recent reads

 

You Love Me 

The third installment of the book "You". I read the first novel way before the show came out and I was OBSESSED- read it in a day, could not get enough. The second was pretty good, and this one was hard to get through. The storyline is completely different than the show, so that is fun to read a totally alternate Joe storyline. The ending of this book did leave the option for another, so I am interested to see if she will come out with a fourth. 3 ★

The Blue Bistro

I recently listened to Elin Hilderbrand on the podcast Bad On Paper. It is an old episode that I discovered when I was looking through their podcast catalog. In the interview, Hilderbrand said that her favorite book of her own is The Blue Bistro so I of course checked it out from the library that day. I liked it! I found the characters to be a bit flat, but I will say that one of the things I like about her books is that the characters are not perfect like some other chick-lit books, and the relationships are always more realistic. This is not my favorite of her books, but I did find it interested that it is her favorite. 4 ★

The Plot

Following up on the Elin Hilderbrand interview... when asked what book she loves to recommend, she said this book so I read it immediately after The Blue Bistro. This is a really neat book because it has a storyline that is not generic. It is not romantic or scary, but a bit of a psychological thriller. I have realized that I love a literary themed plot, other favorites are The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, The Silkworm and Beach Read. 4 ★

The One

Another novel that was made into a show that follows a completely different storyline. I watched the show before the book but it did not matter at all because there is almost no overlap between the two. The book follows the same idea that there is a scientific discovery that can identify your genetically perfect soulmate, and how this has led to happily matched couples but also incredible fallout for many of the individuals who have been "matched". This book is told several different characters perspectives which I like to read. It is an easy, quick read- I hope he writes another because I think this story could go on and on with different characters or even some of the same from this book. It is such an interesting concept, I would love to keep reading stories revolving around this genetic matching system! 4 ★

Collared knits

I am loving the preppy, collared knit that is really popular this fall! I got this one from Target. It has been going in and out of stock.. if you put a "receive notification" on an sold out item from Target you can almost always get it eventually. Here are other collared knits I am loving! 

Thrifted Lately

Thrifted top, from Facebook

 In the last few years, I have gotten really into buying pre-owned clothes. In the past, I was buying so much cheap but fast fashion and I felt guilt about the environmental impact. I definitely still buy new things, but I have found that I reach for the things I bought on resale much more often than new items. Probably because they are really quality, pricey items that I got for a great deal! 

The places I buy secondhand items from most frequently:

Facebook!! #1 source for sure. I buy on buy/sell groups a LOT. You can find them by searching, but I think most often they are hidden groups and you need to be added by a friend, so ask around to local moms or friends to see if they are parts of these groups and can add you.  I also use Marketplace a lot, mostly to buy home goods, and occasionally clothes.  I find the prices on MP to be higher than in the buy/sell groups. 

Online or brick & mortar consignment: I have sold and bought some on Poshmark and it has always been a good experience. In Charlotte, there are several great consignment stores.. I follow JT Posh on Instagram and love seeing their new arrivals. Buying at consignment shops is definitely more expensive than buying direct from the previous owner, but easier if you have something specific you are looking for. 

Luxury consignment: The RealReal and Fashionphile have amazing selections of luxury items and guarantee authenticity. 

Thrifted top, from Facebook

Thrifted dress, from Facebook. Brand is Carolina K

Thrifted top, from Facebook

HOW TO BUY VINTAGE OUSHAK RUGS

Vintage Turkish rugs are everywhere on blogs and pinterest, but they seem so difficult to buy on a "normal" budget. The rugs that are shown are often above $1000.. not feasible for most people, especially those who have kids and don't want to spend a fortune on something that is going to be spilled on, played on, colored on.. etc.  Through endless searching, I found some sources and tips for buying a vintage oushak for wayy less money. I absolutely love my vintage rugs. They clean up so well- I have one in my kitchen and it gets spilled on all the time but does not absorb any stains. I have other non-vintage rugs in my house that are starting to look worn down and old after a few years. It's crazy to my kitchen rug has been used for 70+ years and looks so great!  

Ebay 

This seller is my number one!! The way they work is: post tons of new rugs everyday and they are all up for bid. Here's how to win one: go through daily (or as often as you want) and save rugs you like, then wait to bid till the very end. DO NOT bid when a rug has several days/hours left!! That just runs up the price. I wait till there is less than 20 seconds left on the rug and then put my max bid in. A lot of these end at random times in the middle of the night and yes I have set an alarm and woken up to bid... if you love it enough it's worth it. The good thing about this seller is that since all rugs are up for bid with no minimum, sometimes rugs go for crazy low prices. When I have bought from them, my rugs arrived within a few days and were very clean and true to the photos. 

This is another seller with well priced rugs. 

Etsy

There are a lot of expensive sellers on Etsy but there are ways to get beautiful rugs for great prices too. 

Here are some of the sellers I have saved on Etsy: Rughan Fashion Rug  Natural Rug Birinici RugUSA

A secret to buying on Etsy is that most of the sellers will discount their rugs if you message them and name your price. 

Nordstrom Sale: Baby, Beauty & Accessories

Baby 

Baby/kids items are probably the best thing to get during the sale if you are expecting or have little ones.

 Last year, I got my double running stroller and I do not see it on the sale yet this year, but hopefully they will add it at some time during the sale. It was such a great deal for a stroller that never goes on sale anywhere else. 

This year they have this stroller by the same brand and I have not tried it but I am sure it is amazing because I have two Thule strollers  and they are sooo good. 

When I was first pregnant I wanted this stroller sooo bad but I did not get it because of the price tag.. if I would have known I could get it for a discounted price during this sale I definitely would have.  

We own this jacket and it is the perfect lightweight jacket for fall and for layering in the winter, plus so cute. 

Beauty

I am not that into buying makeup or products, I wish I was but I'm no expert so I only have two things to buy this year! 

I truly wish I was not the kind of person who bought deodorant that is this expensive, but I am who I am and I always stock up on this 3-pack while it's on sale. I would give up a lot of other things in my budget before I give this up.. 

Also eyeing this lipstick, love Bobbi Brown lipsticks and glosses and I do not have this color. 

Accessories 

A good time to buy a bag or a hat!! I think I'll get this, and I love this bag, should I?! 

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale - Loungewear & Menswear

lounge

I love, love the Nordstrom brand pajamas and have a few different pairs. They are the perfect pajamas for pregnancy and postpartum because they have a very thin, loose waistband. I will likely buy another pair this year because I wear them every night and my previous pairs are super stained with Lanolin (ugh, I had no idea that Lanolin is just grease and completely stains everything). I am planning to buy one of these shirts as well this year, as they have the same name as the pajamas and I am hoping they will be the same material. I wear tight fit layering shirts like this every day in the winter under sweaters or coats.  

mens

Definitely buying these or these shoes for my husband, I wanted the second last year for both of us but they sold out immediately so we will see if they have a larger stock this year. I want to buy this sweater for my dad, I know he will love it because it looks like every cashmere sweater I have stolen out of his closet.

Nordstrom Sale Picks- Women's Coats, Sweaters, Tops & Dresses

Okay, I know that every single "blogger" posts about the Nordstrom sale and their picks, but I decided to post mine for anyone who does not follow a ton of other bloggers (hi, Mom) and wants to see what my picks are this year! I'm going to do a few separate posts because there is a lot! The things I look for every year are the cashmere ponchos (pictured above) and sweaters, Vince sweaters, a cute bootie, and the Nordstrom pajamas. The ponchos and pajamas are a dream for postpartum- I wore this poncho daily in the winter while breastfeeding as it is roomy enough and easy to drape over baby. 

coats

 

sweaters

tops and dresses