Chicago, a Flag and a Bride

First of all, my font is funky and I don't know why!  The blogging world is soo over my head so I apologize in advance! A professional is working on this...trust me! :)
Hi there friends!  We had another jam packed trip to the Windy City for the wedding of my husband's good friend.  We started the trip with a visit to the Aquarium and the Navy Pier (but it started raining and that kept us indoors).  As my daughter gets older, going to new places gets easier because she understands and enjoys what she is seeing. She is an inquisitive 5 year old who wants to know the answer to everything and I love it. There is simply nothing like seeing the world through the eyes of a child. We had the best day together- just two girls in the big city- while my husband did groomsman stuff for the wedding. 

Speaking of the wedding- oh my gosh. It was a rustic theme, with the ceremony in front of a huge tree in the middle of a huge grassy field that had a huge white tent over it.  The details were incredible- wooden bowls and candles and pink flowers everywhere and twinkly lights and chalkboard signs with the most lovey dovey sayings but the best part? A S'mores bar! Yes! I roasted marshmallows and danced the night away to my happy heart's content!  By the way, this amazing dress is from www.chicwish.com and it is so beautiful in person. It is full and fitted and lined and oh so gorgeous. You can find it here right now and it's on sale!

So Vanessa from @whatwouldvwear and I have been dying to see each other and this weekend worked out. We knew the day and we knew the time we were going to meet. But where? My husband and I passed this barn in the car on the way in from the airport and I was like "A big white barn in the middle of a field with an American flag painted on it? And it's the week before the 4th? COME ON! Here. HERE! We are taking pictures HERE!"  We brought our kids with us too because there is just something more that we share because we are mommies. We get each other- the time commitments and the overwhelming love for our children. It was a delightful memory we made together this day.  And this lovely dress I am wearing is from Bardot...a sweet little shop in Newport Beach www.shop-bardot.com.  You can also follow them on Instagram ( like I do) @Bardot_oc and if you see something you love (like I always do)- just call then and they will send it to you! Easy-peasy!

We are heading back to the Chicago for a week in August and besides the American Girl store and the Lincoln Zoo, we don't have a ton in the agenda. I would love any recommendations you all might have! Happy Monday to you!! Xx Michelle

Whispers of Blue 💙












Sometimes I just love the simplicity of a pencil skirt and a blouse.  Not a lot of accessories or fuss-- just simple, sleek and out-the-door I go. I actually consider pencil skirts one of the staples in my wardrobe. In the summer, I can tuck in a button down for the office and when it starts to get cooler, a little cardigan twin set is just perfect. Along those lines, a pencil skirt looks just as cute with some knee-high boots in the fall as it does with strappy sandals or heels in warmer temperatures.  You can get your money's worth out of these guys.  This Zara blouse is just a dream – – it is whisper thin and such a beautiful color. My skirt is from Nordstrom and it's the first time I've tried this line called Halogen. I really like it so far.  And it is super reasonably priced. If you don't have a few pencil skirts in your closet, you should consider investing in a few. 

 I am getting ready to head back to Chicago this weekend for a wedding and I'm having such a hard time deciding what to pack. The forecast calls for thunderstorms, which would make me think to pack warm clothes, except it will be in the 80's, which is just confusing!  In the best circumstances, I am an over-packer but with a wedding and rehearsal dinner and my daughter to worry about, I might just have six suitcases! Even though I've read the articles and seen the YouTube videos about how to pack lightly, I'm just not the kind of person who will bring four articles of clothing and make them work for a week. Are you? Do you like to bring everything you own or pack just the necessities? 

 I hope your week is off to a wonderful start and as always, it means so much that you stopped by. Xx Michelle

Said Yes To The Dress







I have a weird relationship with dresses. I love wearing sheath dresses under a blazer or a cardigan to the office.  I love the little black dress for any sort of evening function. I literally must have 30 of them hanging in my closet. But just a regular standalone dress for daytime in the office? Sometimes I struggle with deciding if I like it.  It has to be just right, right?

I also have been making an effort to put more color into my wardrobe. For a  person who loves black as much as I do, white is a huge wild step in the color direction. And florals are just gorgeous. Don't even get me started on all of the rooms in my house I would wallpaper with floral designs if my husband would let me ( why do I even ask? I should just do it. There's a 50-50 chance he wouldn't even notice!!) But back to the dress. When I saw it hanging in Zara ( my latest obsession) it just spoke to me for some reason. It's structured and sweet and it has pockets and it is ladylike and fits like a glove.  It is so office appropriate in this nice weather and can't you just also see it at a brunch with your grandmother or to wear to church? And the best part of all is it's made out of this sort of stretchy material. If you didn't think it was perfect before, you sure do now, right? I bought this dress about a week ago, so it still should be online at Zara.   As always, I hope your day is just wonderful and I appreciate you stopping by so much. XO XO Michelle