Some Changes

So. I took a little blog break. For like a year. Or two. Oops. I can't even tell you how often I wanted  to post, but life just happened, you know. It does that. So we moved to Tennessee for a year and endured the worst ministry ever.

I got pregnant.

With twins. It was a bit of a shock. More on that later.

My toddler is now 7. What???

We moved back to Arkansas. Home sweet home.

I had the twins. Holy cow are they precious and awesome and so very much work. And also such a precious blessing.

So I am going to make an attempt at blogging again. Not real sure what that is going to look like. Probably a little different. Some baby posts. Well. Maybe a lot of baby posts. Because, hello, cute twins. 

How could I help myself. 

And a style post here and there. Although to be honest my style is somewhat lacking these days. I may even go back and do a few maternity posts just because. I managed an entire twin pregnancy with almost no maternity clothes. And of course we'll be keeping it cheap because that's how I roll. But the biggest difference will be other content. I want to share my heart. What I believe and why I believe it. I want to tell the whole world some of the incredible things God has done for me. Because, y'all. Seriously. There have been some cool things. So I look forward to seeing if anyone is still around. If you care to catch up before I get caught up on posts here, I am on instagram. You can find me at ccscheapchic.

eShakti Sunday Style

lace topper: cato, dress: eShakti, wedges: payless

Y'all this review is ridiculously overdue. Oops. I received this cute dress from eShakti about a month ago but it hasn't been warm enough to wear it until recently. I added my lace peplum jacket thingy, gold bubbles and leopard shoes and all was good.

I'm sure if you've been hanging around the blogosphere for any length of time you've heard of eShakti. They make dresses (and skirts and tops and jackets) to your specifications. I usually change the length on mine as the standard length is below the knee which hits mid calf on my shrimpy self. It is so nice to be able to make a minor little modification like that and have a dress that works for you right out of the box.

Hope y'all are having a wonderful week!

Sunday Style: Pretty Peplum

jacket & top: cato, skirt: thrifted, wedges: target

Hello friends! I am back. I just needed a bit of a break. Maybe I'll share more later. Thank you to those of y'all who checked on me. It really made my day to know y'all cared enough to check on me. ;)

This was my Mother's Day outfit and I loved it. A bunch of teal with a splash of pale coral in my earrings and bracelet. I ended up wearing my pink jacket all day because it was cold. This has been the craziest excuse for a spring ever.

Hope y'all have a wonderful week!

Keeping it Simple

sweater & flats: old navy, jeans: walmart

yellow polka dot flats

Happy Friday, friends! Here is a super simple and comfy outfit I wore earlier this week for a day spent around the house and running a few errands. I know that we have all hashed this ridiculous excuse for a Spring to death, but honestly I am just not feeling all that inspired by my clothing at the moment. I have tons of cute outfits ready for when the weather warms up a bit, but it isn't warm enough to wear them yet. So. I am resorting to cozy sweaters, comfy jeans and brightly colored flats. Because at least my bright yellow polka dot flats scream spring. Thankfully we are supposed to get some warmer temps by next week, so maybe Spring has finally decided to show her face.

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Thrifty Thursday: Shopping

Hi, y'all! I had a change to hit Cato today and tried some things on. I thought I would share what I found. ;) As you already know, I am a bit of a clearance junkie. Indeed I rarely even bother looking anywhere other than the clearance racks. I know I am not going to pay full price so I would rather not torture myself. Anway here's what was on clearance at Cato today.

First up a cream lace peplum top with 3/4 sleeves and an adorable bow belt (on clearance for $11). 

My thoughts: I really love the peplum trend. Unfortunately it doesn't love me. Because I have an ample bosom, I have a really hard time finding one to fit right. As you can see, the waist is too high and it just accentuates my top half. As to this top in particular, the sheer lace sleeves are pretty, but not entirely practical.

Verdict: Passed.
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Next I tried on a red lace skirt (on clearance for $15). 

My thoughts: I had a very similar skirt in pretty much the same color that I wore for years. I ended up donating it a few years ago because it got too big after my original weight loss. I love the color and lacy fabric and the length is perfect. Unfortunately it was just a tad too snug in the waist.

Verdict: I passed for the time being. I will keep an eye on it and if the price goes down as my weight goes down I may pick it up.
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This pale mint pencil skirt is gorgeous and at $11 a decent price, however they didn't have it in my size. Boo.

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Next a pair of white skinny jeans (on clearance for $15).

My thoughts: I have been searching for a replacement pair of white jeans for a while now so I grabbed these off the clearance rack to try on. They were a little too tight (I prefer to get stretch jeans a little snug because they inevitably stretch out to a reasonable size, otherwise they get too baggy and won't stay on.) Anyway. These were too tight and too long. (See bunchy ankles below.)

bunchy ankles

 Verdict: I passed. Obviously.
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And here are the pink jeans I mentioned last week. Marked down to ($10).

closeup of snakeprint

My thoughts: I just can't decide on these jeans. I love the shade of pink and I know that the snakeprint is so faint that it isn't all that noticeable.  But I just feel like they don't quite fit into my conservative wardrobe. I love the length and have had good luck with the comfort level in Cato's jeans.

Verdict: Passed for now. These are actually a size too small. I will check my local Cato to see if they have them in my size and then decide. Please let me know your thoughts on the snakeprint?
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And finally I tried on a white knit blazer (on clearance for $15).

My thoughts: I really liked this blazer. It was comfy and stretchy. I do already have a white linen blazer that is very structured. It is beautiful, but not particularly comfy and I typically only wear it for church. I can see this working with casual dresses, jeans and even shorts.

Verdict: I liked this a lot but am going to wait to see if it gets marked down further.

So I bought nothing today at Cato. And honestly this happens fairly frequently. I have really strict shopping rules as well as a pretty small budget. I also have a list and while I am happy to find great deals on things I really love that aren't on my list for the most part I try to stick to the list.

Do you ever shop and buy nothing? Do you have a list or are you a by the seat of your pants shopper?

Work It Wednesday: Striped Top

One of my favorite things to pull out when the weather starts to warm up is my three quarter sleeved tops. There is just something so feminine and fresh to me about this sleeve length. And my absolute favorite three quarter sleeve top is my black and white striped one. I thrifted this baby for about $4 two years ago when I first started blogging and it has easily become a favorite.

So here's how I wear a striped top.

One of my earliest outfits with boyfriend jeans and coral accents. (And of course a cute kiddo in the background cause that's how we roll around here.)

And with jeans, wedges and a scarf. Easy, comfy, chic.

And finally my favorite look, over a dress with boots.

So how do you wear a striped top?

Tasty Tuesday: Vox Box Goodies

Happy Tuesday, friends! I recently got my first Vox Box from Influenster and let me tell you. It had some really fun stuff in it!

So I wanted to share the yummies with you today. You know, since I've been sharing tasty stuff on Tuesdays.

First up were some really tasty belVita Breakfast biscuits in golden oat. As you can see I enjoyed them with my coffee and quiet time. They were really tasty and crunchy. And I felt full until lunchtime. I have to admit I will probably pick up some more to enjoy. ;)

Next in the box was a new (to me at least) no calorie sweetener. Now I have to admit I haven't yet found a no calorie sweetener that I like. They always have a horrible aftertaste and even worse are made from heaven only knows what. While I am not a health nut by any means, I don't like eating stuff that is that fake. Enter NECTRESSE. It is from the people who made Splenda (which is at least better than the other fakes). But y'all this stuff is all natural. So I feel a little better about using it. And hello, no calories! Perfect right. And the best part is the taste is great too. I have been using it instead of honey in my smoothies. No weird chemicaliness, no yucky aftertaste, just a perfect dash of sweet. And I can feel okay about sharing it with my kiddo since it is all natural. (As a mom I am way more picky about what I give my kiddo than I am about what goes into my own body. ;)

There were a few other goodies in my box, but we'll get to them another day!

If you don't know what Influenster is, check here. If you would like an invite, please let me know in the comments and I will shoot you one!

Have you tried either of these products? What did you think?