number 2 of 7

from the Mr:
"I chose this shirt simply because I like it. I like the different collar style and I am a big fan of Annie wearing white. Annie is a big fan of blue so I figured it was a win-win."

This shirt was easy to style. It reminds me of a pretty Greek village, right on the coast, with white buildings, blue roofs & doors – Santorini-esque. And while that’s somewhere I’d love to be, I don’t live on the coast, or in Europe, or in a white house with a blue roof, so I wore my blue & white button up with mint jeans for a “refreshing” look, just in time to say goodbye to summer and welcome fall (why didn’t my brain create this outfit when it was HOT this summer??).

shirt: Aéropostale

mint jeans: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

belt: American Eagle

sandals: WalMart

number 1 of 7

From the Mr:

"I chose this pair of jeans because I, personally, am not a fan of skinny jeans that are tight all the way down to the ankle. So, since I had the option to make her wear whatever I wanted, I picked a style that i like to see her in."

I love these jeans. They’re from American Eagle, my senior year of high school. They’re a light-wash flare.

And I just.

Can’t.

Get.

Rid.

Of.

Them. 

They survive every closet purge. I love them. I really do. But, sometimes they feel a bit dated to me. Especially since I have several pairs of jeans that are a more “contemporary fit” than these old favorites (*cough* skinny jeans *cough*). But, I love these, and I’m keeping them.

However, I also wore navy blue and did some print-mixing to update my look a bit, bring it into this decade, if you will. 

And also, I tend to forget how short I am until I wear pants like this, and step on the hems all day. Skinny jeans don’t hang over the back of my shoes and dangle dangerously, but these sure do.

shirt: Old Navy

cardigan: Banana Republic Outlet

scarf: Target

jeans: American Eagle

belt: American Eagle

shoes: Target

7 items

In an effort to switch things up around here, the Mr. and I had the idea for him to help me with a “style challenge,” of sorts. He chose 7 items, and I had to figure out how to wear them, all in 7 days. There was to be no repeating, and I could not double up items in 1 day.

So, 7 different items to style, in 7 days. Sounds easy, right? Shouldn’t be TOO difficult. I mean, it wasn’t IMPOSSIBLE, but it wasn’t as easy as just throwing on what I want to wear every day. However, I did it! And he even gave me 1 easy item – my running shoes, since this week happened to include my most recent half marathon.

Here are the 7 items he chose, and a little blurb of information from him (below). The next several posts will show how I styled these items, and his rationale behind choosing each of them for me: the jeans he’s always liked (they’re from high school), the brown shoes & blue plaid belt, I hardly wear, and the running shoes, so I could run my race.

button up shirt: Aéropostale
dress: from a friend
sequined skirt: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's
jeans: American Eagle
belt: American Eagle

running shoes: Mizuno via Zappos (Mizuno Wave Inspire 10)
loafers: MIA

From the Mr: 
"I got to pick 7 items out of Annie’s closet and she had to create an outfit with each of them for the next 7 days. I debated playing a mean joke and picking out swim suits and winter jackets, but I guess the nice side of me won and I picked the above 7 items for her to work with. I tried to give her a bit of a challenge, and threw in a couple of easy ones as well. I think she pulled off each outfit like the beautiful, stylish, and confident woman I know her to be."

I’m really into the idea of challenging myself when it comes to my wardrobe and this blog, especially lately. It’s so easy for me to fall into the trap of wailing “I have nothing to wear!” But being forced to flex my creativity within certain confines/”rules” really makes me look at what I already have in a whole new way. For example: having 7 items I could wear in any order, but having to style them, all in a week’s time span, made me evaluate more of the items still hanging in my closet.

All of that being said, I’m completing another 30 for 30 Challenge for the month of October – I’m currently completing it, but am backlogged with other outfits to share, so look for those later this month. The “rules” are about the same – maybe 1 or 2 tweaks to what I’ve done in the past.

If you know of any other fashion/style challenges I should try, please share! I’m really interested in hearing if anyone else (besides style/fashion bloggers) does this, or if you have any great ideas to share with me – I really like having to stretch my mind and closet, as well as get creative in how I make my closet really “work for me."

Mr. Picks Mondays: Peppy in Peplum

The Mr. selected this striped blue peplum dress for me to wear (apparently he prefers that I wear blue striped dresses). This dress came with a skinny yellow belt, but in an effort to be more creative and not wear it EXACTLY as prescribed, I went with a brown belt and sandals, and mint jewelry. 

Peplum is great for many things - it’s sweet, a wee bit flirty, and expertly hides the evidence of a few too many breakfast burritos that one may or may not consume...

dress: Target

belt: thrifted

Cleopatra sandals: consignment shop (Candie’s via Kohl’s)

The First Wedding of 2014

Like I mentioned last week, I traveled to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to celebrate my cousin's wedding. They're a couple that's been together since high school, so, I'm kinda partial to them.

#highschoolsweethearts #HSSoftheworldUNITE

Here are some pics from their big day. My sister-in-law couldn't make it, as she was in one of her best friend's weddings on the same day - we still had a really great time, but really missed her.

with MY high school sweetie

Big Brother and us

Mr. & Mrs.

originally my youngest cousin agree to split 1 of every flavor with me, so I wouldn't be a TOTAL glutton. However, he filled up on Shirley Temples and couldn't help a girl out

Cousins - 1 of them was the Best Man!

me & Dad. sorry for the grainy pics - the lighting was low at the reception so we could get our dance on

ain't he handsome?
*swoon*

my family has a long tradition of breaking out hats at a wedding.
don't believe me?
proof from our wedding is below

I made a dainty little fascinator-top-hat, and my groom sported Nemo. don't worry - he's only kissing one of my besties/bridesmaids because she traveled the farthest for our big day (all the way from Hawaii!)

It's tough to see, but the dress I wore was a really pretty plum color, originally from Banana Republic,  but I thrifted it before we bought our house this fall - thrifting for the win! See something sort of similar below...



SOMETHING SIMILAR...

Mr. Picks Mondays: Obnoxiously Festive

The handsome Mr. picked out the sweatshirt dress, and I chose the RED tights. Because, if you can't be obnoxiously festive this time of year, when can you? Besiiiiides the 4th of July, obviouslyyyy.

I kind of love MPM because my Mr. tends to pick out stuff I don't wear too often, and it forces me to get creative. He also reminds me of some goodies hidden in the recesses of the pretty little room I call my closet

P.S. Get ready for some good ole' American pride this February - the 2014 Winter Olympics start in 6 weeks!
USA!
USA!

sweatshirt dress: WalMart

tights: Target

shoes: Kohl's

linking up:
Still Being Molly for Funday Monday
The Style Record for Monday Must Haves

Featuring my Mr.

A few weekends ago, we went to a music festival with some friends - Bohemian Nights at New West Fest. One of these friends told me she really enjoys reading my blog. She also told me she thinks I should feature my husband a bit more. And I couldn't agree more, (thanks, Amanda!) so here he is!

While he wasn't thrilled to have his picture taken and outfit featured, I think he looks pretty nice. He's very much a jeans/shorts & t-shirt kind of guy, and he's pretty good at matching shirts to shorts/pants. He sometimes asks for my opinion, but overall picks out the majority of his outfit combinations on his own. I get consulted for big events (weddings, interviews, etc.) and have "final say" on if a hole-y t-shirt needs to go (yes, always - he will wear a t-shirt until you can see through it).

he's a good sport about pictures for only so long...*sigh* #bloggerproblems

we saw a live show by the band, Head for the Hills. we liked them so much, we bought their album and have pretty much been listening to it over&over when we're at home

After the show, we headed to a local bar for delicious blended adult beverages and people watching - my most favorite activity.

linking up over here, like I do every Friday :)

his outfit

shirt, shorts & shoes: Kohl's

sunglasses: Oakley

my outfit

dress: Kohl's

belt: thrifted

sunglasses: Target

necklace: gift from a friend

shoes (not seen): Gap

My Wedding Date

waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle

in heels, and on tip toe, and he's still so tall and handsome

 A few weeks ago, one of my sorority sisters tied the knot to her longtime boyfriend. They're one of a few other couples I know who have been together almost as long as us (we're coming up on our 8 year dating anniversary next month). Several other sisters were part of the big day, and we all oohed&aahed&sighed over the pretty bride, and danced the night away. My sweetie was even so gracious as to drive us all home. Fun was had by all, and it seems that every wedding we go to brings back great memories of our own big day last June.

*sigh*

Can we do it again?

dress: Urban Outfitters

belt: Target

shoes (not shown): Steve Madden via Plato's Closet

on my Mr.

shirt: Land's End (his initials are stitched onto the cuff! a Christmas gift from my folks)

tie: my Dad

Pants: thrifted

shoes (not shown): Kohl's

I'm normally a white wine fan, but by the end of the night, only a cabernet was available, so of course I had to document me being a big kid & drinking red wine.

linking up over here today

[Typical] Saturday Night

you thought I was joking about my weird poses, didn't you?

I was twirling & jumping in this parking lot...

it was windy - my hair was EVERYWHERE

and this is my Mr. - isn't he handsome? also, our eyes look green in this picture. I'd like to state, for the record, that we both have blue eyes #blondehairandblueeyesforever

This is what I wore on Saturday evening. We went out for sushi, then to Wal-Mart for a few exciting things, like cotton balls, clear nail polish & Lysol wipes, then to TCBY for some fro-yo that, like, doesn't have any calories ;)

As we were driving home, our conversation went something like this:

A: "Thanks for the date night, honey."

D: "You're welcome. I had fun."

A: "Me too. Wait, was this a date night, or a typical Saturday night?"

D: "You know, I don't know. Either way, there's no one else I'd rather have sushi with, go to Wal-Mart with, get TCBY with, watch Netflix with, or fall asleep on the couch with."

A: "Samesies. I love you. Can I have some of your fro-yo?"

Our weekend evenings are all pretty similar lately, with the occasional variance if we have company, or are celebrating a friend's birthday or wedding. But, to tell you the truth, I love it. I used to want to go out and DO SOMETHING every night, and now I really look forward to a night in with my Mr. I enjoy time by myself, and time with my girlfriends, of course, but ultimately, he's my #1, and my favorite, and my best-est friend in the whole wide world. So, of course I want to spend time with him. Even if it's falling asleep on the couch before 11 watching Arrested Development, after telling each other over and over how cute our dogs are...

here's proof of their cuteness, JUST in case you didn't believe me

Shirt: Old Navy
Sweater: Sonoma via ARC
Shorts: Maurice's via Plato's Closet
Shoes: Keds via TJ Maxx (they have strawberries on them)
Bag: Coach via ARC