picture editing apps!  It's a fun way to share a bit of the behind the scenes of Nest Your Best, the things that don't make it onto the blog.  Find me @nestyourbest !!  I'd love to have you come aboard!

Here's a quick picture recap of our summer...


                    
          We got in a quick getaway to the beach before school started.  Sandy, salty, and happy!


                        


                        
     I made some pretty amazing cookies for our tennis finals.  Yes.  I did just pat myself on the back....




                             Mister and I celebrated 7 years.  Time sure flies!

                             

                               We took Little to his first Braves game.  He was in total awe.


                      
                                       We did a lot of swimming and ate a lot of popsicles!


                      
Little and I went to the kids' summer movies every. single. week.  And I LOVED it!  Such a fun little date!


                 
                           We have "Back to School Cake" at our house.  Very exciting.

Now...back to work for this gal!  I owe you some fun crafties, a few style files, and some organizational tips.  I'm on it!

Have a fantastic weekend!  It is still summer afterall...for a few more weeks.

XO,
  Sara

Spring Shoes!

Yesterday I showed you a few spring fashion finds.  Now to foot wear! Today, I'll show you the shoes I've fallen in love with...
I tend to live in flip flops from April to October around here, but I am also no stranger to heels.  Very high heels.  They just make me feel so girly!

I already have a similar pair of these in black so I knew how useful they are.  I've already worn them 3 times!

                                       

These are also a great neutral for all your summer shorts and dresses.

                                         

Okay.  Last pair.  I promise.  These are Dr. Scholl's.  I know.  I couldn't believe it either.  It's a double bonus because they are cute and super comfy.  And striped... :)

                                          

Alright.  I lied.  One more pair.  I don't have these...yet.  But they are calling my name.  How cute would these be with boyfriend shorts and a white slouchy tee?  Do you get presents for Cinco de Mayo?

                               

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.  We have a baseball game, a birthday party, and a tennis match.  Hopefully I'll have a few minutes to work on some projects I have planned for around here!

XO,
  Sara

My Spring Wardrobe

What is it about spring that makes me want to wear all new clothes?  While it's not practical to get a whole new wardrobe every season, a few new pieces can enliven what you already have.  Here are some of my picks for this spring...

I love fun shorts, and who doesn't love gingham?!  These will go so well with a bright blue shirt, or a sunny yellow tank.

                                         


I'm a sucker for stripes and this season is not exception.  This dress will be great for a date night, or just running errands.


                                          

I'm really into bright blue right now, so I scooped up this dress as well.  It's so comfy and looks great with wedges or flats.  I may or may not have gotten it in black as well...


                                         

This shirt is so me.  Stripes, neutrals, relaxed. Love.


                                           

I just ordered these and I can't wait for them to get here!  Perfect to throw on with a cute tee this summer.


                                          

To say that I love this dress is an understatement.  It is so comfortable, but so versatile.  I've worn it to church, to preschool, to the grocery.  Must have.

                               

This shirt is very versatile as well.  It looks so much better on than in the picture.  Wear it with white skinny jeans and coral sandals.  Or yellow shorts.  Or a mint green pencil skirt.  Possibilities!

                                

That's just a quick little peek into some of the things I'll be wearing this spring.  What about you?  Any new finds?  Are you embracing the navy, coral, bright blue, yellow, and mint?

Tomorrow I'll show you how my feet will be dressed... :)

XO,
  Sara

DIY Piggy Bank

A certain little man of mine is completely fascinated by all things money.  This is probably helped by the fact that he finds a coin everywhere we go.  Everywhere.  If I found money the way this boy does I'd have a lot more projects to show you!

When Little Man was born, he was gifted a beautiful ceramic piggy bank with the words "count your blessings".  I loved this bank.  It was so sweet.  Little loved it as well.  Loved shaking it to get the coins to fall out of the top.

As you can imagine, this method promptly led to a broken pig.

Rather than replace the glass pig with another glass pig, I opted to use what I had to give the wee one a place to store his coins.  Here was my criteria: shatterproof, easy to get into

Enter the leftover jar from my "Handful of Everything" trail mix (sidenote: that stuff is delicious! Target if you want some!).  

I peeled off the label from the jar (definitely the hardest part) and Little helped me pick out a piece of scrapbook paper he liked.  I cut it to size and wrapped it around the jar.  The adhesive leftover from the label held it on perfectly.

Next, I created a quick label on an Avery template and popped them on the jar.

Little added his coins, and our homemade piggy bank was ready!

Now he can screw and unscrew the top as much as his little heart desires.

I do realize that this is not a long term solution.  The paper will start to curl up and may suffer some wear, but for a free option for a 4 year old, I'm happy.  Maybe when he's 5 he can be trusted with the glass dinosaur piggy bank he's fallen in love with...

XO,
  Sara

I'm Back, but it's a Sad Day

Hello my friends.  I've taken an extended hiatus from Nest and am so glad to be back.  Between vacations, birthday parties, house guests, and a stomach bug there hasn't been a single moment to blog.  I'm finally feeling some what caught up.  The bathrooms have been detoxed, laundry done, bills paid.  There's food in the refrigerator.  All is well.

Except, all doesn't feel well to some of our brothers and sisters in Boston.  Although I was not there, I have a sister-in-law who is a marathon runner and a few friends who were running this year.  Gratefully, they are all well.



At times like this, it is easy to feel like there is no good in the world.  How could there be when such violence occurs?  Looking at the news reports, it was amazing to see the good that was expressed in those moments following the blasts.  People running toward the explosion to help.

On days like yesterday, and today, and forever more, we need to recognize that the good far outnumbers the bad.  And it always will.

Keep the good alive.  Tell someone you love them today.

As you may have picked up from my first paragraph, I've been feeling a wee bit overwhelmed the past month.  In some calm moments of prayer, it has come to me to work on expressing 4 things everyday.  That may seem like a lot, but they really dovetail with each other.

Patience, meekness, love, and good deeds.

If you look up these words, you see that meekness is a form of patience.  Love requires meekness.  And you can't do good deeds without love.

                               

Be the good you want to see.

XO,
  Sara