Casual Easter

First of all, hello. 

Today, I'm showing you my relaxed Easter look.

I'd like for you to know how comfortable I was wearing this outfit. 

Very comfortable. I've found you almost every item (exactly), so you, too, can be comfortable like me. 

Quite often, I read fashion blogs, and women weigh in on what their style is. 

Here's my deal: if I can find the armholes, it doesn't take me five minutes to figure out how to wear the article of clothing, I don't look like a total schlep, whatever I'm wearing won't cause me to fall flat on my face, and I'm comfortable, then there's a good chance I'll try it on for size. However, what dominates my wardrobe? Bright colors, stripes, and blazers. Lots and lots of blazers. I enjoy this coral blazer. I plan to find it an emerald green best buddy to chill with in my closet. 

There are a few trends that are just not me. I shall list them in no particular order:

1. Uggs (bear claws for feet)

2. Sneaker wedges (I just can't like them.)

3. Distressed jeans (I refuse to pay someone to put holes in my jeans when I'm pretty capable of fulfilling that task on my own.)

4. Boyfriend jeans (dumpy butt syndrome doesn't appeal to me)

5. HIGH heels (I don't make a habit of pissing off my lower back.)

More power to you ladies who can rock these trends and make them look good, but this girl can't make 'em work, and I'm okay with that. Anyone else have trends that just don't suit them?

Outfit Deets:

Blazer: Target (exact)

Scarf: Old Navy (exact)

Jeans: NY & Co (very similar)

Shoes: Nordstrom (exact)

Earrings: Target (only $7.99!)

Linking up with Molly.
Oh, and here...

And here. :)

5 Days, 5 Ways: Casual Friday

This outfit never made it onto the blog, but it's so sinfully comfortable that it belongs with today's Casual Friday post. Seriously, I felt like I was wearing pajamas all day. Oh, and I didn't adopt a carpenter; that's my Dad. He rocked chambray before chambray was cool on anyone other than a cowboy. Yee haw.

Look #1: A blazer pulls everything together, especially if it's a gold blazer.

Blazer: Mod Cloth

Jeans: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Flats: Target

Scarf: Handmade by Momma, of course

Look #2: Chambray and colored pants

Chambray: Rock & Republic via Kohl's

Pants: Candie's via Kohl's (noticing a trend?)

Boots: Franco Sarto via Marshall's

Studded Necklace: Forever 21

Look #3: Peplum, Dark Skinny Jeans, Flats, and a Military Jacket

Top: LOFT

Pants: NY & Co.

Flats: Urban Outfitters

Jacket: Forever 21

Necklace: The Limited

Look #4: Wide Leg Jeans & Blazer

(I swear you could wear this on a Monday.)

Blazer: Jennifer Lopez via Kohl's

Top: Express

Pants: J Brand via Marshall's

Brown Wedges (can't see 'em): Aersoles via Marshall's

Look #5: belted cardigan with skinny jeans

I remember only where I got the cardigan: Express.

All of the looks in one place. 

Which look is your favorite? Mine is, without a doubt, the orange blazer and wide-leg jeans outfit. 

No contest. However, the red pants outfit is soooo comfortable. 

Joining Fran & Whitney for the last day of 5 Days, 5 Ways:

5 Days, 5 Ways: Wedding Dress *gasp*

I bet you saw this title and thought, "seriously? No, she can't be serious." Oh, she's serious. And you know she's serious if she's speaking in the third person. *Shudder* I hate speaking in the third person. 

However, I do not hate this dress. If it were socially acceptable to wear my wedding dress every day, I totally would. The dress is obviously not as wonderful as my husband, but it comes a very close second. 

Ladies, I know you will hate me for saying this, but it must be said: it is not easy shopping for wedding dresses when you're built like a small boy. They try to strap you down and suck you in with all of those snack bag clips, but that jazz just doesn't cut it. There are bubbles in awkward places. A random button pokes out in an inappropriate place. It's just all wrong. The hardest part for me was finding a place that sold dresses close to my size so that I had an inkling of an idea about what looked good on me. 

I already had one very important criteria: absolutely no strapless. I hate strapless dresses; they never fit right. I don't have the business to hold them up. 

I thought I wanted lace. I tried on lace. I scratched as if someone had thrown me at an itchy tree and then dunked me in poison ivy. Okay, not that bad, but I was uncomfortable. I wanted to peel off every lace dress and burn it. Lace was a no go.

I said no mermaid. I actually have hips, and I didn't want to look all odd shaped. Welp, I ended up with the mermaid dress because I felt hot. My husband is a butt man (TMI?), and this dress hugged my bum in all the right places. 

Best moment of my wedding day? As soon as I made it down the aisle, out of the side of his mouth, my husband said (for only me to hear), "you look reeeally hot." Major ego boost. 

On to the pictures. 

Shoot #1: The Wedding Day (obviously)

(Credit: Eric Stocklin Photography)

Shoot #2: Post-wedding shoot with my good friend, Christine

I wanted some relaxed shots, so we hung out with my friend and took some shots in a nearby park.

Name that allusion.

The duck face never looked so good.

Shoot #3: Helping out my photographer

If, after your wedding, your photographer says, "hey, would you mind putting on your wedding dress and getting free shots of yourself at a really pretty venue," you say YES. Where do I sign in blood? That is what you do, ladies. 

He let me keep this bouquet! :) 

And, in case you want to see them all in one place, here you are:

How many more times can I wear my dress and still maintain my dignity? 

5 Days, 5 Ways: Mustard Skinny Pants

Today's 5 Days, 5 Ways is pants. I didn't want to recreate 5 looks. I was hoping I could pull from my archives. Luckily, I have three outfits with one pair of pants, my trusty ol' mustard skinny pants from Target, the same pants a previous student has a serious objection to (for no good reason whatsoever.) Oh, and what do you know? Yesterday's outfits featured a yellow blazer. Do you think I like yellow at all?

I also pulled together two more looks on my Go Chic or Go Home account because I'm cool like that. 

Look #1: Floral blouse + mustard skinnies + red wedges + maroon blazer 

Look #2: Chambray + mustard skinnies + brown boots + bright scarf

Look #3: Lace shirt + jean blazer + mustard skinnies + plaid scarf + brown boots & belt

Now for my Go Chic or Go Home collections:

Look #4: flannel shirt + mustard skinnies + teal cardigan + brown flats 

Look #5: jean jacket + blue gingham + mustard skinnies + navy flats

I guess I don't love dressing up these pants, but I know I could. It appears I've type casted them. 

Oh well. 

So, which look is your favorite? How would you dress them up? (I guess the first look is technically dressed up, right?)

Also linking up with:

Yellow Blazer: Five Ways

This weekend was my best friend's bachelorette party. Friday night, we went out to dinner at my favorite place (P.F. Changs). The restaurant was Julie's choice, but I benefited for sure! We then took a trip to a huuuuuuge Target, went back to the hotel, watched What to Expect When You're Expecting (hilarious...love Elizabeth Banks), and played Quelf (which looks like another, more inappropriate word if your eyesight isn't fantastic.) On Saturday, we spent the day shopping, and everyone lovingly referred to me as P.S. (personal shopper). Seriously, guys, that would be a fun side job. 

I was in my zone.

The weather must have known I needed another day to recuperate because I got a snow day today! 

Anyway, the snow day also provided me the opportunity to join Fran's 5 Days, 5 Ways challenge this week. 

The run-down looks like this:

I decided to style my new yellow blazer five ways. After all, I wore it this weekend and loved it. 

I wanted to inspire myself to wear it other ways.

Here's how I wore it this weekend:

Paired with: tan sweater, white jeans, leopard shoes, and polka dot scarf

(By the way, the look did not look pulled together until I put on a belt.)

I MATCHED THE TARGET OTTOMANS! I neeeeeed one. 

Anyway, check out the other ways I styled it this morning.

(I chopped off my head because putting on make up or brushing my hair for these pictures was not a priority of mine.)

Since I wanted to prevent this post from becoming too enormous, I put all of the outfits into one image. Feel free to pin it. (Hover over the top right of the image, and a Pin it button will appear.)

I think the image speaks for itself, but let me tell you how much I LOVE this blazer. I'll be honest: I love all of my blazers, all 40 or so of them. Yeah, I said it. I have approximately 40 blazers, and I wear every single one of them, so, no, you may not take some off of my hands. 

I found this bright, yellow beauty at Nordstrom (online) for 55% off, and I used a gift card. Woo hoo :) It's my first "semi-designer" purchase, Vince Camuto. I understand now why people pay a pretty penny for some articles of clothing. This thing fits like a dream. For the record, my favorite look is probably the one NOT in this collage: the sweater, white jeans, and leopard heels look. 

Which one is your favorite? 

Okay, time for some more grading. I hope you enjoy my blazer in all of its versatile glory. 

Thanks, wind.

It was a beautiful, warmer day today, but all good things come at a price. Today's price involved the wind. When Jeff picked me up from work and we walked outside, the wind whipped my skirt around, and I yelped, "BAH! Why is it that EVERY time I wear a skirt the wind blows it up!?!?" A mom of one of the kids I teach was sitting in her van...with the windows down. She laughed pretty hysterically. She heard me cry out and probably saw my lady business. Fantastic. 

The inspiration for this outfit came from here. 

One of my students, granted it was a student who wears athletic gear every day, claimed that this outfit didn't "match." The stylish girls around her disagreed, but now I wonder: is she right? Does this outfit not match? I argued that the colors complement each other, and I didn't want to wear all blue. I wasn't going for the blueberry look. Who's right: the fifteen-year-old or me?

We took 19 pictures; only one turned out, but I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this one in iPhoto. I hope it brings a smile to your face. 

And look at this nonsense: 

Good grief. 

I need to wear lipstick. Or get a tan.

Outfit Deets: 

Blazer: Marshall's (similar) 

Skirt: Old Navy (old)--(similar #1, similar #2, similar #3)

Boots: Franco Sarto via Marshall's (cute ones)

Necklace: Charlotte Russe (exact for $12.99)

Oh, and just for kicks...would you like to see where my love of stripes originated?

Yep, that's me in the patriotic ensemble. Oh, and my big brother? He's the one rocking a mullet, purple turtleneck, and acid wash jeans. Gotta love the early 90s. 

Peekaboo Lace

Though this title is mildly suggestive, I assure you there's no funny business going on in this post. For Marion's challenge of the month, styling lace, I went with something a bit different that incorporates some of my favorite things: plaid, flannel, lace, and bright colors. I rather like my little bit of girly, little bit dude-ish, little bit casual, and little bit sophisticated. And what do you know? I'm a little bit of wowe. That's how it's done, folks. 

Note: tights are not my favorite, but they are a necessary evil at the moment.

(Damn you, cold, pale legs.) 

I love orange and blue together. Of course, I'll tell you that very same thing when I wear just about any other color combination. I just love color, and who am I to resist it? 

I need to brush my hair.  Yikes. 

I really can't wait for the weather to warm up so that I can get this porch in tip top shape. 

I considered boots, but I love these brown wedges...a lot...and decided they were better for a work environment (not that boots aren't good for a work environment).

Outfit Deets: 

Plaid Shirt: Old Navy (all they have left)

Blue Skirt: The Limited (very similar)

Brown Wedges: Aerosoles via Marshall's 

Lace Shirt: The Limited (straight up sexy)

Earrings: Kohl's

Oh, and I also styled the plaid shirt this way. 

If you want to see some other fashionable ladies, check out Marion, Shanna, and The Pleated Poppy. 

Tasty Tuesday: Spinach Spread & Barramundi

I bet you're beginning to wonder if all of our meals resemble baby food. 

What better way to get your servings of vegetables than through an experimental vegetable puree?

I have been doing a lot of research on the anti-inflammatory diet. Spinach, fish (except the cold water variety), and walnuts all have anti-inflammatory properties according to the four books that I bought. 

If you want a quick little segment about the anti-inflammatory diet (from the guru himself), then check out this short video. 

(source)

My Dad has been talking up Dr. Weil for years. I think I was in high school (so, at least ten years now) when he really got into what Dr. Weil had to say. I'm a big fan of him, too. 

Anyway, here's what our dish looked like (not baby food, I swear):

We retrieved the spinach dip recipe from one of my anti-inflammatory books, The Inflammation Free Diet Plan, by Monica Reinagel. (Buy it here.)
Overall, it's a pretty helpful book, but I haven't tried all of the recipes. I can't give you a full book review.

For the barramundi, Jeff did the following:

Ingredients--

* frozen barramundi (we find ours at Giant or Martin's)

* thyme

* basil

* salt

* pepper

Procedures--

1. Pan sear those bad boys until they're fully cooked (about 8-10 minutes on medium heat.)

2. After you put on the spinach spread, top with walnuts.

For the spinach "spread" (actually meant to be a dip), we did the following:

Ingredients--

* 2 tsp canola oil 

* 1 cup chopped leeks (calls for onions, but I can only tolerate leeks)

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* One 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed (calls for two, we had only one, and it worked just fine)

* 1/2 cup water

* 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (it's equal to two of those lunch cups)

* 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

* 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

* 1/2 tsp pepper

* 1/8 tsp nutmeg

* salt to taste

Procedures--

1. While you pan sear the fish, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic, and cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

2. Add spinach and water, and cook until heated through.

3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add cottage cheese, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, pepper, nutmeg, and salt. Puree until smooth.

4. It tells you to refrigerate at least four hours and up to 24 hours before serving, but we wanted it hot to put on the fish (not use as an actual spread). We refrigerated it afterward and now have it as a dip. 

Anyone else experimenting with the anti-inflammatory diet or a huge fan of Dr. Weil?

St. Patrick's Day Style

I went nowhere other than the grocery store and my living room couch yesterday, but I still sported green...in all sorts of shades. After years of getting pinched, I've been trained to wear green on St. Paddy's (proper spelling) Day. I didn't want some random shopper at Giant to smurf bite me. My brother's given me enough of those over the years. 

I feel like I need to provide you with something witty today, but I have nothing. Nothing, I tell you. However, I do have this...

Apparently, my hair tries to escape when I hop on the elliptical. 

And this...

She wanted to work out, too. I'm not sure that would have went too well. 

And look what came in the mail today...

Hellooooo, beautiful yellow blazer.

Fear not: I will be coming up with an outfit for it this week. 

And finally, this...

Are you a fan of my SEVEN DOLLAR Calvin Klein jeans from Marshall's? 

You should be. Why wouldn't you be?

Only gold shoes seemed appropriate for the occasion. 

A tad grainy, but I'd like to call it impressionistic. Yeah, that sounds fancy.

(Truly, I just wanted you to have a closer glimpse of my $7 earrings from Target.

Hmm...my pants and earrings cost the same amount. Weeeird.)

Outfit Deets:

Jacket: Forever 21

Sweater: Target

Earrings: Target

Scarf: Target

(we have a winner, folks.)

Gold heels: Jessica Simpson via I have no idea

Brown belt: NY & Co (love their belts)

Jeans: Calvin Klein via Marshall's

I'm hanging out over at Molly's today.