Circle Skirt

It was really windy the day I wore this.  I went to Target after work and totally pulled a Marilyn Monroe in the parking lot, only I didn't look glamorous and flirty.  I looked ridiculous trying to keep my skirt down.  I keep accidentally wearing flowy skirts on windy days.  I need to remember to look at the wind forecast when I check the weather each morning. 

Tank top: Banana Republic
Belt: Limited
Skirt: Autograph New York
Shoes: Born

Registry Madness

The 2012 wedding season is in full swing.  Last Saturday, I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to purchase all the gifts.  When I went to the Customer Service station and said I needed 4 registries printed, the worker looked at me like I was crazy.  It took awhile, and I had to order some things that weren't in stock, but I got gifts for all 4 weddings.  Now I just hope I don't mix up who gets what item.  

I wore my new dress, but traded my pink cardigan for pearls, which made me feel fancier.  

Dress: Gap

Belt: Francesca's

Shoes: BCBGeneration

Necklace:  from China

Browncoats

Any other nerds Firefly fans out there?  Surely I'm not the only fashion blogger/sci-fi geek out there, right??  Well, I can always blame my husband.  I was trying to think of a clever title for this all-brown outfit post, and he said "Good guys wear brown coats." So there you have it.

Last time I wore this dress, I wore my white belt and tan shoes.  This time, all brown accessories.  Who knows what I will do next time, maybe white belt and brown shoes.  I mean, the possibilities are endless.

Dress +Shoes: Target
Cardigan: Gap
Belt: Urban Outfitters

Memorial Day Hat Party

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend.  Special thanks to everyone who has served or is serving in the military, and the families of those serving.

Yesterday, we got together with some friends for a good old-fashioned cookout and hat party.  I don't know why, but hats were required.  I was happy for an excuse to wear my floppy beach hat.  It's just not all that practical for everyday use.  Turns out, it wasn't that practical for a cookout either.  It was pretty windy out, so my hat was either blowing away, or the front was smashing into my face.

Most of the other girls were rocking super cute trilby fedoras.  I might have to get one of these.  

And of course, I had to pose with the orange phone.

 

Tank: Banana Republic
Shorts: American Eagle
Hat: Calvin Klein
Flip Flops: Old Navy

Back in Black

 

A couple weeks ago, I wore this outfit, and totally loved it.  So I thought I'd trade out the stripes for polka dots and I really liked this version too.  Now I'm thinking about trying stripes AND polka dots at the same time, with this argyle cardigan.  What do you think?  Would that be cute, or too crazy?

I wore this to work on Friday, and then had to leave early to run by the DMV and renew my car's registration.  That would have been faster if I'd remembered my checkbook.  I had to run to the nearest ATM to get cash.  I really don't know why they won't take a credit or debit card!  Ridiculous.

After that, I met up with some co-workers at Red Mango.  I'd never been there before, and was nervous because I don't really like yogurt, but it was pretty delicious.  When I got home, I realized I'm a total failure at social media because I didn't even instagram it.  I've got to remember to document these momentous occasions in my life.  

Shirt: Gap
Cardigan: Style&Co
Skirt: Express
Shoes: Born

Shocker Baseball

I've already confessed my loyalty to Wichita State, and that I love baseball, so when WSU comes to Omaha to play Creighton, I usually try to get tickets.  This year, my father-in-law got tickets for us to all go.  It was a beautiful evening, and we had a great time.  They were handing out American flags to all attendees, and did a fireworks tribute to fallen solders after the game. 

Oh, and the Shockers won, of course. 

Curly Hair Confessions

This may come as a surprise to you, but I have curly hair.  I mean, it's super curly.  I wrote about it a little bit in my Beauty Routine post last week.  As I was writing that, I decided to check out Pinterest, to see if there were any cool ideas for curly hair.  Well, when you search for "curly hairstyles" on Pinterest (or Google - really, anywhere), all you get are pictures of people with obviously straight hair that has been attacked with the curling iron.  Not particularly helpful.  I did find something pretty cool, though:  Curly Hair Problems

Here are 2 that made me laugh out loud:

At some point when I was in high school, I started to love my curls.  I would straighten my hair once in awhile, but I just didn't feel like myself without the big hair.  There are some benefits!  I mean, if I forget a hair-tie, I can just tie my hair in a quick knot and it stays put.  Sometimes, I wish I could do certain hairstyles, or get a fun haircut, but most of the time, I really like having crazy curls.  One of the most awkward things now is that strangers will tell me how pretty my curls are, and I say thanks, but then they go "I bet you hate them, don't you?  You probably wish you had straight hair!" and I don't really know how to reply.  I don't know many other physical features where strangers would say something like that.  "Blue eyes!  So pretty!  I bet you wish they were brown, right?"  --"Ummm, no.  I'm good with how I look.  But thanks for your concern." 

Dress:  Old Navy
Cardigan: Loft
Belt: Limited
Necklace:  made by me
Shoes; BCBGeneration

Let's Get Physical!

As you may know, one of my goals for the year is to be more active, lose weight, etc.  Apparently this shirt makes me want to talk about my annual goals.  Probably because I wore it on NYE, so it reminds me of the fresh start to the year.

Anyway, I recently started going to Jazzercise.  I bought a 2 month deal from one of the local group coupon companies.  Just a few  classes in, I think it's going to be pretty good.  I mean, my abs hurt, so that's a good sign, right?  I really like how it mixes cardio and strength training.  So, if I start looking stronger to you, it's because of Jazzercise.  If I don't, it's because of ice cream. 

Top: Gap
Belt: Francesca's
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: BCBGeneration

Bachelorette Party

Remember this phone?  It's at my friend's house, and I have to pose with it whenever I am over there, because it is really cool and orange.  I was over there last weekend for another friend's bachelorette party.  It was pretty fun, and I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in quite awhile.  Plus there was cake!  Wedding season is in full swing, so I'll be doing "Wedding Wednesday" posts on a more regular basis again.  I know this wasn't for a wedding, but it was a wedding related activity, so I'm counting it!

Dress:  Ann Taylor
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Necklace:  InPink
Shoes: Seychelles

Red, White, and Blue

I should have saved this outfit for the 4th of July, or at least Memorial Day!  I just felt very patriotic all day.  Then I was glad that our flag colors look really good together.  If I lived in a country with ugly flag colors, I probably wouldn't accidentally dress in such a patriotic manner.  Just one of many reasons I'm happy to live in the USA!   YAY America! 

Shirt and Skirt: Gap
Flip Flops: Old Navy

Sailor Skirt

I totally missed the EveryBody, EveryWear Nautical challenge this month.  If I had realized it was going on, I would have used this outfit.  But then, I already wore this skirt for the March challenge, so maybe it's better that I skipped it this month.  I'll be traveling at the beginning of June, too, so I will have to pay closer attention to the challenge! 

I also think I'm going to feel guilty every time I post an outfit where I am rocking flip-flops.  I have been on the lookout for some cute flat sandals for summer, but just haven't found any that I like.  I probably just need to get over it and embrace my flip flop wearing ways.  Otherwise, it's going to be a long, shame-filled summer for me.

Shirt: Gap
Skirt: Tommy Hilfiger
Cardi and Flip-flops: Old Navy

Royalty

With being gone for a week, and then all those vacation posts, I'm over a week behind on outfit posts.  This is what I wore last Sunday, for Mother's Day.  With the royal purple top and gold skirt, I felt kind of regal. But then I was working in the nursery during church and just did my best to avoid the little hands with goldfish and Cheerios crumbs.

Then we hung out with John's parents for the afternoon, to celebrate the day.  Of course, I had to pose by their "Smith" sign!

I meant to post this actually on Mother's Day, but we got home late and I was tired.  So, a belated Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my own!

Shirt and Skirt: Gap
Cardigan: Old Navy
Shoes: BCBGeneration
Sunglasses:  Fossil

Orange You Glad

...that I'm done bragging about vacation!  I'm already ready to go back to the beach.  Next time I'm independently wealthy, I'll just go live on an island somewhere and read books all day.  Won't that be nice?

This outfit is actually from before vacation, which feels like a really long time ago.  I've worn this shirt and sweater combo a few times recently, but just hadn't taken pictures of it yet.  I really like the bright orange with the blue.  As evidenced in a few of my other orange outfits.  Aren't they complementary colors, because they are opposites on the color wheel?  See, I was paying attention in elementary school art class! 

Cardigan: NY&Co
Shirt: Karen Kane
Jeans and shoes: Gap

FBFF - Beauty Routine

 This week's FBFF topic is beauty products.  I'll be honest, I'm pretty low key when it comes to my beauty routine.   Here's my daily "getting ready" process:

Hair:
For most of my life, I have had absolutely no idea what to do with this mess of curls on my head.  When I was young, my mom gave me a perm to see if that would make more controllable curls (actually made it worse).  Then we just chopped it very short (and I looked like a boy).  Then after it had grown out, I just did ponytails all the time.  In middle school, I learned about straightening my hair and did that pretty regularly for a few years.  At some point in high school, I gave up trying to fight my natural curls, and learned to deal with it.  Now, this has been my standard hair routine for about 10 years (I'm getting old!)

• Shampoo and Conditioner - Over the years, I have tried various brands, but what I realized is that I don't need anything fancy.  Shampoo to clean, and a generous amount of conditioner to de-tangle, good to go.   Suave is cheap and works for these purposes.  I get the "sleek" version, for dry or frizzy hair.   
• Hairbrush - there are a few rules for brushing curly hair. 
• Never even try to brush it when it is dry.  I basically de-tangle as much as possible when I'm in the shower, and then brush it out immediately.  Then I don't have too many knots for the brush to battle. 
• You need a very strong brush that won't break. If I had a dollar for every broken hairbrush from my life, I'd have a small fortune.  Okay, maybe more like $20, but that's a lot of broken hairbrushes.  These cushion brushes are no good.  The whole cushion of bristles just rips out of the brush handle and is stuck in my hair.  I've even had the whole top part of the brush come unglued from the handle.  I mean, this is ridiculous.  And don't even get me started on those circle brushes.  This brush looks like it would work. 
• Mousse! - I've tried many many many products for curly hair, and various brands of mousse, but the only one I like is Pantene's Curl Defining Mousse.  It reduces frizz, keeps the curls defined, and doesn't make my hair crunchy like a lot of curl defining products.  I have to use quite a bit of mousse, and make sure my hair is still wet when I apply, so this isn't ideal in the winter (frozen hair!) or if I have an early meeting, but it's the best option for me!  I've also been complimented pretty frequently on how this mousse smells (this is sometimes really awkward!)
• Very rarely, I will use a hair dryer.  I'll mostly do this if it is freezing outside or I need to be at a meeting and don't want wet hair.  Hair dryers are usually my arch nemesis, so I have to be very careful not to fluff very much.  I never every dry it completely, either.  
• A quick note on straightening:  I haven't straightened my hair in several years.  It just takes forever, and doesn't stay cute for very long, especially in the Nebraska humidity.   Also, I don't want to drop the money on a quality straightener when I know I won't use it very often. 

Skin Care and Make-up:
As with hair products, I've used quite an assortment of skin care and make up over the years.  My sister used to work at a department store, for a few different cosmetic counters, so I pretty much used whatever brand she was working with, because we got free samples and discounts.  That was great until she stopped working there, and I wasn't going to spend that much on face wash and make up!  For a few years, I pretty much stuck with L'Oreal products, but I wasn't super impressed.  I still change products every so often, but here's my current list:

• Face wash:  I'm a recent convert to Aveeno products.  Right now, I'm using the Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser.
• Moisturizer:  sticking with the Aveeno trend, I'm using the Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15.  I like how it has SPF in it, so I am always protecting my face, and I don't have to think about it.  
• Make-Up:  I keep it pretty simple.  Before I started the blog, I probably wore makeup a couple times a month.  Then I thought I should be more consistent if I was going to take daily photos of myself.  For about 5 years, I've been using the Bare Minerals foundation.  I just love how easy it goes on, and looks really natural.  Most days, I just do the foundation and mineral veil.  For special occasions, I will go all out and add eye make up.  Maybe even lipstick if I'm feeling particularly fancy. 
• Chapstick!  This is important.  I don't know what I would do without my Blistex Silk & Shine.  

So there you have it - all my beauty secrets.  I like to keep it simple.  

 
 
 

St. Croix Wrap Up

Have I mentioned that I went on vacation recently??  --And now I'm doing a million blog posts about it.  I was just really excited to be at the beach!  This will be my last post about vacation, I think!

Here I am out in the ocean! Yep, that little speck in the water is me: 

Cleaned up for dinner one of the nights.

Gap shirt, Ann Taylor Skirt, Old Navy FlipFlops

Here I am posing with the door to our room.  Room #17 was quite nice!

Gap Shirt, Aeropostale Skirt

On our last day there, it was sunny all day, except for a little rain - timed perfectly over lunch!  We were on the North side of the island, so we didn't see many sunsets, but the clouds got really pretty in the evening.  All pink and blue:  

And our last night of vacation, posing by the palm trees in the courtyard of our hotel. 

Vacation Date Night

Old Navy Dress and Flip Flops, Charming Charlie Scarf

On the Sunday we were in St. Croix, their annual triathlon was happening.  This meant we weren't able to leave our resort most of the day, because the roads were closed.  No problem!  We just took it easy and then dressed up and went into town for dinner.  This is what I wore.  This dress is just super easy and was also no problem to pack.  Perfect for vacation.  We went to a restaurant called "Angry Nate's" in Christiansted, and sat outside, because it had finally stopped raining!

I mentioned that it rained quite a bit while we were there.  I was pretty content just sitting on our balcony and watching the rain and the ocean.  Here's my view: 

I think I will wrap up vacation posts tomorrow and be back to OOTD posts! 

Life in the Left Lane

Gap Tank, American Eagle shorts, Gap Flip Flops

Meet our St. Croix transportation!  Renting a Jeep was definitely a good decision.  We were able to venture out whenever we wanted to, without having to wait for a taxi to pick us up, and the Jeep was specifically a good idea when were were driving through the rain forest and some of the roads were pretty flooded. 

I'll be honest, I don't think my brain could have handled driving on the left.  Turning was especially confusing.  I'm glad John was the driver for the week.  

There was a souvenir shop called "Life in the Left Lane", which I liked because (as a lefty) I am partial to anything that says "left" on it.  They didn't have a huge selection, but I did buy myself a t-shirt!

Worst Day of Vacation = still a good day!

our view from breakfast

On my least favorite day of vacation, we tried to go on a hike.  Now, I'm not the most outdoorsy girl, but I was trying to be a good sport.  After about 45 minutes of hiking on the wrong (very steep) path, and some differing instructions from various people, we finally got on the correct path.  At this point, I was pretty much done with the whole idea of hiking.  I tried my best to power through, but it just wasn't happening.  So, we turned back and went to the beach.  It was sprinkling a bit, but we thought it would clear up soon.  John was out snorkeling, and I was reading a book on the beach.  Then it started raining more and more.  I'm drenched, as well as both of our towels and backpacks.  We finally gave up and went back to our hotel.  This was definitely the worst day of vacation, but we were still on vacation, so I'd say it was a good day anyway!  For some reason, we didn't think of taking any pictures on our failed hike or at the rainy beach.  We did get cleaned up for dinner and take a quick photo - still smiling!

Gap shirt, French Connection Skirt

I wore the same shirt to breakfast the next morning, because it's one of my favorite new shirts!  

Gap shirt, American Eagle shorts, Old Navy Sunglasses and flip flops

Botanical Gardens

Gap gray tank, PacSun red tank, American Eagle shorts, Adidas visor, Gap flipflops

On the second day of vacation, we picked up our rental car, and trekked to the west side of the island.  There are a few touristy spots that we wanted to check out.  I wasn't brave enough to try driving in the left lane, but John had no problems!  The first stop was the St. George Village Botanical Garden, which is located on the ruins of an old sugar cane plantation.  We had fun exploring and there were some pretty cool plants

After that, we decided the other touristy spots didn't sound as much fun as going to the beach, so we went into Frederiksted for lunch (and arguably the most delicious grilled cheese of my life), and then headed to Rainbow Beach for the afternoon.

We ate dinner at the beach as the sun was starting to set.

Then we drove home through the rainforest and it was so pretty!  It smelled just like the rainforest building at the zoo.  I apparently didn't take any pictures as we were driving, but trust me, it was pretty awesome!