ugh

Well, I liked this outfit when I put it on this morning, but I'm not very impressed with the picture. Maybe its the stumpiness that occured since my hubby is 10 inches taller than me and was looking down at me as he took it, maybe its that the pants are a bit too tight and should be longer, maybe its that the shirt is a size too big. But, I don't think I'll be wearing this particular outfit anymore.

all grown up

This is what I wore Tuesday - the office I work in had an Open House and I wanted to look professional and such in case my supervisors stopped by. I think this worked out well - I got compliments on the necklace during the day. And, I have to say that I am THRILLED to be fitting back into my Old Navy size 4 cords!

day off!

I felt super-hot in this outfit, and I got lots of compliments on it all day! After dropping the kids off at school I went shopping, saw a movie, and then had coffee with a friend. It was a fun day!

Sunday, dressing to impress Granny

A couple years ago, my father in law told me that his mother and sister like me because "they think you're a knock-out, and that's what's important to them." Well, talk about a way to put the pressure on a young woman! So, I felt the need to be looking very nice for Granny's visit on Sunday, it was the first time I'd seen her in over a year. A cotton wrap dress in an Asian-inspired fabric. I had ditched the hose and heels in favor of some less dressy black sandals after church.

sacrifices

And sometimes fashion has to be sacrificed for the greater good. Today's outfit was not exciting - t-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a red headwrap thingy. But, the message is what was important today!

funky purple shoes!

I loooooove these shoes. I actually bought them (at a thrift store) for my sister, but then I tried them on and and they fit me perfectly, so I knew they wouldn't fit her and I had scored! Wednesday and Thursday I wore outfits that would coordinate with them:

so what's the point?

Well, I've started this blog... and I guess I should explain why!

I realized a few weeks ago that my favorite blogs to read right now are ones that have to do with clothes and people's personal style. I've been trying to define/redefine myself for the past year or so with regards to my style. I'm 28 years old, a mother of two young kids, I work part time in a school system (not as a teacher, though), and own a small business with my husband of seven years. I'm a little psycho about exercising and eating healthy, but try not to let my weight define every moment of my life (anymore).

I realized a year or so ago when I finally decided to move away from functional clothing to stylish clothing, that my personal sense of style had not developed much since college. I'm really too old to be dressing like a cute co-ed, and after two kids I don't really have the body for it anyway. BUT, I'm too young to dress "like a mom." (If I ever go out in Mom-jeans, I want someone to shoot me and put me out of my misery.) So, I'm trying to find slightly off-beat, stylish clothes that reflect my personality and lifestyle. I live in a very rural area now, but until last year I lived in a metro area that was very affluent. I lean somewhat towards the yuppie/preppy style, but my ideals are much more in line with the hippie movement. I guess I would describe my style as somewhat urban-bohemian? I like interesting jewelry, Asian inspired styles and fabrics, and I usually seem to gravitate toward black and red pieces in my wardrobe. And, I'm developing a major obsession with shoes!

As far as where I buy my clothes - I'm addicted to shopping at thrift stores! I also like outlet-type places like TJ Max and Marshall's. I'm quite the bargain hunter!

the perfect outfit for a family holiday portrait

I have two kids and I always have fun picking out clothes for us all to wear for family portraits - not TOO matchy-matchy, but coordinating. This year my four year old son will be wearing a black suit, black and white vest, black tie, and white dress shirt. My husband will be wearing a black suit and black tie, also, I'm not sure what color shirt (maybe white). My three year old daughter will be wearing a red and black Christmas-y dress, and this is what I'll be wearing!

OOPS!

So, I've found a big benefit of documenting the clothes I wear is that if I see a picture of myself in an outfit I am more likely to realize if it isn't work-appropriate! I put on this outfit yesterday morning:



WAY shorter than I thought it was! So, I switched to a plain black skirt:


Its hard to see in the picture, but these are really, really great shoes. They have little tassles on the front - like men's dress shoes - with a nice chunky high heel.

Boring day, clothing-wise

Today I spent some free time this morning going hiking - it was beautiful! Here is the exceedingly simple outfit I choose:



It did warm up quite a bit on the hike, so I lost the sweater later, putting my Mother Earth shirt on display.

Sunday

This is what I wore to Church this weekend... A thrift-store skirt I bought on Saturday, a top purchased from a thrift store a few weeks ago that I realized matched great, and shoes from Marshall's. I have found that while pantyhose make me feel like an old lady, thigh highs instantly make me feel very sexy!