Budget Rewind - July 2013

I got a bunch of stuff in July 2013, so let's see what was smart or foolish!

Good

Dillard's Dress: $28 - love love love this dress!  I've worn it a bunch and will continue to wear it!

Gap Pink Striped Tank Top: $11- I know I've worn this a lot more than I've blogged it.  Just an easy summer tank.
Gap Blue Printed tank top: $14 - I like this one because it's a pattern that isn't stripes!  I've worn it quite a bit.  

Gap Smile Sweater: $6 - cozy sweater with a fun command on it.  I tend to wear it just with jeans, so don't blog it that much.
Gap Hoodie sweater: $4 - I've definitely worn this more than 4 times.  It's iust a good basic layering piece!
Gap 3 Threadless t-shirts(1/2/3): $2.50 each - these have been styled up for work, worn to the gym, and everywhere in between.  

Medium

Gap Green stripe cardigan: $8 - I want to love this cardi, but I just run out of ideas for how to wear it.  I'll have to brainstorm (polyvore-storm?) 

Dillard's Lace pocket top: $17 - this is another one that I really think I love but rarely wear. The orangey-red maybe doesn't play well with most of my bottoms?  Another item I should try to wear more.  

Dillard's Pink Polka dot skirt: $12 - I was under the influence of my nieces when I bought this, but I do sort of love it!  It's tricky to style for some reason.
Dillard's Leopard sequin tank top: $12 - I really like this one too, but don't wear it as much as I'd expect.  The sequins are a bit much maybe?  And I can't really wear it at the moment because it would be uncomfortable for the baby when I'm holding him.  

Bad

Dillard's Floral shoes: $10 - blame the nieces for these!  They begged me to buy them and I gave in because floral shoes are fun!  But I don't wear high heels much and the crazy floral pattern doesn't go with a whole lot. It appears I haven't worn these in almost 2 years.  Just a silly mistake!

Old Navy Gray striped tee: $5 - for only $5 I should probably let this be in the medium category but I just need to stop buying cheap striped tees at old navy.  I always get frustrated with the low quality!
Old Navy Purple striped Tee: $5 - ditto

Ugly

Goodwill Gap Long and Lean Jeans: $1- I bought these in a panic before our trip to Montana because I didn't have any old jeans for hiking around and possibly messing up.  For $1, I guess it can't really be that dumb, but I never wore them again.
Goodwill Bitten by SJP jeans: $1- ditto

So, I wish there were fewer things in the Bad/Ugly categories, but at least those purchases only add up to $22.  

Budget Rewind - July 2014

July 2014 was a good shopping month, I think.  As I review these items, I'm pretty happy with everything!  Some of my counts are funky, because I got pregnant in August, and certain things didn't fit for the last 10 or so months.

Good: 
Gap Green space dyed tank: $6 - items like this are funny, because I wear it a lot, but very rarely end up taking pictures.  But I really love tank tops with some interest, so I can just wear them with shorts and feel somewhat put together.  

JCF Blue Cardigan: $15 and JCF Pink Cardigan: $10 - I love the Clare Cardigans from JCF.  I wear both of these all the time.  

JCF Chambray Popover: $18 - I already had this, but bought it in a bigger size, since I'd gained some weight.  I actually like having the 2 different sizes.  

Old Navy Black Shorts: $10 - basic shorts, I wear them a lot.  

Old Navy Gold knot necklace: $4 - simple necklace that I thought was pretty.  I wore it a lot in the fall, and still wear it sometimes.  

Old Navy Gold stack rings: $3 - I mostly wore the "pearl" one, but it's starting to deteriorate.  I like the other 2, so I bet I will keep wearing them.  

Old Navy Skinny belt: $6 - good for when I want to wear a belt a little lower.  My other cognac belts fit around my natural waist, but this one fits anywhere, because it's stretchy!  

Gap Pink Knit Blazer:  $12 - favorite purchase of the month!  A pink blazer had been on my wishlist for years, so I was really pumped to find this one at my local consignment shop.  I've worn it a lot, and I think knit blazers will continue to be a closet staple for me.

Medium:
JCF Navy Scarf: $6 - I think my scarf-wearing days are maybe dwindling a bit?  Is anyone else feeling this way?  Or am I just anti-scarf right now because it's so hot out and I'm not working in an air conditioned office?  Anyway, I've probably worn this at least 6 times, but I doubt I'd miss it if I had left it behind.  

Gap Yellow stripe oxford: $4 - I've blogged it once, and not entirely sure if I've worn it any other times (surely I have?).  But it was $4, and I think I'll wear it again in the fall.  

JCF Pink Popover: $18 - probably a silly purchase, but I love my other popovers, and I love pink, so I got it.  I think I'll wear it more this fall and winter.  

J.Crew Navy Maxi Skirt: $22 - this is on the low side of the medium category.  I'd been wanting a maxi skirt, but don't love the knit ones.  I'd also been wanting a navy skirt.  So when I found this one at J.Crew, and it was only $22, I grabbed it.  I wore it 4 times before it got too tight around my pregnant belly.  I've worn it just once this summer.  Maybe I'll wear it more into the fall?  
Old Navy Flag Scarf: gift- not sure if I should count this, since I didn't actually buy it, but it's on the collage, so I might as well.  I really like this scarf, and it was fun to match with my sister and nieces on the 4th of July last year.  But... I haven't worn it since then.  I was going to try to wear it this year on the 4th, but it was just way too hot.  As far as patriotic gear goes, this is probably as festive as I will get.  And depending on how it's tied, you can't necessarily tell it's the flag. 

Bad:
Old Navy Leaf ring: $3 - I've probably worn this 3 times, but I don't really like it that much anymore.  For cheap jewelry, I'd like to get the cost per wear down to pennies, so I consider this one a fail.

I'll have to play around with ideas for how I can wear my medium items more!  

Eight

It's hard to believe that John and I got married eight years ago!  It has gone by so fast and this last year has been pretty amazing!  And now our family looks like this:

Three Billy Goats

Here's an outfit I wore recently.  And here's a random story that has nothing to do with outfits:

The internet tells me that I should talk to my kid all the time, because it will help him learn to communicate.  So I pretty much just talk nonstop when we are home by ourselves.  Anyone who knows me knows that this is not a struggle.  Talking is one of my top skills.  But occasionally, I run of of things to chat with my infant about.  So I dig into my childhood memories for stories or songs to share.  But I don't quite remember the stories, so I improvise.

Three Billy Goats were hungry and they ran out of grass on their side of the river, so they had to cross a bridge (clip clop clip clop), but there was this mean troll who was going to eat them!  And some stuff happened and they outsmarted the troll, and then they lived happily ever after.  

These stories will not fly once he actually knows what is going on, so I looked up the real plot of this story (according to Wikipedia).  It's so lame, you guys.  The smallest goat goes first, and is like "oh, don't waste your time on me, my medium sized goat friend is coming across next."  and then the medium one is like "better save your appetite for the biggest one!" and then the biggest one just comes and kicks the troll off the bridge.  But the troll doesn't die, he just stops bothering bridge-crossers.

Why didn't the big one just go first?  There was no need for a story!  And would the troll really leave everyone alone after being kicked by a goat?  Does anyone else remember this story with a more clever plot?

Tee: JCF
Skirt: Gap Factory
Shoes: Target

July Shopping

I actually tried to shop a couple times this month, but only bought some socks.  My kid really hates shopping.  I guess he takes after his dad?  When my nieces were visiting, we went shopping but spent most of our time at Justice (and at Scheels getting taffy).  When John's side of the family was here, we went to the outlet mall.  I looked around at J.crew factory, Old Navy, and Gap but didn't find anything.  On another day, we met for lunch at the mall and walked over to H&M, but quickly had to abandon the mission because of a crying baby.  He's all "wah wah wah, shopping is lame!"

I'm still not looking to buy a whole lot right now, but I'd like to find some denim shorts and some solid color tanks.  Should be easy enough, right??  But I have an uncooperative shopping buddy.  So the July budget was barely touched.

I picked up these socks at Marshall's because my sister says they are the best!  I never wear socks with my flats or boat shoes, but I'm going to give these a try.

Sperry socks: $5

As always, linking up with Franish for Budgeting Bloggers.

Babies Everywhere

Last week, Tuesday was spent visiting some friends with new babies!  It was one of the 90+ degree days so I wore as little as possible while still being decent!

First up, I introduced my kid to his new BFF, who was about 4 days old at the time and about half the size of my giant 2 month old.  You can tell the boys are thrilled to meet each other.

Then in the evening, John and I went to the hospital to meet this sweet girl who was just about 18hours old.  Again, babies are so excited to meet each other.  We joked that this was their first date, but neither of them said anything, so it was pretty awkward.  

My two-month-old looked like a giant next to these newborns!  Then this week we had dinner with one of my friends from elementary school who was driving through town, and her 9-month-old made mine look teensy again.  I felt like I was looking into my future!  

I'm pretty thrilled to have friends with babies so close in age.  It will be so fun to watch them grow up and hopefully become friends!

Tank & shorts: Loft 

Sandals: Target

Turquoise Dress

Since I'm retired for the moment, I don't wear my dresses as much.  But this one is pretty casual and comfortable, so I wore it to a meeting.  But then it was too hot for this cardigan and I needed pockets, so I changed into shorts and a tank top for lunch with some friends.  But I did wear this outfit for a couple hours at least!

Dress: Old Navy

Cardigan: JCF

Belt: Steve Madden

Sandals: Target

Book review - Ella Enchanted

I'm usually up for a retelling of a fairy tale, and Ella Enchanted was a great one!  It's the classic Cinderella tale slightly modified.  This is another one written for a younger reader, but I really liked it.

In this version, Ella is cursed by a foolish fairy so she has to obey anything someone asks her to do.  Obviously, this is a problem when the evil stepsisters figure it out. And then the story builds from there as she tries to sort out her life.  I liked the way Ella wasn't just a helpless pretty needs (a la Disney), but actually solves her own problems. Definitely a fun read!

Come Sail Away

I bought this skirt for $3 back in September, but hadn't worn it yet.  It seemed like a perfect summer option, so I paired it with my oft-neglected sailboat tank for a trip to the eye doctor.  It was a big day, since I left my baby with my MIL. I've been away from him a few times previously, but John was always home. It's one of those things where I didn't have any logical concerns, but I was still nervous to leave him.  Then it ended up being easier to leave than I expected, but the eye doctor took forever!   And then my eyes were dilated so everything was blurry close up for the rest of the day.  I always forget how annoying that is!

Top: Target

Cardigan: JCF

Skirt: old navy

Sandals: target

Book review - Uglies

Uglies is another of the YA dystopia an trilogies.  The solution to all conflict in this future society is giving everyone extreme plastic surgery to make them all pretty.  Of course, there's more to it than that (dun dun dunnnnnn).  

I thought it was a decent read.    I just can't decide if I should read the next one because I've heard it is bad.  But I want to know what happens.  Big decisions to make!  Anyone read these books?  Should I stop now or read the next one?

Summery Third Thursday

It's the Third Thursday of the month again, so I'm linking up with Bri for summer style!  Since I'm not working anymore, I wear shorts most of the time this summer. A fun floral tank and sandals make an easy outfit.  I added the cardigan because I was meeting some of my old coworkers for lunch and restaurants tend to be freezing.  

These shorts are probably going to be done soon.  I can pretty much fit into my normal shorts now, but I don't have a mint pair and still have ideas of how to wear these.  But I'm starting to feel weird about wearing maternity stuff, so we shall see.  

Top & sandals: Target

Cardi: Gap

Shorts: Loft Maternity 

Book review - China Dolls

I've been reading a bunch of ebooks lately and the library ebook site recommended this one.  I had read Snow Flower and then Secret Fan (also by Lisa See) and didn't love it, but thought it was interesting and well-written.  China Dolls is set in the U.S. during WWII, so I thought I might enjoy it more.  I was right!

It follows three young women who are trying to become dancers in San Francisco's Chinatown, and become close friends (and rivals).  They each have unique struggles and secrets, and life gets more complicated as the war progresses.  

As usual, I don't want to give too much away, so I won't go into details, but I liked the story and the writing.  I'll probably look into other novels by this author..  

Wild Weekend

This is what I wore to church on Sunday.  The weekend was crazy but super fun!  My dad and nieces were on a little road trip and we were one of their stops!  The girls are ten and were so excited to meet their new baby cousin.  It was really fun to see them playing with him.  There's something special about a kid doing baby talk!  And of course it was wonderful for my dad to see him again.  

We mostly hung out at home and played cards or had dance parties, but we did a little shopping and went out to get sno cones!  I'm trying my best to still be a good aunt even though I'm also a mom.  

We miss them already!!!

Top&skirt: Loft

Sandals: target

Time Flies

This summer is going so fast!  I can't believe it has been 2 months since this guy was born.  People ask me what it is like being a stay at home mom, and if I get bored or miss my old job.  Honestly, I've been so busy that I haven't had time to even wonder.  Life has been filled with figuring out how to be a parent, family visiting, all the doctor's appointments for baby and me (not to mention dentist and eye doctor), busy weekends with weddings, birthdays, wedding and baby showers, and then the 4th of July!  I've tried to squeeze in some lunches with friends, because I didn't want to completely disappear into mommyhood.

The rest of July is going to continue being wild, too!  My dad and nieces are coming to town tomorrow for a quick visit.  Then all of the Smith extended family will be rolling into town for my sister-in-law's wedding next weekend.  They are all pretty excited to meet the baby!  And we are pretty excited to see everyone!

Top & shorts: target

Sandals: Santana via DSW

Book review- A Wrinkle in Time

This is one of those books that everyone read as a kid, but somehow I didn't.  I read a lot when I was in elementary school, but managed to miss several of the books that normal kids have to read in school.  As an adult, I figured I should read some of these books.

I honestly had no idea what A Wrinkle in Time was about.  I think I had it confused with Rip Van Winkle?  Wrinkle=Winkle?  I don't know.  

Anyway, I liked the book!  It jumps right in with the story, which is fun.  It's definitely outdated and written for a younger reader, but I knew that would be the case.  

The best part was that the evil they are fighting is called "IT" which I'm sure is intended to be an ominous version of the word "it," but in my brain, I kept reading "I.T." Which made it kind of hilarious.  I was just imagining and evil Moss and Roy!  

I'm not going to jump at reading the rest of the series right away, but they are on my to read list now.  

Bachelorette Party

My sister-in-law is getting married in a couple weeks, so we've been busy with various celebrations recently.  This is what I wore for her bachelorette party.  

I just went to the dinner portion of the evening and then headed home, because it was past my new bedtime and because I was missing my kid like crazy!  Someday I will be away from him for more than 3 hours, but not yet.  

Here I am with the beautiful bride-to-be!  She's in high heels and I'm in flats, so we are almost the same height!  Have I mentioned that I'm a giant compared to the other women in John's family???

Necklace: lucky b boutique

Top: Gap

Skirt: Gap factory

Sandals: target

Father's Day

I'm so behind on posts!  It's hard to find time to blog these days.  Anyway, these are from Father's Day.  We met up with John's family for lunch after church and then to our house for a bit.  Everyone tells John "it's your first Father's Day!" And since we are smart alecks, we explain that he's been alive for many Father's days.   But I suppose they mean his first time as a dad celebrating the day.

And I'm very happy to celebrate him, because just a few weeks in, he's a pretty awesome dad.

Top: Gap factory

Cardigan: JCF

Shorts: Loft maternity

Sandals: Santana 

Currently July

While I was pregnant, all my currently posts were about preparing for baby.  Now he's here and I'm not much more interesting!  But I still like to play along!

• craving all the foods I let myself eat when I was pregnant, but now am trying to lose weight.  Like DQ cookie dough blizzards.  Oh, and sleep.  
• grilling at other people's houses!  We actually don't have a grill at the moment, but I suspect this weekend will involve a few burgers at various gatherings.
• listening to lots of Jack Johnson.  The boy seems to like it, and it's a good tempo for dancing around the living room.  I just bought his newest album when I realized I didn't have it.
• planning well, I'm trying to plan each day and week to accomplish things and make sure we are moving toward some kind of schedule.  
• decorating nothing much.  I have a couple more projects that I need to finish for the baby's room.  One is a big canvas that I painted and want to add his initial.  The other is a shadow box of keepsakes from the hospital, like the hat he wore and or bracelets.  But free time is limited and usually prioritized with sleeping or showering!  

And because I'm very excited about it - Currently wearing normal shorts!!  I still can't wear most of my non-maternity pants/shorts, but these fit and I was happy to wear them.  

Linking up with In Residence and Dearest Love.

Tee: Loft
Shorts: Gap
Shoes: Sperry