Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

This weekend was glorious! The sun managed to come out and it was finally warm enough to wear a dress. But I'm not here to talk about the amazing dress. Because when it comes down to it, we all know that it's really about the bag! 

I've been eyeing this bag for a while, but holding back. You see, neutrals and I haven't always gotten along well. And while investing in an everyday bag is one the best things anyone can do for their wardrobe, I tend to gravitate towards handbags that are flashy, trendy, and preferably pink. But there's something to be said about having a bag that literally goes with everything. 

Old Navy Dress on sale//J Crew Factory Bracelet on sale//

Sam Edelman Katarina Wedges + a fancy splurge//

best bag EVER aka the Madewell Zip Transport Tote//

Now that I've owned this beauty for a few weeks AND have realized how life-changing it is, I'll be sharing a full review tomorrow. So...

untill then! 

Friday Five

We're halfway through April, which is really good news for me because I'm so looking forward to May. More on that below. I'm trying not to get too ahead of myself though. Here's a few happy things from my week that are making me excited for the weekend. 

1. national park free week

Starting today, national park entry is completely free! It lasts from April 16th-24th. If you live close to a national park, then now's a great time to make weekend plans for a visit. We love the national park system and will be crossing a few off our wish list this summer. In the meantime, these photos are from our favorite hike during last summer's visit to Yosemite National Park…all 18 miles of it. 


2. is it true?
Boston is supposed to have a warm day this weekend, like 68 degrees warm. This is a nice change from last weeks snow and hail. I am beyond giddy about this weekend's possibilities. 

3. a creepy guy + a nice surprise 
I came home the other day to find a total creeper in our building. The building has two entry doors with the outer door being unlocked. It opens up into a mudroom (essential in Boston) while the inner door has to be opened with a key before you can access the individual condos. The mudroom has mailboxes and an area for packages or anything else too large to fit in the mailboxes. When we walked into the outer room, this guy had opened up the neighbor's newspaper and was totally reading another neighbor's magazine. We live in a small complex and knew he wasn't the owner of these items. Tom and I were debating on what to do, when we startled him. He started to hurriedly put everything back. And when he turned around, it was the mailman! Why he was nose deep in someone else's newspaper though, I don't know. Also, he wasn't the regular mailman. It was really suspicious, but then I realized that I had a package so I didn't even care. My package was from Liz over at J is for Joiner. She sent me the sweetest bundle of spring cheer, including this adorably vibrant scarf. Exactly my style. Thanks again Liz. 


4. travel planning
It's already April and we haven't gone on any trips yet. Everything we've planned has been cancelled because there was either too much snow or not enough snow. I'm going a little stir crazy with staying in the same place. But we have a big trip coming up next month and now it feels like we're scrambling to get everything done. I shared our poor adventurer's guide to travel planning earlier this week and I need to take my own advice with getting everything finalized. 

5. museum date nights
We finally went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for our first visit during Valentine's weekend. Since then, we've been going regularly. We realized that Wednesday nights there are free, which is perfect because this place is massive and you can't see everything in just one visit. It's so nice to simply walk through and take our time. We don't have to worry about rushing through because we can always come back next week. It's wonderful and has become my favorite for date nights.  

HAPPY WEEKEND!

lining up with oh hey friday//

the poor adventurer's guide to travel planning

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 7 
We are pretty much in full planning mode for this summer's plans and it's made me realize that I am 100% a budget traveler. This doesn't mean that I couch surf or only eat street food while traveling. It means that I plan ahead. Planning ahead allows me to avoid expensive tourist traps and book travel options when they are most affordable. When it comes to travel planning, I have a less is more policy with spending, which ultimately allows us to take multiple trips a year. With our travel budgets being so tight, there's no room for making costly errors and we've developed a system for planning our trips.

things are looking a little bleak

bleak-adj. cold and piercing; without hope or encouragement 

This is really how I'm feeling about this Spring season so far. We've had snow, then ice, then rain, then snow again. Add in a little hail and a lot more rain and you've got a true New England Spring. Every time we get a glimpse of warm weather, it's thwarted by an onslaught of more cold. So for now, I'm still dressing in layers. 

Target Polka Dot Cardigan-old||Anthropologie Lace Blouse||
 Ann Taylor Leather Coated Jeans

Land's End Luxe Wool Coat {similar on sale}|| Express Scarf||

J Crew Downing Tote||Clarks Boots||

how to [NOT] burst your travel budget

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 6
We've all done it. You return home from vacation felling newly rejuvenated, but then the credit card statements start rolling in and you realize that your carefully pre-planned budget was blown out of the water. What went wrong? Where did you overspend? Because we usually have the big ticket items {flights, hotels, adventures} paid in full before we go, I found that I wasn't paying much attention to our day to day spending while on vacation. This was causing us to go over budget. Over the years, I've managed to pinpoint some problem areas and have found a few helpful tricks to keep things under control. Here are just a few... 

weekend snapshots [03.04.16]

Looking back, it's hard to believe that all these photos came from the same weekend. Early on, we were blessed with stunning 70 degree days, which quickly evolved into rain, then snow. Spring Anyone? Regardless, it was an amazingly relaxed weekend. Time was spent on morning runs along the Charles River and evening walks on the hiking trails. We squeezed in lots of work + brunch at our favorite spot. I can't pinpoint doing anything out of the ordinary this weekend, but that's what made it perfect.  

[OOTD details here]

I was being totally lazy this weekend, so hopefully you didn't mind all the iPhone photos. Looking forward to productive week.

linking up with blovedboston// 

here we go again...

I knew it was going to flurry this weekend, but I certainly wasn't expecting to wake up in a winter wonderland. It is April after all. And just two days ago, we had perfect 70 degree weather. But now, everything is blanketed in snow. I was planning to start packing up my winter gear this weekend, but I think I better hold off. Here we go again with this crazy weather. 

Embroidered Tee {40% off with code ticktock}// White Denim //

 Pearl Cuff // Pom Beanie // Boots 

Thankfully this morning involved a hot breakfast, thanks to brunch at our favorite spot. I'm spending the rest of the day, warming up with lots of hot coffee and {hopefully} getting work done. 

Happy Sunday 

linking up with thepleatedpoppy//