Saturday, February 23, 2013

This Picture Taking Thing is Getting Really Old....

Day 16
Sweater: Maurices
Belt: Maurices
Leggings: JCP
Boots: Steve Madden
Bracelet: Maurices



Day 17
Cardigan: JCP
Shirt: Kohls
Jeans: Vanity
Boots: Maurices

At one point, this outfit had a lace cami under the vneck and jewelry. It looked much better at that point. I took this picture late at night, when I realized I had forgotten to take a picture. Blah.




Day 18
Shirt: Vanity
Necklace: Forever 21
Bracelet: Charming Charlie
Pants: Kohls
Flats: Off Broadway Shoes

Love this outfit. I actually did not wear this outfit at all, because Thursday was a snow day. I spent the entire day in sweatpants or crappy clothes shoveling my driveway and playing outside with Raegan. So I threw this together fast that night so I would have something to take a picture of. :) I like it, and once the snow all melts and 30 for 30 is over, it will end up back on me again.



Day 20
Chambray Shirt: Old Navy
Lace Cami: Maurices
Scarf: Target
Leggings: JCP
Boots: Steve Madden
Bracelet: Maurices

Forgot to take a picture of my outfit on Friday. I'll put it back on and catch that up at some point. Today Raegan and I got out of the house more, because the roads were pretty clear. We ran some errands, ate lunch at Taco Bell, and spent some time at the library. I'm thinking that my two pairs of boots will be making appearances for most of the 10 days left. I don't think this snow is going anywhere anytime soon.



Snow Days!

We got hit with a pretty decent winter storm Wednesday and Thursday. Surprisingly enough, we ended up not having school Thursday or Friday. It takes a LOT for 305 to close, but I guess the 11.8 inches we got was enough to convince the powers that be! :) Here's a couple pictures from Thursday, before it was finished dumping on us. Apparently another storm is moving in tomorrow, so we'll see how much more we can layer on by Monday evening.


First time outside (first of FIVE times outside since Thursday afternoon!)


It was almost over the tops of Raegan's snow boots, but it didn't bother her one bit! :)


So happy to be out in the snow


Our backyard part way through Thursday


Driveway that I shoveled entirely by myself. I'm pretty awesome like that :)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Halfway there!

Day 13

Shirt: Kohls
Lace Cami: Target
Necklace: Forever 21
Earrings: Charming Charlie
Jeans: Vanity
Silver Flats: Off Broadway Shoes

This picture is about as good as it gets. I'm sure you can imagine jeans and silver flats at the bottom. :)



 Day 14

Cardigan: Maurices
Tank: Maurices
Mint Skinnies: Forever 21
Silver Shoes: Off Broadway Shoes
Necklace: Charming Charlies

I seriously love this outfit. Love, love, love. I think it will definitely be in my top 5. Also, I wasn't really sure when I bought the necklace, but I am so glad I did.



I mean, seriously. This necklace is so awesome.

Day 15
Chambray Shirt: Old Navy
Tank: Target
Purple Skinnies: Kohls
Black Flats: Kohls
Bracelets: Forever 21

This outfit was okay. Kinda bland. I needed a good black necklace to punch it up a little, but I just don't have one. Must remedy that soon. :)




Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Week of the Red Shoes

That's what I've decided to name this week, at least as far as my outfits go. I have other names for this week, thanks to work, but those names aren't really appropriate for a family website, now are they? :)

Day 10

Shirt: Kohls
Tank: Target
Jeans: Vanity
Shoes: Off Broadway Shoes
Bracelet: Charming Charlie





Day 11 - Valentines Day :- had to wear some red!

Shirt: Alloy
Tank: Target
Leggings: JCP
Flats: Rocket Dog
Jacket: Maurcies
Necklace: Forever 21
Bracelet: Charming Charlie

I love this shirt! It's actually an off the shoulder shirt, hence the jacket for work. I need to order a few more in different colors.



 Day 12
Chambray Shirt: Old Navy
Scarf: Maurices
Leggings: JCP
Flats: Rocket Dog
Bracelet: Charming Charlie
Earrings: Maurices

After this, I'm taking a couple days off from leggings and the red flats. :) It was a pretty comfy week for me as far as clothing went.




Saturday, February 16, 2013

Raegan's Parent Teacher Conference

We had Raegan's conference earlier this week, and she is doing awesome in school. She recognizes numbers 1-10 consistently (and is starting to name 11 and 12, just confuses the two sometimes). She counts to 39, and can pattern and count objects. She recognizes and produces rhyming words, and is starting to do sound boxes (where she gets a box filled with objects that start with one of three letter sounds - she has to match the objects to the letter they start with). Her teacher expects her to be done with those by the end of this school year. She said that she is very bright and inquisitive and she loves the practical life activities (pouring, fine motor with tongs and tweezers, cracking nuts, etc) and folding towels. :) She's made friends, especially some of the boys her age, and Ms. Sherry said she likes to pick a different boy to follow around every day. She watches him do an activity (because there's only one of each activity in Montessori rooms) and as soon as he's done, she chooses it next. :) I'm not surprised, because of how much she adores her big brother.

And she's still not even 3 1/2! She might be the youngest one when she finally goes to kindergarten, but I'm fairly certain she will be the smartest! :)

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Days Five through Eight

Day Five

Sweater: Vanity
Leggings: JCP
Flats: Famous Footwear

I seriously love this shirt. It's off the shoulder - there is nothing more comfy than an off the shoulder sweatshirt. Love, love, love. I had mentioned that I was having a hard time finding something to wear Saturday, because I had spent most of the day in sweats cleaning. This was a nice transition from sweat pants. Mmmmm, comfy. :) 




Day Six

Cardigan: JCP
Lace Cami: Maurices
Denim Trousers: Maurices
Flats: Target

I never would have thought of combining mustard yellow and cheetah print together before reading Putting Me Together. I really love this outfit though. Raegan decided she wanted to get in on the picture taking, so she's making a cameo in the second picture, showing off her fashion too! :)




Day Seven
Sweater: Maurices
Belt: Target
Leggings: JCP
Flats: Famous Footwear

Another outfit I wouldn't have come up with if not for this challenge. I probably would have only paired this sweater with skinny jeans and my brown boots. I really liked this one too, and it will defnitely show up in the rotation after I'm done with my 30 days.



Day Eight
Jacket: Maurices
VNeck Shirt: Kohls
Mint Skinnies: Forever 21
Shoes: Off Broadway Shoes
Necklace: Charming Charlie

I'm calling a substitution, and putting in these mint skinnies instead of my khakis. Because seriously. Everyone should wear mint as much as possible. Also, I seriously adore this necklace. You'll be seeing more of it. Raegan wanted in on the action again, so you get to see her rocking her cool outfit too.






Saturday, February 9, 2013

Days Three and Four

Day Three

Dress: Vanity
Tights: Target
Boots: Maurices
Jacket: Maurices
Bracelets: Forever 21
Earrings: Target



Half a face this time. :) Slowly getting more comfortable with having my picture taken every day. Wait, no. No, I'm really not. Ha.

I don't necessarily LOVE this outfit. The tights were $3 at Target, and I'm trying to branch out and try new things, so mustard yellow it was. I really do love this dress and my boots. I would wear those boots every day if I could wear jeans to work all the time. But then again, I would start missing my extensive collection of flats, so maybe not. :)

Day Four

Shirt: Vanity
Jeans: Vanity
Shoes: Off Broadway Shoes
Earrings: Maurices


Nothing too special about this outfit. I've worn it a million times before. Normally I go with a lot more jewelry (necklace or bracelet, sometimes both) but today I went shopping in KC with a good friend, and I didn't want all that extra stuff getting in the way. 

Which brings me to the fact that I did indeed go shopping during my 30 days. However, in my defense, the majority of what I bought was bath stuff from LUSH (aka, best store ever in the history of ever) and jewelry from Charming Charlie (aka, store that would drive Christina and I to bankruptcy if we were to live near one). I did buy a couple articles of clothing, but they were things that I was specifically on the hunt for to mix into my wardrobe with pieces I already have. Justify, justify, justify. :) I did finally snag a pair of mint skinny jeans that I've been wanting for months now (although they are actually mint and not nearly as blue as what the website shows).

No picture yet for today. Saturdays tend to be a lay around day at our house and today is no exception. I also have been hardcore cleaning for most of the morning, so I'm still in my sweatpants. I'll put on something just for the picture, I suppose.

Raegan is feeling much better now. She still has a bit of a cough, but the antibiotics seem to be really starting to work. She's begun to get her appetite back today, and she's a lot more active. She still is pretty crabby, and nothing can make her happy right now, but we're just going on as usual and she'll adjust back to herself soon enough. :)

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Days Two and Three

Day Two

Shirt:Maurices
Pants:Kohls
Belt:Kohls (came with the pants actually)
Shoes:Target
Necklace and Bracelets: Forever 21
Earrings: Maurices (I don't really know why I'm listing earrings on here, it's not like I'm putting my face in the pictures.) 
So I adore this outfit. Again, not something I would have thought to put together on my own outside of this challenge. Purple and leopard print might just be my new favorite. Seriously. I'm sad though, because (as my friend Christina pointed out) now I can't wear this outfit again all month. And I love it.

Also, knotting a shirt is a new thing for me too. I have reading all the tips at Putting Me Together, and I keep seeing that tying shirts is one way to reimagine your clothing. So I figured, I might as well try it on a day when I'm only actually working for an hour and a half (I stayed home with Sickie Girl, and just went in at 3:30 for my after school conferences). I was really happy with the results. Totally trying to figure out what other shirts I can do it with now. :)






Day Three

Shirt: Maurices
Belt: Maurices
Lace Tank: Maurices (I did mention that I have a problem with that store, right?)
Skinny Jeans: Vanity
Boots: Steve Madden
Bracelets: Forever 21




This really isn't a new outfit for me at all. I've never worn it with boots before, usually with flats, but other than that it's something I've worn a bunch of times. I have 1-2 more ideas for how to remix this top, so I'm excited to try those out later in the month. :)



Monday, February 4, 2013

Day One

Today was a super weird day. Raegan was running a fever last night, so she stayed home from preschool and child care today (my MIL stayed with her this morning, and Luke and I split up the afternoon). I also had to work today, but didn't have any children due to plumbing problems at my school. So it just didn't really feel like a Monday at all. Plus, I oveslept this morning. Like, my alarm didn't go off at all and I woke up at 7:00. We leave the house at 7:20. Yeah..... It was kind of a blessing from God that I didn't have kids today, because it really wasn't a big deal that I was late. Whew.

Raegan in all of her sickness is just the sweetest little thing right now. Last night she woke up 3 or 4 times during the night, and once when I went in, I said a little prayer for her. Every night before bed we pray for my friend's mom who has cancer, and when I said the little prayer for Raegan in the middle of the night, she said (in her little raspy voice), "Say a prayer for Christina's mom." My heart. I told Luke and he said, "She's amazing. She's going to change the world someday." :)

So here's my Day One outfit. One thing that fashion blogs have taught me is that you can turn a skirt into a dress by tucking a shirt into it. Never, ever knew that before this fall. I've never tried it until today, but I think it turned out really well. Probably not something I would have tried without the 30 for 30 challenge, so I guess I'm learning things already. I got a lot of compliments on my "dress" today, at which point I oh so proudly told everyone that it was indeed a skirt turned into a dress. I'm a geek. I finally have some fashion sense, and I'm just a little too proud of it. :)

Shirt: Kohl's
Skirt: Loft
Jean Jacket: Maurices
Boot Socks: Target - from the little girl section. They were $3 on clearance. I'm short, so it works! :)
Boots: Maurices
Necklace: Vanity
Earrings (that you can't see because I felt weird about taking a picture with my face in it - they're silver swirls): Target


Today was the perfect day to wear this outfit. It's not really a "preschool teacher friendly" outfit. Too much white. I don't wear white. Ever. I teach 3-5 year olds with food and boogers and God knows what else on their hands. White just doesn't work. But for a bonus!day with no children, it's perfect. Plus, dressy enough for conferences. So far, this 30 for 30 thing is easy. :)

One more picture to share. I thought it was verrrrrrry interesting that this little jewel came in the mail today. On Day One of 30 for 30 which includes no shopping. Thanks Gap. You're awesome like that. It's doubly awful because Gap is overflowing with striped shirts that I waaaaaant. Seriously. I would not buy all of those at once. That would just be silly.....

Sunday, February 3, 2013

My 30!

So after spending a million years (no, literally, a million years) on these collages, I can finally show off the 30 pieces that I picked for my 30 for 30 remix. I may never do this challenge again, just for the hassle of making collages. It's obviously been awhile since I've been on Picasa, because I could NOT get it figured out. And it's ridiculously simple to navigate, so that just irritates me. Bah.

***And upon further inspection, all of the lovely brand descriptors that I put in all of my collages are absent, except for in the shoe collage. It's almost 10:30 p.m., so I give up. You get what you get. :)


7 pairs of shoes. Seriously, I could have easily bumped this up to 8. When I started my list last week, the first thing I wrote at the top of my paper was "shoes". I have a shoe problem. To me, shoes are what makes an outfit, and I wanted to have a lot of variety. Obviously, I have two types of shoes that I wear: boots and flats. My whole shoe collection is basically these two types. These grey booties are the only true heels I own (although I do have a pair of black wedges and a brown wedge sandal). I have never really learned how to walk well in heels. Plus, I tend to go 90 to nothing when I'm running around the hallways at work, and you just can't do that in heels. :)




7 pairs of pants. The black pair all the way to the left are actually leggings, and the pair under that are denim trousers. The khakis may end up switched out for something else if I get far enough into the month and haven't worn them. I really like wearing them more in the spring with colored sandals. The purple skinnies are a new addition to my closet, and I am totally in love with them. Why have I not jumped on the colored jeans bandwagon sooner? When this challenge is over, I am on the hunt for a coral pair for spring.






2 sweaters, 2 cardigans, a cropped denim jacket and a chambray shirt. I have been pinning different ways to wear a chambray shirt like CRAZY over on Pinterest, trying to come up with some new ideas for this little guy. I wasn't sure about adding the polka dot sweater because I don't think it's very versatile, but it's also new, and by the time March rolls around, there may not be many sweater wearing days left. Same for the cheetah print sweatshirt. Not super work friendly. It will probably show up on the weekends. 





One skirt and two dresses. I haven't worn this skirt since August, so we'll see how it goes mixing it back in. I am in love with both of the dresses. The grey one has to go with leggings because it is waaaay to short for tights. At least for work. The blue one cuts it close on the too short for work standard, but I pass it off. I just don't wear it on days I have children.



7 shirts. My poor picture taking skills really show up in these pictures. I love how the flash leaves all these dirty looking spots on some of the darker clothes. :S The teal-ish colored sweater and the striped with the foil flower have been in my closet for some time, but I seriously love them both so much. The polka dot and the red and white striped are both pretty new. If I could have a closet full of polka dot or striped clothing, I would be so happy. So in love with both of those trends. 




If all of my cool captions would have saved like I thought they had, you would see that I have a serious obsession with Maurices. :) It's a problem.

Super excited to start tomorrow. We actually do not have children tomorrow because of massive plumbing issues in our building, so I can really play around with something I would normally be afraid to wear on a Monday (read: anything white!)

Saturday, February 2, 2013

A million years later

So my mom is going to be super excited and happy about the fact that I'm blogging again. And hopefully now I'll be getting back into more regularly. 2012 was a really hard year for me, and I was not at all sad to see it go on December 31st. I was very excited about 2013, and so far it's been a really good year. I decided that it was the year I turn 30, so dang it, it's going to be a good one. :)

I'll actually probably be posting a lot in February, because I've decided to do a 30 for 30 remix with my freshman roommate Kim. Basically, the long and short of it is that I pick 30 articles of clothing (including shoes, but not accessories) and mix and match them to create 30 outfits with no repeats. I think I have a pretty remixable wardrobe, so I'm pretty excited about it. The crazy thing is going to be no shopping for 30 days. Unheard of in my universe. Although, I may give myself one pass on it, because my 30th BIRTHDAY falls over the 30 day period (February 4-March 5) and I think if anything garners breaking the rules, that is it. :) So, if fashion pics aren't your thing, just steer clear of here for the next month.

But in the meantime, here's what we've been up to lately:

*Right before New Years we got a pretty good amount of snow dumped on us. It was really nice that it happened over the school break so that we could have some time to enjoy it. Raegan really got into playing in the snow this year. She really didn't even mind getting wet and cold, which was a big change from when she was 2 and Zane really had to coax her into playing outside.

She loved throwing snowballs at us!



Cheesy girls enjoying winter

View of our house in the snow

Happy!

We definitely put her to work helping out with the driveway :)



*We ended up with a pretty mild January. So mild that I was able to take these pictures last week:




We went to the park twice in one week, once in Salina and once when we took an impromptu trip to Manhattan. Then, two days after our last trip to the park, it snowed here. Ah, Kansas. Never changes.

*Raegan's learning is taking off in leaps and bounds. If you have a young child and you live in a town that has a Montessori preschool, ENROLL YOUR CHILD. Seriously. She was already pretty smart, but now she's just scary smart. :) She can name every letter and tell you every letter sound. She is trying to read, but she can't blend the sounds into a word yet. Like, she can look at "cat" and go "/c/ - /a/ - /t/" but she can't put it together to say the word "cat" yet. She counts to 29 and recognizes numbers 1-10. She can identify rhyming words and tell you what sound a word starts with if I just say the word. It's amazing. Every day I am just more and more amazed by her.

*In my own personal life, things have been going well. Like I said, I am determined that 2013 will be great (or at least not 2012!) and so far so good. Work is moderately less stressful, or if nothing else I have a really good friend there that makes it all more tolerable. (As does our wine nights!) I've been eating a lot better and lost enough weight that I'm now at my "honeymoon weight" from 5 years ago. Obviously, having a baby shifts everything around so it doesn't look quite the same, but I'm pleased nonetheless. Also, my undergrad student loans will be paid off in less than two weeks, so that's pretty exciting. Now to roll all that money over to my grad school loans and get crackin' on those. My goal is to have those gone by the time Raegan starts kindergarten. Lofty goal, but we'll see.

I think that will do for now. Next up, fashion pictures. :)