Best of 2016

December 28, 2016


It's December 28th! How in the world? My Best of posts are my absolute favorite to pull together (see 2015 and 2014). It may seem a little shallow to have a blog dedicated to my outfits but it's my own personal diary. I can look back at these outfits and remember where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with. It's so nostalgic! Here are the favorites of 2016.


Life Lately

December 26, 2016

Oh my goodness, you guys. I did not intend to take a week and a half off from blogging and it's been stressing me out! I missed a couple posts last week because our flight was delayed and work was crazy and then I missed some more because I realized that I brought the wrong camera cord home so I couldn't post the outfits I shot before we left California. Womp womp. I need to haul myself over to Best Buy and get a new cord because I have some pretty great content to share! Anyway I feel like so much has happened that I wanted to clue you guys in on.

OTK

December 14, 2016

I'll admit that I was resistant to the over-the-knee boot trend for, well it's been a couple years now, but it finally grew on me. I could never find a pair that I loved or that were at the right price point until I found these Charles by Charles David pretties. I pulled the trigger on Black Friday and have had fun styling them ever since. I wore this outfit for date night a few weeks ago and other than having to pull them up semi-frequently I love them. I know that's ridiculous but they're fun so I'm willing to put up with a little bit of annoyance. Also, in cold weather climates they can be used to either wear skirts and dresses in the winter or as a second layer over your pants. Win-win!


Reflecting

December 12, 2016

Every night, if I'm not crazy tired, I fill out my question of the day in my five year Q&A book. Last week one of the questions was "Where do you see yourself in a year?" which naturally got me thinking because 2016 is coming to a close. The reason I love this Q&A book is for these exact questions. You fill out your answer every day for five years so you get to see how your responses vary from year to year. When you get these prediction questions it's fun to see where you were right or wrong and how things have changed.


Everyday

December 9, 2016

I love dressing up, as you have probably figured out by now, but honestly this is what you'll find me in most days. I don't have the energy to put together dressy outfits more than two or three times a week, so I usually fall back on something like this. I have actually worn this exact outfit about four times in the last two weeks! I've posted about this cardigan before, but honestly guys I still can't get enough. It gives me life haha. 

Our Holiday Home

December 7, 2016

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Just dropping in to share some pictures of our apartment decorated for Christmas. I haven't really shared many pictures of the apartment because I don't consider it "done" and can't decide if it's even worth trying to finish decorating at this point. That's a post for another day, so until then here are some photos of our little Christmas home! 


Holiday Style: Getting the Tree

December 5, 2016

So this was going to be my going to get the Christmas tree outfit, but then we ended up not actually being able to go get the tree when I was hoe over Thanksgiving. Womp womp. Yes, I am one of those people who imagines what I will be wearing for pretty much every life event. Also I feel I should point out that we get our tree from a nursery, it's not like I'd be wearing this out in the woods to chop down a 10 foot fir!

Our Engagement Photos!

December 2, 2016

They're here, they're here! So excited to share our engagement pictures with you guys. I couldn't narrow down my favorites any more so there are a lot but they're just so good. A million thanks to our photographer Kayla Fletcher to made it so fun and made us feel like the most beautiful couple on the planet during our shoot😊 We got super lucky because it had been raining all day and then the sun came out for almost our whole shoot! I will blame our crazy hair on the misty and windy air though😉 We wanted to do our pictures in San Francisco since that's where we got engaged so we chose the Legion of Honor and Baker Beach. Hope you love them as much as we do!

Holiday Style: Dressed Up Plaid

November 30, 2016

When I bought this top and this skirt a few weeks ago I knew immediately that I wanted to pair them together for an ultra-festive look. I know some people prefer to not be too literal with their holiday attire, but it's really the only time of year you can get away with wearing red and green together! I don't think this is overkill either because there's green in the skirt. Whatever your opinion, you can't say this outfit isn't festive! It would be perfect for an office holiday party. Just add some navy tights if you're in a colder climate.

Holiday Style: Green Sparkle

November 28, 2016

We made it past Thanksgiving and are officially on to holiday content! To kick it off I've put together this festive outfit from pieces you've seen before (here and here). I'm really happy with how the whole look came together. This outfit would be perfect for a holiday concert, or even NYE because #sparkle.

What to Wear for Every Holiday Scenario

November 21, 2016


Today I've got you covered with what to wear for every possible holiday scenario from cutting down the tree to lounging at home with the fam to a glamorous holiday party!

The Plaid Skirt

November 16, 2016

This skirt, guys. It is actual perfection. The best part is that it's great for the holidays, but when paired with neutrals it's not too festive so you can wear it during months other than December! I will be styling it for the holidays starting the Monday after Thanksgiving though, so be sure to check back for that. I'm so excited to be working on holiday content! I'm going to have so many great outfits planned that it will be hard to pick one to actually wear when the time comes ;) Can't wait to share with you!

Black and Blue

November 14, 2016

I feel like you guys must think I'm so boring because rarely do I have anything interesting to report back after the weekend😂. We're total homebodies so we're really content to hang out with Louie and a good movie. That pretty much sums up this weekend too. Well there was also the fun little trial run of having him sleep in bed with us and let me just tell you we won't be doing it again! Ha it really wasn't that bad, but just not very restful for anyone but Mark. One of my best friends is visiting next weekend though so I'm sure I'll have something more eventful to tell you about a week from now!

What to Wear to a Fall/Winter Wedding

November 11, 2016

Well, the good news is that we made it through the week, you guys. Even though this week sucked (doesn't even begin to describe it) and I'm sad and disappointed we still made it. We have a lot of healing to do, but we'll do what Americans do best and get through it. Don't want to get too political on you as this is supposed to be a happy space, but just felt like I had to say something.

Now, on to something a little bit more lighthearted (happy space!): what to wear to a fall or winter wedding. It seems as though many more couples are straying away from the "typical" months for weddings in favor of cooler months, which poses the question of what to wear. I've been to a few fall or winter weddings and I know they're trickier to dress for, so I wanted to share some inspiration with you today! I tried to find various price points and also various levels of formality in case it's a black tie wedding, or maybe it's even a Christmas party. Either way, I've got you covered with some seriously beautiful dresses!




Ultra Prep

November 9, 2016


I Finally Found a Blouse!

November 7, 2016


These are a few of my favorite things

November 4, 2016

You guys may notice that things look a little bit different around here today! There are still a few changes that I want to make as far as formatting and little details I want to fix. If you run into anything weird or have any suggestions please feel free to let me know.

How I Asked My Bridesmaids

November 2, 2016

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm so excited about today's post because it features all of my favorite things. I recently asked my bridesmaids to be, well, my bridesmaids! 

Mad for Plaid

October 31, 2016


Recent Reads Vol. 8

October 26, 2016

You guys, I've been reading up a storm lately and have so many good books to share with you! When the weather cools down I just want to stay inside cozied up reading all day.


Fall Recipes to Try

October 24, 2016

November is coming up quickly and it's the month where I'll be trying a new recipe every week! So I've been pinning up a storm of fall (okay pumpkin) and cozy slow cooker meals to try out. Here are some of my favorites:
I need to use our crock pot more and this looks SO GOOD.

Louie Turns One!

October 21, 2016

Wednesday was Louie's "birthday" and he turned one! I say "birthday" because he's a rescue pup so we don't actually know when it is. We got him on March 19th and they thought he was about five months old, so we decided October 19th would be his birthday. He's still a little sour patch kid, but we adore him and he really makes us feel like a little family. We've loved getting to see his personality come out pretty much from the second we brought him home. This post may seem over the top to some of you, but we're kind of obsessed with him, so I thought it was only fitting to write him a little love letter of sorts for his birthday.


The Most Perfect Green Lace Dress

October 19, 2016


Rainy Fall Days + Fall Decorations

October 17, 2016


Happy Monday friends! Today's post is kind of a random one but I wanted to share some simple fall home decor ideas and my essentials for the perfect cozy, rainy day. I'm still just as excited about our fireplace/mantel as I was when we moved in. I've been patiently waiting for the holidays so I could decorate it accordingly! 

Travel Diary: Washington DC

October 14, 2016

It's taken me a whole week to get my sh*t together and write a blog post. Whoops. Not sure why but I had a really hard time adjusting to being back after our five days in DC. I was exhausted and going to bed by 9PM :) that three hour time difference is noticeable! Hopefully I can get back on track after this weekend. Anyways, on to the trip! It was so much fun and I'm really glad we were finally able to make it out. I'm actually pretty glad that I went for the first time as an adult because I felt like I could really appreciate it. It's a lot of information and I don't think I would have cared much when I was younger. 

Picking a Wedding Venue

October 7, 2016

Hooray! We finally picked a venue and nailed down a date for our wedding! Side note: I'm going to say "I" a lot in this post instead of "we" because I am more opinionated and well, frankly, particular than Mark is :) Anyway, we've only been engaged for a month, but this has been stressing me out because I knew I wanted to get married in the fall and I was worried all of the venues would already be booked. It's nuts how far out they're reserved. I alluded to it last week but didn't want to say where we decided on because we didn't have the contract signed yet. We will be getting married at The Depot in Minneapolis next October! Phew, I feel so much better now that that's all squared away.


Little Life Updates

October 5, 2016

I get the sense that the posts you guys enjoy most are the ones when I share personal things and details about what's going on in my life. So today's post is just kind of a hodge podge of random things that are going on with me.


Ultra Cozy

October 3, 2016

Cardigan: BP via Nordstrom. Jeans: Articles of Society. Booties: Sole Society. T-Shirt: Target. Scarf: Gap (similar). Purse: Coach (similar). 

This outfit is so cozy and I was over the moon that I could wear it yesterday and wasn't even sweating. Yay for fall weather! This cardigan may look familiar to you because it's the exact same silhouette as this one I've worn a million times. It's a slightly different material though that has some elasticity to it, so it doesn't stretch out if you're rolling the sleeves up and down. Also, I should note that these jeans are pretty amazing for $54. I lamented on Snapchat on Saturday about how hard it is for me to find jeans because I like really basic dark wash skinnies and most denim has some sort of lineage going on around the pockets. I was determined to find new jeans because my only other pair of dark skinnies almost had a hole in the crotch. TMI? Anyway, I went to five different stores to try on jeans and didn't find any until I ended up at Nordstrom. Of course. Nordstrom knows best. I was pretty excited about this pair because they're super stretchy (#yas) and have no lines on them! I also picked up a pair of AG jeans, which are way more expensive but I'm still trying to decide whether to keep them or not. 

Phew, that was probably way more information than you wanted to know. Should we switch over to how my weekend was? Okay, go! My weekend was such a good one. In all honesty I was pretty depressed to be back in California after the best weekend at home, but I've settled back into our routine here and we really missed Lou. There wasn't really anything out of the ordinary this weekend, but I've got a two day week ahead because I'm headed to D. C. with my mom and sister on Wednesday! Really looking forward to that :)

Thank you so much for reading!
xo Catherine 

A Quick Trip Home

September 28, 2016

You may have noticed that I've been a little MIA 'round these parts and that's because we took a quick, last minute trip home over the weekend. It was the best trip, albeit full to the brim with wedding events and appointments. 
We hit the ground running right after we landed and had three back to back appointments with venues and wedding planners. We've decided on a venue (more on that soon) but I'm struggling with deciding on a wedding planner! I do think that we'll need the help since we're planning from out of town, but I just don't know how much help. We rounded out the day with a little family engagement party. It was the perfect way to celebrate and now it's starting to feel real since we've seen our families in person!
We visited Windows on Minnesota, The Depot Minneapolis, The St. Paul Hotel, and the St. Paul Athletic Club (pictured above). They were all fabulous, but we could only pick one. It was extra special because our families were able to come look at venues with us.  
It wasn't all business though we did have time to sneak in a little outing to the Minnetonka Orchards for some #fallfun. I'd never actually been to an apple orchard, so I can officially check that off my list. I also enjoyed taking advantage of the Minnesota fall weather because it's currently in the 90s in San Jose. Gross. 
Of course we couldn't go to an apple orchard without getting apple cinnamon donuts! They were honestly the best, all warm and sugary. Mmmm. 

Not pictured, but it worked out that we were home for Mark's nephew's first birthday party, which was so nice to be a part of. Also, my mom, sister, and I had fun unboxing her wedding dress and all taking turns trying it on. That was so fun and special. My mom had been saying for years we could unseal the box once one of us got engaged, so it was highly anticipated!

The trip was too short and went by too quickly, but we accomplished what we went home for: we picked a venue! I'm going to do a whole post about it, so stay tuned for that!

xo Catherine

Textured

September 21, 2016

Skirt: J. Crew Factory. Cardigan: Halogen via Nordstrom. Top: Banana Republic (similar). Shoes: Shoemint Via Kohl's (similar). Purse: Topshop (similar). 
Not sure why the white top looks so jarringly white in these pictures😂we're obviously not professional photographers. Aside from that, I really love this outfit and the mix of textures together. The skirt is pretty simple, I'll be honest I overlooked it when I saw it online, but decided to try it on in store on a whim. I ended up really loving it and think I'll get a ton of use out of it. I'm already envisioning it with black tights and booties - my favorite (can't belive how dark my hair was)! It's classic, and also maybe a little Britney a la Baby One More Time ;) 

Hope your week is going well! We're halfway there!
xo Catherine 

Yep, This Cardigan Again

September 19, 2016

Cardigan: BP Via Nordstrom (similar). Dress: Loft. Shoes: BC Footwear. Purse: Kate Spade. Sunglasses: Ray-Ban. Belt: Target (similar). 
Are you sick of this cardigan yet? I'm definitely not! I can't belive how much wear I've gotten out of it already since the Nordstrom Sale. You can never go wrong with neutrals though. 

Not much to report from this weekend. We opted to be lazy, like I-stayed-in-my-PJs-and-took-a-three-hour-nap, lazy :) felt so good! 

Thanks for stopping by!
xo Catherine

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