Lowdown Brown

For other neutral ideas, you can always visit Megan Mae Daily to see other participants!

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So, obviously, this isn't really a typical workday outfit for me...but that's because I wore this to work/shopping with my sister-in-law last weekend.

See how I tricked you there? Ha!

Happy Wednesday!

Top: The Limited

Sweater: Gap

Jeans: Gap

Boots: DSW

Necklace: Charming Charlie 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Human Again

Do any of you have the extended edition of the Beauty and the Beast DVD that includes the extra song Human Again? And do any of you have a toddler who is obsessed enough with the movie that you know the words to this song by heart?

If you answered yest to both of those questions, you are welcome for getting this song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. If not...then just feel really, really bad for me because I don't think I will be able to stop singing it any time soon.

This, of course, is just my long, drawn-out way of telling you that I woke up this morning, and I didn't feel like I would keel over from the plague the minute I got out of bed! Yay, me!

Of course, the end of the plague also means I woke up starving, because I haven't really eaten a solid meal in two days, but whatever. If you need me, I'll be in the corner all day, eating all of the food.

All of it.

Dress: Banana Republic

Blazer: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Banana Republic (outlet)

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Workin' it...

Ordinarily, Mondays are my days at home, when I spend my time hanging out with Brigid, finishing up the laundry from the weekend, and just generally recovering from the previous two days of 'relaxation' that are Saturday and Sunday. But this week, since I already have a shortened schedule, and Steve is working from home due to some office relocations that are going on in our building, I am braving the big bad world of Monday, and heading into the office for the day.

I don't know how you guys manage to do this every week!

(Also, knock on every piece of wood within a 5 mile radius that they don't take my flex schedule away from me anytime soon. I don't know what I'd do without it...)

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But, before I go...it's Inspiration Monday at Two Birds!

The inspiration:

And the look (please note it is too darn cold around here for me to be wearing short sleeves...and I am referring to my 50-ish degree office, and not the 70-ish degree weather outside. oh Georgia, I love you and your 70-degree November...):

(Please excuse my attempt to show that the stripes on my sweater were, in fact, navy blue, and not black, like my camera is trying to show...)

Sweater: Gap

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Calvin Klein (outlet) 

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Weekend Slip-up

So, this weekend was my first real weekend since I started my shopping detox, and while it wasn't a complete success, it was better than it could have been.

See, it was sale weekend at the outlet mall. And my sister-in-law asked me if I'd be interested in going up with her. And my mother-in-law wanted to go, too. And my father-in-law wanted to hang out with Brigid at the outlet mall playground.

It was a family event all around!

I went. And I shopped. But after hitting a couple of stores, I realized that I just wasn't in a shopping kind of mood. In fact, I was actually disappointed in myself for giving in so easily. So, I ended up getting out of there for about $40, and that included a couple of Christmas presents and a dress for my sister's wedding in March (because the wedding is on a beach, and I have a feeling that beach wedding dresses are going to be in short supply come March...).

I guess you could say I'm a work in progress, anyway...

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It's Inspiration Monday over at Two Birds, and today's inspiration is Kelly Ripa:

For the second week in a row, I loved the inspiration outfit so much, I pretty much copied it piece for piece. Except for the scarf, that is. The scarf just felt like too much,with the ruffles on the shirt, so I scrapped it in favor of a simple necklace. 

Not a bad look for a Monday...

Tank Top: Gap (outlet)

Blazer: The Limited

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Steve Madden (from Macy's)

Scarf: Land's End


Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.


Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

Wishful Thinking

Oh, pants.

I just can't get them to look right on me, and yet, I keep trying. Jeans, I love. I don't have a problem finding jeans that I like. But dress pants?

Oh, they hate me.

One of these days, I will find the perfect pair of pants for work, and then I will buy 18 pairs of them just so I never have to shop for pants again.

It's always nice to have dreams, I guess.
 

Tank Top: Target

Sweater: Lands End Canvas

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

(Full Disclosure: I have a cold. Steve had it last week, Brigid had it this past weekend, and now it has made it's way to me. So I'm a little hopped up on cold medicine today. And I am apparently fixated on pants, as a result. I'm sorry...)

The one where the Internet proves to be smarter than I am...again.

Um, guys? I have a confession to make...

I'd never even THOUGHT about hemming that darn skirt from yesterday. And yet, it kind of makes perfect sense. Y'all are geniuses, obviously.

(Also, I need to start making sure that the cat is OUTSIDE of the bathroom before I take any pictures. He looks like he's plotting my eventual demise, doesn't he?)

Sweater: Gap

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelets: Mango Tree

Outlet Love

I've started tracking how much of my wardrobe (shoes, clothing, and accessories) comes from the outlets by my in-laws' house, and I've realized that if it wasn't for them, I'd either have a much smaller wardrobe (which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world), or I wouldn't be able to get my shopping fix in at discounted prices, and my husband would be hiding all of our money from me in the freezer or something, to prevent me from spending it.

Thank goodness I don't have to worry about that, you know?

(This is kind of a long way of saying that we're heading up to the lake this weekend, because Steve's aunt and uncle are in town from Cincinnati, and I'd kind of like to swing by the J Crew outlet while we're there, to see if they're having a sale at all. Is there such a thing as too many pencil skirts?)
 

Top: The Limited

Skirt: Target

Shoes: Kenneth Cole (outlet)

Belt: H&M

Bracelet: Kate Spade/James Avery

Necklace: Banana Republic (outlet)

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

Lovely Lace

Lace is the theme for June's Everybody, Everywhere posting, so if you're looking for inspiration on how to wear that pretty piece of clothing that's been gathering dust in the back of your closet (what? just me then?), definitely stop by and check out all of the amazing bloggers who have linked up today!

I don't have much lace in my closet, so I had to get creative this month. Let's chalk this outfit up to another blog-driven first...the old dress-as-a-top trick!

I pulled this off of the Target clearance rack a couple of months ago, and while I think it's a cute dress, it's really too short for me to try to style for work or toddler-wrangling. But the top is pretty adorable, anyway...

 

 

Dress: Target

Skirt: The Limited

Cardigan: Target

Shoes: Steve Madden

 Jewelry: Charlotte Russe

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

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)

Back on the wagon...

Guys? Yesterday was big.

Crazy big!

Because yesterday morning, I actually pulled my lazy little butt out of bed at the crack of dawn (ok, 5:30am, which is actually before the crack of dawn, I think...), and put it on the elliptical machine! And it may have only been for thirty minutes or so, but that's thirty minutes more of activity than I've done in several months now, so...

Yay me!

Sweater: Old Navy

Skirt: The Limited

Bracelets: Vintage Cuff, Alex & Ani, James Avery

Shoes: Nine West 

I posted about coveted spring purses over at Style Lush yesterday, so feel free to drop by and add your favorites to the mix (because I need even more pretty purses to drool over, of course...)!

Night Out

On Friday night, one of my favorite local bands was playing at a bar at (we thought) at around 10pm. So, I headed over to my sister-in-law's house around 7:30, we called for a cab around 8:30, and we got to the bar around 9.

And then some random group that I'd never heard of before started playing. And they were ok, but it was nothing super exciting.

And then when they were done, some other guy I'd never heard of got on stage. And he played the slowest music known to man for about an hour. Seriously. I don't think that poor guy has ever heard an upbeat song in his life. And while that isn't always a bad thing, it's also not really what I was looking for that night.

By the time the guy I'd actually come to see made it to the stage, it was after midnight, and everybody that I had gone out with was ready for bed (because that is really how slow the middle band was). So, a few songs into his set, we left.

Not the most successful event in my time, that's for sure. Ah well...what can you do?

T-Shirt: J Crew

Skirt: The Limited

Boots: DSW

Hey, I posted over at Style Lush yesterday, if you're interested in my take on the perfect summer make-up routine. And you know you are...

I gave in...

Mother Nature finally beat me down, people.

I had a nice little springtime outfit picked out for yesterday...spring-y colors of green, a fluffy skirt, bare legs, the whole nine yards. I was ready to go!

And then I woke up to a 34 degree morning and a frost advisory.

I don't care how warm it gets later in the day, I don't do bare legs during a frost advisory.

So, if Ms. Nature wants to give me fall weather, I will give her a fall outfit, thank you very much.

 

Here's hoping for warmer weather tomorrow!

Blouse: Banana Republic Outlet

Sweater: Land's End Canvas

Pants: The Limited

Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

If you follow me on Twitter (@taralynn404, if you don't, but want to...), you know that there's been a little bit of a housecleaning uproar around my parts this week, given the parental visit I have coming up this weekend. And part of all of that housecleaning that was going on involved sorting through the approximately 750 catalogs that are sent to my house, flipping quickly through the ones I actually care about, and tossing the lot into the recycling bin.

The J Crew catalog qualified for a quick flip (of course!), and I came across this picture...

I have that blouse! Ok, I don't have that blouse, but I have one very similar, and I've worn it maybe once since I bought it last year. It's always seemed like a 'going out' blouse to me, and as much as I love it, I've never even thought to dress it down.

So, I channeled my inner Cee, and decided to copy the outfit. And while I do plan to try it with shorts as soon as Atlanta will stop throwing 50-60 degree days my way, I decided to modify it a little for work, first...

I still like the J Crew look better, but as an outfit imitation newbie, I'm pretty happy with the results!

Blouse: H&M

Cardigan: J Crew

Skirt: The Limited

Necklace: Macy's

Black and white and red all over...*

I posted about this on my family site yesterday, but if you don't follow me there, or if you just missed my little announcement, I will now be posting every Tuesday at Style Lush, one of my favorite blogs ever. The fantastic writers over there cover every topic, from make-up to clothing to kid's toys to household decorating ideas, and when I'm looking for gift ideas? For anyone? At all? It's the first place I go.

So, yeah. I'm just a little bit excited.

(Yesterday, I talked about B and her latest obsession, if you're interested....)

Sweater: Banana Republic

Pants: The Limited

Scarf: Express

*So, I totally ripped off Tiffany's blog title today, but I couldn't help it. It was just too obvious. And also? I'm too lazy to come up with one of my own...

Sorry, Tiffany!

Cheap Date

This is a big week for me, friends.

A haircut (to be introduced tomorrow, although it was just a trim, so don't get your hopes up for anything spectacular...), some new tights (ordered before Lent started, delivered yesterday), a few new accessories (ditto), and the conclusion of the Biggest Blogging Loser challenge (I will post a recap of the competition next week, complete with before and after pictures, so stay tuned!).

 So, yeah...rereading the last paragraph to myself now...that doesn't seem like anything too exciting, does it?

Ok, then. It felt like a big week for me, up until I actually listed it out for this post. Now I just realize it doesn't really take much to get me excited.

That's totally a good thing, though, right?

T-Shirt: J Crew

Sweater: New York & Co

Skirt: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Necklace: Old Navy