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Can't believe we're already 3 months in to 2022. This month was another light shopping month - no clothes purchased. There's nothing I really need at the moment since we haven't really been out much in the past 2 years. Many of my old clothes now feel extra new again because I haven't worn them in quite a while. It's nice to be able to "shop my closet" as the cool kids are saying, ha ha. But I've always shopped my closet in the past (many of my clothes are 10+ years old.) It is still nice to have the occasional new piece to sprinkle in, but not much has caught my eye these days.

 

THE (modified) RULES

  1. Be mindful of purchases 
  2. Quality over quantity
  3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

  1. None yet

Basics:
  1. mīere the label "Frankie" knit sweater in Faded Black ($56.92, $32.15 if we omit shipping)

 

Shoes:

  1. None yet


Handbags:

  1. None yet

 

Accessories:
  1. None yet

 
 

Activewear/Swimwear:

  1. None yet

 

Gifted from Brands:

 

Spent in March: $0

Spent in 2022: $56.92

Wearing my newest sweater acquisition! I mentioned in my February wardrobe update that I finally bought another sweater from my friend Jamie's clothing line - mīere the label. She is currently in between collections/stocking items but keep an eye on her site for when she launches more!  This is the Frankie sweater and it is perfectly chunky, slightly oversized and super cozy! I'm sad I will probably only be able to wear it a couple more times before it gets too warm! I'll make up for that next year.


Decided to go for an (almost) monochromatic look for it's first outing as an ode to Jamie. She is the queen of monochromatic looks and simple but chic outfits! I did want to add one element of surprise to the look so I paired it with my bright purple Prada Cahier! I had been trying to rotate through other bags lately because I've really been favoring it. What can I say - I'm still obsessed.

 

Sweater: mīere the label "Frankie" knit sweater (currently out of stock)

Jeans: Free People 'Jax' Patchwork Jeans

Shoes: BCBGeneration Yerra slip on sneaker (DSW)

Labradorite Necklace: Indulgems (Gilt)

Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)

 












 

 Time for more baking!


Easy Cast Iron Pizza

Rather than our usual King Arthur pizza crust recipe I decided to try a cast iron pizza recipe. It was super easy to make and really tasty! Crispy yet chewy crust and I love the thickness. Will definitely be making this again! It reminded me of Pizza Hut pan pizzas from back in the day. You know, when you would read books all Summer to earn a free pan pizza? Those were the days!

I topped it with pepperoni, red onions and used my friend Amiyrah's pizza sauce recipe, our go to for any pizza!

 

Flourless Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookies

These were a bit of a fail, in my mind, because they don't look like the photo. But they were tasty enough, especially a day after they were made. I was having one of my "cranky" days so I think that bled into me thinking they weren't perfect, ha ha. You ever have days like that?

Baked French Toast Sticks

Way back in December we bought (and froze) some French Toast bread for like 50¢ at a bread outlet store and I finally got around to using it! Instead of normal French toast I decided to make sticks! Most of the recipes I found had you pan fry the sticks but I wanted it to be an easier weeknight meal so I found one where they were baked. They were cruncher when I had them as leftovers the next day but they’re still great fresh. Definitely a bonus if you want to meal prep them! Put some in the fridge and some in the freezer and you’re good to go. I will be doing that in the future!

 

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies 

We aren't huge celebrators of Valentine's Day. Maybe a card and going somewhere a little bit better than takeout for dinner or lunch the weekend of. When I saw these red velvet crinkle cookies they seemed like a perfect treat to make! I made them the weekend before Valentine's Day so we finished them before the actual day. But I had already planned on a different treat to make on Vday weekend. Very soft and tasty!


Blood Orange Coffee Cake

This was our actual Valentine's Day treat! I saw this recipe at the end of January and it looked fun. It was also a great way to get some more use out of our bundt pan (we've only used it one other time.) Conveniently, blood oranges were on sale and we already had almost everything else (except yogurt) on hand! Had a slight issue with glaze thickness but other than that super easy and delicious! The recipe called for 1/4c blood orange juice + 3/4c powdered sugar but it was still liquid so I had to use WAYYYY more….maybe 4x the amount of sugar.

 

Spicy Detroit-Style Pizza

Yep, another cast iron pizza!  I saw this one on Instagram in early February and added it to my list of things to make! It was super delicious, we wished we had made 2! Christian says he likes the crust of that other cast iron pizza better because it was thinner and crunchier. I loooove a thick chewy crust so this was perfect for me. The edges were crispy but the inside was pillowy soft.


Another light fashion spend month. But I did splurge on a new Kitchenaid mixer. I’ve been using my Mom’s old KitchenAid since we moved into our house in 2018. I love it, and it was great, but it's gray. I’ve always dreamed of having a super fun color, preferably purple, so I was on the hunt for the Boysenberry, Plumberry or Bordeaux. They were never in stock or $800+ on eBay. I finally gave up and ordered a pretty Blue Velvet from Bed Bath and Beyond because I had a 30% off coupon. Ordered on Feb 1 with a delivery of Feb 3-4 - SOLD! We got to Feb 11th and it still hadn’t shipped. It must have been fate because on the 10th KitchenAid announced their color of the year - BEETROOT! The purple I'd been searching for. So I bought it, even though I had to pay full price. To me it was worth the extra cost over 10+ years to have the color I really really want.


I've been wanting to get another sweater from mīere the label, a company founded by my friend Jamie, for a while. The brand is mainly children's clothes but she has a few matching pieces for women. She recently offered some samples/returns for lower than retail. I used that as an excuse to purchase. Since she's in Australia, I have to take the more expensive shipping fees into account. The lower price ($45AUD) + shipping made the sweater the sale price (non-samples were on sale for $70 from $115.) I originally had 3 items in my cart, but the shipping would have been $99AUD ($71USD) which basically doubled the cost of my order. I limited myself to one since I'm trying to behave with purchases. I've still got my eyes on this lounge set in charcoal.

 

THE (modified) RULES

  1. Be mindful of purchases 
  2. Quality over quantity
  3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

  1. None yet

Basics:
  1. NEW! mīere the label "Frankie" knit sweater in Faded Black ($56.92, $32.15 if we omit shipping)

 

Shoes:

  1. None yet


Handbags:

  1. None yet

 

Accessories:
  1. None yet

 
 

Activewear/Swimwear:

  1. None yet

 

Gifted from Brands:

 

Spent in February: $56.92

Spent in 2022: $56.92

 

Here's one of the looks I mentioned in my last outfit post that I wore while visiting my sister and didn't get photos of. I did change the shoes from the previous time I wore this since we weren't expecting snow. This is what I wore for our early Valentine's lunch. Christian and I aren't big celebrators of the holiday but we do like to go out to a nicer than usual weekend meal. Last year we got takeout because we were still unvaccinated but this year we went out to one of our favorite places (mine since I was little) The Chowder Pot! We were the first ones there when they opened and by the time we left there were only 3 other tables in our section. We were the youngest there, haha! Gotta love eating at 11am with the old people. 

 

P.S. Ignore the black ring on my other hand. Christian doesn't like to wear his wedding ring when he drives so I put it on to avoid it being misplaced. Totally forgot to take it off for photos, ha ha!


Long Cardigan: J.Crew (Roundabout Resale)

Sweater: Marc by Marc Jacobs "Pyo" Striped Sweater (Saks Off Fifth)

Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop)

Boots: Marc by Marc Jacobs Burgundy Buckle Boot (Coco's on the Green) 

Sunglasses: Gucci aviators (bought in Rome)

Italian leather bag (bought in Venice)





As I mentioned in the first post about Christian's IONIQ 5, we will hopefully be doing a lot of road tripping and "car camping" in our new electric car! What I mean by car camping is: sleeping in the car rather than spending a night in a hotel while we're on long drives. We will also take it with us on our annual camping trip to Vermont (undecided if we'll use a tent for that trip since that's tradition, ha ha.)


We did a good amount of research and YouTube video watching and so far have gotten a fair amount of supplies for the car.  Here's what we bought (and DIYed) to make car camping easier!


Mattress

One of the first, and most important, items on our list was something to sleep on in the car. We ended up going with a 3in memory foam camping mattress that comes with straps attached so we can roll it up for easy storage. We will probably just use normal blankets instead of sleeping bags just because they will pack up nicer. Over the weekend we did a test night in the car and aside from some slight hip pain (side sleepers) it was pretty comfy!


"Garbage" Can

Trash is inevitable on a road trip. Take-out bags, napkins from spilling water, snack bags, you get the idea. Rather than just keeping a bunch of plastic bags in the car we wanted something a little easier on the eyes. We chose one by Lusso Gear that will fit behind the center console. It has hooks if we use an old grocery bag and want to keep it in place and side pockets for any smaller items we may want to store like wet wipes and napkins.



Kitchen Supplies

We will keep paper towels, wet wipes, etc. on hand for cleanup. We already had some of the items we needed for our kitchen/takeout setup but need a few more things that will pack easy. Here is some of what we have bought or will be buying soon:

 


Refrigerator/Cooler

A pretty important item when camping or road tripping is somewhere to keep snacks and cold items. We thought about using a normal cooler but decided to try a portable fridge instead. We've got a huge battery, why not use it? Christian ended up choosing the Alpicool Portable Refrigerator which will fit nicely in between the front & back seats.  We scored it on a lightening deal so it was under $200.

 

Dishwasher

We were ALMOST going to buy an adorable mini dishwasher, named Bob, that I found recently but the day Christian was going to pull the trigger (after agonizing over the decision because it's super frivolous)  the price went up $50 and the delivery estimate went from July to September - so sad! Guess it's still a little bucket and camping safe soap.

 

Electronics

Christian is big into tech and gaming so we definitely needed an entertainment system setup. To get started he bought a 300W power inverter for one of the cigarette lighters in the car. That way we can power normal AC powered devices through the car battery. He also picked up a portable monitor so we could play games together on his Nintendo Switch and watch movies.


Another random item normal drivers may not need is an OBD Check scanner so he can monitor the battery temperature and other driving diagnostics.

 

Window Covers

Window covers are key for when you want to sleep in your car. They keep out prying eyes as well as light for when you need to rest. If you use reflective covers they will insulate the car from both cold and heat. It would have been very expensive to buy custom window covers that fit the car properly and buying cheaper options would not look that great so we decided to DIY them! You can google how others have made these but we combined a few approaches. I'll put a quick guide below, let me know if you want a full blog post (I may do one anyway.)


Supplies:

 

Directions:

  1. Use paper to make a template of your window. Trace the outline of the window onto the paper and cut out. Place back in window to make sure it fits properly.
  2. Cut out your Reflectix insulation using the template. Place in window to make sure it fits. Trim if necessary.
  3. Either cut out your fabric with the same template or cut your fabric a little larger than the insulation
  4. Use spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the insulation (spray both sides and wait until tacky before putting them together.) We left one side without fabric so we could use the reflective properties of the insulation when needed.
    1. If you cut out your fabric larger than the insulation: trim after gluing or use the extra in place of binding.
  5. Using glue or a sewing machine attach your quilt binding around the whole piece. You could also use duct tape for this step.


Shop the post:

It's always so hard for me to take outfit photos in Winter, yet they are usually some of my favorite outfits. I always feel bad making Christian stand out in the cold taking photos so sometimes wee don't take pictures. As was the case last weekend when we went to visit my sister. I wore two cute outfits, but no photos. Maybe I'll rewear them so we can get some pictures.


I wore this a couple weekends ago to visit my Grandparents for a bit. We hadn't been over in a while, for obvious reasons, but Grandma does get sad when she doesn't see us so we still try to go every few weeks. I don't think Grandpa minds seeing us either, ha ha.


Leopard Print Cashmere Sweater: Nili Lotan 'Abbey' sweater in Shiraz c/o Shopbop

Jeans: Mother Denim c/o Marshalls

Faux Fur Vest: Simply Vera Vera Wang faux fur shawl vest c/o Kohl's

Boots: Vince Camuto 'Davilla' (Marshalls/eBay - I have 2 pairs, this is my replacement pair, ha ha) 

Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay) 











Welcome to the first wardrobe update of 2022, wow that snuck up quick! No purchases so far this year but I did get a few gifted items from my longtime featured brand Aurate. I'm hopeful that I will be very thoughtful with my spending this year and only add items that I love. Even last year I fell victim to sales and buying things I will hardly wear. 

 

I will most likely be doing a closet clean out soon to weed out those items and anything else I don't see myself wearing in the future. I'm sure it will be very hard because some items I don't wear have sentimental value. Those pieces may stay for a little longer until I can let go.





THE (modified) RULES

  1. Be mindful of purchases 
  2. Quality over quantity
  3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

  1. None yet

Basics:
  1. None yet

 

Shoes:

  1. None yet


Handbags:

  1. None yet

 

Accessories:
  1. None yet

 
 

Activewear/Swimwear:

  1. None yet

 

Gifted from Brands:

 

Spent in January: $0

Spent in 2022: $0

I mentioned back in July that Christian would eventually be getting an electric car. Before we get into the new car let's do a little (long) recap. TLDR below if you don't want to read it all.

 

Christian has been wanting an electric car for many years and has been tirelessly researching for the past few. In late 2020 we decided to let go of his old car (a Dodge Avenger he had for almost 10 years) by handing it down to his niece on a visit to Missouri in May 2021. The original plan was to be a one-car family for a few weeks until he got a used Chevrolet Bolt. Spoiler alert: that didn't happen. Due to chip shortages, prices on used and new cars skyrocketed. Instead of being impulsive/impatient and paying $4K+ more than it was worth we decided to wait and see if prices went down. They didn't. 

 

We ended up getting my new car before his, which was an unexpected treat for me! I was assuming I'd be driving my Chevrolet Cobalt until it died. It started having a few old age issues in June and we didn't want to be left car-less if something else happened. We were lucky enough to find my perfect car - a bright blue 2018 Mini Cooper! The Cobalt would still be around for Christian to occasionally drive to the office (he's still working mostly remote,) but the Mini became our main car.


Christian's reasoning for wanting a Bolt was because they were relatively inexpensive and then he could trade up to a newer electric car in a few years when the technology advanced. Because of the Bolt price hikes, it pushed us to decide on a more expensive car that we plan on keeping for many years. Christian originally pre-ordered a Volkswagen ID4 that was supposed to be delivered in November 2021. We got an email in mid-December that it wouldn't be ready until JUNE 2022...WHAT?! 


I think the universe was telling us to wait. At the beginning of December, Hyundai finally released the pricing for their new electric car - the IONIQ 5. Christian had been watching the news on this car for quite a while but never thought it would be in our price range. When the pricing was released he decided it was the better option when taking into account all the features.  There were MANY pro/con lists and spreadsheets involved in the decision.  The IONIQ 5 started arriving at dealerships in the USA the week before New Years and we happened to find the exact version and color he wanted at a local dealership.


They were marking up the price quite a bit but, after calling around to other dealerships and finding that they weren't marking up, we decided to test drive the car and see if we could talk down the markup. We were able to get them to remove most of it (by trading in my Cobalt) and Christian decided it was worth the slightly higher cost so....we bought the car and picked it up on New Year's Eve!  That means we'll be able to claim it on our 2021 taxes. It qualifies for a $7500 federal tax credit which makes the price tag a liiiittle easier to digest.

 

TLDR: Christian has wanted an electric car for a while. He originally wanted a Chevrolet Bolt but prices skyrocketed right as he was ready to buy. He then ordered a Volkswagen ID4 in July 2021 but delivery was delayed until mid-2022 instead of December 2021. We ended up buying a better car, a 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5, on New Years Eve!

 

This is probably the coolest car I've ever ridden in (including my cousin's Tesla.) I love the exterior design and the interior feels so big, especially compared to Merlin, my Mini Cooper.  We're planning on doing lots of road tripping in it and I can't wait for all the adventures. I'll definitely be sharing them on the blog (with better pictures, I mostly did videos this trip because I wasn't planning on doing a post.)

 

Another cool thing about buying the car is we get 2 years of free charging at Electrify America charging stations. We'll basically be paying nothing to drive it for the first 2 years (you know, apart from the car payment, haha!) We can charge for an unlimited number of 30 minute sessions, but those sessions need to be an hour apart. Super easy to do, especially when road tripping. You also don't want to constantly charge to 100%, the max we'll be charging to is 80. The IONIQ 5 charges from 5%-80% in 18 minutes - although when it's cold out it takes longer.

 

We went on a mini adventure this past weekend. Originally we were going to drive up to Vermont but the weather was looking REALLY cold so we settled on driving up to Mystic and maybe heading to Newport and staying there for the night. We ended up just going to Mystic and watching the sunset in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.  We charged once on the way up and again right before we got home. We could've gone straight home but there's a fast charger near our house so we topped up before heading home. Then we wouldn't need to charge at home.


Have any electric car questions? Leave a comment and I'll have Christian answer them in a future post!

Charging the Hyundai IONIQ 5


Tried The Shipwright's Daughter for a late brunch

Brioche French Toast, Little Sis' Burger and Chicken Fat Home Fries

Our masks keeping us warm outside!

Always need to pick up a treat from Sift Bake Shop - Macaron Framboise & Lemon Bergamot Tart

Still a bit of the holidays on a boat | Hello, pretty car!

Enjoying the (cloudy) sunset & testing out the "entertainment system"

Since we plan to use the car for road trips/car camping Christian bought a small portable monitor so we can play his Nintendo Switch, watch movies, etc. Obviously these will not be in use while driving.

Seeing how much power we're drawing. The car is in Utility Mode which is what we would use when sleeping in the car overnight. To put it simply - it let's us use the climate system as well as power/charge electronics through the various plug in ports without the car being on.

Cloudy, but pretty!



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