I’m finally getting around to posting photos from my collaboration with Brahmin for their Fall 2012 Catalog. I was chosen, along with some other fashion bloggers, to show how the modern woman wears her Brahmin bag. I’ve been a huge fan of Brahmin for years so to be picked was a major honor. I loved styling some of their new bags for the Fall season and I’m excited to share some of the photos here! Fun fact: these photos were taken on a warm summer day!
necklace Martine Webster, watch Timex, clutchborrowed from Brahmin
I am so excited for the weekend! Matthew and I are getting our pumpkin carving on, finalizing our Halloween costumes, and filling up the candy bowl. You can see where are priorities are 🙂
Hello everyone! It’s officially autumn, and boy does it feel like it. One thing I appreciate about Idaho is that we’ll have these very crisp fall mornings that will turn into these beautifully warm afternoons. It feels like the best of both seasons. We’ve already started to decorate for autumn (I got this new tablecloth for $20!) and I/Matthew pulled down my cold-weather box filled with sweaters and cozy things. I’m looking forward to thoroughly enjoying my favorite season- especially when it comes to baking. There are too many apple and pumpkin desserts on my list!
WHAT WE ATE
I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.
FRIDAY- Chicken Breast with Antipasto Salad – from the cookbook The Cook You Want to Be– so easy and delicious!
SATURDAY- Breakfast for Dinner at Corinna’s request. I made a spinach and mushroom frittata and honey ricotta blinis with honey and sea salt which were so yummy! (both from the Smitten Kitchen Every Day cookbook)
SUNDAY- Balsamic Grilled Flank Steak with Basil Vinaigrette and Grilled Red Onion and Blue Cheese Salad – this is one of our favorite dinners so I can’t wait!
I’ve been wanting to make these Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies (seen in the first photo) for a while and finally got around to it this weekend. They are good, for sure, but just a little too sweet and the sugar tastes very granular (I even used less than the recipe called for because I didn’t pack the light brown sugar). I might make them again but just significantly adjust the sugar amount. It’s nice to have that rich, espresso flavor though! (edit: after 24 hours in the fridge the grainy sugar taste wasn’t as obvious but I’d still try cutting back)
WHAT I WORE
My gingham dress from Doen is so comfortable and cute this time of year. I love all things gingham as you can guess from my new tablecloth. I love their pieces but usually buy second-hand.
M.Gemi makes some of my favorite shoes – they’re so comfortable and well-made. These leather sandals are a favorite in summer but fall too! Their Mary Jane ballerinas are currently on my wishlist.
One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is my Haverhill birthstone bracelet. It’s always on my wrist – literally the last time I took it off was when I had Beatrice’s stone added. You can use code MARA15 for a sitewide discount too!
SALES TO NOTE
Jenni Kayne- 25% off shoes with code FALLPAIR. These have been on my wishlist for a while, especially these days when tying laces while holding a baby is impossible. I also love this lug boot style that I know would be worn a bunch this time of year.
MATCHESFASHION– 20% off new fall styles with code STYLE20
American Eagle– 30% off all jeans (and cargo pants if that’s a style you’re into!)
ON MY MIND
Beatrice’s first birthday is next month and I think I’m in denial. I mean, I’m not but I am. It’s hard to believe she’s almost a year old. We’re not doing a big party but I think we’re going to plan a fall party around the same time and make some fun pumpkin and apple things. October is my favorite month of the year so I’m excited to have a birthday to celebrate. Just today, she pushed herself up into a standing position leaning on the couch. She loves to wave and play peek-a-boo – she’s seriously a dream baby!
We got together with our Wild + Free group on Friday and worked on a super easy but fun handicraft. The kids made these little notebooks (like this DIY) and then got to fill some of the pages with drawings and stamping. So grateful for this sweet little community that brings such beauty to our homeschooling days.
I picked up these tumblers from Elk and Friends for the big kids and I love them so much! We got the glass and the stainless steal but they have silicone covers, thicker straws for smoothies, stoppers on the straws to prevent them from being pulled out, and best of all: lids so they can also be used as snack (or leftover) containers!
My latest cookbook from the library is Simply Symon Suppers. I’m not too familiar with Michael Simon’s cooking, so I’m looking forward to trying some of his recipes this upcoming week.
I just got this Mandarin Basile candle from Homecourt and wow it smells so good! I love a fresh herbal scent in the kitchen, especially after cooking. This is a limited-edition scent and smells like sparkling mandarin, spiced ginger, fresh green basil, and ripe fig.
I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! It’s bittersweet as summer is drawing to a close but we’re all looking forward to getting into our fall routine. These next few weeks will be special though since my parents are coming to visit and then we’ll be celebrating A’s birthday! We had a few 100-degree days this past week but it’s going to drop into the 80s which will be a sweet relief! Apparently, Hurricane Hilary might bring some rain our way but praying all my friends and family in CA stay safe since it’s mainly headed that way. Here’s a little update from our week:
WHAT WE ATE
I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.
MONDAY- Grilled Chicken with Panzanella Salad- tried and true! Enjoying all the ripe tomatoes and fresh basil right now.
WEDNESDAY- Green Chile Verde Soup- SO good and will definitely be in the meal rotation. It’s from this cookbook but this version online is basically the same. This would be such a good dish to make for a new mom too!
THURSDAY- Shrimp with Carrot Ginger Coconut Sauce– we love this recipe because it’s so delicious and I love it even more because it’s beyond easy to put together.
FRIDAY- Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Pesto- this was so so good! It’s from this cookbook which has quickly become a favorite of ours! I found the recipe online here. Note: I used my own homemade basil pesto but I bet her pistachio pesto is so good!
SATURDAY- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos- Another easy classic of ours! I realized how much I love a squeeze of lime on my tacos. I also added some pickled red onions which added such a nice contrast.
SUNDAY- Hot dogs and potato salad- Matthew gets back from a work trip today so we’re planning something really simple.
I made a brown sugar simple syrup that has been so yummy with my iced coffees! To make it. you want to bring 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water to a slow boil for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp vanilla extract. Transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Matthew made the best egg sandwiches earlier this week. The tip is to get really good English muffins (ours was from a local bakery but I want to try my hand at making them!) and add a fried egg, smashed avocado, and cheese. I would have added arugula if we had it and maybe an aioli but it was delicious as is!
WHAT I WORE
I got a haircut this week which was so needed! I decided to add some curtain bangs because I needed a little change without doing something drastic. My hair is up so much because of the baby so I feel like the curtain bangs add a little something to my face.
My friends and I were joking the other day about how we haven’t worn jeans for the past 3 months and it’s seriously true! I don’t know how some girls wear jeans during the summer, but I absolutely can not! I’m looking forward to wearing them again come fall though. My uniform these days has been a black top (perfect to hide baby food stains) and a pair of shorts. It’s just easy and I like that I don’t have to think about it too much. One day, maybe soon, I’ll get back to putting a little more thought into my outfits. For now, this works!
SALES TO NOTE
GAP– 60% off Last Chance Deals plus 30% off your purchase! Back to School/Life shopping starts now!
LOFT– 25% off full-price items and an additional 20% off orders of $125+. If you work in an office, they have such stylish business casual pieces.
Shopbop– Upgrade your top shelf with 15% off Beauty. Use code BEAUTY15
ON MY MIND
Matthew has been on a work trip and leaves for another one this week. We all miss him so much when he’s gone, me especially. I’m so thankful for all his help when he’s home and we definitely feel a little lost without him here. Augustine said the sweetest thing the other night. He said, “My heart feels like it could break because I miss Daddy so much.” Isn’t that beyond precious?! I don’t even think he knows the term heartbreak but he just said it in such a sweet and genuine way.
My parents are coming to town next weekend which will be so wonderful! I’m already brainstorming meals to make and things to do. It will be our last week of summer vacation before starting school so we’ll be living it up!
Welcome to M Loves M! My name is Mara and I created this lifestyle site in 2009 as a place to share my love of fashion, beauty, food and entertaining. I moved from Southern California to Idaho and love adventuring with my husband Matthew, our two children, and our dog Ginger. We're also pregnant with baby #3, due this autumn! I strive to create a site that’s relatable to women, while also being inspirational. I’m so glad you stopped by!
