Walking ad

I'm mildly embarrassed to admit that almost my entire outfit is from Old Navy.  I'm totally a walking Old Navy ad.  Everything but the jewelry.  I also totally did not do that on purpose.  And the items were not even purchased at the same time, but they do all work together nicely!  Oh well, I'm just going to be a walking ad today!

Since I dressed down a couple of days already this week I decided to wear a skirt today.  Granted it is a long denim skirt, but I still felt like wearing it!  It's not quite as crazy hot today so it's comfortable.  I'm so excited for a nice long weekend!  Going to kick things off right tonight by having a movie night with my Pants Monkey.  We haven't rented a movie in awhile (we long ago said goodbye to Netflix), so we're heading to our local video store (yes these still exist!) tonight to grab something fun and new.  Anyone seen anything good lately that you'd recommend that is "rentable" (i.e. not still in the theatre)?

As I already mentioned, since we'll be all dressed up to sing at a wedding tomorrow, we're going to go out for a nice dinner afterward.  Sunday I think The Pants Monkey is making homemade hot dogs with his dad.  And Monday there are sales to be had at the thrift stores, so there is some shopping in my future!  I'm looking forward to all of it!  I hope you all have a great weekend too!

Outfit rundown:

Shirt, skirt, shoes - Old Navy

Necklace - Alexandria, S&D

Bracelets - Swap with CC, S&D, Butterfly Boutique

Earrings - Swap with CC

Hot again

Back to a sundress today!  At least it's not going to be quite as hot as they were originally predicting today.  They had said 100+, thank goodness it's only going to be in the 90's now. And even that statement is funny to me, but it's been one of those kind of summers.

I'm not loving this return to heat, though this morning it didn't feel horrible as I was taking my pictures.  I think the humidity is down, which does make a difference.  It's been so dry though, my flowers are parched and one of them even died.  Oh well.  I'll stop babbling about the weather, I really don't want to be one of those people!

I'm so excited that it's a three day weekend coming up.  I've been kind of spoiled these last few weeks with not having to work too much!  And next week, I only come back and work three days and then have another Friday off so we can go on an annual cabin trip with our music group.  I tell you, I could really get used to a four day or less work week!

I like the fun vibe of this outfit.  I wasn't sure if this tank top would work over this dress, but I think it pairs together pretty nicely.  And believe it or not I'm hardly wearing any Stella and Dot today!  I do own other jewelry!  If you missed it, my Stella and Dot vlog went up yesterday.

And that's all I have.  I don't know if it's the heat or my crazy work week, but my brain is fried!  Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!

Outfit rundown:

Dress as skirt - two birds

Tank top - Maurices

Sandals - Merona, Target

Necklace - Premier Jewelry

Bracelets - S&D, Bead for Life

Vlog - All the Jewelry

Here is my long awaited Stella and Dot Vlog.  I am sorry, it's long again - I get excited about this stuff and I just keep talking!  So it rings in at almost 15 minutes.  I tried to cut it down in editing as much as I could!

As always I link because I love - I didn't mention in the video, but if you don't have a Stella and Dot person, I can hook you up with mine, even if you don't live in MN she can do a catalog show or virtual show.  No pressure of course, just putting that out there.

Hope you enjoy!

Worker bee

So yesterday and today have been a little crazy at work as I mentioned yesterday.  I was able to dress down both days, but I can't just do that and not be a little stylish still.  So here are my "worker bee" outfits.

It doesn't help that it's getting super hot outside again.  Today is going into the mid-90's.  Tomorrow I hear we could hit 102.  Ugh.  I want Autumn darn it!!  Oh well. I  should be able to at least tough out the heat back in a sundress tomorrow.

While doing the "grunt" work both days, I switched out of sandals and into tennis shoes.  Cause I don't want my pretty feet to get hurt!  I'm getting a good workout, I know that much is true!

Later today I'm finally posting my Vlog!  It's done and edited and ready to go.  Big thanks to my Pants Monkey for helping me solve some syncing issues I was having.  So anyway, stay tuned later today for that!

Outfit one:

Tank tops - Old Navy

Necklace and bracelet - S&D

Jeans - Maurices

Sandals - Xhiliaration, Target

Outfit two:

Tank top - Hill Valley Vintage

Capris - Dockers, thrifted

Sandals - Merona, Target

Jewelry - S&D, F21

Choke hold

When I wear this dress, it's a rare time you'll see me with anything that cuts close to the neck.  I have a tendency to feel like I'm choking when I wear something close to my neck, which is why you'll never see me in turtlenecks and seldom in a tight fitting necklace or scarf.  And I love this dress I picked up at the two birds garage sale and had worn it to sing at a wedding a few weeks back, but I was able to take it off after a couple of hours.  Yesterday I decided to wear it all day.  By the end of the day, I was pretty uncomfortable! I joke with my mom that we were hung in a former life - she has the same problem.  Anyway, I will still keep this in my closet because it is fun, but may not attempt an entire workday in it again!

Today I have dressed down.  We are very close to finishing the giant construction project on the 2nd floor of my office building and my boss and I are going to be running around working on finishing touches like putting wastebaskets in exam rooms and things like that. She told me to come dressed comfortable in jeans and tennis shoes.  I figure I'll probably get some exercise if nothing else!

I'm so forgetful in the mornings sometimes, I blame it on not getting my coffee until I leave the house.  We bought a really nice jacket for the Pants Monkey at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago.  Our music group is doing a wedding this weekend and since we'll be all dressed up, I said we should go have a nice dinner afterward. So he asked me to take this jacket to the dry cleaners since there is one near my work.  They are closed Mondays, but are open again on Tuesday so I figured if I dropped it off today, he'd have it all ready by Friday.  Guess what I promptly forgot this morning.  He said he even ran after me but I was already gone.  I'll have to see if I can sweet talk the nice dry cleaner people into getting it done super fast if I drop it off tomorrow!

Outfit rundown:

Dress - two birds

Sweater - Mossimo, Target

Sandals - Italian Shoe Company via DSW

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Bracelets - S&D, Bead for Life

Inspiration Monday - More about me

Well friends it's Monday again.  For a three day weekend I sure feel like I didn't really have one!  It was a busy one between the Fair on Friday, some stuff with our music group and then having some relatives in town of the Pants Monkey's.  Last night we crashed with a bunch of shows and I totally zoned out and it was wonderful.

But it is Monday and Inspiration Monday at that!  Today we have Jessica Alba, she is a pretty stylish lady!  I didn't opt for a jacket like she has on, because it's gotten a bit warm again!

Instead, I went for the overall color scheme.  I really liked how this turned out, kind of a shame I really didn't get to wear it anywhere fun.  It gave me a chance to play with some of my new jewelry - I promise a Vlog is still coming.  I was having some syncing issues with my laptop camera.  Mr. Monkey is going to help me fix it, so I will still be sharing my goodies soon!  I can pretty much tell you I'm in love with everything.

Speaking of love, I'm feeling the love this morning, the fantastic Megan of the Fashionable Bureaucrat has gifted me the Liebster Award - very sweet of her.  I am going to answer her questions because I am a survey junkie!  It always helps you all get to know me better too right?  And these are pretty unique!

1. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had it?  I suppose my backyard, but that seems too obvious, so maybe in one of my favorite places in Northern MN.  But why would I tell you?  It's MY treasure.  Mine.
2. Do you currently have all your organs? Sure do!  I am an organ donor should something ever happen to me (God forbid) but I even have all my non-essential organs like my appendix.
3. For a pet, would you rather have a crow, a fringed lizard, or a taxidermized wolf? How about a fringed lizard.  That just sounds fun.  And kind of fancy.
4. Slips - yes or no? Yes. Though I don't use them much, I find they do help a lot in the winter months with static and long skirts/dresses.
5. If you could hire one of the following for one year which would you hire? House cleaner, personal chef, massage therapist? I can only pick one???  Aw man!  Well, The Pants Monkey is a really good cook, so I don't think I'll choose the chef.  I don't mind cleaning that much actually.  So I think I'll say massage therapist.  My back would be happy all the time.
6. Fruit pie, cream pie or cheesecake? Ooh they are all yummy, but I will say fruit pie.  I love apple pie and peach pie the best.
7. If you were on Jeopardy and got the Daily Double, would make it a true daily double? Depends on how far behind everyone else I was!  I probably would.
8. Did you ever wear braces? If yes, are your teeth still straight? Yes I did.  And no they aren't.  I'm pretty ashamed of it actually.  I should have gone for the permanent bottom retainer, because those are the teeth that shifted the worst.
9. Favourite decade - 1970s, 1980s, or 2000s? 1980's - I was a kid in the 80's and everything was better then!  Awesome television, cartoons, toys.  Fun stuff.
10. Do you prefer routine or variety? I am such a creature of habit.  I prefer to stick to a routine.  But I like variety when it comes to things like meals I eat, clothes I wear, places to visit.  I guess for a daily schedule I like routine but for various activities variety is fun.
11. Do you sleep with your bedroom door open or closed? Closed.  I love them kittens, but they do not know how to let us sleep at night!

There you have it.  I'm just going to tag everyone who is reading because I love you all and would be interested in anyone's answers to the very same questions!  Thank you again Megan!  And thank you all for coming here and sharing in my life, it means the world to me.

Please go visit the two birds blog to see other Inspiration Monday outfits!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt and sweater - Mossimo, Target

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Mossimo, Target

Necklace and bracelets - Stella and Dot

Our state fair is a great state fair

Not much for words today my friends, just back from the fair.  The Pants Monkey and I had a great time!  I'm exhausted though.  But, I have a couple of pictures for you, because I like you guys.

The two of us on my favorite ride, the Skyride.  You can see the entire Fairgrounds from really high up and get from one side to the other very quickly.  It's so fun.

Told you we'd be drinking plenty of beer!  We paced ourselves very well though and didn't go overboard!  I'm glad we got to taste some newer MN beers.

I'll be doing a Vlog soon on my new jewelry I think, because it's HERE and it's awesome!  Busy weekend on tap though!  Now I'm off to take a shower and a nap, lol.  Have a great weekend!

Put a bird on it

It's technically my Friday, so I felt like a jean skirt was acceptable for today!  It's kind of cloudy and damp, yet warm, so I kind of went for layers too.  As I said yesterday, I love the bright colors, but today I felt a craving for the muted tones of Fall.  And of course, a bird never hurts either. 

The last time I wore this sweater and was talking about birds, the lovely Vivienne linked me to the "Put a bird on it" segment from Portlandia.  Around that same time we had some friends who had been talking about the show a lot too, so the Pants Monkey and I obtained the first two seasons and watched them all in like two weeks.  And we've now gone back to watch them again, we loved it that much.  We're into the weird, quirky kind of shows like that.  If I had a full day with nothing to do, I'd sit and watch shows like Portlandia and Flight of the Concords all day long.

My jewelry is on track to be delivered tomorrow.  It'll come while we're at the Fair darn it!  Oh well, our UPS guy comes pretty late actually, so I'm not too worried about the box sitting outside all day.

I am getting so excited about the Fair tomorrow.  I never went much with my parents when I was growing up, but once I started dating the Pants Monkey, I've gone every year.  It's something special for he and I and we've never missed it, even when he was out of work one of the years.  We love to eat all sorts of different food, but for me, I like to people watch even more.  It's crazy entertaining.  Also, new this year is a MN Craft Beer exhibit with beer flights and as you all know, we love beer.  I told Mr. Monkey we have to be careful that we don't just spend the whole day at that booth!

I'll be sure to share my "State Fair" style!  I'll leave you with the "Put a bird on it" clip if you've never seen it.  I highly recommend Portlandia.  It's hilarious.

Outfit rundown:

Sweater and tank - Mossimo, Target (old)

Skirt - Cliche Mpls

Sandals - Mootsie Tootsie

Necklaces - Charming Charlie, S&D

Bracelets - S&D, gift

Tropical

Today's outfit feels almost Hawaiian to me. I'm sure it's the floral print on this dress.  I realized I had been wanting to pair this shirt with this dress and hadn't done so yet, and figured, the closer we're getting to Fall, the less I want to wear these kind of bright, almost spring like colors, so now is the time.

Of course I'm still struggling with the lighting in the morning.  Might have to try the backyard tomorrow.  Although I heard there's a chance of rain tomorrow, so perhaps I'll be taking pictures inside anyway!  Hopefully it doesn't rain tomorrow since it's the first day of the MN State Fair, but we're not going until Friday, so I'd rather it rain tomorrow than on Friday!

You can see I'm back to my Gussy bag - I have to tell you though, this is the first time I've switched in over a month now!  Aside from being up north last week that is.  Otherwise, that Jenna Lou bag I bought in July?  I haven't stopped carrying it until today.  I'm turning over a new leaf!  And I pretty much went back to Gussy today because I love how it compliments this outfit and it's another item I don't see myself really using much into the Fall, so I figured I might want to give it another spin.

In other news I'm stalking UPS and anxiously waiting for the arrival of my Stella and Dot goodies.  I was finally able to close the party and get my order placed this past Monday.  I gotta say - happy way early birthday to me.  I will be rolling in new jewelry and shouldn't need anymore for quite awhile!  I'll be sure to share my goodies when they actually show up!

Outfit rundown:

Dress - vintage, Salvaged Strawberry

Shirt - vintage, Savers

Sandals - Marshalls (old)

Necklace - swap with CC

Bracelets - Bead for Life and thrifted

Bag - Gussy Sews

Return of the maxi

 Today's outfit was chosen for no other reason but comfort!  You know how some days you just need something comfortable?  So here you have it.  I've been wanting to pair a simple t-shirt with this dress for awhile now, so I took the opportunity to do that today.

 I also had some fun with Megan Mae Buttonflowers since it's been awhile since I've worn any.  I added them to my belt and I think they add a fun pop of color against my plain white t-shirt.  I took a close up down below.

I've been noticing that while I still have light outside in the mornings, it's starting to change a bit.  The angle of the sun isn't as high so it's making my pictures a little more challenging.  I'm going to keep trying different spots in the yard though, it's too soon to give up outdoor pictures all together yet!

It's been awhile since you've seen my kitties, so I have a couple of sleepy kitten pictures to share this morning.  On the left we have Taylor the muffin cat and on the right we have Pippin the blob.  Both looked so comfy, I really wanted to join them!

I don't think they are all that sad that we are back to work, they like to be lazy!  But when we're home they do hang out with us quite a bit.  I'm sure we wore them out a bit while we were home so much those couple of days!

Outfit rundown:

Dress as skirt - Merona, Target

T-shirt - Old Navy

Necklace - DIY by me

Belt - Old Navy with MMD buttonflowers

Bracelets - Various

Sandals - Merona, Target

Earrings - swap with CC

Inspiration Monday - I'm baaaack!

Hello everyone!  I'm back!  It's good to be back.  I have to give a round of applause/standing ovation to all my guest posters for last week - thanks so much Megan, Callie, Ally, Jess and Maca!  I hope you all enjoyed their posts and will check out their blogs too.  It was a nice break, even though I was home part of the week, I wasn't wearing much anything more exciting than jeans and a t-shirt!  But it really is good to be back, I've missed this and I've missed all of you! More on my vacation in a bit, but first, let's start off right here with this week's pick for Inspiration Monday - Elizabeth Olsen (god I feel old, I remember when her famous sisters were babies on Full House....)

This was pretty easy for me!  I was more than happy to pull out this dress that I love, I thrifted it last year and have worn it quite a bit on the blog, but it's been awhile.  I think of these colors as fall/winter colors.  And we're getting late into August here and getting close to fall, so it felt right.  I loved adding this denim vest to give this a whole new look!  I don't have booties yet - I had some light colored cowboy boots that I tried but they just didn't look right, so I stuck to sandals today.

So back to my vacation - it was lovely.  We spent four days in Itasca State Park with the Pants Monkey's family and the weather was perfect.  We were able to build a fire every night.  We went on a fun boat ride, we golfed a bit and on the last night we went down by the lake and watched the stars.  I even saw a few shooting stars.  I swear, Northern Minnesota is heaven.  If any of you ever come to visit MN I will insist on getting you out of the city for just a day or two, Minneapolis is great, don't get me wrong, but the Northwoods is what makes me heart Minnesota so much.  I love that I can escape there so easily!

After our return on Wednesday we still had a couple of days to enjoy.  Thursday we were pretty lazy, but we did go buy Mr. Monkey some new clothes.  He has lost some weight (on purpose, so proud of him!) and needed some things that would fit instead of hanging off his body!  Friday we brewed some beer.  Saturday we had bought a Living Social deal that allowed us to go on a bus ride to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to tour the Leinenkugel brewery and go tubing down the Chippewa River.  It was a blast, we had no idea what to expect going in but we had a good time.  And then Sunday we totally vegged.  Now we're back to the grind!

It's tough to be back but it's another short week actually - we took this coming Friday off to go to the Minnesota State Fair!  I can't believe it's Fair time already.  Where did this summer go again?  I wish it would never end!

As always, please head over to two birds to check out the other Inspiration Monday looks!  And big congrats to Nora Bird on the birth of baby Ben!  Megan's rocking it solo over there for a bit, so make sure to show her some love!

Outfit rundown:

Dress - Axcess by Claiborne (thrifted)

Vest - Vintage, Mighty Swell

Sandals - Italian Shoe Company (DSW)

Necklace and two bracelets - S&D

Other bracelet - Bead for Life

Guest post - A Summer Uniform

Today's guest post is from one of my favorite fellow MN gals, Maca from the Spanglish Life.  Maca is one of the few bloggers I talk with outside of blog world via Twitter and email and she is so crazy awesome I am still trying to figure out why the heck we haven't met in person yet!  We'll have to fix that one of these days.  Anyway, here she is to talk summer style - cause you know what, summer isn't over quite yet (even if we are enjoying cooler weather here in MN!).

Hello there Bethie the Boo readers! I'm Maca, the Chilean-now-Minnesotan from The Spanglish Life and I am thrilled to be guest posting here at the fashionable adventures while Beth is away relaxing and having way too much fun (good for you, girl!).

When Beth said she was looking for guest bloggers I jumped at the chance! I've been reading her blog for a while and I love the fact that she has decided to take fashion risks, experiment and get out of her comfort zone and document it all. I can really relate to that since I try to do the same. I admit I am not as good as she is since I do not post daily--I do get dress everyday just so you know. No need to call the cops.

So there you go, that's me. Nice to meet you. Now, onto the good stuff:

Beth offered the suggestion to write a post inspired by the "Dog Days of Summer" theme so here you have it. My Summer Uniform.

They say "write what you know" and this is what I know: I've been using these pieces--or a variation of them, because I do wash my clothes every once in a while--for most of this summer. I can't get tired of this combo. It's almost a sickness. I just think that the look is way too cute/happy/easy/comfy not to take advantage of it.

The Ballerina Bun (or sock bun): Easy, cute and a good way to keep your neck from sweating its little butt off because clearly necks have butts.

A Soft Pink Pout: Because pink is awesome. And Revlon Lip Butters are awesome too. I have the one called "strawberry shortcake" (and "candy apple" too which is a good red in case you're feeling bold).

Blush + Bronzer combo: I don't wear make up often but this little Elf duo has just been a lovely addition to my bag this season. Plus it's only $3. Can't. Go. Wrong.

A striped top: Who doesn't own one? they are an addiction and they go with everything. Even if Stacy London says you shouldn't wear horizontal stripes.

Bright Shorts: Mine are pink because, again, I think pink is awesome but really any color will do. It's the perfect way to cheer yourself up. These J. Crew ones are on sale.

Metallic Sandals: Metallics are supposed to be neutrals and you can find cheap and cute ones here.

Colorful Accents: Be it jewelry or nails, summer to me is all about color and fun and as I read the other day: "The little details are not little at all, they are what makes the big picture".

So there you have it! My summer uniform and favorites. I hope you liked them and maybe make you want to take a look at my own blog--after you read this one of course.

Have a wonderful day guys!

Besos,
Maca

Guest post - The Dog days of summer

My guest today is also the gal who won my giveaway in June, the fantastic Jess from J's Style.  I find Jess and I have a similar approach to summer style and I wish she didn't live in Ohio because I think we'd have fun sitting back and drinking a beer together.  Anyway, here she is talking about those darn dog days of summer.  Oh and PS - we swapped today - so I'm guesting over at HER blog.  Go check it out!

Hi everyone! I’m Jess from over at J's Style where I blog about the outfits I wear when sweatpants just aren’t socially acceptable. :) I think Beth and I share somewhat of a dislike for extreme heat, so I’d like to share a little bit about how I’ve kept as cool as possible this summer!

In the past, I’ve gotten through work during the summer by rotating between khakis and dress pants, and adding a cute tank top with a cardigan or blazer layered on top. Simple enough, right? Then my work decided to move to a building that claims to have functioning air conditioning, that’s questionable! The use of cardigans and blazers would be asking for heat stroke. My solution? T-shirts. Lots and lots of t-shirts. They can easily go with pants or skirts, and I’ve spent the summer adding fun accessories to help me feel like I haven’t lost my sense of personal style!

Guest post: Leggings - the great debate

I am excited about today's guest.  Ally from Shybiker is one of the kindest and most stylish bloggers I know AND asks extremely interesting and thought provoking questions in blog posts.  Today is no exception and I'm excited to come back and see what everyone has to say about this topic!  Here's Ally!

Hi!  My name's Ally and I blog at Shybiker.  I like Beth a lot and am flattered she's allowing me to appear here.  Her blog is one of my favorites.

I believe it would be fun to use this opportunity to discuss a topic that puzzles me and divides women.  That topic is -- should you wear leggings as pants?

Most fashion-bloggers immediately say NO!  But when I walk through a mall, I see dozens of women breaking this "rule".  Women of all ages.  Manfestly, this is a common practice however much some condemn it.  Even celebrities wear leggings as pants for comfort and to display their bodies.  For example, here's a candid photo of Ashley Tisdale...

On one hand, modesty suggests we should cover our private areas.  On the other hand, many fit women like to show off their shapely curves.  Leggings can be very effective at doing that.

On my blog, I once wore what I thought were thick white pants with a snakeskin print.  In pictures, they looked like leggings due to their tightness.  I caught flack for wearing them.  I was confused -- when are leggings pants and when are pants leggings?  Is it the thickness of the material?

What do you think about this subject?

Guest post: Summer to fall staples

Today's guest is the delightful Callie from Coffee and Cardigans.  I adore her fresh, put together style, she always looks so cute!  Today she is bringing you some ideas for transitioning your wardrobe from summer to fall - something I know I'm looking forward to doing myself, since fall is my favorite season!!

Hello! My name is Callie and you can usually find me over at Coffee and Cardigans. I’m excited to be guest posting for Beth this week! But is anyone else a little shocked that it’s already the middle of August? It feels like summer just started, yet it’s about time to be thinking about the autumn season ahead. In anticipation I’ve been taking a serious mental inventory of my closet as I try to decide what warm-weather clothes to pack away in storage at the end of this month.

But let’s be honest, transitioning between seasons can be awkward. I never know what to keep out and put away until next summer. But I’ve at least got 5 summer-to-fall items that are most definitely staying in my closet!

A lightweight cardigan – My cardigans and open knit sweaters will forever have a place in my closet, but they’ll be getting special treatment as fall arrives. I love throwing them over a sleeveless dress or top for the day or layering them for cooler evenings.

A good pair of flats – For a time between sandals and boots, my flats become my new best friends. They go with just about anything: jeans, skirts, dresses, shorts. And they are easy to dress up or down, depending on what you’re doing. I have a couple different pairs of ballet flats, but my black pair and my nude pair get the most mileage. A good pair of neutral flats can really take a girl far.  

My favorite denim jacket – For anyone who reads my blog regularly, I have a (un)healthy love for my denim jacket. It’s the jacket that goes with me everywhere – just in case. I really think a jean jacket goes with about anything and it’s the perfect weight for late summer nights and breezy autumn days.  

A lightweight scarf or two – An ode to the gals who have been rocking scarfs during the summer months – keep doing what you’re doing! I’ll be digging some of my favorite light-weigh scarves out of the closet soon. A bright color or fun pattern can really dress up an outfit, but opt for lighter fabrics since you aren’t fending off a winter snowstorm just yet.

A classic midi skirt – I have been living in maxi skirts all summer, but shortening the length just a little is perfect for fall. Midi skirts are very much on trend and classic – I love the ones that Beth rocks on a regular basis! The mid-calf length is perfect since it adds a little extra coverage and warmth as the weather cools down. 

Even though I sat down to write this post when it was 100-degrees outside, I am excited for fall too to get here! Thanks so much to Beth for having me! What are your favorite pieces in your closet as the weather gets cooler?

Guest Post: MMD's Strawberry -or not - Smoothie

While I'm away enjoying some time in the Northwoods, I asked a few friends to fill in with guest posts.  Today I bring you the fabulous Megan Mae, creator of the many buttonflowers you see me wear from time to time and a good blogger buddy of mine!  She has a great recipe to share to beat the heat.  Take it away Megan!

Hey everyone, It's Megan from Megan Mae Daily. Today I'm bringing you the best summer treat to beat the heat.

Strawberry - or not - Smoothie

1/2 box of strawberries (~8 ounces), rinsed and capped
1/3 can of coconut milk (my advice: stir the solid bits before pouring)
cup of ice (I used crushed, but whatever will work for you)
Optional add-ins: banana, orange juice, any other berries or fruit (fresh or frozen), fresh mint leaves 

Put it in blender... Blend! Garnish with whatever you used. Drink.

Coconut milk works as a great substitute for the usual dairy and sugar that goes into the average smoothie. This refreshing little drink can be changed up any way you want. Go crazy - experiment! 

What are some of your favorite smoothie flavor combinations?

Bouncing off the walls

I may not look it in the pictures here, but I'm positively giddy today.  I had a very successful jewelry party last night and today is the last day of work before vacation.  So I'm a little bouncy.  Just also tired, hence the look in my pictures.  Come see me again later today and I'm sure my face will change quite a bit.

I triple love that it's been cool enough to wear jeans!  I miss them when it's so nasty hot outside! This is truly my weather!!  Anyway, as I said, I had a great jewelry party.  Not only do I get to order a bunch of pretty new things for myself, but it was fun catching up with a bunch of my favorite ladies.  I highly recommend the peach sangria recipe I tried out too - it turned out great!  You can find it here.  The only thing I did differently than the recipe was I used peach schnapps instead of peach nectar or vodka.  Everyone loved it!

I can't wait for you to read the guest posts I have lined up for the next week! I'm pretty sure you will all love them as much as I do! While I'll be off from blogging, I'll be back to reading all of your blogs by Wednesday night or Thursday.  I'll miss you all - but I'll be enjoying my time away from it all too! I'll share pictures and stories when I get back.  In the meantime, have a great weekend/week!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - Express (thrifted)

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Steve Madden (thrifted)

Necklaces/bracelets - S&D

Got my new shoes on

So it was another one of those days where I woke up and was like "man, what am I going to wear?" And then I remembered, OMG SHOES.  I got these awesome shoes at the consignment store last weekend and I wore them to church, but you guys didn't get to see them!  So I pulled an outfit together for the sole purpose of wearing them today!

Shoes don't count on the summer shopping ban, at least these don't because I can wear them this winter with tights or nylons.  But they look great without too!  They're just so fun and the heel is HIGH.  Someone asked me this morning if I can go a whole day comfortably in shoes like this.  I said yes, but only because I sit at a desk all day!  When I wore them to church to sing with my music group, we stand a lot and by the time mass was over my feet were killing me.  Sitting is no problem at all though!  Hooray for desk jobs!

Here's a a little close up of the shoes below, along with my quickly fading pedicure.  I should get another one before the summer is over!  Anyway, I love these shoes and I got them for a good deal, so that makes me happy too.

My jewelry party is tonight!  I am excited not just for the jewelry but also to have all my favorite women over to my house for drinks and appetizers too.  Sometimes it's nice to spend time with the girls!  I made a peach sangria from scratch, thank you Pinterest, hoping it turns out decently enough, I'll taste it after work and I'll be sure to report back if it's good!

Outfit rundown:

Tank top - Mossimo, Target

Sweater - Old Navy (old)

Capris - Express (thrifted)

Shoes - Madden Girl (thrifted)

Jewelry - S&D (of course, with the party tonight!)

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day

 It's going to be cloudy and rainy today, so the perfect solution is to dress in sunshine colors!  I stole this idea from the fabulous Sheila, who wore something similar back in July.  I loved the idea of pairing orange with yellow.  I'm also going to submit this to Vivienne's Style Imitating Art challenge, as I feel this reflects the painting she chose!

The blood drive went well, our numbers were down a bit this year, but we still had quite a few folks step up to the plate. I did not give blood myself, I have bad veins, so I'm glad I could do my part by simply running the whole thing.  And it wasn't a half bad gig yesterday, I got to sit outside and check people in.  Fabulous!  Glad it was nice outside yesterday!

Getting so close to my vacation I can taste it.  I don't care that we're only gone about four days, it's still getting away for a bit and I just really feel like I need that right now.  Sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing!!

Thought I'd share a close up of my arm party here.  I'm still figuring out the best way to pile on bracelets but I'm getting better.  Also, shameless plug, many of you have mentioned or admired the Stella and Dot stuff I've been wearing.  If anyone is interested, I can email the link to my online show for tomorrow's party - no pressure to anyone to buy anything, but the nice thing is, if you wanted to, it will ship direct to you (and yes, I will get the credit, I have to be honest about that).  They are a bit spendy and I know most of you are thrifty chicks like me, but there is a crazy summer sale going on and I can speak to the quality too, my S&D pieces are the best pieces I own.  Hands down.  So anyway, let me know and I'll email the link.  My home address is on it so I don't want to just post it here for the world, but yeah.  Shameless plug over.

Outfit rundown:

Shirt - thrifted

Skirt - Shabby Apple (won in giveaway)

Sandals - Italian She Company

Necklaces - S&D and Charming Charlie

Bracelets - S&D, Bead for Life, gift

Earrings - S&D

Deja vu

Man you ever have deja vu? I don't think I've put this ensemble together before and yet, it feels like I have!  Oh well, what I do know is that this red top has gotten a lot of love!  I chose to wear it today because I'm running the blood drive at work so I thought, red for the Red Cross!  And since I'll be doing a bit of running around, I went for capris instead of a skirt today.

I'm feeling much less frazzled than I did when I posted yesterday!  Instead of making a ton of lists I realized I really just needed to plan out my week and once I did that, everything started falling more into place.  Thank goodness!

Anyway, keeping it short and sweet today so I can get to the blood drive.  Darn, I have to sit outside for the next five hours on a nice 80-ish degree day.  Oh what a shame.

Outfit rundown:

Shirt - two birds vintage

Capris - Mossimo, Target, thrifted

Sandals - Duck Head

Bracelet and watch - Charming Charlie

Necklace - Stella and Dot

Inspiration Monday - More than I can chew

Hello friends!  Told you I'd be back for Inspiration Monday this week!  Today we have Katie Holmes (poor girl deserves a little love right now wouldn't you say?) in a lovely chambray dress.  I don't have anything like that in my closet, but that didn't stop me!

I pulled out my dress from Mr. Monkey and added my denim blazer and I was good to go. Fortunately it's no longer boiling hot outside so the blazer doesn't feel like too much either!

We had a really nice weekend, the weather was great and we did some fun things.  Now the week looms ahead of me and I fear I bit off more than I can chew this week.  I'm so excited for my jewelry party, but the Pants Monkey was not helping me much last night when he said "You know, I'm surprised you booked a party so close to our little vacation."  Um, thanks babe!  I was not panicking before, but I am now!  While we aren't gone the entire week, I'm suddenly thinking of all these things that need to happen before we go.  And I'll be spending some time this week getting ready for the party on Thursday so it won't leave me much time to prepare for vacation.  Yeah, I did not plan this one very well.  Oh well, there are 24 useful hours in every day and I will make the most of all of them!!

I think I'll spend today making some lists, while lists may freak other people out because it highlights everything that needs to be done and can seem daunting, lists help me relax and figure things out!  How do you manage your time when you suddenly have a lot piled on your plate?

As always, please head over to the two birds blog to check out the other Inspiration Monday looks (and maybe give Miss Nora some labor dust so she has that baby boy already!)

Outfit rundown:

Dress - VS (gift from Pants Monkey)

Blazer - American Eagle (thrifted)

Shoes - Mootsie Tootsie

Necklaces - S&D and Minty Koala 

Bracelets - S&D