Madewell New Arrivals

Hey y'all! I hope your week is off to a great start! We officially moved out of our old house and into our new one last week (much more to come on that) so I unpacked all of my spring/summer wardrobe. After getting my closet setup, I was able to assess to what I'll need for this season and I am definitely looking for a flowy dress, shorts, new tanks, and accessories, always. I jumped on the Madewell website and of course, I found so many things I loved. I love shopping for clothes but shopping for clothes this time of year is my favorite. My wardrobe is pretty neutral during the fall/winter but I love adding in more color and pattern when it's warm! Today, I'm sharing some of my favorite picks from Madewell's newest arrivals.

This dress is high on my wish list! Like I mentioned above, I have been looking for a flowy dress and this floral looks perfect! I love the pattern, the color, and the cute buttons down the front.

I am really loving pressed flower jewelry right now! This cute set gives you an instant layered look that I perfect for spring and summer.

My favorite style of Madewell in a wide leg option with flowers?! So fun! These jeans remind of something that I loved to wear when I was kid and that makes me so happy. They would be so cute with a white top and strappy gold sandals. I love them!

I love all things rattan and this hair clip is now exception! I've never seen one like this and now I think I need to have it.

Most of my basics are neutral colors so I'm looking to add in some fun colors when it comes to basic pieces. This top is cropped and I used to avoid anything that was labeled "crop" but I wear mostly high waisted shorts and jeans so they work perfect with those bottoms + I don't have to worry about how my top is going to work tucked in. I am loving this color of this tee!

This striped budget friendly canvas tote is a great way to add color + pattern into your outfit. This white and yellow striped pattern feels like sunshine!

Speaking of stripes, how cute are these poplin striped shorts?! I didn't realize that my closet was missing a pair of striped shorts until I saw these on the Madewell website. If pink isn't your color, they also come in two other colors as well!

This embroidered top is so darling! I love all of these pretty details... the flowers, the sleeves, the cutout. It's all so good!

Home Project List

Hey y'all! Today's post is all about our home projects at the new house in Jacksonville. Honestly, this post is more for my brain than anything else but I think it's fun to share projects. I was in the middle of packing up the kitchen and I needed a break to organize my thoughts. First, let's take a moment for those beautiful azaleas in the photo above. That photo was taken recently when Josh stopped by the house. There are so many pretty azalea bushes in bloom there and I'm really excited to see the yard come to life this spring and summer. I've also noticed some buds at our current home and I'm really hoping the new owners appreciate peonies as much as I do because there's going to be a lot of beautiful blooms this season!

P R O J E C T  O N E: The Front Door

That red door has got to go! If you know me then you know that red is my least favorite color. It's just not for me. I absolutely love my pink front door and I love the color that it's painted at our current home. This is actually the second shade of pink that our door has been and I love the more "neutral" pink color that it is currently. The color is called Coral Perfection and it was painted with HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Weathershield Semi-Gloss Exterior paint + primer. We painted our door back in October of 2020 and it still looks as good as new. It's definitely a pricier paint but the results and quality of definitely worth the price tag. We also painted our screen door the same shade of pink and I love it at our current house like that. But. I think I'm going to be keeping the screen door white at the new house because of the white trim and details that currently exist around the front door. I'm really excited to see how a pink door changes up the look of the front of the house!

P R O J E C T  T W O: Raised Flower Beds

Building raised flower beds at the new house is very high on the priority list! I've already told Josh to consider this my Mother's Day gift, lol. I'm hoping to have at least two beds built in the backyard so that I can see the garden from the screened in porch. We may eventually create a similar garden setup as we have now. I have absolutely loved creating The Joy Garden in current backyard and sharing bouquets of free flowers at our flower stand the past two summers. I can't wait to spread some joy in our new neighborhood so new flower beds are a must and those seeds will need to be planted as soon as possible. Our flower stand is definitely making the journey to Jacksonville and I can't wait to fill it with lots and lots of flowers!

P R O J E C T  T H R E E: Screened In Porch

There's so much that I want to do in this area! I already know that I will probably spend more time in here than anywhere else in the house. I have *always* wanted a screened in porch so I can't wait to turn this space into something really special. This will probably be a more long term project as far as upgrades go but the first thing I want to do is change out the ceiling fan to something more my style. I'm also planning to get some fun (and cozy) furniture, a rug, and definitely some sort of swing (I love this one) for this space. I can't wait to sip my morning coffee in here!

P R O J E C T  F O U R: Fireplace Mantle

The last project on my mind right now is painting the fireplace mantle. Just the wooden mantle; we are planning to keep the brick it's natural color. The plan is to paint the mantle white so that it stands out on the brick a little bit better. I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Thanks so much for visiting. Stay tuned to see how these projects turn out!

Currently Loving .263

 

Hey y'all! I hope you're having a great week so far. I'm off work this week for Spring Break and I'm so thankful for the warm weather + sunshine. These temperatures have me adding spring and summer items to my wish list! Today, I'm sharing eight items that I'm Currently Loving, including a few that have already made their way into my wardrobe!

1. S H O R T S | I bought a super similar pair of shorts from Madewell last spring and I lived in them from May-September. They are so comfortable and the perfect length! Also, they have magic pockets!

2. R I N G | This ring was an immediate add to cart kind of item for me! I love wearing a "right hand ring" and I'm always looking for fun, statement rings to wear. This pressed daisy caught my eye! I can't wait for it to arrive in my mailbox.

3. D R E S S | I'm here for the athletic dress again this spring and summer. I bought a similar one last year that I wore on repeat... but it's gone MIA so I went hunting on Aerie for a new one. I am loving this option! This was the perfect outfit for any outdoor adventure.

4. H A T | I've had this hat for three or four years and it's still a favorite. I love that it's neutral and goes with everything. It's a chic baseball hat option if you love the look of a baseball hat without the logos or team names! It also comes in quite a few colors + the purple and pink are currently on sale.

5. E A R R I N G S | The flower lover in me wants to buy all of the flower jewelry! I mean, how cute are these little daisy hoops?! So darling!

6. T A N K | Ok, hear me out on these tanks. Yes, it says "ultra crop" in the description but if you wear high waisted everything like I do, it hits at just the perfect spot at the top of your pants. If you like a more cropped look, I'd recommend going with the petite sizing option. I bought this tank in black and white. I've already worn them so many times in the past few weeks because they are such good basics and perfect for layering!

7. B A G | My favorite bag from last season is back in stock! This was definitely my most carried bag because it went with every single outfit. It's a small bag but it actually can hold quite a bit and I love the versatility of it. It's a great crossbody or you can carry it with the little handles. I love it!

8. S W E A T E R | This crochet sweater is at the top of my wish list! I love a sweater tank and I love a white top... so both of these loves together has me sold. The details are just so pretty!

Thank you so much for visiting! Enjoy your day!

Moving Update

 

Hey y'all! I hope your week is off to a great start! I have a few *big* updates to share since my last post about our move. First up, our current home is officially under contract as of last Friday! We are absolutely thrilled to check that big to do list item off. Also, we are so grateful for each and every person who took the time to share our house listing and a huge thank you to our amazing realtor, Kendra DeBari, who helped us get under contract in just a little over a week of listing. If you are local or planning to head this way, Kendra is amazing to work with.

And... this beautiful brick home is *almost* ours! Josh has always wanted an older home with character and over the past few years, I have wanted the same thing. So, when we were house hunting, we knew that we wanted to find an older home. Something built between 1960-1980ish. We wanted something different than the home we have lived in for the past 14 years. As we were searching, I really wasn't finding anything that I particularly liked or that I could see our family living in. A lot of older homes needed way too much work, weren't big enough (not enough bathrooms), or they were just really expensive. One night, we spotted this home on Zillow but at the time, it wasn't in our price range. I saved it anyway because I loved it. Literally within the next 24 hours, the listing price dropped $20,000! I couldn't believe it! The weekend before Josh officially got his job offer (we knew it was coming asap), we scheduled an appointment to see the house in person.

As soon as we got into town, we had to see the house. I felt so much peace when we pulled up to it. It felt like it was meant for us and I hadn't even seen the inside yet. As much as I loved it, Josh did too. Finding something that we both loved was super important, especially with a big, life changing move like this. One of my favorite things about the house is the screened in back porch. I have *always* wanted one! I absolutely love to be outside as much as possible and I can already see myself enjoying coffee on that porch every morning. I was even more excited to see the pretty blooms!

Our agent in Jacksonville gave us a tour of the inside of the home and it was everything we hoped for... well, except the bathroom in the primary bedroom, lol. Our bathroom isn't my favorite but there is room to do some renovations in the future to make the bathroom a better space. There are two good sized walk-in closets in our bedroom so we could lose a closet to get a bigger bathroom later on. Julianna has been the most hesitant about this move. She would literally walk out of the room if we were discussing it before we made the final decision. But, once she saw the inside of the house and found a bedroom that she wanted, she was on board. She definitely still has her reservations but there's definitely some excitement from her now. We just need to get her to love the beach as much as the rest of the family does... maybe we can turn her into a beach lover, too.

The last update for today is another BIG update that I'm so excited to share with y'all. Other than selling our current home, another big task was figuring out what I was going to do job wise when we moved. I've had the same job since January of 2013 and I couldn't even imagine myself doing anything else. I was honestly really stressed about finding something that I would enjoy doing and that I would also find fulfilling. I currently work as a STEM and enrichment educator at an afterschool program for at-risk students, The Dream Center. I absolutely love the work that I get to do there. Before this job, I worked as a third grade teacher so I've been in education since 2008, when I graduated from college. My heart belongs in education and I have really enjoyed educating students outside of school time. I randomly decided to look at Indeed one evening a couple of weeks ago... just out of curiosity to see what was even out there jobwise. Within a minute of searching my field and location, I see a job that looks absolutely *perfect* for me. I just couldn't believe it. I stayed up late that night creating my resume (I haven't put one together since 2012) and submitted my application. I was nervous because I haven't applied for a job in years and I was worried about my timeline, since I'm actually not moving until the end of May. Well, I had an interview for that job last week and I am so proud to say that I got the job! I will be sharing more specific details in the coming weeks but this job is being held for me until I get to Jacksonville. God is so good!

The last thing I wanted to share today is that we have a Meal Train that has been setup by our friend Pam. Some of our friends and family have asked how they can best support or help us during this transition and the biggest thing we can think of is through food. We are incredibly grateful to those of you who have already donated to the meal train but more importantly, prayed for us during this time. Your support means so much to us. Thank you!

Currently Loving .262

 

Hey y'all! I hope your week is off to a great start! I have been on a pretty strict spending freeze for the past month because moving is so expensive. There have been so many expenses to take care of that I definitely wasn't expecting! But, I did grab a few things online this past weekend to fill in some wardrobe gaps and prepare for warmer weather. It's going to really feel like spring towards the end of this week and I cannot wait. Bring on 80 degrees! Today, I'm sharing what I'm Currently Loving, including the items that I just added to my warm weather wardrobe.

I ordered this tank in black and white because I have been needing to upgrade my tanks. These will be great for layering in the spring or on their own in the summertime.

I am a big fan of flowers so I had to have these earrings! They are so pretty and are the perfect finishing touch for my spring outfits.

I've had this denim shirt on my wish list for about a month and I finally ordered it. I have a different denim shirt but I wanted a more oversized fit. From the reviews, it runs big but I stuck with my normal shirt size. It will be perfect for layering with the tanks I just got from Old Navy, too.

I love a straw bag during the spring and summer! They are such a fun accessory and they go with every outfit! I am loving the unique style of this straw tote.

This patchwork peplum top is currently on my wish list. I absolutely love the colors and the fun patchwork design. It's so cute!

I also ordered this pair of black denim shorts this past weekend. I got the regular denim pair last spring and I wore them nonstop. They are the perfect length with a 5 inch inseam. I love the high rise, too! They are a true denim and break in perfectly. I'm excited to have a second pair!

We Are Moving!

 

Hey y'all! If you know me personally then this is old news but I wanted to write up a post to share about our move and answer some frequently asked questions. Also, we don't plan to do this again for a really, really long time so I thought it would be fun to document the process to look back on.

Ok, first up: where and why?

My husband was offered a job at the coast with a new company. He's in the safety field and accepted a new position in that field in a brand new *to him* industry. He's really excited for this new challenge! Our ten-fifteen year plan was to move to the coast once the girls were out of school but this was an opportunity we just couldn't pass up. If you know us, you know that the Soto's love an adventure and this certainly will be one! He starts his new job at the beginning of April and we are praying it's a great transition for him.

Next, are the girls excited?

Yes... and they are also nervous. Basically, we are all feeling the same way. It's definitely bittersweet to leave our hometown and the area we all grew up. Walking away from our current jobs is really hard, too. But, the girls understand that we have made this decision with careful consideration and LOTS of prayer. The girls will be finishing out their school year at their current school so the girls and I won't officially be moving until the end of May. They also have school performances and a dance recital that they definitely don't want to miss. I just couldn't imagine having them start a brand new school in a brand new town for just the last few weeks of the school year. The girls and I will be staying with family during this transitional time.

Also, where are you moving to and have you found a house?

We are moving to Jacksonville, NC, which will be about half an hour from Josh's job. At the beginning of March, we visited the Jacksonville area and loved it. We also planned that trip to do some house visits. We fell in love with a home that we toured! It was a house I found on Zillow and I couldn't stop thinking about it. It just seemed *so perfect* for our family. We loved it even more in person and the girls were already choosing rooms during our showing. We are currently under contract on that house and should close on it in about a month or so. Our home is currently on the market and we are hoping to be under contract on it soon!

And, which beaches are close by?

The closest beaches are North Topsail, Surf City, and Emerald Isle. I am already looking forward to very frequent beach days! The beach is about 25-30 minutes away from our future home in Jacksonville. So, it's close to go to often but far enough away that we won't get tired of it... if that is even possible for me. I honestly don't think I could ever get tired of going to the beach!

I'll definitely be sharing more details as our journey progresses. We are currently in the nitty gritty of home selling and home buying. It's quite the process! Here's to new adventures!