Fashion Friday

Move over sunshine, there's a new season in town! Boots, leg warmers, sweaters ... the joys of fall!

 

 I am loving this over-sized sweatshirt from Victoria's Secret ... a soft mauve color, a versatile neckline, and oh-so-cozy! It can be worn as a cowl neck, off one shoulder or even off both shoulders.

 

 I never would have thought to pair leg warmers with my shorter boots ... thank you Pinterest!

 

 These are my favorite skinny jeans by AG ... love, love love!!!

And what's not to love about Old Navy's long layering tanks ... pretty much a staple for every outfit I wear!

 

 I snagged myself up a few cross bracelets from a friend of a friend who sells these on the East Coast. All of her cute accessories are $12 each and are great quality (unlike others I have purchased for the same price and have fallen apart). Here's the Facebook link if you wanna take a peek at the collection.

 

I hope everyone had a great week ... have a wonderful weekend!! xoxo

Mani of the Week

Wet N Wild Rain Check and Sally Hansen Golden-I (middle accent)

Two coats of each and topped with NYC Grand Central Station clear coat.

Loving the softer combo ... not quite ready for the bold and darker colors of fall just yet.

What polishes are you into lately? Have any colors you wanna swap out? Check out the swap tab above to see what colors I have available for trade! 

Breakfast Made Simple

As we all know, Pinterest is chock full of amazing ideas to help make your life easier. Here is one that I am finding so awesome each and every morning, as I am rushing my family about to get out the door in time. These little breakfast muffin bites are made in batches and can be customized to each person's liking. I love that they can be heated up in the micro for a few seconds, and serve up a warm and filling start to the day!
What you will need:

• mini muffin pan
• eggs
• milk
• favorite fillers, such as bacon, sausage, ham, cheese and veggies

Super simple directions:

• Scramble up some eggs in a bowl with a little bit of milk.
• Add in your fillers. In my pic above, I added shredded cheese, diced bacon and zucchini.
• Spray your mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
• Fill muffin trays and pop in the oven.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until eggs are completely cooked through. (You can insert a toothpick to verify. If the pick is clean, the muffins are cooked.)

I like to make these the night before if I know I will not have extra time in the morning to prep and bake. They store in the fridge and are easy to re-heat for a quick morning breakfast or mid-day snack! My kiddos love requesting their favorite combos and I love giving them a wholesome meal to start their days off right!
Has anyone tried these yet? What are some things you do to make your mornings a little easier?

Fashion Friday ... Boot Season!

Sweater ... JC Penney

Tank top ... Old Navy

Skirt ... Express

Leggings and Knee High Socks ... Target

Boots ... Nordstrom Rack

Bracelet ... Old Navy

Champagne taste on a root beer budget ...

My title can't even reflect a budget to include actual beer, but here are a few things I have been drooling over thanks to the powers of Nordstrom.

I am all about bundling up now that the rain and wind have returned for the next 9 months ... here's my picks:

 DKNY ... $119.90

 

 Halifax Traders ... $118.00

 

 Tahari ... $178.00

~

And of course, we can't go another season without finding a new Ugg boot to wear every.single.day.

These ones here are $259.95!! Yikes!!

 But guess who saved the day by featuring a knock-off version?

Oh Target, how I love thee!! These are only $34.99!! Sure, the comfort level won't be anywhere near that of Uggs, but shoot! For that price, I can throw in a pair of comfy socks and still be able to convince my hubby that these were a NEED.

~

What new season items are you dying to call your own?

Mani of the Week ... Fall is Here!

Yay for the Fall season!

It is getting chilly here in Oregon, but the sun is still shining and the leaves are simply gorgeous as they are changing colors!

My polish colors this week were inspired by the autumn season.

.. Essie Chinchilly and Sephora Vivid Metallic ..

Two coats of each and NYC Grand Central Station topcoat.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

xoxo

Mani of the Week

~

Wet n Wild .. Dutchess from the Fergie Collection

Gorgeous royal blue with flecks of purple and teal.

This polish is super thick and packs a ton of glitter in every sweep.

As with any glitter-bomb polishes though, this one is a diva to remove!

Purchased at Walmart for $3.49

Let's Swap!!

How many of you have nail polishes that you aren't a fan of the color? Or how about accessories that you just don't wear anymore?

Instead of taking up valuable space for your new and favorites, let's swap!!

I have set up a link in my menu bar above (just under my title) with a page of goodies that I would love to swap out! I figured it would be funner to exchange these items with my blog girlies, rather than throw them out or Goodwill them.

Take a peek at the page and let me know what you think!

If you are hoping to see something specific up for swap (i.e. certain polish color from a mani post or necklace I have worn in a Fashion Friday), holla at me!

Hope you are all having a great weekend!!

xoxo

What I Wore Wednesday

This week has been very productive so far ... don't ya just love when things go as planned? Today, I actually went in to work with my hubby, who is an independent insurance agent. Being a wife and personal assistant/secretary go hand-in-hand when needed. Here's what I wore to his office:

 

 Sweater ... Forever 21 and only $7.80!!

Great fall colors to choose from ... go get yourself some!!

Skinny Jeans ... Aeropostale and on sale for $24.50!

I was actually surprised at the rise on these. For a teen-inspired store, these sit high enough to NOT show my butt crack! Score.

Tank Top ... Old Navy, $8. Love the longer tanks for layering!!

 

 Bracelet ... Aeropostale, $3.

 I adore cheap accessories!

Necklace ... Aerie, $6.

This actually had another piece originally attached, but I cut it off to make this necklace more simple. Plus the chain they attached just didn't look right.

 

Cheetah Flats ... Charlotte Russe, BOGO $15.50 Sale!!

LOVING these!! You usually can't go wrong with cute shoes from CR.

 

 Gold hoops from Old Navy ... $4.

Total Outfit Cost ... $68.80

Feeling cute for the day ... Priceless!

I hope everyone is having a great week!!

xoxo

Friday Fun ... Swaps Make Me Smile!

Hey Peeps! While I may have had a blah week, I appreciate the sweet comments on yesterday's post. I especially liked the encouraging hair comments ... it's a tough adjustment to go from having long hair for 8 years, to chopping 10 inches off on a whim. I will learn to embrace my new 'do and will definitely take up your suggestions of bobby pins and headbands! I'll have to hit up Target for some cute clips, too!

~

On to brighter things ...

I signed up to do this nail polish swap ... how great is the name?

 

 

I was partnered up with the sweet Suze from Straight On The Ground, who recently became a new momma to the cutest little baby boy! I was so excited to receive my little package of goodies from her in the mail ... this is what I opened up!

 

 A cute little greeting card, nail buffers that make my nails super smooth and shiny, and a wrapped-up bundle ... of not one or two, but FOUR new polishes!! And four polishes that I did not already have in my collection!! Yippee!!

Colors from left to right: L'Oreal Paparazzi Pleaser, Essie Chinchilly, Sinful Colors Dream On, and Sally Hansen Petal Pusher

My iPhone pics simply do not do these colors justice. The Paparazzi Pleaser is a pretty purple ... not quite a grape color, but a little darker. Chinchilly is a gray-ish color with hints of a brown undertone. Perfect for fall! Dream On is a hot little magenta color, not quite a neon though. More of a berry ... so pretty! And I was excited to see Petal Pusher because I do not have any nude polishes in my collection! This one is a super light pink. I promise to debut each color throughout the season with pics that show their true pigments!

A BIG THANK YOU to Suze for being such a great swap partner!

xoxo

Just one of them weeks ...

It turns out that I am hating my hair! Cutting it short needed to be done, to get rid of all the damage, but I am not liking it. It is constantly in my face, I can barely pull it back. It sucks. Hoping it will grow back quickly. Any tips on how to speed up the process?

Work has been busy this week. Lots of tasks to get done. I really can't complain of this, being the real estate company I work for has been awesome to let me work from home so I can be here around my kiddos' school schedules, but it is tough being glued to a computer screen all.day.long.

And being so busy, I have a DVR full of my favorite shows that I am waiting so patiently to watch. Sigh. Summer finales and fall premieres need to be enjoyed in a timely manner!

 

Have I mentioned yet that I am tired, too? Mornings are tough ... really, really tough.

Oregon can't quite figure out if it is done with summer yet, so our mornings are very cool and cloudy, while it is in the 80's by the afternoon. This only sucks because it requires a mid-day outfit change, which leads to more laundry.

 

And to top it all off, I am having one of those bloated weeks where I only want to eat junk-comfort foods. I have an IUD, so no periods for me, only the symptoms. I hate the scale right now ... and how fat my face looks with my dumb short hair.

 

Aren't y'all glad you stopped by today? Ha ha!! This only proves that I am human, and I am happy that I have this little space and friends to vent to! Hope everyone is having a great week ... xoxoxo!!

Fall TV Line-Up

While The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Army Wives kept me entertained from spring through summer, I am excited that the new season brings back some other faves of mine ...

 

 Parenthood ... Tuesdays ... 10pm ... NBC

 

 Vampire Diaries ... Thursdays ... 8pm ... CW

 

 Whitney ... Fridays ... 8pm ... NBC

The Voice ... Mondays ... 8pm ... NBC

 

What are you watching this season?

I dared ... a new 'do!

 It started as a debate in my head, but thanks to the fabulous girls who left me comments on Tuesday's post, I made my appointment for this afternoon! My magical hair gal cut off 10 inches!!! We added some layering and I went with long, side-sweep bangs to change it up a bit.

 

Gosh, my hair feels so much lighter and healthier! I am loving it!! It was tough not to add some purple or red highlights, but I stayed strong and kept my hair as chemical-free as possible. My scalp thanked me.

Do I dare ... cut my hair?!?

I need a little help from my girls ... I am feeling a bit bored with my hair, and I don't think it deserves to be bleached or dyed again. I think we have had enough of that in this last year! So should I go shorter ... like a medium cut or long bob? My hair length is currently down to the middle of my back. Is it taboo to go shorter going into fall? Opinions, advice, links to styles you recommend ... don't be shy! Help a girl out!

xoxo

Celebrity looks I am eyeing ...

 

Apparently, I am into blondes.

 

Looks I tried on ... both got thumbs up!

 

Wanna try before you buy? Check out this free makeover site by InStyle Magazine, that allows you to upload your pic and try on lots of hairstyles and makeup trends. I use it whenever I am having pressing style commitment issues.

 

The countdown ...

Oh.my.goodness! Even with all the KStew cheating drama, nothing can over-shadow my excitement for the final movie. Goosebumps, peeps. Goose.bumps!!

Back to School

We had a busy holiday weekend that kicked off Back To School week with an exhausting start! My third grader and kindergartener are excited to be back at school, meeting new friends and hanging out with old ones. They both got super sweet teachers and are happy going back to our normal routine.

 

 

 Having both boys in school this year, I needed to step it up a notch in the organization department. Two seperate schedules and activities, two seperate grades, one busy momma! Thanks to Pinterest, I snagged a couple ideas to create this awesome space in our home. Each kiddo has his own dry-erase weekly calender, a box for important papers, library books, homework, etc ... and hooks for their backpacks and jackets. And another great thing about this little project? It cost a whopping $22.25 ... thank you Target!

 

 

 How cute is my 5-year-old? He is so thrilled to finally be in a 'real' school like his big brother. 

Hope everyone is having a great week!!