Favorite Outfits of 2013

It's New Year's Eve which means I get to reflect on my style choices this past year.  I think it's more obvious now than ever that I'm pretty obsessed with dresses, especially if there's some sort of print on it.  To be honest, I'm really looking forward to wearing these beauties again.  I was getting quite nostalgic looking through all these old photos...  I miss my closet!


1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16
You can click on the numbers to see the original blog post on any of the photos above.  2013 was great, I can't wait to see how my style is going to translate into the next year.  Oh, and if you've done a similar blog post let me know.  I love seeing style changes throughout the year :)

Happy New Year!

xoxo

Ashley

Cherishing this year...

This has been one crazy year!  2013 was full of wonderful experiences and surprises and I can honestly say that it was the best year yet.  I was looking back at a post from the end of last year and I realized that I've fulfilled every wish for the year ahead.  I'm really proud of myself and my husband for working so hard to get where we are today.  Here's a recap of my favorite moments of 2013:

My wedding

This year just started off with a bang!  We got married on February 1st, pretty much the most perfect day ever.  While we had a "courthouse" wedding, it was at the Santa Barbara courthouse, which is actually a historic landmark/mission.  We got married out in one of their gardens with about twenty of our closest family and friends.  If we had to do it again I wouldn't change a thing!

Modeling for Modcloth

I was lucky enough to model for Modcloth early in the year.  I had so much fun in their studio trying on their amazing clothes.  Plus I got to see upcoming styles for the year.  Basically, it was a dream come true :)

Flock Together meetup

At the end of March Jessica of Midwest Muse and her friend Jess traveled out to California to spend a couple days with me.  We had such a wonderful time sight seeing, going to Disneyland, and shopping with Erica of Sweets and Hearts.  I wish they lived closer, I really miss them!

Getting pregnant

In early May we found out we were having a baby!  We had been trying for months so it was the most wonderful news.  This was the picture we used for our announcement.

Buying a home

Pretty much the same exact time we found out we were pregnant, we found out we were getting our home.  It was quite a time to celebrate!  This was definitely our dream home and I love living here, even if it meant we had to move back to the suburbs.

Finding out baby B's gender

My dream came true in July when I found out I was having a girl!  I was really hoping for a little girl and I honestly couldn't believe it, even when it was confirmed.  I was absolutely sure I had a little boy in there!

The addition to our adoptive family

In August my husband came home with a new family member, Rocco.  He was found on the freeway by a coworker and Kevin just couldn't say no.  He's older, has a cleft right paw, and was completely malnourished.  He's honestly my perfect little guy and over the months he's become an integral part of our family.  I'm in love!

My baby showers

With the help of my wonderful family and friends, we had two beautiful showers for our little girl.  It was so amazing to see how many people took the time to celebrate our soon to be baby girl.  I'm so thankful for every single person who came :)


Like I said, there was so much to be remembered this year.  I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!

xoxo

Ashley

Let's Take A Ride

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!  Mine was pretty great.  I got to spend Christmas Eve with my side of the family and Christmas day with my husband's side.  Overall, I ate too much and didn't sleep enough.  I'm officially using this day to recover/online shop.  Seriously, who can stay away from the sales?!

Forever Young

Well, my birthday is on Wednesday and I'm entering a new part of my life: my thirties!  Most people would be freaking out but I'm actually quite content with starting a new decade.  Maybe because I don't feel old, or it might be that I'm really happy with how I spent my twenties.  My early twenties were kind of crazy.  I partied a lot, went to clubs, drank more than I should have.  Then I buckled down and starting taking education seriously.  By my mid twenties I was well into my career and dating a wonderful man.  My late twenties was when I became a wife, a homeowner, and a soon to be mommy.  Overall it was a great decade and I don't think I'd take a single day back.  I just can't even imagine what the next ten years will bring!

What's on My Radar: Current Loves

Since my birthday is in a mere 5 days I thought I'd dedicate this list to my "happy birthday to me" items.  In reality I won't be buying myself anything, but I guess that's what a wishlist truly is for.  I do love showing off my most coveted items though!  Here are the items on the top of that (quite large) list:

Modcloth Nice as Dice Dress

No joke, this Eva Franco dress has been on my wishlist for years.  It has a great print, cute bow detail, and I love the neckline.  The wonderful thing is, it's currently on sale!

Bonne Chance Collections Endless Summer Bow Back Dress

Yes, it's going to officially be winter time tomorrow but that means nothing here in southern California!  This dress could easily be styled for all seasons.  I can imagine layering this with a cute cardigan and some colorful tights :)

Lulu's Black Polka Dot Skirt

I can't even tell you how much I miss wearing skirts!  You never realize how much you love something until you literally cannot wear it anymore.  I think this skirt would be a great addition to my closet, I don't think I could ever have enough polka dots in there.

Modcloth Stroke of Genius Flat

Okay, so I may already have these.  Actually, I have them in two colors.  But seriously, how could I not share?  I bought these during a Black Friday sale and I pretty much love them to pieces.  I wore them to a recent trip to the doctor and these shoes had her laughing.  At least they brightened up her day too!

Ruche Give Me A Twirl Dress

I am officially in love with this dress.  Anything that reminds me of a ballerina instantly catches my eye.  I love the full skirt and the bow detail is an added bonus.  This dress is the epitome of my style!

Here's to hoping you get everything on your holiday wishlist this year!

xoxo

Ashley

Pink Blush

I've mentioned it a few times before but throughout my pregnancy I've had issues with buying actual maternity clothes.  For the most part I just sized up at my normal shopping grounds and made what I could work.  The thing is, it's hard to justify buying clothing that you'll only use for a few months.  It's usually more expensive and almost always not really my style.  I was lucky enough to be contacted by Pink Blush Maternity, an online store that not only has super cute maternity clothing but pieces you can work into your post maternity wardrobe.

Pregnancy: Week 36

Nine months in!  Is it wrong to say that I'm hoping this is my last pregnancy update?  It probably won't be but it's a little more than wishful thinking.  I've gone from slightly uncomfortable to wanting to crawl out of my own skin.  Maybe it's the winter dryness or the fact that I'm always itchy but I'm going a little crazy.  Other than that, my contractions are pretty much the same.  I'm still on medication to keep them farther than two minutes apart and I'm planning to stay on them until the 30th.  My doctor is going on vacation (I'm a little freaked out) and I'll be taking them until she comes back.  I'm trying to keep B in as long as possible, even if it means I have to endure all these crazy pregnancy symptoms.

As you can see in my last pregnancy post, my nursery is nearly done.  With the addition of a few small purchases our little girl seriously has everything she could really want and more.  Thanks mostly to our family and our friends who went above and beyond at our showers :).  Oh, and did I mention the hundreds and hundreds of diapers that were gifted to us?  It was insane.  Here are a few pictures from our family shower a few weeks back:

From now on I'm just playing the waiting game at home.  I'm doing my best to take it easy and keep baby B as happy and healthy as possible while she's still inside of me.  She's doing great, being a crazy kicker and is maintaining her head down position.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed that she waits until at least New Year's to arrive!

Haha my anxious face!

xoxo

Ashley

My Sweet Fireball

If there's anything that maternity leave has shown me this past week, it's the amount of boredom that comes with staying at home.  I have been counting down these days for months yet now that they're here I'm oddly missing work.  I've been at my hospital for over five years and I've never taken more than one week off at a time.  I guess you can see what a culture shock that must be because I have no idea what to do at home!  The good thing is I now have time to take pictures, blog, and keep up with my favorite blogs as well.  I feel like I'm so out of the loop so this is the perfect time to play catch up.

Pregnancy: My Nursery

I have been promising for weeks, even months, to show you baby B's nursery.  Unfortunately, things didn't start coming together until about three weeks ago.  I'm still missing a dresser (don't get me started on my issues with Amazon) but I can say with confidence that if she came tomorrow the nursery would be workable!  Considering that I'm now officially "full term" she could make an appearance any day now.  I'm just happy she now has a personalized space of her own.

When we first painted the nursery we were unaware of the baby's sex.  We decided on a light green because it's the perfect gender neutral color.  When we found out she was a girl I decided to play with pinks (of course) and other pretty pastels.  I really wanted an owl theme because, honestly, it's so easy to find owl related items in any store.

As you can see, a lot of my Hello Kitty collection has made it's way into her room :)

Her shoe collection is already quite impressive.  Looks like she takes after mom!

Her custom closet is done!  I opted out of regular closet doors and went for ruffled waterfall curtains instead.  I think it makes the room look a little bigger and adds an extra touch of femininity.

I should be getting her dresser in the next week or so and I'll be adding the finishing touches while I can.  Being on maternity leave is pretty nice but I feel like I always have something to do here at home.  I guess you can never be too ready!  What do you think?

xoxo

Ashley

Makeup Review: Marc Jacobs Magic Marc'er Precision Pen

It's been much too long since I've done a makeup review!  To be honest, since buying a home I've had to put a bit of a limit on my frivolous spending.  Makeup happens to be in that category.  At my baby shower my sister did a wonderful thing: she gave me a Sephora gift card.  While getting things for the baby is exciting (and she did already buy me a swing), it was nice to be able to pamper myself just a little bit.

Walking into Sephora I knew I wanted to try a new eyeliner pen.  I did a review on my last pen purchase HERE but I was unsatisfied with how quickly it dried out.  I came across this Marc Jacobs Magic Marc'er Precision Pen and was instantly intrigued.  The reviews were all pretty positive (yes, I check) and just by applying the sample pen on my hand I could see how pigmented the liner was.  The only down side?  It's thirty dollars.  I would normally just keep looking for something cheaper but I decided to treat myself with my gift card.  Thanks, Christina!

Let me start by saying that this eyeliner is wonderful.  The tip of the pen is really fine and perfect for thin lines.  I usually like a thicker line but it was fun to try something different.  It was really easy to apply and it glided on evenly.  It also lasts forever!  Even when I tried taking it off the first time with soap and water it stayed right on.  Some would say that would be a negative, but you can either pay some extra special attention to your lids when washing your makeup off or even use the same lines for the next day.  Not going to lie, I've totally used it two days in a row.

Like I mentioned earlier, the only down side is the price.  I've been using it for about four or five weeks now and it hasn't dried up at all.  Maybe it's better to invest in a more expensive liner that lasts longer?  I can't imagine finding anything that works better but I'm always on the hunt!

I haven't seen it anywhere else, but you can get it at Sephora HERE.  Have you tried this Marc Jacobs liner before?  What's your current favorite?  Let me know!

xoxo

Ashley

Flock Together: All the Pretty Birds

It's that time again!  I'm blogging over at Flock Together today showing off a ridiculously cute dress borrowed from Sammi.  Make sure to click HERE and check out the full post!

xoxo

Ashley