So THIS is what February feels like...

It was cold this weekend. Colder than it has been since, I don't know, last winter or something. You know, when it was ACTUALLY WINTER, and not this bizarre will-it-won't-it winter tease we've had so far this year.

(Not that I'm complaining, or anything, because I like the warmer weather, but seriously...MAKE UP YOUR MIND, ALREADY, GEORGIA!!)

So, because it was cold, I figured it was as good a time as any to counteract the winter temperatures with spring colors. Flawed logic...it works for me, every time.

(Do you know what else works for me, every time? Totally copying my outfit from Kendi...)

 Tank Top: Old Navy

Cardigan: Gap (outlet)

Jeans: Levis (from TJ Maxx)

Shoes: Cole Haan

Scarf: Land's End Canvas

Star of the Show

We are getting family pictures taken this weekend, and the only advice we received from our photographer on clothing choices was 'no white'. Which, while helpful in the slightest of ways, was not really helpful at all.

Obviously, I want us all to match. And even more obviously, I don't want us all to match too closely. And even though my husband got a new sweater for the occasion, I'd rather not shop for these pictures if I don't have to. We're shooting for a purple/black/gray color scheme, based around the most ridiculously adorable striped sweater dress that my daughter owns and a pair of gray motorcycle boots that my sister-in-law bought her for her birthday, and I have to scour my closet tonight for options of my own. Should be a good time. Or not.

Tomorrow's lunch break may end up being a frantic trip to the mall to find something that will work. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, I guess.

Although, really, what I end up wearing probably won't matter in the end. I'm just going to be upstaged by a two-year old, anyway...

T-shirt: Forever 21

Jeans: TJ Maxx

Shoes: Cole Haan

Bracelet: Kohls

This and That

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so expect to see a lot of pink over here in the next few weeks, as I am joining Melissa from A Working Mom's Closet in her second year of the Breast Cancer Awearness challenge:

It seems like very few people haven't been affected by this disease in some way, whether personally or through a family member or friend, so head over to Mel's site to learn more about the challenge and to read some of these personal stories.

Also, it's Inspiration Monday over at Two Birds!

Today's inspiration is...

Casual and comfortable? I'm in!

(Also, because I have a little trouble with the color in my pictures, I imagine I'm going to be spending a lot of time over the next month explaining that something is actually pink, not purple. Case in point? Today's purse. It's pink, I promise...)

Top: Old Navy

Jeans: Levi's (TJ Maxx)

Purse: Kate Spade

Bracelet: Land's End

Shoes: Target

The blues...

It's time to play along with Everybody, Everywear again...

I have to admit, when I heard that this month's challenge was colored pants, I was a little nervous. I can wear a brightly colored skirt with the best of them. But pants, for some reason, always cause me problems. So, I started off slow...

(I promise, these aren't just regular blue jeans. The color is much brighter than it appears in some of these pictures...but it's starting to get to the point where it's dark when I leave the house and it's dark when I'm done for the day, so this was the best I could do with the lighting that I had...

Also, I am not ready for perpetual darkness, again!)

Next up? I think I'll try pink. Or red. Or maybe purple? Decisions, decisions...

Jeans: TJ Maxx

Sweater: Gap

Shoes: Kenneth Cole (outlet)

Necklace: Calvin Klein (outlet)

Also, it's Tuesday, which means that I am up over at Style Lush today, window shoping for home accessories. Stop by and say hi!

Is it Fall, yet?

The lovely ladies at Two Birds actually picked a pretty good day to take us toward the Fall season for Inspiration Monday, as we have a cold front going through Atlanta this week.

Of course, an August cold front still consists of 85 degree weather, but at least we won't be hitting 90+ today. It's the small stuff that makes me happy...

The inspiration:

The outfit:

 Shirt: Old Navy

Jeans: Levi's (via TJ Maxx)

Shoes: Old Navy

And now, B and I are off to the dealership to get my car worked on for an hour or two. I'm on my second cup of coffee this morning, in anticipation for the fun that's just ahead of me...in a dealership waiting room with a toddler.

Think happy thoughts for me, please. I'm going to need them!

This is as maxi as I go...

This whole Inspiration Monday thing at Two Birds is really starting to grow on me, you know?

I like having an excuse to pull out items of clothing that I haven't worn in a very long time (if ever...because, yes, I am one of those people who hoards clothing items, then forgets to wear them...but I'm getting better about that, I promise!!) and put them to good use in a combination I might not have considered in the past.

Case in point, this week's inspiration:

I loved the simplicity of the outfit, with the black and white color scheme and lack of accessories...it managed to seem dressy and laid-back, all at the same time. And when I saw the skirt, I immediately thought about a black skirt I've had in my closet for years, one that doesn't get much use these days, but one that I still can't bring myself to throw in the donation bin. I bought this skirt when Steve and I went to Europe in 2005, because we were attending Easter Mass at the Vatican, but we were also traveling light (we're talking backpacks, and that's about it...), and I needed to be able to wad it up into a very small ball without worrying about wrinkles. And while it served its purpose, and there are too many lovely memories in it to send it on its way, all I've seen the last couple of times I've looked at it is too much poofiness and an awkward length.

But, I think it's growing on me again!

Tank Top: Max Studio (from TJ Maxx)

Skirt: Anthropologie

Shoes: Nine West 

The Reverse Tree

That was absolutely all I could think about when I put this outfit together...I look like an upside down tree.

And do you know what? I am really ok with that, because I built this outfit around the shoes, which are rapidly becoming my favorite shoes, ever. They are so comfortable, and so adorable, and if the outfit I pair them with makes me look like a tree, then so be it.

(And also, since I built the outfit around the shoes, you'd think I'd have included a close up of them, but you'd be wrong. There is one here, though, if you're interested...)

(And finally...Cee? The white dress totally survived the day! Even though a roughed up can of Coke Zero almost took it out, it seems that I have catlike reflexes when my clothes are at risk...)

Top: The Limited

Skirt: Max Studio (from TJ Maxx)

Shoes: Kenneth Cole

Rainy Day

The lovely and HILARIOUS Taylor from It's My Cardi tagged me earlier this week to answer a couple of questions, and since I've been thinking about the answer to one of these questions since practically kindergarten, I had to give it a go...

 

If you did another blog, what would it be about?
This already is my 'other' blog, actually. I started my family blog a year and a half ago, after my daughter was born, both as an enormous mass email to friends and family (someplace they could come and check for baby updates when it suited them, without me having to worry that I was filling everyone's in-box with unwanted, inane stories), as well as an online baby book of sorts for Steve and I (and Brigid, when she's older...). Then I participated in one of Kendi's remixes at the end of 2010, and I realized that I really loved the fashion/style blogging community, and I wanted to play along.

 

Plus, I wanted a place where I could talk about myself, without having to worry that I was annoying people who just wanted to come and look at cute baby pictures, and Steve was getting tired of listening to me all of the time...

If you could change your name, what would it be?
You know, I've never really had a problem with my name, and I don't remember ever wanting to be called something else. Plus, if you knew the names that my sisters ended up with, you'd be fine with Tara, too.

 

(My sisters don't have bad names, per se, they just have interesting combinations of names. My dad, too, actually. Guys, I got off lucky with Tara.

 

Plus, what kind of mean grade school nickname can you come up with for Tara? Tara-piece-of-paper? Tara-dactyl? Not so hurtful, you know?)

 

If you could be born again, would you like to be a man or a woman?
Definitely a woman. A short man is just a short man. A short woman can wear really, really high heels.

 

(Well, a tall woman can wear really, really high heels, too, if they want. But a tall man is still kind of out of luck.)

If you could realize one wish, what would it be?
I'd really love for the hole in my daughter's heart to close up so that everytime she makes anything remotely resembling a wheezing noise, we don't immediately jump to the conclusion that things have taken a turn for the worse and it's starting to affect her lungs. Because she is ridiculously healthy, despite the hole, and we are over-protective nightmares..

If you had a power, which one would you like to have?
Did you ever see the show Out of This World that was on back in the 80s? Apparently, it was on for 4 seasons, but I can only recall seeing two or three episodes, tops.

 

Anyway, it was sitcom about a girl who finds out she's half alien, half human, and she has the ability to freeze time. I think I probably saw the show when I was six or seven, and yet, I've probably thought about it at least once a month since then. I mean, think about it...having the ability to freeze time so you can sleep in as late as you want and still get to work early? Or being able to pick out just the right outfit without worrying that you'll be late for dinner? Or having an extra hour to finish that stupid calculus homework you didn't get to before class?

 

I have always wanted that power.

 

(I can still remember half human/half alien Evie freezing time to swith her uncle's pancake with a slice of pizza covered in syrup. Oh, the hijinks!)

 

If you had to buy a lot of perfumes from one specific brand, which one would it be?
My absolute favorite, ever, is Stella by Stella McCartney, but for a whole line of fragrances? I'd have to go with DKNY, I think...I've generally found myself liking all of their scents.

 

If you had won a holiday, which place would you like to go to?
Someplace with a beach. And beautiful blue water. And maybe a stand with fruity drinks. And lots of seafood. I don't want to have to leave the water's edge from about 10am until the sun sets.

 

But other than that, I wouldn't be picky...

 

I am also supposed to tag three bloggers to answer these questions, but I'd really like to hear what you all have to say about it...answer whichever questions you want, but definitely fill me in on what your power would be, in case I should put aside my silly childhood dreams for something new!

 

Worn Thursday, 5/26 (when I went to get my hair cut in the middle of a monsoon...)

T-shirt: J Crew

Jeans: Levi's (from TJ Maxx)

Boots: Hunter

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!

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

The Winner...

There's nothing worse than someone who asks for your opinion on something and then proceeds to completely ignore everything you say, is there?

Yeah, sorry about that.

Worn to the bachelorette party on Friday night...

Skirt: Max Studio (from TJ Maxx)

Blouse: The Limited

Shoes: Guess (from TJ Maxx)