Here Comes the Sun

The pools are opening in 5 days, time to make sure our pool bag is well stocked.  Year after year I have my tried and true staples that I never leave home without.

First up, my bag.  I got this as a free gift with a makeover at MAC Cosmetics and it is a great bag.  The canvas is nice and thick, the handles are nautical rope, and the bag itself is wide and deep, perfect for storing lots of goodies.

Speaking of goodies in my bag...

EOS lip balm

this stuff is the best, everyone will agree

Olay Complete

I have mentioned this many times in the past, but this is hands down the best sunscreen for your face.  It has SPF 30 and zinc oxide, which are so important to protect your face from sun damage and wrinkles.  Surprisingly many sunblocks have SPF but no zinc oxide

Sun Bum

I discovered this sunscreen a couple months back while in Florida.  Love it and I love the smell.

La Croix Coconut Water

I think I drink about a case of this a week.  My husband think it takes like he is drinking sunscreen

Good Summer Reading

I have been on a reading kick lately, this one came highly recommended by many so I am starting it this weekend.  I actually have a post coming soon about all the books I recommend.

Havaianas

Just a good, standard flip flop.  Of course I recently saw how they spiced them up a little...

How cute are these??!!

Girl Friday

Happy Weekend!  This time next week the kids will be out of school and summer will have begun, yikes!!

Here are a few things I foresee for this weekend.

Dark and Stormys, the best summer drink...

Finding my latest and greatest new discovery in the city.  The fashion truck, Rack + Clutch.  Just like the food trucks that travel throughout the city but instead she has the best clothes, jewelry and handbags...

I already know where she will be on Saturday, yeah!!



A cardinals game with the kiddos...

Finishing touches on my patio, I am having a big party in a couple weeks and need it party ready.  I am hosting a dinner party for my dad's 70th and here is the look I want to recreate...

And finally time to bust out the swim suits, the pool opens in 7 days!!

Have a beautiful weekend

Hit the Deck

The fact that every time I drive by any pool and all I see are workers swarming around cleaning the deck, filling the pool with water, and fluffing the pillows on the chaise loungers is my reality check that summer is about a week away.  Ladies it is time to get out our beach bags and stock up with summer essentials.

The first place to start is making sure you have the perfect bag.  If you are like me, your pool bag also doubles as a purse so it needs to be versatile and cute.  I have found a few that seem to fit the bill...

Milly lobster bag

JADEtribe fringe basket

Kate Spade

Mar Y Sol basket tote

sequin canvas tote

LillyPulitzer shoreline tote




and the most important bag for the summer...

One to carry our wine!

Now it's an entire new post on what to put inside.

Resale Royalty

A new series aired on the Style Network this past Sunday about a resale shop in St. Louis

There has been a lot of buzz in the Lou about this series so I was really excited to watch.  Now I have to preface this post by saying I am not much of a resale shopper.  I know you have to dig, you have to get over the fact that you are wearing someone else's clothes, and you have to accept the fact that for the 1 time you find something fabulous there are 19 times you find nothing.  

One of my best friends sister in law in so uberstylish, chic and always dressed to the nines and her go to spot when she is in St Louis is the Women's Closet Exchange, the shop that this series is about.  Well after learning she loves to shop at this store, then getting over the shock that she buys resale, I decided I needed to check this store out for myself.

Ladies, can I tell you that the store was nothing shy of amazing.  The vintage Chanel case alone will knock your socks off.  The reality is that if you want super high end, this is the best way to afford it.  Don't get me wrong there are some pretty pricey items in the store, but if you compare them to retail cost it is a great deal.

The 2 times I have been to the store I was slightly overwhelmed and didn't have a specific item or event that I was shopping for so I did leave empty handed, but I did see enough to know that this was definitely worth checking out every couple weeks.

(Just typing this post makes me want to go there today.)

Set your Tivo boxes, this show is a keeper!!

Scenes from the Weekend

Happy Monday, how was your weekend??

Mine was great!!

After being well rested Friday from my night at the spa, I was up and at em early Saturday morning.  I was downtown by 7:30 am with my daughter for a race...

who informed me that she was "done" with races for awhile.  This was our 2nd race in 2 weeks along the same path so she was bored with it, umm sure OK.

Then we decided to carb overload once the race was over...

On our way home, I stopped at a park down the street from my house.  The Tutu Project was in STL this weekend supporting a charity that a friend of mine has started to help young adults with cancer.  If you are not familiar with the Tutu Project you can read all about it here, if you are then you know what this man has done for his wife with cancer and what true love really is!!

Speaking of true love,  I showered then went to go see mine....

 while he was talking, my friend and I were being silly and taking "cute couple alert" pictures.  This was about as close as I got to him...

Saturday night the hubs was on call and had to go into work, we stopped by a new restaurant Cini for a quick bite before he left.  

I am in LOVE with this new restaurant.  It is fast, but not "fast food."  You order at the counter exactly how you want your meal.  First, pick your base; a wrap, salad, or pasta, then you pick your protein, then finally the toppings and sauce.  It was delicious and healthy!!

the owner told me this chain was huge on the west coast and I can see why.

Sunday morning I woke up to coffee in bed, then it was off to meet up with the parents for brunch.

A great spot with the perfect combination of delicious food and perfect people watching if it is warm enough to sit outside.  Added bonus, the owner is one of my brother in laws best friends!!

We hung out at home then it was tea time...

at the cutest french patisserie in STL


I wrapped up my weekend on my front porch...

with a night of WOP (wine on porch) with a friend, celebrating motherhood!!

Girl Friday

It's a big weekend here in St. Louis.

Tonight I am cashing in on mother's day 36 hours early with a night at the spa..

which is perfect because Saturday morning I need to be downtown, with my 10 year old, by 7:30 am for another 5K run...

there is a program at my daughters school called "Girls on the Run" this is a nation wide program that promotes a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits for our children. The finale of the program is the big run tomorrow.

After the run and a shower, my boy Andy will be making an appearance about 1/2 mile from my house so I must pop in and say hi...

And of course the biggest event this weekend, Mother's Day.  What I really want is to spend the entire day with my kids uninterrupted.  No soccer, no dance, no tennis lessons, no friends, no homework, nothing.  We are taking care of all our obligations on Saturday so we have Sunday to ourselves.


 A nice brunch...

A day in the park...

Afternoon tea at our french bakery...

then home where my kids will make me a gourmet meal...

To all the beautiful mothers out there...

Happy Mother's Day!!

Treat Mom Right

Mother's Day is right around the corner, so I have just a few small items on my wish list.

an adorable belt

the cutest hat to protect me from the sun

I love products that give back. These hand sewn bracelets by women from Nepal get 100% of the profits earned returned back to them.  I already have quite a few but I would love to add more.

Not very exciting but something I need, a new toaster.

My daughter loves to draw so I bought her these pencils and art paper with the request she makes something for me for mother's day that I can frame and hang on my wall.

All I want from my son

a squeaky clean car wash, inside and out!!

Now for my mom, she claims she has everything she wants at her ripe age so we have brunch lined up

along with these

and when my sister comes to town in a few weeks, we will all take a cooking class.

What do you want this Sunday??