2013

2013 was a beautiful year filled with its fair share of ups and downs. I married my best friend, celebrated my engagement with many wedding parties and showers throughout the year, shared my first Christmas with my husband, celebrated my little sisters engagement (looks like there's another Brechtel wedding to plan), came to term with some hard truths, and I started this blog! I am so thankful to have this little space on the internet where I can come to just write and be myself. It is truly something I look forward to each day.

Tonight, Jeremy and I will be ringing in the new year with family at a party in my parents neighborhood. Every year I always wish we had some fancy black tie event to attend. But, when it comes down to it just give me family, friends, good food, and bubbly...and I am a happy girl. I am planning on wearing this sequin jacket and I am pretty excited about it. Wearing sequins is one of my most favorite parts about NYE after all ;) I do wish I had snagged a pair of those sequin pants above though. They look so comfy and festive, yet chic at the same time.

With all of that being said...cheers to 2014, y'all!  I am looking forward to what this new year has in store! Have a fun and safe night celebrating. xo

sales to know about

Hi! If y'all haven't already noticed there are some major sales going on right now. Some of my top picks are from shopbop, J.Crew, and Tory Burch.  J.Crew is an extra 40% off sale and Tory is an additional 25% off sale. There are some serious deals to be had, friends!! Here are my top three sale picks:

Alice + Olivia Hilary d'orsay flats ($87)

Tory Burch Cailyn Smoking Slipper ($145)

J.Crew Jeweled Fair Isle stripe sweater ($72)

Sadly, my size is sold out in both pairs of shoes. Those a + o loafers are a steal if you wear a 37 (US 7) and those Tory loafers are both adorable and quirky! I am seriously considering ordering the sweater though...I just love the mix of prints going on. 

happy shopping, y'all! xo. 

christmas happenings

Hey y'all! How was Christmas? I hope Santa treated y'all well ;) He certainly spoiled me this year! I can't believe Christmas has come and gone. I always get so depressed when it is over...don't even get me started on how sad it makes me to take the tree down. Thankfully, we keep our tree up until New Years Day! Do any of y'all do the same thing?

 I thought I would share some Christmas photos via my iPhone. I didn't even take out my "real" camera this year. So much was going on and the phone camera is so handy! We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house with the family. Our Christmas Eve party is always a good time...lots of good food and drink and LOTS of family! We always get dressed up and it is truly one of my most favorite nights of the year.

Me- dress: j.crew factory (last year), tights: j.crew (last year), necklace: loft, heels: kate spade, watch: coach, bracelet: j.crew
Him- shirt: brooks brothers, pants and shoes: banana republic

We did a late night gift exchange after the party and I finally got some Krewe du Optic shades. I have been hinting and hinting. I bought Jeremy a pair for part of his wedding gift and I even got my Dad a pair for Christmas. I got my dad and Jeremy "The Fly" and mine are "Toulouse". I just LOVE them. I especially love that they are a local company...so cool. (We bought all of our KREWE from Hattie Sparks, but she seems to be sold out of the styles we have. She has many more though...check her out!)

On Christmas morning Jeremy and I woke up and exchanged gifts at our home. It was our first married Christmas and it was so special to just be with my husband (and Jack) before the day got busy. 

 {Me in "Toulouse" and dad in "The Fly"}

Jackie Doodle had a very merry Christmas too. Santa brought him quite a bit of new toys and he even got a new leash! We got him the "city leash" from See Scout Sleep, another local company down here. Buying local makes my heart happy. 

I hope each of y'all had a very merry Christmas too! And, now I am ready to celebrate the New Year!! Gosh, can y'all believe 2014 is next week!?!

Happy Thursday, y'all! xo

very merry

{our Christmas card was created by local company Lionheart Prints}

We will be spending the next few days with our family and friends but wanted to wish y'all a very Merry Christmas before things get busy! I hope each of you fully enjoy the holiday spending time with your loved ones and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. 

xo.

"And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'"
Luke 2: 11-12

sequins

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With Christmas Eve tomorrow tonight and New Years Eve next week I find myself obsessing over glitter and sequins. That maxi skirt in the second picture is so good. I saw it in Anthropologie over the weekend and if the mr. would not have been with me I really might have scooped it up. Anyway, I was not able to find the perfect sparkly dress, but I do have these sparkly kate spade heels to wear. A little bit of sparkle is better than none at all, right? 

happy monday. xo. 

friday five

- I went to my favorite local shop last weekend, Little Miss Muffin, for a quick birthday gift and saw this adorable outfit. I fell in love. Is it too early to start buying for future littles? -

- This blue skirt (similar) and these silver flats from j.crew are two of my favorite items at the moment. can't.get.enough. -

- This taxi cab ornament is making me want to plan the trip to New York my mom and sister have been talking about STAT! -

- Christmas movies, egg nog (in a cute new Pottery Barn milk glass), and turtles...need I say more?

- We completed a lot of our registry last weekend at Pottery Barn and Bed, Bath & Beyond. I ordered some items online from Pottery Barn that were not available in store and I can't wait for them to arrive!

So we made it to Friday...cheers, y'all! Today is my last day of work for our two week Christmas holiday! And it is also our school's Christmas Program. I always get butterflies thinking about my 4 year olds singing their song (this year it is "Joy to the World") on the stage, but they always do great and look super cute of course. Anyway, I am so excited and ready to celebrate my first Christmas as a mrs (!!!) with my husband and our family. We have a jam packed week next week full of baking, cooking, family Christmas dinners & parties, a wedding rehearsal dinner, the mr's birthday, and a wedding to celebrate for our two very dear friends.  And yes, all of those things are happening Christmas week! Instead of being stressed about all that we have coming up...I am really just excited! Call me cheesy but I can't wait to celebrate everything with my husband as his wife. If ya can't tell I love being married...just a little ;) 

Happy Friday, y'all! xo. 

christmas decor

Hey y'all! I thought I would post some pictures of our holiday home decor today. We did what we could in this little cottage of ours and it turned out pretty cozy. Christmas is my absolute favorite season and holiday! There is nothing I love more than to get snuggly on the sofa while watching Christmas movies and enjoying our tree. Egg nog and cookies are a must too ;) Anyone else feel this way?

 {Almost everything is from Target, Pottery Barn, or TJ Maxx!} 

Happy Tuesday! xo.

cheers!

 

sweatshirt: j.crew, plaid: old j.crew, denim: j.brand, watch: loft, bracelet: old j.crew, flats: tory burch

So, I went to J.Crew Friday after work for Christmas gifts. And while I was able to get a few things for Jeremy, I was not able to walk out without buying something for myself. I mean that's not even reality for me to go to J.Crew without buying myself something (#jcrewaddict). Anyway, I have had my eye on this sweatshirt for quite a while. I saw it in the sale section...and it was 30% off (use code GIFTNOW online through December 24)...and I had a gift card. So it was technically free, right? Right. 

Happy Monday, y'all! xo

and...i'm back!

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Hi, y'all! I am back after quite a little blogging break. I did not realize how busy we would be after our wedding and honeymoon! But, I am so glad to be back here at my little blog. My husband (I love saying that!!) and I have been non stop with work, setting up our home, and Christmas decorating & shopping. We chose a busy time to get married needless to say ;) I am happy to say I will be back tomorrow with regular posting.

So, until then...happy Sunday! xo

gift guide: top five under $50

Hi y'all! Well it is wedding week...finally! While I am super excited I am also super busy. But I wanted to get this gift guide posted before things get really crazy tomorrow with the rehearsal dinner, hair +  nail appointments, and then the wedding on Saturday!

So, without further adieu here are my five favorite Christmas gifts under $50 for you or your loved ones. I certainly wouldn't mind finding each of these under the tree this year ;) Enjoy!

1. Kate Spade glitter coaster set ($35) via Lulu & Georgia 

2. Jonathan Adler champagne candle ($42) via Hattie Sparks

3. Lulu cosmetic case ($45) via Hattie Sparks

4. Emily Ley iphone case ($48) via Design Darling

5. Printed Stripe zip top pouch ($38 plus $10 for monogram) via C. Wonder

Happy Tuesday! xo. 

friday five

Happy Friday! Here is my friday five according to my iPhone...

1. I finally got a chance the other night to catch up on my November issues. This page is from Marie Claire. Do y'all even see that Valentino maxi? I am lusting over it. I mean it will never be mine, but oh she is pretty! That whole page pretty much makes me want to go to the beach!

2. I took a cue from Kathleen and did a little bookshelf restyling. This past week I have been moving some books and things from my room to Jeremy's home (um, my home in 8 days!!). I especially love the gold owl sitting on the Chanel :) I still need to figure out how to make it more "his and hers". I definitely replaced my fashion books with all of his books...oops! 

3. I ordered these from J.Crew Factory last week during a major sale. I have been in desperate need of gray/silver flats. My current pair in this color category are a simple ballet flat from Bakers...which is ridiculous. Anyway these have a bow and I think I scored them for $30 or something like that! J.Crew Factory is 30% off everything with free shipping on orders $75 or more with code BIGSALE and it ends today! 

4. I went to Banana Republic yesterday as it was the first day of their friends and family sale. 50% off five items. Naturally, I picked up these little pretties. I really only went in for the glitter elbow patch sweater. And then I saw the leopard pants...then the red pants...and then I saw the peplum top (which is glittery but you can't see it in the picture) and I could not pass any of it up. My mom is the best and also let me charge it on her card...so there's that too, ha! Anyway, go to Banana (because I can't find anything on their site besides the red pants). They have the cutest holiday line right now! 

5. I love Jeremy's groomsmen gifts so much. It is totally an idea we found on Pinterest...we are not that clever! He did pick out the Mignon Faget glasses, though!

I am so happy it is Friday! This weekend is going to be a lot of fun and busy...it's the last weekend before the wedding and my sister's boyfriend is turning 30! Saturday consists of Pure Barre, bringing the baby Jetta to VW for an oil change and check up, errands, and dinner at La Boca to celebrate the birthday boy! Sunday will consist of watching the Saints game and more errands. What are y'all up to this weekend? I would love to hear!

Have a great day, y'all! xo.

wednesday words

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Hi y'all! With 10 days left to go until the wedding this quote above is speaking to me! And it is Wednesday which means tonight is 2 for 1 margaritas at my favorite Mexican spot. Too bad I am knee deep in packing my room, making wedding day lists, getting wedding organized, making honeymoon lists, etc. to actually go anywhere to have a margarita. I guess a glass of wine later will have to suffice!

Happy Wednesday...we are half way to Friday!! xo.

{And please excuse me if my posts are a little sporadic...wedding is definitely on the brain and has completely taken over!}

gift guide: top five under $25

Hi hi! Sorry for this late Tuesday post, but I have been so busy with wedding things! Do excuse me :)
Anyway, I have been wanting to do a few different gift guides at a few different price points as I have been finding so many adorable things lately! My Christmas list is growing longer by the day...oops! Each item in this gift guide is under $25 and will certainly make a great gift for you or someone you love this holiday season. I narrowed it down to five of my favorite gifts under $25. Hope you find something you love or you would love to give!

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1. Kate Spade mug from SHOPbymonika. 

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2. "You are so freaking awesome" card set from Design Darling. 

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3. The Prep Star Peskir from Loomed Nola. 

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4. Glam print from SS Print Shop. 

{I am pretty sure I am buying "glam" for my nightstand and this one for Jeremy for his nightstand. I just love them!}

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5. Monogrammed Acrylic Pencil Cup from Design Darling. {had to throw something monogrammed in!} 

Happy Tuesday! xo.