Another matching moment

I can’t take credit for this photo shoot! It was a Mommy & Me event hosted by Kindhearted Kids (a woman owned company teaching kids to be kind and encouraging the message through their events). They setup the cutest backdrop and had an on-site photographer, Layland Photography. If you’re local to Columbus, I highly recommend checking out both/either businesses. Layland Photography is owned by Ashlie who is so great to work with – I was certain Olivia wouldn’t smile in pics, but these turned out so adorable! Ashlie also offers tips for taking photos and offers mood boards for outfit Inspo when you book with her!

This matching set might be my favorite mommy & me outfit to date. I love the style of this top – sweetheart neckline and peplum bodice – so flattering! I am wearing an XS & ordered a 2T for Olivia. I thought it was supposed to be a dress but it was pretty short on her so it turned into a shirt. She’s an average height for her age (2) so not sure if this just runs a little large for toddlers. Maybe size up – worst case, it’s a little large now and they grow into it! The color of this outfit is so soft and neutral. Will work across spring & summer. Looking forward to wearing this again for St Patrick’s Day next year!! Lastly, I paired it with these beautiful lavender lace up heels from Vince Camuto. I love the color of these and have been able to pair these with multiple outfits (also worn in my last post, Mom Love Rose in the Park). The suede material is so comfortable and can be worn for several hours with no issues. Ordered my true size.

whatkikiworeLeave a comment

Moms Love Rosé in the Park

This is the first Mother’s Day since I’ve been a mama where we had beautiful weather!! We live in Ohio where April showers bring more May showers. It actually rained Saturday and stayed overcast. We got lucky on Sunday!

Last year, we did breakfast in bed and I thought that might be a new tradition. Nearby, we had a new market that opened with a few food vendors, a bar, speak easy, and an event center all in one building! The grand opened was last weekend (we didn’t go because, I’m not gonna lie, prefer being out in public when there aren’t big crowds. We showed up exactly at 11AM when it opened. Ordered some food and waited with mimosas on the outdoor patio. We were back at home in time for Olivia’s nap and that’s when I got our picnic basket ready: Rosé, black truffle guyere cheese, pepperoni wrapped white cheddar, wheat crackers, and dried fruit. I know these aren’t perfect pairings to rose, but it’s all about Mom and what she wants.

Truthfully, I’ve never been on a picnic. So my vision for a picnic experience might be shaped by images I’ve seen going viral, setups on TV, and on advertisements. I pictured romantic, florals, gingham, feminine…. so this dress was perfect for my vision. The right about of girly, ruffles, Peter Pan collars, pastels… everything but the gingham print (didn’t want to clash with the blanket). This dress is more of a splurge, but if you’re lucky enough to find it on a resell website, they are more affordable! I’m in between an XS/S and I’m wearing a small. The length is not too short, even with heels! It is a little looser up top and the tie string doesn’t do much to adjust that. The buttons are functional and there’s also a silver zip closure on the side.

Speaking of heels.. while it did look silly to chase my toddler around the park in heels and a dress…. how good is this combo? These suede lace up heels match the pastel florals perfectly and complete this outfit with a nice pop of color. This is my fourth time wearing these shoes and they’re extremely comfortable! I think they fit TTS.

I was able to link a very similar, if not the same picnic basket on my LTK page. This was a bridal shower gift years ago and I’ve been dying to use it! We’ve packed it on our beach vacations every year, but have only used it to carry wine to and from the beach at sunset and use the plastic cups, lol. It is a whole table setting for two – plates, cups, napkins, cutlery, s&p shakers, plus the washable blanket. Good amount of space inside too. Makes a great bridal shower, wedding, anniversary, birthday, or Mother’s Day gift!

Highly recommend a picnic in the park this Spring! It was really relaxing to sit around drinking rose in the sun. Let me know how in the comments how you celebrated and what your ideas are for Father’s Day, too! xoxo

whatkikiworeLeave a comment

What I Would Have Worn in Austin TX (if my flight didn’t get canceled)

Hiiiii! Already behind on my blog! Not that there’s too much going on right now – Ohio is starting to thaw out from Winter. It’s finally Spring, but we get beautiful & sunny 70* days during the week and cold, rainy 50* days on the weekend. So annoying…

Anyways.. My husband and I had a weekend trip planned to Austin, TX. We wanted to travel to a warmer climate and LA, Sedona, and Austin made our top 3. We decided on Austin for an end of Feb trip. Side note: Sedona is still my #1 – I’ve never been to Arizona before – but it’s pricey! From what I researched, a flight to Phoenix and then renting a car and driving to Sedona is the easiest option. It didn’t seem very convenient for a weekend trip.

Fast forward to the week or two before our trip and me constantly watching the weather! The temps in Austin were dropping from 80 to 30 degrees, WHAT?! It was looking like the weather was going to be just as cold and rainy as Ohio :(. I knew I’d be chilly on our trip but it was a vacation and I wanted to wear the outfits I picked! Read on below for how and when I”d style these outfits.

To wrap up this story, the day of our trip (Thursday), our flight from Columbus to Dallas straight up canceled. There was an ICE STORM in Dallas and all flights in and out were canceled. We were able to rebook through Charlotte for about the same times as our original flight so all was saved.. right? As we both got the car loaded and were about to drive off, we got a notification our flight from Columbus to Charlotte was delayed an hour. We had a tight connection so with this delay, we were going to miss our flight. Back inside to call the airline! There weren’t any other flights out that would get us to Austin earlier than 9pm so we were already missing our half day in TX. If we rebooked for Friday, we’d get in at 4pm. Our returning flights were scheduled for 6am Sunday, so our weekend trip would have ended up being 24 hours of fun! We opted to get our flights reimbursed and we’ll book for another time. But by then, it will be a different season & different outfits!

Thursday dinner – we had reservations for a BBQ restaurant:

I realized I didn’t get a pic of the back of this top. It buttons behind your neck (you will need help with this – cannot button alone, kind of annoying) and then ties around your waist, leaving an open gap on your back. Very pretty and flattering fit. Wearing an XS.

Friday Shopping Outfit: South Congress & lunch at La Perla’s oyster bar

I purchased this dress from Pink Lily when it was on final sale at the end of 2021. I love the muted colors, soft print, and flowy fit of this dress! I had been waiting for a chance to wear it and thought shopping around South Congress would be perfect! Unfortunately, I don’t think this dress is available anymore but they do carry similar styles.

Friday Night Date Night: Reservations at Aba

Ahhh this top! I fell in love with it when I saw it online. The print and the color reminded me of a tropical vacation (or a Tex-Mex restaurant in TX). I had to have it, I had to try it on. How does it even stay in place?? I picked up some fashion tape to be extra prepared.Spolier alert, I definitely needed the tape! There is just this open gap going diagonal in the front of the shirt. Very fun top. Definitely a splurge and not something I’d wear very often at all, but it’s fun for a special occasion/vacation.

Saturday Day outfit: No official plans/Brewery Hopping

I was the most excited for this chambray jumpsuit! When we first made the decision to travel to Austin, my vision was a denim jumpsuit. There were a couple I had saved to favorites on Revolve’s website (tagged below), but I couldn’t pull the trigger on a $300 outfit… yikes. When I saw this pop up on Like to Know it, I have never swiped up faster!! I found it on an Indianapolis Boutique I’d never shopped before (Magnolia Boutique). Cuuuute items!! I actually ordered this jumpsuit, a green dress (appearing later), and a green tea piece top/skirt I’m planning to wear for our anniversary dinner.

This is the green dress I mentioned above. How cute is the back?! It’s so comfortable and I love it even more on than on the website. How cute are these white western boots with the studs? Literally had the hardest time choosing shoes!! I wanted to bring every pair of boots I own – especially with the colder temps.

A few weeks later, my cousin invited us to a themed “TX BBQ” party – and I was thrilled! I had several outfits to choose from, thanks to this trip :). Spoiler alert, I ended up wearing the jumpsuit!

We also celebrated my daughter’s second birthday. Stay tuned for that post next. XOXO.

whatkikiworeLeave a comment

Jackets for Fall

While “Winter” doesn’t officially begin until December 21st… even though the temperature feels like it in Ohio, plus with Christmas decorations and activities in full swing, it’s tough not to skip the last few weeks of “Fall”.

If you follow me on IG, you know that I was once again traveling up to Geneva for a night in Ohio’s “wine country”. We went with another couple and it was their first night away from their one year old! It was already our third time visiting these wineries so we showed them our favorite places. First stop is always Laurentia for lunch + drinks. Not in any particular order, but M Cellars and Harpersfield are next on the list. Anything else along the way is fair game and we did stop at Red Eagle Distillery for the first time! Ordered a pumpkin spice cocktail that was sooo delic. I honestly expected the ‘lake effect’ weather to be so much cooler in Geneva but it was nice and sunny. Would have reconsidered my outfit if I would have known 🙂 But can’t go wrong dressing in all staples!

Start with a neutral sweater and my favorite mom jeans for the base. Add a suede jacket for added warmth and pair a bold snakeskin print bootie. You probably have everything in your closet to recreate this look, any bold bootie will work! These exact pair are from DSW but I purchased a few years ago. I didn’t see these on the website but did link smiliar pairs if you like this print. I’ve mentioned this suede jacket before – I waited until the Nordstrom anniversary sale to purchase. It’s pricey but I wear it so much in the fall. You’ll be so impressed with the quality!!

The next morning, we went into town to grab coffee and pastry before the long drive back to Columbus. The weather was definitely cooler, but as soon as we were in the car, I was shedding layers (TOO WARM). But I can’t say enough good things about this plaid zip up jacket! It is a cropped fit and the inside lining is satin so don’t expect the sherpa material on both sides… however, maybe it was the sweater underneath, but this jacket still kept me plenty warm! I’m wearing a small in the jacket and it’s pretty roomy in the arms so don’t worry about sizing up one. You also can’t beat the price!! It’s only $25 🙂 I forgot to pack a straight leg pair of denim so here I am stuffing my mom jeans inside of my suede knee high boots, hahaha! Made it work!

I can’t believe we’re already in December!! Check out my post on gift guides if you haven’t already! Happy Shopping xoxo

whatkikiworeLeave a comment

Baby’s First Valentine’s Day 💗

I’ve never been big on Valentine’s Day. I love to love but I think that should be celebrated every day, not a planned event. Now I believe it’s so true what they say, “kids make the ‘holidays’ better!”

I’ve only gone out to dinner once on Valentine’s Day and we both regret it. We made reservations for 7pm at the Bonefish Grille. We arrived a few mins early and there was a line out the door. I was catching conversations that people had been waiting an hour. Long story short, we didn’t get seated for an hour and a half, they brought everyone FREE bang bang shrimp, and my husband surprised me with a cute homemade voucher to cash in for a free vacation. So, okay, maybe that wasn’t the worst v-day, but we both agreed, our usual at home date night is the more enjoyable routine.

With the pandemic, our plans for an at home date night didn’t waver. If anything, it motivated us to dress up! We ordered the steak and lobster special from Cooper’s Hawk and picked up a sparkly bottle of Pinot noir rosé wine from our local wine and beer retailer, Grain and Grape.

I decorated our fireplace and mantle with some decor I picked up from Target this year. Olivia had a great time tearing down the foam hearts every chance she got 🙂

My favorite part of the day was a photo shoot with Olivia. She looked adorable in her heart onesie and large pink bow from Stevie J’s. My pink bodysuit is on sale for under $25. It’s a tight fit and a deep neckline but it’s perfect with jeans or a skirt for date night. My Agolde jeans have been my most comfortable pair of denim and my booties tied in the color of Olivia’s dress from H&M.

When I told my husband I needed to order Olivia a gift he said, “we need to get her a gift?” Ugh yes! She’s our valentine! It was just a couple of cute items: a book, a smock bib, and a rubber duckie dressed like Ariel (she loves to play with rubber ducks in the bathtub and if you ask her where her duckie is, she drops what she’s doing and will pick up her duckie).

How do you and your significant other celebrate? Any special traditions? Let me hear ‘em!

whatkikiworeLeave a comment

My recent Nordstrom Rack purchase under $100!

I love Nordstrom Rack but I rarely have the patience to visit the store and dig through their racks for good deal on a name brand item. I was looking for a Free People sweater on Nordstrom Rack and found it for $26.23 – that’s 75% off the original price, wow! While I was impressed with the sale, I also didn’t want to pay for shipping :). Why does it make me happier to reach the free shipping threshold? Anyone else? Another option was to ship the sweater to the store for free – but that would require a visit in the store and thanks to this pandemic, I haven’t been to a mall (other than a curbside pickup) in almost a year!

So, I kept shopping their clearance category and loaded up my cart! I placed my order before the new year and received my order last week. Shipping took a little more time, but it appears the items are still in stock!

I love this casual outfit. The neutral striped sweater features blouson sleeves, a pocket, and color blocking in the back. It’s a little cropped so I paired it with my favorite high rise Agolde denim and these neutral booties that I wear with anything that isn’t a dress!

I fell in love with this brand, Naked Zebra, when I lived in Minneapolis. I purchased several pieces from a local boutique. This tiered dress is going to be perfect for spring. Unfortunately this color is sold out, but it’s available in two other colors that I’ve linked. I was surprised by the material of this dress – it’s double lined with a silk slip which makes it so comfortable! The length is great and I’d consider making this one of the first pieces I wear back to the office 🙂

This bodysuit is giving me Valentine’s Day vibes! The color and the rouching are so feminine. I have a couple of bodysuits from the same brand, ASTR, so I ordered my normal size, XS, but it runs a little tighter than the other bodysuits. It fits a little snug around the bodice so I’d consider sizing up if you’re larger chested than me.

Saved the best for last! This floral dress is so perfect! Love the pink floral print and think it pairs perfectly with this mauve hat! Another Valentine’s Day contender. This smocked dress can be worn on or off the shoulders – it’s comfortable either way. I almost paired this dress with black boots and a black leather jacket, but any excuse to wear a hat over unwashed hair, count me in!

whatkikiworeLeave a comment