Crazy Sleeves

Here's another LeTote item.  They seem to have a lot of wrap dresses.  Once agin, a cami kept me decent.  I really liked the print of this dress, and that it was longer than mid-thigh.  But it was almost too long, in that it looked weird with flats.  And what is even going on with the sleeves (pictured below)?  I'm glad it was jacket weather.  I'm starting to think the dress options from LeTote aren't going to work so well for me.  They are all too short, too tight, or wrap tops!  

Anyway, I wore this to the first Broadway show of the season with my MIL and SIL.  It's nice to have a little night out and excuse to dress up now and then.  

Jacket: Target (similar)

Dress: LeTote (use my code to get half off your first month)

Shoes: JCF (exact)

November Minsgame - Week 1

Minimalism is all the rage in the blogosphere these days.  I will likely never be a minimalist, but I have had the itch to get rid of stuff in the last year or so.  I haven't done as much as I want, and I have a million mostly legitimate excuses.  Like being exhausted/sick while my body built a human.  Or not knowing what clothes I will want or fit into, so being afraid of getting rid of anything.  

Long story short, when I heard about the Minsgame that Break the Twitch, One Girl Two Cities, Simply Save, and SocialSara612 are hosting in November, I figured this would be a fun way to get jump started on de-cluttering my house.  The basic plan is to get rid of things every day, with the number of things matching the day of the month.  So November 1st, get rid of one thing, November 2nd, two things, and on and on.  To be completely honest, these things aren't getting completely out of my house each day, but I'll be taking trips to Goodwill and selling things as quickly as I can.    

I'll do weekly check-ins on the blog, sharing what I got rid of that week. Week one went as follows:

1. TV - after searching for where I could donate or recycle this, I asked Facebook, and had 2 friends who wanted to take it!  So I gave it to a new home.  
2. Wedding hats. Someone gave us these at our rehearsal dinner, and I've been holding on to them, but why??  I don't see any scenario where I would wear a Bride hat again.  
3. iPhone 5 Cases - don't need these anymore
4. Kitchen canisters.  I've used these for storing baking supplies for many years, but I don't bake that often, so the brown sugar was usually rock hard, and I never knew if something might be expired.  I'm just going to stick with leaving ingredients in their normal packaging.  Plus I have more counter space now!
5. Flip flops and tights that I no longer want.  
6. Wine Glasses - For a couple who rarely drinks wine, we sure had a lot of wine glasses.  I was happy to part with a few that we got for free at local wineries.   
7. (not pictured) Underwear - let's be honest, I do laundry often enough that I don't need a drawer overflowing with underthings.  
8. Belts/Sashes - these mostly came with dresses or shirts, and I never wear them.  

So far, it's been pretty easy.  The bigger number days might get trickier, but unfortunately, I think I have enough excess that it won't be too difficult selecting items to pitch.  I'm hoping I'll be able to sort through my closet in the next week or so and get rid of some things.   

Book Review - Why Not Me?

Mindy Kaling is a celebrity I would totally hang out with.  She just seems really nice and funny, and a little bit awkard.  Her new book, Why Not Me was endearing and fun, just like her previous book.

One thing she talks about is how people always mention that she isn't a "conventional looking" actress and doesn't bow to the pressures of Hollywood.  To this, she says "My deep dark secret is that I absolutely do try to conform to normal standards of beauty. I am just not remotely successful at it."

I thought that was kind of awesome.  Me too, Mindy.  Me too.  

Budget Rewind - October 2013

October 2013 was a pretty good month (again, birthday month helps keep me in check)!  Some of these things were gifts, but since they were on my wish list, I still think it makes sense to rate them!  

Good: 

J.Crew Factory Coat (gift) (long version)- awesome coat that is super warm.  Has it ever been blogged??
Harvey's Seatbelt Bag (gift) (Exact)- I've wanted a Harvey's purse forever so I was pumped to finally get this one!  It's pretty much the only purse I have used in the last two years, Except now I mostly use a diaper bag.
Steve Madden boots (gift) (exact)- I've worn these too many times to count (including almost 70 blog posts) and even bought the exact same boots in brown.  Pretty much a staple for getting through Midwest winters.  
Limited White Skinny Jeans (similar):  $25 - a little more than I'd have liked to spend, but 2 years later, I've worn them a lot and still do.   
Limited Oatmeal Boyfriend Cardigan (similar): $14 - another great neutral item for the closet.  Blogged 11 times, and surely worn quite a bit more.  

Old Navy gray tights (similar): $10 - frequently worn.  I guess I like the dark gray tights better than black sometimes.  

Old Navy Pointy-Toe Ankle Strap flats  (similar): $23 - I had my eye on these shoes for quite awhile but was hoping for a sale.  Then I went ahead and bought them and I'm so glad I did!  With 44 blog appearances, and who knows how many other times I've worn them, definitely worth the price.  They are starting to look a little rough.  I think it would be wise for me to invest in a higher quality version. 

MediumConverse Chuck Taylors (similar):  $45 - well, my old Chucks were chewed on by a friend's dog and I was anxious to replace them.  I bought these ones when I should have waited for normal ones.  These have the weird double tongue where you can fold the top one down, which I'm not going to do.  I mean, I like them and wear them a lot but I wish they were just the plain version 

Gap Leopard Loafers (similar): $25 - how do you categorize something that you really love, but hardly ever wear?  I always think I should wear these, but then feel weird when I put them on and pick a different shoe.  Maybe I'll wear them more this year?  

So yeah, Octobers are nice for shopping, I guess!  

Budget Rewind - October 2014

October 2014 was a good month!  October is usually pretty decent, because my birthday is at the end so I'm not allowed to buy myself anything that someone else might buy me.  

Good

• Target black blouse: $5 - I like this top, and was able to wear it for most of pregnancy, and then immediately after Mr. Baby was born.  It's easy to wear, but looks a little fancy. 
• Gap factory navy boyfriend cardigan: $10 - I am confused that this has only made the blog once.  I wear it all the time.  
• Gap Factory black/gray stripe boyfriend cardigan: $10 - I really like my boyfriend cardigans, and this one is fun because it's got the subtle stripe going on.  
• WSU Hoodie - this was a bday gift, but it was on my wishlist, so I'm including it.  I love it.  Most of my hoodies were from college and getting kind of worn, so it's nice to have a newer one!  

Medium

• Gap bootcut jeans: $17 - I guess I was being sneaky during my Oct14 post, but these were actually maternity jeans.  I didn't wear them as much as I thought I would, because I liked my skinny jeans more.  But for $17, I think they were an okay decision. 
• J.Crew Factory checkered cap: $10 - I've worn this a handful of times, but think I might more this fall/winter.  I really like it, but don't always remember it is an option.  
• Limited outlet navy/white striped dress: $20 - I guess I've only worn this 3 times?  It didn't fit for a few months of pregnancy, so that's one excuse.  I should make sure I wear it more, because I really like it.  

• Gap blue/white striped tee: $3 - I have to confess, it took me some time to figure out what shirt this was.  But once I did, I remembered that I really like it!  

Good job, one year ago Andi!  

October shopping

October was another month of minimal shopping, but I almost spent my budget!  The last minute shopping trip for a dress to wear for a wedding was maybe not the wisest, but I do really like both of the dresses I got.  Of course, neither are online, and I can't even find similar options, so no collage this month.

Limited maroon dress: $30 (worn here) (similar in black)

Limited polka dot dress:$20 (similar)

Letote membership: $40  (you can get your first month for $25 if you use my referral link)

I'm still on the fence about Letote.  I put it on hold for a week so I have time to think about whether I want to keep it another month.  It is fun, and prevents me from shopping, I think.  But I don't know that I need much to prevent me from shopping.  Mr. Baby does a pretty good job.  

Since my birthday is in October, I also got some presents.  These are all from Loft.    

Scarf, Green Sweater, Cherry blossom sweater, Flare Jeans

Both of the sweaters are a tad too small.  Bless her heart, my MIL thinks I'm thinner than I actually am!  So I will need to exchange them.  The jeans were a present from Mr. Baby.  I'm suspicious someone helped him, but all adults deny any involvement.  

Anyway, linking up with Fran and the Budgeting bloggers, as usual.  Just a little late.  

Emotional Weekend

We spent the weekend up in Minnesota for my uncle's funeral.  We left early Friday morning.  The drive wasn't too bad.  Mr. Baby sleeps quite a bit in the car, but then is pretty grumpy when he wakes up and is still trapped in his car seat.  The trip took longer with him, so we got to the hotel just as my parents, sister, and nieces were leaving for the church.  We got checked in, and had a quick turnaround getting ourselves ready, and then headed to the church.  We had a little time with just family before the visitation and funeral.  I've probably mentioned before that I'm a crier.  Any extreme emotion (happiness, sadness, anger) makes me cry.  It's pretty inconvenient.  Well, I get it from my dad, and the rest of the family seems to have the same problem.  Friday evening was kind of a blur of hugging, crying, laughing, crying.  John and I left for a little bit to drive around and see if Mr. Baby would take a nap before the funeral.  He fell asleep about 4 minutes before we needed to be back in the church.  Somehow, he slept through most of the service, which was a blessing.

The burial was Saturday morning, just the family.  Many more tears.  It was pretty cold and rainy, so I put Mr. Baby in the carrier/wrap thing to keep him warm.  He wasn't really sure what to make of all the weepy grownups, and kept grinning at me.  He's a pretty good medicine for heartache.  Then we spent most of Saturday at my aunt's house catching up with family.

In the afternoon, I took my nieces out trick-or-treating in a small town nearby.  They didn't have costumes, but the small town folks still gave them candy.

It was really wonderful to see most of my extended family, and get to introduce them to my boy, but I wish it had been for a happier reason.  I'm sad Mr. Baby won't get to meet Uncle Wes.  I think they would have gotten along just fine.

We drove home yesterday, and it seemed to take way longer than the drive up on Friday.  Probably because we were so tired from the weekend.  We were grateful for the warm November 1st, because we could stop and let the boy get some fresh air every so often.

Anyway, October has been an eventful month.  Birthdays, a wedding, and a funeral.  I think/hope that November will be quieter.