Hello Clio

Well, it’s been a long time coming. We’ve discussed a “sibling” brother for our beloved little Emory for quite sometime. We thought, we prayed, we made many decisions mentally and emotionally to ensure we did every thing in our power to adopt the right companion for Emory. We got our heartbroken a few times during our search. But this adoption just fit with us. So here he is. We adopted Mister Clio August, and we couldn’t be happier. He is a Pekinese puppy, and everything that goes a long with a puppy will come. But, we knew what we were getting ourselves into. At the end of the day, it was always about making Emory comfortable and very happy. He is our first pride and joy. He is slowly coming around to Clio.

We got a lot of questions as we let our friends and family know, mainly – why get ANOTHER dog? Are you afraid to have kids? You love Emory so much, how can you love another? Why the name Clio? Why the name Emory? In answer to the latter, both names were found on a list of old fashioned/vintage names that are formally Male names from the early 1900s. We liked the way they sounded, they fit their personalities, they fit together as E & C and so there we have it!

As far as the other questions? Yes! We do want kids, a baby to make our home a family. We actually have baby fever to the max at the moment. Both me and Bo. We love children, and have always had an affinity for all children and babies.

But for now we wanted another dog, for Emory’s sake. Being they are pack animals, we wanted him to have a companion to share adventures with, someone to love and grow up with!

As if you couldn’t tell, we looooove Emory! He is our everything, and was one of the most timely blessings when he came into our family. There’s enough love and kindness to go around. We adopted Clio and he is in his forever home. That’s something special to celebrate.

A Beautiful Mess App

I think everyone on the Internets is cuckoo crazy for the new ABM APP, and we are jumping on that bandwagon wholeheartedly! If you haven’t tried it? I suggest a visit to your app store and download it, best money you ever will spend!

Jazz Shoes

Woot, Woot Goodwill!

This is my second pair of dance shoes in mint condition that I have found there. The first pair were tap shoes and being that I’m a dancer at heart….a DANCER! You get it, yes? Okay, and while we are at it…I am an even bigger thrifter at heart. Everything you see here is thrifted being that this is an outfit post after all. And I haven’t done an “outfit post” in a long while. So here it is…what I wore today, what I danced in today, what my husband laughed at me in today. And if I can make him laugh…it is all worth it. Other than putting on clothes in the morning, we are getting our house done little by little…we have only 4 or 5 boxes left in our living room! What a feat…considering before it was like 100…so there’s that. And to cap the day off, in this house we finally have a garden flower bed. And we are planting that little thing up. Stay tuned for that! Things are getting “crazy” over at the Liles house…real. real. crazy.

She’s Kind of a Big Deal

Mothers Day 2013! It was the best one by far! No stress, plenty of mama time, and yes – family time, a lot of really delicious food and the best of the best…laying in a warm bed with my mom watching Hocus Pocus yet again all while while eating nachos. I’m mean, it doesn’t get better than that. It’s the simplest things that can feel the absolute best. And while we are at it, nothing says mothers day for us like a giant bolt art piece. This is the 2nd year we have taken Mothers Day pictures by that sculpture, and it just keeps getting cheesier and cheesier! Only in the best way possible of course.

Though I’m not even a “mama, mama” but just a puppy mama…my amazing mom brought me back Minnie Mouse ears from DisneyWorld and a new Lost In Drawers vintage business card holder! She’s a dear and a half.

We, of course also celebrated Mothers Day with Bo’s mom, Sherry and and his family. And had the best brunch of our entire life. Bottom line, we love our mamas, we love our family and we are blessed in more ways than we can count.

Throw Your Mittens Around Your Kittens and Away You Go

Well, this was our last day in the Crescent City. The moments spent in the hours before we point our vehicle west towards home are always bittersweet. New Orleans is a place that is either just a place or it sinks its soul into yours and a part of you stays there no matter where you go. Our last day in the city always follows a similar pattern. We do a new thing or two, but we always return to a few favorites. This day had an event that was new and quite unexpected. We increasingly bike all around the city and this particular day, I had my first legit bicycle accident. Trying to avoid an inattentive cyclist, the crash bruised up my new bike, myself and maybe my ego a little bit. But I held my tears, and soon enough we were back at an old favorite, Salu, for a meal to cap off time well spent in the city we love.

C’est si bon,

Heather

Louisiana Children’s Museum

So, it rained on us in New Orleans. I mean, it’s Louisiana and weather can be tricky, so you gotta learn to roll with the punches! And roll with the punches we did. Thank the heavens that I bought this umbrella the day before when we were having delicious sweet treats at the amazing Sucre on Magazine Street. ‘Cause, boy, did I need it the next day. It poured much of the day. What do you do in a lovely yet rainy city on a Sunday? You check out the museums, and for us not just any New Orleans museums would do, only the Louisiana Children’s Museum. This place has been on our list for a while, and we are so glad that it rained in that we got to check it out. We pretty much had the entire place to ourselves, and we were able to stay a long time. There was so much to do and explore. The staff was as friendly as any we had ever been around. AND just because it’s called a “children’s museum” doesn’t mean we didn’t do pretty much did everything we could fit in to. We highly recommend it, if you have children or if you are just young at heart.

As the day progressed what was next on our agenda was a little bit more adult. We researched and researched and decided for my first little tiny tattoo we would try Electric Ladyland Tattoo and (Scott Barbier) were amazing, not snobby in the least and so kind. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt one bit. The N initial is for my mother. I wouldn’t get a tattoo like this for anybody else but her. That amazing woman and I have been through so much together, it’s only fitting my first tattoo is to honor her. What a great reminder of her love for me every single day. This trip was full of new experiences as we had amazing meals, lovely conversations with NOLA locals and yes, lots and lots of rain.

New Orleans City Park

While we try to visit New Orleans every few months, this was our first time to City Park in the northern part of the city. The park is a beautiful and very large 1400 acre complex that has something for everyone. We got the sounds of Jazz Fest brass bands, echos of The Black Keys on the main stage, actors performing Shakespeare in the park, we got some bicycle riding in, enjoyed the fresh air, people watching among the always kind people of NOLA and New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden. The great joy of New Orleans is always the feeling you get when you arrive and you hear that random and unexpected music playing in the air and the city comes alive. It’s a great place to be, and can we just say how we had the best grilled cheese of our entire life at Il Posto in Uptown. A great first day back in our favorite city. More to come…..

(And lastly, can I just say that these new shoes I purchased are the most bike friendly shoes I own!)

Warby Parker-Baxter Catalina Blue & Arthur Sugar Maple

Well, here we are as our Home-Try-On experiment comes to an end, and I would say that it was quite the success. The Warby Parker Summer 2013 Collection is a massive hit in the Liles household! Whether hanging out at the lake or exploring abandoned fireworks stands, these frames have you covered. And let’s be honest, nothing says summer like an abandoned fireworks stand!

Heather got to try out the Arthur Sugar Maple frames and they really do work with every type of look. And I got my chance to try the Baxter Catalina Blue frames and they won me over to the point I might just need blue frames in my life. All in all, we loved taking these Warby Parker frames out into the world and incorporating them into our style. A huge thanks to Warby Parker for the frame suggestions, we had a blast and can’t wait to see what new collections are on the horizon!

And The 1922 Collection is right up our alley!

Warby Parker-Aldous & Boyd

With the Texas sun already blazing, summer seems to be making an appearance and it’s only April! Geese! If we ever needed sunglasses, we needed these wonderful frames from Warby Parker’s Summer 2013 Collection .

As Warby Parker so brilliantly says, Sand dunes, hammocks, little sculptures made of driftwood.Gone are the socks, the formal affairs, the after-dusk shivers. It’s summer, which means it’s time to let loose a little.

We are wearing the Aldous in English Oak and Boyd Marbled Charcoal models and we can say with confidence that these sunglasses live up to their namesake.We had never used the Home-Try-On program for the sunglasses before. It is quite wonderful to be able to try on both optical frames and sunglasses both as summer will be here before any of us know it. The frames themselves are well made, and we both commented on how well the lenses performed in the Texas sun. Paired with vintage lace and jean cut offs for a day of bike riding on a sunny day and we can see them equally worn all dressed up. Amazingly versatile and stylish for everyday wear!

It was just a perfect day for bicycles and all the flowers the heat hasn’t consumed just yet. We can’t recommend the new sunglasses from Warby Parker enough!

Defiantly, Defiantly try yourself a pair!

Warby Parker-Chandler Olivewood & Baxter Catalina Blue

When Zack and Brian from Warby Parker contacted us about trying out some of the 2013 Summer Collection through Warby Parker’s home-try-on program, we just couldn’t say no! The home-try-on program is a great resource when looking for frames, as Warby Parker allows you to pick 5 pairs of frames that they ship to you for a 5 day try-on period. Try them on, wear them about and then simply ship them back with the included return label. It’s absolutely the best way to try on frames. As we have followed the company over the years with great admiration, we jumped at the opportunity to try out new frames with our style.

So we headed out and did the most summery thing we could think of, and had a picnic by the lake while taking in the glorious sunshine! In this particular post, Bo and I were trying out the Chandler Olivewood  & Baxter Catalina Blue optical frames. Zack deftly suggested we try these and after a day of wearing them about, we wholeheartedly agreed. Warby Parker simply makes great frames. The quality is apparent from the minute you open the box, the fit solved many problems one has with acetate frames and the styling bridges the gap between classic and fashion forward. We both were in agreement as to how the frames color, and in the case of the Chandler, pattern allowed these to be everyday frames for any occasion.

And to be honest, they look great and are fun to wear. You can’t ask for much more in a pair of glasses that should cost much more than around $99.

Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to create boutique-quality, classically crafted eyewear at a revolutionary price point.

And they give a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair sold!

Eyewear with a purpose

Almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses. This means that 15% of the global population cannot effectively learn or work – a problem that Warby Parker is determined to address. We’ve partnered with non-profits like VisionSpring to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. We believe that everyone has the right to see.

We have a few more Warby Parker post coming, check back soon!!