Celebrating the Flirty 30: Naples Style

Last week Adelaide & I packed our bags and headed south. Despite the weather being gorgeous in NY, we had a girls weekend planned for ages in Naples. Greeted with blue skies & 90 degree temps, we set out to get the house ready for our bffs.

Marquette & Ali arrived Thursday. Kel & Aham flew in Friday. In honor of our 30th birthdays this year, we decided to take a girls trip. We had high hopes of somewhere exotic when we were planning this a few years back, but we found Naples to be the key. *We definitely missed JL who just welcomed her 2nd baby boy & Kimmie who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her niece/nephew*

Welcome Gifts! Beach towel, gossip mags, sunscreen, & gum

When you are 30, you spend vacations chilling poolside with a cocktail or two (not ten like in your twenties!). You also take morning walks around the neighborhood to get a little exercise. You still enjoy the thrill of a good golf cart race and dancing is not an option but a mandatory task.

Just ask Adelaide...she seems to have the Miley twerk down perfectly.


But perhaps the best part of being 30 is that when you see your friends you spend time talking. Really talking and catching up about the important parts of their lives. Their secrets. Their happy times. Their dreams.

Adelaide & I thoroughly enjoyed our time with our bffs. It was just what we needed to rejuvenate us and make easing into fall/winter temps bearable!! Until the next trip, we love you girls and will cherish the weekend!!

Greenburgh Nature Center: A Playground for All

The weather in New York has been gorgeous. We were able to hold onto summer until almost the end of September which was perfect for me. And when we returned from KY, the heat had burned off and the cool crisp mornings with sunny, warm afternoons had arrived. So our Tuesday playgroup decided to take advantage and get outdoors! In NY, you never know when the next hurricane or blizzard might strike!!

Five moms & 5 tots drove down to Scarsdale to the Greenburgh Nature Center. The 33-acre facility is a nature preserve that features a beautiful walking paths, a petting zoo, an elaborate & eco-friendly playground for ages 6 months to 12 years old, an animal museum, and many other family oriented things.

We packed our lunches and set out blankets for the kids to eat & play. After lunchtime, we headed down to the playground to let the little ones let off some steam. Adelaide was obsessed with the slide...going down head first mind you. She would quickly race to the stairs, climb them, then push anyone who was waiting to go down the slide out of her way. She must have done this 20 times! Other great playground features included the mini tunnel, the swing, and the peek-a-boo bars.

Such a great afternoon with friends and here's hoping that the weather holds off a little longer so we can get outdoors even more!

Calm My Anxious Heart: A Book Review

A few weeks ago I received a package in the mail from my best friend Kelley. I opened it to find 3 books: the bible, Calm My Anxious Heart, & How to be a Better You. The card was as sweet as can be since she knew I had been struggling with stress & anxiety as of late. She explained each book and why she thought it would help me as well as how they had helped her.

So I got to reading...

I started with Calm My Anxious Heart because I thought I needed it most. It can also be used as a 12 week bible study so I thought reading and answering the questions would be a good start for me to fully examine my life.

The book is 12 chapters with the first discussing the author and her journey to contentmen. The next 4 chapters (2-5) discuss contentment in the four main areas of our life: circumstances, being me, my role(s), and relationships. Being content is such a tricky thing. I feel like I am content at times but other times I want more. I was raised to be very goal-oriented and to dream big. I was also raised to be thankful & appreciative for all that I have been blessed with. Where do I find the balance? These chapters really helped me realize that being content with the gifts that God has given me, the role(s) and relationships that He has blessed me with doesn't mean I stop dreaming; it simply means I live in the moment of joy.

Chapters 6, 7, & 8 take a look at three elements that hender our contentment. The first being greed or the feeling that we never have enough. With social media so prevalent these days, we are often made to feel like our house isn't adequate, our hobbies aren't as tasteful, our parenting is par, etc. In the last few years, I have really tried hard to overcome this stigma. I can remember watching everyone else get engaged and literally breaking down into tears waiting on Ryan to propose. I am happy to say that this is an area where I have made great strides, but this chapter was a wonderful reminder/reality check.

The second contentment blocker is a faulty focus. Often in life we are focused on the wrong thing, living life without a purpose. I personally have a tough time getting through days when I don't have a plan or a focus. I feel like I've wasted the day. So why wouldn't this be the same in life? I have always thought about, prayed about, and written my goals at the start of each year. I also keep a "life goals" list for those things I hope to accomplish throughout my time here. This chpater was a wonderful reminder to continue re-evaluating my life purpose with God as the center.

The final issue is worry. Oh man do I need help in this area! I am a worrier with some many things about life; generally the small, insignificant issues. And of course some of the larger ones too! But worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere. I felt a great sense of peace reading this chapter with the bible verses and examples of how people have lifted their worry up to God. It is something that I plan to and hope to practice in my daily life.

Chapter 9 turns the corner and begins to speak about how to become content. Faith must be our foundation in growing with God and becoming content within our hearts. Easier said than done of course as faith requires believing in what we cannot see.

The final three chapters discuss trust. Trusting God with the what ifs, the if onlys, and the whys. As humans, we want answers. Our fears are in the what if (i.e. what if I don't find a spouse, what if I lose my job, what if I can't have children). Fear inhibits us from faith and contentment. Our need for material things lies in if only (i.e. if only I made more money, if only I could have a better car, if only he loved me). Greed hardens the heart & soul. Our lack of faith is in the whys (i.e. why did I have to get injured, why did I have to get caught sneaking out, why did I have to get divorced). Without faith, we have nothing.

I really enjoyed reading this book and beginning my journey to contentment. I read each chapter then went back and did the questions to re-exam the chapters once more. This way I felt like I was able to double dip into the messages at hand.

I highly recommend this book to any woman who is seeking the contentment that we all deserve.

Pick of the Patch

A few Sundays ago,  we enjoyed a family afternoon at the neighboring pumpkin patch, Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard, in North Salem. The weather was perfectly *fall* and we were dressed in our pumpkin best.

I am a summer girl at heart, but I do enjoy the joys of fall (i.e. pumpkin spice lattes, picking pumpkins, the aroma of pumpkin spice) so going to a pumpkin patch as a family annually is a must. Things were a lot different this year since little Miss Adelaide could roam the grounds herself...well holding our hands.

She was so attentive to the live band, children running & dancing, smells of apple cider, and the taste of pumpkin cheesecake. Ryan & I enjoyed the food fare sharing a turkey leg and corn chowder. We grabbed a basket of apples to make sweet desserts this fall. I couldn't resist the apple cider so I indulged in a large cup. We also walked away with two pumpkins and a small pumpkin cheesecake. Yummy!

In addition to these fun fall traditional activities, they also had hayrides, temporary tattoos, face painting, and bouncy castles. Plenty to do for the little ones. We definitely plan to make this place an annual tradition as well as explore other fall hot spots in Westchester County!

7x7 Remix Challenge

Over at Ma Nouvelle Mode, the Copy Cat Closet Challenge morphed into the 7x7 Remix Challenge. Aside from being super busy lately with all sorts of travel, I have also been a bit intimidated by the new challenge. It was much easier when someone was basically telling me how to dress...this girl likes direction ;) But grabbing 7 pieces of clothes from my closet and making 7 suitable outfits seemed terrifying...

...until I started packing for California and realized that the less I packed the better. So I set out to complete my first 7x7 Remix Challenge for our trip. Now CA weather is all over the map and since our trip entailed going from San Francisco (think 60s & super cool in the evenings) to Santa Barbara (think 70s & cool at night) to Los Angeles (think 80s) to San Diego (think the most perfect temperature all day, every day), I needed to be prepared for climate changes.

Here are the pieces that I chose:

1- White Tank

2- Long Sleeve White Lace Shirt

3- Beige Sparkle Heart Shirt

4- Long Sleeve Black Button Down Shirt

5- Faded Purple Shorts

6- Black Sparkly Skinny Jeans

7- Black & White Striped Dress

Because my theme was minimal, I opted for only 4 pairs of shoes (one of which I wore on the plane):

1- Teal Sandals
2- Black Sandals with a slight heel
3- Pink Flats
4- Nude Wedges

As for accessories & jewelry, I knew I needed to add pops of color and dress up a few of the outfits so I tried to get creative and shop my closet...way back there:

Here are my 7 outfits:

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Outfit One:
Black & White Striped Dress and Long Sleeve Black Button Down Shirt
*Worn during travels to CA & for wine tasting upon arrival*

Outfit Two:
White Tank, Long Sleeve White Lace Shirt and Black Sparkly Skinny Jeans*Worn in San Fran to Golden Gate Park & for dinner with friends*

Outfit Three:
White Tank,  Long Sleeve Black Button Down Shirt, and Faded Purple Shorts
*Worn for our road trip to Solvang & at the Monterey Bay Seaquarium*

Outfit Four:
Beige Sparkle Heart Shirt and Faded Purple Shorts
*Worn in Solvang shopping, on our road trip to LA, & for a BBQ with friends*

Outfit Five:
White Tank, Long Sleeve White Lace Shirt and Faded Purple Shorts
*Worn on our road trip to SD & at a play date in OC*

Outfit Six:
Black & White Striped Dress
*Worn for brunch, a stroll on the beach, & shopping*

Outfit Seven:
Beige Sparkle Heart Shirt and Black Sparkly Skinny Jeans
*Worn for our travel back to NY*

This was one of the smartest ways that I have ever packed. I can't say that I will do this every time that we go on a trip, but I will definitely be testing it again! A big thanks to Nikki at Bedazzles After Dark for helping me get this all organized and for the inspiration!