Eliza J Maxi Dress c/o Nordstrom / Monica Vinader Bracelet c/o / Jack Rogers Wedges / Similar Sunglasses
Over the last year, I’ve completely fallen in love with Nordstrom’s Eliza J collection. While classic, preppier dresses tend to be on the pricier side, the brand is surprisingly affordable… and the dresses are absolutely adorable! I find myself constantly checking in with Nordstrom to see what’s just in, and I nearly always fall in love with something new. (Above are some of my faves!)
Monday was the perfect excuse to break out my new Eliza J dress, since Mitch had off from work. (His principal gave him the day, as he’d taken his students to D.C. over the weekend and returned really late Sunday night.) We’ve been pretty stressed lately, so I took the day off, too.
The story:
The contractor who is finishing our master bathroom had to go back to his home country for immigration reasons and won’t be back for three weeks. (He also jokes that it’s possible he might not be let back into the United States. Not funny, Sir.) And the other contractor, who’s halfway through the fireplace renovation, simply up and disappeared. Like, we haven’t seen him in 10 days, and he won’t pick up his phone, answer texts or respond to emails. Swell.
In the grand scheme of things, this is not the end of the world. But we’ve been under construction since early September 2015, and we’re tired. We’re also starting to panic, as we have three months left before the baby comes, and we haven’t even started on the nursery’s construction. (We need to move a door and put down hardwood. But with what contractor?!) Of course, the baby could easily sleep with us for a while. But we both want to fully enjoy the first few months with our little one, and we don’t want to deal with all this during that time.
Sigh. The house is a construction zone, and kind of depressing to hang out in all day… so on Monday, Mitch and I decided to get a little dressed up, spend some time on the lake (since I’d had so much fun there over the weekend!), get sushi, and window shop downtown. It definitely got our minds off things, and helped us remember that things aren’t that bad. Perspective, perspective!
Still not sure what we’re going to do about the contractor who vanished into thin air, but we’re going to make a decision on that this week. And we’re making an effort to get out as much as possible, so as not to be constantly surrounded by our dilemma. ;) One day, we’ll look back on this and laugh, right? (Can anyone else commiserate? Any other horrible contractor stories?!)
Anyway, be sure to check out Nordstrom’s Eliza J collection. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Nordstrom is undoubtedly the best retailer for dresses! The selection is amazingly extensive, there’s a wide range of prices available, and you can always find a dress for whatever occasion you’re shopping for. And with free shipping and returns, shopping is guilt- and worry-free! Shop my other favorites below. :)
Other maxi dress picks from Nordstrom:
Other dress picks from Nordstrom:
Shop the post:
Eliza J Maxi Dress c/o Nordstrom / Monica Vinader Bracelet c/o / Jack Rogers Wedges / Similar Sunglasses
This post was sponsored by Nordstrom, but all opinions are my own. As always, thank you so much for supporting the brands and partnerships that keep Kelly in the City up and running!
Ugh, I’m sorry, Kelly! You two have been patient with the construction for so long already! I’ll keep my fingers crossed it will all get done before the baby gets here. Thanks for the tip on these Eliza J dresses! I had never seen them, and they are so classy and affordable!
xo,
Catherine
http://www.classiccatherine.com
Thank you so much, Catherine! I appreciate it so much… and YES! You have to check out Eliza J. Affordable and absolutely adorable. And they come out with new ones all the time! xoxo!
Love the dress, looks adorable! I live in the burbs and we have had the best contractors, people that actually want to work and work well. What a pain! What’s wrong with these people?? Hoping you can find someone soon & finish up before bambino/bambina arrives….
Do you REALLY?! Ugh. We have had the worst luck. Our bathroom contractor does AMAZING work… he just works like three other jobs and can’t give us a lot of time. And then there’s the immigration issue, haha. This has been a learning experience, to say the least! Oh, homeownership…
Love the dress, looks adorable! I live in the burbs and we have had the best contractors, people that actually want to work and work well. What a pain! What’s wrong with these people?? Hoping you can find someone soon & finish up before bambino/bambina arrives….
Love that dress! I would highly recommend Mitch and his buddies put down the floor. At least that would be done and you could start decorating. It is hard to do anything when the floor isn’t done.
-Meg
http://www.smalltownsisters.blogspot.com
Hi Meg!! :) Mitch, his dad and his brothers have actually done flooring before… but the problem is the door situation. :( Right now, you have to walk through the door-less guest room in order to get to the nursery, and that won’t work because we really want our parents to be able to come and stay for long periods of time. (Mitch’s parents live about two hours south and my parents live on the East Coast.) What needs to happen is that we need to close up the nursery’s French doors and put in a door closer to the front of the house, and put up door for the guest room… BUT all the wiring for the thermostat is there, so we really need a contractor for that. :( We did get a lead on a new guy this morning, though, so we’re feeling a little bit more positive!! Cross your fingers for us… And thank you so much!!
Oh man! That is a lot more involved than just laying floors. Fingers crossed! The house will (eventually) be done soon and it will be perfect! :) Stay positive!
Love that dress! I would highly recommend Mitch and his buddies put down the floor. At least that would be done and you could start decorating. It is hard to do anything when the floor isn’t done.
-Meg
http://www.smalltownsisters.blogspot.com
I love this dress on you & I’m so sorry about the contractor! If it’s not one thing it’s another!!! Can’t wait to see you!
I just wanted to comment what you said about worrying about getting the nursery ready before baby is born, and how it’s ok if the baby sleeps with you for a while. This must be some cultural difference, because here I don’t know anyone who has put their baby in the nursery right after they’re born. And it seems to me (I don’t know if it’s true) but over there people do so. With our kids they both were a bit over 6 months before we moved them out of our bedroom, and that was soon, when I think people I know. It was a lot easier with night time feedings and just to know your baby is still breathing (still check my kids every evening :) ). But we all do how we seem right!
And I know with contractors it’s sometimes painful! They really seem sometimes disapear and you can’t get no contact with them! They seem the same worldwide! :)
I hope everything goes well and you could finally get your home ready and be able to enjoy it!
Hi Maria!
A lot of people have their newborns in their bedrooms with them in the United States, too! :) My mom was a NICU nurse for many, many years, and she’s a firm believer in putting infants in their nurseries from the get-go to minimize transition problems. She’s going to be staying with us for a week or two to help (and teach) us, so we want to try this first. :) We have a guest room right next to the nursery, so I’ll probably sleep in the guest room for a while just to make things easier… but we’ll see how it all works out! I think everyone is just different in their preferences. :)
And thank you so much for your kind words about construction! We just got a lead on a new guy, who’s supposed to be coming tomorrow. Fingers are crossed! You’re the sweetest!
I’ve been wanting that dress for soooo longggg. Kinda jealous.
http://asequinloveaffair.com
This dress looks so gorgeous on you, Kelly! Good luck with everything construction wise!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
Do you find the Jack Rogers wedges to be comfy? I really want a pair, but I’ve been nervous since it takes a bit to break in the sandals!
XO, SS || Seersucker Sass