baby boy style guide

When I found out that I was going to have a boy, I immediately resolved to find the most stylish baby clothes possible. Whenever I'm out shopping, I notice that trendy baby girl clothes are much easier to find than boy clothes. Why is that?? I did some digging and found what I consider to be the best options for the little guy. I'm all about the mini-me look and am going to try to replicate my husband's style for the babe, which means button-downs, comfy tees, stylish jeans, and accessories that have the ultimate cool-factor.

1. Splendid Slub Jersey Henley ($16)

2. H&M Knit Cotton Sweater ($12.99)

3. Loved By Hannah & Eli Man Cub T-Shirt ($34)

4. H&M Long-Sleeved Henley ($9.99)

5. Old Navy Plaid Roll-Sleeve Shirt ($14.94)

6. H&M Fine-Knit Cardigan ($12.99)

7. H&M Joggers ($12.99)

8. H&M Lined Corduroy Pants ($12.99)

9. H&M Slim Fit Jeans ($14.99)

10. Carter's 4-Pack Bodysuits ($9.99)

11. Monica + Andy Printed Joggers ($26)

12. H&M Soft Slippers ($12.99)

13. H&M High Tops ($19.99)

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The Columbus Coffee Trail

This past week, I had the chance to play tour guide and show my sister around Columbus. It was her first time to visit and I think it's safe to say she had a blast! We always make time for coffee dates when I visit her so we of course had to explore as many coffee shops as possible while she was up here. She noticed the Columbus Coffee Experience stamp cards at one of the shops and we immediately made it our mission to visit enough to score free t-shirts to commemorate our achievement!

In typical fashion, I took photos of the latte art at each because I'm a huge sucker for beautiful things + coffee.

From top-left going clockwise: Stauf's // Fox in the Snow // Brioso // Mission Coffee Co

My thoughts on each:

Stauf's - After a less than stellar first impression, I've since changed my mind about this German Village mainstay. I love the atmosphere and natural light but the patio is probably my favorite spot in this place. There's plenty of seating, free wi-fi and great lattes -- I tried the Milky Way flavor (SO good) and sister had the Buckeye, which definitely lived up to its name. The breakfast muffins aren't bad, either.

Fox in the Snow - This has been a frequent haunt for my husband and I and we come here weekly just for the massive cinnamon rolls. The lattes aren't my favorite of the others I've tried (I wish they offered specialty flavors!), but they are potent and the latte art is always on point.

Brioso - One of the best lattes I've had in Columbus so far has to be from Brioso. My sister and I tried out the Ohio Honey Lattes at the new location on Long Street and I was in love with the layout and overall vibes. They have plenty of large tables for those that are blessed with the ability to work remotely. There's tons of gorgeous natural light and the baristas are friendly. This place gets an A+ from me!

Mission Coffee Co. - Mission is a hip little shop tucked away just off High St. I had never been before but after this week I'm certain I'll be going back. It was open yet cozy and had a good amount of work surfaces. The lattes were both delicious and beautiful. We tried the Mocha and Vanilla flavors.

One Line Coffee - Not pictured, as my sister just got an iced honey latte and I refrained due to my limit of one coffee per day. I took a few sips though and it was good, though very potent! This place was a little on the small side but had a nice atmosphere and we were surprised that patrons can bring their dogs along with them! The baristas were super friendly, which is enough to get me to return and try one of their other coffee beverages for myself sometime.

We would have loved to hit up the rest of the coffee shops on the Experience Columbus Coffee Trail. However, since my sister was only here for the week we went ahead and redeemed our stamp cards for some super cute and soft t-shirts! Here we are modeling them:

If you live in Columbus and love coffee as much as we do, you should definitely take on the Columbus Coffee Trail challenge! It's a good way to break out of a routine (I'm guilty of going to the same place) and branch out to try new things!

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A Weekend in Texas Wine Country

This past weekend my husband Cory and I flew down to Texas to celebrate his 30th birthday with a group of friends in Fredericksburg, Texas. If you aren't from Texas you may not realize that Texas has its own little wine country about an hour west of Austin! This area is also known as the "hill country" because while much of Texas is quite flat, the terrain in this part is hilly and just beautiful! And while all the recent rains are catastrophic for people, the land has benefitted and is currently lush and green.

On Friday,  Cory and I got picked up at DFW Airport by two of our friends and we carpooled down to wine country, stopping along the way for a wine tasting and some lunch at The Vineyard At Florence.

Once we arrived in Fredericksburg, we stopped in at Becker Vineyards--Cory and I's favorite winery--for a quick tasting before they closed for the day. We then set our things down at the house and grabbed dinner at Fredericksburg Brewing Company. We always have to stop here when we visit! The rest of the evening we caught up with friends and enjoyed a low-key wine night.

Saturday we were up with a quick breakfast before getting picked up by our private shuttle! If you are planning to do a day of wine tasting, I highly recommend doing either the public or private shuttle (don't drink & drive!) After a day of wineries, our shuttle dropped us off at the house and we played games, grilled fajitas, and enjoyed more wine. The plan was originally to go to our favorite dinner spot and go out dancing, but the sun was just starting to peek out and we were having too good of a time at home!

Sunday morning we all rose early, had some coffee and hit the road. It was the best weekend, even with the overcast and rainy weather! You can't go wrong when you've got friends and wine.

What I Packed

lightweight gray sweater // cold-shoulder top (similar here) // lace-up top // open-knit cardigan (similar here) // denim cut-offs (similar here) // cropped side-zip jeans (similar here) // boater hat (similar here) // white sneakers // sandals (similar here) // earrings (similar here and here)

I kept my palette and items simple but allowed myself a few options due to uncertainty about the weather. It turned out to be cool and drizzly so I was glad I opted for a old pair of sandals rather than packing one of my new never-worn pairs. Normally, the weather in Texas is hot and sunny, so in that case I would not have brought my jeans or sweaters!

Where We Stayed

We stayed in a house right off of the highway that leads into town, which I found through HomeAway. It was super cute and I wish I'd taken my own pictures of the place, but here are some from the home's rental website. Joanna Gaines would love it, I think! If you're planning a trip for two, I can also recommend Austin Street Retreat.

Wineries

William Chris*, Lewis, 4.0, Grapecreek, Becker*, Six Shooter, Messina Hof

Transportation

The 290 Wine Shuttle provides public hop on/hop off transportation for only $25/day! Private tours cost $395 for up to 14 people. To me, this is a great deal and way better than drawing straws to figure out who will be the DD. 

Eat
There's plenty of delicious places to eat in Fredericksburg. However, these are some of my favorites!

• Hondo's - If you're feeling adventurous, try the jalepeno margarita. The quesadillas are my go-to but everything here is great.
• Fredericksburg Brewing - I love this spot for lunch or dinner. A few pretty good beers on tap and a pretty wide selection of food choices -- from salads to German cuisine to wraps and burgers.
• Clear River Pecan Co. - Cookies & ice cream. Enough said.
• Werner Warehouse Cafe - This is a charming little place tucked away from Main Street. I am a sucker for their cinnamon rolls!

To Do
If you need to take a break from wine tasting, there's lots of cute shops up and down Main Street to keep you busy. In the evening, put on your dancing shoes and check out Crossroads. The infamous Luckenbach, TX is only 15 minutes away and a fun place to visit for music and drinks.

Shop the Post:

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chicago trip recap

Over the first weekend in December, the hubs and I took a little trip up to Chicago to visit a friend. Neither of us had ever been, so we were very excited to explore the city!  We were blown away at how beautiful it was, even despite the overcast/foggy weather that prevented us from getting a good view of the lake. We got to see much of downtown as well as Near Northside, Old Town, and Lincoln Park.

Friday, the hubs and I took the train from O'Hare to downtown, left our stuff at our friend's apartment, and started walking around while he was finishing up at work. We first tried to visit the J. Parker rooftop bar at the Hotel Lincoln, but it was under construction. On clear days, we heard, the view of the lake is stunning. We'll definitely have to come back another time to see it for ourselves! We ended up at Marge's Still, Chicago's oldest pub. It was a wonderful, off the beaten path little place to take cover from the cold.

Our friend joined us for dinner at Lou Malnati's for our first taste of Chicago famous deep dish pizza. It seems on the internet and amongst our friends, everyone is split between Lou's and Giordano's. We chose Lou's and were completely impressed with the meal--it was delicious!

Following dinner, we bar hopped along Hubbard Street downtown. Notable stops: Pops for Champagne, Hubbard Inn, and Luxbar.

A late night warranted some much-needed sleeping in. We roused slowly and made our way over to The Publican, just west of downtown, for their highly recommended brunch. If you ever visit Chicago, you should definitely make this part of your agenda. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful, filled with natural light and warm wood paneling. Our booth had doors on the open side that you could close to create a semi-private dining space.

We walked off our (amazing) meal downtown, making a quick stop at the Christmas market (way too crowded) and continued on to Millennial Park. On the way to see "The Bean" I was drawn to an adorable little cupcake/macaron shop called Sugar Bliss nestled discreetly next to Macy's.

We walked up Magnificent Mile, stopping at only a few stores before making our way home to rest. After a little nap, we braved the cold for some BYOB dinner at Cafe Sushi in Old Town, followed by drinks at Old Town Pour House and the most delicious cupcakes ever at Molly's Cupcakes in Lincoln Park (note: try the Cake Batter flavor, it's to die for). I loved that they were open late to satisfy my sweet tooth craving, since most bakeries closed much earlier in the evening.

Sunday, we headed back to Old Town for macarons, coffee, and croissants at La Fournette and brunch (and Sunday football watching) at Benchmark.

We returned home to rest and pack before heading back to the airport. The hubs and I had the most wonderful time visiting our friend and exploring Chicago. We can't wait to visit again! xo.

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hasty morning hairstyles

We've all done it. The alarm goes off on Monday (or Tuesday, or Wednesday...) morning and you press the snooze button one too many times. Next thing you know you've got about 20 minutes to put yourself together and run out the door if you want to get to work on time.

This is me probably once a week. I have mastered the 5-minute makeup routine but hair is one thing that is harder for me to do. On a normal day, it usually takes me a few minutes to decide up or down, curly or straight. But when I'm running late, ain't nobody got time for deliberating on how to fix their hair!

I figured I'm probably not the only one who likes the idea of an arsenal of go-to, I'm-running-super-late hair styles and thought I'd share a few I found on Pinterest that are sure to help you get ready for work in a snap:

one / two / three / four

one: The knotted ponytail via small things blog. She has an easy video tutorial to use as a guide! Check out all her other easy hair tutorials, too. love love love.

two: The two-minute low braided bun. I've done this style so many times. Always quick, always chic.

three: One of my favorite lazy-girl hair styles! Straighten only the bottom 2-3 inches of hair to add polish to your natural texture. Add a few waves with a curling wand on the top layer if needed.

four: Tease the roots around your crown for volume, set with a light mist of hair spray, and gather at the nape of your neck in a tight knot. Bring a few wisps of hair to the front (curl with a wand if desired) to soften the look.

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