Game Night

I wore this Friday night to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday with the family.  We went to the local board game cafe, which was actually pretty cool (if you are a nerd who likes board games, which we are!).  We ate dinner and then played a few games.  Spyfall was the first game we played and it was pretty fun, but so stressful!  Basically, everyone gets a card that has a location and an occupation on it, and then one person gets a card that just says spy.  The spy is supposed to figure out where the group is, before the group figures out who the spy is.  So you take turns asking each other questions to figure out who might be the spy.  This was not clear at all when we started playing, and I was the spy of the first round, while I was also trying to feed Mr. Baby!  I was so confused!!!  First, I thought everyone was in a different location, because their answers didn't make any sense.  Then they were actually confused about where they were, because the card said "Carnival" which some of them thought was the one in Venice, some thought was the one in Brazil, and some thought was just a good old-fashioned American traveling circus.  Needless to say, I did not figure out where they were.  But anyway, it was a pretty fun game.  You have to be specific enough in your questions and answers to not give away your location, but to make sure the other non-spies know you aren't the spy.

Anyway, other than the stress of being a clueless spy, it was a pretty fun night!

Scarf: Target
Dress: ON Maternity (similar)
Cardigan: Gap outlet
Belt: Chinese laundry
Shoes: JCF (exact)

PMT - Try a New Hairstyle

I basically have 3 hairstyles - down, top pinned back, bun, braid.  But PMT's challenge for this week was to try a new hairstyle, so I went with it and tried this braided half-up-do thing.  And my hair was extra fluffy because I tried to skip the mousse and just use my leave-in conditioner.  All that added up to me feeling very much like a medieval princess.  You know, since they loved wearing denim jackets.

Another big win for fake spring - light jacket!  no tights! outdoor pictures! (Granted - we got totally spoiled last week and then it snowed all weekend, so I'm back to many layers!)

Jacket: JCF
Scarf: H&M
Dress: Old Navy Maternity
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Boots: Madden

Skirt Week - Black Pencil

There aren't many items of clothing that I'd say every women should own, but I do think a basic black skirt is one of them.  I almost said a black pencil skirt, but I know some people really don't like the style.  So whatever style you like best, but you should probably have a black skirt.  I had one from Old Navy for about 8 years, and it finally got too tight, so I was happy to find a replacement from Dillard's.  And this one is a stretchy fabric, so it's much more forgiving!

One thing probably no one needs is a pair of floral print ballet flats.  But look how cute they are!!  I wish I had worn them more over the summer, because I don't see them transitioning into cold weather very well.

In other news, it's officially one month until my birthday!  I never made one of those 30 before 30 lists, but now I have 30 days before I turn 30.  I don't think it's going to happen.  BUT I think I've had a pretty great life so far.  No bucket list needed.

Link up below for SKIRT WEEK!

Cardigan: Gap Factory (similar)
Top: Gap Factory (similar)
Belt: Chinese Laundry (similar)
Skirt: Gibson & Latimer (similar, similar)
Shoes: J.Crew Factory (similar)

#6 - Big Scrabble News!

Are you all so excited that Scrabble is adding 5000 new words to the playable list?  Or are you just confused that I'm supposed to be a fashion blogger and I keep talking about nerd stuff?  Be honest, if you've stuck around here very long, you might be a bit more on the nerdy side of things.        

If you don't care about it from a Scrabble perspective, here's some bloggy relevance.  A lot of the new words are technologically inclined, so I can now play obnoxious words like "selfie" and "vlog." 

If you do care about Scrabble, you should definitely read Word Freak.

Anyway, I'm excited that there are new words to be played, even though I might not remember them.  It does make the game much easier when you have more 2-letter words to play off.  Not too many years ago, they added "za" and "qi" to the dictionary.  Which means those 10-point letters aren't really difficult to play at all.  There's almost no risk of getting stuck with them at the end, so it really changes the dynamic of the game. 

Also - look!  I'm wearing an outfit.  It's #6 in the 30x30.  You can't see my pink sandals, but I promise I'm wearing them. 


Tee: Gap
Belt: Chinese Laundry (similar)
Skirt: J.Crew (exact)
Sandals (not that you can see them): Love Culture (similar, similar)

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! 

Floral Week - Black & White

Let's kick off Floral Week with this outfit from the gloomiest day ever!  It was cold, sleeting and super windy, but I really loved this outfit and wanted to get pictures, so I braved the elements.  I might have to wear this again on a nicer day in the future.

Anyway, I'm back home after a fun and busy weekend, of which I'm sure I'll be posting about later and you can get a sneak preview on Instagram).  My sister and nieces are in town this week, so we will be having as much fun as possible over the next few days.

Link up information is after the jump!  Share your floral looks!    

Cardigan, Tights: Old Navy
Top: Alfani
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Skirt: Limited
Shoes: J.Crew Factory

Winter Flowers

It is now the time of year when winter needs to go away!  March is spring, right?  Unfortunately, Nebraska didn't get the memo, so it's still in the freezing range most days.  I'll just keep wearing my summer dresses with ALL THE LAYERS!

Linking up with What I Wore Wednesday

Cardigan: Gap

Dress: Gibson & Latimer

Boots: Madden

Belt: Chinese Laundry

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

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

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

Monday Again

Happy Monday!  The weekends just never last long enough.  If you are on Instagram, you may have noticed that I was in St. Louis all weekend.  We drove out Friday after work and then drove back yesterday after the Cardinals game.  It was a really fun weekend (recap post coming soon), but we got home really late last night and now I am exhausted!  I think this was the last crazy weekend of the summer, so hopefully I can get back into a somewhat normal routine! 

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Dress: Gap
Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Chinese Laundry
Sandals: Anne Klein

Yellow Cardigan Remix

It's Friday, which means the weekend is almost here.  More importantly, it means my sister and nieces are on their way to my house for a whole week of shenanigans.  You may remember them from last summer and Thanksgiving.  I am WAY TOO EXCITED to see them!

I'll be honest, I don't actually plan ahead for my Friday remix post.  I usually just pick a random outfit that is in my draft list and go find previous outfits, make the collage, and call it good.  This week, I was busy wearing my new items from Loft, so most of my un-blogged outfits don't include frequently worn items.  Good thing I wore my trusty yellow cardigan on Thursday!

Recently, I've been really drawn to both pink and yellow, so pairing them together just made sense.  I probably shouldn't say "recently," because when I was a kid, my favorite swimsuit was pink with yellow polka dots.  I remember my friends telling me it didn't match, but I thought it was awesome.  Some things never change...

I've actually already done a remix collage on this cardigan, back on my one year blog-iversary.  So, I have 4 looks from spring/summer 2012 here:

1, 2, 3, 4

And here are 4 looks from spring/summer 2013:

5,6,7,8

With the exception of #4 (because pants are the worst), I really like all of these outfits.  Which one is your favorite?

Linking up today with Friday Favorites, Casual Friday and Favorite Fashion Friday!  ! 

Dress: Gap
Cardigan: Old Navy (dyed by me)
Belt: Chinese Laundry via TJ Maxx
Shoes: BCBGeneration

Stripes Times Two - with My New Favorite Outfit

Happy Monday!  I'm so excited to introduce you all to Ginny from My New Favorite Outfit.  We are teaming up today to showcase stripes, which are apparently very trendy right now (are stripes ever not "in"?).   We both decided to style a striped dress - great minds think alike, right?! 

I love how she mixes neutrals together and then adds the fabulous green necklace for some color!  Seriously, if you aren't already reading her blog, you need to start.  Her style is fantastic and her thrift store finds are enviable.

Here are a few more pictures of my look.

What is your favorite way to wear stripes?

Dress: Gap
Belt: Chinese Laundry via TJ Maxx
Necklace: H&M
Shoes: Target

Southpaw Problems

Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it

I'm left-handed (very, very, very left-handed).  Honestly, I'm sort of proud to be a lefty, but there are some major obstacles.  Most right-handed people don't even realize how many things are specifically designed with handedness in mind.  Just a small list of my many troubles over the years:

• Scissors - using right-handed scissors is THE WORST!  The thumb-hole angle is all wrong and is pretty painful to use for very long.  I have a pair of lefty scissors that I got when I was in elementary school and I am very protective of them.  

• Sports - maybe I'm just uncoordinated (probably the case), but it was very difficult to learn sports when pretty much all of the coaches were right-handed.  In PE class, we all had to perfect a right-handed lay-up, even the lefties!  Not fair at all.  Equipment is also harder to find and usually more expensive.  A few years ago, I was interested in learning how to golf, and I had to buy a set of lefty clubs online, because I couldn't find any in stores (and I couldn't borrow any from all my righty friends).  In college, I played intramural softball, and I didn't have my old lefty mitt at school.  They said they had extra equipment available, but they didn't mention that the only lefty glove was no longer laced together (and also smelled funky).  I couldn't catch anything! 

• Writing - even if you find a lefty notebook (which I used all through school), writing is still a mess.  I don't hook my hand over the page like some lefties, so I almost always had ink stains on my hand and smeared writing on the paper.  In high school, my English teacher decided that we needed to hand-write our papers for a few months, instead of typing.  I still don't know the purpose of this other than to make my life miserable.  I frequently got points docked for sloppiness because the ink was smeared.  I wonder if life is easier for left-handed people who live in "right-to-left language" countries.  And don't even get me started about trying to write in a 3-ring binder! 

• Eating - at sit-down meals, I try to sit on the left end of the table, but it doesn't always work out.  When my neighbor and I inevitably bump elbows, everyone always blames the lefty.  

• Basic items - again, you've probably never noticed this, but several basic household items are made for right-handed people.  Can-openers, measuring cups, pencil sharpeners, tape measures. Even a plain old sauce pan is designed to pour out of the left side, meaning I have to use my weaker arm, or twist my left arm awkwardly to pour anything.  

• Desks - those stupid desks that pretty much make up every classroom from middle school through college.  There was usually 1 lefty desk in each classroom, but more than 1 lefty student.  True story, during my accounting final in college, I was sitting at a righty desk, and twisted sideways in the chair to write my answers.  In a moment of frustration (and back pain) I sat back regularly and propped my right elbow up on the desk, not realizing the catapult situation that would happen.  My calculator and pencil flew across the room.  So embarrassing.  I should have told that story the other day.  

• SAT/ACT discrimination - I hope this isn't a common occurrence.  When I went to take these big important tests, they corralled all the left-handed kids into a group.  I assumed they would take us to a magical room filled with left-handed desks.  No.  They took us to a dark, creepy room in the basement that still had long table desks.  It was pretty unnerving.  I maintain I would have scored higher if I had been in a normal room!  

So there's my big sob-story.  I try to make the best of it, and most of the time, it's not a big deal, but I like buying lefty-specific products when I see them!  Rumor has it that left-handed people have a life expectancy 9 years shorter than right-handed people, so that's sort of unpleasant.  It's probably because we have higher stress levels trying to work around this crazy right-handed world!  I also read somewhere that lefties have smarter kids, which I completely believe (my mom is left-handed, too!).  

close-up to prove the polka dots are stars

It's also Third Thursday Threads time!  The theme for this month is WORKWEAR, which is super easy, because most of my outfits are worn to work.  My office is pretty casual, so I decided to pick one of my dressier recent outfits.  I also learned that I shouldn't stand in front of red brick when I am wearing a coral cardigan, because it will look very orange.


Blouse: Alfani via Macy's
Cardigan and Skirt: Old Navy
Belt: Chinese Laundry via TJ Maxx
Shoes: Born via Dillard's