Happy Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary yesterday. It was actually earlier in the week, but he was traveling. My parents offered to watch the kids so we could go out to a movie and we jumped on the chance! I love this shirt, but seem to always have trouble pairing it - then I realized that the ribbons on it match this skirt perfectly, and these sandals also pick up the moss green in the skirt. I didn't wear the shrug the whole evening, but I think it did look nice. And, I wore a sparkly headband in my hair - I really love the way it looks!

Spring-y Church Outfit

This outfit just shouted springtime to me! I got lots of compliments on the skirt. Because of the ruffles on the front of the shirt I went simple with my accessories - threader earrings and a faux-pearl bracelet.

like it

I like this outfit, the top is a little revealing for daytime wear, but it was such a pretty summery day and I didn't have to go to work so I figured I could get away with it! I brought the shawl in case I got chilly or self-conscious, but I never actually wore it. I loooove these sunglasses, and this necklace that my sister made for me.

Happy Mother's Day to ME!

I got this dress at a thrift store for $4.00 - its an Ann Taylor Loft dress, my size, in perfect condition! I think it looks very Michelle Obama, don't you? It does make my tummy look kind of big, but I still love it! I especially love the shirring and little bow at the waist. I accessorized with dangly green stone earrings and a simple family pendant necklace.

dressed in 10 minutes!

Today I ended up getting dressed in 10 minutes, including makeup and hair. Obviously, my hair needs basically no attention now, which is a huge timesaver! I felt very chic, even though I'd been rushed. (I had to take my son to the doctor for a strep test and the opening they had available meant we had to leave within 10 minutes of me getting off the phone, and I was still in my nightgown!)










I love this skirt, even though its a juniors, so it doesn't nip in at the waist enough. As long as I don't tuck in my shirt you can't tell, though. These are also my hands-down favorite shoes so far this spring. I have just enough southern culture in me that I really struggle in the spring - I don't feel good about wearing light shoes before Memorial Day (silly, I know), and since these are black with white accents they go with most of my summer-y outfits, too.

sundress season

We're coming into sundress season! I love wearing sundresses, but I struggle with how to pep them up a bit. I think I did a good job of that today - I'm wearing a bracelet and two necklaces from Viva Beads that my aunt gave me for Christmas. The beads are pink, purple, and green so they matched this green dress.

Field Trip day

I went with my daughter's school on a field trip today to a local organic farm. We planted potatoes and had a picnic next to a lake - it was lovely! I didn't get to wear any of my awesome shoes, I figured the only appropriate footwear was either sneakers or mudboots. But, I wore this amazing shirt that my sister got me at a thrift store. I never would have thought I'd be in love with a camo-animal print-floral shirt, but I am!














My new haircut allows me to really show off long earrings, and I love these. A friend got them in Afghanistan for me, the only thing I don't like about them is that they are really, really heavy. I'm still loving my new haircut - I've gotten tons of compliments on it! The only negative comment I've gotten is from a man at church tonight - he said, "You know, Jennifer, now you have 'teacher hair.'" WHAT? An edgy pixie is what I'm going for! Everyone else has told me that the cut really showcases my eyes and face and that the cut really suits my personality. My daughter's teacher told me I looked fierce!

Ta-da!

I did it! I decided it was silly to wait to cut my hair till I reached some magical number on the scale, so on the spur of the moment, I went and got it cut today. I've had long hair, I've had short hair, but I've never had super-short hair like this! I love it!! A couple years ago when I cut my hair short, everyone said I looked "cute" and it really annoyed me. So far, I've gotten a ton of comments from friends that I look "hot" - much better! Several people have also said that this hairstyle matches my personality - and I take that as a definite compliment. For a long time I was defined by my long hair - by other people and myself. Now I get to re-invent and explore other facets of my personality! Oh, and my husband looooooooooves it. He can't stop kissing my neck!

Master Thrifter

I so rock - on Friday I had awesome luck at the thrift store! I found a gorgeous purse for Library Girl (my sister), I got an absolutely gorgeous Ann Taylor Loft Dress in perfect condition, and I got this rockin' purse that I love so much I had to switch all my stuff to it the moment I got out to the car!

The outfit is one I've worn before, and I love it. The headband got me several compliments from strangers throughout the day.























Oh, and a brief update on the Fit Into Your Skinny Shorts challenge - I didn't even weigh myself Friday morning... I was not on-plan this week and I know I didn't loose any weight. But, we've had a warm weekend and pulling more shorts out of my closet to try on was definitely the push I needed to get hard-core. We're going to the beach in five weeks. If I can loose about 15 lbs in that amount of time, I'm going to treat myself to a pixie cut right before we leave for the beach. I'm excited!