Chicago Nature Museum

My daughter loves Chicago Nature Museum. We went there every week in July. 

She played with the water, looked at the butterflies, spent hours in the playroom, and we watched animal feeding, and tried to cast at the pond. So much fun!

After the museum we'd go to the Zoo, or the nearby playground. Great memories. 

I really loved the architecture of the building, and had to take a couple of pictures :-).

P.S. the dress I'm wearing is old HM from maternity section.

Just a pretty dress

 

This summer I decided to wear more dresses, and I think I've done a pretty good job! 

A dress is the quickest way for me to get ready in the morning. I also put on some sunscreen, a lip balm, and a pair of sunglasses, and I'm good to go. 

Every time I wear a dress, someone compliments me on the street. I'm wearing Faithfull the Brand Luda dress.

We had to leave Chicago, and I miss it so much! I loved the city beaches, the lake is wonderful, and it's perfect to stay cool in the breeze at the beach during heat waves. And of course, I miss the parks and all the beautiful views. I hope to come back soon.

Sunflower fields

We’re in Michigan, and it’s the end of sunflower season. I was very excited to be at the farm with these beauties all around me. I  love Michigan for its nature . 

I’m wearing a WAYF maxi dress with cutouts, perfect for the location :).

Flutter sleeve midi dress

This summer midi dress is my ideal hot weather attire  for the days when I am up to wear something feminine yet feel like myself and perform my mom duties. 

I bought it last year from Gap with a good discount, but these types of dresses are a good old classic. 

It was lined but I felt like it added extra bulk so I got rid of the lining myself, and now the dress is perfect! 

Love of my life

Hello! Inspiration has been avoiding me till I remembered about this Free People Love of My Life dress. We did this photo shoot last year, I still love this dress, and I adore this little girl in the photos (although she's been growing up so fast!). 

I often think about the past life, how perfect everything was, and we had no idea. I remind myself to think of all the good stuff more, and the good stuff will be even better.

Now back to the dress, it's old but I was able to find a perfect alternative. I still like the Kate Spade backpack for the times when I want to be a little more pulled together. 

Have a good week, and stop by again!

P.S. How magnificent downtown Chicago is! I miss my nonchalant walks there!

Mellow yellow

Can there be too much yellow? Apparently so, looking at these pictures)).

About this dress... I was on my way to return it to the store as I didn't like the fit, and something happened, I never made it there, and I'm glad I didn't. Despite some flaws, it's a perfect dress for summer.

I can't not mention those gigantic face earrings! I love them. Unfortunately, most earrings are off limits for me because the baby loves to yank them off. 

Lemon print dress

Back in winter I dreamt of a lemon print dress - how I stroll with my baby by the lake so airy and feminine in classic pumps, and maybe a straw hat, etc. ...

However, in reality I'm a hot mess on most days, and my shoes of choice are Birkenstocks (my very first pair, by the way). And, instead of a classy pair of cat-eye sunglasses, I decided to toss in my yellow aviators.

Early bird

Took me a while but I'm back! 

Life has been pretty hectic and tough. We moved to a different neighborhood in Chicago, baby stopped sleeping through the night and started to wake up at dawn. 

I have been a tired mess (still learning how to do it all quickly).

I had some spring outfits planned out but we barely had any spring in Chicago. It was a rapid leap into summer, hardly any transition, sadly.

Haven't been following any trends either)). But I heard lilac was big this season? Big sleeves as well? I am wearing a nice folklore-ish Obsessions dress from Free People.

Baby's out & about

I had my baby girl almost 2 months ago now! She's beautiful and I love her like crazy! But... OMG! It's been rough both her birth and now. That's all I can say. Especially writing this after a pretty tough day and night, I can tell you that I haven't really adjusted yet.

Hopefully, some day we will establish a good and predictable schedule so that I can, at least partially, get back to some of my favorite things in life, like this blog for example. As of right now, I am not sure how often I'd be able to do anything blog related, or anything Lera-related for that matter. Time will show. 

If opportunity arises, I will update my blog :-). 

PS if anyone has any good baby related advice, I am all ears.

Почти два месяца назад у меня родилась дочка! Я её обожаю. Но, в двух словах - блин, как же тяжело привыкать к новой жизни. Особенно, когда я это пишу после очень трудного дня и ночи.

Пока я еще не пришла к каком-либо устоявшемуся расписанию и, к сожалению, не знаю, когда смогу вернутся к моим любимым занятиям, включая этот блог, да и вообще, ко всему, что я любила делать до появления дочери. Время покажет.

По мере возможности я буду здесь появляться и, если у кого-то есть какие-то полезные рекомендации, советы по поводу новой жизни с младенцем и как быстрее втянуться, я буду рада почитать. 

Yellow aviators

I really love all the trends going on right now, all the ruffles, the 90-ties, etc.. The only thing I can play with at the moment is accessories, even shoes are a no go for me because of the swelling. 

Sunglasses are basically the only thing I can indulge in, like these yellow aviators from H&M. I really enjoy wearing them, the world seems brighter even on a cloudy day, and of course the retro feel is a plus.

Мне очень нравятся тренды, которые сейчас набирают обороты: рюши, 90-е, асимметрия.... Но единственное с чем я могу сейчас поиграть - аксессуары, да и то не все, обувь, например, для меня тоже стала запрещенной территорией из-за отеков.

Поэтому пока что приходится наслаждаться очками. Мне очень нравятся эти авиаторы с желтыми линзами (если честно, я немного устала от зеркалок).

И мир становится намного ярче в этих очках, даже в пасмурный день!

Consignment store find

I was drooling over a Simon Miller Bonsai bag for some time, but couldn't really bring myself to pay so much. And I love small bags, I usually don't carry everything with me, just my phone, mirror, lip balm, wallet, and keys. When I know I'm going to be gone from home for a while, I take a larger bag but for leisurely strolls mini bags are great.

So, when I saw this Kate Spade ring handle bag at a consignment shop, I thought it'd be good enough to satisfy my craving, and it was a real bargain, no more than $30.

This club jacket is also a recent buy. When I heard that American Apparel was closing its stores, I wanted to get something to remember it by. When I first moved to the US in the mid 2000s, AA was "the shit"; I remember every blogger wearing their accordion pleat maxi skirts, glossy leggings, t-shirts, etc. 

Now, on a different note... I am getting massive (and I totally see how I probably shouldn't carry mini bags right now as they make me look even bigger 😀)! I am slowly starting to feel the weight. Anyway, I can complain for days which I'm not going to do here. Until later, then 😙!

Заметили ли вы, что все модницы уже давно носят с собой мини-сумки на металлических кольцах-ручках? Вот, и я давно себе хотела такую, но цена, конечно, просто запредельная, особенно сейчас, когда я придерживаюсь строгому бюджету. 

Поэтому, когда в комиссионке я увидела эту малышку от Kate Spade, еще и по очень смешной цене, то решила, что её мне будет пока достаточно для утоления боли от тоски по сумке Бонсай.

Эта спортивная куртка тоже моё недавнее приобретение. Когда я приехала в США, одной из самых желанных молодежных марок была American Apparel, очень многие блогеры носили их вещи где-то в середине 2000-х. Позже, из-за разных скандалов и провокаций, марка стала терять популярность и, наконец, её магазины начали закрываться, поэтому я купила себе эту куртку как сувенир, причем  все шло со скидкой в 50%!

А еще, как вы видите, я стала просто огромной и довольно прилично ощущается набранный вес, о чем я могу жаловаться бесконечно, но пока не буду. 

До скорого! 😙

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