When September Ends - Goal Review

Happy Monday!  I'm sure I'll be posting about my mom's visit soon, but unfortunately, it's the end of the month, so I have to do my goal review.  September was better than August, but still not pretty!

• Do a project, mostly sewing - nope.  But I do have an easy sewing project in mind, so that must count for something.  This dress ripped at the seam, so I'm going to chop it into a top instead of a dress.  I thought I'd have time to do it last week, but I have poor time management skills. 
• Work out 3x a week - I think so. 

• Tackle a project around the house - I did clean out the linen closet in the guest bathroom.  It's been a sort of mess since we moved in, because I'm never in there, so it's kind of "out of sight, out of mind."  But I finally organized it and threw away a bunch of stuff! 
• Cook a "real" meal at least 3 days each week - medium.  I don't know - we are home so randomly in the evenings.  I think I did okay. 
• Stick to a clothing budget - while technically over for September, I was using leftovers from prior months, so I'm still on track for the year.
• Read 50 books in 2013 - I finished 4 books in September.  I'm still 2 books behind schedule for the year, but again, once I get done with these 800 page Harry Potter books, I think I'll be able to catch up.  I'll just have to be strategic with a few shorter books.  

We're officially 75% through 2013, and I am not feeling great about my goals.  Maybe 4th quarter will be really awesome.  Are you still working on any goals or NY resolutions?  

Blazer: H&M
Top & Jeans: Gap
Necklace: InPink
Shoes: Target

Closet Inventory - Coats and Shorts

Let's continue the Closet Inventory series with coats and shorts - 2 subsets of my wardrobe that rarely meet!

Ten coats/jackets - for the most part, I don't think of outerwear as part of my "wardrobe," because there's a decent part of the year where I just have to wear a giant coat (and hat/scarf/gloves).  I'm currently in the market for a new denim jacket (because mine is growing holes around the pockets), and a new casual winter coat (because the purple one has always been a little snug).  The khaki jacket on the end probably needs to go, as well.  I don't know when I wore it last.  It's not on the blog anywhere, so it's probably been a couple years.  (Putting in the Goodwill pile now...)  Okay, now I have 9 coats/jackets.  It also seems odd that I don't have a black coat.  I have my eye on this one from J.Crew Factory, so they need to run an additional 50% off soon!

Now to the opposite season for shorts.  Seven pairs of "non-athletic" shorts seems like a good amount!  I think all but 2 of these are new as of this summer.  It seems like there were more options in the medium length range, so I stocked up!  I think these are probably on their last days for the year, but I think they'll all be good for next summer.  Unless we stop liking floral print, which doesn't seem too likely. 

I feel like I'm doing the easiest categories first, so it's just going to get more and more difficult!       

September Shopping

September shopping

This shopping almost all happened over Labor Day weekend.  It may have been retail therapy, but I did get some things from my wishlist, so I wasn't being completely ridiculous.  And everything else was really cheap.  I mean, what was I supposed to do - leave the $3 shoes??  Let's not be crazy, okay!

Here's the damage (not a lot of links available this month - everything is gone):

Payless:
*Cognac Sandals: $4 (originally $20) (worn here)
*Gray booties (similar): $7 (originally $35)
*Nude flats: $20 (originally $30) (worn here)

TJMaxx:
Michael Kors Striped tank: $7 (originally $70)
Jones NY Striped Blazer: $7 (originally $109)
*Nine West Sunglasses: $10 (originally $55)  (worn here)
Restricted Wedges: $3 (originally $65)  (worn here)

Banana Republic:
Anchor tee: $4 (originally $40) (worn here)

Gap:
Star tee: $6 (originally $23)  (worn here)
White Tank: $6 (originally $23)  (worn here)
Striped tank: $5 (originally $25)

Limited:
Polka Dot Skinny Jeans $10 (originally $80)  (worn here)
*Bootcut Jeans $45 (originally $75)  (worn here)
Dalmatian print belt $3.50 (originally $33) 
*Mint necklace $7 (originally $30)  (worn here)

Athleta (used $25 GC that I won from Kim)
*Tankini Top:  $35 (originally $72)
*Swim bottom:  $30 (originally $42)

Spent:$202.50  (originally $827)

Minus GC: -$25
Earned Selling Consignment: $20.48

Total out of pocket: $157.02

Other than my little purchases adding up (which I should be more careful about), I did find a few very important items that made up the bulk of my spending.  Bootcut jeans, nude flats and a swimsuit have been on my "difficult to find/willing to spend more on" list for probably a year.  You might think it is odd to buy a swimsuit at the end of summer, but I big plans to start swimming at the gym.  I just need to learn how to swim - it can't be that hard, right??       

I also had enough leftovers from prior months, so I am still on track for my annual budget, with even a little extra.  October is my birthday month, so I shouldn't be shopping much, in case people buy me presents from my wishlist (hint, hint).  

As always, I'm linking up with Fran for the Shopaholics Anonymous - I mean, Budgeting Bloggers.  

Stars and Maps

Stars are the new polka dots, haven't you heard?  Or maybe I'm just making that up.  Either way, I really liked these star print tees at Gap over the summer, but I didn't want to pay $25 for them, so I just waited patiently and bought it over Labor Day weekend.

In completely unrelated news, have you seen this?   40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World

One of my friends posted it on Facebook and I just think it's really cool.  Especially #40, where South is on top - so weird to look at the map that way!

Anyway, I hope you all have a lovely weekend!  

I'm linking up with Favorite Fashion Friday and Casual Friday.

Tee, Cardigan, & Shoes: Gap
Jeans: Limited

J.Crew Inspiration

Here's the Inspiration for my outfit of stripes and leopard print.  It was also a good excuse to debut my new $3 shoes.  I don't know when TJ Maxx got a "final sale" clearance section, but I am a fan!

I don't really know what else to say today.  Just have to get through the rest of the week and then my mom gets here on Friday!  By my calculations, I haven't seen her since last Thanksgiving, so I'm pretty excited.  Plus we are going to see a performance of Les Mis on Saturday, which should be amazing, as always.         

I'm linking up with Pinned It & Did It, What I Wore to Work, Look What I Got, and Tres-Chic.


Cardigan: Target
Top: Old Navy
Skirt: J.Crew Factory
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Shoes: Restricted via TJ Maxx

Boyfriends

I'm a big fan of boyfriend cardigans and boyfriend jeans, but the names don't really make sense.  I understand that it's supposed to look like I stole this cardigan from my boyfriend.  But let's be honest - I've never known a boy who wears cardigans, much less bright coral ones.  My gray cardigan is a little more masculine, but it looks more like I borrowed it from my grandpa (and I never saw either of my grandpas in a cardigan either).    

Also, I don't currently have a boyfriend.  My last boyfriend was so cool that I decided to marry him, and he was so smart that he decided to marry me.  Sorry - that got a little sappy!

Linking up with  What I Wore and What I Wore to Work.

Tee: Banana Republic
Cardigan: Old Navy
Jeans: Jessica Simpson
Shoes: Payless

Order in the Court

Apparently my new recipe for getting dressed is a graphic tee + skirt + boyfriend cardi + cute flats.  (exhibit A)  Apparently I also like to include "exhibit A" language in my posts about these outfits.  I have no idea why.  Maybe it's because middle school Andi wanted to be a lawyer.  Then I worked for lawyers when I was in high school and I didn't want to be one anymore.  Then one of my favorite college classes was Business Law, but it wasn't enough to sway me back into the legal field.  So I'll just use what I imagine may be legal jargon on my fashion blog.  Everyone wins.  Except for actual lawyers, because they will probably be embarrassed by my improper use of said jargon.  OBJECTION!  SUSTAINED!  HEARSAY! ALLEGATIONS!  I should really watch more Law & Order to brush up on this stuff!

I rest my case.  

Tee & Shoes: Gap
Cardigan: Marisa Kristina
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Skirt: Old Navy

Random Thoughts for Monday

Here are just a few random thoughts for your Monday:

• Last week, I saw a car with eyelashes.  Have you heard of these?  I don't even know what to say.  If you have carlashes, I will probably be judging you.  
• If my hair looks extra lustrous to you, it's because I ran out of my regular conditioner, so I've been using the Neutrogena Triple Moisture Hair Mask.  It says you just need a small amount on a weekly basis to get lustrous hair, but I've been using a large amount on a daily basis and it seems to be working quite well.  
• A very large spider has been lurking above the door from our garage into our house.  Yesterday afternoon, he was hovering directly over my head when I got out of the car.  I called in reinforcements (husband), and the spider won't be bothering me anymore. 
• Yesterday, I had my first Salted Caramel Mocha Creme Frappuccino of the season!  Delicious!
• This outfit is from Sunday.  After church, we went out for lunch downtown.  I thought we should take pictures with a cool background, but I didn't have my camera, and there were lots of hobos around, so we just went home.  Maybe next time!  
• These shoes are falling apart.  I need to find some replacements soon!  
• My mom is coming to visit on Friday!  I'm pretty excited to hang out with her this weekend!  

I hope you all have a lovely week!  

Scarf: Forever 21
Top: H&M
Skirt: Sunny Leigh
Shoes: Gap

Closet Inventory - Blazers and Skirts

One of my big projects for the summer was supposed to be a big closet inventory and clean-out. Well, I think it's safe to say that summer is pretty much over, and I haven't accomplished my task.  I've gotten rid of quite a few things, but it's been pretty random.  I'd like to have a more organized approach to the closet purge.  This leads me to the inventory.  

So far, the inventory piece has been a summary of my blog labels, copied into excel and then adding certain things I want to track, like year added, price (if I remember), and (where applicable), year removed.
I've decided to tackle this project one item type at a time, and I will post each time I finish a section of organization.  I'm hoping to do at least one post a week, most likely on Saturdays.

First up, blazers!  This is easy, because I only have 6.

And here's a screenshot of my spreadsheet, to give you an idea of what I'm doing.  I also have columns where I break out Brand, Item Type, and Color, so I can filter that way, as well. It's getting kind of nerdy.  Gap is definitely winning the brand category.

As you can see, most of these blazers have been added to my closet in the last year.  The 2 velvet ones are on thin ice, and may have to be sold/donated in a couple months.  They only seem appropriate when it is cold outside, but they aren't warm enough to skip a coat, and they don't really work under a coat, so I rarely wear them.  As far as wanting more blazers, I would like a bright pink blazer, but I don't think that qualifies as a need or "closet hole" by any means.

Next up - skirts!  This is also pretty easy, because I have a lot of skirts, but I wear them a lot, too.  Here's the line up: 

I'm not going to include the full grid for every item type (unless you want that, so let me know), because that could get long, but there are 20 skirts pictured here.  Not hanging in the closet are my purple maxi skirt and my black silk skirt.  When it comes to skirts, I am mostly looking out for replacements.  Both my polka dot pencil skirt and gold skirt are starting to look a little rough.  I also want a truer red pencil skirt.  My new one from J.Crew factory is a little bit more orange than I wanted, but it was final sale, and I still really love it.  Otherwise, I feel like I have a pretty good mix of colors, prints, styles.  I'm definitely a skirt person, so 22 doesn't seem unreasonable!

So, skirts and blazers down, only twenty-five categories to go!  I'm hoping to tackle my more summery items next, to get those pared down before I push them to the back of my closet. 

Let me know if you have any advice for cleaning out the closet, or other pieces of information you want to know.  Hopefully I'm not just being narcissistic, but I think it is interesting when other bloggers share their closet details, so I'm doing it too!

Movie vs. Book - Warm Bodies

When I saw the previews for the Warm Bodies movie, I really wanted to see it.  It just looked quirky and fun.  Zombie romantic comedy?  What a cool idea!  Of course, I had to read the book first, because that's just how I roll.

Book review:  4/5 - It's basically Romeo and Juliet, but Romeo happens to be a zombie.  (I mean, the main characters are R and Julie, so yeah). 

I really enjoyed the beginning.  It was funny and endearing (and sort of horrifying at times).   The author does a great job of making the main character sweet even though he's a zombie.  His instinct is to kill/eat humans, but he's sort of fighting against that.  Then he meets the girl and he really starts to change.  Their interactions were wonderfully written.  I just loved the whole part where he is trying to explain things, and she's confused and scared, but he wants to protect her, and act normal.  The second half of the book gets a little bit less awesome as they deal with their new human/zombie friendship/romance, and how that works in the context of everything else.  I still liked it, but just not quite as much as the first half.  I won't spoil the ending,but I thought it was clever and made sense.

Movie review:  4/5 - different, but still good

For the most part, I thought the movie was pretty true to the book.  There were little differences (skip these if you don't want spoilers): 

• R's outfit - in the book, he wears a suit, and assumes he was a businessman before he died.  In the movie, he's just wearing a hoodie and jeans.  Not a huge difference, but I thought it was a weird thing to change.  Were they trying to make him seem younger? 
• R's wife and kids in the zombie camp - I'm glad they cut this.  In the book, it was kind of weird, but easy enough to explain in a couple sentences.  It would have been too awkward in the movie.  
• Julie's dinner - one of my favorite parts of the book, but they mostly cut it from the movie.  After he takes her back to his 'home', she is hungry, and he tries to find her food.  It was sweet and funny, so I wish the movie had kept it.  There was a shortened version, but it was very straightforward, without the awkward moments.

...But those differences weren't enough to change the main point of the story.   Some other things were bigger and changed the story a bit.  I won't list all of them, but the BIG one is the ending.  Spoilers:  In the book, R spends more time in the human safe zone and accidentally kills someone, Julie's dad refuses to believe R is changing, and actually gets killed at the end.  The movie takes a lighter tone, as Julie's dad seems to soften to the idea of R changing.  I know it is ridiculous to say about a zombie rom-com, but the movie ending just didn't seem as believable!   

So I am happy to say that I can enjoy both a movie and a book, despite their differences!  I was beginning to think I should just stop seeing movies based on books.

Have you seen or read Warm Bodies?  What did you think?

Graphic Tee

I basically have ESP.  Exhibit A - I was already wearing this outfit on Friday when I read Bri's Third Thursday Threads announcement for "Dressed up tees" - brilliant!  There is no Exhibit B for my sixth sense, but I think I've proved my point.

This outfit was inspired by the fact that it was Friday, and I wanted to be comfortable, but I was also going to see Stomp after work, so I wanted to be a little bit fancy.  I think I achieved my goal, because this sparkly gold skirt always makes me feel fancy.  This is one of the Threadless tees I scored at Gap earlier in the summer for $2.50 and I've worn it a lot, but never on the blog.

Stomp was good, but not as good as I expected it to be.  There were some really cool moments, but it started to feel really repetitive.  It was like the same scene over and over but now they are using brooms, and now they are using matchboxes, and now trashcans.  I guess I just expected it more from it.  I was also really distracted by their outfits, because it was sort of like 1991 called and wanted their clothing back.

Have you seen Stomp?  What did you think?

I'm obviously linking up for Third Thursday Threads, as well as What I Wore to Work, Look What I Got, and Tres-Chic.

Tee and Skirt: Gap
Cardigan: Old Navy
Shoes: Target

The End of Shorts Season

Since tomorrow is Third Thursday Threads time, I'm thinking ahead and doing my Pinned it and Did it post on Wednesday.  This type of pre-planning is really impressive for me, because one of my top skills is procrastinating.  Seriously, if someone would pay me to NOT do the things I'm supposed to do, that would be great.

My inspiration comes from a Loft catalog.  When I saw it, I had none of the pieces, but I just loved the look.  Fast forward to the end of summer and I have a chambray popover and some white shorts.  I still haven't found the perfect black/white striped cardigan, but polka dots are a good replacement.

I suspect this may be my last shorts outfit of the year, but maybe summer will hold on a bit longer.  I love layers, scarves, and boots as much as the next OOTD blogger, but I don't love the icy/snowy/frigid temps that generally come with the fashions!    

Cardigan: Old Navy
Top and Shorts: J.Crew factory
Shoes: Target

Literary Junkies Day

 

Oh hey, 3rd Tuesday of the month! It must be time to talk about books with the Literary Junkies!  This is perfect, because I went to a book signing last week and got my picture taken with the brilliant Rainbow Rowell.  Yes, I may be biased because she has big hair and wears cool shoes, but she's also a great author who happens to live in Omaha!  I bought Fangirl at the signing on Thursday, and finished reading it Saturday afternoon, so I guess you could say I enjoyed it.        

Without any further ado, here are this month's questions:  

• What are you currently reading? Tell us about it!
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - book 5!  After loving #4, I'm really excited to see what happens next.  I'm also reading The One Hundred by Nina Garcia.  It's basically a dictionary of the basics every woman should own (although, I'm not convinced I will ever require a cape).    
• Autumn is coming! What's your go-to drink when curling up with a book at night?
• Well, everyone else gets excited about Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but I'm more excited that Starbucks can now make my Salted Caramel Mocha Creme Frappuccino!  No coffee for me, thanks!  At home, I'm usually drinking water, or if it is cold outside, I may opt for some hot chocolate.  
• Printed books vs. e-books: What are the pros and cons of each?
• Currently, I prefer printed books.  I don't have a Kindle or iPad, but I've read a few books using the Kindle app on my phone.  It's okay, but I'd rather have a real book with pages.  I'm sure I will change my mind at some point, but for now, I'll stay old-fashioned!  
• Buying books vs. library books: Which do you prefer and why?
• Libraries are made of magic!  I love my library and go there almost every week to drop off and pick up books.  Their website is awesome, so I just put a hold on books that I want, and then they email me when it is ready for pickup.  So efficient!  The only problem is when 7 books come up as available at the same time, and I only have 3 weeks to read them all.  Sacrifices must be made, and I just put them back on my request list.  I very rarely buy books these days.  The last few books I've purchased have been at book signings or the airport!  My bookshelves are full, and books are heavy and expensive, so I'm happy to borrow and return from the library! 

I'm skipping our book club chat on Twitter tonight because the book is Seabiscuit.  As I mentioned here, this was "required summer reading" before my freshman year of college.  I thought it was stupid to have summer homework before starting college, so I just didn't read it.  For some reason, my rebellious teenager attitude persists about this book.  I'm sure it's a great story, but I won't be reading it any time soon.  

Dress: Banana Republic outlet
Cardigan: J.Crew Factory

Peer Pressure

Happy Monday!  The weekend went by too fast, but that's pretty standard.  It was a pretty low key weekend for me.  I spent most of Saturday reading, and then most of Sunday doing household tasks that I've been neglecting.

After seeing a million Instagrams about the Philip Lim for Target line, I decided to check it out during my grocery trip.  Apparently Omahans aren't as interested in these designer collaborations, because it didn't look picked over at all this afternoon.  Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed.  The half-embellished collars just look awkward to me, the leopard print is too orange, and the things I do like are too expensive.  There are a couple tops I will keep an eye out for, and maybe pick up if they appear in the clearance section.

The little blogging devil on my shoulder was telling me to buy one of the purses, because everyone else was doing it, but my practical side won out this time.  Let's be honest here, I've never spent $50 on a purse!

Did you check out the line?  Did you buy anything?

Dress: Target
Cardigan & Belt: Old Navy
Shoes: Target

Book Review - Harry Potter #3 and #4

After years of resistance, I finally decided to read the Harry Potter books.  The first and second book were just okay, but I had decided to read all 7, so I somewhat reluctantly continued.  Here are my thoughts on books 3 and 4.  For the 2 people left in the world who haven't read these, there may be some spoilers, but nothing too terrible (Harry is a wizard!  WHAT?!).

The Prisoner of Azkaban started out very slow.  It was basically the exact same intro as the first 2 books.  Harry is sad because his mean muggle relatives don't like him, and they don't let him do magic, and they ignore his birthday, and then something ridiculous and magical happens and they get really mad, and then he leaves for wizard school.  These chapters just felt very tedious to me, but I have to remind myself that her target audience is children, and they may have more patience for the exact same introductory chapters.

That said, about halfway through the book, I got really interested.  Good thing I was on vacation and was able to finish it in about 2 days!   

After really enjoying the end of book 3, I was excited to read book 4.  Then I had a pile of books from the library that I had to fit in, and then I had to return book 4 before I read it.  So then about a month later, I finally got to it.

The Goblet of Fire starts the story right away.  I was hooked from the beginning, because there was more action, and everything seemed to be relevant to the story, and not just intro filler.  I really loved book 4 and just wanted to read it all the time.  (FYI, this book is large and was very awkward to read while on the exercise bike at the gym.  I know people were giving me funny looks!)

There's probably nothing new left to say about these books, but as a first time reader, a few random thoughts:

•  Harry has anger issues - or maybe Rowling just really enjoys using words like "furious."  
• Trust no one!  I've learned that the people who seem evil probably aren't, and the people who seem trustworthy probably are actually evil.   I'm not really surprised when the truth is revealed, but I would never have guessed the endings. 
• Note - this is embarrassing, but I had read on Wikipedia that David Tennant plays Barty Crouch in the movie, and I like David Tennant, because he was Dr. Who, and very nice/trustworthy.  So when Barty Crouch was introduced, I kind of liked him, even though he's not a very likable character.  Now that I've finished reading, I noticed that Tennant actually plays Barty Crouch Jr, which changes everything.  But I admit I am biased by ridiculous things.  
• Ron and Hermione are so obviously in love with each other.  Don't tell me if I'm right, but I suspect they will get married or something. 

Book 5 is on request from the library, so hopefully I will start it next week!  I'm hoping each book will be better than the previous one, because that's the rumor I have heard!  

Have you read Harry Potter?  Fan or not?  Anyone out there like me who still hasn't read them or seen the movies?

Polka Dot Week Recap - and Shopping Tips

1/2/3/4/5

Polka Dot Week is officially over!  Thanks to everyone who linked up yesterday (and the linkup will be live for a week, so there is still time if you want to join in)!  I'd also love your feedback on the theme week!  Would you like me to do a theme every so often (maybe once a month)?   I'm thinking the possible themes are endless, so it might be fun!  Let me know what you think!

AND if you are interested in adding more polka dots to your closet, you are in luck, because they are pretty easy to find this fall!  Here are some options, at various price points.  What are your favorites?

Classic Black and White 

Forever 21 dress / LOFT dress / J.Crew long sleeve shirt / Love 21 flat top / Sequin top / Embellished top / Merona blazer / Skirt / Gap / Gap tight / Black skirt / Mossimo black shoes / Chooka rubber boots / Black handbag / Forever 21 tech accessory

Colorful Options

Green top / Gap polka dot shirt / Gap sweater pullover / Forever 21 long sweater / Gap jacket / LOFT long jacket / J.Crew j crew jeans / J.Crew j crew jeans / J.Crew long polka dot skirt / Ann Taylor petite long skirt / Mid rise skinny jeans / Polka dot skirt / Mix No. 6 heel pump / Forever 21 platform shoes / Tote bag / Pink handbag / Gap scarve / Tech accessory / Old Navy polka dot scarf

Polka Dot Week - Cardigan and LINK-UP!

 

Cardigan: Target
Tank & Belt: Gap
Shorts: J.Crew factory
Sandals: Payless

Polka Dot Week is coming to an end, which means it is time to link up your looks.  I'm excited to see everyone's outfits!

This is from last Saturday, when John and I went out to dinner.  It was very hot outside, but I knew it would be chilly in the restaurant, so I figured shorts and a sweater were a good compromise.  I had this outfit in my mind, but wasn't sure how it would translate to real life.  I was nervous at first (so much white!), but really like how it turned out.  I just wish these shorts didn't get so wrinkly!

Now for the link-up!  This is my first time running one of these, so please let me know if there are any issues.  

I'm also linking up with Favorite Fashion Friday and Casual Friday.

Polka Dot Week - Skirt

Polka Dot Week continues with my Barbie skirt!  As I mentioned the last time I wore it, I'm having trouble knowing what to wear with this skirt.  I don't know why, but I just have "outfit block" or something.  What do fashion bloggers call it?

Anyway, I looked at Pinterest, but it wasn't very helpful.  Then I was reading blogs the other day and saw Laura rocking her pink and white patterned shorts!  I love how she paired the navy/mint with the pink/white shorts and thought it would be a perfect copycat with my skirt. 

I really loved this outfit!  It was comfortable and cool for the crazy hot weather, but I still felt pretty fancy.  And I got to wear my new Limited necklace!  I've been looking for a mint necklace for several months, and this one was on clearance for $6, so I snagged it.  It's not exactly what I had in mind, so I may keep looking, but it is pretty cute.

Don't forget to link up with me tomorrow and show off how you have been wearing polka dots!  I'm excited to see more inspiration! 

I'm linking up for Pinned it & Did it, What I Wore to Work, Look What I Got, and Tres-Chic!

Top: Gap
Necklace: Limited
Skirt: Chaus via Dillard's
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Shoes: BCBGeneration