Girls, Girls, Girls

What I Wore

Easter

Top - Ann Taylor/Cargo Pants - Kohl's/Belt - Thrifted/Sandals - Thrifted

Earrings - Old Navy/Watch - Adidas/Bracelets - Rue 21/Target/Local Boutique

Although it is Easter, I am not wearing a frilly, flowery dress, but, I was not trying to be a rebel!  I did attempt celebrating springtime with my rosette top and added some arm candy, but even then, I went ahead and wore a sports watch.  I am not, nor have I ever really thought of myself as a girly-girl.  Maybe it is because I live in a house full of male testosterone, maybe it is because I wasn't raised by a girly-girl mom.  However, I am not, nor have I ever thought of myself as a tomboy either.  I think I would fall somewhere around a 6 if I was trying to place myself on a scale from 1 being tomboy and 10 being a diva.  What about you, where would you place yourself on a scale of 1 (Tomboy) to 10 (Diva)?

Clean Up

What I Wore

Day of Housework

Sweatshirt - WalMart/Pants - NY&Co/Scarf - Thrifted

Shoes - Rue 21/Bracelets - Rue 21 & Local Boutique/Earrings - Forever 21

Although where I live in Ohio didn't get hit with the feared "Storm of the Century" that other areas got (instead of 18 inches of snow we got 2), today was a day that I chose to stay inside....decluttering.  Even though it doesn't feel like Spring has sprung, I am in a mood to clear out and clean up.  Growing up, I was what I would consider organized - but in retrospect, I probably didn't have a whole lot to organize.  When I was in college, my future mother-in-law would joke that even in the dark I could go to my underthings drawer, go three pairs down and come back with my pink undies (I joked back that actually the 3rd pair was beige).  I admit that in certain aspects I am still this way, but in others....well, paper is my enemy!  It's only a bit of a joke when my husband says to me that I don't need to hold on to every single piece of paper that my boys have ever touched (I home schooled them both when they were young, and I still have a lot of papers from that time, even though one is in college and the other will be there next year).  What about you, are you really organized, a mostly organized person, do you  feel you are more disorganized then you would like, or do you watch Hoarders and think 'I'm not that bad!'?

It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)

What I Wore

Stereo Shopping

T-Shirt (Thrifted)/Jeans - Target/Shoes - Payless/Sunglasses - Oakley/Belt - Target

Watch - MK/Necklace - Brighton/Bracelet - Gift/Earrings - Local Boutique

I like to know what is going on in the world.  I start my day with a morning "news" show, I work in a building that has multiple televisions on news channels (as well as other programming), I use social media and the internet to keep up with breaking news and I usually end the day with some local news.  When I was younger, I liked to read the newspaper (although holding a paper in hand now is not so common).  The news can be uplifting, scary, overwhelming or helpful.  It is the ultimate "reality tv" program.  How do you keep up with what is going on in the world around you?

Chasing Cars

What I Wore

Car Shopping

Camo Pants - Kohl's/Top - Forever 21/Jacket - Target

Shoes - KMart/Watch - MK/Bracelet - Forever 21/Necklace - Forever 21

I've never been a person who was "into" cars.  As long as a vehicle gets me where I need to go, I'm good. When I was young, my dad didn't believe in letting me drive his car (and even though I was a licensed driver, the insurance company made an exception and he didn't have to pay for a teen driver).  The first car I had was bought the day before I got married, and that was after I graduated from college (then I ended up driving a company vehicle for my first job).  When my boys were little, we decided we needed the "suburban mommy van" and as they got older and bigger, we traded that in for an SUV.  Well, now that I'm a mom to two young men who are both licensed and vehicle owning, I finally have my first "sporty" vehicle.  I don't think this would be classified as a "mid-life crisis", but it does strike me funny to look at the types of vehicles I have had and how they have related to the time of life when I have owned them.  Do you consider yourself a "car person" and like to switch vehicles more frequently?  Or, has your  vehicle ownership path been similar to mine (before kids, after kids, grown kids, etc)?

A Great Day For The Irish

What I Wore

St. Patrick's Day

Shirt - Target/T-Shirt - Banana Republic/Leggings - Target

Watch - MK/Bracelets - Forever 21/WalMart

Even though I am not Irish (but from what I understand, I do share a family tree with the fourth President of Ireland) on St. Patrick's Day, I like to join in the wearing of the green and eat corned beef and cabbage.  I try to observe every holiday I can by decorating my home, making a special dish or two and learning more about the culture and people that celebrate the holiday.  One thing that I enjoy about living in a city in the United States is the variety of   people I have had the opportunity to get to know.  Even before living in a diversely populated area, I liked to read and dream about visiting other places.  Have you traveled much, do you hope to travel more, or are you more content staying close to home?

Shop Around

What to Wear

Blazer - (Thrifted)/Lace Top - (Thrifted)/Jeans - Target

Necklace - Gift/Watch - MK/Earrings - Forever 21/Boots - Old/Belt - (Thrifted)

Everyone has favorite stores where they like to go shopping.  These stores might be in a mall, they could be large discount stores, or instead may be small boutiques or thrift shops.  Personally, I fall in an "all of the above" category.  Some days, shopping at a thrift store feels like an adventure since you never know what you are going to find.  Other days, going to the mall and seeing the latest arrivals hanging in pristine condition neatly organized makes me wonder why I go anywhere else.  Today, I went to one of my favorite large discount stores (Target) where I love finding clothing bargains at the same place that I pick up my cleaning supplies.  Do you prefer to go to one type of store more often than others, or do you fall in the "all of the above" shopper category?

Reservations

What I Wore

Date Night

Top - Rue 21/Jeans - Gap/Purse - Target/Shoes - Target

Earrings - Local Boutique/Watch - MK/Bracelet - Brighton/Necklaces  - Gift & WalMart

For me, most of the time, going out to eat does not involve reservations.  However, this past weekend, my husband surprised me by taking me on a "date" to a restaurant that has a casual dress code, but that he needed to call ahead to ensure we would be seated.  I decided to take full advantage of the delicious menu offerings and started with an appetizer (baked goat cheese), ended with a dessert (bread pudding) but also had a delicious salmon as the main feature!  It was a delicious meal from start to finish, but even better was the fact that we were able to sit, relax and enjoy each other's company.  Do you try to go out for real dates, or are you more likely to grab a quick meal?

A Horse With No Name

What I Wore

Camo Shirt - Kohl's/Sequin Cami - (Thrifted)/Jeans - Lucky Brand

Earrings - Old Navy/Watch - MK/Bracelet - Forever 21/Boots - Old

Recently, and with more frequency, I seem to be getting comments from the dreaded Anonymous. I don't think that I am alone (at least I hope it isn't just me that is attracting these comments) because I have subscribed to different bloggers and a thread here or there that I was interested in following responses to, and have ended up with Anonymous responses then too.  Comments such as   ----
  'Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you!'
seem to pop up on my blog lately.  Which means I have to take the time to delete the comment, or leave it and hope none of my readers click on a link that this poster may have left behind.  I took the "captcha" option off my blog when a fellow blogger asked me to, since she didn't like to comment on blogs with it on.  Now, I am debating - keep the captcha off and keep deleting these Anonymous comments, or turn captcha back on and risk losing genuine comments?  As a blogger or blog reader, what do you prefer?  Does the captcha make you less likely to post a comment? Am I just the only blogger getting these annoying comments?  I'm fairly new to the blogging world, and wonder, what do you do if you get Anonymous (and not pertaining to your post) comments?

Time After Time

What I Wore

Blazer - Old Navy/Top - (Thrifted)/Jeans - Gap

Shoes - (Thrifted)/Belt - (Thrifted)/Necklace - Forever 21

If you are one of the average people of the world, you spend the biggest part of your 24 hour day in bed, sleeping.  You spend several hours a day working and also spend time doing general personal care, like showering.   A portion of a typical day is spent doing leisure activities - like watching TV (or reading blogs).  In addition, we spend time eating, doing household chores and taking care of others.   No matter what happens during my day, I always feel like I could use an extra hour.  I usually spend my lunchtime running errands or shopping (Target runs are one of  the most productive ways to spend a meal break).  But, I find myself feeling guilty when I spend an hour doing something just for myself (getting a massage, a pedicure or sitting down to watch a movie uninterrupted).  I have decided to make a habit of spending one hour a week doing something that is just for me. Do you schedule "me time" into your day or week?  If so, how do you make sure it happens?  If you don't already do it, will you join me in adding that special time to your calendar?

True Colors

What I Wore

Spending the day with my boys

T-shirt - Prabal Gurung for Target/Jeans - Forever 21/Shoes - Thrifted/Coach Bag (Thrifted)

Watch - MK/Bracelets - Gifted & Local Boutique/Earrings - Burlington Coat Factory/Sunglasses - Oakley

Having a nice manicure and pedicure go a long way in helping to complete an outfit.  I would like to say I get my nails done by a professional frequently, but I just don't take the time to do it as often as I would need to maintain them.  So, I do my own nails most of the time.  However, because in the summer I do want long-lasting pedicures (hey, who is going to see those toes when I'm wearing socks all the time in the winter?) I prefer to have them done for me (so relaxing!). When I do my own nails, I like to try different colors and different brands of polish and I am always open to suggestions for a great new color (or a tried and true favorite).  Do you like to have your nails done, do you do them yourself, or do you prefer to go au naturale?  If you have a great color to suggest or want to share your favorite brand of polish, I'd love to hear about it.

Glory Days

What I Wore

For a Football Banquet

Sweater - JCP/Pants - NY & CO

Shoes - Target/Bracelets - Forever 21/Earrings - Forever 21

Celebrating an accomplishment can be as public as going to a banquet to acknowledge a team who had a great year, or as private as a thought.  There are those big accomplishments that you have been working at for days, weeks or even years, and the smaller ones that happen quickly.  Some people thrive on recognition of their accomplishments, while others quietly, and with no fanfare, are doing great things. There are some days where the fact that you made it through another day is enough of an accomplishment to celebrate, but other days where you are floating on top of the world by all that you did accomplish.  Is there something you are happy to say you accomplished lately?