As I have been looking for furnishings for our new home, I wanted pieces that would last for a long time, but also transition from one age to the next. The first was with Leila’s room as she’s going to be – dare I say it – a preteen and teenager sooner than I’d like to believe.
When I was searching for her things, I wanted the base to be cute and acceptable for an 8 year old. But also something that would work for her a few years down the road with simply changing the sheets and accessories.
New Bed from Delta Children
Insert this awesome bed from Delta Children! It fits my farmhouse style. But will work for a few years because it’s a twin size!
The bed was easy enough to put together that Leila and I did it by ourselves in an afternoon. And the instructions and tools come in the box. So that was super helpful! It also might have been a bit easier because her room was completely empty because we didn’t move in yet and gave us a ton of extra room that we wouldn’t have normally had.
I love that it can fit multiple ways in a room.
Either against the wall, with side tables, or even have a chaise at the end. For when she’s growing and wanting to change her room around.
For now, we placed it against the wall on one side because she doesn’t have side tables. She and Finlee have so much fun playing and reading in her bed.
This is our temporary home until our forever home is being finished. So the wall colors and curtains are more a neutral aspect that will completely change with her new room. This bed is for that future space. Not this current one.
That being said, I love how the grayish color of this bed fits into this space. And also the more colorful palette we have picked out, proving it’s versatile.
Another great thing about this piece is it’s available at Walmart and Delta Children – making for very easy access to many people.
This bed was the first piece I picked out to move into our current space with aspirations to move into our forever home. I think it really helped solidify my style of Industrial Modern Glam Farmhouse!
The start of school signifies the end of summer. And everyone turns their eyes to fall, Pumpkin Spice, sweaters, boots, and football, etc.
Except in Arizona. — expect we still love football in this house too. –>> Saturday’s are Cream and Crimson and Sunday’s are all about Colt’s Nation 🙂
For at least 2 more months in the Valley of the Sun, we expect to see triple digits. And high double digits until at least November. Right now, It’s nearing the end of Monsoon season, and we can almost sleep comfortably at night…almost.
August, most of September, and some of October still lends well to wearing swim suits and playing in the pool. If you have a working pool heater, or a staycation at a local resort, you could don a suit well into the holidays. And then again as early as February!
If we don’t get moving on the new house remodel, we may be hopping in the pool well into December!
Hence, a swim suit, sun glasses, and swim cover up are necessities for everyone here!
rockflowerpaper cover ups
Here’s my weekend look for the rest of summer! Use the code AMYJCO for 25% off!
I was so happy to be able to partner with rockflowerpaper designs to help bring awareness to their swimwear line. It made total sense as swimming is a near year round activity here! Along with their swimwear line, they make scarves, totes, women’s clothing, and home accessories. Each piece is inspired by the businesses’ women’s own personal travels around the world. The line began with hand-painted watercolors and prints out of their San Francisco Bay Area studio.
We also try to visit a tropical place with beaches in the winter, so water is always on my mind! Like the post I published about traveling to other places very affordably HERE. You can travel to lots of places without spending all of your savings too! rockflowerpaper has a great, affordable line that won’t break the bank, yet keeps you stylish at home, or on the beaches of the world.
Their line is carried in departments stores as well as online, and with the code AMYJCO , you can save 25% off by clicking HERE.
The piece they sent me is amazing. I love the muted hues and pop of color the tassles give on the strings around the neck. This piece was genuinely thought over and developed for use on the go, for fashion and function. The fabric is so soft and comfortable that I could wear it for an entire day with ease.
One thing that I personally look for when shopping for swim cover ups is coverage. I want –scratch that, desire good coverage over my suit but also be breathable enough to let air flow through without making me feel like I’m completely naked.
This one is thick enough and fashionable enough to wear to the grocery or somewhere else without having to worry that people will know it’s really a cover up. It’s light enough fabric; the slits up the side allow for breathing and airflow to help you dry off. I nearly wore it to school pick up as a normal dress the other day! It is so comfortable and cute!
Are you planning a vacation the rest of this year, or looking for next year? Grab one, or several, of these up!
Use my code AMYJCO to save 25% on their website HERE.
Lately, it’s all I can do to see one outfit after another on Instagram and blog posts. Let’s not forget all the emails and sales offers for updating your style that flood our inboxes.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is one that comes top of mind when thinking of updating my style. If you are a card member, access is open now. If you aren’t, public access opens July 19th. Just remember that some items come in limited quantities, so not everything is available.
The other place I look for updating my fashion is on Amazon, which has their sales coming the 15th and 16th of July!
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Top Picks Week One
But first, here are my picks for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and you can head over to my Instagram to see my try ons and sizes I picked!
Here are the links with the corresponding numbers making it super simple to shop! I also have included the notes of what I thought when trying on, making it easy for you should any questions arise!Â
Hopefully you find something you love to add to your closet as staple pieces to wear for a long time. If there’s something else you find, I’d love to know so drop me a line!Â
Every year, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is as close to Christmas in July as it gets!
It’s an opportunity to update your closet for all the seasons with some of the pieces that many brands create specially for this particular event. It’s a shoppers dream and a husband’s nightmare (haha!)
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2019
And for those of us who have the Nordstrom Card, it’s a way for us to access the sale, at a special price, and time, before anyone else. Like a whole week ahead of time!
You can take a peak at the catalog now, but unless you have the card, you can’t access the sale until July 19th. If you have the card, it’s game on for this Friday, July 12th-July 18th! If you have the card already, Awesome! You are all set to go! If you don’t, don’t fret, you can still apply and get it here.
Don’t worry, there are two options for you to have. I personally have the card that’s specific to Nordstrom, the Nordstrom Retail card which can only be used at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack locations. Then they also have the Visa Signature and Visa Platinum options that are just as they sound – regular credit cards that are available to use anywhere Visa is accepted. I believe with this option you get more rewards points based on what you spend your dollars on.
Now, personally, I find that every time I look at this catalog, I get overwhelmed with the options and want to just buy EVERYTHING and decide later.
But, I understand that not everyone is that way, and it requires a bit of time and effort to dig through and pick out pieces and parts that you love. And I’m going to do just that for you!
But I thought I’d share with you a few things I’m looking forward to stocking up on this year because last year, I was SUPER lost and just excited to find a few things on sale that normally wouldn’t be! And then found that I didn’t really get anything that was a staple piece or that I really loved after the initial purchase.
And I don’t want that to happen to you!
Cozy Pants
Soft, colorful Sweaters
Transition Earrings and Accessories
Staple Black and White pieces
Hunter Boots! (I’ve always wanted a pair and honestly needed a pair quite a few times in AZ rainstorms!)
Camis and more Camis!
TopShop Dresses (they fit a curvy girl like me perfect and also work with less curves too!)
Leith Body Con Dresses (Game changers right here!)
Prints
Home updates for our new place
Little girls items for the girls
And I also saw a CUUUTE B.P. Leopard Slip dress that I KNOW will work well into fall here in AZ that I can’t wait to get my hands on that also comes in floral!
So, if you are ready for some fun things, make sure you are following me along on the LiketoKnow.it app, which you can download to your phone and search ” AJWanderlux ” and I will be sharing all my favorites there as well as on here as I find them.
Sometimes things in life should have to be explained as much as they do.
Alas, here I am going to explain one of the taboo topics that are usually only standard operating procedure in Hollywood, not small town USA.
My decision to get a breast reduction and lift without getting an implant as well.
Why is augmentation taboo when it takes care of Pain?
Now, this may seem like an everyday thing where I live now, but people I know from back home, don’t seem to understand the need or reason behind it. So here goes.
All of my life, I’ve had big boobs. In 6th grade was the last time I was smaller than a C cup. No matter what diet or exercise plan I went on, they never got smaller. They were big, never fit into anything. And I always felt so self consciously about them. And that’s not even mentioning the pain that can cause on your body. I could have washboard abs and toned and shaped everything. But because I has such large breasts my back and neck always had ‘knots’ in them.
When I got pregnant, I would balloon, literally. And with both of my pregnancies my sciatic nerve would cause so much discomfort and pain that I ended up at the chiropractors office at minimum 2 times a week just so I could walk. My body didn’t do well with all the extra volume and weight.
After pregnancy and nursing both of the girls, the girls were just sad and putting new pressure in different spots of my body. My pain moved from the top of my shoulders to the middle of my back and was constant. I could never get an adjustment from the chiropractor to stay longer than a day or so.
Now, I was not a huge size by any means, I was a size that some people get implants to achieve.
But my size 34 DDD (or at least that’s what they measured me at at Victoria’s Secret) wasn’t fitting into the cute, barely-there bras that are so popular today. And I had a hard time finding something not requiring special order or that would make my boobs super pointy instead of rounded and normal.
I would overflow in all of my bras and have what I call fluff when wearing shirts — you know the extra boob that hangs out on the sides of the bra and looks funny in a t shirt? Always had that and always felt uncomfortable and not confident in myself. I found myself not being me anymore. I would buy baggier and baggier clothing that was clearly the wrong size for me, just in case I would look like I was falling out up top.
Without a bra, I literally had zero midsection..
The girls would sag so low I didn’t know if my abs or stomach existed. And for someone who puts in the work, I’d like to see the results. I felt like I was in my 60s and gravity wasn’t being nice to me. I didn’t want to wear a swim suit or go on vacation — which I love a good beach vacation any day of the week.
It was affecting the interactions I have with my girls. I literally wouldn’t go swimming with them. And I know that raising girls to be confident in their own skin basically felt like a lie because I didn’t myself.
I expressed all of these concerns to Steve and even went to consultations without him because I knew that if I wanted something, I was the first person I’d have to convince to do it.
Getting over the fear of the needle for the IV was the biggest hurdle. The rest was a piece of cake.
As a guy, Steve wanted them to be bigger and stay bigger. But because he loves and supports me, he agreed to let me get the reduction and lift. Mostly because he knew I’d never stop talking about it until it was done.. but because he knew/knows how much pain my body was having and would have to rub the knots out when they got so bad.
A huge piece of advice is to go with your gut when choosing a surgeon.
I first met with a male doctor in this fancy office and they gave me a gift bag, showed me the movie about what procedure I was wanting (probably first mistake for someone who doesn’t want to know anything when it comes to needles and such), and tried to wow me. But then didn’t listen to my concerns and tried to push an implant in addition to a lift and reduction. As well as literally making me only ONE size smaller.
He was one of the best in the valley and came highly referred by all the reviews and people who wanted bigger, perkier breasts.
Then somewhere out of the blue, this other female surgeon started following me on Instagram and was showing the process on her page and seemed like an actual person behind all of the medical terms. I sent her page a message and she asked me to call and ask for the gals who would set up a consult.
When I went in for the consult, I mentioned that I only had 15 minutes because I forgot Leila had a half day. So I needed to pick her up. The doctor came direct from surgery because she knew how important meeting with a potential patient was. And honestly, I appreciated it more than she will know.
In that 15 minutes, she did an exam, answered all my questions, brought up concerns I didn’t know I had. And assured me that she was the surgeon for me, without me telling her so.
I related to her on a personal level because we have girls close in age. She was a working mom. And she is on a mission to help women live a better life and gives back by mentoring and providing a scholarship to women in scientific majors.
From the time I met with Dr. Patti Flint the first time for a consult to the date of my surgery, it was less than a month give or take a few days.
She made me feel comfortable and heard from the moment I was in her care. And her staff is amazing, which makes the rest of the process incredible.
When I was in the office with the first doctor, I felt icky and that I didn’t belong. I felt shame. I felt wrong for being there. And when I met the doctor, the shame and guilt continued. The longer I sat in his office and consult with him, the more I felt I needed more things done to my body. Which I don’t and didn’t and Dr. Flint confirmed that for me as well.
If you take anything from this, know that my experience was way better with a female as my doctor. But you may feel more comfortable with a male. Just listen to your body and what your gut is telling you during the whole process. Every experience is different and knowing what you want going into the consult/procedure and standing by that will help so so much in the process.
I had someone tell me I should just go to Hollywood and get the surgery by one of the well known doctors out there, which I’ve seen on tv. My gut and heart were telling me no and I’m so glad I listened to them instead.
Don’t give up on you. You are the only one who can advocate and truly know how and what you are feeling.
If you are considering a reduction/lift or any other procedure and have questions, I’d be happy to answer them for you or point you in the direction of my surgeon if you’d like. She is happy to answer questions and help educate.
Another great thing about this piece is it’s available at Walmart and Delta Children – making for very easy access to many people.
the strings around the neck. This piece was genuinely thought over and developed for use on the go, for fashion and function. The fabric is so soft and comfortable that I could wear it for an entire day with ease.
without having to worry that people will know it’s really a cover up. It’s light enough fabric; the slits up the side allow for breathing and airflow to help you dry off. I nearly wore it to school pick up as a normal dress the other day! It is so comfortable and cute!
on that also comes in floral!
Recent Comments