Labor Day

So, this is what I wore on Labor Day.  I was pretty excited to fit into these shorts!  I've hardly worn them in the last 2 years because they were a little too tight, but I tried them on just to see and they fit!  Hooray!  

We spent the day with the Smith side of the family, just eating good food, and hanging out.  We played Clue, which is so stressful (especially when I was only half paying attention due to the adorable baby I was also playing with).  My MIL found the game at an antique shop, I think, and it's missing several pieces, so the revolver is just a black bead, and Professor Plum is a marker lid.  It's pretty funny.  I did not win, but I was right about Mr. Green.  You can tell just by looking at him that he's likely to murder someone in the billiard room.  I already forgot what the weapon was.  

And we're trying to be good about taking family pictures, so I lured the boys outside while I had my camera set up.  I promise you our baby is quite happy most of the time.  He just looks hopeless in photos.   

Cardigan: JCF (exact)
Tank: Gap (option, option)
Shorts: Loft (navy option, )
Shoes: Sperry (similar)

Wearing Shorts

It's time for another theme week, and July is the perfect time to be wearing some shorts.  I'm so excited to have Ginny from My New Favorite Outfit as my co-host this month.  We'll be kicking it off on Monday and wearing shorts all week long, so please join us for some or all of the days!  

So, let's talk about shorts.  I like shorts, which is weird, because I don't like pants.  And aren't shorts just pants with the legs chopped off?  It seems like a lot of women don't like shorts, because thighs should be hidden away in shame.  I always get nervous when I see/hear women with much thinner legs than me talking about how they can't wear shorts, because of how fat their thighs are.  People would definitely run in terror as you clomp down the street.  Sometimes I worry that they are right, and then my legs are definitely not shorts-worthy.  But then again, no.  Ladies: stop being crazy.  You look fine.  Buy some shorts.  It will be okay.  I promise.

It's also the Third Thursday of the month, so that means I'm joining in with Bri at Work Clothes, I Suppose.  I decided to bump my July theme to next week, so I wouldn't run into a conflict with Third Thursday Threads, and then she picked the exact same theme as I was planning, so it would have been perfect.  Oh well, just another excuse to wear shorts.    

Top: J.Crew Factory (exact)
Shorts: Loft (option, option, option)
Shoes: Sperry (exact)

Favorite Color

As I mentioned earlier this week, I started a new adventure as an Awana leader this year.  Wednesday night was the kickoff and I can already tell these girls are going to be a lot of fun (and completely exhausting)!  When we got to our classroom, we asked the girls what they wanted to know about the leaders, and then went around and introduced ourselves, answering a couple of their questions.  Then we broke into smaller groups and I was with 3 girls (5th and 6th graders).  I asked them a few questions, and then asked if they had any other questions for me.  The most important thing:

What is your favorite color?!    

As with most "favorite" questions, I have a really hard time deciding.  I explained that I like bright colors, but my favorite is probably pink.  Their reaction surprised me:  "Ewww,   uuugghhhh!"

Then I remembered being in 5th grade.  My best friend and I were total tomboys and promised each other we would NEVER EVER wear anything pink.  EVER!  A few years later we were both regularly wearing pink things, and always jokingly acted betrayed when the other person wore pink.

I told the girls about this, and warned them that they may actually like the color pink at some point in the future.  They assured me that this was impossible.

Then they told me their favorite colors and asked me if I liked that color, too.  Blue, green, red - yep, those are all great colors!

So, what's your favorite color?

Tank: Gap
Shorts: Loft
Sandals: Love Culture

August Goal Confessions

Well, August has come and gone and I'm still just slacking on my goals.  I'm not even going to make excuses for myself.  Here's the damage:   

• Do a project, mostly sewing - nope 
• Work out 3x a week - I probably worked out 3 times total.  Fail. 

• Tackle a project around the house -Operation Closet Clean-out is in progress and I hope to get a lot done this weekend. 
• Cook a "real" meal at least 3 days each week - not even close
• Stick to a clothing budget -  success!
• Read 50 books in 2013 - I'm falling behind, partly because I abandoned a book that I had started.  I've read 30 books this year, but I should be at 32, to be on track for 50.  I'm not too worried, because I tend to read more in the fall and winter.  I'm sure I can catch back up.  

 I don't even know what to say about this.  I've got a million excuses and none of them are worth whining about here, so I'll just say I hope I can get my act together in September!  

How are you doing on your goals?  Any advice on how I can do better?

Outfit note:  I must give credit to Kate for the idea of putting a navy tee with coral/pink floral shorts.  The cardigan was necessary, because my office gets cold sometimes.  

Top: Gap
Cardigan: Old Navy
Shorts: Loft
Necklace: Dillard's
Sandals: Love Culture

Back to Normal

 

When I bought these shorts and this sweater at Loft, I knew I would wear them together at some point.  I think I have a mild addiction to mixing prints!

Anyway, as you may have noticed, it has been a completely crazy summer.  I feel like I have just been running from one thing to the next for the last 4 months.  It's been a lot of fun, but I am ready to get back into some sort of routine again. I've got big plans for going to the grocery store on Saturday, right after I sleep in as late as possible.  It's a glamorous life, I know.    

Sweater & Shorts: Loft
Jacket: Izod
Shoes: Gap
Necklace: Dillard's

FIVE HUNDRED!

This is my 500th post.  Just let that sink in for a minute.  I'm sort of shocked that I've done that many, but I guess I have been blogging almost every weekday for almost 2 years.  I thought it would be fun to look back at my centennial posts, so here it goes:

100 - March 11th, 2012 - this happened to be my 10,000th day of life, so it was a pretty exciting time! 
200 - July 7th, 2012 - I didn't notice this was a significant milestone at the time, so I was just weighing the pros and cons of wearing a cardigan.
300 - November 18, 2012 - epic remix to celebrate my blogiversary! 
400 - March 29, 2013 - again, I didn't notice the milestone, but this fell at the end of the 5 Days, 5 Ways challenge, so it is a fun post about remixing a black and white striped tee.

Anyway, it seems like an appropriate time to thank you all for reading!  I honestly can't believe the amazing friendships I have found through blogging.  It's a weird club and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I'm linking up with Summer Style and Look What I Got (because these sandals are new and were only $6!!). 

Cardigan: Old Navy (dyed by me)
Top: H&M
Shorts: Loft
Sandals: Love Culture
 

Celebrating America

Since July 4th happened to be the same week as my family was visiting, we had to get some fireworks going.  We did a few at our house earlier in the week, and then we went over to John's parents' house on the 4th for a good old-fashioned cookout, complete with America-themed dessert and a round of badminton (John and I won, just saying).

Because I am ridiculous (and so are my nieces), I made them do some fashion blogger poses:

Delia 

Matti 

The girls loved the fireworks!  I tried to get candid shots, but I was too slow, so here are some pictures of them re-enacting their excitement when the big fireworks went off:

 

We had SO.MANY.SPARKLERS!

As you can probably tell, we had a great evening!
On the topic of my outfit - I wore pink/white/yellow instead of red/white/blue, but I did wear my crazy flag shirt during the day.

Top: Gap
Shorts: Loft

On Wearing Floral Shorts to Work

Last Thursday, I commented on Ginny's post that I really needed to find some fancier summer pieces.  She replied letting me know that Loft was having a 40% off pretty much everything sale.  I promptly went shopping after work.  I got a few things, but I think my favorite new item is this pair of shorts.  I wanted to wear them the next day, which was Friday.  My office basically has no dress code, and the shorts aren't super short, so I figured I would go for it.  After changing tops a few times, I ended up with this combination.  Because if you add a blazer, shorts seem more respectable!  Also, I can't stop wearing stripes with florals.

John and I met for lunch, and he proceeded to mock me (lovingly, of course) for wearing a blazer when it is almost 90 degrees outside.  When I took my blazer off, he thought my "summer sweater" was even more ridiculous.  He obviously doesn't keep up with fashion bloggers.

File this outfit under "looks better in my imagination than in reality", but I still felt fancy all day long.  Except for the 5 minutes when my CEO stopped by to catch up about a few things.  Then I felt sort of embarrassed.  Why doesn't he stop by on the days I am dressed like a normal person?

Blazer and shoes: Gap
Top: Ann Taylor
Shorts: Loft