TGIF

I am chanting TGIF over and over again this morning. This week was definitely a slow one. I have been looking forward to this Friday for a while. My hubby and I are going to see Train in concert. This will be my fourth time seeing them. Yup they are one of my favorite groups. I'm a little sad though because my usual partner in crime for this concert is ShopKim and this time around she couldn't go. She is really going to be missed. I'm not sure if my hubby will be able to keep up :-).

This outfit is going to be my concert oufit unless I can find a pair of skinny jeans today at lunch. I may also lose the scarf. We'll see.

BF Cardi.......J. Crew

Ruffle top.......Ann Taylor Loft

Jeans......Ann Taylor Loft

Scarf.......J. Crew

Boots.......DSW

Necklace.......The Limited

The boots are my tall boots and I really want to wear them over jeans for the concert but my straight legs are just not cutting it. I'm headed to the mall at lunch to seek out a pair of skinnies. I tried on a pair at AE a few weeks ago so I may head back there.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

I'm detecting a trend

As expected, because it's been the case everyday this week, I did not start out with this outfit on. I had another super cute outfit all mapped out and on my person however after looking at the weather I thought I might be too chilly. This is what I picked instead.

I really do love this sweater. Last time I wore it, I chose eggplant as the complimentary color. Today I went with orange and I absolutely love the combination. It's rainy again so this outfit is perfect to keep my toasty.

Sweater........Kohl's

Tee........Target

Jeans........Lucky Brand

Boots......Nine West

Necklace......local shop called Tickled Pink

Oh I almost forgot the other pic. My son was insistent that I take a picture of his motorcycles to go along with my outfit pic. Don't you love them?

Bling

This outfit started out with a belt over the cardi. I love the look on other people but have a hard time wearing it myself. I knew when my hubby pulled out his belt and put it on over his t-shirt that the belt was not working. He's quite the comedian.

This sweater has a lot of sparkle on it, not only the sweater but the buttons are these cute little jewels. It's a holiday party sweater but I figured what the heck. I really love it!

Sweater.........NY & Co

Tee......J. Crew

Khakis........J. Crew

Boots......Nine West

Necklace.......Avon

Ring.......ShopKim

It's raining here so I'm feeling a little blah but the sparkly sweater lightens my mood.

Enjoy your day!

Taking time to think about it..........

I'm really unsure of this outfit. I like the tights with the boots and the skirt is denim so really how can you go wrong with that? It's the sweater that I'm really indecisive about. I can't put my finger on it though. I thought about changing but I couldn't find any other options that were better. Both my hubby and my girl assured me the outfit looked great so I went with it.

I'm actually considering taking a hiatus from the outfit pictures. I know I haven't been doing it that long but I find that when I take an outfit picture most of the time the picture makes me feel unsure about the outfit. I love/like the outfit when I look in the mirror but the pictures make me second guess myself.

I'll take a few days to think about it.

Sweater...........Ann Taylor Loft
Skirt......Banana Republic via Ebay
Tights.......Target
Boots........DSW
Necklace.....Target

Repeat

I'm really not thrilled with the quality of this picture but it was all I had time for this morning. I wore this same Cardi on Saturday to a get together with friends. I really love it but of course my daughter says this morning "didn't you just wear that on Saturday?" She's been hanging out with me too much.

Cardi........J. Crew
Tee......Old Navy
Jeans......Ann Taylor Loft
Boots.......SRI
Belt......Target
Watch....Fossil
Bracelet......Pandora

I am not looking forward to the work week. I think it's going to be a long one.

MIA

Sorry for the lack of outfit posts lately. I had some family in town for an extended visit so the picture taking was not happening.

This was my second outfit choice this morning. I was just not feeling the first one. I found the belt at Target this past weekend. It's just the right amount of pattern to bring some interest to an otherwise plain outfit.

Jeans..........Ann Taylor

Cardi........J. Crew

Tee.........Gap

Necklace.........The Limited

Boot...........Nine West via DSW

Belt.......Target

Today is my Friday so I have a little spring in my step. I love 3 day weekends. Hope everyone has a great day and weekend too!

TGIF

This is actually yesterday's outfit. Today is a super casual day at the office. We are spending the bulk of the day digging through files in our storage area so I will not be posting a picture of today's outfit. I will mention that I am wearing my comfort uniform of long sleeve tee under short sleeve tee and jeans. I also have on a pair of boots that I think are 1,000 years old and one squeaks when I walk but they are so comfy and I refuse to get rid of them.

Boyfriend Cardigan......J. Crew

Wrap Tee........Ann Taylor Outlet

Tank.......Gap
Jeans.......Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes.......Aerosoles

Necklace........The Limited

I had a hard time finding something that I liked yesterday morning. I wasn't loving this when I left for work but it grew on me as the day went on. Now that I'm seeing the pictures though I think it's not a very flattering outfit.

My kids are so looking forward to Trick or Treating tomorrow evening. We got invited to a Halloween party tonight however since my mom and grandmother are in town we declined the invite, which secretly I'm happy about. I am not a costume person. I have never loved Halloween. For me, dressing up in a costume takes me too far outside my comfort zone. I'll stick with street clothes, thanks!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween! Enjoy the trick or treating!

Rainy Tuesday

I woke up to rain this morning and really wanted to be comfy but stylish too. This is what I came up with. When I originally bought this sweater I was envisioning it with a crisp white button down layered underneath. I currently do not own a white button down (threw out my shabby old one) so I tried it with a black button down but was not happy with that look. I ended up layering a long sleeve eggplant colored tee under the sweater. I love the teal with the eggplant.

Sweater........Apt. 9 from Kohl's
Tee.........Gap
Jeans........Ann Taylor Loft
Necklace.........ShopKim

I think next time I do this outfit I am going to pair it with my grey J. Crew pants. I think the color combo would be great.

A few updates are necessary: Last night my evening consisted of the H1N1 vaccine for my kiddos. The wait wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We arrived at 6:30 and walked out the door at 7:30. It was the first time my kids did the mist and when we were done my son kept saying I thought we were getting flu shots. It was cute.

We have a visitor coming to stay with us today. My mom is coming for a week from Florida to visit. She's heading to PA tomorrow to pick up my grandmother and bring her back. They both will be spending 4 days at my house and I'm very excited. It's been a while since I've seen my mom. I'm excited for my kiddos also. It's not often that they get to see Grammy Florida and Little Grammy for extended periods of time. This is going to be a great week.

Enjoy the day!

New love

Fridays for me are typically a casual and comfy day. I usually dress down for the office but I could not wait until next week to wear my new boots, booties or as some people call them shooties. I am completely in love with these and for good reason, before I even left the house this morning somebody commented on them. My hubby was being picked up this morning for his boys' weekend and one of our very good friends immediately commented on them as soon as he walked in the door. You know they're good when a man comments on them.

Cardi.......J. Crew

Tee......J. Crew

Tank.....Gap

Jeans......Ann Taylor Loft

Boots.........SRI

I'm looking forward to a low key weekend. My dad was supposed to be coming to visit before his big trip south for the winter but it looks like he won't be able to make it. He's not feeling so hot and doesn't want to get the rest of us sick, which I'm really grateful for. My kiddos sure are going to be disappointed. Not only were they excited to see Pop-Pop but he was bringing his wife and her kiddos too.

TGIF!

Challenge

On Tuesday, my BFF over at ShopKim issued a challenge to me regarding the shoes that she had recently thrifted. The shoes were too big on her so I was lucky enough to receive them. Truth be told they are a little bit big on me too but they are too cute.

I had a really hard time finding something blogworthy to wear with them. This outfit is kind of boring but it was the best I could do for today.

Top.....Ann Taylor Loft

Jeans.....Gap

Necklace......The Limited

Shoes.....Coldwater Creek via ShopKim

In keeping with the shoe theme, this morning I received a text from my hubby telling me that he hates our girl's shoe selection and since I'm the shoe queen why isn't there a better selection for her to choose from. That sounds to me like an excuse to go out and buy my girl some new really cute shoes. Here's the problem: I buy her shoes, she claims she loves them, she wears them once or maybe twice and then finds something wrong with them. What am I supposed to do? In her shoe bin (she's 7) she has 1 brand spanking new pair of sneakers, a pair of crocs, 10 pairs of flip flops and these 2 pair of shoes

The pair on the left are brown and the pair on the right are black. She also has these

Now I don't know about you all but I think that for a 7 year old that is a pretty good selection of shoes. What am I supposed to do when she refuses to wear the shoes I've bought her, go out and buy her more? Come on.....that's just silly. If she didn't grow out of them every 3 months then sure but she's 7.

Hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Fabulous Giveaway

Mrs. MBR over at My Blonde Reality is having a Fabulous Giveaway with plenty of ways to get multiple entries. Head on over and check her out.

Not in the Mood

This was not the outfit I had planned last night when I went to bed but when I got up this morning I really just wanted something cute but cozy. This is what I ended up with.

Sweater......Ann Taylor Outlet

Tee......J. Crew Outlet

Necklace......Limited

Jeans.........Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes......JCPenney

Ring.......gifted by my BFF over at ShopKim

This past weekend was supposed to be my girls beach weekend but one of the girls ended up with the H1N1 flu so beach weekend did not happen. I did end up getting together with another of my girlfriends that I haven't seen in 3 months. We went to dinner at Bonefish and had the best time eating, drinking and catching up. It takes a long time to catch up on 3 months of gossip.

It rained and rained and rained this weekend so we were homebodies for most of the weekend. We did take the kiddos to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and all really enjoyed it. Cute movie. And that was our excitement.

My hubby is now sick and heading to the Doctor's this morning. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it's not H1N1 a) because who wants to have that? and b) he's going out of town this weekend, so being sick does not fit into his schedule.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Another Fantastic Giveaway

If you haven't done so already head over to ShopKim for her fantastic Birthday giveaway. Her rings are adorable and who couldn't use another adorable ring?

Mixing it up

I've been contemplating lately how to spice up my wardrobe without spending too much money. It seems like I'm always buying new instead of remixing what I've already got.

A few items that I am hoping to score on my outlet shopping trip this weekend are:

• corduroy skirt like this
• fitted denim jacket
• 1 or 2 neutral solid cardigan sweaters
• boyfriend cardigan
• new purse similar to this one (not at that price though, I'm hoping this is where my 20% coach coupon will come in handy)
• some new fun jewelry
• white button down shirt

The trick is going to be finding all or some of the above without spending a ton of cash. I think the addition of the items above will be a good solid base to start creating new and fun outfits from my closet.

Girls weekend is now in limbo because one friend has a fever. Said friend is the one who has supplied the condo so that is why we are in limbo. I'm really hoping that she feels better soon not because I want the weekend to happen but because being sick is no fun. My wish list may be put on hold until my next girls weekend scheduled for November :-).

Today is my Friday, woo hoo!

Comfort Zone

This outfit is so outside my comfort zone it's not even funny. I originally started out with a print cardigan sweater over the tee but really felt that it wasn't office appropriate. I work in a very casual environment but kind of felt that the jeans are a little on the tight side even for my office. The longer sweater, in my mind, makes the outfit more work appropriate. I'm not sure if I'm rocking this look, my hubby reluctantly said I could pull it off when I asked but can you trust a man to really know? My girl will usually tell me if an outfit is no good but she didn't comment either way today.

The jeans are a straight leg jean that I bought a few years ago and is the closest I'm going to come to a skinny jean. My legs just don't do skinny. The jeans seem kind of bunched up at the knees. Is that how they are supposed to be or would they be less like that if they were the real skinny? I'm not sure if I will do this look again, we'll have to wait and see what kind of feedback I get.

Tee......ATL

Sweater.....Victoria's Secret

Jeans.....Tommy Hilfiger via Macy's

Boots......Nicole via DSW

Necklaces.......The Limited

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Weekend Glow

I'm still glowing from the fabulous family weekend I had. It was very low key for us which is unusual. The only commitments we had were kids soccer games and the Pumpkin Patch. Saturday the weather was perfect for 2 soccer games and the kiddos played great. We decided that evening to go out as a family for dinner. We hit our favorite family friendly restaurant, Outback. As usual it didn't disappoint, we had great food and service too.

Sunday was the annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Earlier than normal this year because of other weekend commitments coming up. We all had a great time on the hay ride and the straw maze. Got some humongous pumpkins for carving and some delicious apple caramel walnut pie. Like the Pumpkin Patch the pie is a tradition in our family and my hubby and I look forward to it every year.

I'm not sure why but I'm happy with the way this picture turned out today. I'm trying to get as much use out of my spring/summer stuff that I can. In the past I don't think I would have worn this sweater in the fall but I like the yellow with the gray pants.

Sweater.......J. Crew

Tee.......Old Navy

Necklace.....Mark (Avon)

Pants.......J. Crew

Boots.......Nine West via DSW

My girlfriends and I are counting down the days until our girls beach trip which is this weekend. My boss has graciously given us Friday off. October 15th is a huge deadline for my office and he typically will give us off the following Friday which is so nice. So we're heading to the beach Friday morning. One of the friends in our group recently got a new job so we don't see her everyday like we used to. It's actually been almost 3 months since we've seen her so we've got a ton of catching up to do. Friday night is going to be a late night with lots of chatting and wine drinking I'm sure. I cannot wait!

Inspiration

My BFF over at Shopkim has inspired me to make up my own list of the little things that make life so enjoyable

• Getting more than 1 cup of coffee out of the pot in the morning
• When my son tells me "Mommy, I will love you forever"
• When my daughter tries to dress like me
• Listening to my kids sing in the car to songs that I love
• Going to bed and not having to set the alarm
• My kids telling me they want to buy lunch at school
• The smell of the air when summer turns to fall
• An ice cold diet coke
• The perfect pair of jeans
• Comfy pants
• When my hubby tells me I look nice
• Baileys on the rocks
• Finding money in your pocket that you didn't know you had

This was a lot harder than I thought. I do try and take time to be thankful for the small things. This will remind me to do it more often.

Awesome giveway!

Danielle over at Fell 4 Fashion is giving away a gorgeous scarf. Head on over to her blog to sign up. You won't go wrong with this scarf!

Negative, Negative, Negative

Top......Ann Taylor Outlet
Tank....Target
Skirt.....Ann Taylor Loft
Boots.....DSW
Necklace......Kohl's


This morning I woke up thinking yea it's Friday and then I realized it was only Thursday. What a bummer! I'm not sure what it is up with this week but it is crawling by.

I'm not thrilled with the quality of this picture. I took several before I left the house this morning and they all seem blurry to me. I'm not sure what's up with my camera. I really need to find a better way to take pictures. Unfortunately this is as good as it gets for today. I apologize for the quality but it was the best of the bunch.

I'm not sure about this skirt. Don't get me wrong I love it. I wore it quite a few times over the summer. Paired with sandals and a tee, it is completely adorable. I'm just not sure it transitions well into fall but I figured with a high of 71 degrees today I could pull it off this once. I'm on the fence though about pairing it with tights when the temperatures dip down.

I've noticed on some of the other blogs, people are saying that to get the true feel of an outfit, you should take a picture of it. Hmmmmm, I don't think I like that idea because I almost always like the outfit that I'm wearing but when I look at it in a picture I don't like it. Does this mean I should change the way I dress?

The boots I'm wearing are a new purchase from the weekend. I've already worn them once but didn't post the outfit. I am in love with them so you will be seeing them a lot this fall and winter.

After reading this post several times I changed the title because I noticed the negativity flowing through it. Rather than change it I left it as is. I hope my negativity today doesn't rub off on anybody else.

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Shopping habits

So if you don't already know this about me I love to shop. Love, love, love it. Unfortunately my hubby doesn't love it. He thinks I have too much stuff--clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, blah, blah. He could go on and on about how I have too much stuff. Here's the thing, I don't care. I go to work everyday so if I want to spend some of my hard earned cash on something that will make me look pretty on the outside then so be it.

I find that I go in cycles with regards to which stores I seem to frequent. Right now I am all about J. Crew which I'm sure you already figured out from several of my previous posts. In the past I have loved Kohl's, Ann Taylor Loft, Gap, Banana. Oh I could go on and on. Macy's is another one of my favorites. They have great sales and a terrific variety.

Do you find that you go in cycles like that?

I am giddy with excitement over the fact that next weekend I am heading to the beach with some girlfriends for some much needed girl time. We are going to spend a whole day at the outlets with no pressure to leave or go home. That means I can go into J. Crew and try on every single piece of clothing in that store without giving it a second thought. Oh the joy. I cannot wait.

Another tidbit of good news.....my girlfriend brought in a Coach outlet coupon (that's right I said Coach). Give them your email address and you can print a 20% off coupon good for the outlet stores through October 18th. Sign me up. I've already printed out my coupon and cannot wait to see if I can find something spectacular at the outlet.

Copy Cat

Happy Tuesday Morning everyone! A good outfit pic today. As soon as my hubby saw me in this he told me I looked nice. I love this outfit. It's a new look for me but I had seen a posting on another blog with the tee over the button down shirt and fell in love. You should head over to Fabulous Florida Mommy and check out her style.

I desperately need a new white button down but this one will serve it's purpose for now. I was hoping the button down would show along the bottom of the tee but for some reason this shirt is really short so I ended up tucking in the button down and then doing the front tuck of the tee.

I also added another necklace shown in the second picture afterwards. I really like how it all turned out.

Pants.......J. Crew
Tee.....J. Crew
Button-down.......Target
Shoes.......SRI Shoe Warehouse
Long Necklace.......Mark
Short Necklace......Kohl's
Bracelet.......Banana Republic

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week.

Check out this beauty.......

So last Friday I gave my hubby an assignment for the weekend. Make me something for my closet to hang my long necklaces on. Up until a few months ago I wasn't a huge jewelry person but after some encouragement from my BFF I have started to add to my collection. My jewelry box was getting overcrowded so I needed someplace else to put them.

He went to Home Depot and came back with a hat rack thingy which only had 4 big hooks on it. Not what I was looking for, so while at Wal-Mart I spotted this tie rack and scooped it up for a whopping $4 and my hubby installed it as soon as I got home. Wa la now I have a place to put my jewels with easy access.

So all day long yesterday I was dreaming of these boots





And these boots



Wow they are gorgeous and I really do need a pair of black tall boots. I don't need the tall brown flat boots but oh I am so in love. S0 can I convince myself and my bank account that both of these pairs of boots would be a very good and wise investment? I am going to head to the closest Banana Republic this weekend to see them in person and see how much convincing it's going to take. Wish me luck!

Shoe addiction

So while shopping for new bedding for my girls bedroom this past weekend I came across these cute ballet flats. Fell completely in love however the only size they had in stock was a bit a small. I was informed that they may would be getting more in on Monday or Tuesday so I waited and called to have the larger size put on hold. I picked them up yesterday afternoon without trying them on, big mistake. Of course they are too big, so back to the store to return them. Now I need to decide if I want to squeeze into the smaller size and hope they stretch a bit. So of course the store is having a Buy One Get One so I got the same pair of shoes for my daughter. She loves when we can dress similarly. I am not a huge fan of dressing like twins but I think the same pair of shoes won't be too bad.

Thoughts???

While picking up these shoes I decided to drop in to Ross which is right next door. I have been looking for a sweater dress now for 2 winters and have had no success. Today of course I found one by Calvin Klein in gray. I passed it up for 2 reasons: Number 1 it was $49.99 which I wasn't prepared to spend and #2 I don't have a pair of tall black boots that I love so I would prefer to find a brown sweater dress because I do have a pair of brown tall boots that are perfect. I did try on a brown Calvin Klein one but it was short sleeve. For me a short sleeve sweater dress just does not translate. Short sleeve sweater? Anyway, I have my eye on one at ATL that I need to go and try on.

I am trying not to do too much shopping because in a few weeks I'm heading to a girls only weekend in Rehoboth and am going to hit the outlets. The J. Crew outlet there usually has a ton of great stuff.

Big Plans

So this is how my afternoon went.....I think I'll take the kids to Chik-fil-a for dinner since my hubby won't be home, then I won't have to cook. Oooh but if I give them leftovers then I can get a run in and maybe have a glass of wine. Oh yes a run, that would be fantastic. Driving home from work.........hmmmm I'm kind of tired and there's a bunch of things I really want to do when I get home maybe I won't get a run in. Once I got home: Yea there is zero chance of me getting a run in so I'll just pour myself a glass of wine......and now here I sit in front of my computer, drinking a glass of wine in my comfy clothes. Oh well, I had good intentions.

So now on to the outfit picture. Remember how I mentioned I am obsessed with J. Crew? Or did I not mention that? Well I am. I love, love, love their clothes, jewelry and shoes. However although I love all of it I limit myself because some of their stuff is on the pricey side. Anyway the top I'm wearing is a J. Crew splurge. I fell in love with it when I saw it and of course they did not have my size in store or in the catalog however the very helpful operator at J. Crew did a search in every J. Crew to find my size and then shipped it directly to me for free. Now that's customer service. I can see myself getting lots of use out of this cardigan. I love the detail J. Crew is showing in their tees, sweaters and tops this year.

Cardigan.......J. Crew

Jeans.......Lucky Brand via the Lucky outlet in Rehoboth

Belt......Fossil via Boscov's

Tank.......Old Navy

Shoes.......St. John's Bay

The shoes are new also. They were exactly what I've been looking for but of course there is a story that goes along with them too. I got a flyer in the mail from JCPenney with these shoes listed at a sale price of $34.99. Not a bad deal for suede shoes. Go to the store with flyer in hand and try to purchase the shoe at the sale price listed. The shoes are ringing up at $39.99 and I try to reason with the clerk that they should honor the sale price in the flyer but no go, they just didn't want to listen. So bought the shoes anyway and then went to the Catalog desk upstairs and chatted with a very nice lady and explained to her my issues. She agreed with me and refunded me the difference. Seriously those people were ticking me off but in the end it all worked out. Shoes are very comfy and will serve me well this fall/winter. Wasn't really feeling any jewelry this morning so we'll call this a minimalist look.

Have a great evening!

Happy Thursday!

So it's Thursday finally however it has taken forever to get here. This week has been crawling for me which is weird because I have been super busy at work and will continue to be busy for the next three weeks. I have a big deadline looming on the horizon and I still have a ton of things to do on my list.

So here's my dilemma for the day. In some of the catalogs and shopping websites the models are wearing shirts/tops with just the front tucked in. I like that look and sport it quite often however I don't notice many other people doing it. What do you think? Do you like it, do you think it's weird to have the front tucked and back not? Is it kind of like a mullet.....business in the front and party in the back? I'm just curious to know what other people think when they see me walking around with only part of my shirt tucked in. I won't change it based on what others think, I really just want to know.

Any big plans for the weekend? It's a 3 day for me. I have Monday off for Yom Kippur (my boss is Jewish). My kiddos have off also and I will be home with them and my BFF's boy. Should be a fun day. I also just found out that my dad is coming down for a visit on that same day so I'm really looking forward to it. Also on Saturday my hubby and some of our good friends are playing in a charity wiffleball tournament. This will be year 3 for them and we are all looking forward to it. It's a day to let the kids run wild, hang out with friends and do something good.

The only downside for me is that my kiddos have late soccer games on Saturday so I will miss out on the morning festivities at the tourney but hope to enjoy the late afternoon/early evening part of it. I certainly hope they save me some beer.

Enjoy your day!

Outfit pic and ramblings

Tee....J. Crew
Tank.......Gap
Belt....... Fossil via Boscov's
Jeans.....Ann Taylor super clearance
Shoes......Mia via Macy's also super clearance
Necklace on right......http://shopkim.etsy.com/
Necklace on left.......http://www.meetmark.com/

I'm really not sure I'm loving the pics of any of my outfits. They seem grainy. I really need to figure out a better way and excuse the smidge of my dresser in the full outfit pic. I'm really not good at this.

The necklace on the left is a new purchase from the Avon site http://www.meetmark.com/. I saw it in the October issue of Lucky magazine and knew I had to have it. It is so cute and not a bad price either. I think it adds a little bit of rocker chick to the outfit.

The necklace on the right was made by my BFF at Shopkim. If you haven't seen her stuff you really need to go check her out. I cannot get enough of the jewelry that she makes.

Finally the shoes-love, love, love them. I purchased them on clearance at Macy's at the end of last summer and let me tell you I have gotten more than my money's worth out of these. I did try and buy them in brown also but didn't like the color of the brown fabric.

My current obsession is everything at J. Crew. I think I might have alluded to that a few posts ago. Their stuff can be a little pricey but you can usually find a lot of great stuff for better prices if you make a trip to the outlet. I have a girls weekend coming up in October so I'm trying to curb my shopping until then so I can scoop up lots of great fall stuff while at the outlets with my girlfriends.

Friday Woe is Me........

So with every Friday comes the dilemma as a working mother to cook dinner or to get takeout? After a long week of working, dropping off and picking up the kids, homework, laundry, making lunches, making dinners, giving baths and all of the other daily drudgery ( I just looked up this word to make sure I was using it correctly) who wants to go home on Friday night and celebrate the weekend with making dinner?

I don't know about you but that is the last thing on my mind. I am thinking about popping open a bottle of wine and pouring myself a nice healthy glass while watching a family movie with the kiddos. I really don't care what we eat, I would eat cheerios for dinner on Friday night if it meant I didn't have to cook dinner.

This Friday night the decision is more difficult than usual because we are actually going out to dinner as a family with some friends on Saturday night. So..............do we spend the money on takeout to make me happy or do I suck it up and make dinner? Dinner out 2 nights in a row and then on Sunday we are going to my BFF's house for a cookout so technically that's 3 nights in a row. Can I deal with the guilt of being that lazy and crazy with our money?

After half a glass of wine I can guarantee you I will be calling our local chinese joint to order up some lo mein and won-ton soup, so much better than the chicken tenders that I had on the menu.

Sorry about no outfit pics this week. It was a bust for me in the clothing department. I really hate September for clothing options so you may have to wait until October 1 to get some more outfit pics.

Happy Friday!!!!!

Whew!

Wow the weekend went by so quickly! What happened? The weather here on Friday was so cold and rainy. We did our traditional Friday night movie night and introduced the kiddos to Star Wars. I grew up loving the Star Wars trilogy and can remember waiting in line with my dad at the theatre to see Empire Strikes Back. I loved sharing that with my kiddos and they really liked the movie so this Friday night will be movie night again with Empire Strikes Back.

Saturday was a very fun day for me. A very good friend and I bought tickets to go see Toby Keith and Trace Adkins in concert. We had both been looking forward to it for weeks and they did not disappoint. We had the best time and danced and sang the night away. I am on the verge of losing my voice from all the screaming. We've decided that we are going to make it a tradition to go and see either one whenever they come around again.

Sunday was a day of recuperation and hanging out with my kiddos. We did the local town festival and got to spend some time with some good friends of ours. Said friend was good enough to agree to sell some of my crafts at her booth. The good news was she sold 2 of my necklaces the bad news was that she didn't sell a ton more stuff. That was kind of a bummer for her because she worked really hard in getting ready for this.

So now we're at the beginning of a new week. I hope everyone enjoys it and I'm hoping to have some good outfit pics to post later in the week!

Quick Outfit Post

Okay so this is my favorite sweater. I got it late last summer and have found many ways to wear it. I love the color and the 3/4 sleeve. I have on a light purple tank which you can't really see but I love the green and purple together. You wouldn't necessarily think they go well together but I love the look. I also love these pants. I bought them just recently in 3 colors and I am so glad I did. The shoes were a super clearance find at Target for $6.00. Not overly comfy the first time around but I'm hoping with a bit of wear they will get better.

Cardigan.......J. Crew

Tank.......Gap

Pants.......J. Crew

Shoes.......Target

Okay I'm going to leave you with one last thought. You know what I think is completely gross? When people wear sandals, flip-flops or soccer sandals and their toes hang over the front. What is up with that? If your shoes do not fit please do not wear them. Nobody wants to see that.

Sleep tight!

Obsessions

Okay so there are a few things you need to know about me. First, I am a control freak. I have/want to be in control of a situation at all times. It drives me crazy when I am not. Second, I have a few obsessions. Fashion/clothing is one of them. I love clothes. I love shopping for clothes. Accessories such as shoes and handbags are included in that obsession.

My second obsession is lipstick. I don't normally wear lipstick but I bet you I have at least 10 tubes of different lipstick in my purse right now. And I'm currently obsessing over a new color that I'm going to Target to get. If I wore it, then yes, having 10 tubes is not so bad but I don't wear it. I wear chapstick. Once in a blue moon I will put on lipstick. If I'm going out, which doesn't happen often, sometimes I will remember to put it on but in most cases I always rely on my trusty chapstick.

I'm wondering if there are other women out there with this same obsession........please confess! It will make me feel so much better.

Long Weekend

Wow, I had a fantastic weekend and am trying to get back into work mode. I know it's already Wednesday but I still can't get there. I am posting my outfit pic from yesterday. I was expecting the temps to be cooler than they were so I was loving the lightweight sweater and the jeans. I am really looking forward to the fall. The sweater is a new one I got on clearance and was dying to wear. The bracelet was a splurge purchase at Banana Republic. I had my eye on it for weeks and just couldn't bring myself to buy it however while shopping with my hubby while my kiddos were at Pop-Pop Boot Camp I went for it and am so glad that I did. I have already receiving multiple compliments on it. It was definitely worth the splurge.

Sweater........Target

Tank........Gap Outlet

Shoes.......Nine West via DSW Shoes

Bracelet.........Banana Republic

Jeans........Ann Taylor Loft

Belt...........The Limited

I wanted to take an outfit pic today but completely forgot and had already changed into my comfies. I thought it turned out really cute so I can guarantee you will be seeing it sometime in the future.

Giveaway

Okay so I am a complete sucker for a giveaway. KT over at KT's Sassy Blog http://ktlangmeyer.blogspot.com/ is giving away some awesome makeup from Sephora. If you've never read KT's blog, she is so funny, you should check it out and enter the giveaway. Although maybe you shouldn't enter because that just lessens my chances of winning.

What is wrong with me?

Okay so seriously I think there is something wrong with me. Today was my boy's very first day of full day Kindergarten. Big thing, right? Okay so I want to walk him up to the doors of school but his dad and he are insistent that he can get dropped off like his sister and walk up on his own. Okay so I go along with it and of course won't drive away from the school until I see him actually walk in. On the way to work all I can think about is him wandering the halls aimlessly. I send an email to his teacher making me feel a little bit better. Now I'm worried about him buying lunch. Will he be okay choosing what he wants? Can he carry his tray by himself? Will he not stuff food in his mouth like a maniac? Will he choke and no one will be paying attention? (I'm actually laughing as I'm typing this because I know I'm crazy, yet I can't stop myself) And then on top of all of those worries, I'm worried that he won't remember and his teacher won't know that he's supposed to go to the Y after care program today. Seriously I am a complete and total nut job but at least I can admit to it.

Then this morning I come to work and start unloading my car with all of the Sam's Club supplies I picked up for the office last night. Hmmmm......there is one other person in the office while I'm doing this and they chose to sit in their office while I made 10 trips back and forth to my car bringing in said supplies. What is wrong with this picture? People are ignorant and sometimes it just drives me crazy. How can you sit there and not help? You are watching me do this and yet you don't get up. It does not surprise me however it really bugs me.

I'm getting ready to enjoy my final half day Friday. I'm a little sad, no wait I'm a lot sad that we can't have half day Fridays year round. Wow that would be fantastic.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Outfit Picture

Tee...Gap

Capris.....Lucky brand via TJMaxx

Scarf......Old Navy

Necklace.......The Limited

Shoes.......Kenneth Cole via Macy's

Okay once I get an idea in my head I just run with it. Today my BFF suggested that maybe I should post an outfit picture. I had been thinking about it for a few days and then I thought what the heck. So here is my outfit for the day. This is not the outfit I started out in this morning but I definitely was not feeling my first outfit. I think this one looks okay. The picture quality, not so sure. I guess that will get better in time.

Am completely loving these shoes. Bought them on clearance about 3 weeks ago. I had been looking for something like these for a while but wasn't sure I was going to love them on my feet. These shoes are gorgeous and I have already gotten more than my money's worth out of them. Love, love, love them and will be sad when I have to put them away.

My morning was spent in the office and then I picked up my boy from his last half day of Kindergarten and worked from home the rest of the day. That is one thing that I love about my job, the flexibility to do that when I need to.

So work then a quick trip to Sam's for both home and office. Now I'm in my comfy clothes, sipping wine and getting ready to make dinner.

Have a great evening!

My apologies

Okay so sorry I've been MIA. The past week has been a bit hectic with travelling and getting ready for the First Day of School. Weekend was great. Kiddos had a great time at Pop-Pop Boot Camp but came home with some very bad habits. This morning my girl's response to my repeated requests to get ready for school was "Jesus I'm going to do it already" Oh yea you read that right. I can't believe that came out of her mouth but she was spending a lot of time with and 11 and 12 year old while at Boot Camp. I guess I'm going to have to do some deprogramming. I can only imagine what's going to come out of my boy's mouth. I am actually a little bit frightened.

So on to the weekend, I got to see family and also had my 20 year High School Reunion. What's that? You can't believe that I've been out of High School for that long. I unfortunately am that old but boy did I act like a teenager on Saturday night. Drank too much beer and wine and danced like a maniac. My feet hurt so bad by the end of the night I walked to the car sans shoes and ended up throwing my shoes out on Sunday. They had to be the most uncomfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned and they were only worn once. I didn't want to take a chance that I would forget how uncomfortable they were so I just tossed them. Luckily I only paid $10 for them on clearance about 10 years ago. Woke up with a bit of a hangover on Sunday but completely worth it. It was a lot of fun hanging out with my classmates but I won't need to do that again for another 20 years.

So first day of school on Monday for my girl. She's in 2nd grade now which is unbelievable to me. She did fantastic but she had the teacher that she wanted and six of her girlfriends from last year so I didn't expect any issues. My boy had his first day of Kindergarten yesterday but it was only an hour and a half with Mom and Dad so didn't expect any issues. He is so much more outgoing than my girl and true to form he did great this morning when Dad dropped him off for his first official half day by himself. I am sure he is going to be okay.

I cannot believe that summer is coming to an end. I don't know about the rest of you but I thought it flew by. I am really looking forward to Fall and the cooler temperatures but am going to be sad to say goodbye to my Friday summer hours at work. This coming Friday is my last day to leave at noon and I am going to try and send it out in style with a shopping trip to gather some craft supplies to try a new crafting project.

My BFF has been trying to get me to try and be crafty so we'll see what happens with this adventure. My girl and I are going to work on it together. Once we've completed some of them I will post pictures to see what you think.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Quiet Time

So this is the week my kids are at Pop-Pop boot camp. It was tough leaving them but I am really enjoying this bit of downtime for me and the hubby. We've already been out to dinner once and will probably do it one or 2 more times before we head back up to PA to get the kiddos.

Last night we ran a few errands and then just chilled at home, had some misc. dinner and putzed around the house. I know there are a million things that I should be doing around the house but I kind of just wanted to relax and enjoy this downtime. It was so quiet and at 8:30 the hubby and I looked at each and said what are we going to do for the rest of the evening? Definitely a change of pace for us and I have to tell you that I am already looking forward to Friday and seeing the kiddos.

Tonight the hubby and I are going shopping at his suggestion. I couldn't believe it because he never wants to go shopping. I love shopping so I'm really looking forward to it.

I really cannot believe that the summer is almost over. I don't know about you but wow the summer went by fast. I feel like it was just the end of the school year and now it's beginning again. I finally finished up my boy's school supply list. 4 fat pencils are not easy to find but Office Depot always comes through in a crunch.

Sun, Fun and Relaxation

So I know it's only for the weekend but I am really looking forward to this camping trip with my family. For one I absolutely love my whole family and always have such a fantastic time just hanging out with them. We always have such a great time. My grandparents are getting up there in age so I am always so grateful for any time that we (me, hubby and kiddos) get to spend with them~making memories that we can talk about for years to come. Lucky for me I have a great family and have always been really close with them.

Also although the time leading up to the trip is always very stressful with packing and getting food made and all that other junk, I find that I am more relaxed and fun to be around when we do these trips. I think my hubby and I get along so much better when we don't have the added stress of household chores, work and other responsibilities hanging over our heads. When you're away you don't have to worry about that stuff and can just go with the flow.

So with that being said.......come on weekend!

Where to Start?

Okay so this morning I really started thinking about all the things that I need to get done within the next few days and started to hyperventilate. We finally got the email regarding the start of the soccer season for my girl and realized that she is going to miss the first 3 practices. Bummer but nothing we can do about that. So add to my to-do list~shin guards, socks and cleats. Now she has cleats from lacrosse however we cannot seem to locate them anywhere. Tonight will be a search and rescue and if we are unsuccessful, a trip to the shoe warehouse. Add that to dinner and Target for shin guards and socks. I was just at Target yesterday. Does anyone else have that problem or is it just me?

Tomorrow night is going to be even crazier so I'm going to do the one day at a time right now or my head might explode. Busy day, even busier weekend. Packing and getting the kiddos ready for camping and boot camp plus buying and making food for camping. Ahhhhhhh, deep breathes. It's going to be okay.

Oh and did I mention my 20 year High School reunion looming on the horizon? Oh yea so that adds to the stress. Good times!

Rough evening, even rougher morning

You know how when your evening doesn't end right it kind of flows into the morning? Well that is what happened to me and I'm feeling a bit cranky this morning. Ended my evening last night with an argument with my hubby and it carried over to this morning~~not the argument but the mood. Hopefully I can move out of it quickly because I would hate for it to ruin my whole day.

I'm wishing the week away. We're going camping this weekend with my whole family and then my kiddos are going to what we call Pop-Pop Boot Camp. They are staying with my dad for a week before school starts. I am looking forward to a few days of no kid time but also know that I will miss them while they are gone. Lots of plans for next week including finishing up school supply shopping, happy hour and some nights eating out at places we wouldn't take the kids.

And when I say camping I don't mean tent camping. We are not the roughing it type of family. A lot of my family members have motorhomes and campers. We have actually rented a cabin to stay in because my hubby is definitely not a camper. If I would have let him he would be staying home but he didn't have the choice this time around. That's what he gets for going to Ireland without me. He's going to be paying for that trip for awhile!

Random Ranting

I can't believe it's Monday already and I also cannot believe that I am actually going to attempt to blog. I love to read blogs so I figured what the heck, I'll give it a try. It might take a few days before I actually tell anybody and then it will probably only be a few.

Busy weekend at our house, lots of errands trying to get ready for the upcoming school year. School supply lists are awful and so specific. It's a little annoying and forget it if you've waited this long to get everything. Already stuff is sold out at my local Target so off to Office Depot to track down the rest of the stuff.

My girl picked out a messenger bag a few weeks back but I instructed her not to remove the tags fully expecting her to change her mind at least 3 times. She has done that but before we could purchase the new selection she changed her mind back so we'll have to see what she ends up with on the first day. My boy on the other hand was very definitive in his choice of a Transformer backpack with it's very own wallet. He has been begging me for 2 weeks to take that thing to camp. No way that's happening because on a daily basis he loses something at camp. Typically it's his shoes, sometimes it's his shirt, sunblock or ice pack. He lost his crocs back at the beginning and we did find one but the other one is still mia. Good thing he has his older sister to look after him. She's like a little mom when they're at camp. I can't wait to see how she is now that they will be going to school together.

Well enough for now. Now that I'm rambling I think this might actually be fun!