Imaginary Closet {Old Navy is Killing the Game}

Welcoming back the Imaginary Closet series! I think my last one of these ( here) included a tiny newborn Cannon - so it's been a while. I was at Old Navy looking for shoes for Cannon (he outgrew his one pair in all of 3 minutes), but got a little side tracked by the amazing women's stuff going on right now! I've been on the hunt for timeless sweaters - I have 7 million tees and 2 sweaters? But I can't justify the Madewell price tag even though my heart does YEARN. And what do you know, Old Navy is SO on point this season. Here are my faves:

ALSO don't look at this face/hair/acne situation. It was a rough night with the babes.

(And chipped nail polish is really in these days right?) ;)

The lilac sweater ( here) is so sweet! I like the subtle raglan sleeve and it's the perfect length. I sized up to a medium here, but I'm wearing a small below and feel like they fit basically the same.

Same sweater in burgundy ( here) in a size down.

This ribbed knit sweater ( here) is fantastic. SO soft, not too heavy but still warm, and a cool brownish tone. I would throw this on all the time in place of a tee.

I love classic cable knit sweaters!! This navy one ( here) is timeless. Even though I try and pull off Vans and mom jeans and Free People, I feel like in my heart-of-hearts my style is totally preppy, so this speaks to me. Funny story, I found a muy oversized navy cable knit sweater at DI my sophomore year of college, and I was OBSESSED. Wore it twice a week. But it also was four sizes too big, and coupled with the Freshman 15 it just was not my best look, haha. (Like truly soooo bad.) This is the good version of it!!

Supersoft thin sweater ( here). Can someone PLEASE direct me to a place where white shirts are not see-through and I will buy them all. This was darling in the other colors though!

This ribbed-knit top (  here) is perfect for layering! Heavier than a tee but not quite a sweater. Also a really good cut - not skin tight but still fitted!

And finally these two-tone pants ( here) stole my heart but not my money! Yay self control. But I also recognize I'm not 15 and I'm not Amber Fillerup so I probably shouldn't attempt to pull these off. Nonetheless, chewed hem and all I'm in love.

EXCEPT let's be real this back-side view is terrible. HA.

Honorable mention goes to ALL the cozy cardigans they had staged around the store and the perfect flat leopard booties I didn't even try on because I knew I'd want them. 

Good work O.N.!

Fave Five (or Nine!)

Oh hiiiiiiii!

It's been a hot minute. 

Wish I could tell you I've been working on some incredibly time consuming project (like getting my masters - seriously think about this EVERY. DAY. Someone tell me I should do it already). 

But in reality I've just been swamped with life; momming, church, weddings/baby blessings/events. So many events?! Tis the season I guess - and we're barely at starting line of the crazy sprint down Holiday Lane! I secretly love that time flies because I'm a big planner. But then again I'm like CANNON SLOW DOWN because I ain't havin another baby anytime soon so you've gotta stay little.

Anywho. Fave Five! 

There have been SO many awesome products I've been using these last few months so I felt guilty not sharing with errbody.

BROOTS Woven Basket ( here)

Have you ever seen a cuter basket?? I AM IN LOVE. Perfect for blankets, toys, you name it. Comes in three amazing colors and pretty much makes my day every time I pass by it. PLUS the owner hand delivered this to my door and she's a gem. Run people.

MAC Brow Pencil ( here)

Got this pencil by mistake and avoided using it for a couple months. MY MISTAKE. It's amazing. Because it's so dark (I'm wearing taupe) I put about 5 strokes on each brow and I'm good to go! Brows are no longer the most dreaded part of my makeup routine.

Paper Source Calendar ( here)

My all-knowing sister got this for me for my birthday (she understands my need to plan) and it's perfect. Growing up we always had a massive family calendar in the living room where we could all see it - so this makes me feel all-grown-up and like I have important things to do! ;)

One Bars ( here)

Found a new favorite protein bar! 1g of sugar, 20g of protein, tastes like a candy bar. Does life get better. Personal favorite is Birthday Cake but really they're all delish.

DIY Kids Pom Pom Shoes

K I had so many questions about these when I posted them on my instagram story so I thought I'd share the deets! I saw adorable Nordstrom kid shoes like this but couldn't justify $50. I literally went to the boys section of Walmart and got these sneakers for $5, and then found a package of pom poms for $1 at Michael's (also sold at Walmart, Target, etc). I hot glued them on and WAZAAM. Adorable girly tennis shoes! And so far the glue has stayed put.

Mauve Sweatshirt ( here)

I wore this the other day and at least 6 people stopped me and asked where it was from. Yay Target! I'm all for something that feels like pjs but looks fashionable. (PS it runs big - size down.)

Land of the Wee Towels ( here)

Land of the Wee sent us these adorable coordinating boy/girl hooded towels and washcloths and they are SO LUXE. Like the truly feel amazing - super soft - almost stretchy? - and really big! Which I love because Cannon's grown out of his baby towel (kid's got muscles). Moment of truth: I've actually used Lydia's twice since getting it on Saturday. Thank you Wee People!

Letter Quiz App ( here)

I'm always on the hunt for educational apps for Lydia. These kids are going to be around technology whether we like it or not, so I figure it's better to work with it than against it. This phone app is awesome. See those letters? She wrote those! (Well traced them, but I'm counting it.) Can't remember if this one was free or like $2, but either way worth it. It's a fun way to teach her to recognize letters, trace them, match upper case to lower case, etc. 

Bath and Body Works 'Leaves' Candle ( here)

I think I'm the last one to realize this - but the same store our 14-year-old-selves went to hoard hand sanitizer and sample terribly fake lotion happens to be the home of the WORLD'S BEST CANDLES.  Their 3-wick candles smell phenomenal, even when they're not burning! 'Leaves' is my current obsession - makes my entire house smell like hot apple cider even if I just light it for two minutes. (PS cheaper on Amazon.) Fall is in the air! 

So there you have it - nine things I'm loving these days. 

Annnnd I really am going to try and get back to blogging regularly. Hold me to it, k??

Time You Speedy Animal

HOWDY. Long time no see! Apologies for the forever hiatus. A few things have been pulling me away from this blog. One being life. Two being that my photoshop expired so I can't shrink my camera photos to fit on the blog! Tech issues kill me. So basically I have tons of content and no way to upload it all. (Well I'm actually positive there's a way to resize images I've just been too busy to figure it out.)

Because I'm sure you were wondering! You were wondering, right. ;)

If I had to sum up these past few weeks it'd go something like this: treats, events, messes, discipline, more treats, teething, hints of Michael. It's been a whirlwind like always but so fun to watch these two kids become playmates! The other day I was watching them both laying on their tummies playing with a bus and my mama heart just about melted! (Made up for all those times they're fighting over the same toy instead of sharing, ha.) We're out of the high-maintenance newborn phase which I'LL ADMIT is not my fave. Yes cuddly newborns are adorable but then you're exhausted all the time and sweet cuddles can only get you so far before you want to collapse. We're past that, hallelujah! We're onto the crawling, playing, eating, interacting phase which all of a sudden makes everything so much fun.

SORRY for lame pics. I guess the only iphone photos I take are of food or selfies - HA. So that's what you get! Lucky you.

Bullet points from life lately because my mind can't function in paragraphs right now:

- Gym! Cannon's old enough for daycare so I'm back at it and it's making me SO happy. I'm a much nicer mama when I can sweat my guts out for an hour.

- Cannon is finally loving food! Took a solid month of spitting it out but now he'll down a jar of baby food in minutes. So I'm praying for even more chunk(!!!)

- Lydia's little sentences are just about the sweetest thing. I love seeing how her mind works. For example:

Me: The car is just up here, we're almost there. 

Lydia: No mom, the car's not UP, it's down! It's on the ground! That's silly mama. 

She got me. 

- Michael still doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up. He's only been trying to decide for like 25 years ;). Top choices currently are orthopedics, ENT and neurosurgery. But tomorrow he may want to be an OB, who knows! (Hopefully someone? We need to decide, ha.)

- HOW do you mamas keep up with all the kid clothes?? Lydia and Cannon are growing like weeds,  so I need two new wardrobes every 4 months! (Literally Lydia's pants are to her calves and Cannon's onesies don't button. Oops.)

- My sister Liv gets married in less than 3 weeks! Scott is the NICEST guy and they seriously could not be more perfect for each other. Also Liv has been zero touchy-feely her whole life (she looved all my obnoxious hugging and hand touching ;) ) but suddenly she's turned into the PDA queen?! I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS. Love them.

- For those who have asked, Potty Training is over! Went as great as we could've hoped for! I'll do a whole post so I can refer back to it for Cannon. At this point she just tells me when she has to go, we run to the potty, she does her stuff and I help her wipe and wash and then we're good to go!

- I am decluttering my house and it is WONDERFUL. Because somehow for a tiny family of four we have accumulated a ton of junk. HA. So I'm working my way through every room and organizing and selling and donating and I feel like a new zen-ish person. 

- Also I'll be having a huge instagram sale for clothes in the next few weeks. I admittedly have more clothes than anyone I know, and more clothes than any normal person needs. Because I'm a hoarder. So I'm doing a massive clean out - keep your eyes peeled and I'll let you know when it all goes live!

Anyway, there's the scoop on us! One of these nights I'll figure out my pictures and we'll get back on the cute wagon.

Green jumper: Free People

Yellow tee: Brandy Melville

Chambray dress: Urban Outfitters

Pink earrings: J.Crew

Striped tee: Madewell

Pink scarf: J.Crew

Navy culottes: Madewell

Pink flats: vintage

Workout top: Lulu

Workout leggings: Zella

Everyone Needs a Good Cry

DISCLAIMER: This whole thing is pretty much just so I can read back on it in three months and remember all of the chaos. So feel free to pass on by ;). HA.

It has been the craziest month EVER. And not in the "so many fun things going on!" way. Like literally I have never felt more stressed in my life, and I've done some pretty busy things. I'd never had an anxiety attack before; I have a few friends who have, and while I understood what they were describing, I hadn't actually experienced that. Until this week! Yay. I've just had ALL. THE. THINGS going on. Too many. And most of them have been great things! (i.e. so much family time!) But after a while even lots of good things just add up to be too much, ya know? A list for funsies:

My family in town, wherein I offended family members because I invited friends over. I felt awful. I'm so sorry. Stinkin 95% extrovert Annika ( here) cannot help herself apparently. 

Michael's family in town.

Cousin's baby blessing. 

4th of July with Michael's family. 

Family pictures, wherein we realized the next day there wasn't one of the whole family (and even though it wasn't anyone's fault it kind of felt like my fault because we used my camera?).

Michael's final exam.

My family back in town.

Driving my sister to and from her BYU camp every day for a week.

Potty training Lydia, wherein I became a crazy person for 3 days.

Mild anxiety attack.

24th of July parade, wherein my parked car got keyed (thank you downtown SLC).

24th of July bbq with Michael's family. 

Lydia being afraid to poop, so it takes about 1.5 hours back and forth from the potty any time she needs to go.

MAJOR FLOOD.

Renting all the fans from far away places. 

Really bad finger cut that I should've gotten stitches for but instead I'll just have a cool scar.

Running to Home Depot at 9:30pm to build a gutter and avoid yet another major flood.

Lydia's birthday party, wherein I offended half of earth by keeping it small because we are broke and I cannot feed more than 15 people. But really I've been crying because I feel so bad (extrovert).

Lydia and Cannon sleeping in the same room because of said flood, resulting in terrible sleep for all three of us.

Michael working night shifts. 

So many church responsibilities.

My family back in town.

Roof getting fixed. 

Lydia's actual birthday. 

Carpet getting fixed. 

A steady diet of diet coke and protein bars for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Shattered my phone.

Lydia pooping her pants and Cannon simultaneously screaming his head off while getting my phone fixed, wherein I cried in public.

UGH.

On top of all this we are SO tight on money right now. We get our loan in a couple weeks and we are just holding on for dear life till then. We are fine, it's just another added stressor when I've had a terrible day and my house is a disaster (literally, our basement is out of commission) and there's nothing for dinner and we can't just go run and grab something because we have no money so we eat popcorn for dinner, again. ***Actually turning out to be a great diet plan. HA.

I am just plain exhausted. I cannot do it all. I cannot please everyone, I've tried. I can hardly get an hour by myself, and I can't even dream of an hour by myself with NOTHING TO DO. It's been freakin busy. And all of this with no husband, really. 

You know it's bad when every time Michael and I talk, our Big Dream goes from a family cruise, to a couple's cruise, to just one night at a hotel (sleeping in! ah it must be magical!), to just dinner alone. HAHAHAHA. We are just really fun people. 

Speaking of which, I saw a cute mom of two driving a mini van with the bumper sticker "I used to be cool" on it. Ha! That made me lol real good. My life. 

And finally, my favorite thing I've heard recently is: "Treat everyone as if they are going through something really difficult, and more than half the time you'll be right." 

IS THAT NOT TRUE or what. So that's what I've been trying to do the last few weeks. Everyone has trials, even if it doesn't seem like it. Even if their hair is perfect or their kids already know how to read French backwards or their husbands aren't gone 15 hours a day, everyone has trials. So treat them tenderly :).

DISNEYLAND!

NO JOKE Disneyland was the happiest day of my year! I'm so basic I know. Michael's parents were SO generous and paid our way so we could all 18 do Disney together! And it was truly amazing. The Jennings (Rachel's wearing the turquoise baby wrap!) lived in Carlsbad, so they knew all the tips and tricks to make the experience awesome. With 9 grandkids (aka lots of tickets!) and tons of helping hands we were able to pull dozens of fast passes - I've never been on so many rides in one day! And a huge shoutout to Michael's dad for watching all the newborns while we kept going on rides. He's pretty great like that.

Somehow Lydia and Cannon were absolutely dreams. They must've sensed this was an important day because they brought their A games for sure. Cannon was so chill and happy in the stroller and wrap and even could go on a few rides! (Like Pirates?! Lydia AND Cannon could go on it! I was pretty shocked. Aaaand Lydia's still slightly traumatized ;). ) Lydia was just an angel the whole time and took a two hour afternoon nap in her stroller! We partied until 9pm and then split a Dole Whip and strolled through Downtown Disney on the way to the car with two snoozing babes. BEST DAY.

Lydia was in heaven the entire day! I could not get over how well thought-out everything in Disneyland is. They had tons of places just for toddlers to run around and explore, like Tarzan's Treehouse and the Toon Town playground.

You can't tell but Cannon was screaming and Lydia was laughing for the entire duration of Dumbo - HAHA! I'm sure people got a kick out of that.

Dabbing in line. 

Most of the crew!

Of course it wouldn't be a Disney experience without a churro! (Aaaand hate to admit it but they kind of tasted just like the Costco ones ;). )

BABIES. These littles are 7 weeks apart! And all three had huge simultaneous blowouts in their matching Mickey onesies right after this picture. HA! Apparently It's a Small World gets things movin ;).

Little did I know I'd be using this wrap the entire day! If you're going with a baby definitely bring a carrier! 

Hahahaha. This was probably one of two times all day Lydia freaked out. Of course right when we wanted to get a picture. 

The highlight for miss Lydia - riding the horsies! From the second we walked through the castle she was begging for the carousel. At night the lines were short and we did it twice in a row! That smile says it all.

Thank you Grammy and Grandad for giving us such a fabulous day of memories - we still talk about high-fiving Mickey Mouse and riding the Pink Dumbo on the daily :). 

Top: Madewell

Pants: H&M

Shoes: Converse 

Wrap: Solly Baby

Grandkids' Mickey Shirts: GAP

Lydia's Shorts & Shoes: Target

Current Wish List (A Shirt Dress, Embroidery, Etc)

Summer is in full swing! Which means I'm allllll about the easy dresses (like a simple  shirt dress or a tank  velvet dress) because sometimes it's too dang hot for jeans. The problem is most of my throw-on-and-go dresses are not nursing friendly. So I rounded up some nursing friendly options that I've been eyeing! And of course a few other fun summery things. This is basically a big LOOK HERE poster to my husband for my birthday in a few weeks ;). 

1. Embroidered Blouse ( here, also love  this and this). Is this not amazing? Pretty sure it could pass as a dress on us short people, and if not it would be adorable with white jeans.

2. Velvet Cami Dress ( here). How sweet with a little tee underneath! Love the simple ruffle.

3. Ribbed Tee ( here). All about the stripes. In fact I have to force myself to not buy stripes. It's kind of a problem.

4. Circle Earrings ( here). Very 70s Mod, and in my favorite color.

5. Embroidered Dress ( here). Ever since the Free People version of this dress emerged a few years ago I've loved it. This knock off is just as cute and has functional buttons up the front!

6. Cactus Shirt ( here). No secret, I'm obsessed with Madewell blouses. And cactus print rocks because Arizona.

7. Plaid Flat ( here). I have a similar pair of these in a black and white ikat and wear them all the time. The plaid is fun and different!

8. Beaded Tassel Drop Earrings ( here). Want. If I'd ever actually wear them, I'm not sure. But in my head I'd pull them off with jeans and tees on the daily ;).

9. Palm Tree Scarf ( here). All the heart eyes for this bandana trend.

10. Embroidered Floral Dress ( here). How darling! This is the one dress here that's not inherently nursing friendly, but that neckline looks stretchy enough right?

11. Nursing Friendly Dress ( here). Okay this awesome t-shirt dress was MADE with moms in mind! There's a hidden zipper down each side so you can just whip 'em out and nurse!

12. Red Shirtdress ( here). Timeless. LOVE.

13. Sail Away Tee ( here). I've been on the hunt for a cute graphic tee, but all of them have embarrassing slogans on them. This one manages to remain adult-worthy (read: NO 'I'm cuter than your ex' or 'always mimosas' or whatever.)

14. Metallic Sandals ( here). For some reason I'm not a Saltwaters fan. I know! Basically unforgivable. But these look slightly more elevated in my mind! And silver is a nice change of pace from my constant gold.

15. Pink Linen Skirt ( here). I WANT YOU BAD. I dream about skirts like these. K not really. But I feel like there is a major hole in the market for modest skirts. Maybe this will be my start-up business, who knows. Come summer we're either faced with mini skirts or maxi skirts, rarely cute knee-length stuff that doesn't make you look like you're going to church. Hence this skirt is amazing.

16. Neon Pumps ( here). Pretty sure these need to be in my closet and on my feet every Sunday. The Perfect Color.

There you have it - my current summery wish list.

PS Michael thinks I have a shopping problem. 

PPS I think he's right. 

PPPS I need to sell a TON! So look out for a giant insta stories selling party sometime soon!

How Do You Get Dressed? and Miley Buns.

I feel super conflicted looking back on these photos. 

It's like 17-year-old millenial meets 90's mom meets frazzled housewife. 

Actually sounds pretty accurate ;).

Also it's totally by chance that these, The Comfiest Shoes on Planet Earth, perfectly match the wall. Except not that chancy because I literally wear them everyday. I have to force myself real hard to put on anything else. Go by yourself a pair. Best $19 ever.

And speaking of this amazing wall! It's.... the outside of a huge lingerie store. 

Yup. I took both my kids there and set up a tripod. WINNING at parenting.

I remember years ago reading this blogger tell how she chose her outfits; she based everything on the shoes. She starts with the shoes and then works her way up from there.

This seems crazy to me. Who does this? Do you?!

I can't. Shoes are a total afterthought for me. Like, Oh dang I guess I can't walk into Target barefoot so I'll throw these on.

I typically start with pants. That's my foundation. Cuz if I exercised that day, I'll go for some high waisted skinny jeans and rock a crop top. Or if I miraculously shaved my legs, I gotta live it up and wear a skirt. Or if I'm feeling bold and retro, I'll shimmy into some mom jeans. 

But I'd guess most people start with tops? 

Tell me. I'm curious. 

And I'm LOLing as much as you are that I'm actually typing about this. But hey! It's fun to know ;). I mean the saddest part about moving out of the house (from my three sisters) is the lack of OUTFIT INPUT. Like, come on Michael! Which dress is cuter! Let's talk about it for 10 minutes! ;) He's so sick of me asking that hahaha. "It all looks great babe." 

Thanks boo. 

Top: Topshop  here

Denim: Madewell  here

SHOES YOU NEED: Birkenstocks  here but I actually found these at Rack for $19!

Lydia's Outfit: Target 

Lydia's Lack of Shoes: Toddler

Cannon's Onesie: Target