Hey you guyyyyys!

It's SPRING!  Finally!  I'm wearing sandals!  Finally!  I believe this is the latest I've ever gone into the year without wearing them, it's crazy!  Anyway, today's post is picture heavy as I celebrate all the wonderful things about spring: floral, sandals, arm parties, light colored bags.

I did wear these pants even through the winter as they seemed to work for year round, but I'm excited to wear them in the spring and summer, they have so many style options!

And I'm weak.  Yes, this is a new bag.  Yes I'm still on a shopping ban.  My sister-in-law's best friend (aka my Stella and Dot enabler) had a S&D open house last weekend to showcase the new spring/summer line and I fell in love with this tote.  I've had a rough month so I decided to treat myself.  It's a bit bigger than what I've been used to carrying, but I just love the color and it's surprisingly lightweight, so I think it's going to be a great spring/summer bag.

 Sweater - Christopher and Banks, from cousin

T-shirt - Ann Taylor, from cousin

Pants - Mossimo, Target

Sandals - Merona, Target

Jewelry and bag - S&D

Clearly I need a pedicure, very, VERY badly, but I'm just so excited to wear sandals anyway!!  Happy feet!

I took a close up of my arm part, it turned out a little blurry.  I'm really excited to wear bracelets again.  I just don't see the point in the winter when long sleeves cover them up!

And of course, I had to give you a close up of the bag.  It's a nice material that wipes clean.  I should have showed you the inside, it's a fun red print.  It has one outside pocket that is perfect for my cell phone.  And it just feels classy.  I'm getting to the time of the year where I'm going to start changing bags more frequently because I often match them to my outfits, I can't help it in the summer for some reason, but I do expect to get a lot of use out of this guy!

Welcome Spring, welcome.  Please stay as long as you like, we're so happy you're here!

Pride

Welcome to Friday!  Boy, I thought this week was going to turn out to be crappy, but in the end it turned out pretty good. I had been fighting with an issue at work with some software that I use and had been on the phone with the vendor for days trying to figure it out.  Finally on Wednesday afternoon I did figure it out - all by myself!  The vendor was no help to me at all, I just played with some settings and tested things until I finally figured it out all on my own.  I was pretty dang proud of myself!!

This is my outfit from yesterday.  I have been wanting to pair these items together for awhile and just hadn't done so yet.  Lots of blue, but I love it!  I had to laugh, I was in the restroom washing my hands and this lady comes in and right away says "I love your outfit!" So I smiled and said "thank you."  And then she said "it kind of reminds me of the school uniforms I had to wear in the 60's"  I laughed.  This skirt has often reminded me of a Catholic school uniform, but I don't mind so much.  I love plaid and I love the retro feel of it!

Sweater - Christopher and Banks, from cousin

Scarf - S&D

Skirt - LOFT, thrifted

Tights and boots - Target

Bag - Jenna Lou Designs 

So anyway, to celebrate my small victory at work (and because my boss said my STO is close to hitting it's cap again), I decided to treat myself to a three day weekend - instead of today off though I took off Monday.  And I think this will prove to be a very useful thing, it's Spring Forward this weekend with Daylights Savings Time and I have a much harder time with adjusting to this one!  Having the ability to sleep in on Monday and acclimate to the new time a bit more slowly sounds pretty darn good to me!  Have a great weekend everyone!

My newest favorite thing ever

Ladies and gentlemen I now present my "new to me" vintage sweater dress from Miss Amanda's Salvaged Strawberry shop.  I could.not.love.this.dress.more.  Seriously, my new favorite thing - I mean it's freaking plaid and has loads of orange!  I layered it up a bit as it's sleeveless and it's chilly out, but believe me, I have many ideas for styling this beauty.  It's going to be right up there with my vintage houndstooth dress as far as favorite remix pieces.  

 Sweater dress - Salvaged Strawberry

Cardigan - Christopher and Banks, from cousin

T-shirt - Mossimo, Target

Tights and boots - Target

Necklace - Charming Charlie

I am guessing due to the weight of this dress though I won't be able to wear it too far into the summer, it is quite warm, but I'll just have to get my fill of styling it up over the next couple of months!

The Pants Monkey said I looked all sorts of cute this morning.  I always know I have a winner when he makes a statement like that!  What is your favorite piece to remix?  What is your favorite new item in your closet?

Blue hues

 I knew as soon as I saw this sweater in the bag of goodies from my cousin that I'd be wearing it with my favorite blue striped Anthro pants at some point.  Today seemed like a perfect day to do so!  It's rather gross outside today, we got more freezing rain overnight.  I know we've been in a drought and we need the moisture, but I can't stand freezing rain!  I would prefer snow.

Sweater - Christopher and Banks (from cousin)

T-shirt - Decree, JCPenney

Pants - Anthropologie, thrifted

Necklace - swap with CC

Boots - Mossimo, Target 

The only good part of this rainy weather is that it is a little warmer outside so at least I didn't need to wear my heavy parka.  That is what is known as optimism here in MN!

True blue

Woo hoo it is Friday!  I thought that my first full work week of 2013 would drag, but actually I was very busy this week, so it kind of flew by!  No complaints here!  And yes, no pants week is over.  I just really wanted to wear jeans today!  As I mentioned yesterday, we were supposed to get rain and well, we did get rain.  In fact it started yesterday when I stopped at the grocery store after work.  Cold rain and tights?  Ick.  And it's still raining today, so pants were the choice for today.

I saw a similar outfit to this in my latest issue of Glamour, except it was a cardigan instead of a pullover, but when I saw it I figured this sweater I just got in the bag from my cousin would work instead.

I also finally got a chance to photograph the coat I bought over my Christmas break.  It's not super heavy, so it's good for a day like today that isn't as warm outside.  I love that it feels like a vintage coat, but it isn't actually vintage.  It's fun.

And then in the next picture, there is this bag.  First Coach bag I ever bought myself and I got it on Ebay, so it was not too expensive.  But, I waver on this one each year and think I might send it on down the line - but then I get in a mood like today where it looks cute with my outfit and I just want to use it.  So, I guess I'm glad I didn't get rid of it after all!  I have to laugh too, I mentioned this very early in my blogging days here that whenever I use this bag I get more compliments from men than anyone else!  I get a chuckle out of that.

 Sweater - Christopher and Banks, from cousin

Jeans - Old Navy

Necklace - S&D

Bag - Coach via Ebay

Boots - Mossimo, Target

Coat - Nine West, consignment

So does anyone have exciting weekend plans?  Because I'm more up to it than I was last weekend I may go adventuring a bit with the Pants Monkey tomorrow.  I am also going to clean out my closet - it just needs to happen!  Out with the old and in with the new!  Have a great weekend!

Inspiration Monday - Shopping win/fail

Hi friends!  I hope you all had good weekends.  We sure did.  Yesterday we did an Oktoberfest boat ride through Living Social on the Mississippi River and we ended up with fantastic weather.  I could not believe how we lucked out on that.  It's probably our last boat ride of the year, so I'm glad we made the most of it.

Now we're into the week and it's Inspiration Monday!  We have Leslie Bibb (no idea) here in a jacket I just want to steal off her body.  It's funky and cute and fun.  

Since I don't have a jacket like that I did my best with a funky button shirt instead.  And I had to wear my fun new shoes.  Yes, I am technically on a shopping ban but I made an exception for shoes.  I had gone to Target on Saturday with the intention of going in for some new tights and a few toiletries, etc.  I decided to wing past the shoe department just to see if anything good was on sale. 

These bad boys were sitting off on one of the benches, either abandoned or perhaps someone was planning on coming back for them.  I picked them up and noticed 1. they were my size and 2. they were only $4.99.  Well, if someone was coming back to grab them, too bad, they're mine now!  Then I found some bootie/shooties on sale as well in a color I've been wanting, so I grabbed those as well.  And I may have also bought one clothing item even though I said I wasn't buying clothes.  But everything was very cheap so I got some great deals, which means total shopping win!

Except I forgot the tights I originally went in for.  Oops.  Shopping fail.  Oh well!

Head on over to two birds to check out other Inspiration Monday looks!

Patterned shirt - Christopher and Banks (from cousin)

Black t-shirt - Mossimo, Target

Pants - Style and Co, Macy's

Shoes - Xhiliaration, Target

Necklace - Stella and Dot

Leather love

Man alive, I was running so far behind this morning, not only was I stuck with indoor pictures, I had to do them when I got to work.  Yes, I'm lucky enough to have that option on occasion since the boss roles in a good half hour after me, sometimes later when she is visiting her other clinic facilities.  But anyway, these aren't the greatest but they'll just have to do!

Seriously though, there is just something about when it gets to be Fall, I have a harder time getting up and getting moving in the morning.  I think my body is like "you need to start thinking about hibernating, because in another life you were a bear."

So when I went to the thrift sale with Lori a week ago, I had hoped to find vintage Coach because they had advertised it.  But we were there on the last day so it was pretty picked over at that point and all they had was a canvas vintage Dooney bag that wasn't that appealing to me.  And I suppose I should back up and give the background story on this.  The Pants Monkey has started doing some leather working.  He's a man of many hobbies my sweet hubby.  Anyway, he's just finished a Kindle case for himself.  While he has been working on leather I suddenly became obsessed with leather - good quality leather.  I have a vintage black Coach bag that I adore.  I decided that I needed one in brown because brown is good for Fall.

Flash forward back to the picked over sale, after I left there I decided to check a couple of my favorite vintage shops just to see what they had.  Well, I found this guy at Rewind and while it wasn't as cheap as I'd like, I decided to take the plunge.  Because I clearly have a problem.  The first step is admitting it right?  At least my purse addiction isn't harmful to my health!

This is a great little bag though, I'm finding more and more I like bags that are functional but still a little stylish.  I might do a post on my different bags sometime, though that might just lead to someone throwing me in Rehab for Bag-o-holics!  I told the Pants Monkey he could make me a bag if he wanted, then I wouldn't have to buy so many, but he just smiled.  I don't think he's quite that advanced yet.  His Kindle case is pretty sweet though!

Dress - ModCloth

Sweater - Christopher and Banks (from cousin)

Shoes - DSW

Bag - Vintage Coach via Rewind

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Bracelets - World Market, S&D

Fun Facts Friday

Happy Friday!  As promised, today I'll take the time to answer a few questions about myself.  Thanks to all who humored me  played along with me.  I'll do my best not to ramble and hey, maybe you'll learn something new!  First, here is today's outfit.  Nothing horribly special.  It's Friday and it's a jeans day.  Date night later. So the top is pretty and fun, but the overall feel is casual and comfortable.  Can't beat that.  

All righty, let's dive into the questions!  

1. What do you enjoy about blogging and why? 

I enjoy the challenge of mixing my wardrobe and playing with my clothes.  I started the blog because I was bored, both in general with day to day things and also bored with getting dressed for work.  I can safely say that is not the case anymore.  And I love the blogging community I have found myself in, that is almost more what it's about for me now, I have made so many friends across the world and I love connecting with all of you.  I feel like it's a daily virtual coffee date and I wouldn't have it any other way!

2. What's up with the Pants Monkey?  What's the origin of that?

I get asked this a lot, so it's time to try to explain the whole thing.  I'll keep it as simple as I can.  First off, when I started the blog, I was going to keep it more anonymous, so I didn't want to use real names.  I had been reading Kasmira's What I Wore 2Day a lot at the time and noticed she called her husband "Beefy Muchacho."  So I thought, ok, I'll give my hubby a nickname too.  As for Pants Monkey itself, he came up with that persona years ago.  He went through a phase where he thought "pants" was a funny word and kind of made it his "thing" - he'd write it on stuff or that would be his response if you asked him a question, he was just being silly.  And then monkeys are his favorite animal.  He put the two together and bought the domain Pantsmonkey.com awhile back and used to keep it up as a website/blog but hasn't updated it in years.  Then we started homebrewing beer and built a keg system/bar in our basement for the beer and I decided our "brewery" needed a name - so we called it the Pants Monkey Brewing Company.  Flash forward back to when I started this blog and wanted to give him a nickname, it was a no brainer to me that he would be the Pants Monkey.  He doesn't really care if I use his name or not at this point and if you're friends with me on FB, Twitter or Instagram you have probably seen his real name now.  But I kind of like using his nickname here so I'll keep doing so.  It'll be kind of like Wilson's face on Home Improvement, one of those great secrets in life.  Or something!

3. Have you always lived in Minnesota or did you grow up somewhere else?

Minnesota born and bred baby!  It's actually kind of sad, I only live about ten minutes away from my childhood home.  The furthest I lived from home was when I was in college and even then, it was only about a half hour across town.  I love this state though, I love Minneapolis AND St. Paul - I grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis and went to college in St. Paul, so I think both cities have a lot to offer.  We have a thriving arts community - theatre, music, visual art, you name it.  We have awesome restaurants, the craft beer industry is exploding, and we have some of the best state parks around.  Plus, Northern MN is beautiful, I love going "up North", especially in the summer.  Plus, I love all four seasons (and yes, that does include winter).  I have traveled plenty, but Minnesota is home and always will be.

4. What is your favorite meal?

This is so hard.  The Pants Monkey loves to cook and we love to eat out too.  I'd say we're borderline foodies.  I think my favorite if I have to pick is Mr. Monkey's spaghetti and meatballs - he makes sauce from scratch that is to die for.  We make Bobby Flay's meatball recipe and they are fantastic as well.  Add a bottle of Chianti and you have one happy Bethie!

5. If you could be any literary character, who would you be?

This may sound dorky, but Winnie the Pooh.  He may be a bear of "little brain" but his life is so simple and it takes very little to make him happy - a honey pot, his dear friends, and a little love.  And there are some beautiful quotes in A.A. Milne's books.  If you've only ever seen the "Disney" version of Winnie the Pooh, I highly recommend reading the classic books.  Also, I named my blog after Winnie the Pooh (that's where Bethie the Boo comes from).

6. What's your superpower?

What's my actual superpower?  I can type like nobody's business and I'm a major multi-tasker.  What superpower do I wish I had?  The ability to control time.  I don't know that I would stop time all together, but say you're having one of those amazing moments that you wish could last longer?  Then I would freeze time to savor it.  Likewise, let's say you want something over faster, like a dental appointment or something? Then I would speed time up!

Thanks for letting me share more about myself!  This was a lot fun.  I'll do it again sometime!  I'll leave you with a picture of my Taylor cat - it's her cat-i-versary!  We've had her for six years today!  Time flies.  I love this little furball!  

Outfit rundown:

Shirt - Christopher and Banks (From cousin)

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - thrifted via Clothes Mentor

Earrings - Stella and Dot

40 days and 40 nights

I went for a rather subdued look for casual Friday today because it is Good Friday and in the Christian faith it's a reflective kind of day.  I promise though, I'm not here to shove my religion down anyone's throat as I want all to feel comfortable and welcome here.  Anyway, it didn't feel right to wear flashy colors today and this shirt will look nice when I go to Good Friday service later tonight.

Now Easter Sunday on the other hand - I have a fun outfit planned with a colorful dress because that is a day of celebration in the church.  And it's going to be chilly here in MN on Sunday, but I am still wearing my dress no matter what!  That's why we have nylons right?  I need to paint my little toes before then too because even if I wear nylons, I may break out sandals for the first time this year.

Easter Sunday also marks something pretty huge and significant for me - my 40 day shopping ban will be OVER!!  Now if that isn't a cause for celebration, I don't know what is!  Honestly I don't plan to go crazy, I've mentioned before I might look into a monthly budget to try to help me not go overboard.  Because I still need a new laptop and that is going to take priority.  Just another paycheck and I *think* I might finally be able to order it!  Fingers crossed! (going for a Macbook Air - them bad boys are SPENDY).

Tomorrow my mom is helping me reorganize my closet (and pull out things I don't wear anymore) - figured that is the first step before actually being able to go shopping again right?  If we find enough things worth selling off, I might take a load over to Clothes Mentor or maybe I'll save some pieces for a swap (hint hint MN girls).  At any rate I'm looking forward to making sense of my closet again - after the bag of goodies from my cousin it's just gotten to be a bit of a mess!  And isn't my mom nice to help me with this task on her BIRTHDAY of all days?  She's the best!

And then back to Easter, we'll be with my parents for a nice quiet dinner as the Pants Monkey's parents will be out of town.  We'll celebrate with his family next Sunday, which is Russian Easter (his grandfather was Russian Orthodox).  Double the ham for me!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a wonderful Easter if you celebrate - whether it's in a faith filled manner or in a bunnies and eggs type manner!

Outfit rundown:

Shirt - Christopher and Banks (from cousin)

Jeans - Old Navy

Bracelet and earrings - Charming Charlie

Shoes - Rampage, DSW

Bag O' Fun

Once again, thanks for all your kind words re: my cat.  I just love this little blogging community, seriously, means more than you can possibly know!

I decided to feature the first of my fun new things from my cousin's Bag O' Fun!  It's a fun and funky shirt from Christopher and Banks actually.  I haven't been in there in a very long time, it's always been kind of hit or miss.  It used to be one of my mom's favorite stores, but even she hasn't had as much luck there as of late.  At any rate, this shirt is fun and is a great material, it'll go a long way into the spring and maybe even the summer.

I promise this isn't another new handbag.  I told you I have a million purses.  There are still some that haven't been on the blog yet.  I have a problem.  And the first step is admitting I have a problem, right?  Anyway, this fun pink bag just spoke to me because of the bright pink flecks in the shirt.  And I usually pull this bag out in the spring, so it seemed like a good time to do it.

And the pictures just don't do justice again to this outfit, because the pants have a pink stripe in them, but that isn't showing up real nicely in the photos I took.  Oh well.  You believe me because I said that is what they look like, don't you?

Short day for me, get to leave early for my one year follow up to Lasik appointment.  Granted, last month was the actual one year "anniversary", they couldn't get me in until today.  It is still the best thing I have ever done in my life.  I highly recommend it!

Edited to add - linking up to Tammy from Silverstyle's Trending through the Decades for "Brights" - I think this handbag definitely qualifies!!

Outfit rundown:

T-shirt - Old Navy

Printed shirt - Christopher and Banks (from cousin)

Pants - Ann Taylor (thrifted)

Bag - Lillian's Shoppes

Shoes - Sonoma, Kohls