From about ages 14 to maybe 19 I wore a lot of American Eagle. Like a lot of it. Anyone whose high school years hit in the late 90s/early 2000s probably knows what I’m talking about. The brown boots, the graphic tees, and definitely the flare and wide leg jeans! By the time I got settled into college, I had left it behind in favor of Gap denim (on sale) and cute tops from Forever 21. The nostalgia that’s hitting just thinking about it all!
Over the last year or so though I have been lured back with my curiosity kicking in a few years back when bloggers starting talking about American Eagle denim again. While I still haven’t been convinced enough to jump back into their denim, their cozy oversized sweaters have won me over. When we made the sudden shift to completely working from home, I found myself loving their pieces for that feel like you’re in your pajamas without actually wearing your pajamas feeling. A way to look just cute enough to not feel like a slob and hit whatever low threshold of presentable on camera staff meetings required.
Their stock seems to come and go pretty quickly, so none of the items I’ve bought (not even the ones from this fall) are still available. Browsing their site though, here’s the options I’d go for if it was time to add some more options to my closet!
It’s actually taking a lot of restraint to not hit order on this cozy pullover!
This cloud cape – I bought a really similar cape last year and it’s like a work video call approved robe.
I bought this moto quarter zip earlier this fall and it looks to be back in different colors. It’s the item I reach for over and over again!
A similar style to the moto quarter zip, this option feels a little more worn in if that’s more your style.
And this one has the closest look to what I’m wearing in the picture above that’s sadly out of stock!
Friday! You’re here! We’re celebrating with pizza from one of our favorite places. The perfect way to kick off the weekend. A few thoughts and things from this week to share…
We watched Olaf Presents on Disney+ and those short little videos were the source of so much giggling. I’m not sure what I found more entertaining though – the actual videos or my son’s re-enactment of them all weekend!
Last weekend we were out of town and we had the first snow of the season, two things that helped make homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner sound perfect! I picked up a rotisserie chicken, then followed the steps in this Half Baked Harvest recipe and I swear it was the best batch of chicken noodle soup I’ve ever made. I really think the parmesan was a difference maker! Instead of using a parmesan rind, I just threw a couple pinches of grated parmigiano reggiano in it instead and it was delicious.
My 7 year old got this game for his birthday and he is surprisingly obsessed with it! It feels like straight up chaos to follow along with sometimes, but once you figure out all the rules and nuances of the game, it’s really fun!
After a lot of back and forth over whether or not I should get it, I ordered the Calpak Luka belt bag to have for our Disney trip that’s coming up soon. The belt bag to keep all the items I want to be able to quickly access close and then a shared family backpack for everything else will be the way we go.
A sneak peak at the family pictures my sister-in-law coordinated last weekend – outside of wedding photos, we haven’t gotten a family picture since my brother and I were little kids. I’m so in love with these and so glad we took the time to have them taken!
If you’re a Cup of Jo follower then you already know the comments section on posts is gold (check this post out if you’ve never experienced it), but one that sticks with me was a reader commenting with a story about her dad, who was a therapist, always telling her to look for small acts of kindness when you’re out in the world and having a hard time. We were at my parents house last weekend and after my dad spent the whole evening and night not feeling well, I heard their printer going the next morning. When I asked my dad what he was doing he said he was printing the crossword puzzle from the paper for mom. Later I was getting ready in the other room and overheard him giving it to her and her surprised little “Oh!” that left me able to tell she loved what must’ve been an expected thoughtful act that morning. I know it’s one of those random little things that will bring me to tears just thinking about it even decades from now!
If we’re running down the long list of ways I like to treat myself then grabbing a coffee from a coffee shop is going to be one of the things at the top. At work our office is within walking distance of a lot of options and walking to go grab coffee is something I’ve enjoyed doing alone when I need to escape for a bit and as a team if we’re all feeling the need for some fresh air and caffeine together. When the pandemic moved us all to fully remote for a year and a half, that tradition was one of the few things I actually missed from our old life of getting up and physically leaving our houses everyday for work.
Lattes or drinks with cold foam have always been my favorite coffee outside of my kitchen treat so when my mother-in-law asked for Christmas ideas for me last year I threw a frother out there as something I thought I’d enjoy, but probably wouldn’t buy myself. She gifted it to me and let me tell you – it has been the best thing to ever happen to my coffee!
Now that we’re back into the office a few days each week, I maybe might even have bought a second one so that I have my home frother and my work frother…the love affair is real!
This is the exact frother I had originally, then got this Nespresso one as part of a deal on a bundle with a Nespresso machine.
While syrups are great (Torani brown sugar cinnamon is my favorite), here’s some other good additions I’ve thrown into my milk before frothing:
It’s the weekend! Cheers to it. I had the realization this week as I looked at the calendar that every weekend from now until after Christmas has something either planned or plans in the works and I instantly felt overwhelmed. ‘Tis the season! But I am excited for lots to time spent with friends and family. And now, a collection of thoughts to share and things found around the internet…
I’ve spent the past few months really struggling with motivation on the work front and if you can relate, this Career Contessa article I Don’t Want to Work — 7 Reasons You’re Not Feeling It at Work was a good read. While I’m still not entirely sure what’s going on and what to do about it, I have to say that my week off that resulted from time I had to use to avoid losing even though I have nowhere to go was a really nice reset that was maybe a step in the right direction.
I’m fascinated by the Swing House – what a fascinating concept!
I’m a sucker for a pretty notebook and have enough to last me quite awhile, but these beauties are making it really hard not to keep adding to the collection! (My personal fav)
Ever since we were required to head back to the office a couple of days a week I’ve been insistent on the idea that if I have to be there, I’m going to be cozy. I found this wearable throw blanket and keep teetering between do I need this and is it a little bit too extra?!
I put these fleece leggings on to wear for the first time and they were so good, I immediately went to look at buying more. I’m now the proud owner of three pairs and plan to live in them this winter!
Gift ideas for any of those hard to shop for little ones you may have on your holiday list! Most are tried and true favorites in our house, plus a couple of things that I’ll make sure are under our tree this year…
Starting off with my personal favorite! I’m pretty sure I found this company years ago through some influencer marketing they did at the time and I’ve just held onto this idea for gifts ever since. The books are personalized so their name can be incorporated into the story. My Little Monsters and The Little Boy/Girl Who Lost Their Name have been my go to favorites and by the time I’m done, every child in my life will have one!
I am not a game lover by nature – I don’t know why! But this one is an exception. It’s simple to play, you can play it with only two people, and you get some sneaky math practice in too! Tolerable = must have for games in our house.
I’m actually unsure who loves this hot wheels accessory more – my son or my husband. The star here is the clamp function. This is the exact one we have from a few years ago but I can only find it in stock at Target and it says you have to go visit the store to purchase so I’m adding this version since since it’s easier to find and I’m sure it’s just as great! But this thing has been loved for years and I’ve watched plenty of times as it was used to make some wildly creative race tracks. We’re talking clamped to the kitchen island, over a couch, and flying into the middle of the living types. In the summer, we’d take it outside and clamp it to the patio table and have the track send hot wheels cars flying into a baby pool. Endless outdoor entertainment for so many years!
I have a high level of appreciation for the fact that what seems to currently be the hottest toy in the young elementary school aged crowd being so cheap and so easy to find. Pop-its are so beloved that my son’s class recently chose bringing their pop-its to school for the day as a prize for completing some behavior based challenge their teacher has them do together. There will for sure be another pop-it wrapped up under our tree and I’ll just have to decide if it’ll be Pikachu, Among Us, or baby Yoda even if my favorite is this fries and burger one. 🙂
I remember being introduced to this game when my cousin’s kids were little and they’re all now in their early twenties! This one has a recommended age of 7+ and I think that’s pretty spot on. My son just turned 7 and I think this will be a fun way to have him practice his spelling and reading!
My son picked this one out of one of those Amazon holiday catalogs last year and has loved it. At age 6, more often than not my husband was helping him build the tracks and then playing with the marbles would keep him busy for pretty long periods of time. It’s a toy that tears down and comes with a bag to store everything in so this stays in our hall closet and he pretty consistently seeks it out to play with.
I have my dad to thank for this one. He spent that spring 2020 quarantine sending my son periodic surprises always with the goal of fresh entertainment, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Who knew the act of jumping to send rockets flying in the air would be so fun? But I’ll tell you that I recently spent an evening listening to two 6 year olds giggle away as they played with it. I know the manufacturer’s recommended age starts at 8, but I just don’t see how this wouldn’t be great for any kid big enough to get a good jump going and enough coordination to re-load the rockets! I like this particular one because it folds back up perfectly and that’s been great for the times we’ve taken it along for picnics at the park for added outdoor fun.
We have not mastered bike riding in this house and at this point I’m worried if we ever will? A scooter wasn’t even on my radar until last fall my son had a blast borrowing his cousin’s as they took turns riding it around. My sister-in-law and her family gave him his own for Christmas last year and it’s been love ever since!
In our house, chicken is the primary thing we cook and our weekly dinner menu is very routined and repetitive at this point. Sure, we switch it up a few days a week, but it feels like pretty much every other day is chicken and some form of potato or rice. Your girl can only handle so much of it so on the few days a week that making dinner lands on my shoulders (my husband is the primary cook in our family!), I have to have a few things to switch up the flavors from his tried and true favorites that I know he’ll still like. Here’s 4 recipes that have made the cut!
Chicken and potatoes are favorites in our house and this recipe with the brown sugar and garlic glaze poured on top is such a good flavor to add to switch it up a bit. Bonus points with this recipe, everything bakes in one dish so clean up involves washing the pan the glaze is made in then just rinsing the baking dish and throwing it in the dishwasher. Big win.
These have such good flavor and while the recipe calls for teriyaki sauce, I would say you could add whatever sauce you wanted to them at the end depending on your mood and your family’s tastes. This recipe is a favorite of mine to use on a work from home day where I can prep the meatballs during my lunch break and then they’re ready to go whenever the work day is done.
This is my personal favorite recipe and I could eat every single week and be happy. I do make just two adjustments though – I usually just buy a rotisserie chicken to use and I buy the Pillsbury crescent rolls, but spread them out flat across the top instead for a thinner top that gets nice and golden brown. But this is hands down my favorite option to turn to now that the weather has changed and that fall chill is in the air!
While social media has plenty to list in both the pros and cons columns, finding content that really makes you pause, think, and re-consider is one of my favorite pros. Prompted by Adam Grant’s post pictured above, Kate from whatkatefinds dug into this more and one of her followers had a great alternate conversation starter if you’d like to avoid asking the question always presented when you meet someone new socially – what do you do?
What are you enjoying right now?
Try that one instead. And as I’ve found, it’s a really good question to ask yourself when you’re feeling like you’re in a little bit of a rut too. A bit of a good journal prompt if you will.
So what’s on your list? Currently writing this while entering the end of a week of vacation time from work spent going nowhere and with no set plans, I can say slow mornings with planning dinner ideas being the only task I absolutely must do, tracking down a last minute Halloween costume for my son, and going for walks to just look around and enjoy the fact that it finally looks and feels like fall are top of my list.
On a deeper level, I’d say the stage of parenting that is early elementary school age. My almost 7 year old is reading books to me! Watching these big milestones unfold is so surreal to see sometimes. New friends to be made where the connections weren’t a happy byproduct of your parents friendship first, a little more independence for both of us – he can walk himself home from the (half a block away, ha) bus stop after school, I can go off run errands or grab dinner with a friend without him hardly blinking an eye or saying goodbye to me.
Back in the toddler days I would’ve never imagined a day out on the horizon where I didn’t have to sneak out of the house to avoid a mom’s leaving melt down. It’s both refreshing and a little bit sad too to think of how the tides have turned. But isn’t that motherhood for you? Every new exciting thing always follows up with the reminder of how quickly time is passing and how big they’ve gotten, and what I wouldn’t give for just a couple of hours spent in the past with them before jumping back to the present.
*this is what I use for a single serving of this salad – up the serving size as much as you need!
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup of diced apples (about 4 or 5 apple slices)
2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp chopped pecans
1 tbsp dried blueberries
2 strips of bacon crumbled
2 tbsp dressing
Every once in awhile the craving will hit hard for a salad and of all the cravings, that’s one I feel like I should be quick to jump on, right?! I like my salads on the sweet side and this one definitely fits that bill, but the arugula and the crumbled bacon off set that sweetness. If you’re looking to lower an already pretty short prep time (me, almost always), buy a bag of pre-sliced apples and a package of pre-cooked bacon. Microwaving the bacon for just 30 seconds was enough to crunch it up a bit and make it easy to crumble.
Inspired by my recent browse through Allison Day’s book Modern Lunch, take this salad on the go by putting all the ingredients except the dressing in a to-go container (I used large mason jar), then bring your dressing with you to add and shake before throwing it in a bowl and enjoying!
Looking back on the loved, used, and worn most in the month of August, it appears that the vibe had a very intense summer mom thing going. Not that it should surprise me! When summer hits I want nothing more than to be comfortable and keep things simple, then letting accessories bring in a little more interest to a look.
By the time we hit August I finally feel like I’ve all but perfected the look I’m going for and stocked up on all the pieces. So here’s what I spent the month loving most, that can thankfully carry me right into the fall too.
I’m obsessed with these tees and my collection is already up to four. They’re the perfect oversized tee without being too oversized. We agree that it’s a fine line, right?
Another item I own multiples of. Get yourself the Aerie tee in the smoked gray color, these shorts in the panther color, and you have yourself a matching set. Are we still into those? I am, and you’re unconvinced then I encourage you to give it a try. It’s genius.
Shit. I’m realizing that here we go with another thing I own multiples of. After fulling embracing the plastic Eva style for almost two years, both my dad and my husband separately thought it was time to upgrade and offered up my first traditional pair as a birthday present. I surprised them with my choice of color though, with my dad referring to these as my princess shoes. I love them!
I was slow to come around to this trend but eventually caved and now I can’t get enough. The convenience! Hands free! This one doesn’t have much bulk to it so it’s perfect for wearing cross body instead which makes me feel just a little bit trendier. 🙂
Finding small businesses to buy gorgeous handmade earrings from is something I should probably consider a hobby at this point. The Winsome Poppy is a great shop, but be sure to follow her on IG to learn when a launch is coming because she will sell out fast. My last purchase was a pair from her field of dreams collection. They’re beautiful, lightweight, and the perfect thing to throw on and instantly feel like I’m a little more together for the day.
And then lastly, a return to the office a few days a week at the beginning of August reminded me of how overly air conditioned our building is. I’d rather layer up than speak up and take the risk of the temperature swinging too far in the opposite direction so I spent the month of August often throwing this sweater on over a shirt paired with jeans and heading on into work.
Years ago our team headed to happy hour after work and a teammate talked me into trying her favorite margarita that had some fruit flavor I didn’t bat an eye at (pomegranate? pear? I can’t remember) but then also had muddled jalapeños – the part I was a little skeptical about. Turns out I liked it enough for it to be my new favorite too. When I discovered Trader Joe’s had jalapeño limeade a few years back, a made at home version of it became my new go-to for summer weekend afternoons!
Now, my particular style of at home bartender is to disregard any rules (probably more for lack of knowing what they are than anything else) and to just throw together things and see if it tastes good. But this one has tequila and triple sec to stick with the basics though, then Simply brand peach juice, Trader Joe’s jalapeño limeade, and some lime slices. Wet the rim of the glass, dip it in a bowl of turbinado sugar, throw in a lot of ice, then get to mixing!
Life in the Ordinary 