Sweet Babies and Lace Tights

tee: gap, skirt: cato, boots: payless (old)

tweed blazer: target (old)

faux leather jacket: walmart (old)

Happy New Year's Eve, lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. We enjoyed some good time with family and spoiled the daylights out of our little dude. Man, Christmas is sooo much fun with a four year old. And I am blessed with a very sweet little guy who happily thanked every one for his presents. Then the following morning climbed in bed with us first thing in the morning and told us that he had gotten everything he wanted and that he loved all his presents. Seriously. Such a sweet little man. He makes his mama's heart proud.

This is actually what I wore on our date to see The Hobbit. Because lace tights just scream date attire to me. ;) I took both the tweed jacket and the leather jacket along and didn't end up wearing either one due to the warmth of the day. Which look do you like best? Lady or Rocker?

Linking up with Monday Mingle, YOLO and Visible Monday!

Blast from the Past: The A-Z of CC

sweater: target, jeans: walmart, shoes & bag: thrifted

Fall colors here I am! Teal, gray and burgundy with a touch of pale rose - perfectly fall. I love this sweater - the color is perfect and the fit is flattering on my busty self. ;)

So, I discovered this cool little A - Z quizzie thing floating around on the internet and I always enjoy posting random odd little things about myself. So here goes.

A. Age: 32 (for a few more months at least) (Update: I am now 34.)
B. Bed size: Queen - just big enough and comfy enough. Except when the Munchkin climbs in when he isn't feeling good. Then it's kind of a tight fit. :)
C. Chore that you hate: Laundry - it is never ending. No sooner do I get it done and folded and put away than it is all dirty again. Ugh! The stupid dishwasher has the same problem. Ick.
D. Dogs: One, a maltese named Moppet. He's almost 12 now. Poor baby still isn't quite sure what to do with the little dude who has taken his place as the baby of the family. ;)
E. Essential start to your day: Hugs from my little dude and my big dude. Then breakfast. Must have breakfast or mommy turns into a gremlin.
F. Favorite color: Pink. Unabashedly and unashamedly pretty, pale and girly. Always has been, always will be. ;) My childhood bedroom was Strawberry Shortcake! I would happily paint my walls pink, but the hubby won't let me. ;(
G. Gold or Silver: I actually prefer rose gold (favorite color: pink, remember), but I am good with either, it just depends on what I am wearing.
H. Height: 5'2 3/4" but I like to call myself 5'3".
I. Instruments you play: none anymore - played piano in high school, but that was a long time ago.
J. Job title: Stay at mom and wife. 
K. Kids: One little boy - my Munchkin who is three and a truckload of fun and craziness! (Update: the kiddo is now 4!)
L. Live: Arkansas
M. Mother’s name: Cherri (Cheryl Anne - interesting fact - my mother-in-law's name is also Sherrill Ann, just spelled differently)
N. Nicknames: CC is actually a nickname, not my real name. ;)
O. Overnight hospital stays: two: once when I had my tonsils out, and then when I had my little dude. (Update: Make that three! I came down with appendicitis last year right before Christmas and spent two days in the hospital!)
P. Pet peeves: I am an English major. So obviously the there/their/ they're thing drives me up the wall. Another one is nauseous vs. nauseated. (Quick grammar lesson: you say 'I am nauseated' or 'that is a nauseous shade of green' NOT 'I am nauseous' cause you are then describing yourself as being nauseating.) Also, bored/board or as I keep seeing on FB bord (not. a. word.!!!)
Q. Quote from a movie: You know, for some reason I can never think of a movie quote when asked for one. Strange? Probably. 
R. Right or left handed: Right handed.
S. Siblings: one brother - my baby brother who is a foot taller than me! 
T. Tattoos: Ummm....no. I am not crazy about the idea of something being permanently on my person. What happens if I change my mind? Yikes.
U. Underwear: Um, hello, this is the internet. We're not going there, 'kay?
V. Vegetable you hate: I loathe peppers. Are peppers a veggie? Eh, whatever, I hate them regardless.
W. What makes you run late: Usually the Munchkin. It's all his fault. ;) Getting a three year old out the door with all of his stuff and no tantrums with the potty used can take way longer than one would think. He always seems to need to potty as we are walking out the door! (Update: I am happy to report that the kiddo is no longer a cause for being late. He is now usually the first person to the door and raring to go. ;)
X. X-Rays you’ve had: dental, wrist, sinus - I think that's all.
Y. Yummy food that you make: anything with marinara sauce (I make my own and it is pretty good) - manicotti, spaghetti, lasagna, you name it. If it has cheese, pasta, and marinara sauce I make it. ;)
Z. Zoo animal: River otters. And tigers. And prairie dogs. And the itty bitty monkeys. Let's just say we love the zoo and leave it at that.

So, there you have it. All kinds of random knowledge you probably never wanted to know. Now I would love to know if you do this post. So, if you have done or will do an A to Z post, leave your link in the comments so I can come see. Then we can all have all sorts of random knowledge about all sorts of random people. There. Isn't this fun. ;)

(This post was originally published on 9/26/2011. Current updates to the original post are in this pretty shade of tealy turquoisey minty aqua color!)

Blast from the Past: A Grammy Blouse

blouse & bag: thrifted, skirt: target, heels: ???

 I love this outfit. The blouse, the skirt, the shoes. It just felt perfect. I am actually wearing grey hose - but they aren't really showing up in the pics. I kept the accessories to a minimum since the blouse is so bright. ;) I love this blouse, it just makes me happy. When I was a kid, my grammy had tie neck blouse in this exact color. So even though this isn't actually her blouse, it reminds me of her. And hello, it has an asymmetrical neckline. How cool is that.

So, sorry for the messy pics. It was pouring rain outside today and the boxes are indicative of the news I alluded to on Friday. We are moving. My hubby was laid off and we will be moving into his grandmother's house to conserve funds. We are pretty excited about the future - job opportunities look pretty good in his field right now, so we are looking forward to moving on from the extremely difficult and stressful situation we have been in the last year and a half. I am not thrilled about moving to Grandma's house, but we are very blessed to have that option. I am also not thrilled about a double move because we will be moving again when we find a job. While at Grandma's house we will be storing most of our stuff, so that kind of stinks.

Hope y'all have an awesome week!

(This post was originally published on 10/24/2011)

Blast from the Past: Serious Frivolity

tee: Target (I think), shorts: Rue 21, shoes: thrifted, necklace: Icing

crazy flower necklace

Love these thrifted shoes! I will be wearing them with everything this spring.

As usual, Munchkin had to join the fun. :)

I love this outfit, shamelessly inspired by some Dillards ad in a magazine from a last year. I also love the long sleeve tee with the shorts and these are the best spring shoes ever in the whole entire world. Tiny wedge, nude color, peep-toe. Awesomeness on the foot for $4, thank you very much. I bought the necklace to wear with my Easter dress last year. I love it but don't wear it very often because it is a little over the top.

So, I got my first follower yesterday which was really cool. I didin't really expect to be followed by anyone to be honest. I only recently discovered the Blog-world and just thought it looked like fun. Truthfully, I feel like my little blog is vastly inferior to most of the blogs that I enjoy, but since I've never been one to be bothered by what other people think, I am having a blast.

I am also sure that if I publicized Cheap Chic on facebook, my friends and family would all follow because they love me. I haven't publicized because, to be brutally honest, in my world it would be considered frivolous and trivial. Believe it or not, I agree. Shocking, I know; but in the grand scheme of life, taking pictures and talking about clothes and style everyday is pretty frivolous. But you know what, so is a peacock (plenty of birds can find mates without that insane tail) and what is sillier than a platypus. Creation is full of beauty, ridiculousness (it may be necessary but a giraffe's neck is pretty absurd) and wonder (the whole getting pregnant, having a baby thing is pretty freaking awesome and wondrous if you ask me). If God can fill His creation with fun and frivolity and decorate His world in such an incredible way, then I think I can safely enjoy decorating myself. Even if I do feel a little silly from time to time. Maybe I look ridiculous, but I am having fun. At least where I am concerned, that is the point of the whole operation.


So, this serious-minded girl is grateful for the fun and inspiration and most importantly smiles that the Blog world has brought me. A little frivolity is good for the soul.

Night Ya'll

(This post was originally published 4/11/2011.)

Blast from the Past: The Great Booger Meltdown

top: ross, shorts: thrifted, flats: payless

my three year old, the photographer

fabulous floral flats

So, today was actually a pretty good day. Kiddo was well behaved, we sort of lazed around and played etc. Until bedtime. Usually the Munchkin does pretty well about going to bed and straight to sleep. Except when he's sick. Well, we are getting over a cold. The last few nights have been fine, but tonight. Not so much. He comes to the door crying his eyes out and begging, literally begging, for a booger. Seriously. "mommy, I need a booger, please, can I have a booger." Okay, I am really trying not to laugh at my distraught child, really I am, but I'm sorry, it was hilarious. Here I am trying to patiently explain to my half hysterical toddler that I can't give him a booger, he just needs to blow his nose, blah, blah, blah. Poor baby. We eventually sorted out that his nose was stopped up and he wanted the boogers to come out of his nose and they wouldn't. Bless his heart. Anywho. All's well that ends well. Right? Right.

So, now that we've sorted out the great booger melt down, which I know you wanted to hear all about, lets talk about clothes. I'm not sure how I feel about this outfit. I think I like the red and light blue together, but between the fit of the top and the fit of the shorts I just didn't feel like it was particularly flattering. Cool? yes. Flattering? not so much. Now my new shoes I am quite happy about. I've been looking for a pair of floral shoes for a while now and these little lovelies are the perfect addition to my closet. They will go with pretty much everything I own. Because I tend to avoid prints (don't ask, I don't really know why), I like a unifying piece when I pair colors. These floral flats are perfect.

Hope y'all are having a lovely evening. Happy Tuesday!

(This post was originally published on 7/26/2011.)

Blast from the Past: Work it Wednesday: Striped Flats

striped Steve Madden flats from Goodwill

with jeans and a silky blouse

with skinny jeans and another silky blouse

with the same skinny jeans and tee and cardi

This Wednesday I am working my new striped flats. Which I apparently keep wearing with the same distressed skinny jeans. Eh. If it works, it works. Maybe next time I wear them, I'll get all adventurous -like and wear them with a skirt. Yikes!

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

(This post was originally published on 10/5/2011.)

Christmasy Comfortable Chic

blouse: old navy, dress: charlotte russe, belt: hubby's, necklace: cato, flats: thrifted

contrary to his facial expression, the kiddo really wanted to be in a picture with mommy

comfy, casual for around the house

Y'all there are only a few days left until Christmas. When did that happen? Seriously!? Yikes. ;)

The top outfit is what I wore to go see my kiddo in his first ever Christmas program. During which he sat in his chair with his back to the audience watching the rest of the kids sing whilst not singing. a. single. note. ;) Apparently he believed he was there to be entertained rather than to do the entertaining. Oh well. He succeeded in cracking us up as we were trying to figure out what in the world he was doing. ;) The bottom outfit is what I wore to spend the rest of the day around the house. While I loved the dress over the blouse, there was an unforeseen problem with the layering. A knit dress over a silky blouse equals slippage. The shoulders would not stay put. I will most likely never wear this dress over a silky blouse again as it drove. me. up. the. wall. However I loved the combination of mint and burgundy and will probably be wearing the outfit with the cardi for Christmas day. We take about six million pictures, but I also like to be comfy and this outfit was comfy enough to nap in once I took off the offending blouse.

We have family coming in for Christmas and I doubt I will have a lot of time for blogging. So I've lined up a week's worth of Blast from the Past posts. Many of you are new readers who recently started following and I thought you might enjoy seeing a few posts from 2011. Please do laugh at them when you have the time. And I hope you all have the most blessed and wonderful holiday week.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Linking up with Kate's Christmas Link-up, Blonde Episodes, Favorite Frock Friday, All Things Chic and Casual Friday.

Chambray and Leopard: Fall Edition

jacket: cato, blouse: cato, jeans: walmart, loafers: shoe show

Happy Thursday, friends! I can't believe it is only a few days till Christmas. This month has just flown by; I don't know where it went! I am done with my shopping and have been for a while, but I am making several gifts and need to get a move on to finish them and get them under the tree. I also need to wrap all the kiddo's gifts. ;)

This is a fun outfit I wore last Sunday night to sing in our service. I continue to love these red jeans and of course you know me, the chambray and leopard had to be paired with them at some point. And I love the warm tan of the jacket with the red and blue. Oddly enough this is one of a very few pant outfits I've worn this month. I'm not sure why, but I have really been feeling the dresses and skirts lately. And having fun with my tights. ;)

Well, I'm off to the grocery store and to finish all my Christmas prep. Hope y'all are having a wonderful week.

Linking up with Diaries of a Bargainista (everything in my outfit is under $20!), Dress for the Day and This and That Thursday. 

Of Hobbits and Dresses

scarf: diy, dress: old navy (old), flats: thrifted

perfectly matched tights and flats

Happy Wednesday, y'all! It seems that I am in a dress/skirt phase at the moment. I have always preferred dresses. I am reasonable certain that I pinned something from Sally that inspired this outfit with the navy, burgundy and leopard. And I was tickled to discover that my new burgundy tights were a perfect match for my burgundy flats. Awesome.

So, the hubby and I saw The Hobbit in IMAX 3D which was incredible. I really loved the movie, and even thought I wanted to see it, I didn't expect to love it. You see I read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy back in junior high. I read the Hobbit that once and maybe one other time. LOTR on the other hand I have read at least 7 or 8 times. Those books are incredible. They are epic and well written. There is good and evil and romance and a happy ending. The Hobbit on the other hand had no female characters and was basically written as a boys' adventure tale. And while it is a very good one, it didn't appeal to me as much. So, I was excited for The Hobbit, but not sure I would love it as much as the others. Well. I do. It was incredibly well done from the acting to the filming to the effects. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it. Now, I would not recommend it for younger kids as it could be a little scary, but my 7 year old nephew saw it and loved it. So I guess that depends on your kid.

If you've seen it, please leave your thoughts in the comments!

Linking up today with The Pleated Poppy, Transatlantic Blonde and Wardrobe Wednesday!

Silence

Predictable

jacket: cato (old), dress: cato (old), boots: thrifted

Happy Monday, friends! Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend. ;) I spend most of the weekend making (and eating) treats! If y'all are interested a few food posts every now and then, let me know in the comments. I'm not an amazing cook or anything, but I do have some fun, quick and easy recipes that we enjoy around here. :)

Now, on to the clothes. This dress is one of a very few printed items of clothing I own. And I will probably keep it forever. It was the dress I was wearing when I found out I was pregnant with the kiddo. You know the adorable one in that last picture up there. Man, he cutes me to death. On another note, I clearly need to change things up a bit. How many Sundays in a row have I worn a blazer over a dress? Stay tuned. Maybe next week I'll go really wild and wear a pencil skirt (probably with a blazer) ;).

Hubby and I will be spending today in the 'city'. He is taking me to see The Hobbit for my birthday. I am so excited. I have mentioned a time or six here on the blog that I am a nerd. I read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in junior high and then again multiple times in high school. And then again every year when the movies came out I would re-read the entire series before we went to see the new movie (usually for my birthday since that is when they came out). I even won a radio call in contest by knowing that Treebeard was an Ent. (If you have neither read the books nor seen the movie Treebeard is a very cool character in The Two Towers (the second book/movie).) We will also be finishing up our Christmas shopping sans kiddo and I will be happily spending my birthday money. ;)

Any of you LOTR fans out there? Fellow nerds? Book lovers?

Linking up with Monday Mingle, Visible Monday and YOLO!

P.S. Out of respect for and in commiseration with the grief of the people of Newtown, CT I will be observing the Blogger Day of silence tomorrow. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragedy. Regular programing will resume Wednesday.

An Outfit to See Santa

cardi: cato (old), chambray: thrifted, dress: target (old), leggings & boots: walmart (old)

mini bubble necklace

Happy Friday, friends! To all of you who have started following in the last couple of weeks, welcome! I am so glad to have you along for the ride. ;)

This is what I wore to take the kiddo to the Enchanted Forest in Memphis where he got to see Santa. It was freezing cold that day so layers were necessary. I had originally planned to wear just the dress and cardi, but I ended up wanting and extra layer. This is one of those outfits that I am not crazy about how it looks in the pictures. I think my longer chambray blouse would have worked better. But, you live and learn. ;) What do you think?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! We are making Christmas treats - cookies, holly wreaths, apple butter and all kinds of yumminess. ;)

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

Birthday Shopping

what I wore: cardi: target (old), top: thrifted(Loft), skirt: old navy, boots: payless (old)

Happy Thursday, lovelies! Today is my birthday. And while I don't really get all excited about it anymore, I did enjoy the chance to do a bit of shopping. I figured a girl ought to be able to wear her favorite color on her birthday, right?! So I wore a pink cardi and blouse with my green skirt, some cozy fleece lined tights (if you have not tried these things, you must, they are awesome) and my chocolate boots.

Now then, I started out at Cato and tried on four different fur vests (thank you, Bonnie) that were either out of the budget range or made me look like a top heavy bear. Not a nice look, I assure you. ;) There was a leopard print one that was sooooo soft and fit beautifully and if it goes on sale I will happily snap it up.

As to what I did try on. I started with a striped blazer. They only had an XL which was just too big. Even though I like oversized, especially with my skinny jeans, this was too big and not flattering. So, the search for a stripe blazer/cardi continues.

Every once in a while you run across something that isn't on the wish list but that is so fabulous and fits so seamlessly into your wardrobe that you have to take it home. Such was the case with this little lace jacket thing. It has a gorgeous peplum shape and is so pretty. I will happily wear it over every single dress I own in the spring and summer. And can't wait to put it over my basic long sleeve tees with jeans or skirts. You can be sure you will be seeing this in an outfit soon.

I found a pair of teal pants similar to my hot pink ones and for the same price, but the fit just wasn't the same. They are a little wider and shorter at the ankle and snugger in the thighs and hips. So I passed. A great deal isn't a great deal if it doesn't look good on you.

Next up is walmart. Now I am aware that Walmart isn't where most fashionistas shop. But they do have some cute stuff sometimes and I have always been pleased with the quality of the things I buy there. First up is the marled stripey cardigan. It is adorable (as is the kiddo who had to hug me while taking the picture) and has black and white and a bit of silver in the knit. Unfortunately the silver thread made it itchy. I can't deal with itchy. As much as I liked it, I know I won't wear it if it itches me. So I passed.

Then I found this striped hooded cardi. It is adorable and would have been perfect except that the sleeves were about 6 inches past my fingertips. Not kidding. I have them rolled twice in the picture and you can see the sleeves all bunched up around my elbows. I passed. One of these days I am going to find a striped jacket or cardi.

Then I tried on a pair of teal skinny jeans. They are wrangler and I like them, but have put on enough weight in the last month that I need a size up from what I would like, so I think I will wait until after January when I have lost the weight again.

And just for your viewing and shopping pleasure here are a few of the offerings probably available at your local Walmart. This skirt (very similar to the Target knit pencil skirts) for $14.44 in a cool grey animal print.

Also available in teal and fushia. Pretty.

And for those of y'all hunting for a mustard cardi (or a cobalt, or coral, or black, or beige, or white etc), check your walmart. They have a huge selection of cute cardis for around $15.

So at the end of the day I came home with the lace jacket thingy and a pair of burgundy tights for a grand total of $15 of my Payday Pretty money.

Any other ladies out there shop at Walmart? If you don't would you?

Linking up with Target Threads, Dress for the Day, Thursday Threads, This & That Thursday and Diaries of a Bargainista.