Being Bridget

Vacation Dressing

Dress: Billabong Striped Dress // Hat: Brixton ‘Joanna’ Straw Hat // Shoes: Ancient Greek Eleftheria Sandal // Sunglasses: BP // Bag: Similar here

It’s that time of the year where Spring finally feels like it’s just around the corner – 70 degree days, daylight savings, and everything is starting to turn green and bloom again. Ahhhhh – is there any better feeling? With everyone either on Spring Break and/or talking about traveling, it got me all sorts of excited about warm weather vacation dressing. I had a field day preparing for my quick trip to the Bahamas last week – and y’all went crazy for my jumpsuit {shown here – perfect for a growing bump!} and these overalls {worn here in a size L} because both were so popular they sold out immediately! Anyways, as most of you probably know, I’ve got a little one on the way, so I’m looking for pieces that can transition into spring with a growing belly. Thankfully Nordstrom has tons of vacation ready options to choose from {& that are refreshed every single day!} I’m talking 60+ pages {over 4,000 items!} of vacation ready items that range in price from just $5 to over $3,000.

The dress I’m wearing above is perfect for me right now. It’s flowy, and slightly oversized, making it a great option for someone who is pregnant or not. I also love that it has pockets – who wouldn’t? This dress is so comfortable, I know I can {and will!} wear it post pregnancy as well.

I know most of you reading probably aren’t working with a growing bump, so I went through Nordstrom and picked out some of my absolute favorite items from the vacation category to get us all ready for Spring. They are below! Now, if only I could get back to the beach with a virgin piña colada I’d be all set…. 😉

Shop everything else shown in the post below!

Photos: The Retro Penguin

thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post!

 

My Mom’s Banana Bread


loaf pan {also here}

For as long as I can remember my mom has been making us this banana bread. When I asked her where she got this recipe {it’s labeled as ‘Gram’s Banana Bread’ in my homemade cookbook} and who Gram was, she said that the recipe was from an old catalogue in the 80’s. She had copied it out of an old Penzey’s spice catalogue of all places! She said that it must be someone else’s Gram {whoever originally submitted the recipe} and that she liked using the original titles when copying recipes as a way of respecting the original creator. I wanted to give that same respect here {hence why I’m mentioning it} but I also must say – it’s been nearly 40 years since my mom has been making this recipe, and to me, it’s much more hers than any ‘Gram’ so I’m calling this recipe my moms! It’s a tried and true favorite in our family and I know you’ll love it too. Also, it can’t be easier to make! I love adding walnuts to mine 🙂 Directions below 🙂

Mom/Gram’s Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large bananas, mashed {should be slightly over one cup}

Optional Ingredients:
1/2 chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 1 large loaf pan. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, allspice, and cinnamon. Beat well. Blend in buttermilk, and then add in mashed bananas and flour mixture, along with an optional ingredients. Blend until batter is smooth and well mixed. Pour into loaf pan. Cook on center rack until done – about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

ENOY!!

Gender Reveal | It’s a BOY!

WOOOO!!! I”m so excited to announce that my husband and I are having a little BOY!
Our hearts can hardly contain our excitement

I can’t believe it! A little boy!! My husband and I both thought we were for sure having a little girl. When we went to our 18 week anatomy scan, I double, triple asked the doctor to make sure he was actually a he! And guess what? We have a sweet little boy. I can hardly believe it.

All my friends who have boys says they are the sweetest with their mamas, so I am thrilled. Honestly, we are just so, so grateful to have a healthy baby –  we didn’t really care what the gender was! We have just been enjoying every minute of this pregnancy and thanking our lucky stars for his {and my!} good health.

HOW WE FOUND OUT

My husband was dead set on us not finding out the gender, but I just knew I needed to know. After a few discussions, I finally won him over and he agreed to find out gender on *one* condition: he didn’t want to do a big gender reveal party.  He wanted it to be just the two of us, and honestly, I was soo ok with that! Believe it or not, I really don’t like to be the center of attention, and a gender reveal party never really felt like ‘me’ anyway – so I was happy to oblige!

The Saturday morning that we decided to find out {we had our doctor put the gender in an envelope} we slept in, went for a walk with the dogs and got coffee. We were both relaxed and just happy – neither or us felt stressed or rushed. We wanted to just enjoy the moment – the last few hours and minutes before our lives would change forever! With the sun shinning for the first time in what felt like weeks, and with a fresh coffee in hand, we were ready! The day was already perfect.

When we got home, I set up my camera, and had two poppers waiting out for us {my assistant had come by earlier that week and taken a peek at the doctors note, and set aside the correct color poppers}. I hit record and we got ourselves ready. We were both nervous and excited, and on the count of three – we popped the poppers! BOY!!! We couldn’t believe it when the confetti came out blue!!!! We were so shocked and excited and just stared at each other in disbelief! A boy!? How were we both wrong? We still don’t know why we were both so sure it was a girl – but it just made the surprise that much more exciting!! We immediately called my parents, and then my sister who were all thrilled. Next, we drove over to my in-laws where we shared the news with them in person. It was truly the best day!!

Ever since, I’ve slowly gotten used to calling ‘it’ a ‘him’ when referring to the sweet little baby growing in my stomach. I can’t wait to be a boy mom! If you have any boy mom tips let me know in the comments! I am clueless!! And feel free to ask any questions 🙂 We are so excited to share this news with you all! 🙂 xx

photos: Mary Hafner 

Shopbop Bi-Annual Tiered Sale

One of my favorite sales of the year is here! The Shopbop bi-annual tiered sale makes most of the site up to 25% off with code: GOBIG19. Works on full priced and sale items! Details are below:

15% off orders of $200+ // 20% off orders of $500+ // 25% off orders of $800+

Sharing some of my absolute favorites included in the sale {some of which I’ve owned for years!}

Y’all already know I love a jumpsuit and #2 {I talked about it here} – there is just something so fun about the bright red color for summer. It feels so fresh! It also goes well with brown and black and I think the jumpsuit could look so cute dressed up or down. Loving #3 as well – the blush pink is so pretty, but will have to wait until after pregnancy for me! #7 is a dream – I am so, so tempted! Especially because of this sale. I think pregnant or not, it will be something I could wear for years to come! I own #8 and it’s one of my favorite dresses from last year. I wore it all the time. It’s perfect for days at the beach or hot summer nights. Another option thats extremely to dress up or down. I don’t often wear prints, but the back on #9 is so pretty. I also love the turquoise color! Might need to snatch this up for my trip to the Bahamas in a few weeks. Last but not least – #11, #12, and #14. This brand makes the ultimate beachwear. Elegant cuts and shapes, but still easy to wear and super comfortable. Whats not to love? I especially love the new striped option! Will be so cute this summer with a belly {although it is not maternity, so I can wear post baby too!}

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Although I can’t wear any of these options now, scooping up denim deals during the Shopbop sale has always been one of my favorite things. #2 are a faux ‘leather’ legging I discovered back in November. They’re one of the best I’ve seen – especially for the price. I like that they’re not too shiny, and that they look super expensive. How fun is the detail on #3? If I could wear regular jeans right now, I would order these for sure. I love the delicate lace detailing on the hem.  #5 is a shape I’m really into right now. I especially like the raw edge. #6 is such a fun jean – I’m really into leopard and I like how they’ve styled these online. With such a loud print, it’s nice to pair down the rest of the outfit with a simple T and black mules. #7 is a pair of jeans I’ve owned for 2 years now and have probably worn a thouuuuusand times. They’re comfortable, don’t stretch out and loook good year round.  Lastly, #8 is by One Teaspoon which is a brand I’ve worn for years {they make the best denim shorts IMO}. I love this cuffed version best.

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Shoes are my kryptonite – I can never get enough! Loving #1 as a more chic {and less logo-y option} to the very popular Hermes ‘H’ sandal. I also recently bought #8 in black because of the soft squishy sole – I think these would be amazing for all day wear. They also come in tan which is very tempting! Speaking of all day wear – I own #12 and they are seriously the most comfortable sneakers I own. I feel like a broken record when I say that, but I just can’t get enough of them. They are classic and crisp and go with everything. #3 is something I’ve owned for years {I re-buy every 6 months or so depending on use}. They’re super thin and the best for when you can’t wear a bra with a certain dress or top. #9 is so fun & playful and although I probably wouldn’t buy it full price, the sale price is making it more enticing! I just love those googly eyes!

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A few tried and true favorites….like this Michi athleisure jacket. I’ve had it for over two years now and it’s by far the most flattering and comfortable ‘workout’ jacket I own. It also keeps you surprisingly warm which I love. I have it in a S but wouldn’t mind a M 🙂 Roberta Roller Rabbit PJ sets are my newest obsession – my SIL gave me one for Christmas and I can’t get enough. They’re soft and warm but don’t make you hot when you sleep {hate when PJs make you overheat}. I only have the long sleeve/pant set right now, but come summer I will surely want the short version too! Last but not least, can someone please buy this Giambattista Valli gorgeousness?? Not only am I pregnant and can’t wear it, but I also can’t stomach the pricetag. SooOooOooOoo ideally one of you buy it so I can live vicariously through you! 😉

Happy shopping friends! Let me know in the comments what you score! Can’t wait to hear! xx