30 for 30: Re-Cap Outfits 1 - 5

So, I haven't been doing re-caps and thought since, hey, I didn't actually wear any clothing today (I spent the day in my swimsuit) I'd just pop a little re-cap up for you. Let me know what you think, 'kay?

Day1: peach top, navy silk capris, navy sandals

Day 2: grey tee, white shorts, teal sandals

Day 3: floral dress, nude sandals

Day 4: white tank, jean shorts, red sandals

Day 5: striped tee, salmon shorts, black sandals

And there you have it folks, days one through five. Unless wearing a dress, I seem to stick with the top + bottom + shoes + statement jewelry look. Should I break out of this rut? Or if it isn't broken don't fix it? What do you think?

Day 16 - Yep, Even More Green

tee: walmart, skirt: target, shoes: payless

So, here you have more green. Is wearing the same color three days in a row bad? I love this skirt - it's kind of like wearing sweatpants. I've always loved the combination of army green and black so this outfit was kind of obvious considering my 30 items. I added some tonally similar jewelry and nude sandals and called it a day. We are looking forward to the holiday weekend and traveling to see family. What are your holiday plans? Before the little ones started school our big family get together was Memorial Day, but in recent years we've had to move to the 4th since the kiddos are still in school. My little Munchkin is pretty excited about spending time with his cousins. He is at the stage where he loves playing with other kids. It is so fun to watch him. :)

Tomorrow we have a water park trip planned and for the first time in years I am not dreading being  seen in my swimsuit! I am so excited. I am still about 15 to 20 pounds from my goal, and honestly am just maintaining through the summer. There is just too much going on. I am still doing the 30 day shred although I have missed several days. I am beginning to notice a lot more muscle tone and the scale has stayed put even though I have been eating stuff I shouldn't. :) Truthfully, I have no idea what day I am on and will probably just continue using the video. I like that a 20 minute workout is giving me such great results as compared to 50 minutes at the gym (plus the cost of the gym membership).

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Day 15 - Lean Green Maxi Machine

maxi: forever 21

Here is yesterday's maxi in all it's minimalist glory. It is so comfy and cool and such a fabulous shade of minty green. I LOVE this dress. Well worth the ten bucks I spent on it. :)

So, lots of busy-ness going on around here, so I'm keeping it pretty short again tonight. And the hubby is home and we have a movie date! So, night y'all!

Day 14 - A Maxi to Mini Thing

tee: thrifted, maxi: forever 21, sandals: payless, belt: walmart

cute bracelets, cuter baby (well, not so much a baby anymore, i guess)

So, here is my Inspiration Monday look. Believe it or not, this is a maxi dress. Yep, it sure is. I just folded it right on up inside of itself a couple of times and viola - maxi to mini in no time at all. :) I always love mint green and hot pink together, so I was thrilled to recreate this look. I have unfortunately fallen into the statement necklace rut, so I forcibly restrained myself today and added a bunch of bracelets instead. What do you think?

And not to sound all vain or anything, but check out my arm in that middle picture. My hard work (like, seriously, murderously, hard work here people) is finally starting to show. Just a little. Not a lot of definition yet, but that is a much slimmer arm than it was a month ago. :) I'm happy.

Happy Monday, y'all!

Day 13 - Mosquitos Are Mean

jacket: rue 21, dress: forever 21, sandals: icing

cute detail on the back of the jacket

yes, that is a mosquito on my foot - gotta love summer in the south

Hope y'all are having a good Sunday and enjoying your weekend. I'm completely worn out, so I'll keep this short. I love this jacket and it has the cutest detail in the back with the ruffles and lace. And check out the rider on my foot - now I have a giant itchy welt on my foot. Ick. On that happy note, I'll wish you a good night. :)

Day 12 - Photographic Help!!!

top & pants: thrifted, shoes: icing

So this is basically the same outfit as the inspiration monday outfit - white tank, black pants - I just made a few adjustments and added some teal accessories. Sorry for the blurry and mostly headless pics - obviously I'm not a fashion photographer. :) I am learning, I suppose, but I have a pretty basic camera and limited time. Some days are better than others, obviously.

Hubby is home! I am so thrilled to have him home. Bless his heart, he is pretty worn out. :) I am too, wrangling a three year old by yourself is not fun. Well sometimes it's fun. Other times, not so much. :)

That's all for tonight! Happy Saturday!

Day 11 - And FBFF #11

tee: thrifted, pants: jcpenny, sandals: payless

Puppy Love

Not much to say about the outfit today. :) I am loving the hot pink with the bright yellow necklace though. And check out my puppy watching me get my supermodel on. :) He's pretty cute, huh?

Without further ado, here are my answers for this week's FBFF.

1.      Since you began blogging do you notice a change in the types of things you gravitate towards while shopping? Not really. I've always sort of had my own style and I gravitate toward things I like - bright colors, simple shapes, soft fabrics, statement jewelry, great shoes. My style has typically been informed by fashion magazines like Lucky and InStyle, but even then I am not one to jump on every trend that comes along.

2.      Do you find, as a fashion blogger, that you dress differently from your family and friends? Do they comment on that? Ummm. Yes. But, then I have always dressed differently from the people around me. I'm just weird like that, I guess. However, in general the people in my life are far too polite to comment on my clothing and jewelry choices, although I do occasionally get compliments about how I put colors together. :)

3.      What’s the weirdest fashion that you secretly like, even if you aren’t bold enough to wear it? I can't really think of anything. I would love to wear heels all the time, but that is more about practicality than a lack of boldness. Of course, I would adore 'dressing' for dinner from time to time. :) Although, I'm sure it would get old pretty quickly.

4.      Looking at current trends – what would you like to try but need to build up the courage to do? Most of the trends I like, I've tried. The only thing I am working up the courage to do is going blonde. I want to, but it may or may not happen. We'll just have to see. :)

5.      Toot someone’s horn – what fashion blogger out there inspires you with her bold fashion choices? I love Brittany from A Day in the Life Too. Her choices are always fun and occasionally outrageous but they so totally reflect her and what she likes and loves. I love that individuality. I'm not really inspired by people who push the boundaries just to show they can or to be fashion forward, I love people who just are who they are without any excuses. I appreciate real individuality and standing out from the crowd because you have the conviction to do what you like and what you believe in regardless of what's trendy or in style. I believe in being yourself because we were each created to be different and special.

To see everyone else answers go check out Modly Chic!

Day 10 - Puppy Tail for the Win

dress & shoes: ?, vest: thrifted

white tail: puppy dog

So, I wore this to take the kiddo to the zoo yesterday. Praise God it was cloudy and cool (cool being 87 degrees instead of 97 degrees). We had a blast. I bought this dress while I was pregnant and it was perfect with leggings, cause once the belly got gigantic-like it was too short to wear as a dress. :) The inspiration for this outfit - blue dress with floaty white vest came from a Lucky mag article from sometime last year I think. I loved the look in the mag and was thrilled to finally be able to re-create it. Also, is it cheating to have worn sneakers to the zoo? Cause I'm sorry, but I like my toes covered when wandering around the zoo. You just never know what you might be stepping in. :)

Happy Thursday, y'all!

Day 9 - Feeling (mostly) Fine

top: thrifted, tank & sandals: target, shorts: cato

So, outfit number 9 already. Almost 1/3 of the way there. :) Unfortunately the colors are not coming through in these pics very well. The blouse is a very pale salmon pink that looks amazing with the jewel toned purple. This is the first outfit from the challenge that I never would have thought to put together. You know, I haven't worn vests since the nineties, but I'm kinda getting into them again. (I'm even considering purchasing a denim vest! :) I love layering, but in the summer sleeves are just too much. These two tops are both silk and therefore comfortably cool, even layered.

I think I am on day 15 of my 30 day shred. (I started late and have missed two days.) Let me tell you, that stupid plank pose has been kicking my rear. However, last night for the first, I made it all the way through level two without my shoulders screaming bloody murder at me. :) The soreness in my thighs is finally beginning to lessen and all things considered, I'm feeling pretty good. I wish my middle were coming along a little better, but I am pretty happy with the results so far. I have lost at least 3 inches off my thighs and two off my hips. :) While there is still some arm flabbiness, I do have actual muscles in there now. Best of all I feel strong. That is a pretty cool feeling, my friends. Well worth the agony. (And yes, it is agony!)

Have a great day, y'all!

Day 8 - A Man to Appreciate

tank & pants: thrifted, shoes: target

I am not squatting, I promise! Only one knee is bent. ;)

Here's my outfit for Inspiration Monday over at Two Birds.  This is the first one I've tried simply because it is the first inspiration outfit that I liked enough to wear and that I had the pieces to re-create - in my 30 for 30 no less. :) I have to be honest though, within an hour of taking these pictures I untucked the top. :) It was just more comfy that way and frankly, I think it looked better. :) I did feel just slightly naked (or 'necken' if you ask my son) without a necklace or scarf around my neck, but the simplicity was nice.

So, my hubby has been gone since last Monday except for 24 hours from Friday at two to Saturday at one. I MISS HIM!!! (As I wrote this, he called me! :) ) I can't really talk about what my hubby does for a living because I am a little bit in a position of 'Caesar's wife' in that everything I do reflects on him. Suffice it to say that he is an amazing man who unfortunately has to do some traveling in the summer. He'll be home briefly tomorrow and have to leave out again within the hour and be gone until Saturday. Thankfully we (Munchkin and I) can visit him whenever we want since he is only and hour and half or so away. It still isn't the same as having him home. Even when we are each doing our own thing, we are together. We are a little strange among our friends in that even after 12 and half years of marriage we would still rather be together than apart. If we have a choice between time with friends and time with each other we'll both lean toward time with each other. That's just the way we roll. :)

Now, I'm going to go take a nap in my lonely bed and miss my hubby like crazy until my kiddo gets up and distracts me. :) Hope y'all are having a great week!

Day 7 - Bibliophile Heaven

tee: rue 21, skirt: gordmans, sandals: ?

can you tell I have a little boy?

necklace from khols and crown braid

Hello friends! Happy Sunday. I hope you are having a lovely day and if you live in the South are enjoying some air conditioning. Some days I am insanely grateful that I live now and not a hundred years ago - cause this weather plus all those clothes would just be too much. No wonder they were fainting all the time! :) As for my non-Victorian outfit - simple clothes + cute sandals + statement necklace = my go to summer outfit. I got this skirt which is just adorable and comfy last year for $3 on super clearance and I swear I remember it being shorter. Hmmmm. Did I shrink? I sure hope not, cause I was short enough to begin with. I really don't need to be shorter. And the braid - friends, I have not worn my hair like this since my summer youth camp days over 15 years ago. I have to say, as much of a pain as it is to do, I remember why I did it. It is so nice to have all your hair up and away from your neck and face and still have it look 'done'.

(disclaimer: the following paragraph was written by a nerd and may not appeal to you unless you share nerdy tendencies like enjoying reading actual books.)
Now, on to other things. I just finished re-reading (for at least the fifth or sixth time) a book by one of my favorite authors - All That Glitters by Linda Howard. It is awesome. She is awesome. There is nothing more to say. Really. The tension, the conflict, the romance, the dialogue, the writing, the ending - all just marvelous. Linda Howard is one of my all time favorite authors. If you haven't tried one of her books and you enjoy romance and suspense and good writing, you have to try one. Any one will do, they are all excellent. I believe that All That Glitters was her first novel, published in 1982. I'll skip the review this time, but look for reviews on my favorite titles by Linda at a later date. I need to go re-read them again now. :) Unfortunately she only publishes one book a year these days- trust me that just isn't enough! Now, go read one and let me know what you think!

Happy Reading (or not, if you prefer)!

Day 6 - Thrifting Kicks

tee: target, shorts: thrifted, shoes: I don't remember

diy necklace

say hi to my puppy

I get such a kick out of thrifting! These adorable Loft shorts were $4. Seriously four bucks, people. How awesome is that? I went looking for a pair of coral or salmon shorts or capris. I was leaning more toward shorts just because they are more practical for my life. And these pretty little things just jumped into my cart and said 'hi, I'm (we're?) coming home with you to live in your closet forever and ever.' :) You know, thanks to Stacy and Clinton I purged all my colorful shorts and pants years ago and have been sticking to mainly neutrals on the bottom ever since. Obviously this was a mistake. Thank you Kendi for wearing those awesome coral capris and showing me the error of my ways. I have a feeling these will replace my white shorts as my go tos this summer. Of course, that just might have something to do with the fact that these are the only ones I own that actually fit. Everything else requires a belt to keep them on.

Hope y'all have an awesome weekend!

Day 5 - Just barely alive

tank: old navy, skirt: target, sandals: payless

So, what do you think of my super duper ridiculously long earrings? Crazy, huh? I love statement jewelry, but usually only one piece at a time. Apparently I like the red and yellow combo. What do you think? Are there color combinations that you keep coming back to time and time again? And how about my crazy hair? Some day, like maybe when the temp drops below 105, I might actually fix my hair again. For now, it absolutely must be off my neck and my forehead. Cause it is freaking hot here people.

On the Shredding front, things are pretty sore at the moment. I'm telling you, that whole plank position is a killer. OUCH!!! However, I am losing weight and seeing more definition in areas that have previously been, ummm. how shall we put it, undefined. So, I will endure. I will keep at it. Even if it kills me.

Night y'all!

Day 4 - Not Quite a Bore

tank: thrifted, shorts: cato, shoes: payless

dyi t-shirt necklace

So, this outfit - white tank and jean shorts - could be pretty boring, except for the additions of a bright yellow statement necklace and red sandals. I love the loose, drapey tank with the short shorts. (I realize these aren't really that short, but this is about as short as it gets, my friends.)

The hubby will be home tomorrow! Yay! I cannot express how much I've missed him this week. Unfortunately he leaves again on Saturday.

That's it for today, folks!
Night!

Day 3 - What's not to be

dress: forever 21, shoes: payless

I love this dress. It is soft and ridiculously comfortable. Technically the tie around my neck is just supposed to be a bow, but I like a little insurance when wearing strapless clothing around a three year old. Cause I'm just not really into wardrobe malfunctions. As much as I love these sandals, I really, really, really wanted to wear my bronze oxfords with this outfit. I just felt like the oxfords would have been the perfect touch with the frilly strapless dress and pretty jewelry. But, it just wasn't to be - no oxfords in my 30 items. And truthfully, as cute as they would have been, it is too freaking hot for a full on shoe right now anyway. The heat index has been around 100 for the past several days. Ick. It isn't usually quite this hot until late July.

In other news, we got the baby pool and sand box set up and Munchkin has been happily going back and forth between the two all last night and this morning. We also found a colony of about a million teeny tiny baby frogs around our patio and they are vastly entertaining. :) 'Mommy, they so cuuuuute!' He cracks me up.

Have a great day y'all!

Day 2 - The Tee Shirt Switcheroo

tee & shorts: walmart, sandals: icing

replacement tee: rue 21

Here is outfit #2! The first outfit pictured was a fallback outfit last year. I think I wore it about a million times. I just love the grey and white with the teal accessories. However, I apparently wore the tee shirt out. I discovered a hole halfway through the day. I also feel like it isn't particularly flattering now that I've lost weight. So, I changed it out for a more fitted style. I'm sorry, but I can't spend 30 days wearing a shirt with a hole in it! :) I still love the shirt, I guess it will just have to move into the exercise drawer, now. It actually used to fit across the hips and only be loose up top. As much as I hate to lose a shirt I love, this actually makes me happy!

Good news on the Shredding front - I got back to my workout last night. Even moved up to level 2. Oddly enough, I actually prefer the level 2 workout to the level 1. Those stupid jumping jacks are murder on my knees though! Anyone else having that problem?

I miss my hubby. I'll leave it at that for today. Hope y'all are having a wonderful week!