My Home Away From Home: TJMaxx

It's no surprise...I love tjmaxx. I mean LOVE! I can never leave there empty handed. Even if I walk in and can't find that "it" piece, I still manage to find things like an aerodynamic lemon peeler, atypical measuring cups that come in the form of spoons, and cute little ramekins that inspire me to bake...well, they're great for holding nuts too. So basically, when I can't find clothes, shoes or accessories, I hit the HomeGoods section. 

A couple of weeks ago, I managed to purchase these two pieces, not intending to wear them together. The skirt I thought would look good in late fall with heavy tights. And the blouse I actually wanted to wear with jeans. Kind of similar to this outfit I wore before here. 

But today, I thought that I would pair them together and see how it goes. Not bad. I probably should have tucked the shirt inside of the skirt but that would have been too constricting...maybe if I were wearing a jacket.

Hope you're having a fabulous Sunday...fall has definitely arrived.

Best,

H.

Here's the look:

Blouse: Dahlia. Find similar here. 
Skirt: Lila Rose.
Shoes: Franco Sarto. Find similar here
Purse: Louis Vuitton. Find here. 

Necklace is a "Just Because" gift from my lovely Aunt.

Ring is a gift from my mom from Egypt.
Chain Bracelet is from Brighton.

Toe Polish Color: Revlon Colorstay, "Up in Charms."

I needed to get this organizer for my Neverfull. I didn't want the bag to lose its shape quickly. Luckily, I found this at Michaels on a recent trip. It's actually a paint supply organizer. 

This organizer keeps everything ready for easy reach.

Green Again

So I just realized that I have already worn elements of this outfit previously.But Wow! My hair was much, much darker. Last year, I wore this green jacket (see here) in April. And apparently, I like to wear the same piece of jewelry on my right wrist. 

It's already mid-September, and I wish that we could hold on to summer a little bit longer, but today's temperature is definitely on "I need a jacket" side. 

On a completely different note, I am waiting for recent purchases to come in. We have a wedding to attend in October, and I took the leap and ordered two dresses online. A. First. For. Me. The good news is I have free returns to the store. We shall see.Also, Coach was having another major sale, and I was able to snag two new pieces.


Hope you're having a blessed Sunday. Oh, by the way, if you're Coptic, today is the commemoration of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. Interested in reading more? Click here.

Best, 

H.

No full frontals of this outfit? All side pictures? Sorry!

No clue what I was doing here. I think I was trying to dance.

Crazy wind.

Here's the look: Jacket: jcp, old. Find simliar here. 
Blouse: Milano. Find similar here. 
Skirt: Premise.Find similar here.
Shoes: Mootsie Tootsie.
Purse: Kate Spade

These pearls were a birthday gift from my priest and his wife. Earrings: chloeandisabel

Time Pieces, Etc.

Do you remember a while back, a couple of Decembers ago my post titled about Just Because? Just Because gifts can be so valuable. Priceless sometimes.

My brother and his family, who live in New Jersey, came over two weeks ago to spend time with us, since we hadn't seen them since their trip overseas, and since they will not be able to make it out here this Labor Day. 

My brother... older brother... only brother has developed an affinity for watches...to state it mildly. But, hey, I always think, it could be worse...use your imagination. COULD. BE. WORSE. I think he takes after my dad. So naturally, when those two get together, their conversations sound like this, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours";  and "I'll trade you this, if you keep this"; and "You got this for that? I got mine for this!" You get the point.

But during my brother's trip home, I found myself part of this elite duo. During our cookout, my brother was sporting this watch below. And I casually mentioned how cool it looks and how it looked familiar. And how I wanted to purchase this Daniel Wellington piece.  Wow! I can not even begin to describe to you the look he gave me as he said, "Don't spend any money on S#*! like that!" I found myself defending DW like I was heir to the all their time pieces. And so, when I couldn't defend any longer, past how much I liked "the look," he said, "Here. Take this. You like this, right? Well, it's much better than that piece you want." Or something to that effect. 

And in my mind, this is what was happening: 

What!? You just want to give me your watch OUT. OF. THE. BLUE? Another Just Because in action or what? What do I owe you? Wait, can I get another piece since you're in a generous mood? How about that other piece you were sporting 10 minutes ago? Wait, can I change this strap for that one? How much is this thing anyway? What's wrong with it? How old is this thing? Why do you want to give it to me? Should I be holding out for something better? 

And right then he said, "I've had this watch since 1990 (something) {he remembers the year, but I forgot}. It's been to a lot of places. It has some scratches. Happy birthday."

Wait. This is my birthday gift? My 4.0. birthday gift? A used watch from the 90's? 

Wow! It's perfect! I will remember my 40th as the birthday when my brother shared time with me.

Watch: Swiss Army, Wenger. Find similar here. 

You can tell where the scratches are. The stories this piece could share.

This isn't a Just Because gift. This is a gift with A LOT of sentimental value. A gift from my brother...my older brother...my only brother. My brother I love.

Best,

H.

Tropical Mint

Happy Sunday! If you're following the Coptic calendar, today's Gospel reading is from Mark 13: 3-37...heavy duty stuff! 

Hope you're having a great Sunday.

Best,

H.

Here's the look:

Blouse: Vince. Find similar here.
Skirt: Worthington. Find similar here.
Shoes: Franco Sarto. Find similar here.
Purse: Kate Spade. Find similar here.  

You can see my communion handkerchief folded neatly.

The grass is still green!

Earrings: Chloeandisabel

What's Your LA Story?

I'm not even going to try to explain my absence. No excuse. But what I will explain is the title of this post. While waiting at LAX for our red eye flight to board, I spotted a billboard near Gate 80 that showcased a few 20-something's raising their hands with glee asking, "What's Your LA Story?" 

Let me tell you about my past week in LA. Past week=So. Much. Fun. This year's family vacation took us to Playa del Rey or "Beach of the King", a coastal neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles where our relatives reside. By going west, we not only get to enjoy California's beautiful beaches but also spend time with family that we only get to see every few years. 

For this trip, I definitely had a point of interest: Villa Blanca. Fans of the Housewives franchise will recognize that Villa Blanca is one of the restaurants owned by Lisa Vanderpump. Honestly, besides seeing family (including the toddler and newborn both of whom I completely adore) and getting some sun, having dinner at VB was the ONLY thing I really wanted to do. No, I didn't want to go to Death Valley or Disneyland nor drive down Big Sur (the only Sur I wanted to see was the one that served drinks). 

And who better to share this experience with than real LA Housewives like Mora and Julie. These girls are simply AWESOME. When I told them that all I really wanted to do was go have dinner at VB, they were very supportive...neither judgmental nor cheeky. And so, that is what we did. Both having husbands and very young children, they were so kind to leave them for a few hours while they helped THIS 40-year-old mother of teenagers visit her only point of interest. 

Villa Blanca was magical. Pure white magic. The flowers, decor and food were spectacular. I don't want to go overboard with the details of the experience because that may take hours to write and could be the subject of a subsquent post. But what I do want to hold on to, more than visiting Villa Blanca and later SUR (which was a total bonus and indulgence), are the special moments I shared with Mora and Julie. At our core, we are all so much alike. We are mothers. We are wives. We are lovers of Christ. We are professionals. We are reality tv junkies. We are storytellers. We are nice people. We are romantics. We are proud of our past and hopeful about our future. At one point, Julie said, "Lisa brought us together." And while that may sound corny, I guess you just had to be there. Just. Had. To. Be. I miss those girls already and wish I could have spent more girl time with them.

So that was my brief #LAStory: Lisa brought us together. 

What's your story?

Best,


H.

 

                                                       
                                                     Sorry for the horrible photo quality. What I had on:
                                                            Dress: Betsey Johnson. Find here. 
                                                            Shoes: Tsubo. Find here. 
                              

Me with James Kennedy from Vanderpump Rules. He was nice. Not super nice. But not a jerk.

Sorry for the cleavage but the girls were too excited to stay in. The cross necklace I am wearing is one of my very favorite pieces by Mariana. Find similar here.

Me and Mora. She looked hot!

Me and Julie. She had on the perfect color for VB.

Our waitress Jenn. She's an aspiring actress. She was so sweet...even after I asked her like a billion times about Lisa's whereabouts.

My delicious salmon.

No shame. No game. Me in the bathroom at SUR. The tiles in the bathroom are the same exact tiles in my kitchen. Hmmm?

My drink. Jenn said it's Lisa's favorite: The Big Pinky.

Feeling Inspired

You seriously can never tell when and where and with whom or by whom inspiration hits. But for me, it hit today during a high school graduation party. It hit during a conversation I was having with a friend. She was telling me how she found inspiration and has fallen in love with her job all over again... all just from some positive words of admiration, yes admiration,  from her boss. I don't know why but that story just resonated with me. I ran home, well, not literally, and told my photographer to snap a few photos. I also wanted to share with you my pantry makeover that happened a couple of weeks ago. Before, I didn't want guests or family to judge my pantry by its door, but now, they can judge all they want because the door is always opened.

And here I am blogging, and boy do I miss it.

Best,

H. 

Yeah, I'm a little blonder these days. Hides the white pretty well,

Here's the look:

Chambray: jcrew. Find similar here.
Jeans: Liverpool. Find here.
Sandals: Madden Girl. Find similar here.
Tote: Dooney & Bourke. Find here. 

Necklace: Erica Lyons

Pantry Before. Believe me, these pictures are not photoshopped. I am not embarrassed to show these pictures because these things, moments of chaos and disorder, happen to the best of us. It's knowing when to take control of the situation that is most important. You know, before you find your name being submitted to that TLC show. Yeah, that one!

Pantry before.

Pantry After. No words needed.

Pantry After.

Pantry After.

Pantry After.

Pantry After.