what i wore (postpartum) wednesday

what I wore (postpartum) wednesday

 i love this super easy and casual outfit for spring. this pink and white stripped top is perfect for nursing mama's & i love the tie detail at the bottom. these jeans are old from target (no longer available) but i linked a similar favorite pair below. lastly i am so obsessed with jelly sandals, hello 90's kids (!), these walmart.ca jelly bow flip flops are everything! they are 14.97 but i also linked a few similar pairs for all my US friends! if you are interested in my handbag that is now worn with EVERY outfit, also known as the diaper bag on the chair behind me, i have linked that as well! happy wednesday

our maternity session

Welcome to the last post of 2018, I can't believe how quickly the year has passed. It has been the BEST year yet! Definitely not without it's ups and down, struggles throughout but honestly the best because we got to greatest gift I could ever have asked for. In just a few short weeks we will welcome baby Girl into the world and then 2019 will be the BEST year ever. Today I am going to share our amazing maternity photos we had taken while in Arizona. I had been putting together a vision on what I wanted my maternity photos to look like and after hours and hours of stressing that vision came to life exactly how I imagined! 

bumpdate: 20 weeks

Okay, I may be a week and a half late posting this BUT I am getting around to the 20 week bumpdate. I feel like so much has happened  in the last 6 weeks however that could just be because I do more than eat bagels, sleep, and work... I, my friends, have become a member of society again! The questions, how are you feeling comes my way my answer is GREAT! At week 7, 8, or 9 I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but here I am. I honestly feel great. Of course there are some second trimester symptoms that are present but compared to the first trimester this is a breeze!

dress (under $20!) // jacket // shoes // bag // watch // earrings

pregnancy style; leggings on repeat

This week marks 20 weeks of pregnancy for me. I can't believe it! I remember being 13 or 14 weeks and thinking 20 was soooo far away, but now it's here. Living in a small town maternity clothes are as difficult to come by as one would expect. For this reason I was able to hold off on purchasing any maternity clothes until just a week or so ago. A little secret though, if you are like me and have been holding off on purchasing maternity pants go get yourself a pair because they are life changing. I think I want to continue wearing them even when not pregnant haha. 

I wasn't sure how much my body was going to change when becoming pregnant. You see these beautiful women on Instagram who literally look like models with tiny bodies and the cutest bellies. It was almost immediately where I felt my body change, my shorts and jeans literally didn't fit at 8 or 9 weeks, I was so shocked. I have turned to dresses and lots of leggings since then! 

the perfect pink dress

The Okanagan is literally one of the most beautiful places this time of year! In the Spring all the orchard trees are blooming pretty pink and white flowers. Driving through town each hill side is all kinds of colors and the smell is just amazing! The blooms only last a few days only about 5-7 so you have to catch them just at the right time. If a big wind storm or rain comes they will mostly likely blow off so fingers are alway crossed for hot calm weather!

On a fashion note for today, I picked up this blush pink dress a few weeks ago when we were down in Bellingham! I am so in love with the pockets, the crochet mid section, and over all cut! I have been on the search for some comfy casual dresses to wear all summer and this one is it. I am actually still kicking myself I didn't buy it in black, I may have to order it online! 

shop this look:

my favorite parts of Spring

Bring on the shorts, skirts, and anything bare leg weather! Spring has totally Sprung here in the Okanagan and it is literally THE prettiest season yet. My + Sofia's favorite 100%. Driving through our town there are so many different colored trees + bushes blooming. The orchards are in full bloom with pink and white flowers, every tree lining the streets is now pink, the magnolias are incredible and just recently the lilacs have come out as well. Not only are the flowers beautiful the smell is out of this world, we are in heaven! I apologize in advance is every post has tree blooms in the background but I have to take advantage as much as possible. 

Today I am excited to share this adorable gingham wrap skirt! I love the ruffle bottom it adds such a feminine feel and is perfect for the Spring weather. I chose to pair it with a blush top (inspired by this image I found on Pinterest!) instead of the traditional white or black. Although I think adding black cami would be perfect for a more dressy night look! 

shop the look:

Bloom Tulip Festival

Hello! Hope you enjoyed Tuesday post all about Abbotsford, today is an extension of that post. As I mentioned seeing the Tulip Fields was a bucket list item for me so naturally it was going to get its own blog post. Bloom is the Tulip Festival in Abbotsford located right off the highway but you can't see it because they have black fences up blocking the fields from the road. With the owners family originally from the Netherlands (home of the tulip fields!) it has become a family affair and how thankful we are to have them here in BC! The fields only last about a month, if lucky! This season the blooms were a bit later due to the long cold winter, I was really hoping for a full high bloom but we got just the end of the low bloom period. I would say 60-70% of the fields were in bloom but as you can see from my photos there is still a lot of green. 

In this post I am going to share 5 tips I have learned on how to take the best travel photos. We all see the amazing images on Instagram with the outfits that match the scenery perfectly, or the image perfect hairstyle, the right sunlight and so on and so forth. It isn't by luck that all these factors come into play when out taking travel photos lots of planning and research goes into the mix. Below are 5 tips to help take the best travel photos and honestly make life less stressful when doing so. 

Spring Trends

Sorry I have been a little absent lately, I promised I would be blogging twice a week but sometimes life just gets in the way! It has been b u s y around here the last couple of weeks. With the weather changing to Spring (woohoo!) we have lots of yard work to get done so we can enjoy a wonderful summer and get rid of this mud. I have been pinning like crazy different inspo for the yard, take a look here if interested! Landscaping can be fun yet it is a ton of work, our backs are pretty much broken! 

Today's post is a classic outfit post (yay!) with an all white look! I love white on white it gives you many options to accessories or add color if you wish. I chose these favorite cognac wedges from last year (still in stock) and a straw hat to keep the sun off my fresh yet pale winter skin. It is a great weekend outfit for farmers markets or brunch dates!

tips to shopping with your daughter

Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and H&M and have

received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Today's post is an exciting one, one we have been looking forward to sharing with you! As we have anxiously been awaiting Spring to arrive we have had LOTS of time to go through last years Spring wardrobes to see what still fits (and what we still like... mostly on my end!). One major difference with living somewhere that has 4 full seasons is that we put away half our clothes every 6 months. When we pull the storage containers out it is fun to see what we have been missing, and in Sofia's case what no longer fits anymore (insert a mix of emotions, cliche they grow up so fast!).  Today we have partnered with H&M and H&M Kids to bring you their newest Spring line, which is seriously SO good. We love H&M for the entire family, its an easy and affordable place to stock up on new trends. 

Shopping can definitely be overwhelming, I feel like this often. When I started shopping for Sofia I was really excited at first, I mean kids really do have THE cutest clothes. But over the years as she grew, had more of an opinion of what she wanted to wear, and prices became higher I found myself getting a bit overwhelmed. When I discovered the huge selection of kids clothes at H&M I was over the moon and relieved, their clothes are adorable and really affordable. Plus, I feel they portray  positive messages and styles for young girls. Today's post is going to talk about tips for shopping with your daughter and how you can build confidence and self esteem in the experience!

a little Easter decor

hello + Happy Monday! I am so excited to share some holiday decor tips with you since Easter is right around the corner. Easter is totally my favorite holiday, has been since I was a little girl. I love tulips, pastels, the sun is always shinning, Easter dresses and of course the chocolate that comes with it!  I have slowly been decorating around the house for Spring (even though there is still too much snow outside!) and today I am going to share with you a free printable Easter banner I found on Pinterest! 

Do you follow Stesha Rose on Pinterest?! You should if not already! I found this amazing free printable Easter banner and knew I needed it for the big blank wall we have in our kitchen. If you remember from winter I did a wreath wall in the same location. I LOVE the floral design of the letters, they give off a very anthropologie type feel don't ya think? It was super easy and fun to do, take a look....

6 neutral outfits to transition from winter to spring

Happy Monday, I can't believe we are well into the first few days of March. There is no surprise here in BC we are still in the Winter season, I can't believe how long the snow is staying (insert eye roll!) this is not stoping me from puling out my Spring transition outfits tho. Many other parts of the world are now onto shorts and cute tanks, up here I am happy just to be pulling out my white denim!

Today is a quick post with some my favorite Instagram outfits I have been sharing lately. I seem to be gravitating towards creams, grays, mauves, and lots and lots of denim! Take a look and tell me what ya think...

5 hard realities of winter in Canada + neutral winter outfits

vest c/o Shein

welcome back + happy Monday everyone! today I am excited to show you one of my favorite neutral outfits I put together as well as talk to you about 5 hard realities I have learnt while trying to survive my first Canadian winter. I have been patiently awaiting Spring, and even as I write this post I am pretending it is already Spring even though the reality is I have another month until that actually happens.

before we continue, notice how gorgeous that building is behind me in the first photo? that is the Catholic Church in town that I used to attend Midnight Mass and Easter Sunday at when I was just a little girl. it is hands down my favorite building in town, I could stare at it all day long. I actually featured it back in a post in my first year of blogging, I went through and dug it up here!

happy valentine's day

pink pom cardigans c/o Chicwish 

happy Valentine's Day loves! I l o v e Valentine's day, not because its all about being in a relationship or having a man to spoil you, because honestly my husband doesn't do anything romantic on this day! In time and with enough nagging I am sure might change :) the real reason I love this day or actually the first 14 days of the month is to show love to everyone special in our lives. I am going to share 5 things you can do on a budget to celebrate Valentine's Day for everyone!

holiday look

dress c/o || nude heels || bracelet 1 + 2 || earrings (similar) || lipstick + liner

Ever since I was a little girl I got a new Christmas dress every year. My sister and I used to go with my Dad and pick the prettiest (usually velvet!) holiday dress we could find to wear on Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day night. It was a traditional that I continued on as an adult and it still is one of my favorite traditions to look forward too. This gorgeous red lace dress is this years Christmas Dress and I must say, I feel just as beautiful in it as I did twirling in my velvet dresses as a child. 

kids fall style

skirt c/o Tea Collection || fox sweater c/o Tea Collection || black turtle neck || black tights || black boots

Soaking up the last few days of the Autumn leaves has been our favorite thing to do. This is the first Fall season Sofia has gotten to experience, living in Arizona we barely had trees let alone trees that have leaves that change color and fall down! Besides the leaves falling another favorite part of Autumn has been the cozy sweater weather. Being able to bundle, layer, ad snuggle up in oversized sweaters is the best. A question I get asked often from people is, 'how is Sofia adjusting to the weather?' Well, she's loving it!

sweatshirt dress

sweatshirt dress // cardigan c/o // boots (old - similar)

When I was in Seattle I stopped in at the Nordstrom flagship store to see what I have been missing these last 5 months up here in the Okanagan. I came across this sweatshirt dress and instantly fell in love. I wasn't sure how practical it would be here since the weather is turning cold quickly but I took the chance and bought it anyways. Being cozy AND warm are two key factors that are making the adjustment to Fall a little easier and this outfit is both. Why have I never bought a sweatshirt dress before? These are a hit! 

burnt orange and ghost pumpkins

top c/o Chicwish // jeans (old - similar) // shoes (similar) // crossbody (similar) // sunnies 

Happy Friday! 

I am so excited for the weekend, it is the first weekend in a long time where I have no shoots or weddings scheduled! I get to catch up on house work (please explain to me how living in 800 sq ft still requires so much work?!) and finally organizing our storage area. Allllso we should be landscaping i.e. getting rid of all this mud and planting grass for next spring and if you caught my front porch peek on Instagram you'll notice I am doing some planing as well. I love Fall florals!

Fall Uniform

jeans (old - similar) // tank // cardigan (similar) // boots (old - similar) // bag c/o Coach

If I could collect every color Autumn leaf there is I would have the most wonderful color pallet! We are slowly adjusting back to a regular week after a long Thanksgiving weekend up here in Canada.  With lots of turkey and of course cranberry sauce we are stuffed and moving slowly to say the least. Thank goodness for the season of oversized cardigans to keep us warm and cozy as we struggle to pull our life together bit by bit. 

a little street style

 dress: old - similar // jacket c/o // shoes

Autumn has always been a favorite season of mine ever since I was a little girl. For the last 20 year (man, typing that makes me feel old!) I haven't gotten the chance to enjoy Autumn as living in Arizona there is no difference between Summer and Fall.... the temperature is still 100 degrees. THIS year is so different and we are so excited to be enjoying the weather change and even better the outfit changes. 

peach picking

dress c/o || denim jacket || booties 

Hi again, it's me I am popping back in with a few posts for you. Wow, it was such a crazy summer I can't believe how fast and how much we did this summer. We are officially in our new home,  Sofia is back in school and life as we know it is trying to become normal. A new normal but a good normal. 

Last week Sofia had a Monday off school and while dad was working we went to an orchard and did some peach picking! With so many different outdoor activities available to us we decided to take advantage. Peach season is coming to an end (apples are in season now!) so we drove out to Paynter's fruit market and filled our bucket up with the last of the season while enjoying the last of summer.