Inspiration Monday - Nearly Perfect

And just like that it's Monday again!  Man the weekends go fast don't they?  We had a nice weekend in spite of some rather disgusting weather.  More on that in a moment.  Right now, it's Inspiration Monday and today we have cutie Emma Watson.  I was super excited when I saw this picture was chosen for this week because, I had pretty much everything to duplicate it.  It may be my best yet, and yes, I am bragging.  I don't care.  I'm excited.

Most of these pieces have been in my closet for ages, so this was a new way to use them, which also made me happy!  Also, I am excited to present my buttonflower from the fabulous Megan Mae - it adds such a fun feminine touch to my blazer!

So, it's supposed to be a nice day outside today - but this morning was kind of drizzly and gross.  It could still turn around, but unfortunately I just felt it was too wet and yucky to take pictures outside.  Anyway, I think that this outfit turned out pretty darn good.  It's always a nice feeling when that happens!!

As I said, we had a nice weekend.  We had a date night on Friday and went to what has probably become our favorite restaurant - Brasa in NE Minneapolis.  I'm not sure how I would describe Brasa, they do meats with unique and interesting spices, and they have some really neat sides.  We usually split a couple of the meats and a couple of sides as you can order small, medium, large of each.  It's just delicious.  After that we went home to watch a movie.  Saturday I got a hair cut and some new golf shoes.  Because the golf store was having a sale, we went back on Sunday and I got a new golf bag too.  The Pants Monkey and I are going to take lessons starting next weekend, even though we've golfed before, we want to work on some things, so having some new equipment is kind of fun!  Now we just need to hope the weather will hold out!

So now we're back to Monday.  Warmer weather this week it sounds like so my hope is to be in more skirts and dresses.  Minneapolis' famed "Summer of Dresses" kicks off tomorrow, while I don't know that I can swing that every day, I want to try and wear more dresses this summer, so we'll see how it goes!

For more Inspiration Monday fun, visit two birds here.

Outfit rundown:

Blouse - Banana Republic, thrifted

Blazer - two birds vintage via b. (a resale shop)

Skirt - American Eagle Outfitters (old)

Shoes - Merona, Target

Buttonflower - Megan Mae

Belt - unknown

Earrings - Stella and Dot

Edited to add - Bonus picture for Lori.  Lighting isn't the greatest, but here you go doll, outfit without blazer!

Fun Facts Friday

Happy Friday!  As promised, today I'll take the time to answer a few questions about myself.  Thanks to all who humored me  played along with me.  I'll do my best not to ramble and hey, maybe you'll learn something new!  First, here is today's outfit.  Nothing horribly special.  It's Friday and it's a jeans day.  Date night later. So the top is pretty and fun, but the overall feel is casual and comfortable.  Can't beat that.  

All righty, let's dive into the questions!  

1. What do you enjoy about blogging and why? 

I enjoy the challenge of mixing my wardrobe and playing with my clothes.  I started the blog because I was bored, both in general with day to day things and also bored with getting dressed for work.  I can safely say that is not the case anymore.  And I love the blogging community I have found myself in, that is almost more what it's about for me now, I have made so many friends across the world and I love connecting with all of you.  I feel like it's a daily virtual coffee date and I wouldn't have it any other way!

2. What's up with the Pants Monkey?  What's the origin of that?

I get asked this a lot, so it's time to try to explain the whole thing.  I'll keep it as simple as I can.  First off, when I started the blog, I was going to keep it more anonymous, so I didn't want to use real names.  I had been reading Kasmira's What I Wore 2Day a lot at the time and noticed she called her husband "Beefy Muchacho."  So I thought, ok, I'll give my hubby a nickname too.  As for Pants Monkey itself, he came up with that persona years ago.  He went through a phase where he thought "pants" was a funny word and kind of made it his "thing" - he'd write it on stuff or that would be his response if you asked him a question, he was just being silly.  And then monkeys are his favorite animal.  He put the two together and bought the domain Pantsmonkey.com awhile back and used to keep it up as a website/blog but hasn't updated it in years.  Then we started homebrewing beer and built a keg system/bar in our basement for the beer and I decided our "brewery" needed a name - so we called it the Pants Monkey Brewing Company.  Flash forward back to when I started this blog and wanted to give him a nickname, it was a no brainer to me that he would be the Pants Monkey.  He doesn't really care if I use his name or not at this point and if you're friends with me on FB, Twitter or Instagram you have probably seen his real name now.  But I kind of like using his nickname here so I'll keep doing so.  It'll be kind of like Wilson's face on Home Improvement, one of those great secrets in life.  Or something!

3. Have you always lived in Minnesota or did you grow up somewhere else?

Minnesota born and bred baby!  It's actually kind of sad, I only live about ten minutes away from my childhood home.  The furthest I lived from home was when I was in college and even then, it was only about a half hour across town.  I love this state though, I love Minneapolis AND St. Paul - I grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis and went to college in St. Paul, so I think both cities have a lot to offer.  We have a thriving arts community - theatre, music, visual art, you name it.  We have awesome restaurants, the craft beer industry is exploding, and we have some of the best state parks around.  Plus, Northern MN is beautiful, I love going "up North", especially in the summer.  Plus, I love all four seasons (and yes, that does include winter).  I have traveled plenty, but Minnesota is home and always will be.

4. What is your favorite meal?

This is so hard.  The Pants Monkey loves to cook and we love to eat out too.  I'd say we're borderline foodies.  I think my favorite if I have to pick is Mr. Monkey's spaghetti and meatballs - he makes sauce from scratch that is to die for.  We make Bobby Flay's meatball recipe and they are fantastic as well.  Add a bottle of Chianti and you have one happy Bethie!

5. If you could be any literary character, who would you be?

This may sound dorky, but Winnie the Pooh.  He may be a bear of "little brain" but his life is so simple and it takes very little to make him happy - a honey pot, his dear friends, and a little love.  And there are some beautiful quotes in A.A. Milne's books.  If you've only ever seen the "Disney" version of Winnie the Pooh, I highly recommend reading the classic books.  Also, I named my blog after Winnie the Pooh (that's where Bethie the Boo comes from).

6. What's your superpower?

What's my actual superpower?  I can type like nobody's business and I'm a major multi-tasker.  What superpower do I wish I had?  The ability to control time.  I don't know that I would stop time all together, but say you're having one of those amazing moments that you wish could last longer?  Then I would freeze time to savor it.  Likewise, let's say you want something over faster, like a dental appointment or something? Then I would speed time up!

Thanks for letting me share more about myself!  This was a lot fun.  I'll do it again sometime!  I'll leave you with a picture of my Taylor cat - it's her cat-i-versary!  We've had her for six years today!  Time flies.  I love this little furball!  

Outfit rundown:

Shirt - Christopher and Banks (From cousin)

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - thrifted via Clothes Mentor

Earrings - Stella and Dot

No White show

As promised, today I have some pictures from the No White Fashion show I attended last night.  It was really interesting!  My friend and I got to the Weisman Museum shortly before the doors were going to open.  We wandered around the WAM gift shop for a few minutes and then noticed they were letting people in, so we made our way in....somehow getting inside at the same time as the members.  Whoops.  Oh well, it worked out in our favor, while we had to stand, we managed to grab a spot near the end of the runway.  I wasn't able to get great full body pictures, but I got a few good ones that showcase some fun things.  The theme of the show was the "Dark side of fairy tales" and the students were challenged to create a crossover costume piece that also incorporated upcycled or recycled materials, plus one item that could be found in the WAM gift shop.  

First the models came out in typical runway fashion.  Then each designer got one minute in front of the judges for questions.  After that the judges went and deliberated for about a half hour and then the winners were announced.  It was like watching a live version of Project Runway!  Below are some of my favorites/best pictures I got of the night.

This first one was inspired by Red Riding Hood.  I could almost see myself wearing the jacket.

This next one was inspired by The Little Mermaid.  I didn't get a great shot of the front unfortunately.

This one here is the first place winner.  It is based on Sleeping Beauty and the designer was adorable when she was talking about it.

This one was my favorite and I think it's also from Red Riding Hood.  I don't even know why I love it so much.  It didn't win anything, but I really like it anyway!

This one was another favorite of mine, I don't even know what fairytale it represents, but I love it.  She came in 3rd place.

So anyway, it was a lot of fun to watch and listen to the judges ask questions and have the students answer them.  The other thing that I thought was so neat is that most of these students were only in their second year of design school - pretty awesome talent out there when you consider that!

So today I decided in the spirit of the fairytale theme to try and emulate my favorite fairytale.  I didn't choose to go "dark" with it and honestly, I wanted to wear something a little different but the weather isn't quite cooperating (and I might not have been brave enough too).  So anyway, if you squint, I went for the Little Mermaid, mostly in color scheme.  Maybe when it gets warmer next week I'll drag out the outfit I really wanted to wear!

So overall, it was really fun to go to the show, it lasted just around and hour and a half, which was just the right amount of time I thought.  There was a little dance performance while the judges were deliberating too, so in addition to feeling like I was at a live version of Project Runway, it was also like being at a live version of So You Think You Can Dance - and yes, could they ever dance!  They were great, they did a modern interpretation of Snow White.  I'm glad I had a chance to go, especially when we didn't have to pay a thing thanks to my friend winning a Twitter contest.  You have to love it!

Tomorrow is Friday - and I'm doing a "fun facts" about me, so don't forget to feel free to ask me anything in the comments and I'll answer things about me tomorrow! Have a great day!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - Express (thrifted)

Pants - Alfani, Macy's (old)

Shoes - SO, Kohls

Bag - Axcess by Claiborne (thrifted)

Necklace - Butterfly Boutique

Hug a secretary

I wore my best "secretary" look today because it's Administrative Professionals Day and I am an administrative professional.  All must bow before me!  Ok, I'm kidding.  In truth, my boss rarely remembers this day, she's pretty scattered and is the kind of person who can barely remember her own birthday so I don't blame her, but I still thought I'd acknowledge the day.  If you are someone who is lucky enough to have an admin working for you - go give them a hug.

Crazy faces going in these pictures today.  I'm tired.  Between a thunderstorm last night and the Pants Monkey snoring, sleep was not coming easily.  Speaking of Mr. Monkey, thanks for your well wishes, his back is doing much better and he's on the mend!  I'm quite happy about that.  We have so much yard work to do.  I think we're the only house on our block who hasn't mowed our lawn yet...our neighbors must hate us right now.  So, having him back at full capacity is a good thing!

I'm excited, a friend of mine won tickets to a fashion show at the Weisman Museum down at the U of M campus tonight and asked me if I wanted to go.  I'm like, do birds fly?  Yes I do!  It's called the No White Fashion show and apparently is themed after Snow White.  Sounds so awesome and it sounds like I should be able to take pictures, so I will hopefully have a post on it tomorrow!

I kind of love in my last picture here that you can see the shadow of my camera on the tripod to the left.  That's kind of funny.

Also, I thought it might fun this coming Friday to do a "Fun Facts Friday" about myself.  I get asked a lot about the whole "Pants Monkey" thing, so I will definitely answer that question, but if you feel so inclined, leave a question in the comments for me to answer and I will answer it!  Ask me anything, even if you just want to know my favorite flavor of ice cream. In the meantime, have a great Wednesday!

Outfit rundown:

Sweater - Mossimo, Target (old)

red shirt - two birds vintage via b. (a resale shop)

Skirt - StudioWorks (from cousin)

Shoes - Lifestride (from cousin)

Necklace - the Vintage Pearl (gift from friend)

Bracelet - Charming Charlie

She wears short skirts

Today I'm wearing the outfit I managed to spend my consignment earnings on.  Well, minus the jacket and accessories, those were already in my closet.  But the shirt and skirt are new.  This skirt totally reminds me of a skirt I had when I worked my first post college job.  The pattern is almost identical.  The big difference though is that skirt was a wee bit shorter than this one.  And that brings me to story time!  I shall try not to make it too long, but it gave me a good chuckle as I was remembering something.

So the first two years I was out of college I worked in the church I grew up in as a youth minister.  And my Pastor was awesome and didn't really set a "dress code" so we could wear jeans, t-shirts and the like.  In the summer, my office was hot.  It was in an old building with no air conditioning.  So, on days I knew I wouldn't be crawling around with kids, sometimes I wore little tank tops and short skirts.  Hey I was 23 and I wasn't a nun.  I wasn't showing mid drift or my booty, so I figured it was all good.

The 2nd summer I worked there, I was fortunate enough to have a close friend working as my assistant.  And we dressed pretty similarly.  If it was a hot day, we wore tank tops.  One day, we went to an all staff meeting, which included the staff from the school that was associated with our church. Each staff person could add items to the agenda.  My friend and I looked at the agenda and we see under the school Principal's update the topic of "what is appropriate attire for a Catholic institution?"  We looked at each other and we looked around the room and we realized, that was directed at us.  And we were steaming.  We refused to participate in the conversation, which got fairly heated and my Pastor defended us stating "Who are we to be the clothing police?  I see nothing wrong with how any member of my staff dresses and if I were to see a problem, I would be the first person to deal with it."  The topic was tabled and the meeting was over.  My friend and I holed up in my office and totally crabbed about the whole thing and then my Pastor came in.  And this is the part that I love - he said "Are you guys pissed?  Cause I was pissed.  And I wouldn't blame you for being pissed."  This was a Catholic priest folks.  I loved that about him.  We laughed and talked with him and again he said, "If I ever have a problem with how you dress I will say so.  But I think you guys are doing a great job."  In the end, my Pastor was moved to another church and a bunch of things happened in the year that followed and I realized my calling was NOT to work with kids and teenagers, so I left that job and actually left that church all together a few years later.  But I still look back on those days fondly and laugh.

So there you go.  Story for the day.  I think that this skirt is a very appropriate length and I'm loving the colors, I'll find lots of ways to remix it this summer!  I also included a picture with my Haiku bag - still loving it, it's so rare for me to use the same bag for so many days in a row, but I haven't stopped using this one since Easter.  I love it that much!  If you've made it this far through my long rambling post, thanks for reading!  Have a great day!

Outfit rundown:

Green shirt - LOFT (thrifted)

Jacket - American Eagle (thrifted)

Skirt - DKNY (thrifted)

Sandals - Mootsie Tootsie

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Bag - Haiku

Inspiration Monday - Rue the day

Hello friends!  Happy Monday!  I'm back to Inspiration Monday this week.  The lovely ladies of two birds chose the adorable Sara Rue here for our model this week.  I want her dress!

Since I don't have a cute pink dress like her I chose the next best thing, my own adorable dress from the Pants Monkey.  I haven't worn it since there was still snow on the ground, so it was high time I brought her back out!  I actually had a different outfit in mind for today but laundry fail - totally hadn't washed one piece of it.  Oops.  Oh well, I love this dress so it works out just fine in my book!  Oh and lookie - sandals!  It's going back into the 60's for highs so it was sandals or bust.

So speaking of the Pants Monkey, we had a uppy/downy weekend that kind of worked out in my favor in the end.  Saturday we were full up with our music group and church.  But yesterday he had intended to brew a batch of beer (we homebrew beer if you didn't know that).  So, he started getting set up while I ran to the store to get some breakfast items and free coffee at Caribou Coffee for Earth Day.  I came home and he is sitting on the couch, not moving and sort of looked white.  I thought he was sick, but he said his back seized up while he was carrying the big heavy brewpot.  We determined that there was no way he was going to brew.  I ran to the drugstore and got him ice/heat packs and some Icy Hot.  After he had some Ibprofen and had stretched out the muscles for awhile he said to me "as a thank you for helping me and while I'm feeling a bit looser, we could go to the Apple store and get your new laptop."  I didn't have to think twice about that one!  So, I am now the proud new owner of a Macbook Air that he got all set up for me yesterday since sadly he couldn't do much of anything else.  Poor guy, but happy me!

I did manage to get a little consigning done too on Saturday before our church gig.  I didn't get a ton of money for my stuff this time, but I got enough to turn around and buy a shirt and skirt with!  Hoping to wear at least one of the items tomorrow.  So a mostly up weekend for me, but a little down for my poor Pants Monkey.  I told him "it's hell getting older isn't it?"

And on we go into our week.  For more Inspiration Monday outfits, visit two birds here.  Have a great day!

Outfit rundown:

Dress - VS, gift from the Pants Monkey

Sweater - Old Navy

Sandals - Mootsie Tootsie

Cami - Decree, JCPenney

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Hippie chick

Super hippie vibes going with today's outfit, peasant top, skinny pants, if I could be barefoot, I'd totally be there I think!  WAY too cold for bare feet today, I couldn't even do sandals this morning, just too chilly and even with the sun I hear it won't get terribly warm today.  It's all because I got that pedicure last week, it's the law of nature or something.

I tried to get a close up of my necklace this morning but the photo came out fuzzy.  I've worn it many times on the blog before, especially in the early days of my blog last summer.  But anyway, I always laugh when I wear this one because I think of it as my "Fruit Loop" necklace.  It has pastel colored circles on a chain and it totally reminds me of those candy necklaces or cereal necklaces we used to make when we were kids.  I was never a Fruit Loop girl, but I liked making cereal ones with Apple Jacks.  Or the candy ones were good too.  Ultimate treat to a five year old.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, well you were just a deprived child. Ok, ok, I'm teasing.  If you never did those necklaces though I am sorry, you missed out, they were fun!

What can I say, it's Friday.  I'm hopped up on caffeine and the promise of the weekend, so I'm silly.  Have a great day and a great weekend everyone!

Outfit rundown:

Cami - Old Navy

Peasant blouse - Decree, JCPenney

Sweater - Maurices

Jeans - Maurices

Necklace - Butterfly Boutique

Shoes - Naturalizer (From mom)

The bird is the word

I took advantage of the lack of rain this morning and quickly took pictures outside.  Supposedly more rain is coming.  I know we need it but come on now!  Although, my skirt must have worked a bit yesterday, we did get some sun for a little bit.  

It's chilly again today so we're back to pants.  I have to laugh with this little bird sweater.  I always get complimented on it when I wear it.  I bought it at Target years ago.  Obviously it's held up well.  I still adore it because come on, it's got a bird on it!  How can you not love the whimsy of a little bird?

So wow, Dick Clark died yesterday.  I was kind of floored by that news.  He's never been the same after his stroke a few years back, but I love that he still came on New Years Eve every year even with his struggles.  I don't think New Years will ever quite feel the same without seeing him on TV.  

I think I might head to my favorite consignment shop this weekend with some of the items I've decided to get rid of from my closet.  They have this loyalty card program and every $10 you spend they give you a stamp on your card and when you fill it up you get 25% off anything, even designer items (which is how I actually own a couple of Coach bags).  Anyway, this weekend they said in honor of Earth Day if you bring in items to sell, for every $10 they pay for your stuff, they'll also give you a stamp on your card.  I don't expect to make much more than that on my items, but hey, I'll take what I can get!

Outfit rundown:

Sweater - Xhileration, Target (old)

T-shirt - Old Navy

Pants - Maurices (old)

Shoes - Steve Madden (thrifted)

Necklace - Bead for Life

Earrings - thrifted

Channeling sunshine

It seems we can't get the sun to stick around for more than a day lately.  Woke up to gray skies and wet weather once again.  Since it just seemed depressing and yuck outside, I decided I needed something to brighten my day and maybe others around me.  So I chose to wear the fabulous Shabby Apple skirt that I was lucky enough to win in a Twitter contest.  I couldn't believe I won - they pretty much just asked what you would wear with the Taxicab skirt here.  I said something in a bright pink or fuchsia.  And next thing I knew, they said it would be mine!

So, of course, I paired it with something pink today!  I seriously am in love with this skirt though, it fits me like a glove and this bright yellow color is going to be super awesome for the rest of the spring and summer! The length is nice too.  Overall I am super impressed.  I have never tried anything from Shabby Apple before, but I can tell you I will definitely be looking to them more in the future!

It was chilly and damp as I said, so I did add a sweater over my pink top.  Oddly enough both the pink top and the sweater are from LOFT.  Not bought together mind you, in fact the top is another hand me down.  Just a fun coincidence I guess!

I think this last picture is my "I can't believe I won" face or something.  Sometimes I'm goofy and I'm not going to hide that fact from all of you!

My favorite radio station is announcing the performers for a big outdoor concert that we go to every year today and then tickets go on sale.  I have never had trouble getting tickets, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway.  I also hope we like the people who will be performing this year!  And I hope the weather i better this year, last year it rained.  It was a lot like it is today in fact.  Sunshine, come play with us please!

Outfit rundown:

Sweater and pink top - LOFT (thrifted and handed down)

Skirt - Shabby Apple (won in giveaway)

Shoes - DSW

Necklace - Charming Charlie

*Shabby Apple paid me nothing, the opinions on the skirt are mine and mine alone and it was won in a legit Twitter contest sponsored by Shabby Apple*

Tie it in a bow

Spring is returning to us today!  I sure hope it's here to stay.  Knowing our luck it isn't, but that's why we just go one day at a time!  At any rate, even though the day started out chilly, I just had to wear a skirt again.  It was a pretty pants heavy week last week, so I just needed a skirt fix today.  I figured it has been awhile since I pulled out this fun patterned beauty, so it was time to do so again.

I don't think this sweater has ever made an appearance on the blog even though I've had it for a couple of years now.  I sometimes forget I have it, it ends up at the bottom of the drawer a lot.  It's cute and just about right for today's weather and I thought it would look nice with the skirt. I adore the bow!

As you see, I did stick with practical shoes today though because it's Tuesday again which means I'm entering the construction zone at work for my weekly photos.  It's super cool this week, they are digging a pit where an elevator is going at one end of the building and the hole is giant.  There's this adorable little crane type machine that the guy is using to do the digging - anyone remember those crane like sand toys at the playground?  It is totally like that.  I wonder if the guy used to play on one when he was a kid and thought "I wish I could do this when I grow up!"  I think it looks like fun, it probably isn't in reality!

Outfit rundown:

Sweater - Designer Originals (thrifted)

Skirt - American Living, JCP (thrifted)

Shoes - Payless (old)

Bracelet and watch- Charming Charlie

Earrings - Butterfly Boutique

Easter part deux

We celebrated Easter again yesterday with the Pants Monkey's family.  It was a nice afternoon, we ate a ton of food and I'm pretty much good on ham now for the next little while!  I love me some ham, but yeah, I've had enough of it after two big ham dinners in a row!  

It was semi warm, humid and mostly wet yesterday, but I knew that Mr. Monkey's grandmother's house would be very warm, so I dressed appropriately.  I think I kind of look like an Easter egg with the color choices, but I don't mind.  It felt springy and happy.

I was excited on Saturday when I went to the mail and this awesome necklace that I won from Lori's giveaway had arrived.  I kind of planned my Easter outfit around it, not going to lie!

It was also another opportunity to show off my pretty green pedicure and some new sandals.  I received many compliments on the necklace.  I can't wait to wear it again!

Outfit rundown:

Sweater and cami - Arizona Jean Co, JCPenney

Jeans - Old Navy (thrifted)

Necklace - The Minty Koala (won in giveaway)

Bracelets - Stella and Dot, Bead for Life

Sandals - Italian Shoemakers via DSW

So after some wacky weather yesterday complete with severe storms, today we woke up to 30ish degrees and snow flurries.  Oh yes, there were snow flurries.  So, my outfit today is nothing special, it was chosen simply for warmth.  And I had to get creative since I packed away a lot of my winter clothing already!

I know you're all probably surprised I'm not doing two birds' Inspiration Monday - I just couldn't come up with something I liked for today's choice.  I do encourage you to head on over to their blog though and see what other ladies are doing with it today!

Fortunately this return to winter is only supposed to last through today.  Thank goodness for that.  Once you start wearing sandals it's hard to go back to shoes!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - Axcess by Claiborne (thrifted)

Sweater - "A" via Herbergers

Pants - Worthington, JCPenney

Necklace - Maurices

Shoes - Sonoma, Kohls

Owly

TGIF, am I right?  Whew, what a long feeling week.  I'm wearing my owl shirt today and it's somewhat appropriate as I felt a bit owly this morning.  I was dreaming when the alarm went off and it was a very odd dream at that and I could NOT wake myself up.  You ever have that feeling?  And then you're just in a fog? That's where I'm at.  I have coffee now though and I'm going to do my best to turn this around because after all, it IS Friday!!

It's also cloudy and threatening rain, so I kept it indoors this morning.  No kitty photo bombs this time.  They were both already curled up on our bed, they know how to spend this kind of day!  I am excited though, our weekend isn't terribly full.  Usually we have a rehearsal and church with our music group but we're off this weekend while our director is out of town.  So we have tonight free and all day tomorrow!  Sunday we have Easter with the Pants Monkey's family.  Tonight I think we're staying in and having movie night but tomorrow we just might go adventuring, you never know!

I had a pedicure last night!  So now I can wear sandals!  I don't think it's going to be super warm today but I didn't care, I wanted to show off my pretty new toes, so I'm just going with it!  I chose a green colored polish - which was totally not what I was originally intending to do.  I was going to do purple or peach, then saw this green and thought, ooh I want that!  I think I'm going to take my mom for a pedicure for Mother's Day so if I decide I don't like the green, Mother's Day is only a month away.  

I think I like the green though!  The lady who did my nails said it was a nice color green and not too "juvenile".  I agree with her!  Oh and these sandals - so comfy.  They were my mom's and she didn't like the heel on them.  I think she got them at DSW.  The name is too funny - Duck Head.

With that, I shall wish you a happy Friday and happy weekend!  Perhaps my free day tomorrow will include shopping, just because I can!  You never know!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - Energie, thrifted

Sweater - Old Navy

Jeans - Old Navy

Sandals - Duck Head (from mom)

Necklace - Premier Jewelry

Plain Jane

There isn't anything terribly special about today's outfit, it is the last shirt I received from the divine Miss K, and it is fun and funky like the others, but it is also fairly simple.  Overall it's just a simple old black and white type outfit today.  I do like it, but it feels a smidge boring.  Sometimes boring is good though right?

I was also lucky enough to receive a few pairs of shoes from her as well, as you saw on Easter, so I pulled out a pair to wear today and tried to show them off in this second photo.  They are pretty basic black pumps, but you know what?  I didn't have a pair.  *GASP* what kind of woman am I?  Doesn't every girl have one pair of basic black heels?  Anyway, I love these because they are actually comfortable!!  That is always my problem with heels.  They are a brand called Lifestride - I think I've seen them at DSW before.

I stuck a pair of sandals in the car though because right after work today I'm finally getting myself a pedicure!  Fortunately it is going to get a bit warmer today compared to how it has been, so I shouldn't freeze my toes off!  I hope some warmer weather comes back to stay so I can make sandals a part of my wardrobe again!

Outfit rundown:

Shirt - Alfani, Macy's (From cousin)

Pants - Style and Co, Macy's (old)

Shoes - Lifestride (from cousin)

Necklace - thrifted

Better late than never

Ok, so when my thermostat said it was below 30 outside this morning I decided, I'm not taking outdoor pictures this morning, even if it is super sunny!  Too cold for me!  

This is totally not what I meant to wear today.  I was going to wear the pants no matter what, and I decided to wear this t-shirt, but I was going to wear a jacket instead of this little sweater (which yes, it's another cousin goodie, told you we weren't quite done with that!).  Then I opened the closet and saw this little sweater and decided I liked it better, so here you go!

I finally hemmed these pants too!  I won't be tripping over them any longer and now you can actually see the shoes I'm wearing!  I still adore these pants, they are hands down probably one of my most favorite items in my closet right now!

Below is Big Pippin, I had a really cute picture that she photo bombed this morning where she was actually climbing up on me and of course, it turned out fuzzy.  So I tried to recreate it and she was having none of that, so this was the result.

Pippin says "leave me alone mom!"

Silly kitty.  Also, I'm totally a day behind because yesterday I spaced on Everybody Everywhere - so I wore my pastels today and will add my link today.  Better late than never right?

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - Decree, JCPenney

Sweater - Jones New York (from cousin)

Pants - Anthropologie (thrifted)

Shoes - Merona, Target (thrifted)

Necklace - F21

Winter returns?

Oh man is it cold outside this morning!  We are under a freeze warning.  It is so weird that it hasn't been this cold since very early March!  Despite the chilly temps though, it was still sunny out this morning so I suffered through the cold to take my outfit photos today.

It's tough to figure out how to dress for this weather!  The best thing I've found is going with layers.  That way if it actually does get warm you can at least remove something.  I don't think that will be the case today, even with the sun I hear it won't get warmer than about 40 F!

I also have to dress carefully on days I am entering the "construction zone" at work.  My boss actually stepped on a nail last week so I'm not taking any chances!  Good sturdy shoes today.  I get to take pictures of the construction space every Tuesday, so I'm guessing my outfit/shoe choices will be fairly practical on Tuesdays for awhile!

Finally, I want to thank those of you who took the time to watch my vlog from yesterday and for leaving such sweet comments!  I would love to hug all of you!!  It won't be a frequent thing, but maybe I'll do another vlog sometime too!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - Mossimo, Target

Sweater - Decree, JCPenney

Pants - Nine West (thrifted)

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Shoes - Mudd, Kohls

Video Review - Haiku pouch and To Go Bag

Ok guys, here we go - NERD ALERT! I am sharing with you my lame little video blog - or known in the blogging world as "Vlog!"  Just remember - this was my very first attempt at a video.  I'm sharing it anyway because well, I'll take any kind of feedback.  I will warn you right now you'll need to turn up your volume a bit, it was morning and I was tired and quiet apparently!  It's about 9 minutes long because I apparently like to babble.  I hope at any rate you enjoy it if you take the time to watch and please know I appreciate it very much if you do! :)

I'm reviewing the Pouch and To Go bag from Haiku by Sharon Eisenberg.  Haiku has paid me nothing for this, this review is strictly my opinion because it's something I loved and wanted to share.

The website is: www.haikubags.com

(And I again, I receive nothing for you clicking the link, just wanted to share a fun product.)

Inspiration Monday (If you squint)

This isn't my best Inspiration Monday interpretation, but I did my best!  So here is Miranda Kerr - another person I'm not really sure of who she is, but I love her comfy chic outfit here.  I do not have awesome leopard print skinnies, but then again, I'm not quite sure if I could pull them off, lol!

So for my look, I chose my dark skinnies, the sweater I wore with my Easter dress (since it was after church and we were going to my parents for dinner) and a plain ole t-shirt.  It was a very comfy outfit for stuffing myself with a big ham dinner!

It ended up being a really lovely day yesterday, I thought it might end up colder, but it wasn't too bad.  We had a really nice dinner with my parents and somehow got sucked into the Masters with my dad.  I tell you, nothing makes you feel older than suddenly finding golf entertaining.  But the last hour was a serious nail biter - it was really kind of an edge of the seat thing!  I'm excited that Bubba Watson won, I liked his pink golf club, he he.  I think it helps that we play golf, so it makes watching it a little more interesting anyway.  Or I've just cemented my fate as the biggest nerd you ever met. 

Speaking of nerdy things - I will soon be posting my first ever VLOG!!  I'm quite excited about it, I think it turned out ok, I'll get better with practice.  So stay tuned, I need to figure out how to get it from my iPhone to YouTube and then I'll bring it here!  Wee!!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - thrifted Target stock

Sweater - Liz Claiborne

Jeans - Maurices

Socks - Target

Shoes - DSW

Bracelet - Stella and Dot

Sunnies - F21