Update Fall : Jewels

Ahhh, fall.
You are finally "officially" upon us.
See my picks for fashion updates here and beauty updates here.
Now, onto the jewelry drawer{s}:

1. Yes, I really do want a Dannijo collar necklace, alas, it is not in the budget. So, I did what any resourceful gal would do...I ordered this one. 

2. A new heart shaped pendant necklace. I have a fondness for heart anything and have been trying to replace one for a while now. I love the David Yurman collection {scary similar crafting imo} as well as this one by Swarovski. I won't buy heart-shaped anything for myself so dear husband, if you are reading, I really like this. A lot.  

3. A skull something. I've been eyeing a pretty skull wrap bracelet at Bauble Bar for a while, but now, I have my eyes set on this bangle in rose gold. Dainty but kinda dangerous. Love.
And it would go perfectly with the new rose gold watch I'm planning hoping to get. 

4. An updated for fall, darker hued pair of crystal studs. I have a lighter bronze pair that go with everything. As will these. 

5. A statement cuff. This one is by UnEarthed via etsy and comes in a multitude of colors and metals. Any of their pieces would do but I especially love this one in this season's "it" color. This shop is definitely worth a peek. 

6. I already own both a sterling silver Pandora bracelet and an off-white leather one that I wear daily but would love to update it for fall with a few of these fabulous garnet colored murano glass beads. Why not make it seasonal? And while I'm at it, would love to add a dark hued leather wrap bracelet to my collection.

7. A rose gold watch. I wasn't sure whether I was in love or not so much with this metal. I think I'm in love. Particularly with this Michael Kors watch that has just the right amount of bling without being too over the top.

8. A good quality, {read: gold} pair of classic earrings. These gucci horse bit design earrings would be an incredible addition and would be for years to come. 

9. And lastly, a statement cocktail ring. Another piece I have been fighting mainly because I have young children and fear taking an eye out. I would save this tanzanite beauty for date night. Or girls night. Whichever.
I am loving this stone. Sometimes purple, sometimes blue. So pretty. 

Do you change up your jewels come the cooler weather?

Linking up here and here. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of numerous on-line jewellery retailers. All opinions are strictly my own.

What Ava Wore : Ava and Friends

Ah, the terrible two's. 
It's funny how you really do forget how difficult they can be.

Ava is so there right now. besides fighting the potty training {and I mean fighting} and basically sustaining herself on milk and the occasional peanut butter covered something; she has taken to never leaving her "friends" behind.

She doesn't seem to have fully grasped the whole object permanence thing and must have every.single.one of her toys in her sight at all times.

Yes, of course I mean in her crib.

1/2 getting 'em all in there.the face I can't resist

3/4 a faux patch and some cute toes.a bottle {yes, I know, I know}

5/6 double-checking to make sure I haven't missed anyone.a happy dance

7. climbing in for nap time 

This is quite the endeavor each time we go up and down the stairs or God forbid, try to leave the house.

tears. more tears.

and then, she hands them to me one by one. 

All 37 of them. Or thereabouts.
She doesn't actually carry anything. Just keeps looking back at me on the stairs to make sure i've got them all. 

For my part, I wait until she's fallen asleep to remove all but one of her friends.

And then we go through it all over again when she wakes up.

Good times.

For the Love of Shoes

There are few things in life I love as much as I love shoes.

Handbags are one of them. But, I digress.

As I've mentioned here, my brother and sister.in.law were recently in Europe and made stops in  London, Paris and Rome just to torture me during their stay.

Not only did my brother bring me back photos of the Hermes window, as much for me as for Celia, but my sister.in.law snapped photos of random shoe displays throughout Europe many of which I'm pretty sure were placed there just to taunt me.

I swear I even heard my name being called in more than one of the photos! 

Of course, I zoomed in and found the makes of many of the lovelies. 

How could I not I ask you?

As evidenced by...

dilady

I want these shoes.

I need these shoes.

They are screaming my name. And I cannot make them stop.

They are by designer Annabel Winship who when asked what type of woman is in her target market, she replied "a woman who would like to smile when she looks down at her feet". 

That's me! That's me!

Here are just a couple of other whimsical favorites:

isabella {please note name}

hambug

And then, as if all this cuteness wasn't enough...I click on "my little winship" and then I cry.

Because I just cannot.handle.the.sweetness. 

union jack

ice cream

Sigh.

I need to go to Paris. Stat.

I'm dedicating today's post to my bloggy friend Cate who might just love shoes more than I do. Might. 

A Dog

Truth be told, we are not dog people.

Never have been.

I am however, a cat person. I grew up always having a cat...often times with kittens. We even talked my husband into having a cat for a time. Unfortunately, she had behavioral problems {read: she peed everywhere including on my Pottery Barn carpet} and so, after trying everything, we had no choice but to give her up.

Which brings us to today.

Julian is terrified of dogs.

Like, run away and cry terrified. 

But recently, after seeing a few friends with sweet little dogs...he is on some crazy dog-wanting bandwagon!

It is all he talks about. All he barters with. 

And last week, he wrote his daddy this letter which was attached to a printed picture of what may be the cutest dog in THE world:

I want to get a dog because I want a pet to play with and train and someone to keep me company while I do my homework and someone to sleep with and someone to take care of and something to walk and something to watch instead of tv.

No, there wasn't any punctuation throughout. I wanted you to get the full effect.

And that last line? PRICELESS.

This kid is good.

Really good.

doesn't that face scream puppy owner? 

He has all but persuaded me. And you know I will be the one who will end up taking care of her. 

Yes, it will be a girl.

And her name will be Sophie.

I have done some deal-making of my own.

Happy please someone talk us out of this Monday friends.

Update : Fall Beauty

Last week I shared my list of fall fashion must-haves and, I'm happy to report that I have already picked up items 1, 4, 6 and 8. {all for just over $100 I might add!} 
Go me.
Now, onto the good stuff. Updating that make-up.body.perfume cabinet.

1. Out with the nude colors of summer and in with rich, dark shades like these by Butter. I love a good red on short, well-manicured nails. 

2. Come the cooler weather, I say goodbye to my barely-there tinted moisturizer and say hello again to my Bare Minerals product. Coverage is fantastic and stays in place. It may be difficult to give up my Boscia BB Cream altogether but I will save it solely for evening wear.

3. Hello stay.in.place.forever dark lip shade! This product by Stila is one of my faves. In the warmer months, I'm a huge fan of their lip glaze {in grapefruit specifically} but come fall, I am ready for something a little more dramatic and this shade fits the bill perfectly.

4. I am a huge fan of an all over body spray {I like this one} in warmer weather but definitely enjoy a stronger, longer lasting scent in the fall and winter. I've recently been using Lola by Marc Jacobs but am really liking this one by Gucci.

5. I love a dark upper lid. This particular shade, Thunderball by Nars, is a favorite as is Nehru by MAC, which I have used for years. Both are more navy than black so they appear somehow softer, less severe.

6. If you're like me, the winter wreaks havoc on your hands and lower legs. I love a good hand cream and feel like I have tried them all. My favorites come from Crabtree & Evelyn, The Body Shop, and L'Occitane. Body lotion's I typically like to keep simple and fragrance-free but I must say, I am loving this verbena all-over body lotion by L'Occitane and it is definitely scented. Rich and moisturizing with a refreshing {not overpowering} lemon scent. I was sent a discovery set by eBeauty.ca and have been slathering myself in it each evening. Truth. 

7. Hands down my favorite liquid liner. Fluidline by MAC comes in a little pot that lasts and lasts. I like to use a small, angled brush and wet it just slightly. Once dry, you can't get this stuff off until you choose to. If you've never tried it and are afraid of liquid eyeliner, this is one to try.

Do you update your beauty routine in the winter months? 
And, tell me, have you ever shopped eBeauty.ca? Pssst, it's 100% Canadian!

Linking up here and here. 

What Ava Wore : Prairie Girl

This sweet dress has been on steady rotation all summer.
Add pigtails, boots, and a sweater as necessary, and our hip prairie girl is ready for the early Fall days ahead. 
love.

Happy Thursday friends.

What I Wore : Sparkle

I stole found this metallic, fine-knit sweater at my mama's some time ago.

I love it mostly because a. I totally remember her wearing it and always storing it in the Rodier Paris zippered bag that it is STILL in and b. it is very sparkly.

Shirt - Banana Republic | Earrings - Stella Dot | Chain Necklace - Vintage | Sweater - Vintage
Cropped Skinnies - Forever XXI | Shoes - Calvin Klein

It's been a while since I went digging for treasure in her closet.
Long overdue.

The Teenage Years

Wow.

They weren't kidding.

It's like a light bulb went off and my sweet girl went from her usual cheery self to someone's worst day pms'ing. 

This morning's conversation went like this:

me: Izzy, you're coughing like crazy. Are you sure you don't want to stay home?

Izzy: I have a math test I can't miss mom. {eye roll : I didn't actually see her do this, but I am sure it was there}

me: ok. Which period is math? I will pick you up right after.

Izzy: 3rd. Where will you pick me up though? 

me: Um, in front of the school is that a problem?

Izzy: no. {but for some reason that is unknown to me, it is} 

She begins to cough uncontrollably.

me: Do you want to bring some kleenex with you just in case?

Izzy: in case of what?

me: in case you need to spit after you cough.

Izzy: I don't need to spit though.

I've come to term's with the fact that I can't win.

And when I see her in "that mood", I tend to just ignore her and wait until such time that she switches back from werewolf to regular girl.

It usually doesn't take that long.

So, truth be told...I was {ahem} quite difficult as a young girl.

From what I recall, my poor mother could do no right. If she made me breakfast first thing, I wasn't hungry. If she didn't, I claimed I was starving.

If she asked what I was doing, I took it to mean she was being nosy.

If she didn't, I figured she didn't care.

There was no winning.

Few things are more satisfying than seeing your children have teenagers of their own.

- source unknown

I am pretty sure my mother wrote this quote.

Know that my poor husband doesn't know what hit him.

As I understand, he picked her up after band practice yesterday and she didn't speak to him the entire way home other than a few grunts.

I keep telling him she is wonderful compared to how I was.

He seems even more confused.

Dear Izzy,

We love you even if we sometimes wonder who you are and what you've done with our sweet, smiling daughter.

Love,

mom and dad

Occasion Dressing

We recently shopped for not one, but two formal dresses including a graduation dress for Isabella, so I'm feeling pretty well versed in all things "dressy".

With so many options available, it is sometimes easy to get caught up and to forget the online options.

Here are a few of my favorites, perfect for the Spring weddings that are already on my radar:

Tadashi $318

Theia $495

Tadashi $298

Scala $178

La Femme $378

Mikael Aghal $256

 They really is something available for everyone. 
If anything, the only difficulty I had was narrowing down my favorites! There is a lot of selection.
Isabella's pick below...can't you see Taylor Swift rocking this? Just stunning.

Aaah to be young and have a guitar.
Happy Monday!

Falling for Fall : MY 10

Fall is by far my favorite season to dress and shop for.

In a word? BOOTS.
Here are the items I'm falling for:

1. just one more pair of colored skinny jeans. This time in red. I'm envisioning them tucked into knee high boots I already own with a cozy sweater. 

2. Ever since having Ava, I have been all about the cross-body. Easy and it leaves my hands free. The older she gets, the larger bag I'm finding I need. This Michael Kors one would be the perfect size and I am loving this pearl gray color that I would use a neutral.

3. A light colored classic denim jean jacket.

4. A fisherman knit sweater. Preferably with stripes. I just picked up this one from Joe Fresh and I can't wait to wear it!

5. Something in a shade of wine. This skater skirt would do nicely. Perfect with opaque tights, a slim fitting turtleneck and ankle boots.

6. A sheer black blouse. I'm sure Aritzia will get it right based on this one by T. Babaton that I would be perfectly happy with. A simple tank underneath and layered with a ridiculous amount of gold jewelry.

7. A pair of pull-on, flat, good quality leather booties. I really like these with the leggings that I seem to wear almost daily.

8. Something with a polka-dot print. And although I love this cashmere J.Crew sweater, it is tough to justify the price when this one is out there. Picture it with a crisp shirt underneath, pencil skirt and thin belt. 

9. Smoking slippers in a cheetah print. Yes, I'm going there. I would wear these with those red jeans right there. 

10. The piece de resistance and the item I know I will search for most until they're just right. The perfect heeled ankle boot to wear with...everything.

What's on your fall must-have list?

Linking up here and here. 

What Ava Wore : The little blue bird House

I decided to bring our little blue bird house down from the tree so someone could get a closer look.
Our babe in blue played in the warm September sun until the little blue bird house was full.
of food. 
And love.

On Ava:
flower hair pin - H and M
tank and ruffle skirt - Ralph Lauren Kids
"sparkly shoes" - Toms

Sometimes, it's the little things.
Happy Small Style Thursday friends.
Linking up here as well.

Banana Loaf : A Recipe & Our Winners

I have seen what feels like 101 variations of banana bread.loaf.cake floating around the internet as of late but I still couldn't resist sharing as I munch away on a piece this morning.
I have been making this ridiculously simple banana bread recipe for years.

It comes from The Canadian Living Cookbook and is a no-fail.
The secret to it's "moistness" is definitely the addition of sour cream. 

You can choose to add chocolate chips, nuts or whatever else you enjoy but my kids love it plain and simple.

It never lasts more than an evening.

Banana Loaf
1 cup of mashed, very ripe bananas
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 - 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt

Prepare two bowls : in one bowl, combine bananas, sugar, oil, sour cream and eggs. 
Mix thoroughly.
In the other bowl, combine your dry ingredients including flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
Add the latter to your banana mixture, mixing just until combined.
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 to 1 and 1/4 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean. {we enjoy it on the "well done" side}
Cool in pan for 5 minutes or so and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Note: delish on it's own. twice as good with butter. I know, I know.

How does your own compare to this one? 

Winner of our 5 for 5 group giveaway is comment #457, Betsy Neville.
Winner of the Leapster GS & game cartridge is comment #469, Jeanne Fairbanks Conner.
Congrats ladies! I will email you both today.