Slightly boring

My outfit feels a little uninspired today.  I didn't sleep great and woke up just feeling all around blah.  You know that feeling?  So anyway, it's cold outside so I dressed more on practicality than on looks I guess!

You know what makes days like today better though?  Coffee.  Lots and lots of coffee.  Well ok, not lots and lots, but definitely some.  It has helped me feel a bit more human anyway.  

I added my little owl necklace to try and perk this outfit up a bit.  I think it helps a little!

I'm looking forward to hunkering down with my Pants Monkey tonight and watching a bunch of our favorite shows and just pretty much being hermits.  It's winter, that's allowed!

Rundown:
T-shirt - Old Navy
Sweater - Charter Club, Macy's
Pants - Style and Co., Macy's
Necklace - F21
Shoes - Sonoma, Kohls

Inspiration Monday - Twas the day after Christmas

So it's the day after Christmas and I will say one thing, I'm not wearing my Inspiration Monday outfit today.  I did however wear something close though for my Christmas outfit yesterday, so that is what I'm posting with today.

Our inspiration is Ashley Tisdale, who I think is one of the Disney Channel stars?  Man I feel so out of the loop!!  We don't have cable anymore so I have a hard time keeping track!  Anyway, here is her picture.  I love her red shoes, I don't have anything quite like that in my closet!

And here is my take on the outfit.  Worn to church and dinner at my aunt's house yesterday.  We had a really nice Christmas - how about all of you?

I might not have fun shoes, but I do have cute new tights!  Got these on a last minute shopping run to get a present for the Pants Monkey's grandmother.  Aren't they cute?  Who doesn't love argyle?

There's Taylor the photo bombing kitty again.  She makes me laugh. 

All righty, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day since today is the only day this week the Pants Monkey is home with me! For more Inspiration Monday outfits, check out the lovely ladies at Two Birds.

Rundown:
Shirt - F21
Skirt - Thrifted via Unique Thrift Store
Tights - Apt 21, Kohls
Shoes - Payless

Oy vey, what a day

Story time!  This will be a wordier post than some!

So yesterday afternoon I was doing a quick check in on my blog and my "frequently read" blog list on the side of the page here to see if anyone had posted anything new.  I had my email open as well as I usually keep it up all day at work because I'm naughty like that.  All of a sudden, my blog like disappeared, I went to click on a page and it came up saying "This blog has been removed by the author" - Say What??  I am the author!!  Then my email freaked out and kicked me out and when I tried clicking on my Google + page it said "this account has been disabled."  Now I'm FREAKING OUT.

I put out a desperate inquiry on Twitter asking if anyone else was experiencing this problem and learned that Megan of Megan Mae Daily also was having some problems - I had just commented on her blog too, so it seems like a coincidence.  Anyway, she told me she was able to get a verification code sent to her phone that allowed her to get back in, so after I submitted two tickets to Google help, I simply tried to log in to my account and was given the same option - a code sent to my phone.  After that, I was back in.  I have still not heard from Google at all.  

It was really horrible to imagine losing all the mail I have archived on Gmail - that is one of the reasons I use Gmail, I can save as much as I want!  And it made me sad to think of losing this blog and having to start over, after I have made some connections with many of you!  I'm thankful to have my things back, but I am going to look into some changes.  Possibly going to take the blog to Wordpress, but I'll make sure to let you all know when/if that happens.  Stay tuned! For now, I'm happy to be back here!

Whew, so now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about my outfit today!  Cause that's really why you come to my blog, for the clothes, not for my Google/Email/Blogger drama!

I'm wearing my favorite plaid pants today - inspiration struck me on Sunday, I saw them in my closet and also my new favorite blazer from F21 and I thought - hey, I bet I could put these together and they'd be cute!  And they are!

I love how comfy these pants are while still being dressy enough for work.  They are just one of my favorite finds ever.  And they can totally be dressed down too if I needed them to be, but I like to wear them to work when I can!

Also, while I miss the snow and wish we'd have a white Christmas, I was kind of excited to pull out my clogs today, I wouldn't be wearing them if it was slippery outside, but since it's not, I decided to wear them.  Overall, I like my outfit quite a bit today!

Rundown:

T-shirt - Old Navy

Blazer - F21

Pants - No Boundaries, thrifted 

Necklace - jerseymaids via Etsy

Clogs - Sonoma, Kohls

Inspiration Monday - Super laid back

I thought it was super cute and totally appropriate that the Two Birds gals chose the Duff sisters for Inspiration Monday this week.  Sisters, how fun!  I do not have a sister, I have friends who are like sisters, but I do not have a sister, so I'm solo on this one, but at any rate, I appreciated the laid back style of these lovely ladies here:

I will admit to owning some Hillary Duff music.  Yep, I have no shame.  Yes I am 30.  Let's move on.

I kind of combined what they're wearing for my look here:

I think I'm going more Haley than Hilary, but anyway, here's my Sunday outfit!  I pretty much only went out to go have breakfast with the Pants Monkey and spent the rest of the day lounging around the house.  So this was perfect for that!

There's Miss Taylor on the couch behind me again.  One of these days I'll get Pippin in a picture and you can see how big my other furry baby is.

Stay tuned for another outfit post a little later today for day one of Neutrals Week - featuring an item I bought at the Two Birds sale! Until then, head on over to the Two Birds blog for other Inspiration Monday outfits!

Outfit Rundown:

Pink thermal - F21

Hoodie - Old Navy

Jeans - Old Navy

Necklace - Fun Sisters

Earrings - Charming Charlie

Sunnies - Lillian's

Inspiration Monday - Dressy Denim

Uffda, anyone else suffering from "Monday morning tough to come back to work after a long holiday weekend fatigue?"  I don't even have "the blues" so to speak, but it was tough to get up and get going today!  The weekend was just so wonderful, but then again, when you have two birthdays to celebrate in addition to Thanksgiving, that is bound to be the case!  The most exciting thing about my weekend?  I bought an iPhone yesterday.  I can't wait until it arrives!

Enough about all that though - it's Inspiration Monday!  This week's photo is the lovely Jessica Alba seen below here in a dressy denim looking shirt and dark jeans.  I was excited because I pretty much had the pieces necessary to try and "copy" this outfit!

Isn't her daughter adorable too? (If that is her daughter, which I assume it is?)  A good friend of mine from college is due at the end of the month with her first girl and I can't wait to shower her with pretty girly things.  Anyway, here's my interpretation of the outfit - worn yesterday to decorate my house and go iPhone shopping.

You'll notice my kitty is "photo bombing" a bit.  That's little Miss Taylor, she was kind of being my shadow yesterday, which is funny because the Pants Monkey is usually her favorite human in the house.

I've had this shirt a couple of years now actually, and typically wear it to work and dress it up more, so it was fun to try something in a more casual manner with it!  I like the look and the scarf helped keep me plenty warm!

Happy Monday and return to the grind!

Rundown:

Button shirt - Charter Club, Macy's

Cami - Old Navy

Jeans - Maurices

Shoes - Naturalizer handed down from mom

Scarf - Charming Charlie

Earrings - F21

For more Inspiration Monday outfits or to add your own, visit the lovely ladies at Two Birds!  And MN folks, don't forget their Holiday workshop is this weekend - I'm planning on checking it out!

Inspiration Monday - Wide stripes

It's Monday again!  And I'm linking up with the lovely ladies of Two Birds once again for Inspiration Monday.  This week's inspiration is Olivia Munn seen below:

She's lovely.  I didn't copy this look 100%, but when I was shopping with my friend on our day off last Thursday, I found a shirt that I thought was similar, but more to my taste.  And it was the perfect choice to wear out to dinner on Saturday night with the Pants Monkey for our early birthday celebration.  We went to Moscow on the Hill in St. Paul - fabulous food and vodka bar, if you live in MN you should make the trip over there.  Anyway, here is my interpretation:

This shirt from Forever 21 was a steal, so I didn't feel bad buying it, and it was the first day of my no longer being on a shopping ban, so I thought I deserved a treat.  Between this and the necklace you saw on Friday, I spent just around $20, so not bad at all.

I love the lace detail on this shirt.  Definitely need a little something under it because it's pretty see-through, but I have plenty of camis and t-shirts that should more or less fit the bill for that!

Added some simple black pants, shoes and jewelry and I was good to go!  I think the Pants Monkey liked it too. :)  

Head over to Two Birds to check out other blogger's interpretations of this look!  Also, if you are a local reader, check out details on the Two Birds blog for their next Vintage sale coming up the first weekend in December.  I was on my "ban" during their last sale, but this time I plan to check it out!

Have a great day!

Rundown:

Shirt - F21

Cami underneath - Old Navy

Pants - Style and Co. from Macy's

Necklace - gift from the Pants Monkey

Earrings and bag - Butterfly Boutique

Shoes - SO from Kohls

Photos by the Pants Monkey

Friday outfit post

I wanted to do an outfit post today, but wanted to keep it separate from this week's FBFF topic, since that one is all about giving thanks.

I had a great day off yesterday with my friend, we got our CDs after freezing in the cold for a bit.  We walked around the mall and had lunch out.  I was a good girl while shopping too and while I did treat myself to a couple of small things now that the "shopping ban" is over, I didn't go overboard.

The only new thing I have on today is the necklace.  I got it yesterday at Forever 21 and it was the deal of the century - $2.80!  Crazy!  

Going to be a nice day out today so I went for simple layers.  Tomorrow I hear snow is in the forecast.  Hopefully it won't be too bad, the Pants Monkey and I are going out to have an early birthday celebration just the two of us.  

Isn't the owl cute?  I still can't believe I got him for such a good deal.  This is possibly my new favorite thing ever.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Rundown:

T-shirt: "My Favorite Tee" purchased at Herbergers

Sweater: Old Navy

Jeans: LOFT thrifted from Clothes Mentor

Necklace: Forever 21

Shoes: DSW

Inspiration Monday

I started following a local blog, Two Birds, recently.  They do something fun called Inspiration Monday and I decided to play along this week!

Basically they give out a picture of an outfit the week before and then encourage bloggers to give their own take on the outfit.  So, this week is this picture of Kelly Ripa here:

She is entirely too goregous for her own good isn't she?  Anyway, at first I thought there was no way I would be able to come up with something for this outfit, but then inspiration struck - heh, guess that is the point of this exercise right?  Here is what I came up with:

It was warm on Saturday, so it seemed like a good time to try this out.  I had the perfect jeans and then I remembered this tank top I got from my cousin's bag of goodies awhile back.  When I bought the blazer I have on from Forever 21, they had it paired with a bright colored tank like this.  

The hardest part of recreating this look was in the scarf - I don't have a ton of scarves and the ones I have I usually use as head scarves.  I'm trying to get more into the scarf trend.  I have a hard time with tight things around my neck, but I think the right scarves tied loosely enough should work.  Anyway, I think this one did all right for me!

Topped it all off with my famed "suicide" shoes because while it was warm, I wasn't going to drag out sandals for one day.  I thought these looked nice enough though and similar to the sandals Kelly Ripa is wearing in her picture.

The Pants Monkey thought this made a pretty nice outfit actually, so I wore it out on our "date night" on Saturday.  How do you think I did?  For more Kelly Ripa inspired outfits or to add your own, visit the fabulous ladies at Two Birds.

Rundown:

Tank Top - Unknown handed down from cousin

Blazer - Forever 21

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Steve Madden thrifted from Savers

Scarf - Target

Purse - Coach thrifted from Clothes Mentor

Bracelet - Charming Charlie

Earrings - Stella and Dot

From one season to another

Last time I wore this skirt it was still quite warm out!  Today it is chilly, so tights and long sleeves it is!  This is one of the many reasons I like this skirt though, it transcends seasons!  I also think I've found my new "studio".  Something about the lighting in the old mail room is working quite well for me at the moment!  Of course, I say that now and tomorrow's pictures will probably not be that good, but you never know!  Knock on wood I guess!

My neck is better today, but it's not quite perfect yet.  I hope it continues to loosen up and get better.  I'm sure carrying a big old bag doesn't help, though I try to keep my purses not too full and heavy!

In other news, starting on Monday this week I put myself on a strict "no-buy" for the next month.  I have been kind of frivolous with my spending as of late, even with thrifting, and I want to prove to the Pants Monkey I can afford a Smartphone, so from Oct 17-Nov 17, I am not buying anything that isn't essential to daily life.  Plus my birthday is November 25th, so this just gives more gift options for people right?  You might wonder why I picked November 17th as my end date?  One of the local radio stations here is releasing an annual CD that has live performances from various artists, only so many copies are made and sold and the money goes to charity.  I get one of these CDs every year with a friend of mine.  November 17th is the day it comes out this year.  So there you go.  One month of "no buy".  It'll force me to "remix" my own wardrobe a bit, not all bad!

Rundown:

Pink shirt - Forever 21

Cardigan - "A" brand purchased at Herbergers several seasons back

Skirt - INC Concepts (thrifted from Clothes Mentor)

Tights - Target

Shoes - SO from Kohls

Necklace - La Coco Collection from Stella and Dot

Prep school cool

And it's another Monday.  Boo.  It was a good weekend and I wish it wasn't over!  We had a fun celebration with friends for Oktoberfest.  It was a great time and gave our friends a chance to sample all of our latest homebrew beer!  Over too quickly though and here we are back to Monday again.

It's chilly outside today, so I was able to pull out this blazer I got a couple of weeks ago at Forever 21. I honestly bought it and then the heatwave started.  That is just always how it works I guess.  Anyway, I'm glad to finally wear it.  It's almost like jersey material/sweatshirt material and it's super comfy and warm, but still dressy looking and work appropriate.  You gotta love that!  And I like the "preppy" look, always have.

And it was still kind of dark outside this morning when I was doing pictures, so I chose to do them indoors again, and once again, less than happy with the results.  We'll keep playing around with it!

The rundown:

Blazer - Forever 21

T-shirt - Old Navy

Pants - Style and Co. from Macy's (past season)

Necklace - jerseymaids via Etsy

Shoes - Sonoma from Kohls (past season)

The heat goes on

Man alive it is so hard to decide how to dress for these warm fall days!  I clearly re-arranged my closet a little too soon this year!  Oh well, doing the best that I can.  I do absolutely adore these pants, they are my new favorite thing ever.  So comfy, so versatile!

Sounds like a little cooler weather is coming back next week so hopefully I'll be able to be back into sweaters or at the very least longer sleeves soon!

Rundown:

Tank top - Old Navy

Sweater - Mossimo from Target (several seasons old)

Pants - No Boundaries (thrifted from Unique Thrift Store)

Sandals - DSW

Sunglasses - Forever 21

Earrings and watch - Charming Charlie

Necklace - Premier Jewelry

Bracelet - Lia Sophia   

Purse - Thrifted from Clothes Mentor