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!
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| Charging the Hyundai IONIQ 5 |
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| Tried The Shipwright's Daughter for a late brunch |
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| Brioche French Toast, Little Sis' Burger and Chicken Fat Home Fries |
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| Our masks keeping us warm outside! |
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| Always need to pick up a treat from Sift Bake Shop - Macaron Framboise & Lemon Bergamot Tart |
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| Still a bit of the holidays on a boat | Hello, pretty car! |
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| Enjoying the (cloudy) sunset & testing out the "entertainment system" |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Cloudy, but pretty! |
I haven't been doing many new recipes lately, but I've still been baking at least twice a month. Not in the height of my "one recipe a weekend" groove from lockdown but good to still be in the habit of making something instead of being on my computer or watching TV all day. I did make a couple new things for Christmas celebrations which was fun!
Orange Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze
Christian came up with the idea of doing a chocolate and orange cake for Christmas Eve so I found a few recipes and this is the one we ultimately went with. Plus we were able to use the new bundt cake pan I bought with a gift card! It was a big hit, I wish I could've eaten the whole thing myself. We followed the recipe above but made our candied orange peel with strips rather than chunks.
Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread
The second I saw this on Tieghan's instagram I wanted to make it for another small Christmas gathering! I accidentally overcooked the tree because I got a phone call and forgot to check on it a couple minutes before the timer went off. Luckily it didn't ruin it but it's a little darker than I wanted. We also made a wreath-type thing with the leftover dough after making out tree/triangle.
Cinnamon Bread - A Redo!
The first time I made this it came out very flat because my loaf pan was slightly too big. This time I doubled the recipe and quadrupled the cinnamon filling. Sooooo much better looking and more cinnamony! A really fun treat to make so I'm sure I'll make this again and again.
Christian and I made this pie for our family Thanksgiving. I saw it on Tieghan's instagram and knew I HAD to make it (this seems to be a theme with everything she makes!) We even made our own crust for this one instead of using store bought like we did for the last pie we made. It came out really good, nice and molten with chocolate and browned butter and maple...YUMM!
Brown Sugar Maple Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Another recipe I remade. This time it was for a family get together since no one but Christian and I got to enjoy these bars last year (darn Covid!) So delicious and perfect for Fall/the Holidays.
I've featured stromboli in these posts a few times before but this is yet another recipe for the dough. I'm still not sure which I like best, I think I need to make each of them in the same week so Christian and I can better decide which dough we prefer.Normally it's a week or two between strombolis so we can't really judge.
*This post was made in partnership with Responsival. Thank you for supporting brands I feature*
What better way to start off 2022 than buying something pretty? If you're going to buy new jewelry this year, consider classic sustainable jewelry from Aurate! The New York based brand is doing what it can to make the jewelry industry more ethical and sustainable.
All of Aurate's gold is sustainable; it's 100% recycled and is able to be reused without losing quality or harming the environment. In addition to their gold, Aurate only uses sustainably harvested pearls from family-run farms. I found this pretty cool video showing how on farm sustainably grows and harvests their pearls.
If gold and pearls aren't your thing, never fear because their diamonds are also ethically sourced using the Kimberley Process. This ensures that the diamonds are not from conflict regions and there are no human rights violations behind the scenes.
This is what I wore for our Christmas Eve celebrations. I actually ended up changing into burgundy jeans once I got to my parents because I realized the suede coating on these was peeling away from the pants, not a cute look. So, sadly, this is the last outfit post featuring these faux-suede pants.
Sweater: Inis Crafts Fishermans Sweater (Marshalls)
Faux Suede Jeans: Blank NYC 'Persuede' jeans (South Moon Under)
Sandals: Lanvin studded leather 'City' sandal (The RealReal)
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Some other sustainable and ethical brands to shop:
Everlane - Longtime readers will know of my Everlane tee obsession. Pretty much all of my tshirts are from the brand, but they're getting a bit worse for wear, so I may need a stock up soon! I also love their cashmere sweaters!
Stella McCartney - If you want some high fashion sustainable clothing look no further than Stella! I have a polar bear sweater and crazy pair of jeans I love. If budgets weren't a thing, I would own much more.
Sézane - I haven't bought anything from Sézane yet, but many of my blogger friends swear by the brand. I've been meaning to make a purchase, perhaps 2022 is my year to buy one of their gorgeous sweaters or dresses!
Resale/Pre-Loved - Another great option is shopping resale sites. Buying something pre-loved instead of brand new will keep clothes out of the landfills and give them a second life. Roundabout is one of my favorite local places (they ship too!) but I also frequently check The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective when I feel like browsing my favorite designer brands or looking for a specific item.
It's my last wardrobe update of 2021. This year seems to have flown by now that we're at the end but I know there were some months that seemed to drag on forever. Another weird year done, hopefully next year is better.
As expected, this year was very light on clothing purchases. Having nowhere to go really helps to curb my spending. I do miss having new things in my closet but since I'm not going many places aside from visiting family it doesn't make much sense.
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- mīere the label Women’s Cotton Knit Sweater in Terracotta ($68.87 including shipping)
- Vintage Disneyland shorts with embroidered Mickey pockets ($20 via Poshmark, used ad money)
- Old Navy EveryWear Printed V-Neck T-Shirt in leopard ($3.58, retail $10)
- Old Navy Luxe Printed High-Neck Tank Top in Olive Green Botanical ($4.78, retail $19.99)
Basics:
- FRAME Denim Le Skinny de Jeanne Crop in Sunnyside ($30 via Poshmark, retail $189, $18.67 after ad money)
- Old Navy First-Layer Slim-Fit Rib-Knit Tank Top in Crimson Cranberry ($1.78, retail $6)
- Old Navy High-Waisted Textured Twill Shorts in Copper Moon ($7.18, retail $29.99)
Shoes:
- Splendid Harvest Mules in Tiger/Cheetah Print - also here ($25.80 via eBay, retail $118, used ad money)
- Teva Original Universal Sandals in Boomerang Pink Lemonade ($42.50 via Shopbop, used partnership money)
Handbags:
- Prada Cahier in 'Viola' purple via Vestiaire Collective ($1488, used bag savings account)
- None yet
Activewear/Swimwear:
- Target "All in Motion" Zip-Front Racerback Laser Cut Back Detail One Piece Swimsuit ($34.99)
- Old Navy High-Waisted Cropped Leggings in Raisin' Arizona ($5.98, retail $14.99)
Gifted from Brands:
- Vintage Emerald Cut Ring - London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate ($50 after gifted amount)
- Infinity Hoop Earrings - Yellow Gold c/o Aurate
- Pearl and Gold Bar Duo Stud Earring - Rose Gold c/o Aurate
- Simple Pearl Bracelet - Rose Gold c/o Aurate
- Midi Stackable Twist Diamond Ring - White Gold c/o Aurate
- Stackable Twist Ring - White Gold c/o Aurate
Spent in December: $0
Spent in 2021: $232.96
Spent in 2021 Counting Prada bag: $1,720.96It's Christmas Eve Eve and I still haven't decided what I'm wearing for all our Christmas celebrations. Now that we're all vaxxed and boosted we're having a more "normal" Christmas this year with a Christmas Eve celebration at my parents and Christmas Day at Grandmas.
I thought I would take a glance back at old Christmas looks to see if they spark some inspiration.
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| Christmas 2019 |
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| Christmas 2018 |
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| Christmas 2017 |
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| Christmas Eve 2017 |
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| Christmas 2016 |
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| Christmas Eve 2016 |
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| Christmas 2015 |
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| Christmas Eve 2015 |
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| Christmas Eve 2014 |
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| Christmas Eve 2013 |
Thanksgiving look number two! Although, technically, this was the first one I wore. This was my outfit on actual Thanksgiving day at my parents. We had a small gathering with just the immediate family. Then on Saturday we went to my Aunt's for a slightly larger celebration.
I was surprised to realize I haven't worn this Saint Laurent blouse and burgundy velvet skit together before. Both of these have been holiday staples over the years so it was only natural to finally pair them. Also broke out one of my favorite pair of shoes for the first time in quite a while.
Blouse: Saint Laurent silk patchwork blouse (eBay)
Peep-Toe Boots*: Alexander Wang suede Freja boot in brick red (The Outnet)
Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad Velvet Pleated Skirt c/o Kohl's
Purse: Wink & Winn (giveaway, no longer in business)
Necklace: Olive Branch Pearl Stilvi Necklace, bought in Santorini
*Note: There was a version of these boots made for an H&M collaboration a few years after I bought mine so make sure you're getting actual high end ones if you want to recreate this look in the same quality. Or if you want a budget version, go for the H&M pair, just make sure you don't overpay for those! (I noticed one site had the H&M boots listed for almost $400)
