July 21, 2021

2021 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale- Items Worth Purchasing

July 21, 2021/ Colleen Marie

I blinked and it’s already mid-July! I remember this time last year my baby girl had just rolled over for the first time and now she’s practically running circles around me. This time of year Nordstrom has their anniversary sale. It gets a lot of attention because many of the items don’t often go on sale and are for the fall season coming up. Typically sales are for end-of-season merchandise, so this is a great time to stock up on items for the upcoming fall season or to check off gift ideas for the holidays.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the sale and very quickly purchase items you may not necessarily need, but hope to wear, then question later. I definitely recommend checking what you are looking to replace as some staple pieces in your closet and choose wisely so you’re not impulse buying! I typically list a few items worth replacing for the upcoming fall/ winter season and see if anything matches that from the sale. After purging many items after our move, I am only purchasing timeless items worth the savings and can be used year after year or for a gift.

Right now the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is open for Nordstrom cardmembers of all levels. I put in my purchase a few days ago and can report back once everything arrives. The sale will open to the public on July 28. If you don’t have the card I would not recommend getting it just to shop the sale for early access or for a double points day. Throughout the month items get returned and do often get restocked. I recommend checking the 2 am-9 am EST window if there’s a must-have item you’ve been eyeing. I’ve noticed that’s when items are being restocked. If you have an account you can create a wish list of items and set restock alerts by email.

I repurchase a few items each year or recommend based on use and the value for its price. I purchased some of these in years past and see they often only go on sale during the anniversary sale window. I figured sharing a few photos and reviews of the products may help in your shopping experience. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments or follow along with me on Instagram for more items I’ll be sharing.

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Barefoot Dreams In The Throw Blanket

This Barefoot Dreams throw is also nearly half the price of the one at the anniversary sale and makes a great gift! However, check the size you prefer, as the overall size of this version is a few inches smaller compared to the one above. Being as tall as I am I prefer the larger one and so does my husband so we just got one to match our bedroom so we can quit stealing the big one from one another.

Diptyque Candle Set

This set is wonderful because each one comes with a lovely scent that lasts. I love to grab one of these each year and break up the set to give with a gift. The scents are strong so even the travel size goes longer than I expected within a room.

If you like a fancier handsoap you can’t go wrong with this jumbo size Jo Malone, hand and body soap. These rarely go on sale and also would work well for a newlywed or housewarming gift as they are luxurious.

Baby Ideas

Baby Giraffe Blanket

There are a few items that I spotted on sale for an expectant mother or if you’re looking for a thoughtful baby gift that is used for everyday use. At first, we used many little swaddles with our daughter, but now that she is older, she loves the soft and plush feel of this Little Giraffe blanket.

She was actually in tears last week that I didn’t let her sleep with it. I don’t blame her, it’s super soft and cuddly and has without a doubt has become a household favorite. It is on the higher end for a baby blanket but has held up in delicate often washing and makes for a luxurious baby gift for a little one. There are some simple colors and ones with prints this sale. Little Giraffe does their one sale every so often, but I found this price to be the most reasonable for this blanket option.

Uppa Baby Vista Stroller

This stroller has gotten so much use already from the newborn stage, through car trips with the car seat option, and the seat it comes with for our now toddler. We were gifted this stroller from my parents and were so hesitant about it with the price tag, but we snagged it on sale and couldn’t be happier. The overall quality and ease of this stroller is top-notch. It also comes with a netting and rain cover which came in handy when we were living in the city and now the burbs. It is usually quite expensive and Uppa Baby strollers only go on sale at the end of the year to make room for new versions. Again, another registry option or worth gifting as a group for new parents to be.

Fall Closet Staples

Barefoot Dreams Cardigan

These are my go-to cardigans every fall and winter. They work great with leggings or denim and are so soft and wash well. The quality is great as the lush blanket and for that reason, I snagged two at the past sales.

Stud Earrings

These are my go to stud earrings that are great quality. I have worn them in the pool, in the shower, and clean them along with my diamond jewelry. I have the gold pair and snagged silver this time around since they really have lasted over the years.

I also have worn this horn necklace layered with smaller necklaces and it’s a great length for that purpose if you like to layer.

Next week I’ll cover what is still in stock as the sale opens for public access.

Happy shopping!

March 18, 2020

Baby Shower Maternity Dresses

March 18, 2020/ Colleen Marie

Thought I would put together some of the dresses I had been eyeing for my gender neutral baby shower. Sadly with all of the progression with this coronavirus I’m hearing so many people are postponing, canceling, or figuring out creative alternatives to their planned baby showers. I’ve rounded up some dresses that I had checked out while preparing for my own. Stay positive mamas and stay safe most importantly!

Honestly, at first it was a little tough for which color I’d like to wear or if I should just go with a print, not to mention it would be in our cold hometown of Buffalo. I loved the idea of a long sleeve and longer dress for this reason. I ended up ordering a few that I’ve linked below to try on for options then will narrowed it down once I see how everything fits. I loved ASOS quick shipping & returns were super easy and so was Nordstrom with this. I like how Asos offers talls in materity wear so it’s been my go to for more casual pieces.

My mom, mother in law, and nana had planned everything with a surprise gender neutral theme so before the day I didn’t know much about what to expect. Looking back on it afterward, it was just perfect and I was a lot more at ease not knowing. I had already gotten used to this surprise element with choosing to not find out baby S’s sex.

I was just 34 weeks for the shower and while we were home we also took our maternity photos. I’m looking forward to using this platform to share those in the near future too. I’ll be doing a full post on our baby shower later this week, so stay tuned.

We’ve been getting everything cleaned out and organized to make room for baby S since he or she will be rooming in with us for the first few months. This last trimester is flying by and going slow all at the same time!

Now that there is more social distancing and everyone is staying in is anyone canceling or delaying their showers? What about a more virtual approach? I’m seeing a lot of registry companies are offering extensions on discounts and being very flexible. If you’re using Babylist they just issued a statement regarding extending discounts and other items for registries since stores are selling out of things like wipes and diapers. If you’re a soon to be mama you may want to look into these new procedures going into place or question further.

Hope everyone is staying healthy and making safe choices for themselves and loved ones during this uncertain time!

January 13, 2020

Surprise! We're Expecting!

January 13, 2020/ Colleen Marie

Finally sharing this much over do post of our pregnancy! As I’m writing this at the end of my 2nd trimester I’m in awe of how fast time is flying by and in a few short months we’ll be bringing home our sweet baby! I’m over the moon excited to be experiencing a healthy pregnancy and couldn’t wait to share the news back in the fall with our closest family and friends. It was so hard keeping it a secret, we didn’t share with our families until I was 16 weeks and could make the trip upstate to share in person.

Shortly before our summer vacation to Bermuda we found out we were expecting! It brought a whole new meaning to our trip together. And in all honesty, it was an emotional relief. We had been trying to conceive for about a year and were becoming concerned that something may be off. I may have been naive but I really thought being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle wouldn’t create any issues with conceiving. We didn’t have to start further further fertility testing, but that was our next step after meeting with our doctor to discuss our options. Conceiving definitely took longer than we both first thought. There were a plethora of steps we started to take to prepare both our bodies for pregnancy the moment we knew it was taking longer than expected. I had already been taking pre natal vitamins, exercising, eating healthy all around so we started doing our research into some other life style habits for both of us. There’s more to share in this area (in a future blog post on our journey toward pregnancy)

I know everyone’s situation is different, and everyone’s body is different but I wanted to normalize how common it is to face challenges with fertility and it’s not something everyone talks about enough throughout their experience.

Rewinding back to the earliest moments before actually becoming pregnant Kevin and I knew we always wanted to be parents. We’ve been together for 10 years and close to that time we started getting more serious about our family planning. Our last biggest change was taking the risk of leaving our hometown of Buffalo, NY and chasing our dreams in New York City. The past 8 years in New York have been some of the best experiences for both of us both personally and professionally, where we’ve grown so much as individuals and in a partnership together.

We’ve had phenomenal experiences traveling allover the world together before and during our married time and knew we wanted these experiences before starting a family.

Choosing a career devoting myself to the lives of children I have always been passionate in that area and knew early on and always dreamed of a family of my own. My earliest days in college and beyond I had baby sat and nannied, loving every aspect of working with children. I cannot wait to see Kevin in his new role as a father. Growing up as the oldest brother of 4 boys he’s always demonstrated an incredible amount of patience and support to his entire family.

One of my biggest fears aside from the typical early pregnancy concerns and paranoia (thanks crazy hormones) where I knew my identity would change and I’d miss our old lifestyle and relationship as just the two of us. We knew that becoming a family of three would change most parts of our lives, and we knew we wanted that change for the better. We can’t wait to welcome baby Siskar this April 2020! It will be the greatest surprise yet for us as we’re waiting until delivery to find out the sex.

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have already been so supportive throughout our journey thus far, from both near and far! Can’t wait to keep you all updated on some motherhood posts soon to come.

Huge shout out and thank you to @CailtynReilly for our gorgeous winter bump pics! If you’re in the Buffalo area I highly recommend booking an appointment with her for a special family or couples shoot. She is so talented and so down to earth to work with!