Cute!!!

How cute are these outfits from Gap?! I follow Gap on face book (which I suggest everyone should!) They always have super cute outfits or their best deals up on FB. Which is great because then you know exactly when to shop their super cute trends! I came across these today and just about died! They are too cute! Gap has such a fun, fresh style that makes shopping for the current season pretty stinking easy! I would love to have any, or all, of these outfits in my closet :)! I think I'll be visiting Gap within the next couple of days!

I think all of these outfits are perfect for spring trends. All of these outfits are perfect for every day activities, but they could also be easily transformed for the night. 

Shorts....

Shirt: Ann Taylor (outlet) Necklace: Burlington Coat Factory, Shorts&belt: Target, Shoes: Old Navy

I just want to give you a fair warning; you will see these shorts a lot this summer! But don't worry I got them in white also!

I love Bermuda shorts! You can make an outfit really preppy or dress it down and keep in casual with these shorts. They have very straight lines and sleek style so it makes everything look a little more dressy-ish but like I said, you can always dress it down. This blue color is HOT, HOT, HOT this summer! And it pairs well with any of your neutral colors. Or you can go bold and create a color block outfit. For example I could do a navy, yellow or green top. Make sure when doing something like that, that you wear accessories (like jewelry or a scarf) that ties in the colors. For this outfit I chose to keep it simple and wear a white shirt, but I still wanted to add more color. By wearing this bib necklace I made the outfit look more fun (not so business casual) but also created a play on colors with the yellow, blue and green in the necklace. I wanted to keep the outfit looking fresh and summery so I added this skinny light blue belt. I love a wedge heel with Bermuda shorts so I finished the outfit off with these strappy sandals. This was a fun outfit! I hope you like it as much as I do!

Look Book

From Target: All Accessories, Shorts 1&2, High-Low dresses, Sandals and Wedge. From Old Navy: Shirt 2,3,4, Jean Shorts and Pantsand purple flats, From The Buckle: Shirt 1&6

A friend of mine came to me recently and asked if I would put some outfits together for her for a trip coming up in June. She lives in New Mexico and is visiting South Carolina in the middle of sumer! If you don't know New Mexico weather, let me just tell you, it's a dry heat. Uncomfortable, yes but definitely bearable. South Carolina is not only going to be hot it's going to be HUMID, which means you just feel wet and sticky all day long. And I think that is the most uncomfortable feeling ever! (Sorry friend!) So as I was putting these outfits together I kept "cool thoughts" in mind. This applies for everyone, any where you go, so listen up! 

If you want to stay cool (and I mean cool as in not sweaty) look for fabrics that are breathable i.e. cotton, linen and/or wicking fabrics. If you have to wear a cardigan find one that is made of these materials. You will be amazed at the difference you feel. Also try to stay away from synthetic clothing. However this is pretty hard when 99.9% of those flowy blouses you see are made up of synthetic materials. So if you just HAVE to have that shirt, look for something that isn't touching you/ clingy to your body. Look for shirts, dresses and skirts that are flowy and breathable. The less area it's touching, the less you'll feel like ripping your hair off your head at the end of the day. ha ha!  I know that sounds crazy but trust me, that's the feeling you get. Also if you get a synthetic top that shows your shoulders, try putting a cotton or linen cardigan over it. That will help keep you cool as well. (and it will mop up a lot of the sweat, if you know what I mean) Oh by the way, by cardigan I mean light weight. Not your sweater cardi you wore through the winter. (You never really know what the weather is going to be like so pack a light sweater just in case.) 

Shorts are a great way to stay cool as well. If you don't like showing off that much leg, opt for the bermuda short. They are so cute and you can wear them with seriously ANYTHING. Like a button up shirt or a relaxed T. The list goes on

Here is a tip for wearing jeans in the summer: When wearing jeans make sure to wear a flowy top and open toe shoes. The top will help your body breath and open toe shoes will help ventilate you. 

Lastly dresses are a GREAT way to stay cool. We love maxi dresses and skirts, but sometimes those lock in a lot of heat. So look for the high-low dress. That will help keep the breeze moving and result in keeping you cool.

All of these outfits I felt would look great on my friend. I factored in her body type, hair and skin coloring and her personality.

I hope this helps all of you, but mostly I hope this helps you dear friend! Have fun in South Carolina!

Decisions

Shirt, Skirt and Belt: Target, Pearls-Old, Shoes: Old Navy

Someone should have warned me that making decisions is difficult. Geeze! I thought it was rough in high school, trying to decide on a prom dress or which night to hang out with my friends. Then you grow up and you get faced with choices like, which college should I attend? Should I marry this guy I have been dating for a while? (which actually wasn't a very hard choice. I have always had a soft spot for my husband and I still think that is the smartest choice I have ever made, but you get the point.) And that is not where the decisions stop. Where should we live? Where should we work, and for how long? Do we go back to school? And for Pete's sake when on EARTH can we have children!? And I know thats not where the choices will stop either. Can you tell I'm a little stressed with life right now? I actually kind of just broke down with that last question..... But on the bright side I'm lucky enough to share all my decision making with the most important person in my life, my husband.

Recently My Honey has been faced with a really tough decision on where to work. He is torn between two jobs that he thinks would be beneficial to his future, both in different ways. It's kind of taxing on us both to be stuck in no mans land. 

I'm working through some choices also, but more along the lines of WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE!!!??? I feel so stagnate and I hate feeling like this. I want to grow and progress not be rooted to a solitary spot. Maybe that is due to my wild, un-tamed spirit (ba-ha ha If you knew me at all you would be laughing right now wondering, "What wild, un-tame spirit?" ha ha) Sometimes I really do wish that we would have a map given to us when we are born. Telling us which turn to make and exactly when to make it. But isn't that sometimes the exciting part of life, that we really don't know what could be waiting for us around the corner? Maybe it won't be a great thing, but it's so worth the struggle when it is a GREAT thing!

Ok, like I said in my post yesterday, I really love Target. I guess I didn't realize how much until I started  this post. Some days  everything I have on is from Target and it makes me giggle to my self a little. Oh, Target, you're great!

 I wanted my outfit to be a little more relaxed while still wearing a pencil skirt, which is pretty hard to do sometime. So I paired my super awesome polka dot skirt with a cute color T and belted it with a large belt. Leaving the excess belt floppy makes it look a little more laid back. I added my pearls to give it a little "sweet factor" and added my booties to finish off the feel of the outfit. I hope you like it!

 This is me, laughing at how serious I take my self sometimes.

Target Spread

All items from Target

Man, It feels like forever ago that I wrote on my blog. I have a lot to tell you about the past three weeks, but I'll save the bulk of it for another post. The important things that happened was my little brother Josh leaving for his mission to Soa Palo, Brazil and my brother-in-law getting married. I had a great time seeing family (which I consider my husbands family to be mine as well as his). I always feel so sad when I leave them. My honey and I got home just the other day, and this morning I woke up feeling so sad. I really do atribute that sad feeling to having a quiet home. I miss the chaos and laughter of little kids. I miss having someone in the other room to laugh with or share a bowl of cereal. Living so far away from family is hard. But I enjoy the time I get to spend with them. And I really had a great trip. I can't wait to show you all the pictures.

For my blog post today I wanted to do my favorite things from Target. Target is one of my very favorite stores. Not only can you find everything you need there, they also always have good deals and low prices. (I also feel like they have top quality items, so I know I'm getting a great deal.) But my favorite things right now are these items, and everything shown here is UNDER $30! Say what!!?? I love the colors and the retro-ish style of these clothing items. The yellow dress is darling if you ask me. The lining around the neck gives it great personality and yellow is such a happy color. I can't imagine having a bad day while wearing this dress. I would pair it with a cardigan (you could do cream or a lighter yellow for the monocrome look that you'll see all over this spring.) or my trusty jean jacket. Really I think you could wear this dress with anything, but thats where I would start. 

The next thing I found at Target was this black and white blazer. So cute! 

You could really dress this up and wear it over a dress, a blouse and slacks or wear it with a loose fitting color T and boyfriend jeans for a relaxed look. Add some pumps and wa-la! perfection! 

You know this bib necklace trend that you see in pretty much every store? RUN with it! Bib necklaces add so much detail to an outfit. If you do go this route then wear a simple earring or none at all. But can you just imagine wearing a simple white button up shirt with one of these necklaces? Wouldn't that be so stinking cute? I think so! 

One item that is definitely on my list "To Buy" is this retro, polka dot, one piece, swim suit. I usually don't look forward to swim suit season but I think it would be pretty hard to leave this beauty sitting in your closet for too long! This suit is perfect for someone like me that is curvy. The ruching on the side will help mask my "problem" areas And the bow will draw attention to my upper half, creating an allusion that I have more up there than I really do :) happy day! I highly recommend going to Target and checking out the other cute retro style suits. I guarantee you'll find one you love.

I have always been a hat person. Not that I think hats look all that great on me, but I just love them. I wish we still wore hats every were we went. And I'm talking about the huge over the top floppy hats. I really would like to go to a Kentucky Derby just once so I have a reason to wear an all-out hat. But for now I'll just have to settle for wearing one around the pool. This floppy hat would go great with my swim suit now I think about it. And no pool side attire is complete with out a great tote. I love the kelly green with navy blue combo. Then I would need to wear these cute cat eye sun glasses and I would have it made in the shade... literally!

The other great thing about Target is the Home Decor section. They always have such fantastic things. I need to start buying a little here and there so I can decorate my home. I love stripes I think that stripe throw needs to come live with me!

Sorry I wrote a book, but I haven't blogged in so long. I forgot how much I missed it! 

Just an Outfit

 Floral Blouse: TJ Maxx, Pants and Shoes: Target, Cardigan: Down East, Pearls: Borrowed

 

 

I am having such a hard time today writing my blog. Man they weren't kidding when they say writing everyday gets old. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, it's just hard to put it into words everyday... But either way I'm doing it and here it is.

 

My brother in law (my sister's husband) thinks "matching" means wearing the same colors. I told him that matching just means you're not clashing ie. colors, prints, styles etc.. You can have your own opinions but that's what I think.

My blouse has peach, lavender coral and grey in it and my pants are light blue. They match, even if they don't have a color in common. I love this outfit. It's romantic and a little trendy because of the mix and match colors. My pants have poke-a-dots and my shirt is floral, so also a mix and match print. I wanted to wear pearls to add to the romantic feel of the outfit and then drop earrings to keep it soft. The cardigan tops the outfit off balancing the mix print and color. And there you have it! My favorite by far. Thanks for reading! 

 

 

 

 I forgot to open my eyes... HA HA!

 

Pros and Cons

 

 Jeans and Shirt: Target, Necklace and Earrings: Charming Charlie, Purse: Langford Market, Shoes: My Sister's Closet

 

So... please don't think I am complaining, I'm really not and I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but here are some pros and cons I have found in loosing weight. I'm going to start with cons because I love saving the best for last.

 

Cons: When I get a cheat at the end of the week I automatically feel guilty. I have to constantly remind myself that one "bad" meal won't make me gain weight overnight.

I still want to loose a lot more so I get impatient and nervous that I won't be able to.

I hate feeling guilty when I skip a day of working out (sometimes there really just is not time.)

My bottoms are getting too big and I get really annoyed having to pull them up all day long, and I feel slumpy ( or like saggy bottom pants, not cute!)

I have to be very attentive to what I eat, how I prepare the food and portion control. Sometimes I want to just eat and not think about it. (My sister is helping me so much this week)

Lastly, its funny how little attention I got from strangers on the street. (Not that I am doing this for attention) What I mean is ,I was beautiful before and I am still beautiful, just because I lost some weight it doesn't make me any better of a person. I actually don't really like to be "checked out". It makes me feel so uncomfortable.

 

Pros: I feel fantastic, both physically and mentally. I feel like I can take on the world and  I can look in the mirror and be happy with my appearance.

My body is getting more defined and I really like to see my arms and legs build muscle.

Ok this was a con, but also very much a pro. I love that my pants are getting too big. It's a love hate relationship but I mostly love it. It's like a reward you can see.

I actually really love eating healthy. I thought it would be a lot more difficult than it really is.

Lastly I feel so happy, and for me that is enough "attention" I need.

 

If you would like to know more about how I lost weight, go ahead and ask. I would be more than happy to share the "diet" I did and transformed into a lifestyle.