July – 2016 – Laureen Loves

This little light I wish you were mine

July 25, 2016

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

I mentioned in my last home post that we did a walk-through the house a few days ago to take a look at plumbing and electrical that’s been installed to date. In the bathrooms in particular, we have wire-only holes since I can’t decide at this point if I want overhead scones that have two, three or four lights vs. two single light sconces. I feel like I look at lighting online all the time, and I’m not only indecisive, but also overwhelmed by the choices, colors and options out there. I’ve also realized lighting can be quite pricey, so that’s a budget and mood killer. Womp womp.

During my hunt, I keep going back to a few that I really like, which tend to be lantern style. I already purchased this light for the mudroom, and it’s currently stored away in Ben’s closet. ( I can’t even fit another pair of shoes in my closet at this point much less a massive box with a lantern in it!) I also seem to gravitate toward non-traditional bulbs.

All that said, I’ve rounded up a few of my top lighting picks. I think a big part of my style is traditional and Southern, so maybe that’s why I love lanterns. They seem welcoming and remind me a bit of Louisiana and Charleston, SC, which have some of the most charming and beautiful homes in my opinion.

I am a big fan of these kitchen island lanterns. Picture found on Pinterest via decorpad.com/2013 Southern Living Show House.

I’ve gathered even more picks on my lighting board on Pinterest, so check that out if you’re interested in seeing more. If anyone has any suggestions for places to find lighting, I’m all ears! And, if they’re affordable, then that’s even better. 😉

More soon,

Save

0 Comments

Fashion + Style

Floral midi dress + some great sales

July 22, 2016

With summer winding down, there are tons of mark downs in stores right now. So, that means great sales on fabulous spring and summer items to make room for new fall inventory.

A few amazing sales at some of my favorite stores:

Banana Republic – many items are 40- 60% off including this feminine floral midi dress I picked up a few days ago. It was an extra 40% off the sale price so it was 66% off the original price at only $60. MAJOR SCORE. This sleeveless dress is a definite wear-now item, and I love how it has a bit of vintage feel to it. I can see myself wearing it to a bridal shower or other events in the next few months.

Ann Taylor – pretty much everything is 40% off including new arrivals. I love the wine colored, jewel toned pieces that are popping up everywhere, including in some of AT’s new fall pieces. I recently picked up this cold shoulder ruffle top. And, if you haven’t discovered Ann Taylor’s shoes – they’re awesome. They’re so well-made plus they’re stylish, classic and comfortable. I probably have more than a dozen pair. I totally have my eye on this suede fringe pair in tan. So perfect for fall. Just use the “Shop40” checkout code online and you get free shipping when you spend $175. I always buy more than I should then return the extra items just because it’s easier on me, plus they have a lot of tall sizes online. Online shopping is the best for tall gals like me.

Nordstrom – the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is now open to the public. I received some packages in the mail yesterday with the goodies I picked up online, which I’m pretty pumped about. I shared a few of my picks here. Definitely take advantage of the #NSale if you can, as it’s just too good to pass up!

Gap – 40% off everything right now at Gap with the code HAPPY online. I don’t buy a ton from Gap for me, but I always get a lot of children’s clothes there. Right now it’s a wonderful time to buy summer items you can save for next season. I get a lot of everyday wear pieces for Braden here, and he’s currently wearing 18-24 month clothes I bought him last summer that were major clearance. I always pick up items from Gap and Baby Zara when they’re on sale since it’s easy to predict his sizing for the next season.

Enjoy these great deals, y’all! Let me know if you come across any worth checking out. I’m always on board to get quality items with a little discount!

Outfit pictured: floral midi dress, shoes, and necklace

Braden’s outfit all from Baby Gap

Save

0 Comments

Home Design + Decor

Lucas Family Home Update: Details that make a difference

July 20, 2016

I get a lot of questions from friends and family about the progress of our home. Well, this is the latest: Things are coming along nicely and a lot of progress has happened over the past couple of weeks. Almost all of the windows have been installed. As you may recall, we had a little window snafu, and we’re still awaiting a few of the custom windows. That said, the windows on the front porch are getting trimmed out to have more substantial molding around them, which makes a big difference from a curb appeal standpoint.

Another change that happened recently was the master bedroom ceiling got vaulted. This should have happened originally, but it got overlooked so it had to be redone. Vaulting the ceiling made a HUGE difference and it really made the room feel more spacious, so I’m pretty happy with that.

The plumbers came by this week and added in all the plumbing. It’s like a massive maze of pipes and tubes. The heart of the plumbing looks monstrous, and Ben tells me this is very important. (I just nod.)

We did a walk-through with our builder this week to go through the lighting and electrical plans. I’m glad we did this, as we caught a couple of little things that we forgot on the plans/sketches. For instance, I almost forgot to make note of a electrical outlet that will be housed within my vanity drawer for my blowdryer and curling iron. This seems ridiculous, but this is something I’ve always wanted so I can keep my stuff off the counters and keep things looking a little less cluttered. The details, y’all – they’re important!

More soon,

The windows in the front of the house needed a little “oomph” so framing them out with nice trim made a huge difference.

The heart of the plumbing. Each fixture has its own dedicated line and this helps with water pressure.

Save

0 Comments

Fashion + Style Shopping

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

July 16, 2016

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

You know how hot it is outside, right? I thought you said you bought ONE rain jacket? How many jackets did you buy?

Silly, husband. Little did you know it’s Christmas in July, aka the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I made an appointment on the first day of the sale and swept in and bought a few things in-person. I also picked up some of my favorite items I thought would sell out quickly online earlier that day. He thought I was a little off my rocker when he saw my loot, but I like to call it proactive. I know many are with me on this one.

Early access started on Thursday (you must be a Nordstrom card holder to take part), but it’s very much worth it. Nordstrom has always been my go-to department store and this annual sale is just one of the many reasons. I have picked up a lot of staple items over the years including timeless work pieces, coats, boots, and cardigans that I wear ALL the time, so I just knew it would be worth it to take advantage of the sale again.

There’s more I could share, but decided I would edit things down for you. I’ve included my top picks for work, for everyday play and for working out, as well as a few things I picked up for the mini me. I thought having a boy would be a little less fun in the wardrobe front, but there are so many amazing boy options out there!

FOR WORK

I end up wearing shift dresses a lot to work for client meetings. Some of my classic dresses I purchased over the years during the Nordstrom sale. I’ll throw on a cardigan, blazer or vest depending on the season, and it’s a polished, timeless outfit.

FOR PLAY

Fall fashion is my favorite. I gravitate toward roomy sweaters, chunky knits, skinny jeans/riding pants and booties, so I love all the cozy fall staples in this year’s sale. I snagged this ivory knit with lace-up detail, a trend that’ll be on heavy rotation in the colder months for many, I’m sure. And, if you’re in need of riding boots or booties, I’m sure you can find a few pairs. I purchased this gray suede pair. I held back on the shoe front this year because I bought two really great pairs of boots during last year’s anniversary sale.

FOR WORKING OUT

My Saturday uniform is typically on the athleisure front, and this sale is the BEST time to get Northface or Patagonia pieces, since those are typically pretty pricey. This waterproof jacket will be perfect for running around on the weekends or neighborhood walks. I also picked up this rain jacket and this vest, which were such great deals if you look at what the normal price will be in a few weeks!

FOR THE MINI ME

My 23-month-old is growing like a weed, and I bought these Converse in his next size. I actually bought all of these things in his next size up. I forced him to try on the Northface fleece when I brought it home and it was just the cutest. Toddlers in hoods = heart melted. I bought the blue version, but it looks like that one is sold out. The red one is just as adorable. I’m sure it’ll make an appearance on the blog at a later date.

So, that’s that! I am still looking at a few other pieces that I may purchase online this weekend. What are your favorite #Nsale picks?

0 Comments

Fashion + Style Local

Off the shoulder + a pop of red

July 12, 2016

We’ve been trying to make an effort to go on more date nights lately because…well, a toddler will do that to you. 🙂 I wore this outfit on Saturday to dinner and an engagement party. I bought this off the shoulder dress when I was in Cancun last month. Shopping in a different country is the best, especially when the exchange rate makes the dress an even better deal. This dress was a steal at $49, and it’s one of the most comfortable summer dresses I now own.

I didn’t see it at Zara in the U.S., so I’ve linked to similar Zara options here and here. I plan to embrace the off the shoulder trend the next couple of months since you’ll pretty much melt if you go outside lately. So, I’ll be wearing this dress and this one, too, until about November. 😉

We decided to make the most out our night out and hit up a restaurant in the neighborhood called Coltivare. I’ve been wanting to try this place since it opened, but we’ve never got around to it because they don’t take reservations, and I don’t like going places and waiting. I use my Opentable app like a crazy lady and pre-book places and just cancel a few days prior if I know I won’t make it. I decided to stray away from my reservations-only rule and try this Italian spot, which I’ve only heard good things about. I’ve been told you need to arrive early and the typical wait time is an hour. We arrived at 6pm – our typical, toddler-enforced eating time, and we were told the wait was, in fact, an hour. Eek. Instead of grabbing a drink in the courtyard and ~~melting~~ waiting in the lovely Houston humidity, we went right down the street to Gelazzi, a fabulous gelato shop that has this great mural to snap a few photos. We’ve taken many a photos in front of this wall, even some that made our first Christmas card with Braden. I love the Heights, and I’m a little sad to be moving away from this great neighborhood filled with some of the city’s best restaurants and photoworthy locales, BUT we’re basically moving to the next neighborhood over, so I know we’ll still be going to a lot of these places. I’ve just really enjoyed the convenience of throwing a bottle of wine in the stroller and walking to BYOB restaurants or trying out the row of great eateries such as Bernadine’s, Hunky Dory and Cane Russo, which are all a five minute walk from our house.

The one hour wait for Coltivare was actually about 25 minutes. Score! I think an hour wait would have been worth it, though. The pizza was AMAZING, and I had the BEST heirloom tomato salad ever. Everything is super fresh and made with herbs and veggies from their garden. Ben doesn’t even like tomatoes that much but he liked this salad. It was beautiful and flavorful. We also had some chicken wings that were super spicy yet tasty, but also a little messy. I let Ben choose the pizza (pepperoni, so adventurous) and appetizer since pizza is like his life blood. We had some yummy cocktails, too, including their version of the Gin and Tonic, which was minty and refreshing. I will definitely go back again soon. I highly recommend it if you’re in the area!

So, with my perfect pizza-eating dress ( I love a roomy dress after carb-filled meal), I paired it with some of my favorite summer heels for a nice pop of color. I picked these shoes up from Ann Taylor online recently. I buy about 95% of my shoes online because no one ever has my size. #Tallgirlwithbigfeetproblems I have a lot of Ann Taylor shoes — almost more than I care to admit — but they’re really well-made and have great heel heights. The shoes are “fire glow orange” but they look more red to me and punch up neutrals quite nicely. This J.Crew clutch is a few years old but still use it during the summer months.

Hope your week has started off great, y’all!

More soon,

Save

2 Comments

Home Design + Decor

Windows… well at least some of them

July 6, 2016

Windows are beginning to get installed this week, which makes this house feel like, well, a house. I’m pretty amazed at how each piece makes things feel very different.

Late last week, Ben went by the new house during lunch since he likes to micromanage things (we’re probably the worst clients ever…two super detail- oriented people. Or maybe, we’re the best people to build a home?!) and noticed that many of the windows delivered were all the wrong color. Some of our windows are vinyl — the ones on the back or sides of the house. But, many of them are wood, particularly the ones on the front of the house or other areas that we wanted a more custom, cross-hatch look such a the breakfast nook.

So, we basically had a ton of almond-colored windows delivered. This isn’t good when you ordered white ones, plus we’re leaning toward having a white house. For a good hour, we thought thousands of dollars were going to be wasted and Ben was trying to figure out if there was any way to paint vinyl windows or get them returned. Plus, all these windows were sitting in the house and a crew was scheduled to come out and install them that afternoon. After a few calls, we discovered the window company was the one at fault. So, that was good news but it obviously has caused some delays with window installation since some of the windows need to be custom made.

So, we’re a few days delayed now, but at least we’re getting the windows we want.

More (windows) soon,

Windows in the breakfast nook area

0 Comments

Food

Blueberry Banana Bread

July 5, 2016

We always try to eat and cook using seasonal ingredients. We eat a TON of blueberries in our house. My husband loves putting them in his cereal, and I usually eat daily for breakfast with my yogurt or snack on them plain. And, blueberries are the ultimate go-to toddler snack since they are perfectly bite-size.

I came across this Giada recipe two years ago and I’m so glad I did! It’s full of blueberries and makes a great breakfast or sweet treat.

It’s also an easy way to get some fruits into your kiddo’s diet, too. Braden loves it!

Similar to my banana bread muffin recipe I previously shared, I like to use my secret ingredient.

It seems like all I do is share carbs, but I actually cook pretty healthy most nights, but I have to give in to those cravings. I definitely believe in the all about moderation and with two bananas and one cup of blueberries in this recipe, I don’t’ feel too bad about eating this.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing the loaf pan

1 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus a little extra for dusting the loaf pan

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp fine salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 tsps vanilla extract (but I change it up and use this instead)

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until blended. Stir in the bananas and blueberries. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time 1 hour. It took about 55 minutes in my oven, so I would recommend watching it and checking with a toothpick starting at 50 minutes.

Makes 1 loaf or 6-8 servings. I think this is more than 8 servings in my house.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and can be found here.

Blueberry Banana bread – Braden approved! My little kitchen helper is like my shadow in the kitchen these days.

2 Comments

July 2016

This little light I wish you were mine

Floral midi dress + some great sales

Lucas Family Home Update: Details that make a difference

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Off the shoulder + a pop of red

Windows… well at least some of them

Blueberry Banana Bread

Instagram