Happy Halloween!!

The always delightful Ally from Shybiker is hosting a virtual Halloween party.  I didn't have any plans to dress up this year, but couldn't resist the invitation from one of my favorite bloggers!  I decided to pull out an oldie but goodie from a few years ago - especially because I lost all the pictures I had taken of it anyway!  So here is my fairy costume from 2006, just as fun in 2012.

I had chosen to dress as a fairy in 2006 because I wanted to wear the pretty headband from my wedding for something.  I have to say, putting it on six years later I wonder how I lasted all day in it on my wedding day!  My mom helped me with making a skirt and shirt with wings.  Add a magic fairy wand and you're good to go!

I put this on on Sunday afternoon and left in on for awhile.  Things like doing laundry and watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown are so much more fun in a costume, don't you think?

A little pixie dust to all of you!  Happy Halloween!  Thanks again to Ally for hosting a fun virtual party!

First world problems

I feel like I have no right to whine given all that's going on over on the East Coast, but I'm going to whine just a little bit anyway.  So I am just going to put that disclaimer out there and apologize now for a very trivial post.

Remember that ModCloth surprise I mentioned I broke part of my shopping ban for?  Well I was super excited towards the end of the day yesterday when I checked tracking status and saw it was out for delivery.  That meant it should be waiting for me when I got home.  And it was!  Cute perfect little box holding a fun surprise.  I opened it right away when I got inside my house and was thrilled to discover a gorgeous looking party dress.  It was not a style I would have picked out for myself normally, but I figured, hey this is part of the fun.  I immediately Instagramed (is that a word?) and Tweeted a picture of it, which you can see in my Instagram feed at the right of the blog here.  I probably should have waited to do so, because then I went to actually put it on.

I couldn't even pull it past my hips.  This curvy girl is just a bit too curvy for the dress.  Sad Bethie.  I had ordered a size based on the sizes that fit me of several other items I have previously purchased from ModCloth, so I just assumed I'd be fine with whatever they sent.  I guess I was wrong.  It's not ModCloth's fault.  And I am not saying I'd never do one of these surprises again, I think I'd order up a size next time and make necessary alterations if it ended up too big.  Lesson learned.

So, one of my good friends who is close to the same size as me but a little differently shaped is going to give it a try next and if it doesn't work for her I just might be sending it off to one of you.  I want someone to enjoy this dress, darn it!

To soften the blow and cheer myself up today I decided to wear my favorite thrifted Anthropologie pants.  They make everything better.  Thanks for reading my petty little rant!  Continued good thoughts to all my friends out East - I hope you are all doing OK today!

Shirt - Decree, JCPenney

Sweater - Old Navy

Pants - Anthropologie, thrifted

Shoes and necklace - thrifted

Earrings - via swap with CC

Inspiration Monday - Let's rewind

Aww, Monday again?  How did it get here so quickly?  I'm going to be running the weekend through my head on replay over and over because it was spectacular.  Taking the sting off of Monday as usual is Inspiration Monday and today we have Ashley Madekwe - once again I have no idea who she is.  But she's got a cute outfit!

I decided to make it work appropriate, so no jeans, but I kind of went after her peplum look and a little bit of sparkle in my jewelry.  And yep, pictures at the office again.  I think this may be my new fall/winter spot for awhile.  We'll see how it goes.

So I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats wondering where secret date night ended up taking us.  I realized I didn't share about that in my post from yesterday.  Well it may not seem like a big deal to some of you, especially anyone reading who lives in a coastal town that can have fresh, good quality seafood whenever they want, but we went to Red Lobster for dinner.  I had commented to the Pants Monkey a few weeks ago that we hadn't been there in awhile, so he treated us to that for dinner on Friday.  And then after dinner we went on a wild goose chase looking for a specific kind of dark chocolate, because we decided for dessert that dark chocolate and scotch would be lovely.  But everywhere we went the specific one we wanted was sold out because apparently there was a run on Lindt dark chocolate bars or something.  We finally found some at a drugstore of all places.  It was kind of fun running around from store to store though, we were being silly and carefree and I loved it.  Then we went home and watched Red State, written and directed by Kevin Smith whom we are big fans of and he said it would be a horror movie - it's not really horror.  It's definitely creepy and maybe more of a psychological thriller, but horror?  Not as much.  Anyway, overall it was a good date night!

So after we had two days in a row of crazy fun times, we opted to be pretty lazy on our Sunday.  I worked on laundry and blog stuff.  Still, I'd love to just hit repeat and do the weekend all over again.  But alas, we press on!

As with every Monday, make sure you head over to two birds for more Inspiration Monday looks!

Jacket - unknown, via Clothes Mentor

Shirt - St. John's Bay, JCPenney

Pants - Style and Co, Macy's

Shoes - Sonoma, Kohls (old)

Necklace - S&D

Earrings - Butterfly Boutique

What to wear on a wine tour

Yesterday was a super fun day.  We went on a little wine tour of some wineries west of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  It could not have been a more beautiful day even if it was a little bit chilly.  I figured layers would be the best way to go and I was so happy with what I wore for the day.

This jacket is super special to me - it's a real live bomber jacket my father-in-law gave me well before the Pants Monkey and I were even engaged.  He had gotten it somewhere along the lines and it never fit him right, so then the Pants Monkey wore it for awhile until it had gotten too small for him.  I remember meeting Mr. Monkey and his parents for dinner one night when we were dating after I had been at church.  The temperature had dropped nearly 20 degrees while I was at church and I didn't have a warm enough jacket.  My father-in-law pulled this out of the closet and I thought it was to borrow, but he said I could have it and nothing would make him happier.  It warmed my heart so much and I have always loved it ever since!

The jacket may be a bit too big for me, but I don't mind.  It's warm and the love behind it makes it even warmer.  It was super comfy for a day of tasting wine!

Of course, I had to have something cute on under the jacket too - so I wore the "shopping ban shirt" as one of my friends called it.  I bought this sweater after I said I was on another shopping ban - but it was so on sale I felt like I couldn't pass it up!

Fact - almost the entire outfit is from Target. They're kind of on a roll with good clothes and accessories right now.

Another fact - I tried to time a jumping in the leaves picture and it didn't quite work out.  I'm still posting it anyway.

Always keeping it real my friends!  I hope you are all having wonderful weekends too!  Those of you on the East Coast - you're in my thoughts as Sandy heads your way - stay safe!

Jacket - handed down from FIL

Sunnies - Shop Suey Boutique

Purse - Vintage Coach via Rewind NE

Sweater, pants, Boots - Mossimo, Target

Cami - Old Navy

Necklace - S&D

Friday Funday

Happy Friday friends!  Today's outfit is just about fun.  It's maybe not super stylish, but it's warm, cozy and most importantly fun!  I'm sure I can spice it up a bit for date night with the Pants Monkey later too.

Do you know how excited I am to have a date night tonight?  We haven't had a date night just for ourselves in weeks.  I don't even know what we're doing yet, I'm leaving it up to Mr. Monkey to pick.  So it's a surprise for Bethie!  Yay!  Then maybe we'll come home after dinner and watch a scary movie given it's sort of Halloween weekend.  No parties for us this year.  Haven't had the chance to dress up for Halloween for a couple of years now, I do miss it, but then again, it is a lot of work.  I'll live vicariously through some of you!  (Though if I have time I still might pull something together for Ally's virtual Halloween party!)

We do have some fun weekend stuff on tap besides our date night tonight, so I have no complaints!  It's been another rough week at times, so it's going to be nice to have a fun weekend with my Pants Monkey!

It was another day when the outfit pictures at home weren't working so well.  The office pics are pretty decent though!  Without my trusty tripod even!!  I also got a close up of my new boots - bought the same day as my $4.99 Target flats.  These were also on sale, but not quite as on sale as I'd have liked.  I still bought them though.  The lady at the checkout was cute, she was an older lady and was like "these are nice boots, they are going to last you a very long time."  I'm like, well the truth is, we are at Target, so I don't have high expectations for them, but then again, you never know!

Onward to the weekend!  What are your weekend plans?  And if you are dressing up for Halloween parties this weekend, what are you going to be?

Shirt - Old Navy

Sweater - Mossimo, Target (old)

Jeans - Old Navy

Skirt - Grane, JCPenney

Boots - Mossimo, Target

Necklace - DIY by me

Keep calm and thrift on

Holy crazy morning Batman!  Thursdays are going to be hectic while my boss is gone, I get to meet her at a different location to keep her up to date on stuff.  This wouldn't be a big deal normally, but winter decided to arrive a little early today - not only has it been raining, but a little wet snow is mixing in too.  Getting around is interesting today.  Not to mention, while I was getting ready to take pictures this morning, I hear the Pants Monkey say "holy crap!"  That's never a good thing to hear.  I inquire what's up and learn a LARGE tree branch fell in our backyard last night, narrowly missing our deck.  I can't believe we didn't hear it.  I didn't have time to take a picture, but I will try to get one up on Instagram later - it's kind of insane.

In spite of my hectic day, I'm happy that I finally remembered Callie of Coffee and Cardigan's Thrifter Thursday!  Two pieces I am wearing today came from the thrift store.  And I'm so glad to have this warm sweater today.  Yikes it is chilly outside!

That's about all I have.  I am going to now catch up on things back in my office and try to catch my breath just a bit!

Shirt - Mossimo, Target

Sweater - Seven, thrifted

Pants - Nine and Co, thrifted

Shoes - Mudd, Kohls (old)

Necklaces - S&D, Charming Charlie

Earrings - Cookie Lee

More "Pin"spiration

I stole another outfit idea I found on Pinterest.  I have been pinning a lot of outfit ideas lately, because I've been feeling mildly uninspired.  I love Fall and dressing in layers and what not, but some days I get tired of the same old sweaters and pants.  I want to keep things fresh and different too.  I saw a similar outfit to this pinned from someone else's blog and I thought - hey I can do this!

I love the colored denim trend because it's a way of cheating to wear jeans during the week.  They're jeans, but they don't look like traditional denim and therefore, I can get away with them on a regular workday.  And this is the third day this week I've worn my super cheap Target special shoes!  I can't get enough of them!  The pinned outfit had black shoes, but I thought, no, I want to wear these again, they're fun!

A nice blazer always dresses an outfit up too.  I am so happy to have so many in my closet, I think they'll help me keep things fresh and different this Fall and winter too so I am not just reaching for the same old sweaters.  Not that there is anything wrong with sweaters.  I have many that I love.

I still need to take a picture of the back of this ModCloth blouse so you can see the cute buttons!  Speaking of ModCloth, I kind of broke my shopping ban already.  Darn ModCloth emailed they had a "Secret Sale" yesterday - you choose your size and for $15 they'll send you a surprise.  Could be a dress, could be a shirt.  It's like Christmas in your mailbox.  So I guess it's kind of a way early birthday gift for me? I'll be sure to share whatever I get when it arrives!

Blouse - ModCloth

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

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Xhiliaration, Target

Necklace - thrifted

Buttonflower - Megan Mae Daily

Bag - Fun Sisters Nisswa

And the thunder rolls

About ten minutes before my alarm went off this morning I awoke to the strangest sound.  It was a rumbling sound and then there was this bright flashing light and more rumbling.  Yes folks, for the first time in months we had ourselves a thunderstorm.  I don't remember the last time we had a thunderstorm, I think it was maybe in July.  And now we're getting some much needed rain too, so that's a good thing.  I will accept being woken up before my alarm by a few minutes if this rain will help with the drought and make things better for the allergy sufferers (such as the Pants Monkey).

The Pants Monkey helped dress me today!  No joke!  I had a different outfit in mind originally and then when I heard it was going to be warm along with the rain, I decided one more day of bare legs before winter might be ok (I even shaved you guys!)  So, I decided to wear my dress from Lynne (whom I still owe a thank you gift of some sort!).  I pulled out this drape-y purple sweater she had sent along too and decided to try wearing it with the dress, though I had no idea how to style it at all.  Mr. Monkey saw me with it just kind of hanging on my body and said, "are you supposed to wrap that around you somehow?"  And I said, "I have no idea!  I thought I'd try it out though"  So, he tied it up in the back for me and I like the result.  Especially when he said it made me look like Gloria on Modern Family.  She's a good looking gal, I'll take it as a compliment!

I gotta say, something about this does make me feel kind of powerful and confident!  It could be the shoes too, you never know.  I don't know how much more I'll wear these shoes into the winter, they'll not be the most practical thing on ice and snow.  I will just enjoy them while I still can!

Sweater - Daisy Fuentes (from Lynne)

Dress - handed down from Lynne

Shoes - Madden Girl,  thrifted

Inspiration Monday - Shopping win/fail

Hi friends!  I hope you all had good weekends.  We sure did.  Yesterday we did an Oktoberfest boat ride through Living Social on the Mississippi River and we ended up with fantastic weather.  I could not believe how we lucked out on that.  It's probably our last boat ride of the year, so I'm glad we made the most of it.

Now we're into the week and it's Inspiration Monday!  We have Leslie Bibb (no idea) here in a jacket I just want to steal off her body.  It's funky and cute and fun.  

Since I don't have a jacket like that I did my best with a funky button shirt instead.  And I had to wear my fun new shoes.  Yes, I am technically on a shopping ban but I made an exception for shoes.  I had gone to Target on Saturday with the intention of going in for some new tights and a few toiletries, etc.  I decided to wing past the shoe department just to see if anything good was on sale. 

These bad boys were sitting off on one of the benches, either abandoned or perhaps someone was planning on coming back for them.  I picked them up and noticed 1. they were my size and 2. they were only $4.99.  Well, if someone was coming back to grab them, too bad, they're mine now!  Then I found some bootie/shooties on sale as well in a color I've been wanting, so I grabbed those as well.  And I may have also bought one clothing item even though I said I wasn't buying clothes.  But everything was very cheap so I got some great deals, which means total shopping win!

Except I forgot the tights I originally went in for.  Oops.  Shopping fail.  Oh well!

Head on over to two birds to check out other Inspiration Monday looks!

Patterned shirt - Christopher and Banks (from cousin)

Black t-shirt - Mossimo, Target

Pants - Style and Co, Macy's

Shoes - Xhiliaration, Target

Necklace - Stella and Dot

Influenster Vlog

So I mentioned in my earlier post today that I was selected to do an Influenster Vox Box review again - here is my Vlog introducing the items that were inside the box for this time around.

Check out www.influenster.com to sign up - can't beat free stuff right?

Bootie boot

Oh hallelujah it's Friday.  It has been a week my friends.  I don't know if I mentioned that my boss is out on a six week medical leave and I'm pretty much her backup, so it's been trying at times already.  Thank goodness I have a wonderful maintenance staff that does all the grunt work, but still, it's kind of me, myself and I right now.  But hey, we're one week down too.

Not my greatest attempt today.  Very, very tired this morning so my creative juices weren't flowing the greatest.  Most nights I have an idea of what I'll be wearing the next day and last night that just didn't happen.  I had forgotten that I don't like to wear these dark jeans with dark boots, so I may swap them for my gray ones before going out later tonight, but for now, I'll have to go with it.  Otherwise I guess it isn't all bad.

Sadly, I have also realized it's about time for my annual Fall shopping ban.  It's not for a bad reason - my birthday is in about a month.  And this year I'm not banning ALL the things.  Example, I'm allowed to buy myself some replacement tights for some pairs that I have found holes and runs in.  I am also allowed to buy myself shoes, such as tan/brown booties I've been wanting, because who is going to buy me boots as a gift?  Otherwise, I have to start scaling it all back.  Which is too bad, I'm kind of in the mood to go thrift shopping!

I have a closet full of clothes that can be worn though, so honestly, I just need to shop my own closet some more.  With magical finds like yesterday's skirt, I think that is more than do-able! Have a great weekend everyone!

Black shirt - Gap, thrifted

Sweater - American Rag

Jeans - Maurices

Boots - Payless

Necklace - S&D

Earrings - Swap with CC

PS - I was selected to do another Beauty box from Influenster, you may remember I was fortunate enough to get to test one back this summer as well.  So, I'll be putting up a Vlog on my samples, hopefully later today.

Pencil me in

I was super eager to get my fall clothes out this year, so I pretty much dug everything out of storage back in early September.  One thing was missing though.  My favorite brown corduroy pencil skirt.  I finally just assumed I must I have decided for some reason I no longer loved it and donated it somewhere or something.  Then the other night, I was cleaning up in my laundry room and noticed a plastic bin on one of the storage shelves - full of more winter clothes I must not have had room for in other spots.  Guess what was inside?

I was so happy to find it and several other items of clothing I hadn't even realized were missing!  It's either a sign I have too many clothes or I'm turning into my grandmother and stashing items away places and totally forgetting about them until much later.  Anyway, I love this skirt, I am in love with pencil skirts right now and sadly do not have that many in my closet.  I'd like to add a couple of more.  It's a classic style and I'm just so happy it's popular this year.

Been seeing a lot of boots round the blog-o-sphere these last couple of weeks and hadn't really bothered pulling my own out yet, but today felt like a good day for them.  Chilly and wet outside.  So it was time.

Finished out the outfit with a Stella and Dot necklace and a Megan Mae buttonflower because it has been awhile since I've worn one!  Sometimes it's the little touches that can really perk up an outfit!

Sweater - Old Navy

Skirt - Old Navy

Boots - Target

Necklace - S&D

Buttonflower - Megan Mae

Bragging rights

I'm going to brag for just a moment here - I am learning some mad editing skills with the Pixlr Express online editing service - my lotion totally exploded on me this morning so I had washed it out and there was a giant wet spot on my shirt that was more noticeable than I was hoping.  But I figured out how to edit it out!  I'm pretty dang proud of myself so I just had to share.

I was so uncertain I even took another picture after I got to work just in case I couldn't make that spot less noticeable.  I'll share it anyway.  Overall this isn't a super exciting outfit today, but it's warm and that is good since it's cool and damp today.

Yesterday was one of those kind of trying days, but when I got home it was so beautiful outside, I was able to enjoy a nice walk and that made all the difference in the world.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet today and tell you to go visit Callie's blog Coffee and Cardigans because I have a guest post over there today on fall plaid - going live a little bit later today, but please do check it out.  I was happy to fill in while Callie is enjoying a little time away!

Shirt - thrifted Target stock

Pants - Alfani, Macy's

Shoes - Merona, thrifted

Necklace - S&D

A "super" bad choice

It was a little dark outside while I was taking these pictures this morning but I just went with it.  I think it's still better than when the sun completely washes me out!  Going to be warmish today in the ole MN, possibly even warm enough for bare legs, but I was a lazy girl this morning and didn't want to shave so I took the easy way out in a maxi skirt.

So one of the questions I asked in my blog tag game yesterday was "What's the worst movie you've ever seen?"  There was a good reason for that question.  On Sunday, The Pants Monkey and I decided to be completely lazy considering we'd thrown a huge party the night before, so after our brunch we thought, let's be bums and have movie day at home.  So we stopped at our favorite video store on the way home and picked a couple of movies out.  We tend to gravitate towards independent movies a lot and Sunday was no exception.  We selected a coming of age type movie called Goats and another one with an all star cast called Super.  Super was an after thought but as we read the synopsis and saw all these awesome people were in it we thought we just had to have it.  And that is the movie we chose to watch first.  Oh man.  BIG mistake.

I have never been more misled by a movie's synopsis than I was on this one.  Basically it is described as a movie about a guy (Rainn Wilson, The Office) whose wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him and he decides to become a super hero to try to get her back with the help of the comic book clerk (Ellen Page, Juno) he befriends.  It just looked and sounded like a happy little silly romp.  Yeah no.  Not even a little bit.  It is dark and twisted - Rainn Wilson comes off as a schizophrenic or psychopath, Ellen Page is more like the character she played in another very disturbing movie called Hard Candy then like her sweet Juno type person.  Kevin Bacon is also in the movie and plays a horrible person that is making me fear him now (I need to watch Footloose stat, that'll get him back in my good graces).  And the ending isn't very uplifting or happy at all.  The whole thing was just awful and we both felt dirty after watching it.  I do not recommend!

So after an hour and a half of our life we'll never get back, we ran to get some tasty barbecue for dinner and came home to watch Goats - a much, MUCH better choice and my faith in the independent movie industry was restored.  Moral of the story - it is a true statement that you can't judge a book (or DVD) by it's cover!!

Gray shirt - Mossimo, Target

Sweater - Herbergers

Skirt - Old Navy

Necklace - S&D

Shoes - Rampage, DSW

Bag - Jenna Lou Designs

Inspiration Monday - Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows

You guys.  I had the best weekend.  It was so awesome between seeing family and friends at Oktoberfest and also yesterday taking a day with my Pants Monkey to be lazy and recover.  It was just an awesome weekend. It's tough "coming down from the mountain" so to speak, so it helps that I have a couple of fun blog things today!  First up, it's Inspiration Monday with the beautiful Pippa Middleton.  Now I think Princess Kate is gorgeous, but I think her sister is even more beautiful if that's possible.

So here's my take on the outfit.  I don't have an awesome moto jacket, or even a bright colored dress, but I think my subdued approach works ok for this inspiration.  I was cold this morning too, so I also added tights.

Dress - VS, gift from P. Monkey

Tank under dress - Maurices

Jacket - Positive Attitude handed down from cousin

Necklace - DIY by me

Shoes - Etienne Aigner, thrifted

My other fun blog thing today is the wonderful Vivienne of Thrifted Shift has gifted me a Sunshine award - given to bloggers who give you joy.  How very sweet of you Vivienne!  You give me joy as well!  As usual with these fun blog tags, we are given questions to answer to learn more about each other and I can't resist a good set of questions!  So I will answer those for the rest of this post!

1. How often do you get new items and get rid of old ones?  I would say I go out to the thrift/consignment shops a couple of times a month to get things that are "new to me".  As far as brand new, maybe once a month.  My rule is when one thing comes in the door something else has to go out, so I'm turning things over pretty frequently in my closet.
2. Do you wear shoes that hurt?  Ha!  I did have a pair my cousin handed down to me that I absolutely loved, they were so adorable - but they hurt like a son of a you know what.  I gave up, it just wasn't worth it.  More often I tend to wear shoes that are tad too big for me and I slide around all day long!
3. What are your shopping rules?  Rules are for wimps.  No, I'm kidding.  My rule is pretty much it has to be a versatile piece that will work with multiple items in my closet.  If I don't think I'm going to wear it more than once then it feels like it's not worth bringing it home with me. That's about it though.  I try hard to stick to a budget too.
4. Do you keep clothes that don't fit for sentimental value? I used to do that - I had kept the outfit I was wearing when the Pants Monkey and I got engaged for way too long - it wasn't even a fancy outfit, a sweatshirt and jeans, but I had a hard time giving up the sweatshirt even though it had shrank and was no longer comfortable.  I finally did give it up a couple of years ago.
5. Name three things that you think will be obsolete in ten years.  Wow this is a very interesting thought, but having grown up in the dawn of the digital age, I've already seen things go by the wayside (CD's, cassettes, heck even records).  I think sadly newspapers and print media are a dying breed and that does make me sad because my dad works in the printing industry.  I think the telephone "land line" will probably be obsolete soon.  And I hope in ten years we're closer to making things like cancer or AIDS obsolete.
6. Would you rather be rich or famous? Um, neither.  I guess if I had to pick I'd say famous and just not use my fame for the wrong reasons.  I would want to help those in need.
7. What's your favorite way to celebrate?  Out a nice restaurant with my Pants Monkey, good food and a good glass of wine or beer in hand!
8. What are you thankful for today?  My amazing weekend, our wonderful friends and family who came out to support our homebrew hobby and drink our beer at Oktoberfest.  And this blogging community and all the wonderful friends I've made here!
9. What can you always be found with? I'm pretty much attached at the hip with my iPhone.
10. So you win a pet monkey at a fair, but this isn't just any old monkey.  It can do one trick for you whenever you want...from getting a beverage out of the fridge to washing your hair.  What would be the trick?  Make me coffee first thing in the morning and bring it to me in bed!!

Whew!  Those questions certainly made me think!  Love it!  And I'd like to tag some bloggers who regularly bring me joy as well!  

Maca from The Spanglish Life

Ally at Shybiker

Megan of Megan Mae Daily

Lynne from Practical Paralegalism

Lori from A Little Slice of Special

Sheila from Ephemera

Megan at the Fashionable Burearucrat

Sylvia from Sylvia Loves Pink

Katie at Butterfly Loves Snapdragons

Amanda from Salvaged Strawberry

Heather and Kayla from H&K Style Journey

Krysten at Why Girls are Weird

I'd like to note that there are several others on Vivienne's list who also bring me joy (looking at you Two Birds, Kezzie, Feathers and Freckles) but I didn't want to double tag! And really, all of you who take the time to stop by and say hello make me smile too - so feel free to play along even if I didn't tag you.  We could be here all day if I tagged everyone!

And my questions for you all are:

1. You are stranded on a deserted island with only five songs on your iPod - what five songs are you going to listen to on repeat?

2. Have you heard of that show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate?"  What would you say if you were on that show?

3. Where is your favorite place to shop for shoes?

4. Is there a fictional character (say on television) whose style you admire?

5. Would you rather be a pirate or a ninja?

6. Have you jumped on board with the Kindle/Nook craze or do you still like a book in your hands?  Or maybe you do both?

7. What is your favorite magazine, if you have one?

8. Do you wear sunscreen every day like they recommend we all should?

9. What is the worst movie you've ever seen?

10. Do you have a favorite type of cookie?  What is it?  Will you bake me some?

Phew.  I think that is enough for today!!  Please make sure to head over to two birds to check out the other Inspiration Monday outfits!  And have a great Monday!!

Oktoberfest

We had a house stuffed full of people yesterday for our annual Oktoberfest celebration.  Even though it was cold and rainy, we didn't let it get us down!  I was bound and determined to wear the cute outfit I had planned, so I did.  And I was surprisingly comfortable!

Layers were the way to go, I never ventured outside, but if had, I would have added a jacket.  I had a lot of compliments on my outfit, so I guess it was a success!

Got my beer mug all ready to go.

But wait, there's no beer in it?  What's wrong here?

After this I promptly went to go fill it up! 

It was a blast as always and wonderful to see so many of our friends and family.  Our tradition the day after is to pretty much be lazy as we can and go out to brunch.  I'm waiting for Mr. Monkey to get up so we can go.  It was a pretty late night though!

Shirt - thrifted Target stock

Tank - Old Navy

Skirt - thrifted

Leggings - Target

Boots - Target

Necklace - S&D

Pink Friday

I am lucky to work in a department that lets me have casual Friday every week, but other departments in our clinic facilities don't necessarily get that option.  Today however, if people wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, they can also wear jeans.  So even though I can wear jeans anyway, I decided to wear pink like everyone else, also because breast cancer is a cause dear to my heart as I know too many women affected by the disease.

Speaking of breast cancer - does anyone watch Parenthood?  They're tackling this topic this year and it's been an emotional roller coaster already and they're only a few episodes into the season.  Might have to buy some stock in Kleenex, no joke.  After this week's episode, the Pants Monkey said to me, "how about neither one of us ever get cancer?"  I hope so babe, I really hope so.  Ladies - no matter your age, make sure you check your "girls" regularly.  It's not a joke that it could save your life.

On a lighter note, I'm off early today and I'm so happy about it.  We have our annual Oktoberfest tomorrow and I just have so much to do to get ready.  And my boss goes out on a six week medical leave next week so I cannot take any time off through November, so I figured I'd better squeeze a little time in while I can!  Hope you all have wonderful weekends - wish you could all be at my Oktoberfest.  Someone needs to invent teleporting, for real!

Pink shirt - JcPenney

Sweater - Old Navy

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - Rampage, thrifted

Necklace - Maurices

Challenges and deceptions

I succeeded in moving faster this morning!  It was a little under the wire for getting out the door on time but not nearly as bad as yesterday!  I have more ideas of things I can do to save time in the morning as well, so I think it'll get better and better.  Funny how you forget little details that can make a huge difference - things like getting the coffee ready the night before, etc.  Simple solutions.

I struggle with these pants a bit in how to style them.  My sister-in-law gave them to me, they didn't quite work for her and they were brand new at the time.  I wore them once last spring and then kind of put them aside because while they are a very light color, they are also corduroy, so that didn't lend itself well to much wear into the summer.  Anyway, they're comfy if nothing else and I'll keep trying with them, they just pose more of a challenge than some of my pants.

I decided to switch to one of my favorite bags from last fall/winter.  I should call this bag "The Incredible Deceiving Pocket Bag."  The zippered pockets?  They are just for show, the Pants Monkey learned this lesson one night last winter.  My boss thought they were actual pockets too, she thought it would be an awesome bag to have for carrying lots of stuff.  Well it is, the inside is nice and big and deep, but those outside pockets mean nothing, sort of like the points on Whose Line is it Anyway.  I still love this bag though!

Shirt - Mossimo, Target

Pants - Athleta (from SIL)

Necklace - S&D

Bag - Olivia and Joy, from TJ Maxx

Shoes - Steve Madden, thrifted