#28 - Pretty or Stupid?

When John is playing photographer, I can never tell if the pictures are good, or if I'm making strange faces or awkward movements.  On this particular day, I said "Do I look pretty or stupid?"  He replied "yes."  I'm going to assume he didn't hear the second half of the question.

Cardigan & Skirt: Old Navy
Top: Gap
Necklace: Bass
Tights: Target
Boots: Steve Madden

Outlet Mall Confessions

Remember on Monday when I mentioned that I was going to the new outlet mall?  Let's just say I definitely spent all my birthday money!  A few random thoughts:

• I've never been to a mall opening before.  Rumor has it that there were crazy crowds all weekend, but Monday afternoon/evening wasn't too bad.  
• Some outlets are awesome (like J.Crew and Gap).  Some are not awesome.  There were a few that I was very excited about, but it seemed like they just had clothes from 10 years ago.  Not interested. 
• Some outlets are still too expensive for me.  I'm hoping as time goes by that they will have clearance sections and then I can find things to buy (I'm looking at you, Banana Republic!)
• J.Crew didn't have the Sylvia wedges in my size, but I tried on a different pair of heels and decided to order both the black and tan wedges online.  They had a deal for 40% off and then an additional 20% off plus free shipping, so I figure it will be easy enough to return them to the store if I don't like them.  
• I saw at least 3 people wandering around the parking lot with no idea where they had parked.  
• The restaurants out there need to open!  There was pretty much just Subway and Auntie Anne's pretzels open.  The gourmet grilled cheese places is going to be my new favorite.
• I came down with a slight case of BUY ALL THE THINGS on this shopping trip.  I'm usually better at making wise choices, but when I got home and reviewed my purchases, I realized some things will need to go back.  For example, the denim jacket that didn't seem cropped at the store but now seems very cropped!  Probably because I tried it on with a tunic-length shirt at the store.  Rookie mistake!  And the fun patterned tights that got a run when I tried to put them on yesterday morning (not sure if I can even return these, but I will try!).  I also ended up with a perfect camel-colored boyfriend cardigan, but it's dry clean only.  I'm thinking I can hand wash or delicate cycle the merino wool.  Am I crazy to think that?  I won't dry clean a cardigan.  That's just crazy.  

TOPIO Item - blazer!  (well, and the boots, but I already officially passed them on once). 

Blazer: H&M
Sweater: Gap
Necklace: Bass
Skirt: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden

All the Birthdays!

October is birthday month!  John's birthday was last week, and mine is next week, so I usually try to make as many excuses for celebrating as possible.  We should really just take the whole month off work and go on an epic vacation or something.  Maybe next year...

Anyway, I wore this to work on John's birthday and then we went out to dinner.  I took advantage of the brick wall of the restaurant, because that's what fashion bloggers do.

This also marks the first time I've worn this blazer with the sleeves unrolled, but I didn't count on the neon lining still showing.  Oh well, it kind of goes with the skirt, right?

Blazer & Tee: Gap
Necklace: Bass Outlet
Skirt: Loft
Shoes: BCBGeneration

Paisley Cardigan - 3 Ways!

I'm doing my Friday remix post a little different this week.  Instead of  scanning through my archives for all the ways I've worn a certain item, I'm bringing you THREE BRAND NEW OUTFITS!  Imagine I said that in the echoey movie announcer voice.  It will seem more exciting.

This cardigan is a recent purchase from Loft.  Anytime I buy something and want to wear it EVERY DAY, I know it was a good decision.  Anyway, here are 3 ways I've worn it in the past couple of weeks.

#1 - worn to work

#2 - church

#3 - casual date night

Pretty exciting, right?  I think I'll be wearing it quite a bit in the coming months.

Go check out the other remixers! I'm also linking up with Casual Friday  and Favorite Fashion Friday today! 

Outfit details
Cardigan: Loft

Outfit #1:
Dress: Ann Taylor
Belt: Old Navy
Necklace: Bass
Sandals: Love Culture

Outfit #2:
Tee: Gap
Skirt: Old Navy
Sandals: Carlos Santana 

Outfit #3:
Tee: Gap

Shorts: Gap
Sandals: Carlos Santana 

Criminal in a Yellow Cardigan

Day 3 of the link up with Marissa and Heidi for the Pantone Spring Color Challenge means Lemon Zest!  Of course, I had to bust out my yellow-dyed cardigan.  I really like how it pulls out the yellow in the dress.  

I wore this on Monday.  Also on Monday, I had a little run-in with the law.  Here you think I am this nice girl who obeys rules, but I am basically an outlaw.  Apparently, I've been driving around with an expired vehicle registration for over a year.  Oops!

The truth is that I think the DMV messed something up, because they have no record of my vehicle in our current county.  I specifically remember going to the DMV when we moved to update everything, so they must have lost it somehow.  This is the same trip where they were supposed to register me to vote.  Needless to say, I have lost all faith in the DMV (as if I ever had any).   Somehow, John's car is registered just fine, and he was in the voter database, too.  I must have offended the worker somehow.

Anyway, I have to venture downtown sometime soon to appear in court and pay my fine.  Believe it or not, the "court fees" are twice as much as the actual fine.  Ridiculous!  I guess I shouldn't break the law, because the consequences are very frustrating. 

After work, I was feeling particularly brave, and went to the park to take pictures.  Other than the weird guy staring at me from the picnic tables, it was a pretty good spot!

Dress: Kohl's
Cardigan: Target (dyed by me)
Necklace: Bass outlet
Shoes: Carlos Santana via DSW (get ready to see these a lot this summer)

March Budget Recap

Remember how I was going to avoid shopping in March to save up for my trip to Phoenix?  Yeah, me neither.  In my defense:

• J.Crew Factory is sneaky with their promo code emails, and I really needed some new denim shorts for this summer 
• Gap got me with Friends and Family days
• Grocery shopping at Target is dangerous  

Technically, a few of these items were purchased at the end of February (after I wrote that budget recap), but I didn't feel like updating that post, so I'm just going to detail it here.  I panicked a couple days before vacation and bought a few more summery pieces for the trip.

February Additions (this takes February from $18 to $46):

• Walmart Tank Tops: $5
• Walmart Shorts: $3
• Merona Swim Coverup:  $20

March Purchases

• J.Crew Denim Shorts: $31 (originally $58.50)
• J.Crew Corsage Tee: $9 (originally 39.50)
• Gap Cardigan (similar): $16 (originally $45)
• Xhileration Ruffle Dress (different colors):  $7.50 (originally $25)
• Merona Floral Tank:  $10 (originally $15)
• Prabal Gurung Sandals: $15 (originally $30) - still deciding whether or not to keep these!  What do you all think? (UPDATE: I returned these)
• Merona Cardigan:  $11.50 (originally $23)

March total: $100 (originally $236)  
(Updated Total: $85 (originally $206)

So I basically hit my exact monthly budget in January and March, and only spent about half in February.  This means I have about $50 extra rolling into April.  I also cashed out at the consignment shop recently, which gets added into the clothing fund.

Did you stick to your clothing budget in March?  Link up and check out the other Budgeting Bloggers!

Outfit details:
Sweater: Target
Chambray: J.Crew Factory
Necklace: Bass Outlet
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: BCBGeneration

Literary Junkies Link-Up

It is Literary Junkies Link-Up time again!  YAY for book nerds!

What are you currently reading? Tell us about it.

Currently reading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.  She is an Omaha native, and it is interesting to read a story set in my city.  I went to a book signing a couple weeks ago, and Rainbow Rowell was great, so I liked the book before I even started reading, just because I liked her so much!  I'm not very far into the book yet, but it is about 2 teenagers in Omaha in the mid-80s.  I think they are going to fall in love. Plus the main character, Eleanor, has hair like mine, but bright red.  I'm pretty much imagining an awkward teenager version of Merida.

What book do you recommend the most to people?

It really depends on the person, and what I have been reading lately.    A few books that come to mind are The Pillars of the Earth, East of Eden, A Tale of Two Cities.  I just read The Fault in Our Stars, and have been telling everyone to read it.   

What are the top 3 books on your "to-read" list?

• The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright

• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

What do you "do" while reading? (i.e. listen to music, eat) Any weird reading habits?

I really don't do anything else while I am reading.  I'm usually just curled up on the couch or in my bed.  Sometimes John is watching TV, and if it is a boring enough show, I can read, but usually any other noise is too distracting to me.  I almost always read when I am flying somewhere, but I can't read in a car.    

Blazer, Sweater, Shirt: Gap

Necklace: Bass Outlet

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Wanted

A Case of the Mondays

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!  It's open for a few more days!

 These are from last Monday.  It was the type of Monday that gives Mondays a bad name.  First my alarm clock didn't go off, so I was running late from the start.  Then I realized it was raining and kind of cool outside, so my quick and easy summer outfits were not an option.  I decided I would wear the boots that my sister gave me this summer.  They were on super sale at Gap, and they are really cute.  So, I got all ready and put the boots on just before I was going to run out the door.  I quickly learned why the boots were so cheap:  they were super uncomfortable!  There was no way I could wear them all day.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any other shoes that would look good and be ok for the rainy day.  So, I started from scratch on my outfit.  I was actually kind of proud of myself for how quickly I got ready again.

Anyway, I was about to leave and I could NOT find my car keys.  My keys are always in my purse, but I couldn't find them anywhere.  So I searched the whole house and several minutes later, I found my keys on the kitchen counter, underneath a grocery bag.

By that time, I had 5 minutes before a client call, so I emailed them to see if we could move it back 15 minutes.  I got to work and was all ready for my call when my computer told me it was going to restart in 15 minutes, and it didn't give me the usual option to postpone the restart.  The client called, and I was just watching the clock count down to the restart.  I was hoping the call was short, and thank goodness, it was!

The rest of the day was pretty average, but the first hour was just ridiculous.  I was ready to give up and go back to bed.  Here's hoping this Monday is better! 

Dress: Old Navy
Coat: Gap
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Bass
Purse: Wilson Leather
Boots: Target