Roman Holiday

Hi Everyone!
I have a new style post for you all.  We recently visited Arlington Garden in South Pasadena and was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the place was.  If you are in town you should really make a stop at this free hidden gem.  Well, long story short my toddler has been wanting to have a family picnic for a very long time so we decided to have it on my birthday.  It was a celebration and a picnic in one, hitting two birds with one stone.

For my ootd, I decided to wear something flowery given that I was at a garden.  I didn't want my outfit to be too busy either so decided to pair my flowery skirt with a solid white wrap blouse.

I wore a bright red fringe necklace and bracelet as accessories because I wanted to bring out the bright colors in the skirt.  The red accent also made the basic white blouse not so plain. 

I completed the whole outfit with a pair of lace-up sandals and a floppy hat.  Looking back at the pictures, I feel like I can easily blend in with the citizens of Rome.  If hats are not your style, you can easily switch with a flower crown.  Talking about flower crown, stay tuned for my next post sharing about a DIY flower crown and a self-tie bow!

 

           

             

 This boy loves to share his food!

 

 The "Paw Patrol" top, black cardigan and Bermuda are all from Old Navy, they have such cute clothes for the whole family.  The boat shoes were a clearance find at Target.

  

      

If you haven't already, you should really go and check out this garden, so pretty and serene suitable for family, couples or just by yourself!

Thank you for reading!

:: On Me ::

Hollister V-Neck Wrap Blouse

Hollister Midi Skirt (similar Here)

Hollister Elephant Tassel Bracelet

Hollister Tassel Necklace

Floppy hat via Ross (similar Here)

Old Navy Lace-Up Sandals

ARLINGTON GARDEN

 295 Arlington Dr

Pasadena, CA 91105

(626) 441-4478 

 Photos were taken by HermanLee Photography and owned by Lily and Ftfinspirations.  If you wish to use the photos for any purpose, please contact Lily first and provide a direct link to the original post.

Boys Love Dinosaurs

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My family and I have been hiking up the storm recently.  This time we went up to Millard Canyon Falls which was also nestled in the mountains behind the city of Altadena.  We got our son some Timberland hiking shoes to wear this time, as our previous experiences taught us that a good pair of shoes goes a long way.  Although summer is approaching here in sunny California, it was breezy the morning of the hike.  I layered E's Dinosaurs shirt over a camouflage long sleeve shirt, that way as the weather gets hotter, we just need to take one layer off.  E loves his Dinosaurs shirt and knows more names of the species than I do.

 

Here He picked up some flowers again during the hike.  I love it when he tells me "mommy, I have a gift for you" and then hands the flowers to me.  A gift that costs nothing but comes from the one you love is priceless!

 A closer look of the different dinosaurs on his shirt.  I am also loving this cargo pant from Carters with functional draw cord.  When buying pants for toddlers, it is very important that the pant waists are adjustable because not all toddler waists are the same size.  My little guy for example has a very tiny waist that I so envy but he also has relatively normal length legs.

Here is the Timberland Whiteledge hiking boot that is waterproof.  E definitely had a blast running through the streams with these, especially after he heard they are waterproof.  I still had my doubts when E first submerged these shoes into the water, but my worries went away seeing that water just rested on top of the shoes.

For Daddys who want to match shoes with their son's, they have a similar Gore-Tex style in men size.  According to the hubby, they have very good support and is not heavy.  The best thing about these shoes is you can also wear them in the snow during the winter.

And how could I end the post without showing you what I wore?  The hubby bought me these Columbia Trail shoes so I don't slip and fall during hiking.  I honestly didn't really need special shoes for hiking and could just go with my Avia running shoes that I hardly wore.  However, these shoes were super lightweight, had very good traction and was semi-waterproof, which made the hike a bit easier.

Our final destination!

Thank you for reading!

 

Photos were taken and owned by Lily and Ftfinspirations.  If you wish to use the photos for any purpose, please contact Lily first and provide a direct link to the original post.

Hiking At Eaton Canyon

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My family and I started out Spring taking our four year old hiking at Eaton Canyon.  Eaton Canyon is situated in the base of Angeles National Park in the city of Altadena in California.  It is about 3.5 mile hike from starting point (main entrance and parking).  This was our son's first time hiking so we decided to take the short cut entering from the residential streets into the hiking trail.  There are two shortcut entrances from the same residential street called Pinecrest Dr.  We opted for the first entrance which was about 1.5 mile past the Eaton Canyon Nature Center.

Eaton Canyon trail starts out flat and gradually goes uphill.  At the beginning the trail is mostly gravel and dry but as you hike into the canyon, you will walk through many creeks and streams.  Keep in mind though that water is scarce in California due to drought so you might not encounter as much water if you hiked during late summer.

 

 

 We made many stops along the trail so our son doesn't get tired out easily.  There are a lot to explore and what made it fun for the little one were rocks in the creeks and crossing the stream on logs.

  

 

 

And this was our destination, a 30 feet waterfall. If you do decide to come to this hike, I suggest to come during the weekdays or early morning on weekends as it does get very crowded due to its popularity with the locals.

:: On me ::

Hollister Hi-Lo lace panel top (similar Here)

Hollister Skinny jogger pant (similar Here)

Gap Chambray denim shirt

Avia sneakers (similar Here)

Hollister Fringe necklace

Crossbody bag via Marshalls (similar Here)

Eaton Canyon Trail and Waterfall

1750 N Altadena Dr, Pasadena, CA 91107

 (626) 398-5420

 

Photos taken by Herman Lee Photography and Lily

Cozy and Stylish Outfits to Beat the Chill in the Wilderness

Hi! in my last post, I shared an outfit I wore to the Mideast California mountains.  Through that post I've received many positive feedbacks, so I am encouraged to share my other looks during the course of our trip to the chillier part of California.  You will also get to see places we visited and stayed along the way.  And of course toddler outfits styled by my little man, hope you like them!

 E is ready for our adventure in the wilderness

 Stopped by this cute little Swedish town (Kingsburg) on the way to Fresno.  I am not sure if this was a working train station but they had restrooms in there, just what we needed after driving for almost three hours.

This was their main street, it was literally just one block but they had very cute tiny shops.  It was a nice resting area before getting back on the road.

I dressed very casual being on the road most of the time, just a simple cropped sweat shirt with a gingham check button shirt underneath. These black skinny jeans and buckled boots were my outfit staple throughout the trip.

E taking a peak at the toy display through the glass window

Our accommodation for the first five days in Fresno: Country Inn and Suites By Carlson.  I picked this hotel for their proximity to both Yosemite and Sequoia National Park.  Their rate was the best in the area, I think we only paid about $300 for a four night stay.  Continental breakfast was included.

         

I didn't have a chance to take pictures of the room but it was very clean and spacious.  The lobby was cozy and there was always coffee and tea, even during after hours.

On our second day in Fresno, we ended up going to their local zoo because roads up the mountains were closed due to a snow storm.  I have to say although this zoo was not world class but it was just the right size for little kids to walk around, they even had zoo lights which we got to enjoy for free because we were already there during the day.  Admission was $17.50 for 2 adults and 1 kid.  The picture above is their new African Adventure, a bit similar to San Diego's Wild Life Animal Park.

Here I am wearing my most reliable military parka with a hood that is just perfect for sprinkling rainy days.  I think I wear this jacket way too often because you will see me in it throughout most of this trip.  Some of you might find it boring but I love to own a piece of clothing that is versatile and can be paired with almost any outfit.

A part of their zoo light displays.  In this picture, E is in his most reliable hooded jacket (London Fog) and Osh Kosh B'gosh duck boots for walking in the rain.

This scarf from Target is another versatile accessory that I wear over and over with my outfits.  In my opinion, you don't need to own a lot of clothes but you do need to buy classic, versatile pieces that can be paired with your other clothes in the closet.  Trust me, I have had my share of buying clothes on impulse and then they just end up in the corner of the closet collecting dust.

This was the third day on the way to Kings Canyon National Park, where some of the giant sequoias reside.

Here I am wearing a blanket scarf from Old Navy, my other reliable high waist skinny jeans from Hollister and Report buckle boots.  Blanket scarves were so popular this season, mainly because they can be worn many ways: as a scarf, a wrap, a shawl, a cape and even a poncho cardigan with a belt cinched on the waist.

Another reason why I love this scarf so much is the color!  The print definitely is on trend with all the right colors.  The material of this scarf is very soft and warm too!

 

A close-up of me and the scarf.  Those white flakes on my hair is not dandruff!  It started snowing right when we were getting ready to get back on the road.

Arrived at Kings Canyon and this is our first site, those trees are really giant!

Here is a closer look of the sequoia in comparison to the pine trees next to it.

And in comparison to E standing in front of it.

The little man was having so much fun with the snow that even though his pants were soaking wet, he didn't even notice it.

Yes, that's a tree trunk with a tunnel in the center.

It really was breathtaking

The weather for some reason was a lot chillier up here due to the high elevation and the fact that it was surrounded by trees.

I could not have survived the cold if it were not for this down puffer coat from Hollister, see a similar one here and here.  I paired it with a black turtle neck underneath to stay warm and cozy.

Faux fur hood was a bonus, providing extra warmth.

This was on the fourth day: sledding near the southern entrance of Yosemite.  This snow play area was completely free, you just need to have tire chains installed prior to entering the road.

 E being his silly self

Here I am just remixing the few clothes that I brought along for this trip.  I added a pop of color to the outfit with the burgundy beanie.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"  Lyrics from Frozen that E always hums when he sees a snowman.

 E enjoying the view in the woods with a beanie from Target and the London Fog jacket he wears almost everyday.

We checked into this quint little inn on our fifth day of travel.

The room was a bit smaller but still a good size.

View from our balcony

One thing I really enjoyed about this inn was this courtyard next to the office, it provided such a nice backdrop for photos.

The other side of the courtyard.

This often happens when I have my outfit shots, E trying to post behind my back when I am not looking.  See more of this outfit Here and E's other outfits Here

This Sugarpine Railroad is right next to the inn.  It's closed for the winter but in the Summer they have train rides and BBQ dinner packages.

Restaurant within the inn.  Their free breakfast was served here, we had sausages, waffle, garlic herb potatoes and juice.

Thank you for reading!

 :: On Me ::

OLD NAVY Military hooded parka (similar Here and Here)
HOLLISTER Black skinny jeans
REPORT Ankle buckle boots (similar Here)
Faux Leather back pack (similar Here)
Mossimo Scarf via Target (similar Here)
HOLLISTER Dark wash high rise skinny jeans
Beanie via Target 
OLD NAVY Blanket scarf (similar Here)
HOLLISTER Hooded puffer jacket with faux fur (similar Here and Here)

Photography: Herman Lee and Lily