Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Nelson Ghost Town

June 21, 2017 by Katie Haller

One of the best things about living in Las Vegas is that there is always something to do. We never seem to run out of new places to explore. Last weekend, my husband suggested we take a drive out to a ghost town. On Saturday morning we packed up Jack and headed to Nelson Ghost Town before the heat really set in.

Nelson was a gold mining town in the 1800s and early 1900’s, with a bit of a dark history. There are a few original buildings still standing, along with lots of antiques to create the perfect ghost town atmosphere. I felt like I was on a movie set. A lot of people go out to Nelson for photoshoots, and I completely see why. The town makes the perfect backdrop for photographers.

Here are some of the pictures my husband and I took. I didn’t get as many as I would have liked, because Jack was keeping me extremely busy.

If you’re ever in Las Vegas and looking for something to do that’s different than the typical strip activities, I definitely recommend taking a trip out to Nelson. It’s about a 45-minute drive from the strip, just south of Boulder City. It’s worth the drive, I would just recommend getting there early in the morning if you are going during the summer months so you can beat the heat.

Purple Dress- A Year of Color

June 16, 2017 by Katie Haller

*This post contains affiliate links
Hi everyone! Today is Friday, and I’m so excited to be participating in my first link up with “a year of color”. Each month there is a different color theme and this month the color is purple. Naturally, I wanted to do an outfit post with the color purple, but when I went to my closet, I realized that purple is a color that my closet is lacking in. I’m not really sure why. I like the color purple, but sometimes I think it gets overshadowed by pink.

I remembered that I had one purple dress hanging in my closet. It was actually a $3 thrift store find from the Salvation Army. It’s an empire waist dress from Forever 21. I actually bought this dress with the intention of wearing it one day as a maternity dress, but since Jack was born in the winter, I never got the chance to wear it with my baby bump. However, I did get a lot of use out of it last summer when I was nursing. That’s one thing that I love about an empire waist dress, it’s so versatile and can be worn during every stage of motherhood. I also love the shade of purple that this dress is. It’s such a rich color and perfect for summer or year-round. I styled my dress with my denim jacket, cognac tote purse, and wedge sandals.

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Purple empire waist dress/ mom style

Shop my closet

Dress- Forever 21- Thrifted from Salvation Army || Denim Jacket- Meijer (similar) || Shoes- Kohl’s (similar) || Purse- Last Call (exact)

I found some really cute purple dresses on Amazon. They are defiantly worth checking out, especially since they are all under $30!!

One || Two || Three
Four || Five || Six

Do you have any purple in your wardrobe?

Off the Shoulder Floral Dress

June 14, 2017 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- floral off the shoulder dress

Hey everyone! I am so excited to share this dress today. I found it a few weeks ago at Ross Dress for Less for only $8.99. I was looking for something that was a little more trendy than most of the dresses in my closet. I am just loving the floral print with the off the shoulder style.

Sometimes it makes me nervous to make a trendy purchase because I always try to make the most of my clothes and re-wear them in different ways. I’m always afraid that a statement dress like this will only be able to style in one way. That’s why the first thing I did after buying this dress was the start to outfit plan, so I could find different ways to style it. Today I thought I would share 2 of the looks I came up with.

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

For the first look, I wore the dress with my black wedge sandals (similar), my black satchel purse (exact) and some fun jewelry. I figured that this look would be cute for a shower, dinner date out or even a casual wedding.

For a more casual look, I styled it with my white braided sandals (exact) and my new thrift store find black tote (similar). I figured that this would be a look I’d more likely wear this summer.

I found that it’s easy to style a dress like this. It’s really just about switching it up with your shoes and jewelry, then you can create any kind of look you want.

It’s not hard to find a cute off the shoulder dress right now in stores, because they are everywhere! I linked a bunch of similar dresses that I love below.

9 Healthy Toddler Meals for Daycare

June 12, 2017 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- 9 Healthy Toddler Meals to Pack for Daycare

One of the most challenging things about being a mom for me right now is figuring out what to pack Jack in his lunches for daycare. The daycare we send Jack to does not provide meals for him. This can be a good and bad thing. It’s good because I get to be in control over what I pack for him. He gets a variety from me and I know what kinds of foods he likes. It’s bad because I am constantly trying to figure out what to pack. I try my best to send him to school with a decent lunch. I was flattered that his teacher said to me that Jack has the best lunches in the class. It makes me wonder what the other parents send for their kids to eat because I don’t think I do anything special with his lunches.

Here are a few tips I like to stick to when coming up with meal ideas for my little guy.

1.) Feed your child what you eat- I try not to buy a whole lot of special foods for Jack. I buy food that I can pack in his lunches, my lunches and my husband’s. I don’t want him to only eat kid type food.

2.) Give them a variety- I always try to pack Jack a protein, grain, fruit, and vegetable. This way it lets him try a little bit of everything. I try to give him new foods to try along with something that I know he will eat, like fruit.

3.) Make it colorful- At my school, one thing I like about our food program is that they try to make the meals colorful. For whatever reason, it’s appealing to the children and it makes them want to try all the food. That’s why I try to pack Jack colorful meals. I like to send him with something green, something red, something orange… anything to make the meal more appealing to him.

4.) Pack leftovers- This is perfect for saving money and time. I always pack Jack leftover dinner. It saves me the time of thinking up a meal and it helps me get rid of the extra food from dinner.

5.) Don’t give up on foods- It takes a child at least 7 to 15 times of trying a new food, before they can actually say they don’t like it. I have a hard time getting Jack to eat meat and vegetables, but that doesn’t mean I stop feeding it to him. I think that is one of the things parents do that can create a picky eater, they give up on foods they won’t eat and only feed them foods they will eat. I have worked with young children for a long time. At one of my jobs, I remember a child who’s parents packed them…no joke…. garlic bread and candy every day. That is an example of a parent who just wanted their kid to eat. You can’t give up on food, especially when they are little.

Those are my tips. Here’s a list of different meals that I packed for Jack over the last couple of months.

Main meal- Ravioli with marinara sauce
Veggie- Peas
Fruit- Peaches

Main meal- Ham and cheese slices
Veggie- Avocado
Fruit- Strawberries

Main meal- Turkey and cheese
Veggie- no veggies, extra fruit
Fruit- Blueberries and peaches

Main meal- Gyro meat, cheese and pita
Veggie- no veggie
Fruit- Raspberries

Main meal- Hamburger with whole wheat egg noodles
Veggie- Vegetable medley
Fruit- Grapes

Main meal- Tortellini with marinara sauce
Veggie- Peas and carrots
Fruit- Watermelon

Main meal- Scrambled eggs
Veggie- Mixed vegetables
Fruit- Blueberries

Main meal- Fettuccini
Veggie- Peas and carrots
Fruit- strawberries

Main meal- Ham and Cheese
Veggie- No veggie
Fruit- Blueberries

For a snack, I keep it very simple. I like to pack him yogurt or apple sauce pouches. I also like Nutri-grain bars for his am snack. It’s easiest for me to grab something and go in the morning.

I also pack him 2 cups of milk and 1 water for the day. I know I’m not perfect, I noticed that I don’t pack a vegetable every time, but I do my best to mix it up and introduce my little guy to as many different foods as I can. So far pasta, cheese and fruits are his favorites. (He takes after his mommy)

Let me know if you have any meal ideas that your little ones love.

What I Wore- Weekday Wardrobe

June 10, 2017 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Causal preschool teacher summer outfits

As most teachers near me ended their school year on Thursday, the summer program at my school has just begun. It would be so nice to have the entire summer off, but most early childhood teachers work throughout the summer, so I guess I knew what I was getting myself into.

The hardest thing about working in the summertime is trying to figure out how to dress in the heat. My dress code at work makes it hard to dress in the summer. No open-toed shoes and no shorts. That’s why I’ve been trying to wear a lot of sundresses, skirts, and flowy tops. Anything to keep cool.

Here’s a recap of what I wore this week

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Monday

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life Casual summer work outfit

Dress- Old Navy- Thrifted from Savers (similar) || Cardigan- Old Navy (similar) || Shoes- DSW (similar)

Tuesday

Skirt- TJ Maxx (similar similar ) || Tank top- Old Navy (exact) || Vest- Savers (similar)

Wednesday

Top- Target (similar) || Jeans- LC Lauren Conrad Kohl’s (similar) || Shoes- Nordstrom (exact)

Thursday

Dress- Old Navy- Thrifted from Savers (similar) || Jacket- Meijer (similar) || Shoes- Nordstrom (exact)

Friday

Top- Target (similar) || Jeans- LC Lauren Conrad Kohl’s (similar) || Shoes- Target (exact)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Maxi Dress Perfect for Summer

June 2, 2017 by Katie Haller

Hi everyone! Today for My Closet post, I want to take a moment and talk about maxi dresses. I love maxi dresses, especially in the summer. I have about 5 maxi dresses in my closet that I wear throughout the year. I love how effortless they are. You can just throw on a cute maxi with a couple accessories and you’re ready to go for any occasion.

One of my favorite maxi dresses in my closet is this pink/purple print maxi from Target. (original shopping post here) When looking for a summer maxi dress, I think it’s important to find something that is versatile and can be worn in many different ways. Even though this dress is colorful with a print, it’s still a dress that I can re-wear often. I like to wear it with cardigans, denim or just on its own. I often have a difficult time finding maxi dresses that aren’t too long, because I’m only 5’1, but this dress is the perfect length for me. I’m able to wear it with flats or heels. I even wore this dress while I was pregnant during my second trimester.

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite ways to style my maxi dress this summer. I wore it here with my denim jacket, sandals, and turquoise accessories. As you’ve probably seen with my recent outfits, I’m kind of obsessed with turquoise accessories. I’m especially loving the color combination of turquoise with the pink.

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Shop my closet
Dress- Target || Shoes- Target- (exact) || Purse- Hand-me-down (similar) || Necklace- Nordstrom Rack (similar)

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any dresses out right now that are similar to this one with the pink and purple print. However, I did link some really cute printed maxi dresses below that I am absolutely loving. I think these would all make for a great summer maxi dress. Everything is under $40, and most of these dresses are under $20!

One || Two
Three || Four
Five || Six

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