In the beginning of the Covid-19 quarantine, I had zero interest in shopping. I could barely wrap my mind around what was happening, let alone worry about outfits. Now that the stay home orders are starting to lift, I have shifted my focus to just updating my Summer wardrobe essentials.

For the first month or so, I couldn’t bring myself to even get out of my pajama’s. What was the point? I wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t seeing anyone. Heck, I even stopped doing our family’s grocery shopping. My husband took over because the mere thought of going to the store would cause me to have an anxiety attack. Thankfully, 70 days later, I have started coming out of my shell. I have forced myself to go to the grocery store a few times. And we have even started going to our favorite donut shop on the weekends again.

Thankfully my family are all homebodies and we are happiest when at home together. I am grateful that my husband has been able to work from home. And most of all, I am grateful we are all healthy. But I have to admit, I sure do miss date nights out!

Updating my basic Summer wardrobe essentials:

Now that I am ready to wear “real clothes” again (even if it is just around the house), I have been updating some of my staples. I’ve been wearing the same white jeans for years so I finally bought these and these. One pair has a regular ankle length and hem. And the other has a frayed cropped hem. Both are thick enough so they aren’t see-through. But best of all…both are on sale! I also bought this white denim skirt to update the one I have (which had a slit in the front that I didn’t care for).

I also bought these new yoke front Mother Denim jeans (also available here) while they were on sale for 30% off (unfortunately the sale is now over). The slanted “yoke” front pockets are unlike any of my other jeans. Plus, I prefer a zip fly to button up. I’ve been wanting a new pair of sandals but none of the newer styles caught my eye. So I went with a classic and bought a new pair of Birkenstocks. These are narrow so a little more flattering on.

Lastly, it appears we are going to be wearing masks for some time. I have purchased a few different styles including this one from Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS line, this one from The Tight Spot and also these from Grocery Apparel. I find the masks with straps that go around just your ears to be the most comfortable (instead of around your whole head).

I hope you are all healthy and getting used to our new normal.

Today officially marks ONE MONTH of #quarantinelife for us. In the past month, I’ve left my house three times. Once to pick up my sons schoolwork. Once for a drive just to get out of the house. And once I sat in the car when my husband ran into Target to get a new coffee machine. Ours broke like three days into the stay home orders. I can stay home but I can NOT stay home and home school without coffee!

BTW, don’t let these pictures fool you. This is NOT what the last month looked like. I have only put on makeup and done my hair twice. These pics were taken on one of those days. I am living in unmatching pj’s. But I did feel much better wearing this!

I keep thinking I will start on all of my unfinished projects around the house. And then I remember I am a home school teacher now. I am lucky if I shower and feed my family three times a day (if I hear “I’m Hungry” one more time! Ha!). I know we are supposed to have nothing but time right now, but for some reason I still feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day! How is that possible?

The good news is that my anxiety is starting to subside. Don’t get me wrong…I am TERRIFIED of catching the virus. Or even worse…one of my family members getting it. But I am starting to be able to wrap my mind around the fact that this is really happening. And that our lives are forever going to be different going forward. It’s the not knowing how much life will be changed going forward that I’m anxious about.

On a lighter note…tie dye has been the biggest trend during this quarantine. I bought this matching set back in February and found it hidden in a bag of Easter goodies I was hiding from my son. I haven’t been in much of a mood to shop during this pandemic. And I know many people are out of a job. But if you are looking for something tie dye to lounge around in…I rounded up a few for you below. As well as a few tie dye kits in case you are in the mood to DIY something yourself! How is your #quarantinelife going?

Hey Y’all!!! Long time no see! Is anyone else as ready for Spring as I am? I am so ready for bright colors and sun dresses! And sandals! But most of all…sunshine and warm temps! I didn’t do it on purpose, but I ended up going on a bit of a shopping hiatus over the past few months. But now I am good & ready to update my Spring wardrobe with a few key pieces. Luckily…Shopbop has just announced their BIG Spring sale.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember that I mentioned wearing your cardigans as tops is one of my new favorite trends. I’ve owned this particular cardigan since I started blogging. You can see other ways I’ve worn it over the years here (cringe!), here and here (is it just me or do I look like Harry Potter?).

Back to the Shopbop Spring sale…starting today, you can save up to 25% off full-price styles with code SPRING (get full details here). I already did my shopping during the early access sale and snagged these Mother Denim jeans in white (I already have them in blue denim and LOVE them) and these Sam Edelman sandals in oatmeal (I already have these too…in cognac). I guarantee you will be seeing both of these staples on repeat this Spring/Summer.

What trends are you looking forward to this Spring/Summer?

It has been a long standing goal of mine to create a closet that I can walk into and actually want to wear anything I reach for. Unfortunately, I am a bit of a hoarder. I hold onto things for sentimental value. I hold onto things because I think they will come back into style. Basically I will find any reason NOT to get rid of something.

A few years ago, I did a MAJOR closet clean out and got rid of TEN trash bags of clothes. It felt SO good. Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed again with having to dig through too many different piles, laundry baskets, shelves, etc. to find whatever it is I am looking for. So I did another closet clean out. This time I only had four trash bags full.

I don’t have the time or patience to wait for things to sell on Poshmark when I have this many items I am trying to clear out. So my first stop is always to a local re-sell shop that pays cash up front for clothes. Then I take the leftovers to a different consignment store that pays you when they sell the items. Lastly, I hold on to the rest thinking I will have a garage sale which I inevitably never end up doing. Mostly because I get annoyed thinking of people offering me a dollar for a brand new $200 dress with tags still attached. So that is when friends/family get to take whatever they want. And the rest goes to Good Will. It is quite a process to be honest. Which is another reason it only happens every few years.

One day I will HOPEFULLY learn to live with a capsule collection of simple basics for each season.

So as a little motivation for myself (and maybe for you too), I am linking to my top five Fall essentials. I have had these five pieces saved in my Shopbop account, just waiting for their annual buy more, save more sale. That day has finally arrived! You can save up to 25% off your entire purchase with code MORE19 (some exclusions apply) now through Dec 1st. Click here for full details.

These items include my FAVORITE Mother jeans, black ankle booties, a crisp white blazer, a cozy cardigan and a neutral hat. I feel like I could and would wear some combination of this everyday uniform in real life. Hey, maybe I could pull off a capsule wardrobe afterall?

I love dressing up. And shopping for holiday party dresses might be my fave. Gimme all the sequins and velvet!

All I have been doing is scouring the internet for party outfits. So I figured I would share my favorites with you. Click on any of the dresses below to shop (click on the arrow to see more)!

P.S. I am ABSOLUTELY heartbroken that this dress is sold out in my size. So I am putting it out into the universe that I am looking for a small or medium. If any of you EVER see it in my size, please let me know and I will forever be indebted to you! Ha!

What are you wearing to any parties this holiday season???