April 2014 | Dearest Lou

Damask Pants and Bright Lipstick










Pants: c/o Tara Lynn's Boutique via ToADORN
Shoes: Shoe Carnival (sold out online, similar here)
Shirt: Kingdom and State
Tights: c/o Hanes Hosiery
Beanie: Dollar Store
Bracelet: Oasap
Lipstick: MAC Morange

At first when I received these adorable damask pants from Tara Lynn's Boutique I wasn't completely sure how to style them. I wanted to try something different from how the model on her site styled them since that wasn't really my style.

After mixing and matching different things I decided this was the winning look; all black everything except for the damask pants so that the print would really stand out. I wanted to add a little bit of color so I went for a super bright orange lip and some rustic gold accessories.

Even though you can't tell in the pictures, the weather hasn't been as warm as the last couple weeks, there has been a really cold breeze and not exactly warm weather. It was a little too cold to wear these pants on their own so I paired them with these Sunkissed Ultra Sheer Tan Bronze tights from Hanes Hosiery.

Implementing a Natural Probiotic into my Healthy Lifestyle

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. This post is not a healthcare professional's opinion. All opinions are my own. #NaturalProbiotic #CollectiveBias

If you were to peek into my daily life last Spring and Summer you would have most likely seen me indoors cuddling, playing, or nursing my growing baby boy. My lethargic lifestyle and eating habits didn't promote a healthy digestive system balance. We didn't spend very much time outdoors and that's something that I knew I wanted to change this year. Ever since the weather has been warming up Zaden and I have been spending more and more time outdoors. Whether it's a walk to the playground, pushing him in the stroller and going on a run, or hiking with friends I've made more of an effort to be more active.

Not only have I made it a lifestyle change to be more active but I've also been slowly working on making better food choices. I try and get all of my vitamins and nutrition from the food I eat but sometimes it just isn't possible to get all of my nourishment from food alone. Something that I recently started incorporating into my diet is a natural probiotic.

What is a probiotic?

Probiotics are organisms such as bacteria or yeast that are believed to improve health (Source: Web MD). There is evidence that these friendly organisms can help maintain a strong immune system and help fight off bacteria that cause diarrhea and irregularly. Something that I love about Insync Probiotic is that it has a GI Guard that enables helpful bacteria to arrive alive, so they may do their beneficial work. You can find Insync Probiotic in the Fiber & Laxative section at your local Walmart. I had a hard time finding it but the pharmacist was more than happy to assist me when asking for help.

I'm happy to say that I'm very pleased with Insync Probiotic. It really helped keep my digestive system on track especially while away on vacation. I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who normally has problems with having a regular bowel movements on vacation but Insync Probiotic really helped keep me on track which made me feel lighter and not so bloated when hiking the beautiful canyons and trails at Zion National Park.

Here are a few action shots my talented friend Kandice captured:



Be sure to check out more information about Insync Probiotic here.
Don't forget to "like" them on Facebook and follow along on Twitter for updates and coupons.

Have you ever heard of tried a #naturalprobiotic?

Wedding Season with Hanes Hosiery: Wedding Reception








Tights: c/o Hanes Hosiery
Dress: Forever 21 old (loving this one for only $15.80)
Heels: Forever 21 (very similar in nude or black)
Bangles: Icing
Earrings: c/o Loopsway

Here's my final look for my mini series with Hanes Hosiery.
Check out my previous looks here.

Floral is such a fun print to wear, especially in the Spring. When dressing for a wedding reception, I prefer to wear something light weight and breezy just in case it gets too hot. However, sometimes reception centers crank up the A/C or if it's an outdoor reception it could get a little chilly in the evening. You really can't go wrong with a lightweight floral dress and fitted blazer, if it gets too hot just take off the blazer. Add some fun tights like these Silk Reflections Zig Zag tights from Hanes Hosiery and a fun pair of heels and you are set.

Today is the last day to enter the Hanes Hosiery Save the Date Sweepstakes! Head on over and "like" their Facebook for more details on how to enter!

A Little Less Blogging and A Lot More Packing


Over Easter weekend, we headed down south to visit Zion National Park and vacation with Kandice and her family. I have so many pictures to share with you all next week but for now I'm just popping in to say that I won't be blogging as often the next couple of weeks. Daryl's family will be visiting from Washington and on top of spending quality time with them we are also moving down to Provo at the beginning of next month. Busybusybusy if you ask me. 

I have a lot of organizing and de-cluttering to do but will try and update at least 3 times a week in the meantime(;

PS: Isn't Z the sweetest? Look at that pose, such a natural.. I also can't get enough of his toothy grin.

Wedding Season with Hanes Hosiery: Bachelorette Party Attire








Tights: c/o Hanes Hosiery
Sweater: thrifted
Tank Top: Target
Shorts: thrifted
Shoes: Forever 21

Here's my second look I've put together as part of my collaboration with Hanes Hosiery. This look is for a casual bachelorette party. I realize that this look is a little bit quirky and isn't for everyone, but I'm all about trying new things and seeing what works. I dug through my bin of pre-pregnancy clothes and found these shorts and this sweater that I haven't worn in almost 2 years. The shorts and tights look is perfect for a bachelorette party since usually there are a lot of games involved. Wearing shorts instead of a skirt or dress prevents any flashing accidents during games and socializing (;

To help you look your best at every occasion during wedding season, Hanes Hosiery is hosting a Save the Date Sanity Sweepstakes! One Grand Prize winner will receive $1000 & a top drawer of tights (valued at approximately $250). Daily winners will be selected Monday-Friday to receive a sampling Hanes Hosiery tights (valued at over $50). Head on over and "like" their Facebook for more details on how to enter the sweepstakes. 

The Deal Cottage Giveaway

How adorable are these metallic polka dot infinity scarves? They are light weight, come in 4 fabulous colors, and on sale for $9.99! The grey one is my personal favorite and would be so fun to style with other bright pastels. I've teamed up with The Deal Cottage to giveaway a metallic polka dot infinity scarf in your choice of color. Enter using the rafflecopter widget below.


Contest is open to US readers thru April 26th at 11:59PM EST. Thanks friends and good luck!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wedding Season with Hanes Hosiery: Wedding Attire


Tights: c/o Hanes Hosiery
Dress: c/o Shabby Apple (old)
Shoes: Ross (old)
Necklace: gift from Hills
Lipstick: Bare Minerals

Spring wedding season is in full swing; whether you are a guest or a bridesmaid in an upcoming wedding, you're going to want to make sure your wardrobe is prepared for the weeks to come. One of my all time favorite accessories are tights, whether I'm wearing them to make a fashion statement or cover hairy legs; tights and wedding season go hand in hand. 


I've teamed up with Hanes Hosiery to share some fun looks for wedding events you may be attending this season.

The first look I've put together is a simple but classic wedding attendee look. You can't go wrong with hues of brown. Since I've been doing a little bit of outdoor running my arms have a little bit of color but my legs are a little more on the white side (; Instead of going with the safe sunkissed tights look I wanted to try something a little bit different and styled my outfit with Hanes Hosiery's Smooth Illusions in black. I absolutely love the high waist fit (hint: perfect and flattering for mama's) and that they added a unique factor to my look.

To help you look your best at every occasion during wedding season, Hanes Hosiery is hosting a Save the Date Sanity Sweepstakes! One Grand Prize winner will receive $1000 & a top drawer of tights (valued at approximately $250). Daily winners will be selected Monday-Friday to receive a sampling Hanes Hosiery tights (valued at over $50). Head on over and "like" their Facebook for more details on how to enter the sweepstakes.

Safety Pin Earrings and Confetti Tights









Tights: c/o Hanes Hosiery 
Earrings: c/o Loopsway
Shirt: Rue 21
Cardigan: Nordstrom
Skirt: Gift from sister
Booties: c/o Lulu*s (old) loving these
Lipstick: Mac Heroine

Wedding season is among us and I've teamed up with Hanes Hosiery to do a mini wedding season style series featuring a few of my favorite tights. This look isn't apart of my official series but more of a teaser if you will (; I couldn't help but wear these tights for our date night last weekend, it was a little chilly that evening and the pops of color really added that "wow" factor to my overall look.

Make sure and come back tomorrow for my first look for wedding season with Hanes Hosiery!

Stripes and Pops of Primary Colors












Mama wore:
Shirt: c/o toADORN
iPhone case: c/o Alexa Z Design
Skirt: thrifted (loving this one)
Sandals: Nordstrom
Necklace: Target (similar)
Lipstick: Bare Minerals

Z wore
Shirt: Carters
Overalls: Baby Gap (loving these)
Sandals: Nordstrom

I purchased these Salt Water Sandals for Zaden last Spring in the smallest size available and his foot was no where near big enough to fit into them. If you look closely in the pictures above, his feet are still too small and skinny but I couldn't help but put him in them. I'm sure by the end of summer his little feet will finally grow and finally fit a size 4 (;

How cute is this phone case from Alexa Z Design? Yellow is one of my all time favorite colors and I love how bright and cheerful this phone case is. I'm also loving this striped top from toADORN, all of my t-shirts from last Spring/Summer no longer fit and I'm in search of fun light weight shirts. This shirt is perfect and I love the unique design, I have already worn it a couple of times since receiving it.