Neglected Paisley Skirt

This skirt was near the top of the list of things I've been neglecting that I still really like and want to keep.  Granted, I'm sentimental about it.  I bought the dress when John and I were engaged, wore it to my bachelorette party, on our honeymoon, and several other picture-taking occasions during the first couple years of marriage.  I just really loved it.  And then I turned it into a skirt, because the top didn't really fit anymore, but I couldn't bear to part with it.  I still love it, but the purplish-blue color in it makes it tricky for me to style.

I was going to wear it with my black sweater and black blazer, and this mint necklace, but then I switched out the sweater for this ruffly maternity tank top, and then I thought the blazer looked weird, so I went with a cardigan instead.  I've been doing that a lot lately - I think because my body isn't shaped the way I think it is, so things don't fit as expected anymore.  (Hashtag - pregnancy problems)

Cardigan: Gap
Necklace: Limited
Top: Kohl's Maternity
Skirt: H&M (refashioned from a dress)
Tights: H&M
Boots: Madden

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

Pinned It & Did It - Dots and Florals

When I pinned the J.crew version of a floral dress with a polka dot cardigan, I didn't have a floral dress. Then I found this beauty at Dillard's. Then I was perusing Pinterest one morning when I didn't know what to wear, and saw my inspiration. Brilliant.  

Go check out the other Pinterest inspired looks over at Style Journey.  I'm also linking up with Agi for Tres-Chic.    

Dress: Gibson& Latimer
Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Shoes: Born

Lazy Weekend

Happy Monday!  Since this was my first and last weekend with nothing going on for quite sometime, I am happy to report that I did a whole lot of nothing!  Friday after work, John and I met up for dinner and then caught a late showing of World War Z.  It was decent, but not as good as I wanted it to be.  I started reading the book on Saturday, so I'll probably end up doing a comparison post soon.

After staying up too late on Friday, I seriously slept in on Saturday.  I think this is the secret to controlling my caloric intake.  Sleeping until noon is the new trendy diet - celebrities should be paying me for this insight.  I just need to quit my job so I can sleep for 12 hours every night.

Saturday afternoon was reserved for catching up on laundry and running errands.  I think I ironed every single item of iron-able clothing on Saturday evening.  It's a glamorous life, I know.

The above outfit is from Sunday morning church.  After church, we went to lunch with some friends, and then I spent the afternoon cleaning up in our "extra" room, so it will be ready for my nieces next weekend!  I'm pretty excited for them to get here!

Here's a bonus for your Monday morning.  When John is my photographer, he usually convinces me to do silly things, like jump or twirl.  This is a great skirt for twirling, by the way.

Top and Cardigan: Gap
Skirt: H&M dress (refashioned)
Shoes: Target

Copycat Copycat

This outfit is a copycat of myself copycatting someone else.  I really liked that outfit this winter, so I thought it'd be fun to try a more spring appropriate version for dinner Saturday night.

It was also a good excuse to wear my new shoes!  These were a lucky score at Target when I popped in really quick to buy some travel-sized toiletries for my trip to Orlando.  John dropped me off at Target and ran into Lowe's for something, so I was killing time after finding everything on my list, and just happened to wander into the clothes and shoes.  I found a really cute dress (worn last week, but not photographed - blogger fail), and 2 pairs of shoes.  These were an online return, so they were marked down to less than $10 -  I was sold!   

Linking up today with Agi's Tres Chic, Look What I Got, and What I Wore to Work.

Top: H&M
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Izod
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Target

New Skirt in Action

After refashioning this dress into a skirt, I was excited to start wearing it more frequently.  My striped top was hanging in the closet above the skirt and an idea was born!

Last week was crazy busy and the weekend was no different!  Friday evening, John and I went out to dinner and a movie (Now You See Me - pretty good).  Saturday, we had a VBS teacher meeting in the morning, and then my uncle came to town in the evening.  We went out for dinner and then played some Scrabble (John won) and caught up on life.  It was so great to see him and it made me wish my family wasn't all so spread out!  Sunday we had church in the morning, and then I headed to Fremont in the evening for an engagement party/potluck in the park for my friend Anne (who is in town for a couple weeks).  I was nervous all weekend because it kept raining, but about an hour before the party started, the rain stopped and the sun started peeking through the clouds.  It was a little chilly, but at least it wasn't pouring rain!   

After being out of the office most of last week, I'll be playing catch up on everything, so I hope it is a quiet week at work! 

Cardigan: Gap
Top: Old Navy
Belt: Limited
Skirt: H&M (refashioned from a dress)
Shoes: Seychelles

Update: I'm guest posting over at Mai-Heart today and answering questions that Crystal came up with!  She'll be answering my questions here next week!

Another update: I am linking up with Favorite Fashion Friday for this week.  

Weekend Shenanigans

The weekend was so fun and busy that I didn't even have time to write a Monday blog post about it.  Our friend, Ben, came to visit for the weekend, so we were having crazy adventures all over Omaha, including, but not limited to:

• Lunch at a never-before-visited restaurant recommended by Urban Spoon.  "GoldeeZ" was set back in a shady-looking strip mall, and the menu featured sections such as "AppetiZers, PiZZa, SandwicheZ, and Soup&Salad."  I'm sort of offended on behalf of Soup & Salad.  Why not "Zoup & Zalad" or "SoupZ and SaladZ" to fit in with the other headings?  We may never know.  Ben has a Z in his last name, so I felt like John and I should pretend to be Zmiths, or SmithZ.
• Bowling - in which I broke 100 in both games!  I usually fall apart at the end, but I got two strikes in the 10th frame!  (I tried to ignore the fact that the children in the lane next to us were significantly better than me.  10yr old girl rolls a strike - Andi rolls a gutter.  The boy (probably 8 or so) congratulated me when I got my first spare.  They were very polite, and way too good at bowling!)
• Dinner at my favorite restaurant in town, including my favorite dessert. 
• Settlers of Catan - not one, but TWO games.  I'm not allowed to say who won both games, so you can come to your own conclusions there.  
• The first miniature golf of the season!  Sunday brought warmer weather and excessive wind, but mini-golf seemed like a great idea.  I was still in my church clothes, so I ran into some difficulty with my dress and scarf, but we had a great time.  I'm also not allowed to say who won at mini-golf.  Let's just say I managed to get a hole in one on a couple of the holes.  

When I learned that the weather was supposed to be nice again, I took advantage of the opportunity to wear my new favorite dress.  Since my church is pretty casual, I thought a denim jacket and flat shoes would make it less dressy.  I still felt like a very fancy lady.  And then I felt sort of overdressed for mini-golf.  

Dress: Banana Republic Outlet

Scarf: Calvin Klein

Jacket: Izod

Shoes: Target

Purse: Dooney and Bourke (gift)

  

Double Dresses and Dots

 

The awkward polka dot dress is now my go-to layering piece!  If I just put another dress on over it, the strange length is no longer an issue.  Boom!

Today is a very exciting day!  I'm leaving work early to spend the weekend in Arizona with 2 of my best friends (featured here and here).  I am looking forward to very warm weather, pool time, shopping at stores that don't exist in Nebraska, and about 72 hours of non-stop friend-time!

In the meantime, I have a fun DIY post scheduled for tomorrow.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, because I sure plan to! 

Dresses: Old Navy
Belt: Limited
Tights: Express
Shoes: Madden Girl

5 Days, 5 Ways - Bubble Necklace

You can't tell, but it was snowing and about 17 degrees and very windy as I was taking these pictures.  I had my tripod nestled in the garage so it wouldn't get wet or blown over, and I didn't have the patience to make sure my pictures were framed properly, so I'm kind of far away! 

Day 3 of the 5 Days, 5 Ways challenge is all about accessories.  It was tough to pick just one item to feature, but the bubble necklace was the obvious choice.  It's such a statement, and becomes the focal point of the outfit.  When I first saw these appear on fashion blogs, I thought they were cute, but I wasn't about to pay the $100+ for the J.Crew version.  Around Christmas, I noticed the cheaper option at Charming Charlie, and was happy to snag one!  I'd like another color, but I just can't decide what would be best (pink or black are in the lead right now).  Anyway, this is a great necklace and adds interest to any outfit! 

Today, I'm showing 6 ways! 

1/2/3/4/5/6

Outfit Details:
Dress (as a skirt): Target
Sweater: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Belt: Urban Outfitters
Boots: Rampage

Budgeting Blogger, Take 2

Take One, Pass It On Item:  tan scarf from last Tuesday's post

I'm linking up with Franish again this month for Budgeting Bloggers.  As I said at the end of January, I am trying to save up my shopping money so I have extra to spend when I go to Phoenix in April.  February was pretty successful in this regard.  I did get a couple dresses, but they were both very reasonably priced, and I am getting rid of several old dresses, so I have some room in my wardrobe.

1. Limited Striped Dress:  $18 (originally $98)
2. Kohl's dress (not online, but I found it here):  $6.40 (originally $64) - plus I had a gift card, so it was free.  

Grand Total = $18

Pretty good, I guess!  I'm going to avoid shopping in March, too, and then I will probably go a little overboard in April, but the clothing budget rolls over from month to month, so it is OK!   I am also hoping to clear out quite a bit of my closet in March.  If I haven't worn it all winter, I will probably try to sell it or donate it! 

Did you stick to your budget in February?

Sweater: Old Navy
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Skirt: Gap
Boots: Rampage

Literary Link-Up Time

Take One, Pass It On Item:  mint skinny jeans from last Wednesday.

It's time for another Literary Junkies Link up!  These questions are always more difficult to answer than I expect. 

1. What are you reading right now? Tell us about it.
I just finished The American Heiress, which is about a very rich, young, beautiful American who goes to England to marry into a title, and all the drama that follows.  This is actually the book club choice for this month.  I've also been "reading" The Lovely Bones via audiobook.  I suspect most people have heard of this book or at least seen the movie.  It has been nice to have a book to listen to when I am cleaning the house, or painting the bathroom, or on the elliptical at the gym.  I think I will get more of these audiobooks!   

2. Give us the recipe for a great book. 
If I knew the answer to this, I would be a very famous author!  I think a great book has to have characters that the reader cares about.  I don't necessarily have to like them, but I usually don't like a book unless I am somewhat emotionally invested in what happens to the people.  A good plot helps, too.  

3. Tell us things you've learned from a book recently. Did you learn anything about history? Did you take away a deep & profound realization about the world around you? Or maybe even a beauty tip?
Top of mind answer:  I can't think of anything.  Upon further inspection of my recent reads, I think the main thing I have learned is just to be profoundly grateful for the life I have.  I know Game of Thrones is fantasy, but I think it has some historical accuracy in the way women were viewed for many centuries.  I am very glad I was born in the 20th century, where I was allowed to go to school, and marry whoever I wanted to marry, and have a job, make my own decisions, etc.  Gone Girl is an extreme example of a very messed up marriage, but it made me happy that I didn't relate to the main characters at all!  The Casual Vacancy was just thoroughly depressing, so I was reminded again how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family.  This is starting to sound braggy, but I think I have the tendency to get a little bit caught up in stupid little things that "go wrong" in my life, when I really don't have much to complain about.  Most of the books I have read recently are good reminders that I shouldn't focus on whining, but rather on all the good things in life!   (I guess I thought of something)


4. What was your favorite book as a child?
 I know my favorite series was the Boxcar Children.  I loved reading about their adventures!  The other book that comes to mind is called Andi's War.  I think I found it randomly when I was searching on the computers for books with my name in them.  It was only at the downtown library, which we didn't go to very often, but I think I checked it out every time.  When John and I were dating, I had said something about this weird book that I used to read, and he tracked it down from Amazon for my birthday.  When I read it again as an adult, I realized it was really not a great book for a kid.  It is set in Greece during the Civil War, so there is a lot of talk about Communism and it is a fairly violent book for a kid.  Of course, I didn't remember any of that from my childhood, so I guess it's okay. 

Now I am curious, what was YOUR favorite book as a kid? 

Scarf: Calvin Klein
Sweater: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap
Boots: Rampage

Weekend Recap

 

Take One, Pass It On Item:  bubble necklace from last Monday's post.
**Today, I am copycatting Kate's look from early December.  It's kind of exciting when I have the exact same item as another blogger, because it's very easy to get inspired.  Don't be surprised when I pass along this cardigan and copycat her again next week.

***I also need to get a better plan for taking photos at work, or figure out how to avoid taking photos at work.  These are not great!

Well, it's Monday again.  I swear, it's like it happens every week.  I had a pretty good weekend.  John and I finished painting our hallway bathroom (updates on that later).  I met a friend for lunch, and then we had some other friends come over for dinner and an epic game of Catan.  On Sunday, we had church and then met up with John's parents for lunch.  I also got caught up on some basic household tasks, like laundry and dishes!

I'd say it was a pretty successful weekend.  Did you do anything fun?

Cardigan: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Top and Jeans: Gap
Shoes: Born

One Hit Wonder

 

There are rumors in the blog-o-sphere that some fashion bloggers buy clothes, wear them for their blog, and then return them.  I think that's pretty ridiculous, but I accidentally did it with this dress.  I wore this last Tuesday, and during a meeting, I noticed a little hole near the hem.  As the day progressed, the hole got bigger and bigger.  You can kind of see it in the above pictures, but here's a close-up:  

I went to Old Navy to exchange it, but they were sold out completely.  I'm a little disappointed, because I love a good striped dress, but it's probably for the best.   The funny thing is that I was $10 over my January budget, but now that I've returned this dress, I'm right on track.  I've updated my budget post from last week, so it will be true.

Also, starting tomorrow, I am going to try a modified version of "Take One, Pass It On" remix challenge that Sarah devised.  Her version involves picking one item each day to wear again in a different way the next day.  I'm afraid of my co-workers noticing and judging me if I wear the same thing 2 days in a row, so I am going to do a weekly "pass-along."  Each day this week, I will be re-mixing an item from one of my posts from last week.  Then the next week, I'll pick from this week's posts, etc.  I'm not allowed to"Pass Along" the same item, either.  I can wear it again, but it can't be my focal item again.  I'm going to try to do this for the rest of February!    

Dress: Old Navy
Cardigan: Marisa Kristina
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Charmin Charlie
Boots: Target

Third Thursday Blazer

It's the third Thursday of the month, so it's time for another link up with Bri!  This month, we are rocking blazers!  I thought it was a good excuse to wear my new Christmas present again.  I was also somewhat inspired by this pin.  I have to say, this is one of my favorite outfits!

On a less happy note, I wore this on Tuesday, which is the day I came down with the flu.  After a Pilates class on Monday night, I was way more sore than I expected.  As the day progressed, it became clear that it was not post-workout soreness, but it was the terrible muscle aches of the flu.  Lame.  I really hope to feel better soon, because John's grandparents are visiting this weekend, and they are so much fun!  The girls are all supposed to see Memphis on Friday, and I'm very nervous I will have to sit out!  Being sick is no fun!

Anyway, you should all go check out the other blazer looks here, and you should definitely link up in the future!

Necklace: Charming Charlie
Sweater & Jeans: Old Navy
Blazer: Gap
Chambray: J.Crew Factory
Boots: Wanted via Piperlime

Fitness Failure

Last night, I met a friend for Pilates class.  When we arrived, the instructor informed us that the class schedule was changed, but they just haven't updated their website.  So... no Pilates class tonight.  We still wanted to hang out, so we ended up eating dinner.  At Culver's.  My intention was to exercise and what I actually did was eat a super unhealthy fast food meal.  I'm so good at fitness.

I also realized that this has been an unofficial theme week on the blog as I have worn a pencil skirt every day.

Shirt: Loft
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Skirt: J.Crew Factory
Boots: Guess via TJ Maxx
  

Bubble Necklace Bandwagon

I'm finally jumping on the bubble necklace bandwagon.  I wasn't really sure about them when I first started seeing them.  Then I liked them, but wasn't about to spend $88 for the J.Crew version.  Then I started seeing them at Charming Charlie, but still wasn't sure.  Then I got 2 gold watches for Christmas, so I decided to swap one out for the bubble necklace.  So this is technically a Christmas present. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

I'll also confess that Hilary Duff inspired this outfit.  Since I was a teenager when she became famous on the Disney channel, this is sort of embarrassing for me.  Wikipedia just told me that she is now married and has a baby, and now I feel old!  The internet is a crazy place.

The giveaway is still open - tell all your friends!  

Coat: Gap
Shirt: J.Crew Factory
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Seychelles
Necklace: Charming Charlie

2012 Goal Review

Well, it is the end of the year, so I guess I should check in with my goals and see how terribly I failed!  I'm probably being too hard on myself, but maybe not.

1. Be more active - Ummm, no.  I just couldn't get into a routine of working out.  I think I need to come up with a more specific plan for 2013.  
2. Be a more discerning shopper - I'll call this a success.  I did the Jan-Mar shopping ban, and I think I am doing better at buying quality items that I will wear more often, instead of just buying things because they are cheap.  I still shop almost exclusively in the clearance section, but I make myself think of several outfits for an item before I purchase it.  
3. Be a better wife!  Mostly in the realm of dinner preparation.  I'm just so inconsistent with this.  I have no way of measuring success other than my feelings, and I feel like I am still terrible at making dinner most weeks.
4. Be more creative!  Success!  I've done quite a few crafty projects this year!  
5. Read 50 books in 2012.  Done!  I was way ahead of schedule until I started the Game of Thrones books, which are 1000+ pages each.  That can really hurt the total number of books!  I had to be strategic in the last week and read a few of the shorter books on my list, but if I look at total number of pages read, I more than doubled my 2011 reading.  

So, 3 out of 5 isn't too bad, right?  I tend to succeed at the things I actually enjoy, like reading books!  I need to figure out how to enjoy things like working out and making dinner.  Maybe I need to get a Wii so I can play Just Dance all the time as my workout, because that is fun!  Not sure how to make dinner preparation fun.

How did you do on your goals/resolutions in 2012?

Sweater: Old Navy
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Skirt: Target
Boots: BareTraps via DSW