A Few Things...

1. Something about a delicious cupcake turns a day into magic. 

2. I hate coffee. Earl Gray is my drink of choice. I should've been British.

3. These work pants feel like leggings, but they are absolutely not. They are the columnist slim fit pants from Express. Go get you some. 

4. I am so excited for ugly sweater day at school tomorrow. I'm coupling it with "Flannel Friday." I don't know if that's a real thing or if my students just made it up. Either way, since my classroom feels like an ice box, I'm rocking my flannel shirt under my ugly sweater. 

5. I am 29 and just found out the source of my two month headache is a deviated septum and bone spur. How did I make it this far through chronic sinus infections without this nugget of knowledge? First thing I thought of when the doctor said spur? Cowboy boots tapping the sides of a horse while wild west music plays in the background. The mind thinks what the mind thinks. 

The Outfit:

Blazer: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Pants: Express (Columnist slim fit)

Boots you can barely see: b.o.c. via DSW

White sweater: The Limited

(FYI: I folded up the sleeves over the end of the blazer.)

Leopard infinity scarf: Francesca's

Linking up with Tres-Chic Fashion Thursday

and

All Things Thursday

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:

Dear, Shopping-Addicted Self:

Dear, Shopping-Addicted Self,

1. Do not buy anything just because it is on sale; otherwise, you will end up with a closet full of mismatched pieces (i.e. the hole I am currently digging my wardrobe out of). 

2. Conversely, never pay full price for anything unless it is already within the price point you wish to spend on that particular item. 

3. Just because it fits does not mean it ships to "you look like the bomb.com" town. Additionally, just because, "Mooooom, everyone else is wearing it!" and it looks good on everyone else, does not mean it will look good on you. 

4. Confidence completes any outfit. If you're confident in rocking those paisley pants, then you get down with your bad self and rock those paisley pants. Fashion is meant to be fun, not formulated.

5.  If you do not absolutely love it in the store, you certainly will not love it once you get it home. Some outfits just do not qualify as "take me home to Momma" material. Accept it. 

6. If it itches, bunches, pulls, and smacks you in the face (or other, more awkward body parts) after five minutes in the dressing room, you're going to be dolphin-punching angry after five hours in it. You used this strategy when you shopped for wedding dresses, and it worked swimmingly. Apply this strategy to all clothing.

7. If you cannot make this item part of at least three different outfits in your wardrobe, then it is a colossal waste of money. 

8. If you continue to buy five versions of the same damn black sweater or striped shirt or red cardigan, I'm stealing your piggy bank and never returning it. And you like that piggy bank because it's actually an orange elephant you named Penny. Penny's life depends on this rule. 

9. You know the best place to shop? Your own closet! Oh.Em.Geeee. Who would've thunk it? You have so many lovely clothes that your husband has to store his in the office closet. Maybe you should shop your own closet before heading to Target...again. 

Please take these rules into consideration every time that you pull out your wallet, or I will be forced to hide your Pirate's Booty cheddar puffs somewhere that you will never find them. Penny will go with them. 

Love,

Your Reasonable Shopper Other Half

Does anyone else have public, written conversations with themselves? Or, is that idiosyncrasy all mine? 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy today's outfit. I came up with a new way (for me) to tie my scarf: in a bow! I figure shirts with bows are all the rage. What should stop me from turning my scarf into one? 

Maybe common sense, but who has that anymore? 

Outfit Deets:

Sweater: Forever 21

Pants: J.Lo via Kohl's (Momma bought 'em for me!)

Boots: Franco Sarto via Marshall's

Scarf: From Momma (not sure where she got it)

What would you put in a letter to yourself?

Professional Plaid Pants

I've been wearing primarily sweatpants for the past four days, so my mind said "uh, whaaa?" when I told it to find an outfit for work today. Confused, I stood for fifteen minutes in my closet because something was complicating my conundrum: it was supposed to be so polar bear cold that the wet wipes in my car would freeze into a block of ice (actually happened). I needed layers. Work appropriate layers. 

I thought about adding a pop of color, but I decided against it. I wanted to be white, black, and gray. 

Hey, my coat has color. 

I slept on this hair. Jealous? I thought so. 

Please tell me that the dogs make you laugh. I didn't crop them out of the picture for this very reason. 

Outfit Deets:

Blazer: NY & Co. (gray blazer)

Sweater: Old Navy (old being the key word)--(similar)

Pants: Express (old)--(more subtle ones)

Wedges: Me Too via DSW --(I love these booties)

Coat: Miss Sixty via Marshall's (last year or something)

Linked up with The Pleated Poppy. 

:)

Sweater over Dress

Excuse the craptastic lighting in these photos. 

So, I lied to you. I can wear a button down under a sweater. This look worked for me for two reasons. One, the dress had short sleeves (no lumpy arms). Two, the sweater was chunky, so I couldn't see buttons showing through it. 

Since I was driving three hours to visit my bride-to-be best friend, I wanted to be comfortable during the drive. However, I also had to leave from work, which meant I needed comfortable + work appropriate. 

LADIES, leggings are only appropriate when you cover your butt. 

So, my husband is sequestered to the couch with popsicles, water, and blankets. For the first time in our 8.5 years of being together, he has the flu. Since I have to have a procedure done tomorrow, I can't eat for nearly two days, and I haven't been able to take vitamins for a week. I am really hoping my immune system can stay strong. Please let the fact that I've been working in a petri dish for seven years be enough to ward off the sickness. 

I guess we'll see.

Outfit Deets:

Dress: Kohl's (similar)

Sweater: Forever21 (similar)

Boots: Macy's (similar, similar)

Leggings & Necklace: Gifts

Piggy bank failure. 

Who knows what's wrong with this picture?

Are those pajama pants?

So, a student said to me, "When I first saw you, I thought you were wearing pajama pants. I see those aren't pajama pants. They're really cool!" I own about five or more pairs of plaid pants. Plaid pants will never die as far as I'm concerned.

Black shirt is from Old Navy.


Plaid pants are a few years old; they're from Express. I love their business pants. So comfortable and last for-ev-er.

Belt is also several years old and from Express.

Meet my new, cute shoes from Macy's in NYC :) They're Marc Fisher. He makes awesome shoes; I especially love his sandals. I can't wait for spring/summer!

White sweater is from Express (a few years old).

I really did not want to have my picture taken, but I did it for the people who actually want to see my outfits. If any of you out there actually exist?

If you like my hair color and cut, see Andrea at Cavallaro and Company. She did my hair for my wedding, and she's been doing my hair for maybe five years? I love her!