30 for 30: Day 18 & Day 19

Day 18

this two-toned coat is from Aéropostale, I wore it earlier here

snapped this at work

Chambray and a pencil skirt. Not two items I would normally pair together, but on a wild hair, I did. And I'm thinking it turned it pretty darn well. From a distance, I look like I'm wearing a nice dress shirt with my skirt. But, as you get closer, I appear more casual and, possibly (hopefully!), fashion-savvy? ;)

Sorry for my extended (and completely unintended!) absence. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll see that I've been pretty busy the past few weeks (we bought a house! and moved! and are settling in!). 

So, I'm back! Just in time for the holidays :)

Day 19

tough to tell in these pictures, but those pants are navy corduroys

my Mr. told me to "act cold!" so, I did.
normally, when I'm cold, I'm frowning and grump-ing and generally unpleasant.
#truestory
anything for fashion, right? ;)

It was at this point in this challenge I started having a tougher time putting together outfits with my 30 items. I originally felt like I was reaching a bit with this outfit, but looking at the pictures, 

it doesn't appear that way (at least to MY eyes). 

Ever feel uneasy about the outfit you put together? But then think about it later and realize you looked FABULOUS?!?!

linking up here, here and here today

30 for 30: Day 12 (and some new schtuff)

yes, that is Turbo's tongue in the lower right - it's a very long dog tongue

Here is the new coat I mentioned the other day. Fancy, huh? I'm a HUGE fan. I was really drawn to it initially, then "hem-ed" and "haw-ed"over it while I perused the rest of the store. 

"Is it ME?"

"Is it too trendy?"

"White? In the winter?" 

(It comes in navy, too. So that added another 30 minutes to the decision making process)

But as you can see, I overcame all of those objections and got the coat. I've been on the hunt for a new, shorter coat. I've got a red peacoat, which I love, but it's very dressy and comes to my knees; a knee-length purple down coat, and several fleece jackets from The North Face/Columbia. I was looking for something nicer than my fleece jackets, but shorter, more casual, and not quite as heavy as my other coats (that's a lot of criteria!).

I love this coat for many reasons:

1) it fits my above criteria

2) it's got (faux) leather sleeves, which is SO on trend for this year. AND, who doesn't love (faux) leather?

3) it's two-toned - do YOU know anyone with a two-toned coat? I don't.

4) it dresses up jeans, but not TOO much

5) it was provided to me courtesy of Aéropostale, as one of their VIPs for this season

Needless to say, I'll be wearing it a lot this winter, until we hit below freezing temps for weeks at a time.

YUCK.

this pink peplum top really doesn't photograph well, does it?

I matched the pink polka dots in my pants to my top

 

Yes, that is a bulldog. On a pair of socks. They are my (2nd pair of) bulldog socks. I love them.

I can't find this sweater online (boo), but it's much prettier in person - the pink is not as blinding, I promise. I'm envisioning it with leggings (most likely these, also from Aéropostale), boots over my new bulldog socks, a large cup of coffee, and a good book (currently I'm in the middle of 2 books, and 1 audiobook)...

For something similar to this sweater, imagine:

this Sheer Striped Knit Sweater, mixed with this Marled Slub-Knit Sweater, topped off with this Sheer Ribbon Yarn Sweater.

A scarf with hearts, that masquerade as black polka dots. Could this scarf be any more darling? I think not. Can't wait to wrap myself up in it - it's nice, and big, and square-ish-ly shaped, without being too heavy, although it does have a nice weight & bulk to it. Good job, heart/polka dot scarf.

And the gray infinity scarf I wore the other day, that my husband said I didn't "NEED", is here.

Aéropostale keeps hitting it out of the park - keep it up! Can't wait to see what else they've got in store!

Hooray for the weekend! Any fun plans in store?

linking up this BRIGHT top [that looks neon in these pictures] over here

Yesterday

Before I tell you about our epic day yesterday, I have to wish my Dad a happy birthday. 

**************

Happy Birthday to the best Dad in all the land! Have a great time with your bestie in the land of Jimmy Buffett, and enjoy your dives with my sweet mama! (My parents are with my Dad's BFF and his wife on a scuba diving trip. Offspring were not invited - bogus)

**************

Now, onto what us landlocked kids did in Colorado...

Yesterday we did some serious adventuring. Don't believe me? Check out some pics on InstaGram. First, I must tell you that the theme of yesterday was my husband's birthday/our dating anniversary/we had several gift cards to use.

#giftcardsarethebest

First, we went to Cabela's. Dustin had a gift card from his parents for his birthday (which is tomorrow) and couldn't wait to use it. TWO Cabela's locations opened in Colorado this summer, and so far, we've only been to one. I'm sure there will be many trips to both locations in the future...

So, off to epicenter of hunting & fishing we went. The place is INSANE. And it smelt so good - there's a little cafe inside that was selling roasted almonds (my mouth watered as soon as we walked in). There were SO many people, and SO much stuff to look at. First, we did a lap around the store to do a little recon, with me asking: 

"What's this?" 

"How does this work?" 

"Why would you need this?" 

"Do you have this?"

and Dustin patiently answering my questions. I think he was a bit surprised to see me so excited about Cabela's. I don't hunt or fish, but I can appreciate it in others - namely the men in my life, especially when they get something that can stock the freezer for a long time. 

the entrance

hanging with a moose - I don't think I fit in

posing with some wildlife in the middle of the store

After our lap around the store, we went back to the hunting/gun section, and spent a good 20 minutes in this one little area, while D decided between this kind or that kind of rifle stick. Oh, and a strap of some sorts. I have no idea how it all works together, but I do know that new "toys" make my husband happy, and since his birthday is Monday, and work has been very draining, and our dating anniversary was Friday, I was in the business of making sure my husband was happy. Oh, and we had some delicious vanilla kettle corn in the parking lot.

Then, we headed to Little Man Ice Cream in Denver. A friend of ours is the manager, and if not for him, we wouldn't know about some of the best ice cream this world has to offer. The building is a milk jug, and it's in the middle of this super cute neighborhood, right off the interstate. This month was "Sweet & Salty September" at Little Man, so most of their HOMEMADE flavors reflected that. I chose Salted Peanut Butter Cup (YUM), and Dustin chose Salted Maple Bacon (also, YUM) - real bits of bacon in there, no joke.

the milk jug building - there's always a HUGE line for this place

don't worry, one of those cones was mine ;)

After ice cream, we headed to a golf course. Birthday Boy had a gift certificate from a work-sponsored golf tournament there this summer. He had the longest drive in the tournament, so he won a gift certificate to the pro shop. And while at this tournament, he lost his sand wedge. So he was in search of a new one. He found one, and of course, it came home with us ;)

And then, we went INDOOR SKY DIVING! Like I mentioned yesterday, we had a gift certificate from my in-laws from our 1st wedding anniversary in June. We each had 3 minutes in the wind tunnel with an instructor. 

SO. MUCH. FUN. 

If you ever get the opportunity to try it, I would highly recommend it. Our instructors were very knowledgeable, fun, and made sure we didn't make complete idiots of ourselves in the tunnel. Sky diving looks really easy (just hanging/falling), but it actually requires a lot of balance and positioning your body just so. We bought the video of our adventure, and since both of us were participating, I unfortunately don't have any photos to share. If I can find a way to get a freeze frame from our video, I will definitely post it. Or, if you REALLY wanna see the whole video, shoot me an email and I'll send it your way ;) But really, you should definitely try it sometime. I cannot recommend this activity, or Sky Venture Colorado enough. We will definitely be back.

bullie & hippo salt & pepper shakers at Pottery Barn. love.

Our last stop of the day was dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (there was a long wait for our table, so we did some browsing in the surrounding shopping center [pics above]). Long story short, we had a gift card from our wedding we wanted to use, so we ate lots of delicious food, and made sure we had plenty of leftovers for today :) I don't think this place has anything on the menu that isn't delicious. For the most important part (dessert. obviously.), D ordered the Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Galore™ and I had the Godiva® Chocolate Cheesecake. 

When we were done with dinner, we headed back home to our sweet pups, tried to watch a movie and fell asleep early - all day adventuring can really take it out of you. All in all, it was a great day, and I loved being able to spend so much time with my husband/high school sweetheart/birthday boy/best friend/hunting master/fellow ice cream enthusiast/golfer/sky diving partner/and adventure pal. 

Oh, and what I wore:

peplum top: Daisy Fuentes via Kohl's

jeans: GAP

shoes: KMart

purse: Kohl's

Makeshift Peplum & Skirting the Question

 

 

Let's talk about this skirt. I have had it FOREVER (by FOREVER, I mean since high school - and not just senior year, more like sophomore year...). Every time I go through my closet, I go back & forth about this skirt. I love the dusty rose color, the flower applique, the ruffled hem on the bottom, and it's a very light, very thin corduroy fabric, so I can wear it in warmer weather, or pair it with a sweater and emphasize off the corduroy/winter aspect. The only thing I don't love about it is the fit. 

In the above pictures on the left, the skirt is sitting on my hips. It fits there comfortably. If anything, it might be a little big. On the right, I pulled the skirt up to my belt under my shirt, so the skirt is a bit shorter. However, it didn't stay there all day. I can't help but think that the shorter version of this skirt (right) is more flattering on me - it shows more of my leg, doesn't cut off my legs or give me weird bagginess around my hips, like wearing it on my hips does. I'm short (5"4'), so if anything, I want to elongate my legs & torso, not shorten them.

So, here is my question: is it worth getting this skirt taken in, since I've had it forever and I love it? And my other question: Is it more flattering on me to wear a skirt that shows my knees?  

Onto my shirt - this polka dot chambray is a bit boxy fit, but I love it, and I keep challenging myself to come up with ways to wear it that don't show off the "box" shape. So, I belted it as a "makeshift peplum" that also coordinated with the ruffled hem on my skirt. 

How did I do? 

Did I hit it out of the park, or fail miserably?

I think maybe it wasn't my BEST look, but it wasn't TOO bad ;)

Hope you have had a great weekend so far! I've got some ice cream calling my name, so I've gotta scoot!

shirt: (Liz Claiborne) thrifted

skirt: American Eagle

belt: came with another dress

sandals: Born via DSW

30 for 30: Day 27 & Day 28

Day 27

above: What I wore on my trip home. I ALMOST missed my connecting flight in Chicago, even after sprinting through the terminal, wearing a backpack and pushing another carry on bag. That was fun. Not. But, I made it! And I made it home to my sweet husband and cute pups. Another successful family reunion completed :)

Day 28

this is me reacting to being told to stop posing with bent legs

the beginning of 200 cookies we (I) made for a friend's shower this weekend. I dreamt of cookies & cookie cutters that night...I'll be posting what I wore to that tomorrow! 

Days 27 & 28 complete! This challenge is just about wrapped up - woohoo! I'm so excited to have use of my entire closet again (I did some shopping and can't wait to wear my new items!). I'll be posting a recap of this challenge in the next few days, so, if you're interested, keep your eyes open for that ;)

30 for 30: Day 10 & Day 11

Day 10

 

Day 11

Not a lot of words for you today. The fire is still raging. My parents just evacuated their home, along with several thousand other people. I know too many friends & their families that have lost their homes. I'll be watching the news coverage all evening, and all day tomorrow to stay updated.