Why I'm in Love with High Waisted Old Navy Jeans

Why I'm in Love with High Waisted Old Navy Jeans

I'm posting these pictures of a recent day out with the dogs to a dog event and romp in NOVA for one purpose: to remind myself to tell you about the best skinny jeans ever.  Old Navy's The Rockstart Super Skinny jeans in the high waisted fit. Yes, they come in talls and petites. And they're the best. Look at my smile-doesn't it look happy?

And yes, the day was gorgeous and the dogs were happy so I was, too, but those jeans! They tuck in the bottom of your stomach instead of pushing it out and over like many skinny jeans do. I highly recommend that you try on a pair. I wish they came in more colors and washes!

Not paid to say so-just love 'em.

Lolli and Pops: Gourmet Candy in Tysons Corner, Virginia

Lolli and Pops: Gourmet Candy in Tysons Corner, Virginia

As you know, I live in Northern Virginia, and I love to share bits and pieces of all that there is to do and see not only in DC but also in my very own Northern VA. While I was waiting to meet a personal shopping client the other night, I realized that I had stumbled upon Lolli and Pops. My best friend sent me their link a couple weeks ago, and there it was!

Once you read this post, you will pretty much know what I'm going to get everyone always for birthday and Christmas presents and shower gifts and new baby gifts. So, spoiler alert!

As you can see, I went from thinking "Oh, I'll get something for my husband" to "We have to come here and buy gifts for everyone we know." I took lots of covert pictures, but you'd have to see it to believe it. It's room after room of themed candy, some by geographic location, some by chocolate or fruit candy. The employees dress in straw hats and striped aprons, and it's just adorable.

Guide to Natural Bridge, VA

Guide to Natural Bridge, VA

Here's my guide from last year on how to have the perfect weekend in Natural Bridge and Lexington, VA. I still stand by it and thought you might like it! Thanks for all the positive feedback about my guides! I know you come here for style advice, and I like to think that extends to life-style, too! I love the DC-Northern VA area, and I love showing it off!

First, make the easy three hour drive from Northern VA/DC.

Be sure to stay in this adorable restored caboose that sits on a hill next to a horse farm. The train crossing sign lights up when you drive in the driveway!

If you went with more than two people and two dogs or two people and two kids (they can sleep up in the cupola!), you could also rent the cabin that sits adjacent. We'd love to do that with kids who were old enough to send to sleep in the caboose. Who wouldn't want to wake up to this view?

Take a quick nap in the silence of a country afternoon to have plenty of energy for a double feature the non-profit community drive in.

Bring chairs and bug spray but take their advice and buy concessions there. As you can see, time is slower there. Where else can you get popcorn for $1.50 and candy from $0.35-0.75? And where else does a pot-bellied pig on a leash share the family blanket behind your car? Sadly, I was too chicken (polite?) to snap a picture.

Ignore the locals' suggestion for breakfast. Drive by the Pink Cadillac Diner and admire how pink and decorated it is, but do not eat there. It has not been cleaned since the Elvis movies advertized on its walls were in the theaters.

Instead, swim in a swimming hole with your babies, lounge by a lake with your husband, make a desperate Wendy's (baked potato is gluten free) run when you realize that all lunch places are closed by 1PM and save your appetite for dinner at the The Red Hen. We didn't take any pictures, although it was tiny and adorable, because we were just too busy eating herb risotto, perfectly cooked duck, and pork chops over braised cabbage. Peter finished his meal with a black forest cake. Yum.

What to Wear for Maternity: Hip to be Round

What to Wear for Maternity: Hip to be Round

Recently, my husband and I went out to eat in the Mosaic District in Fairfax, VA. Then, I went to watch Skeleton Twins at the Angelika there the other night and remembered that I hadn't shared the pictures I took of the cute maternity store there!

The store is called Hip to be Round, and it's full of fun maternity clothes that you'd splurge on if you were planning to pass on your maternity clothes, indulge in something special, or hope to have more than one pregnancy. I'm not saying it's the most expensive I've ever seen, but it's not Target. More like Motherhood Maternity. Great for gifts for a family member or friend who's pregnant. Oh-and they didn't ask me to promote them nor did they know I was writing this. I just thought it would be of interest to some readers.

It's Here! Why I'm Obsessed with Piccadilly

It's Here! Why I'm Obsessed with Piccadilly

Styling, event planning, design, and creative consulting are what the dream team at the newly re-launched Piccadilly list as their services. But I think you'd better read this before you decide exactly what they offer. Because while they'll help you plan a kick-ass wedding or corporate event or bump your branding to the next level or make your window display the one that people stop and take pictures of, it's more than that. Here's a taste of what I'm talking about.

If everything in you yells "YES!" when you read that, you need some Piccadilly in your life.

Personal Shopping: Where to Buy Tall Length Skirts and Pants and the Belt You Must Buy

Personal Shopping: Where to Buy Tall Length Skirts and Pants

A couple weeks ago, I got an email that I had been waiting for. It was a young woman whose father had contacted me in May about a gift certificate to take his daughter shopping. Her mother thought it would be a good graduation gift, and I agreed! My understanding was that the daughter was interning on Capitol Hill and would be contacting me soon. As the summer passed, I didn't hear anything. 

Then, she emailed. She's a savvy woman, and she is, in fact, living and working in DC. It made more sense, she thought, for us to go shopping now that the fall was coming. I was thrilled to hear from her and ready to go shopping! I didn't take many pictures because we had just three hours and a lot to cover.

This client, like so many women, has a great sense of style, but she struggles with finding things that fit her six foot tall frame in ways that feel both professional and still youthful. We had some misses, but between that shopping day and my follow up emails, we found some versatile pieces that were just what she needed.