Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was pretty great!  It seems like weekends are always really busy, so I was kind of excited to have nothing on the agenda.  A free weekend gave me the opportunity to do a few things that I've been meaning to do for awhile, including (but not limited to):

• Having some newer friends over for dinner Friday.  
• Giving myself a much-needed haircut.  It seems really short to me, but only one person noticed at church, so it's probably not obvious at all.  I mean, it's more like armpit length than elbow length.  My curls are so springy now!  
• Catching up on all the ironing, while watching several episodes of Once Upon a Time.  Such a fun show - why has no one told me to watch it?  Maybe it's terrible and I just have bad taste!   
• A much needed real date night.  I mean, I pretty much call it a date any time John and I go out to dinner.  But this was an official date.  We're talking dinner, mini-golf, fro-yo.  I'm a simple girl!      

This outfit has nothing to do with the weekend.  I actually wore it to work last Monday.  I hope you are prepared to see these sandals quite a bit, because they will likely be a summer closet MVP.

Scarf: H&M (similar)
Tank: Loft (similar)
Belt: Gap (similar)
Skirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Sandals: Target (similar)

June Shopping

It all started because of this cardigan.  My sister told me that they were marked down to $10 in stores, and there was an additional 40% off sale.  I also had an email coupon that gave me $10 off if I reserved something online, so I was like "Hey, free cardigan!"  This is a trick, you guys.  Retailers always trick me.  I tried on so many things, but only came home with 3:  this dress, this shirt, and these shorts.  If you are wondering about the cardigan, they didn't actually have my size in navy, and I tried on a different color and hated the fit.  Way too slouchy. But they still gave me the $10 off! 

I tried on this dress in navy, this dress in white/navy, this dress, and this skirt.  They were all just a tad too short. I would like to start a petition that larger sizes have a bit more length.  Yes, there are tall women who wear size 2, and there are short women who wear size 14, but as a general rule, shouldn't a Large be longer than a Small??  Or am I just crazy? This dress and this dress are the same style, I think, but I tried on both because one was in a Tall size.  The length was great, but unfortunately it had kind of a dropped waist and looked quite terrible on me.  (Free advice - Drop waists are not a good style for ladies who carry their weight in the middle.)

So then I was at Target, and I've been thinking about buying these Cognac Sandals, but I was going to wait until July, since I was trying not to shop much in June.  Then I decided that was silly, because I'm going to get them - it doesn't matter when I do it.  Waiting was just running the risk that they'd be gone.

Anyway, here's the official list of what I bought:

Gap
Striped dress:  $15 (originally $70) (worn here)
White shorts:  $10 (originally $40)
Camo/Stripe shirt: $5 (originally $27)    

Loft
White Tank:  $5 (originally $30) (similar)

Target:
Cognac Sandals: $20 (not even on sale, I'm so ashamed!)  (worn here)

Lucky B Boutique:
Necklace: used a giftcard (originally $24 - marked to $12) (worn here)

Total spent: $55 (originally $187)

I feel pretty good about this month.  I got some replacement pieces, and a couple fun new things.  Plus I only spent about half of my monthly budget, so I have $45 rolling over into July.  I like to have a little extra buffer each month.

As always, linking up with Franish for Budgeting Bloggers. 

Goals Shmoals

So, what ever happened to my goals anyway?  I did quarterly check-in posts in 2012, and then monthly in 2013 - never with consistent success.  I intended to make some new 2014 goals and then continue the monthly updates, but then I just didn't.  And I'm okay with it.  I'm actually doing better with all my "goals" without them being articulated.  Apparently I just rebel against authority, even my own.  (I'll be like "I'm going to do such and such thing this year" and then I'm like "No one tells me what to do!") 

For example, reading 50 books a year has been my goal for the past few years.  I've just barely met it, usually reading a short book in the last couple days of December.  This year, I didn't make an official goal, but I've read 40 already.  That's ridiculous.  I always thought people were crazy when they said they read 100 books in a year, but if I keep up this rate, I'll be at 80.  And I don't even read super fast or spend all my free time in a book.  So I now believe the 100-books-in-a-year readers. 

Another often missed goal for me has been exercising on a regular basis.  I would set reasonable expectations like 3x a week and completely fail.  So I decided that I should try to workout every day.  Every.Single.Day.  And I did for all of January.  And now even when I fail, I'm at the gym 3-4 times in a week.  So failure now is really success.  And since I didn't officially make a goal of working out every day, it's not really failure.

These 2 things really work together, because I read while I'm riding the bike at the gym.  I don't like exercising, but I like reading.  If I make myself go to the gym, that's an hour of free reading time!  I'm bribing myself a little bit, but it works!       

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I haven't completely abandoned self-improvement activities, but I just no longer set myself up for failure.  Halfway through the year seemed like a good time to do that.  And now you know the amount of trickery that is required to get myself to do things!
Dress: Old Navy (option, option)
Scarf: J.Crew Factory (exact)
Sandals: Carlos Santana (option, option)

Out With the Old

Meet my new black and white striped dress.  Because the Old Navy one I got in January just wasn't quite right.  For starters, it was really too short to be worn without tights.  I shouldn't have things like that, because I either forget and wear it in the summer, and then feel awkward all day, or it just takes up space in my closet for half the year.  I don't want to have a closet full of things that only work with certain other things.

So anyway, I'd been on the lookout for a replacement black/white striped sleeveless dress, and found this one at Gap.  It's perfect. 

Also on the way out - these sandals.  They seemed like a good idea last year when I bought them for $4, but I quickly learned that they are super painful after about an hour of wearing them.  The strappy intersection digs into the top of my foot and it's just terrible.  Strappy flat sandals are tricky for those of us with super high arches.  Lesson learned.  I actually wore the Payless ones to work, and about halfway through the day, decided to go buy these ones from Target, which I changed into for the evening activities of washing machine shopping.  I even documented the switch on Instagram!

Speaking of the washing machine, we are back in business!  We bought it Monday around 8pm and it got delivered around midnight.  So far, I've run the "calibration" load.  This washing machine is basically a robot. Hopefully it works well!    

Dress: Gap (exact)
Belt: Gap (similar)
Sandals: Target (similar)

Dress Week Overflow

Dress Week is officially over, but I've still been wearing dresses most days.  It's just easier than deciding on a top and a bottom to wear each day.  Also, my posts are generally about a week behind the day I actually wear something, and I felt like wearing dresses in real life during blog Dress Week.  So, more dresses it is. Hope you don't mind.  

Remember back in April, when I participated in the Looking Lucky challenge?  Well, I won a gift card!  YAY!  And I finally picked out this necklace, which arrived about 2 days after I ordered it.  I thought it'd be a fun accent for my plane dress.  I even pinned my hair back so the necklace was more visible.  I really need to learn some cute hairstyles for summer.  (90+ degree super humid days don't play nice with my hair!)

Dress: eShakti (navy option)
Necklace: LuckyB Boutique (exact)
Belt: Steve Madden (similar)
Bangles: Charming Charlie
Shoes: Seychelles (similar)

Junkstock (aka Not Festival Style, Pt 2)

Have you ever heard of Junkstock?  Well, I hadn't until I was invited to go with a group of friends on Saturday.  It's basically a little antique festival in a field.  I'm not super into antiques, but it was still fun to hang out with friends and look around at all the crazy stuff.  It's amazing to me how much they charge for stuff that I could have just scavenged from my grandpa's farm 15 years ago.  But that was before Pinterest taught us all how to do crazy DIY projects and decorate our homes with refashioned junk.  Here are some random things I took pictures of:

My new arrow tattoo.  Just kidding - it's the entry stamp!  A silver tea set.  Kansas earrings that I probably would have bought if I didn't have sensitive ears.  And a Hershey cocoa tin robot, because obviously.  

    

I was very tempted to buy the Mrs. & Smith pendants.  They are from an old friendship quilt, but were $20 each.  Too expensive.  Buckets with numbers on them!  Charming Bible stories - I am curious how they are different from regular Bible stories.  And tea light candle towers that I think I could probably manage to make myself!  Maybe someday...

I only bought 2 things:  a bottle of water and a sno cone.  Because I have priorities!  

sno cone buddies

Oh, and I even remembered to get an outfit photo by the windmill!  Very simple outfit for trekking around the antique shops.  I should have worn older shoes, because it was super muddy!  My Chucks have a little more character now.  

I'm afraid the background of this picture just reinforces all the stereotypes about Nebraska.  I promise I really do live in a city!

Top: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Shorts: Gap (similar, similar, similar)
Shoes: Converse (similar)
Purse: Dooney & Bourke (exact)

Juicing

Now for something completely different...

I'm way behind on the juicing trend, but finally decided to try it out.  I'm hoping it will help me get some fruits/veggies into my diet, because I've never been able to eat them like a normal person.  Fairly sure I'm a supertaster. 

For my first attempt, I started with a recipe from this site.  #2 and #6 were basically the same, but with optional mint or ginger.  I didn't have either, so I just went with the basic idea, and I threw in an extra apple for good measure.  According to all the juicing websites I've read, this should have been pretty good.  Rumor has it that celery and carrots are a great base and don't have a strong flavor, so I should have mostly tasted the apple.   FALSE.  I mostly tasted celery.  Maybe it was the smell, I don't know.  But it was pretty gross.  I made myself drink it, but it was tough.

For my second attempt, I  made Pomegranate Pizzazz.  Again, the internet told me cucumber would be very mild, and I figured the orange, apple, lemon, and pomegranate would blend together nicely to cover the cucumber taste.  Again, the internet lies!  I mostly tasted cucumber.  I might try this again without the cucumber.

Third try is supposed to be the charm, right?  Well, not if you use this recipe.  Basically the grapefruit took over and I couldn't taste any of the other flavors.  I also accidentally bought nectarines instead of peaches.  I was embarrassed until I realized they are basically the same, with or without the fuzz.  

So, I'm going to keep trying.  My next attempt is probably going to involve grapes, cherries, and apples.  I know I like all of those flavors, so even if one of them dominates the juice, it should still taste good.

Do any of you use a juicer?  Any advice for someone who has a very particular palate?  And don't worry, I won't share every single juice recipe I try, but I figured I should share my beginner's juicing woes with you all!

Dress Week - Purple Pleats

For the grand finale of Dress Week, I'm wearing a dress with not one, but TWO shades of purple on it.  I know - it's out of control.  Make sure you check out everyone who linked up, especially my super awesome co-host Heidi!  You can still link up until Monday, so you have the whole weekend to get something together if you want!

It's been one of those weeks where Murphy's Law has been strong.  You know, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.  Nothing huge, but these little things start to add up.  Spilled milk all over the car, broken washing machine, running out of clean clothes, accidentally punching myself in the face - you know, regular stuff.  I may have to hang out at the laundromat some this weekend.  Also the washing machine store.  I hope you have something more exciting planned!

Dress: Limited
Scarf: H&M (similar)
Belt: Steve Madden (similar)
Shoes: Target  (flat version)

Dress Week - Summer Essentials

It's Third Thursday Threads day!!  Again, it's working out that my theme weeks play nicely with Bri's themes.  And we had a little ESP(n) going this month, because I sent her a guest post all about Summer Must-Haves before I saw the TTT theme.  Great minds, I tell ya!

So here's a pretty typical summer outfit for me:  light dress + bright colored cardigan + belt + comfortable shoes.

That's a formula for easy summer style.  Plus, this dress is famous!  It was on the season 2 finale of New Girl!  I wish that Zooey Deschanel had been wearing it (that would be cooler), but it was just Schmidt's girlfriend.  Anyone else get excited when their clothes are on TV?

Dress Week is still going strong!  Linkup below!

Dress: Target (similar)
Cardigan: Gap (similar)
Belt: NY&C0 (similar)
Shoes: Old Navy (similar without captoe)

Dress Week - Neglected Neutral

Dress week continues!  **Linkup after the jump.**
This dress was saved from the back of my closet during the inventory.  I haven't worn it in over a year, but I thought it was worth keeping.  I love the fit and fabric, but the color seems awkward for me to style.  But I got 2 compliments from people specifically about the color, so maybe I'm crazy.  I do really love how it looks with my leopard cardigan! 

Cardigan: H&M
Dress: Old Navy
Necklace: F21
Belt: Steve Madden
Shoes: J.Crew Factory

Dress Week - LBD (and book talk)

What would Dress Week be without the LBD?  I really love this dress - I've said it before, but I got it from Ann Taylor for $7.  I've definitely gotten my price per wear to under 50cents.

Anyway, it's Literary Junkies day.  Here are the questions and my answers:

• What are you reading? Tell us about it!  I'm just a few chapters into This is Where I Leave You.  So far, I like it.  It seems to walk the fine line between funny and sad.
• Library or bookstore? Library all the way!  My local library is awesome! I'm really excited about a few books that are coming out this fall, because I'm near the top of the wait list at the library - this means I will probably get them pretty soon after they are released, but I don't have to pay!    
• What book(s) have you read and re-read several times?  I don't really reread books.  There are too many new ones to read, I don't want to waste time reading something when I already know what happens.  There are a few books I read as a kid that I don't remember at all and would like to read again, but they won't make it to the top of my list for awhile.  The only book I purposely read over and over again is the Bible.  
• What is the first book that made you fall in love with reading?  No idea!  I have loved to read since before I can remember. 
• Who's your favorite author? Tell us so we can binge-read!  I'm so bad at picking favorites!  A couple more recent favorites are Neil Gaiman and Rainbow Rowell.  They are very different, but both wonderful!  

Have you read anything good lately?

Also remember you can keep linking up your dress looks throughout the week!  

Scarf: Target
Dress: Ann Taylor
Belt: chinese Laundry
Sandals: Carlos Santana

Dress Week - Three in One

Get excited!  It's time for another theme week.  This time, we're featuring dresses.  My lovely co-host is Heidi from Literate & Stylish.  I'm starting off the week with a three-fer of iPhone mirror photos.  Because I do what I want!

These three outfits are from my work conference last week.  My hotel room didn't have any good location to build a makeshift tripod tower, so I just ended up doing iphone mirror selfies.  And I forgot to take a picture of my Tuesday daytime dress. (it was this one)

JCF jacket, Old Navy Dress, Chinese Laundry Belt, Sperry Shoes

First up, this is what I wore for traveling on Sunday.   It was comfortable but not too casual.  When I got to the conference, I traded my jacket and Sperrys for a navy cardigan and navy flats for the opening happy hour.  Then I switched back into this outfit for dinner with my team. 

JCF cardigan, Gap Dress, NY&Co Belt, Old Navy Shoes

This was my Monday outfit.  I was in meetings all day and then took clients out to dinner, so I needed to have comfortable shoes, but still look polished.  Also the meeting rooms were like 60 degrees, so I was very happy to have a cardigan. 

Gibson&Latimer Dress, NY&Co Belt, Old Navy Shoes

Tuesday evening was the finale dinner.  I kept it simple in this floral dress, which has been one of my favorites in the past year or so.  I did not have a cardigan to go with it, so I just froze. 

Over 4 days in St. Louis, I barely went outside at all.  We were right by the arch, but I never had the time even walk over and see it properly.  I'm glad I have been there quite a few times, so I wasn't missing out on my only chance to see it! 

Now it's your turn - link up your dresses below (after the jump).  I'll be sharing 4 more this week.  And make sure you check out Heidi's blog to see what she's wearing.   If you want to join in on Instagram or Twitter, you can just use #dressweek.

Also, go check out my guest post all about Summer Must-Haves on Work Clothes, I Suppose.  Spoiler alert - dresses are on the list! 

Book Review - The Rosie Project

If you haven't already read The Rosie Project, go ahead and put it at the top of your list.  It might be my new favorite for 2014, and I've really loved several books this year.  Don't read the synopsis on Goodreads; it gives you way too much of the story line.    

Don Tillman is a socially awkward genetics professor, who decides to use logic to find a wife.  Don is sweet and naive and I just loved him!  He's a more likable version of Sheldon Cooper.

The cast of characters is perfect.  Don's friends are trying to help him, but they have their own issues to deal with.  Hilarious misunderstandings abound, as Don takes everything literally.    

I like books that surprise me, but I also like books with closure.  I feel like the ending was just the right balance of those two sometimes competing desires.  I'm now anxiously waiting for the second book!  (definitely don't read that synopsis if you haven't read the first book). 

Really Random Thoughts

So it's Wednesday, huh?  If everything has gone according to plan, I'll be sleeping in this morning and then flying home from St. Louis in the afternoon.  I've been working nonstop the last 3 days at my company conference.  As I write this, my guess is that I've had a great time and am completely exhausted. 

Here's an outfit from last week.  As I edited photos, I noticed my pocket is all goofy, but it's too late to go back.  You probably wouldn't have noticed, but I had to mention it, so if you notice, you'll know that I know.    

It's almost time for another theme week!  I'm joining forces with Heidi next week to wear dresses for 5 posts in a row!  This is another theme I should probably just do a whole month of.  Sorry for the dangling preposition.  I'd feel pretentious if I said "This is another theme for which I should probably do a whole month."  And sometimes grammar takes a backseat to icky feelings.  I also like to sometimes split infinitives.  So now you know all my dark secrets.

Anyway, DRESS WEEK starts on June 16th!  Join us for one day or all days or somewhere in between!  Or zero days if you aren't into dresses. 

**Disclaimer - I wrote this after a 15+ hour workday, so I'm a little loopy. 

Cardigan, Blouse, Skirt: Gap
Shoes: Old Navy

Not Festival Style

 

On Saturday, John and I went to Lincoln to see Ben Folds.  It was an outdoor concert - definitely not a "festival,"  but many of the other attendees were in full on festival style mode.  This is not a style that I participate in (oops, I forgot to wear a bikini top and a maxi skirt and a flower crown!).  Rather I was in full on prep-tastic mode:   

I didn't take any official outfit photos, so here's a little PolyVore set to give the full effect. 

In hindsight, I would have worn jeans because my legs got a little cold, and sitting in the grass was kind of itchy.  I also would have brought an extra jacket to sit on.  And probably worn shoes that I was less concerned about getting muddy.  But whatever.  It was fine. 



Ben Folds was fantastic, as usual.  As I've mentioned, I've seen him several times ( I think 12 or 13?) over the past 10 years.   In 2004, it was just him and his piano.  Every other time, he's had a band with him.  This time it was just the piano again.  Honestly, it's great either way.  And he did a little drum solo randomly in the middle of the show. 

The crowd was a little lackluster, but I have unreasonably high standards for who should go to concerts.  Like, if you don't know all the lyrics to all the songs, just STAY HOME and leave room for the real fans!  I'm kind of kidding, but not as much as I should be.  But Ben Folds has several songs that require audience participation, and it's really cool if the crowd is in the know.  It's kind of awkward if no one else around you is singing the trumpet parts.  Also, if you are going to hold up a stupid sign (that blocks everyone behind you) letting him know you will also be at the Kansas City concert, I'm going to harbor negative feelings towards you.  Hypothetically, of course.   

Anyway, there's my not-at-all-festival-style post for the summer.  I'll probably be wearing not festival style a lot.  Like all the time.  So if you need any not festival style inspiration, you're in the right place. 

You're welcome. 

Book Review - I Don't Know What You Know Me From

Judy Greer is one of those actresses that you recognize from several things, but can't remember specifics.  I think that's the best kind of actress to be.  She's pretty successful, but doesn't get harassed by swarming fans everywhere she goes, so she can still be somewhat of a normal person.  I Don't Know What You Know Me From is her book about being this kind of actress.  

She's extremely likable.  This might be because I related to her quite a bit.  And not just because I have the same response in a crisis.  Anyway, I enjoyed reading about her adventures in Hollywood.  She's just the right amounts of funny, sincere, and self-deprecating.  

I wish her continued success, and suspect she will find it!  

Skirt Time

I'm finally linking up for Skirt Week with Katie, Liz, and Sarah.  I mean, I love skirts and I can't resist a good old-fashioned theme link-up.  This is the second time I've worn this skirt.  I wore it right away after buying it, and it was a little baggy.  I thought it would shrink up a bit in the wash, but it didn't  It's just too big.  I'm going to have to see if I can take in the waist, because I was in danger of losing it all day.  On a positive note, it's SUPER comfortable!

It's been a crazy week.  Yesterday was one of those "back-to-back meetings for 4 hours straight" type of days.  I finally got to sneak out for lunch around 3pm.  Not awesome.  I'm headed to a conference next week, so there's just a lot of work to get ready for it, and never enough hours in the day.

I'll be busy packing tonight and tomorrow, and then we're going to see Ben Folds on Saturday!  Have I mentioned he's my favorite?  I've lost count of how many of his concerts I've been to, but I will keep going because he's amazing.  I'm just hoping the 60% chance of rain doesn't happen to be at concert time!

And finally, since I love you guys, here's an outtake.  I don't even know how this happened.  I guess I was flipping my hair.  Model material right here!

Cardigan: J.Crew Factory
Tee & Skirt: Gap
Shoes: Old Navy

Signs of Summer

I love summer.  I don't think I'm genetically engineered to thrive in warm weather (my family tends to be fair-skinned and a tad sweaty), but I hate to be cold all winter long, so summer is my favorite.  There are just a few problems.

Spring/Summer in Nebraska means tornado season.  It seems that most people who grow up in Tornado Alley develop some immunity to tornado warnings and hang out on the front porch looking for storms.  Despite spending most of my life in Kansas, I am not one of these people.  You'll find me cowering in the basement. 

It's finally light in the evenings, so I can take outfit pictures when I get home (yay!), but my neighbor is ALWAYS doing yard work.  Like every day.  I'm terrified he will ask me what I'm doing, so I have to be stealthy.  After sneaking outside to take pics, I heard his mower getting louder, so I rushed back inside.  Then I realized that if his wife was in her kitchen, she probably saw me.  They have to think I'm a total weirdo.  They may be right.     

    

Tank: Gap

Belt: NY&Co

Skirt: Loft

Shoes: Old Navy

Book Review - The Wives of Los Alamos

I was interested to read The Wives of Los Alamos, both because I think it's cool to read historical fiction from the perspective of the women, and because my grandparents-in-law live in Los Alamos.  I always enjoy reading books set in places I've visited.  It helps me imagine the location better.  

This book was okay.  The most noteworthy thing about it is that it's written in the first person plural, which is kind of awkward to track with.  Sentences like "We were from the mountains, or the midwest, or the big city, or Europe" were the norm.  So when you have a sentence that says the 10 places these women are from, and then a paragraph that describes the 10 different arrival scenarios, you don't know who had what experience.  I think the point was to keep them as a collective group, and not get caught up in which story was Mary's and which story was Sally's.  But I wanted to know who was who throughout the book.  It felt less personal to have one group instead of individuals.  

The story itself was very interesting, which of course it is, because it was such a crazy time in history, and they all had different levels of knowledge about what was happening at the lab, and different opinions about the morality of it all.  

I was reminded of another book written in the first person plural that I read a few years ago - The Buddha in the Attic.  I felt the same way about that book.  Somehow it feels dehumanizing to lump all these women into one group.  

Have you read either of these books?  Or anything else in the first person plural?  What did you think? 

Getting Old

Most of the time, I'm not too worried about getting older.  I mean, I'm on my last few months as a 20-something, but 30 seems okay.  Every once in awhile though, something happens that makes me feel really old.  One of these things happened yesterday at the eye doctor.  My previous eye doctor moved away, so I got to see the new guy who replaced her at the office.  He was great, but I think he was younger than me.  I mean, it's possible that he just looks young.  Anyway, if he is in fact younger than me, I'm pretty sure it's the first time I've been older than a medical provider.  It feels kind of weird. But hey, my eyes haven't gotten worse, so that's something to be happy about! 

At least I still wear color combinations that a Kindergartener would approve. 

Cardigan: J.Crew Factory
Necklace: Dillard's
Top: Old Navy
Skirt: Target
Flats: Payless

Wedding Weekend

This weekend was a whirlwind of wedding festivities!  Now for a few pictures!  

Aren't they just stunning! 

Brooke and Anne were friends in high school and roommates in college.  I lived across the hall from them freshman year and we quickly became friends.  I still can't believe I've known them for almost 11 years.  Time just flies!

The groomsmen were super stylish in their bowties!  

 

This guy is my favorite.  

This is most of the crew from our college dorm floor (aka The Piper Three Hotties) 

 

As you can see, it was a beautiful wedding.  As you can't see, it was quite hot and humid, but the sun went down and the breeze kicked up and we danced the night away.  I'm so happy for Anne and Chunyang and was so honored to be a part of their special day.