flats a wrap!

details:

jeans~??~tj maxx

striped button down~f21

cardigan~the gap

flats~calvin klein~macy's
triple strand pearl necklace~target

i know that i don't often post on the weekend. mostly it's because i don't really get dressed on the weekend. in all honesty, unless we are going out somewhere i typically spend the weekend in baggy jeans/t-shirts or sweats/t-shirts. i thought i would post a shot of what i look like when i'm running around on my off days . this post also features something you rarely see me in during the week-flats! i' m a heels girl and the higher the better. i have bad knees and i once had an orthopedic surgeon tell me i shouldn't wear heels. well, i got a second opinion. i try to give my knees a break on the weekend:) i decided to wrap the shirt and pin it after seeing it on another blog this week(and for the life of me i can't remember which one). i added the pearls to dress it up a bit and what is becoming my favorite cardigan for a little warmth.

the house is so quiet today. doug and my son, zachary, had a boys bonding day and all of the girls are out. i thought i was going out for sushi with a girlfriend but she wasn't feeling well and cancelled:( after that i thought maybe i would check out a matinee but it was madness at the movie theater. the combination of valentines day and a relatively warm and sunny day brought people out in droves. i took it as a sign that i should hang out at home. it was just me and the dog for most of the day. i hope you're enjoying your saturday.

mix it up

details:

denim shirt/fair isle oversized cardi~the gap

lace skirt~f21

red tights~hue~macy's?

booties~steve madden

the sun made a an appearance today! it was lovely. i actually ran some errands this afternoon without my coat :0 it's not enough to defrost the icy tundra that used to be our back yard but it was so nice to feel the sun on my face.

i've discovered that i love the look of light colored skirts and dresses with dark tights and light colored shoes. this is something that i would have never tried before but having this blog and looking at myself objectively has really helped me work on figuring out my style, what i like and the things that look good on my body. i was kind of mish mosh of styles today(preppy, romantic, funky) and i'm not sure if this really work appropriate but these days i find myself dressing more for myself.

i'm lounging on the sofa after a kind of busy day enjoy the opening ceremony of the winter olympics. they lost a young athelete today during a training run and watching the horrific video on the news literally made me weep. it was heartwarming to see the respons his delegation got as they entered the arena. there something about the olympics that makes me feel like the world is a better place than we give it credit for. on a lighter note...i loved the us team's outfits:)

no big plans this weekend. maybe i'll surprise the family with heart shaped waffles on valentine's day. have a lovely weekend!

*sorry for the headless pic but today not one of my pictures turned out well. i really need a better camera*

a few details

if you've spent any time perusing the wedding blogosphere you may be familiar with snippet and ink and kathryn's lovely inspirations boards. seriously i could spend all day dreaming up different weddings for us to have....swanky city bash, modern loft, traditional ballroom...the possibilities are endless! we have chosen may 1 as THE DAY for a few reasons but the main one is because i love the kentucky derby! we didn't want to do a full on theme wedding but i hope to have some subtle bluegrass influences on the day.

our reception is being held in renovated barn. it was donated to the township where we live by a generous family. they disassembled the barn piece by piece and reassembled it. since it's so close to our house we got to watch it being rebuilt from the ground up.

our menu has been a bit of a challenge. i wanted really good food from day one. i also wanted a sit down dinner. the budget is tight and i had to give up my dream of sit down meal but the food is awesome! some of treats we'll offer the guests-shrimp and grits and sweet potato fries with aoili dipping sauce for cocktail hour-chicken with bourbon bbq glaze, biscuits and honey for dinner and my favorites-chocolate chip pecan cookies(a twist on derby pie)with a shot glass of milk during the dance party, vodka spiked lemonade(since mint juleps are an acquired taste) and red velvet donuts as our favors. i'm hungry just thinking about it:D

these three boards are the ones i've been carrying around with me. i want to feel like a cross between a jazzy/bluesey al fresco dinner party and a backyard barbeque. does that make sense? hydrangea are my favorite flowers so we decided to go with pale blue, creamy white, linen and a touch of black as an accent for the colors. i've been second guessing them but since his mom bought a blue dress to wear i think it may too late to change my mind. style wise we are going for modern country with a dash of anthropologie. if we get anywhere close to that i'll be a happy bride!

and now THE DRESS....i really thought i wanted more of a ballgown or a somewhat of an a-line dress. something floaty and airy and sweet. then i worried that an over 30 bride with her kids in the wedding party my look absurd in a s*&t load of tulle. then i said to hell with it wear what you want. i finally realized that feeling(a little bit sweet and romantic) i wanted didn't necessarily mean ball gown. i tried on a lace dress that i thought might be the one but i felt like a tablecloth. i tried on dresses my friends said were sexy. i don't really consider myself a "sexy" girl and i'm not sure how i feel about being described as "sexy" on my wedding day. and then i saw this. fit my description as modern with a little bit vintage. i'm in love! i can't wait to wear it!!

above images taken from snippet and ink: dress picture taken from the alvina valenta website

mellow yellow

details:

sweater dress~anthropologie

leopard belt~rodarte for target

cardigan~gap

gold ballet pumps~bebe

tan fishnets~target

necklace~anthropologie

i was determined to get shower, get dressed, dig my way out of the snow and become part of the human race again!

it was freezing but at least the sun was out. at least that was what i kept telling myself as i was freezing my face pumping gas this morning. oh to go back to more civilized times where you pulled into a gas station and a nice attendant came out pumped your gas, checked your oil and washed your windows. i don't remember those times but i've been told they were fabulous;) i feel kind of like a proper lady in this outfit. this dress manages to make me look put together while being extremely comfortable. the leopard belt gives it a little sass and the grey cardigan is a more interesting neutral than black or brown(which would have a little too matchy matchy for me). these sweet little metallic "ballet" pumps were my favorite neutral shoe until my beloved nude steve maddens stole their thunder...ha! i think they were outrageously priced to begin with but somehow i managed to get them on sale. this morning my dad told me i liked pretty(thanks dad!). no matter how old i get that always makes me smile.

i'm off to work out and then it's project runway for me! have a lovely evening:)

a brief update

we have been buried in snow, not as much as those of you in the northeast, but enough to shut down schools and keep me home from work for a few days. the kids are getting restless and i am bored to tears but i have vowed to leave the house tomorrow! since i've been lounging around the house in sweats and my favorite old sweater(which i should have thrown out years ago but i can't manage to part with it) i've also been totally slacking on working out:( not good since my first fitting is on march 1! i've tried not to blab on and on about wedding details because i'm not sure if any of you want to know any of the details. i do have a dress which is super exciting and i loooove it!! but if you're interested in the plans i'd be happy to share.

anyway, i promise i'll be back tomorrow:) have a lovely evening!

finally!

details:
sweater~target
skirt~f21
necklace~anthropologie
tights~old navy
shoes~harajuku lovers

finally!!i managed to get in a photo today! things have been crazy but now with all of the big things in place i can breathe again. this was not what i intended to wear today and looking at these pictures i'm not really thrilled with the way i looked, especially when i realized how short this skirt is...yikes! i wasted a good twenty minutes searching for the skirt i'd planned on wearing and when i couldn't find it this is all i could come up with.

we, like much of the country, are expecting a huge snowstorm. this means that my plans of meeting friends for sushi tomorrow may be postponed. i guess being snowed in will give me a chance to catch up on all of laundry i need to do:(

i'm off to watch project runway! have a lovely thursday evening.

let's (first) dance!

wow, i've missed blogging! things lately are pretty hectic and yesterday was the 90 day mark!! we finally have all of the big things figured out.

ceremony venue~check
reception venue~check
florist~check
caterer~check
music~check
photographer~check

of course now the fun(or madness depending on your point of view)begins...the details. i'm sure we should be following a plan or checklist that has some order to it but that's not how we roll. instead, we've been thinking about our first dance. initially i wanted something fun and upbeat to dance to, but i'm now thinking i may be somewhat emotional and it could be good to stand and sway. anyway here our are top first dance contenders.

michael buble and sharon jones "baby you got what it takes"


ray lamontagne "shelter"

i guess we need to decide if we want to be sweet or sassy:)