Friday, revisited...

Editor's Note: This was scheduled to post on Friday, but Blogger didn't post it. Go figure...

But since I didn't write anything on Monday, and then I spent all of Monday night catching up on reading other blogs instead of coming up with something for my own, I figured Tuesday was as good of a day to re-post it as any. Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend!

Happy Friday, friends! Who's excited for a long weekend?

Steve and I are heading up to his parents' house to dog-sit for them while they go to a wedding in Tennessee on Saturday, and I am kind of looking forward to a few days of doing nothing but swimming with Brigid. And it's a good thing that that's how I want to spend my weekend, since there's not much else to do in Georgia when the temperatures start to top 90 degrees.

Helloooooo summer!

Worn to work on this past week

Sweater: NY & Co 

Skirt: Calvin Klein

Shoes: Steve Madden (from Macy's)

Purse: Kate Spade (So, apparently, posting a list of things you are coveting right before Mother's Day sometimes leads to you being gifted one of those things that you are coveting...thanks, honey! You really are the best!)

Summer Concert Series

And by concert series, I mean one concert. Well, one concert so far, anyway.


Let's just say I'm still holding out hope that my sister-in-law can come through with some NKOTB-BSB tickets before the boys make their Atlanta debut.

In the meantime, I'll make do with my yearly visit to the Jimmy Buffett show, which is always a good time, despite the fact that he keeps coming to Atlanta on a Tuesday, and I'm just too old to be going out on a school night. I will suffer through it for Jimmy.

Fins up!

PS: Flip flops seemed like the perfect footwear for a JB concert, until I spent several trips to the bathroom trying to avoid the flooded stalls that dotted the ladies' room. Lesson learned...my Hunters would have been a better option.

Worn to the Jimmy Buffett concert Tuesday 5/24

Tank Top: Old Navy

Sweater: Target

Shorts: Ann Taylor

Shoes: Old Navy 

I don't want to grow up...

I put together an Amazon wishlist for my birthday this past February, because various family members were looking for suggestions, and it seemed to be the easiest way to get the word out about what I needed (various camera/computer equipment pieces) and what I wanted (clothes and a travel coffee mug). I added this skirt on a whim, not feeling quite sure how I would style it if I did end up owning it, but wanting it just the same.

The skirt was still on the list when Steve went shopping for my birthday, and in addition to his main gift idea of having my family blog (Laundry is NOT a Hobby, if you want to check it out) printed and bound in hardcover (quite possibly the most awesome gift idea, ever…it’s like having a family yearbook to flip through), he picked it up as well. He’s a keeper, no?

And wouldn’t you know it, the skirt has turned out to be much more versatile than I expected. Work, church, outdoor activities, I’ve worn it for everything so far this summer. And I think I have some amazing tights I can wear with it when the weather gets cooler again, which will happen, whether I want it to or not.

Unfortunately, I think the success of this endeavor may feed a little too much into my nasty habit of ‘buy now, figure out how it works later’, instead of the new habit I’m trying to pick up of ‘buy only things that I can immediately work into at least five different outfits with what I already own’, which seems less fun, but much more responsible. At some point, responsibility will start to win out, right? Right?!?!?

Worn Friday 5/20 to work
tank top: Target
jacket: Kenneth Cole
skirt: Gap
shoes: Steve Madden (from DSW)

Just Say No.

What is it about Mexican restaurants that make me want to overeat like there is no tomorrow?

Never mind, I already know the answer to that. 

Because it’s the chips. The baskets upon baskets of warm tortilla chips, that magically refill themselves just as you’re starting to see nothing but crumbs. Those stupid chips get me every time. And when you add queso to the mix? Well now, don’t mind if I do…

Note to self: Skinny jeans do not make you eat less food, as logical as you think that might seem. You will eat just as much, you will just feel really, really miserable on the drive home. Please plan accordingly next time.

Worn Thursday (5/19) for SiL's birthday dinner

Top: Banana Republic

Jacket: Kenneth Cole

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Cole Haan

Proportions

I think I may have failed miserably with the proportions on this outfit. I love the skirt. I love the sweater. I’m just not so sure I love them together.

I know that the sweater (Target clearance rack! Woo!) will be nice this summer with shorts (but only if I head north at some point, because Atlanta summers don’t exactly lend themselves to sweater wearing, at any point in the day), skinny pants, or even a shorter skirt.

And this skirt is just such a pretty color. Other than trying to figure out how to kick the wrinkles (beyond hourly steaming sessions, that is), I think I can wear it with just about anything. Except this sweater. Obviously.

Chalk this one up to a blogger learning experience, I guess?

Worn Thursday 5/19 to work
Top: Banana Republic (gift from my MiL, who had it in her donation pile, even though she'd never worn it)

Sweater: Target

Skirt: J Crew

Shoes: Charles David (from DSW, years ago...I don't wear them often, and I think I know why, now. they're not flattering, and they're not so comfortable, either. donation pile material, for sure.)

Back At It

Hey, look! I'm trying to get dressed again!

How is it so easy to fall out of practice, to get lazy, to start shopping for all new things again, instead of making my closet work for me? It's just like a diet, I swear. You can work for months and months to drop ten pounds, only to gain back five of them in one quick weekend.

And if you don't keep your guard up, you can end up with six new dresses, four new pairs of shoes, and numerous accessories. And some shorts. And a couple of blouses.

Oops.

Dress: Banana Republic

Sweater: Banana Republic

Shoes: Nine West

My Favorite Things

I didn't have a camera with me this weekend because we were traveling.

My outfits this week haven't really been photo worthy, because I was too tired to do much on Monday, and I had Brigid going to the office with me on Tuesday (and didn't put much thought into things beyond 'be able to chase down crazy toddler if necessary', which was a good mindset to have, because it turned out to be necessary...).

So, I have no outfit photos to share.

You know that that means? Another installment of Tara's favorite things!

This is the greatest travel bag, ever. Seriously. It's amazing. (I even wrote about it at Style Lush yesterday, that's how much I love it.)

I was tired on my lunch break on Monday, from being out of town all weekend, so I indulged in something even better than caffeine...online shopping. Have you been to gilt.com? Because it is amazing. Not that I needed a new watch, but whatever...it's so pretty!

We're redoing our backyard this summer, because our current backyard is a complete disaster. There are weeds, dangerous trees, and drainage issues galore, so it's actually long overdue. And do you know what a yard/porch redesign means? Well, it means more shopping, of course (I'd love to get all new furniture, but I think I'm going to have to settle with some accessories here and there, for the time being...).

Anything you've been loving lately?

{photo credits: me, gilt.com, hautelook.com)

Off Track

Back in January, I mentioned that I was taking part in the Biggest Blogging Loser challenge, hosted by the very awesome Jennie. What I didn’t mention was that since the contest ended in March, I have been taking part in a similar, but much more laid back version of the same program, with a smaller (but even more completely amazing) group of ladies. And while I haven’t been losing weight at the same speed I had been in the first challenge, I was consistently dropping the numbers on the scale, however slight the change may have been from week to week.

Then we went to Indiana.

Now, having grown up in Indiana, I would have never even suggested that the state had much of anything to offer by way of ‘food you HAVE to try’, but I may not have given my beloved Hoosier state much credit, as this weekend was a big weekend on the food front for me.

Bub’s Burgers in Carmel (amazing). Double marshmallow Oreo frozen custard milkshake from Culver’s, home of the butter burger (perfect). 96^th Street Steakburgers (so good). Skyline Chili (which is actually a Cincinnati thing, but they happened to have a franchise a couple of miles away from our hotel, and I am not one to pass up a shot at Cincinnati chili). There may have been another round of ice cream thrown in for good measure, as well as a rehearsal dinner at Maggiano’s and a ridiculously good piece of wedding cake. And that’s before I even start discussing the liquid calories from the weekend.

Let’s just say that we get one skip week over the course of this challenge, where we don’t have to submit a weight to the group at large, and I’m only about 150% sure that this is my week. I don’t even want to know what kind of damage I did last weekend…

 

Tank Top: Target

Sweater: J Crew

Skirt: Banana Republic

Sandals: Wet Seal 

Wedding Weekend!

So, let's see...this weekend, one of Steve's old college roommates got married, which was awesome. His core group of friends from Notre Dame are all really good guys, and their significant others are some of the nicest people I've ever met. We had a great time at both the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, as well as the wedding/reception on Saturday.

Also, this weekend (which you know if you happen follow me on Twitter, and if that's the case, sorry for the repeat...), Steve outed me as a style blogger to that same lovely group of friends, which, well...

Let's just say that's not something I was planning on announcing to the group at large, because, I'm not exactly sure that 'I take pictures of myself and my outfit on a daily basis, and post them on the internet for people to comment on' translates all that well into real life.

And then, he proceeded to pull up this Style Lush post, to show everyone my lovely little dress form, and as this happened to be the wedding I was writing about, that all went over very well. And then one of the groomsmen asked me if I'd be doing a 'who wore it better' style post between myself and the dress form, so...

Sorry about the crappy iPhone pictures, but we didn't have room for the real camera on this trip.
Dress: H&M
Shoes I didn't wear: Steve Madden (from DSW)
Shoes I did wear: Kenneth Cole (from TJ Maxx)

Classy

I'm not sure why I felt so lady-like in this dress. It has an interesting pattern and an odd shape to the bodice. And yet...

It has to be the length, I think (just slightly above the knee, when I'm walking). Or maybe it was the flowiness of the skirt (which, of course, you can't see in the stationary picture). Or the dress/cardigan combo (which I  do way too often for it to be a surprising look on me).

Whatever it is, I love this dress. And I guess that's all that counts.

Worn to work last week:

Dress: BCBG Max Azria (from TJ Maxx)

Sweater: Express

Shoes: Nine West

Belt: Target 

And remember...today is Friday the 13th, so stay away from ladders, black cats, and broken mirrors if you can, because nobody needs any additional bad luck!

Boring...

Ever have one of those days where you just don't feel like getting dressed in the morning? But you really don't have a choice? Because your office kind of frowns upon you showing up at work in sweatpants and a ratty old t-shirt?

Yeah, me neither.

Worn to work last week:

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft

Pants: Express

Weekend Shopping

I know this has been mentioned by me many times, but I gave up shopping for Lent, which prevented me from shopping for most of March/April. And before that, I had just completed Kendi's winter 30x30 challenge, which kept me from shopping for all of February. So, when Easter came and went, and my self-imposed shopping ban was lifted, I hit the stores a little hard.

Target, TJ Maxx, Macy's, H&M...I've been busy.

It all culminated this weekend with several hours (and several dollars) spent at the outlet mall a couple of miles away from my in-laws' house. In my defense, I needed some new shorts. The pretty dresses and brightly colored skirts that found their way home with me? Absolutely not my fault.

Needless to say, I'll be taking another small break from shopping for the next few weeks.

Unless something I absolutely needs pops up, of course.

 

Worn shopping on Saturday: 

Tank Top: Target

Cardigan: Express

Skirt: H&M

Sandals: Target

Flowers for Everyone!

Today is floral day over at Everybody, Everywear, so be sure to stop by if you have the perfect spring pattern to share...or if you're looking for the perfect way to wear that flowery dress that's currently hiding in the back of your closet.

Because, nothing says spring like a pretty little floral pattern!

Today's outfit is a product of one of my recent little shopping sprees, courtesy of the Friends and Families sale at Macy's and the clearance rack at Target. Because as much as I love a good shopping spree, it's so much better when it's accompanied by a great deal, too.

The only item in today's post that wasn't a recent purchase? That would be the shoes.

The shoes, I actually bought a couple of years ago when I was pregnant, and my feet were about a full size bigger then than they are now. You know that saying about shoes always fitting? It is so not applicable when you are pregnant. And now, the shoes won't stay on my feet when I'm walking, a fact that I always seem to forget about until I am actually walking in them, usually from my car to my office. At which point it is too late to do anything about it.

And is this just a long way of saying I almost wiped out getting off of the elevator, tripping over my own shoes, much to the enjoyment of the individuals getting off of the elevator behind me?

Nope. Not at all.

Blouse: DKNY Jeans (from Macy's)

Cardigan: Gap

Skirt: Target

Shoes: Nine West

It's my day...

...and I can be a bum if I want to.

Hope all of the mothers out there had a fabulous Mother's Day! And I hope the non-mothers had just as lovely a Sunday. Everyone deserves a nice, relaxing day now and then.

And now, welcome to Monday...

Worn on Mother's Day:

Tank Top: Target

Sweater: Target

Shorts: Ann Taylor

Shoes: DSW

Over the river...

We are heading up to my in-laws' lake house this weekend, and I am just a little excited. According to the Wiz-o-meter (that would be the local NBC affiliate's daily numerical ranking of the overall weather conditions in Atlanta...because saying 80 and sunny isn't descriptive enough, obviously...) Saturday is going to be a 11!

(Because 'These go to eleven'...anyone? anyone? reference?)

Anyway, I haven't been out on the boat yet, and I haven't been to the outlet mall in a couple of months, so I'm expecting big things from this weekend. Namely, a little bit of sun and some new shorts. Because I know how to get crazy, obviously.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and a very Happy Mother's Day to all of my favorite mothers out there!

Tank Top: Target

Sweater: Belle du Jour (Macy's)

Jeans: Levi's (TJ Maxx)

Sandals: Old Navy

Spring Cleaning

My closet was starting to get a little out of control again, full of clothes that I don't wear, that don't fit, that are starting to show some wear and tear. And it was starting to stress me out, because I don't handle clutter all too well. I hate not being able to find what I want, and I hate thinking that I have no pants that fit me anymore.

So, I tried on every single thing in my closet. I packed up two huge trash bags of things to donate, made one large pile of things I don't wear anymore, but couldn't quite get rid of, and kept only what I knew I'd use. And wouldn't you know it?

I totally have pants that fit! Good to know...

(Also? These are the second pair of uncomfortable shoes that I've worn in as many days. They didn't hurt to walk in, they just hurt to have on while I was sitting. Bizarre. And I will most likely be wearing flats tomorrow. I just don't know how much more my poor feet can take!)

Pants: The Limited

Blouse: H&M

Sweater: New York & Co.

Shoes: Steve Madden

Do you have that one great pair of shoes? That look great with multiple outfits? That are that perfect shade of nude that make you want to wear them all of the time? That actually look like they are made for those plastic molded Barbie feet? And make your feet cramp up over the course of the day?

No?

Yeah, me neither...

 

 Sweater: Lands End Canvas

Skirt: Gap

Shoes: Steve Madden