My Latest Snag: Picture Day Dress for Mini.
Mini’s school is doing something really cute this year — a “Parents’ Day.” As a part of the celebration, they will have a backdrop set up at drop-off so that we can pose as a family for a photo. I am SO excited because it’s been a minute since we had our photo taken altogether! We’re going to bring micro down for it, too, and he’s not been in the subway since the start of the pandemic — it will blow his mind! Anyhow, we have that portrait to look forward to in addition to mini’s picture day a few days later. I spent way too much time thinking about what I wanted her to wear for these photos — ha. She’s had this Sal & Pimenta dress in her closet waiting for a special occasion for awhile, so I’ll probably go with that for one, and for the other, I couldn’t resist this Smockingbird x India Amory dress. I also have this cherry print dress (this similar one is 40% off!) as an option. I guess I’m in a blue-and-white mood for her, which is convenient since blue is her favorite color.
You’re Soooo Popular: The Tiered Tolima Dress.
The most popular items on le blog this week:
+You all are LOVING this tiered statement dress for special occasions this summer! More wedding guest picks here.
+Adorable blockprint sarongs at a great price.
+So many of you have loved my new favorite floral dress! I wore it with an Hermes scarf in a similar color palette and these Loeffler Randall sandals (if you are a size 5, you are in luck — these are only $39!!) the other day and felt SO spring-like and happy. Because I’ve gotten a lot of questions on sizing: I would say this runs a little big. I took a 0 in the regular run (they do have petites, but I tend to find petite sizing is cut sort of matronly?) and it is a bit big in the chest and waist, but because of the self-tie belt, I just cinched it all in. I love it. Hits at just north of midi on me. (For reference, I am 5’0 and usually take a 0 or 00 if they have it.)
+These rainbow espadrilles. All the heart eyes.
+Personalized name ring. (Sweet gift!)
+The best tea brewing basket — read the 5,000+ five star reviews!
+A great bath rug/mat at an incredible price.
+Pretty floral tiered dress. (I think we are into tiers!)
+Our kitchen could not run without this OXO scale.
+Darling puff-sleeved blouse for under $25.
+CHIC soap dispenser for a powder room.
+Easy striped midi shirtdress at a great price. Pair with navy Supergas and go!
Weekend Musings: Lessons from House Hunting.
Unexpected side effect of house-hunting: pressure to dial in on what we value in our day-to-day life, and a commensurate pressure to sift out the noise that occasionally deafens our instincts along these lines. Mr. Magpie and I have had countless heart-to-hearts over what we really want out of a new home over the past few weeks. Anyone looking for a house out there will commiserate around the astounding lack of inventory out there right now (nationally, 50% fewer homes on the market than average) and the attendant, spiking sense of urgency that has accompanied each and every viewing. The other day, we were looking at a home with an inspector in tow (current insane trend in this hot market: waive inspection contingencies to present a cleaner offer, which means that when we view a property that we find intriguing, we pay an inspector to come with us to give the house a once-over so we can feel a little more assured should we make an offer without inspection contingencies) and we danced around several other prospective buyers touring the home at the same time. It was supremely awkward: all of us speaking in hushed voices, our inspector ceasing conversation the minute another buyer walked by, etc. I was bowled over by the sensation of competitiveness. And so, as Mr. Magpie and I decompressed and talked it all out on the train ride home, we had to work assiduously to separate the hype from the heart: did that house really speak to us, or were we responding to the crazy shortage of options and the fact that there were other serious-looking buyers circling around that same property?
It has been an interesting process, not without self-discovery. With every week that passes and every home that we tour, we have been peeling back layers of the onion to divine what we truly prioritize in our lives at this stage, with both of us working from home for the foreseeable future and two little children tumbling around. As an example, I had originally gravitated towards older homes. I love their charm, their eccentricity, their sturdiness. I grew up in a great stone house built in 1920 or so and I loved the old-fashioned, individually-paned windows; the flagstone terrace; the eccentrically long corridor down the center of the house; the hectagonally-shaped sunroom off my father’s study; the hand-painted tile around the fireplace. Character, all of it. But also: insane upkeep, all of it. My father was never free on the weekends. There was always something to fix, oversee, install, upgrade. Further, many of the older homes we’ve seen boast floor plans with clearly demarcated rooms (i.e., fewer open spaces), smaller closets, smaller bedrooms. All of which I personally rather like as a general proposition, but — in touring homes these past few weeks, I have been surprised by how much I have been attracted to either newer construction or homes that have been thoroughly remodeled to have more of an open flow between kitchen and family room, one (or two!) rooms clearly designated for office space, and a larger owner’s suite with more closet space (and often double vanities in the primary bath — all things that are newer-age contrivances!). I frankly am shocked with myself. But in really thinking about our lives right now, and how much time we spend at home both because we now permanently WFH and because of the ages of our children (and also, of course, the pandemic), I find myself drawn to the amenities of more modern construction. I also find myself averse to the idea of Mr. Magpie working on an upkeep project every weekend — I want him hanging out with us! There is appeal in moving into a home whose roof needs minimal attention for a good forty years, and whose refrigerator is newly-installed, and whose HVAC does not leak. (Do HVAC systems leak? Haha.)
Is anyone else house hunting at the moment? Or recently finished with the process? What did you learn?
Post-Scripts: Le Perfect Cover Up.
+Adorable embroidered footie at a great price. I was just telling a close friend who is expecting her first: if there’s one category to over-buy in for newborns, it’s footies. Hill basically wore footies 24 hours a day for the first three months. When they are tiny, you just want them in cozy soft cotton!
+OK, this under-$10 pearl mask chain arrived and…I am astounded at the price? It is so good! I love having this on hand while taking the kids out to the park, when I don’t always need to have my mask on while seated/far from other people. I might also use for my sunglasses. Majorly impressed!
+I’ll be needing this top for summer, pls and thank you.
+OMG this portable patio cooler is SO amazing for a party!
+This dress was SO me-in-my-20s. I would have bought it in the blue in a heart beat.
+This jacket is so cool. I just added it to my cart for next winter.
+What grown-ups wear to the pool. While on the subject of swim: this nails the Agua Bendita look for $106.
+Cute $118 sundress. Makes me feel like I’m on the beach just looking at it.
+Someone recently asked for tennis gear — I just came across this $23 tennis skirt that has great reviews and comes in tons of cute colors.
+Cutest seersucker shortalls for a little man. Would look perfect with Hill’s new red sneaks!
+Chic personalized throw blanket discovered via Le Catch. Would be really cute decor in a nursery.
+This tee dress looks like a dream to wear.
+Remember when I wrote “say yes to hot pink Louboutin mules on sale at the Outnet“? These glittery Choos runs in those same tracks. Love.
+Fantastic outdoor rug at a great price.
+Cute gift for a mom friend / new mom in honor of Mother’s Day especially — just a little fun surprise. More Mother’s Day gifts here.