Stripe Week - Tank Top

Day 2 of Stripes Week continues with lots of blue!  

I really liked this outfit.  It felt very me.  I continued my pattern of wearing a cardigan of the same color over a striped top.  Pretty soon I'll have covered all the colors of the spectrum and then I'll have to come up with a new idea!

The striped top is actually a tank, but I try to stretch my summer clothes into fall and winter with layers.  Sure, I have a navy and white striped top with sleeves, but it doesn't have the lighter blue borders and it isn't as long, so I am glad I have options!

Make sure you stop by A Journey in Style to see Kate's look for today.  I'm also pretty excited that Inge has decided to play along all week!  Go check out her striped outfits! 

Top & Cardigan: Gap
Skirt: Limited
Shoes: BCBGeneration

Stripe Week - Skirt

Get excited - it is STRIPES WEEK!

A pretty decent percentage (no, I didn't do the math) of the tops in my closet are striped, but I'm a firm believer that stripes should not be limited to the torso.  A black and white striped skirt is a very versatile piece, so I was happy to add this one to my closet in the spring (for only $7)  It's safe to say this will be a staple going into the fall and winter, as well.

This jacket is another item I'm feeling pretty smart about.  I bought it back in 2011 on super clearance, and it was a total impulse buy.  Now camo is having a moment and an almost identical jacket is going for $78.  I'm going to pretend I'm a visionary for buying my jacket 2 years early.

Come back every day this week for another outfit featuring stripes!  I'm going to try to challenge myself by doing different color combos, but you may see black/white again, because it's just so easy!  You should also stop by A Journey in Style to see what Kate is wearing.  Then remember to link up with us on Friday!

Jacket & Skirt: Old Navy  (similar)  (similar skirt)
Top: J.Crew Factory
Shoes: Born

Fall Time

 

I wore this to work on Monday.  Then I went to the library to pick up a few books, and figured I'd take my outfit pictures in the parking lot.  I got my tripod all set up and started taking pictures.  After taking a few, I walked back to my camera to see how they looked.  At this point, an invisible bully jumped out of nowhere and knocked me to the ground!  Okay, I may have just fallen down of my own accord, but it sounds cooler to blame someone else.  I think I stepped on a parking lot rock and my shoes weren't equipped with proper balancing skills.  I'm just clumsy, I guess.

It was probably hilarious to watch, and it felt like slow motion to me, but I ended up sprawled out on the pavement with bloody knees and feeling very embarrassed.  No one came to my rescue, so I'm going to assume no one saw me.  I'm just glad I didn't break my ankle or arm (or anything else).  Scrapes and bruises are no fun, but I prefer these small injuries to the alternative.

And here you were probably expecting a post about autumn. 

Dress: Daniel Cremieux
Jacket: Izod
Belt: Gap
Shoes: Gianni Bini

Double Inspiration

 

At some point, I pinned this outfit idea.  I really liked the yellow and turquoise together.  Then Ginny did her own spin on the look, which I liked even better, because stripes are always better!  So, this outfit is doubly inspired!  I brought it into fall with my boyfriend jeans.  I think it would have been cuter with heels, but I was being practical because I wore this on Saturday when my mom and I road-tripped to Grand Island.  It seemed like heels would have been a bit ridiculous for that little adventure. 

Speaking of stripes, don't forget to follow along with me and Kate next week for Stripes Week!  Link up to show your stripes on Friday! 

Today I'm linking up with Pinned It & Did It, What I Wore to Work, Look What I Got, and Tres-Chic.


Top: Loft
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Jeans: Jessica Simpson
Shoes: Payless

Weekend Recap and Next Week's Theme

So, I may have mentioned that my mom was visiting this past weekend.  It was a quick trip, but I think we had a pretty good time.  On Saturday, we drove out to Grand Island to visit one of her best friends.  It was fun to take a little road trip and so wonderful to catch up with our friend.  I hadn't seen her since my wedding and that was 6 years ago!

Saturday evening, we went to Les Miserables at the Omaha Community Playhouse.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the local theater group, but I was very impressed!  I'll definitely be interested in future shows!  A few random thoughts (because that's what I do):

• It always bothers me that the actors have British accents.  Shouldn't everyone be French?  
• Gavroche was probably about 15.  I suspect they couldn't find a younger actor.  I just think he's supposed to be much younger and it loses some of the impact when he's a teenager.
• One of the actors' bios said she didn't realize she could sing until she had her tonsils out.  This makes a lot of sense, because I'm pretty sure I should be on Broadway, but I can't carry a tune.  I will be scheduling a tonsillectomy ASAP!     (kidding, kidding)  
• Eponine will probably always be my favorite.  She just has the best songs!  I find it so hard to believe that Marius would pick Cosette!  Eponine is always prettier and smarter and better! 
• The actor who played Marius was better (IMO) than the guy from the movie or the guy from the Broadway Across America version.  And his day job is being a sewer inspector!     
• It's weird that these actors are just regular people around Omaha.  At intermission, John and I were discussing who we liked and didn't like and then I felt awkward because we could be sitting next to someone's mom!

Anyway, the above outfit is what I wore to the show.  Which leads me nicely to my second point:

I'm doing another theme week!  I had a lot of fun during Polka Dot Week, so I'm going to try doing a theme week every so often.  Next week, I'm taking on STRIPES!  I even have an awesome co-host - Kate from A Journey in Style will be rocking stripes all week, and then we will have a linkup on Friday, October 11th. 

So get your striped outfits ready, and come link up!  

Scarf & Shoes: Target
Jacket: Izod
Tee: Gap
Skirt: Old Navy

Deep Thoughts on Internet Envy

Over the last couple of years, I've seen quite a few articles that warn against Facebook because it will cause depression.  The argument is that everyone posts about the happy things in their lives, and none of the sad things, so we all have a skewed perception of others, and then get sad about ourselves.  Like "All my FB friends have awesome jobs/cars/relationships/vacations, and my life is terrible!!"  This may be true, but it always bothers me for a couple of reasons:

First, if you aren't happy with your life, will it really help to know your friends/acquaintances/strangers on the internet are also miserable?  I think that would just make me more depressed.  Also, it's never wise to base your contentment on what other people appear to have, whether being envious of them, or thinking at least you are better off than them.  

Second, you SHOULD NOT BE INTERNET FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE IF YOU CAN'T BE HAPPY FOR THEM WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO THEM!  Sorry to get shouty, but seriously.  If I'm scrolling through Facebook and see that someone I'm "friends" with went on an awesome vacation, and my first thought is "ugh, why do they get to spend 3 weeks in Europe?!"  then it probably means I don't actually like this person.  Un-friend immediately!  Or at the very least, hide them from your news-feed.

Also, how is this different than in real life?  If I ask one of my co-workers how they are doing, they always say "good!" and unless we are pretty close, that's all I know.  Isn't it just common sense to know that you are getting a tiny glimpse of anyone's life by your interactions with them, whether online or IRL? 

And finally, I don't know about you, but I have plenty of friends on my various social media sites that are pretty open about the good and the bad things in life.  Is this just because I have un-friended all the annoyingly braggy folks?  Maybe. 

I'm not sure what my point is here, but I just wanted to throw those thoughts out there.  And look, I may have a cute dalmatian-print* belt, but look how wrinkly my skirt is.  Just keeping it real!  

*No Dalmatians were harmed in the making of this belt.  I actually don't know that, but I assume/hope.  I really don't want to be Cruella De Vil!  

Top: H&M
Skirt: J.Crew Factory
Belt: Limited
Shoes: BCBGeneration

When September Ends - Goal Review

Happy Monday!  I'm sure I'll be posting about my mom's visit soon, but unfortunately, it's the end of the month, so I have to do my goal review.  September was better than August, but still not pretty!

• Do a project, mostly sewing - nope.  But I do have an easy sewing project in mind, so that must count for something.  This dress ripped at the seam, so I'm going to chop it into a top instead of a dress.  I thought I'd have time to do it last week, but I have poor time management skills. 
• Work out 3x a week - I think so. 

• Tackle a project around the house - I did clean out the linen closet in the guest bathroom.  It's been a sort of mess since we moved in, because I'm never in there, so it's kind of "out of sight, out of mind."  But I finally organized it and threw away a bunch of stuff! 
• Cook a "real" meal at least 3 days each week - medium.  I don't know - we are home so randomly in the evenings.  I think I did okay. 
• Stick to a clothing budget - while technically over for September, I was using leftovers from prior months, so I'm still on track for the year.
• Read 50 books in 2013 - I finished 4 books in September.  I'm still 2 books behind schedule for the year, but again, once I get done with these 800 page Harry Potter books, I think I'll be able to catch up.  I'll just have to be strategic with a few shorter books.  

We're officially 75% through 2013, and I am not feeling great about my goals.  Maybe 4th quarter will be really awesome.  Are you still working on any goals or NY resolutions?  

Blazer: H&M
Top & Jeans: Gap
Necklace: InPink
Shoes: Target