Friday, January 30, 2015

FASHION FRIDAY: WINTER NEUTRALS

Happy Friday!!!  For today's fashion Friday post, I put together an outfit that is mostly winter neutrals with winter white...a creamy color that I just love (everything from my earrings and bracelet, to my shirt and pants).  I found this poncho at Forever 21, and love how it has winter white in the pattern.  The brown then added just the right pop of color to the look, and I tied it all together with my bag and boots.  I'm usually more of a person who will chose black when it comes to clothing, but every time I try a brown, white or neutral look, I always say to myself that I should try it more.  I'm looking forward to lots of color for the spring and summer, but sometimes it's nice to embrace the current season and show it off by way of fashion! What are your favorite colors to wear?




Poncho: Forever 21
Top: Forever 21
Pants: Anthropologie (old, similar here)
Boots: DV by Dolce Vita
Bag: Calvin Klein (old, similar here)
Sunnies: Target
Earrings: Purchased in Paris years ago!
Bracelet: Stella & Dot (old, similar here)
Watch: Michael Kors

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

WARDROBE WEDNESDAY: RED LACE AND LEOPARD

Valentine's Day is coming, and so I thought I'd pull together a look with a bit of red in it!  I'm not a Valentine's mush, but I love being festive (especially for my kids), and I also LOVE the color red!  I scored this top in store at H&M on sale, and got this leopard scarf online on sale too!  This time of year I tend to spend my money on accessories.  I feel like my closet is filled with enough winter clothes for now, and I prefer to wait and save up to purchase spring clothes.  That being said, I can't pass up a good sale!








Top: H&M
Pants: H&M
Scarf: Aritzia
Earrings: Stella &Dot
Bag: Deux Lux
Bracelet: Sira &Mara

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

WHITE MANNA...MANN-A GOOD ONE!

  One of my all time favorite foods is a cheeseburger!  Delicious, juicy, cheesy perfection...well you just can't get much better than that in my book.  So when I hear about a good burger place, I will venture to try it...(usually) no matter how far away it might be!  I recently learned about White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey.  And let me tell you, if you live in the New York Metro area...it's ABSOLUTELY worth the hike!
  White Manna is a Hackensack institution!  The diner first opened its doors in the 1940's, and after one bite you can see why this place is still in business!  There is nothing fancy about the pint-sized White Manna location (in fact, the place is so small we took ours to-go and ate it in the car), but the burger is phenomenal!  You can order yours singe or double (referring to the amount of meat), with or without cheese, and with or without pickles and grilled onions.  We ordered ours single, with cheese pickles and grilled onions, and that certainly was the way to go!  The burger comes on a small potato roll (my favorite), and White Manna also serves up some delicious fries and shakes.  The entire meal (of about 10 burgers), two shakes and two fries cost us around $20!  Hamburgers are $1.05 each and cheeseburgers are $1.25!
  White Manna also has another location (which is now independently owned and operated), known as White Mana is Jersey City.  I have heard it's not as good as the one in Hackensack, but I have not tried it myself so I don't actually know for sure.  What I do know for sure...we will be back at White Manna for another burger fix sooner than later!


WHITE MANNA (Hackensack)
358 River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601
201-342-0914
Hours: Monday-Saturday 8:30am-9pm; Sunday 10am-6pm


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

WARDROBE WEDNESDAY: SARATOGA SHOPPING

  Over New Year's, we visited the town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York while we were vacationing in Lake George for the holiday.  I absolutely love Saratoga for two reasons- (1) It's where I spent four years of my life because I went to college there, and (2) It is the cutest town filled with great restaurants and some fabulous shopping!
  I always enjoy boutique shopping because you can find unique pieces, and it supports local business...that's a win win in my book!  While walking around Saratoga, my sister and I found a store we really loved and wanted to buy everything in it called Lucia Boutique!  I bought this floral top and this sweater from there.  Here I paired it with jeans and booties (I wore this outfit this past weekend when we took the boys to see The Fresh Beat Band Live at Madison Square Garden), but I think it would look great with a pencil skirt, tights and heels as well.  The great news is, Lucia Boutique has an online website where you can shop, so if you can't make it to Saratoga, there's still a way to buy things you love!  Happy Wednesday, and happy shopping!





Sweater: Lucia Boutique
Jeans: LOFT
Necklace: Stella & Dot
Bag: Stella & Dot (similar here)
Sunnies: Target

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

MADRID, SPAIN- DAY 7

It was almost time to say "Adios!" to Spain.  On our last day we left Barcelona, and boarded the high speed train back to Madrid.




We checked back into the same hotel in Madrid where we stayed before we left for Barcelona- Petit Palace Hotel Lealtad Plaza.  We decided to do this so that we could leave some of our belongings while we went to Barcelona, and also because it would make for an easy check in and out on our last night.  Funny thing too, we even got the same room we had during our first few nights stay, and we were so happy about that!  I mean, for European hotel room standards, this place was HUGE!!!  It was perfect for the four of us and ALL of our luggage! ;-)  I really can't say enough good things about this hotel.  If you are traveling to Madrid (especially with kids), and have to stay on a budget- I would recommend staying here.  It was clean, spacious, the service was very friendly, it's centrally located to all of the things to do and see, and the breakfasts were delicious with a lot of variety!

We spent the afternoon strolling through the absolutely gorgeous El Retiro Park which is right across the street from the hotel.  We had lunch, played in the playgrounds, went out for a canoe ride, and shared some ice cream.  It was so much fun, and the perfect way to spend our last night in Espana!





Thanks for reading about our trip!  
If you are thinking about a trip to Spain, email us at jetsetsmart@gmail.com for help and suggestions!  
Now it's time to start planning our next Jet Set Smart getaway!!!

Monday, January 19, 2015

BARCELONA, SPAIN- DAY 6

After a good night's rest, Brody and I were back up and ready to join the crew for our last full day in Barcelona.  We used our hop on hop off 2-day bus pass to take us to see more of the major sites, including Gaudi's famous cathedral, and walking Las Ramblas at night.  I'll let the pictures do the talking!

















Stay tuned tomorrow for more on our last day in Madrid, Spain!