Where Have You Been All My Li-i-i-i-i-fe

Hi.

I’m the worst blogger ever.

And I even attended a blogger event earlier this month and felt all high on my horse and excited to get back into the blogging groove, and yet…time slips by, work piles up, the leaves turn, and suddenly I’m in American Mattress on a Sunday, testing out Sensa iComfort beds and wondering where the past month has gone and why I haven’t blogged.  (The mattress shopping is a random, but true, incident, and it really made me feel Old, in the capital “O” sort of way, to be testing out beds with Mr. Magpie and telling the kind, slightly pushy salesman that we were “trading up” for a bigger bed and foisting our older one into the guest room.  Where have you gone, 20s?  I can’t say I’m beleaguered by the impending big 3-0 — still two years away, but there in the ether, nonetheless — but moments like this, where I am laying in a display bed talking about firm vs soft mattresses and the pros and cons of the double wrapped metal coil supporting me, I find myself blanking out a bit and wondering where the college days of worrying about who to take to formal and how I can smuggle a dubious mixture of vodka and crystal light into Scott Stadium have gone.  I suppose fall is always a keen source of nostalgia for me — the biting kind.  I love fall because I am a nerd at heart and I miss school and the promise of a new school year, but also because I always think of Charlottesville in the fall, and if you’ve ever been to Charlottesville in the fall, you know why it’s enough to make a grown woman buckle at the knees.  There’s just something about its crispness, the richness of its color and smell, its quietude.

And so, that’s where I’m living today — in a sleepy, meandering sort of nostalgia for falls in Charlottesville.  Well, one foot is in nostalgia.  The other is planted firmly in regret for neglecting you, my lovely readers, for so long.  I feel like i have lots to say, too.

The first thing — and gird your loins, ladies, because this is going to throw you for a loop — I think I might be ready to buy a pair of bootcuts.  Or even flares.  Or — gasp — bell-bottoms?!  Yes.  It’s true.  And before you judge me, please examine exhibits A, B, and C:

The secret to success?  The J. Brand Lovestory style ($218), which all three of the ladies above are sporting.  OK, phew.  Got that out there.  They just look so fresh and new after 23 seasons of skinny, skinny, and skinnier jeans.  So there’s that.  I’ve had mine chilling out in my Shopbop shopping cart for like 23 days, and I keep wondering what will push me over the edge.  The fall weather is certainly helping me move towards purchase.  I’d wear mine with a cute fall outfit — I like this hen sweater for its sweet kitsch ($95) and these geek-chic specs from Warby Parker ($95):

And some preppy rugby striped flats ($135):

Ooh.la.la.  Now, as fall descends and the nights get a little cooler and cozier, I’ve been wanting to expand my sleepwear collection.  I recently invested in a monogrammed set from J. Crizzle ($85) that will keep me looking chic at night:

I’m also loving all of the cheeky prints from Marigot Collection ($120 for pajama set):

However, my absolute favorite loungewear?  My monogrammed “his is hers” oversized oxford from Claridge and King ($108):

I took this little snapski of my own, which I had embroidered in coral (hello, UVA).

And while we’re on the subject of Instagram (aka my best friend, much to the chagrin of Mr. Magpie), let me just take you on a quick tour of the last few (busy) weeks of my life, beginning with an engagement party for my little sis and her soon-to-be hubs.  My other sister and I put together a silhouette themed affair, which turned out super cute.  I got all of the supplies (poster below, stickers on napkins, and a garland) from LePapierStudio.  I just sent over photos of the happy couple in profile and she handled the rest!  I also bought lots of party goods (napkins and the BEST part — mini spoons and mini cups for scoops of my sister’s favorite ice cream, a peppermint that is house-made at our family’s country club) from The TomKat Studio.

P.S. — The darling fabric above is from Cotton Revival.  It cost a pretty penny but looked SO sweet on the table.  And then.  There was the trip to The Big Apple, which was epic.  We stayed out until 5 am one morning — woah.  I felt like a serious party-girl.  And then it took me like a month to recover from the lack of sleep.  Old Bones over here.

My sister’s darling boyfriend and I meandered through the Upper East Side together for the majority of Saturday since my baby sis had to go into work.  She works in the fashion industry, and things were cray cray in anticipation of fashion week — we missed her, but we had quite the Day of Adventure.  We wandered through Central Park, as evidenced above, hit up the Whitney (very cool exhibition was running while we were there, which has since been closed).  We went into a bajillion and one stores (he may be the only man I’ve ever met who is patient in this situation), and he let me drool over the fine bags in VBH.  (If you visit NY, you must stop into their store — it was breathtaking.  And the bags are ridiculous.  You can buy them online here as well.)

We also stood in line at La Duree (the esteemed France-based macaron shop) in the hopes of procuring a “treat” for my little sis, who was mega-bummed that she was missing out on our day of fun.  I have mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, happy to wait in line for something that would bring a smile to my sister’s face.  On the other hand, I always snicker at the complacent tourists waiting in line at Georgetown Cupcake back in D.C., and…yet, there I was.  Doing the same thing.  Dumb.

It was also likely an unnecessary indulgence since the entire weekend was filled with treats, including Dylan’s Candy Bar:

And some authentic NY pastrami:

And many, many plates of charcuterie (a staple in my sister and her boyfriend’s lives — I think we had one a day while we were there.  They often pair their meats and cheeses with honey or fruit jam, which was delish):

Yum.  Speaking of food, back home in Chi-town, I’ve been really enjoying cooking lately…

Oh, joy.  OK, and now that I’ve sufficiently made myself voraciously hungry, I’ll close with my favorite recent addition to the Magpie Nest: this amazing dog painting that Mr. Magpie and I found.  I ADORE his gruff little face and then the fact that he has a little ball at his paw.  The contrast is brilliant, and he always makes me smile.

Alright, so that’s what’s been up with me.  What’s new with YOU?