Florals and (home) Furnishings

{written while watching the NBA semi finals}  Well here I sit, on the eve of a three day weekend and is there anything to fill a tummy with more excitement? I can't wait to be outside in the sunshine and sand with my family.    I hope you are all spending yours in the same beautiful way!

I am in the final stretch of this pregnancy!  It has both flown by and seemed to last forever.  I am in that weird nesting mode.  I don't know why I do this to myself, but I am simultaneously decorating the nursery (current status: furniture, drapery and bedding delivered; wallpaper search underway), the master bedroom (current status: new bed is here; searching for new bedding and wall coverings) and office (current status: turning it into a closet/office) Phew! All of this is keeping me busy and making me a smidge crazy but I love it.  I like to have a lot of plates spinning at once and I also know that I will be way more home bound once this baby boy arrives so I need to tackle it now!  I will do room reveals as they are completed!! 

This pregnancy is also making me so sleepy! Like, I am able to nap at the drop off a hat!! Last night, I got my daughter into her bed and walked into my bedroom, fully clothed at 8:40 and zip!! I was asleep in 5 minutes.   And I am finding it harder and harder to get office styled.   Dresses are still comfy for me though and this one is great.  It's structured and the print is really nice (um, maternity clothes in general-- especially those for the office-- are not often my style).  This is from Asos and it is working out wonderfully!  I can wear it to the office or to a deposition with a cardigan thrown over my shoulders and it does the trick. Outfits for Court are still a challenge but we will leave that for another post!  Enjoy your weekend beautiful readers-- Sweetly, Michelle

dress here ||  sunnies here||

Suit Yourself

{Written while obsessing over Giambattista Valli couture...you remember that huge pink tiered dress Rihanna wore? I may have been the only person who loved that dress but lemme tell you...I LOVED it. And there are more puffy tiered ones out there- black, grey and light blush pink. Can you say swoon?}

 It has been a while since I posted a nice suit.  I wear a lot of them to work but I find I am forcing myself to get back in the swing of things and wear them again. Over the holidays, the atmosphere at my office turns causal- and its hard to get back to formal office appropriate attire.  This is a little JCrew suit and I paired it with oxblood accessories, which is a first for me. I typically pair navy with dark brown but I like this color.  Navy is way more versatile than I ever realize and the same goes for these shoes.  I wear them with everything-- with the same color family or not- they really kinda pop.  I love this color but I wonder if it will carry over to spring? Maybe I will pair these heels with white jeans and a white tank. How cute does that sound? I know it's only January but I am so so ready for summer... sandy feet, BBQs, night swimming, dinner under the starts and all of those things that make summer the every best of seasons to me! How about you? What's your favorite season? Sending you so much love today! Sweetly- Michelle

Shoes || Jacket (similar)|| Skirt (similar)

Windowpane, Wine (Color) and Ten Things About Me

{Written with a bag of Swedish Fish on my lap after a long day of Christmas decorating}  Well hi loves! Can you believe our holiday weekend is over?  I look forward to it for so long and on Wednesday afternoon, I'm like " I have four whole days off. FOUR whole days off" and then whoosh. Hello Sunday night...you are here.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families.

This little set just called out to me when I saw it.  The color is great, its roomy (the skirt has POCKETS!) and how about those heels? Strappy? High heeled? Patent leather? Um, yes please.   Everything is linked below for you so feel free to shop away (and it's all still Thanksgiving weekend 40% off sale)!

I felt inspired by a few people lately who have shared more about themselves and I loved it so much that it made me want to do the same.  I am a talker, so this list could easily stretch on forever, but here we go:

1.  The qualities I admire most in others are humor, compassion and integrity.  If you can laugh with me, we are pretty much guaranteed to be friends because I am extremely silly and I love to laugh.  The quality I admire most in myself is that I try really hard to be a great friend. I take friendship seriously and if we are friends, I will probably be your friend forever.  Once someone is in my circle, I am loyal and I will stand up for them and listen and care and just be there through the ups and downs of life.  I say find your tribe and hold them close.

2. Along those same lines, family is everything to me.  I have a big extended family and there is no place that isn't made better when they are with me.  My mom is my best friend, my grandmother my closest confidant and I am blessed beyond measure for the strong women in my life.   

3.  I am sunset and cloud obsessed. My phone is full of pictures that I take pretty much everyday. For some reason, these things really touch me. I am awed by it.  When in doubt, always look up.  Mother Nature rarely disappoints.

4. I am fueled by sugar. I know, I know. Its terrible. I get that. But there is apparently a long distance between my brain and my mouth because I just shovel it in.  I am all about gummi things and not so much about chocolate. Like brownies and really dense chocolate things? No. But peanut M&M's? Completely acceptable. Chocolate bars (dark or milk?) Yes and yes.  Frozen yogurt (with rainbow sprinkles), cotton candy, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies...all yes.  I have the sweetest sweet tooth ever! 

5. I love to read. I will literally read anything, but I like things that I can grapple with and think about. I also really like history- I read a lot of biographies (Winston Churchill is my BOY!) and books about the World Wars.  I am a believer that there is a lot we can learn from our past.

6.  I also love cities. I love the ability to toss on a backpack and a pair of jeans and just explore and see and learn.  I am a very curious person and I love seeing how people in other cities or countries live. I love America but I also love our world. If I could quit my job tomorrow (and like, still feed and dress myself - emphasis on dress😉) I would see everything I could.

7.  I have never been drunk. Can you believe it? I don't like the way alcohol tastes! Weird, I know but I am giggly and loose just normally. When you are drunk, chances are we will act exactly the same (which might say more about me than you, come to think of it)...

8.  I love Disneyland. I have had an annual pass forever.  I can go everyday and never get tired of it. I love fast rides and roller coasters, and the innocence and come on!!  See # 4 above.  Its a food bonanza every time!

9.  For some reason, song lyrics stick in my head. I can hear a song once and the melody and lyrics just stick.  Music and songs are a big part of my life. 

10.  This one is a hard one for me to write, because I don't really talk about it.  My brother-- my favorite person on the planet, the funniest, kindest, most handsome person I have ever known- passed away suddenly and it changed me forever.  When someone you adore is gone in a blink, your attitude toward what is important and what isn't is altered forever.  I embrace each day, I look for the good, I try to appreciate everything and I just try to remember that nothing is guaranteed, especially tomorrow. Take chances, follow your heart, forgive easily and laugh as much as you can, because this is a quick journey my friends.

11. (see? I knew I couldn't just stop at 10) I love dogs. I will pet and cuddle and grab for any dog I see. I love all animals but dogs especially.  Even mangy ones get big hugs and kisses from me.

12. (last one) Motherhood. The best thing to ever happen to me.  My heart has opened wide and filled with so much love.  It is an indescribable feeling and a love like no other.  

 That's all for now my loves.  As always, thank  you so much for stopping by.  It means the world...Sweetly, Michelle

Shirt || Skirt || Shoes || 

Perfectly Suitable

{Written while sipping my third Starbucks cafe mocha of the day out of a pretty normal looking red cup 😐}   Hello dearest ones! How was your week? Did it fly right by? For me it sure did! Lets talk about suits for a minute. I have a love hate relationship with them. I find very few that are both professional and stylish (and when I do, I buy them fast).  It seems like either the fit is boxy and sort of shapeless or its so fitted and short that I simply cant wear it to a professional event.   So what are we to do?  First, you need to find the right suit.  Lately, J Crew, Ann Taylor (I used to shop here a lot when I was in law school and I have no idea why I stopped-- they have the cutest work separates), Nordstrom and Banana Republic are my go-to suit stops. I think you should try to build your professional wardrobe so that it includes a black (shocker!), navy and grey suit (I also like sheath dresses with a matching blazer if you can find them.)  After you have your suit, I like to pick a statement piece-- shoes? bag? Maybe a chunky bracelet?  I personally like to keep the lines of a suit simple--I don't like big bold necklaces around my neck with suits (totally personal preference- I am more of an arm full of bracelets girl.)  This suit here has sort of a soft peplum shape, which I paired with stacked heels. Sometimes, a little stiletto doesn't look right and a suit calls out for something more substantial, you know?    I grabbed my bag, my coffee ( literally, the greatest addition to any outfit hands down) and out the door I went!  Do I tell you enough how much I appreciate you stopping by for a read? Because I sure do!  Thank you thank you! Happy almost weekend, loves.  Sweetly- Michelle

Jacket || Skirt ||Shoes (similar)|| Bag ||