Goodbye for Now

It is with a heavy heart that I am making a decision to step away from blogging for the time being. It has been a great experience over the last few years, but one that I just cannot sustain to the level that I would like to as I approach this new phase of motherhood. You can still look for me on Instagram and Twitter as I share things about lifestyle and pop culture, but for now, I am taking time to prepare for my little one who will be here shortly.

Blogging is a labor of love and one that I have enjoyed immensely, but I just don't think I have enough time for both my virtual baby and my soon to be actual baby, and sorry folks but she wins every time.

The Year of the Engagement

This post has been sponsored by Anjolee. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Headbands & Bagels possible.

Doesn't it always seem like all your friends get engaged in waves? 2014 was the first Year of Weddings for Dan and I, where we were flying all over the country for what seemed like at least once a month for a wedding of friends or family. Now with 2015 shaping up to be the Year of the Engagement Part Deux, we are looking at 2016 being the Year of the Wedding, Part Deux.

Since Christmas of 2014, we have had six friends get engaged and its only April. Two have even gotten engaged within one week of each other. With all this joyous news in our group of friends, every girl's first two questions after giving hugs out, are "How did it happen?" and "Can I see the ring?"

What I love about my group of friends is that every couple is so unique and true to themselves that no two rings have been alike yet. I love the individuality of each couple and I feel that each engagement ring has been a reflection of that.

From our own engagement story, I know that shopping for what your spouse deems will the perfect ring can be daunting and overwhelming. Especially since this is the first major jewelry purchase of most men's lives. And while those of us that are fortunate enough to live in major cities that have diamond or jewelry districts, have the opportunity to price out a number of styles, many people across the US and world unfortunately have limited to access to ring shopping venues outside of the traditional retail jeweler like a Kay.

While traditional retail jewelers have lovely pieces to choose from, sometimes you want to be able to customize your rings a bit more, and that is where online jewelers like Anjolee or Blue Nile can come into play.

What I love about service like Anjolee's is that you can truly customize everything about your ring style from the gold style, to adding in non-traditional stones and more. It is a way for everyone to have their own "guy" to come up with something perfect from engagement rings, to wedding bands to anniversary gifts and more.

Have any of you tried an online jewelry service? What is your experience like?

Color Therapy: Rose Gold

Color Therapy by preppy-lizzy featuring summer shoes

Adrianna Papell maxi dress / Miss Selfridge summer shoes / Neiman Marcus white tote / Rose jewelry / Ippolita bangle / Kate Spade tech accessory

Apologies for the crazy hiatus last week. I have been running around catching up after coming home from NY and celebrating my birthday. On my actual birthday I was so exhausted that we ended up just grabbing dinner at In-n-Out and snuggling on the couch watching The Amazing Race after Dan took me to Nordstrom to pick out a birthday present. We picked out the dusty rose Cedar Street Maise handbag from Kate Spade that I have been eyeing for months now.

Since Tuesday was a low key night we used Friday night as another celebration and we headed to downtown LA for Captured LA. You get locked into a room with up to 7 other people and have to solve the clues to get out before your hour is up. Dan and I were with a group of five teenagers and we weren't sure how it was going to go, but we ended up smoking it! We missed the record by one minute and were out with 23 minutes to spare. We were pretty stoked since the success rate has only been 8% so far.

After our puzzles we went out on the Art Walk downtown for dinner and then headed home. Saturday night we celebrated my birthday with Dan's family at dinner and then today we celebrated with our friends at a beach day. It was a pretty great weekend of events, hence my MIAness. 

I'm hoping to get back on a regular schedule this week and be on top of my posting game since I know I will have to be prepared in advance in the coming months when baby girl arrives!

Wednesday Wishes

Wednesday Wishes by preppy-lizzy featuring a shopping bag

Floral Silk Maternity Cocktail Dress / Short Sleeve Embellished Maternity Dress / Aqua Nursing Maternity Hosptial Gown Delivery Kaftan Perfect as... / Kate Spade gold shoes / Ted Baker shopping bag / Kate Spade tech accessory / Circo South of France 4pk Flannel Receiving Blankets / Johnson's baby bedtime Keepsake Gift Set / Storage / Jessica Simpson Spaghetti Strap Empire Waist Maternity Maxi Dress |...

This week's Wednesday Wishes is a mix of things for me and for baby. I am on the hunt for the perfect set for the hospital (robe and nursing pjs) cause I know I am going to want to be out of those hospital gowns as soon as humanly possible. 

My 20's Victory Lap

Happy Birthday to Me! by preppy-lizzy featuring Williams-Sonoma

Today is my birthday and the start of my final lap of my 20s. I wish I could take the day off from work but since I just got back from a week in NY, I'm back in the office spending time with friends, going to lunch with my friend Rori and hopefully doing something special with the hubby tonight. I got to celebrate my birthday with my family this past weekend and am looking forward to celebrating with my friends and Dan's family this coming weekend!

Beauty by You

This post was sponsored by Brandbacker and Apothecary Extracts. I was provided a sample for review only. All opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for sponsoring the brands that make Headbands & Bagels possible.

via

When I was growing up tea tree oil shampoo was what we always reached for whenever there was a lice scare at school, we had an itchy scalp or we were getting dandruff from having our hair pulled back too tight from gymnastics. So when I had the opportunity to try out Apothecary Extract's Tea Tree Oil from Australia, I was really excited. I love that you get a huge bottle of the oil that you can then transform into lotions, shampoos, cleaning products and more. I will most likely use my entire bottle on shampoos and beauty applications, but I think it's great that there are so many uses for one oil.

The smell brings back memories of childhood for me and gives me a great, clean scalp feeling. It is definitely what I reach for when I want a really good shampoo. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can order the oil from Amazon here. Good news is that the order comes with a free ebook that gives you tons of recipes to make everything from shampoo to cleaning solutions.

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On The Hunt

Happy Easter by preppy-lizzy featuring spring home decor

Happy Easter everyone. I am enjoying some wonderful time with my family in New York this weekend and will shortly be taking part in our annual Easter Egg Hunt. With baby girl on the way I am sure I will be a tamer competitor than I have historically been. I hopefully have a few more years of hunts in me before I get sidelined when baby girl is finally able to compete. 

Dan's basket was on the roof last year.

Currently Craving

Currently Craving by preppy-lizzy featuring tech accessories

Kate Spade tech accessory / Tech accessory

Countdown to my birthday is on and I am the lucky recipient of a new iPhone 6. My mom and dad treated me to new phone as my birthday present this year so that I would have tons of room for pictures and videos of the new baby. That 128GB will come in handy I am sure when I want to capture each and every moment. 

Currently

Currently... by preppy-lizzy featuring ballerina flats

Tieks ballerina flat / Ergobaby Original Collection Baby Carrier in Sea Skipper / Yes Please / Amazon.com: The Following: Season 3: Kevin Bacon, Shawn Ashmore, Sam...

Reading: Yes, Please by Amy Poehler. I love Amy Poehler. I was so sad to see the end of Parks and Rec and I thought that diving into her book would help ease the pain. It has been really enjoyable thus far and a great read when traveling because it's easy to pick up and put down whenever you have time.

Eating: Chocolate cake. I have been noshing on leftover chocolate cake from my shower. Absolute perfection.

Listening: Disney tunes. I have been getting in mommy mode by singing along to disney tunes in the car. 

Watching: The Following on Hulu. I loved the first two seasons and was really curious where they would be able to go after the end of Season 2. I don't want to give anything away but I am anxiously wondering what will happen to Ryan Hardy and his team next.

Craving: These ballet pink Tieks. I hear these are the most comfortable flats and I keep wondering if I should take the plunge on a pair. Anyone have any personal experiences with them?

Dreaming: Of baby carrying. I cannot wait to wear my girl around town and explore with her!

What's On My Kindle? - March Edition

What's on my Kindle? - March 2015

What's On My Kindle? by preppy-lizzy on Polyvore

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Wow. Just wow. I purchased this book after my little sister said she wanted to read it and I am so glad I did. I raced through this book and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish the last few chapters because I had to know what happened. The Girl on the Train is told from the perspective of three female characters: Rachel, whose life is in shambles and who rides the commuter train day after day past the town she once lived in; Meghan, who currently lives in Rachel's old town, in a house down the street from Rachel's old house; and Anna, who currently resides in Rachel's old residence. The story centers around a murder and discovering who did it becomes so twisty that you are guessing up until the end.
5 big snaps for me!

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I've always been a huge fan of the movie and it has been on my reading bucket list to read the book. It was well worth it. I was so engrossed from the very start and found myself unable to put it down. It is a long epic novel of the South during the fall of the confederacy and the aftermath of the Civil War and Margaret Mitchell does a beautiful job of bringing southern culture to life. As it is often said, history is written by the victors, but Gone with the Wind is an exception to that rule as it shows their are two sides to every story.
5 snaps for me.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
I have had this book on my Kindle since it came out with all the best intentions to get to reading it as soon as possible. I finally got myself caught up and have to say I devoured this book. Heartbreaking, poignant and wonderfully written, this book kept me on my toes until the very end. The question of if it is always better to know the truth is tackled throughout this novel as well as the haunting questions we all ask ourselves, what could have been?
5 snaps for me!

Textastrophe by Matt Andrews (c/o St. Martin's Griffin)
I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my cheeks. Litterally all you need to know. Textastrophe is a collection of pranks via text that will make you laugh out loud. A perfect coffee table book or bathroom book, I found myself unable to put it down. Great gift in my opinion!
5 snaps for me!

Gotcha!

April Fools! by preppy-lizzy featuring table linens

Happy April Fool's Day everyone! Find a really good joke or gif and pass it along. Make those you love laugh today. It's good for them!!