Monochromatic and Animal Print!

Hello, lovelies! Here is what I wore to church on Sunday. ;) We all know how much I love an animal print shoe and these wedges have definitely been faves this summer. (Although not quite as popular as my leopard sandals!) I loved the monochromatic look here and thought the leopard shoe was the perfect finishing touch. I kept the jewelry pretty simple with my cute little owl earrings a charm bracelet I made years ago from all the necklace pendants I had received over the years and never wore. It is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry because it is original and so personal.

As much as I love a leopard shoe or belt, I am just not into leopard clothing. ;) We all know how I feel about prints. ;) A cute leopard cardi makes for such a chic outfit, but isn't for me. What about you? Do you enjoy leopard (or any animal print) clothing or just as accessories?

Oh, and although I had it done almost two weeks ago, I think this is the first time y'all have seen the new hair. ;) I finally went ahead and permed it and I am loving it. The extra body and ease of styling has made my life so much easier. ;)

Hope y'all are having an excellent week!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy, Transatlantic Blonde and Marionberry Style!

Bye Bye Grey Jeans

 

Here is one from the archives! I wore this back in early August for some kind of evening outing. I don't even remember what. ;) These are one of the smaller pairs of jeans from last year, but they are way too big in the waist and won't stay up. It annoys me to no end when I have to keep pulling my pants up every five minutes. And yes, it happens even with a belt. I just don't think my body was made for jeans. This is the last time these were worn before being consigned. Just as a fun little tidbit they were also the first jeans I wore here on the blog - I think it was my second outfit post.

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with Blonde Episodes, Casual Friday, Favorite Frock Friday and All Things Chic.

Fall Wish List Shopping Update

Happy Thursday, pretty ladies!

As many of you know I am on a jean hunt this fall. I am consigning 7 pairs of jeans/pants that no longer fit. This leaves me with a few pair of pants (including a pair of mint cords from years ago) and two pairs of jeans. So, clearly some shopping was in order. Now, I am also on a massive budget constraint, so cheap is imperative. I also have fit issues. I am petite with a very small waist in comparison to my hips. They don't make jeans for my body type. Seriously. If you knew how many pairs of jeans I have tried on in the last six months, you would cry. No joke. If I find them to fit my hips they are so big in the waist that I have to wear a belt and even then end up yanking them up four thousand times a day. Not fun. And if they fit my waist I can't even get them over my hips. Nice. Frustration city.

Enter jeggings (I hate that word.) Now I am not talking the knit legging type ones, which I do own, but the ones that are pretty much jeans with an elastic waist. (I know. Just writing that I wear jeans with an elastic waist is making me feel way old.) Awesome, y'all. Made for me. And..... I found them at Walmart for $12.

They are insanely comfy, the perfect length and the right price. They are also a heavier stretch denim fabric so I can wear them when it is cold and not freeze. I got them in this blue, black and red and plum. The red and plum ones just came today. They were only available online. This means that I have four pairs of super comfy jeans for under $50. Color me happy.

Still on my wishlist for fall are jeans/cords in pink and teal and a pair of leopard loafers. I am planning on Old Navy for the pink jeans - the $19 rockstars are calling my name and I really like the Hue cord leggings in teal, but will not pay $39 for them. Geez.

So, look for some outfit posts featuring my new denim coming soon. ;)

Do you have denim fit issues? Will you be buying (or have you already bought) colored denim for fall?

Lazy Hair Day

I have to say that black and tan/khaki is one of my favorite neutral color combinations. It just hits me as classic and uncomplicated. Although this dress isn't actually one of my faves (the fit is kind of stiff) I love these wedges (which are the most comfortable I own despite the height) and these earrings (which are clearly fabulous) are a couple of my favorite pieces. I also seem to like lots of parentheses (obviously)! ;)

On a sort of amusing note, I didn't realize until I was driving to church that I hadn't even brushed my hair that morning. I'm sure I've mentioned somewhere around here that I am pretty low maintenance (read lazy) when it comes to my hair, but I usually do at least brush it. Geez. So, in case you were wondering, this is what my hair looks like when I wash it and sleep on it (while wet, mind you - lazy, remember).

Linking up with Transatlantic Blonde and The Pleated Poppy!

And since we were out all day yesterday and thus, no post, here are my Me, Myself and I answers for this month! ;)
1. When you're feeling down, what do you do to pick yourself up? I read. A lot. There is nothing like immersing yourself in another world to make you feel better. This is also why I refuse to read anything that doesn't have a happy ending. For this reason, I loathe Nicholas Sparks. Geez Louise. My life has plenty of things to make me miserable, my escape route should not. ;)

2. If you had to live in a different time period which would you prefer? I would love to have lived during the Regency Era in England, but only if I could be a member of the aristocracy. The clothes, the manners, the balls, the servants. Ahhhh. So lovely. For those of y'all who have no idea what I am talking about think Jane Austen, empire waisted gowns, Napoleon (the emperor, not the creepy movie dude) etc.

3. What is the most creative Halloween costume you've ever worn? Ummmmm........ no clue. I grew up in a family that didn't celebrate halloween in any way and as an adult I just don't really get into it that much. ;) I love letting my kiddo dress up (he will be Bumblebee again this year. ;), but I just don't like spending precious clothing budget money on something so silly. ;)

4. Five weird things about you we wouldn't know without being told?
1. I am a pseudo-gamer. I love shooting zombies with my hubby on the x-box. We enjoy playing any number of co-op games together. We just got the new Borderlands and can't wait to play tonight after the kiddo goes to bed. ;) And we are really looking forward to the new Call of Duty coming out in November; we play zombies online with my brother and sister-in-law. So much fun.
2. I hate sushi. Yuk. Just yuk. ;)
3. I also hate frosting. Love cake, just can't stand frosting or whipped cream or that nasty filling stuff they put in cupcakes and stuff. Ick. This means that my kiddo and I get along very well as he only ever seems to want to eat the frosting and I just want the cake. ;)
4. I was co-captain of a synchronized swimming team in high school. It was a lot of fun and a crazy amount of work. Truthfully there was more work involved in the training and practice for the synch team than for the regular lap swimming. I loved it.
5. I hate reality tv. Actually I am not much of a tv watcher. I love Bones. That's pretty much the only show still running that I watch. I'd rather be reading a book. Reality tv either bores me or disgusts me. (Except for Mythbusters, I love Mythbusters) I can't stand the way people treat each other and talk about each other and the drama is just too much. So. I just don't watch it.

5. What would you tell your 16-year-old self?  I don't know? That was a long time ago. 'This too shall pass.' Maybe.

Happy Yellow and Easy Clothes

Even though it is still pretty hot, I am at that point where I don't really want to run around in a tank and shorts. This time of year, I really enjoy being able to mix in my fall pieces with my summer ones. I love this comfy blouse and the bright splashes of yellow make me happy. There is just something so easy and comfy about a blouse and cut off shorts. ;)

Hope y'all are having a great day! We are going to be doing a little shopping and wrangling with the IRS. Fun, right?! ;)

Linking up with the usual suspects! YOLO, Monday Mingle, Visible Monday and Steppin' Out

Mint Sandal DIY

Y'all, I have been desperately searching for a pair of affordable mint sandals all summer. And I haven't had any luck. None. So, a couple of weeks ago I had a brainstorm. I had a pair of sandals in my get rid of pile and I had mint paint. Clearly I had to try it out. As you can see from the above pictures, it worked marvelously well. I now own a pair of mint sandals that cost me nothing.

This is what I started with. I have owned these sandals for years and rarely wear them because they are really unflattering on my curvy legs. Which is why they were in the donate pile. I started by cutting the middle strip off as well as one of the straps. I was left with a sandal that was much more flattering to my small foot and curvier legs. Then I painted the sandals with three coats of seafoam acrylic paint, let them dry overnight and voila. Fabulous, free, minty sandals. Color me happy.

Linking up with Seven-Alive, Catch a Glimpse and Mine for the Making.

Happy Accidental Matching

And here is a little more teal and coral action before summer ends. Although to be truthful, I have no intention of putting away all my coral pieces and teal has always been a fall/winter staple for me. Indeed this dress will happily transition into fall with various layering options. One of the biggest ways to make your clothing budget stretch as far as it can possibly go is to make sure that a large percentage of your wardrobe can span the seasons. Aside from shoes, shorts and sweaters the vast majority of my closet can work year round. This means that when I spend $8 on a dress (like this one) I can wear it all year round in a variety of ways. Thus my $8 is very well spent.

And in case you were wondering, these are indeed the same sandals from yesterday! They are convertible which means that I can wear them as slip ons or as sandals - LOVE. Also, I didn't plan to match my kiddo, he picked out his own shirt. It was a happy accident. ;) I rarely try to match the kiddo, however I will admit to dressing him like his daddy on Sundays. ;) Of course, he wants to dress like his daddy, so I just help him out a little. ;) And every once in a while I will coordinate with them. Does that make me a dork? Eh. Doesn't matter. I'll keep doing it anyway. ;)

Hope y'all are having a lovely week!

Linking up with Transatlantic Blonde, The Pleated Poppy and Rae Gun Wear!

Everybody Everywear Goes Back to School

Y'all it has been well over a decade since I went 'back to school'. And even back then we didn't really do back to school shopping. I homeschooled so it didn't matter much what I wore. ;) When I started college I was already working as a receptionist and my wardrobe of business casual reflected that. I think I was the only college freshman to show up at my eight o'clock classes in a skirt, heels and make-up. ;)

So, here is an early fall look. I would totally wear this back to school. Easy, comfy and feminine. I love this silk top and these knit cargo pants are some of my faves. I thrifted the top for $3 and the pants were on clearance for $4. With the shoes which were $8 my outfit total comes to $15. Not bad, huh?

For the first time in years, I will have to do a bit of serious fall shopping. I lost about thirty pounds this spring and none of my jeans fit any more. Like at all. So, I will have to be replacing all of them. I currently have one pair of jeans that I thrifted this summer that fit. The good part of that is that I have a good excuse to add colored denim to my wardrobe, however due to our current financial constraints I will have to find them at rock bottom prices. Wish me good luck. ;)

Happy Tuesday, lovelies!

Linking up with Everybody Everywear, Real Girl Style, Watch What I'm Wearing and Steppin' Out!

Pretty Peach and A Bit of Real Life

Ahhhh, it was blissfully cool outside for the first time. I've been wanting to pair this pretty peach dress with red accessories for a while now. And I love how the army jacket complements the feminine look. I added a couple of gold bangles and an adorable pair of owl earrings that I got with an INPink giftcard I won. They are super cute and the perfect little accent for fall I think. I am really loving the little animal accessories that are trendy right now.

A little update on our job status: our current interim position will be ending next week. However we got a call to fill in at another church the following week. It is a bi-vocational position, but anything to keep the money coming in until God calls us where are supposed to be long term. In case you haven't picked up on it, my husband is a minister. We have been in youth ministry for the last 10 years, but this most recent position was as pastor and worship leader. As much as we both love youth ministry, we both have felt God calling us on to other things. However, while hubby is being a pastor right now, we aren't ruling out youth ministry and are always willing to go where God calls us. I appreciate your prayers, it has been a really rough year with two really difficult and complicated situations, but God has seen us through one and we know that He will continue to see us through the rest.

Hope y'all have a wonderful week!

Linking up with Monday Mingle, Visible Monday, Thrifter's Annonymous and YOLO!

Mint and Cobalt!

Happy Friday, lovelies! Finally an outfit with neither chambray nor leopard! Bet you didn't think I could do it, huh? ;)  I have had this skirt for years (since 2002 or 2003) and even though you can't really tell from the pics it is a very pretty shade of mint green. I love it but don't wear it as often anymore because the length is kind of awkward. Back when I was working (before my little guy came along) I pretty much always wore heels or wedges and then it didn't matter so much. But I was in the mood to wear a skirt so there. And I loved the mint and cobalt together.

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with All Things Chic, Blonde Episodes, Casual Friday and Casual Chic Mom.

Turtle Fun (with Leopard & Chambray)

Happy Thursday, pretty ladies! I threw this on to take the kiddo to school last week. Easy chambray tunic with leggings and sandals. And of course my awesome turtle pendant. A turtle makes everything better right? ;)

Hope y'all are having a lovely week!

Linking up with my lovely Wednesday ladies! The Pleated Poppy, Transatlantic Blonde and What We Wore.

Neutrals with a Splash of Mint

So, I wore this last week during one of the rainy days brought by the recent hurricane. I am having a love affair with these pants and have worn them at least three more times since these pics were taken! ;) They are super soft and comfy. With my cozy grey tee and pretty minty necklace and sandals I felt ready to face a rainy day. ;)  Yet another cute outfit coming in at under $15 including shoes! That seems to be my number these days. :)

Hope y'all have a lovely Tuesday. I will be doing approximately three and half million loads of laundry. No joke. I hate doing laundry. And no sooner do I get it all done and put away than I have to do the whole mess over again. Eh. That's life.

Linking up with Casual Chic Mom, Real Girl Style, Watch What I'm Wearing and Steppin' Out.