A Hat to Keep Me Dry

Do you keep up with the news? If so, you'll have heard that Colorado has received record-breaking amounts of rain this past week. Due to this rain, some parts of the state are flooded, and several roads and highways have simply given way to the water. Rivers and creeks have overtaken bridges, and major roads that are in danger of being flooded have closed.

Because of all this rain, my work was closed today, so I'm lounging at home, catching up on my DVR, blogging, and tackling my weekend to do list, which includes really exciting things, such as ironing and working on our family budget. It's ok to be jealous ;)

Let's talk about my outfit, shall we? I mean, that's why you're here, isn't it? The tank, vest & booties are all recent purchases. The studded tank and booties are from Old Navy, and I bought both because I had nothing like them. The Mr. is not a big fan of the booties - but to him, I say "Too bad, I like 'em!" I snagged this vest at a thrift store - I think it's a fresh twist on a regular denim vest. It's more cream than white, and I'm envisioning taking it into winter with jeans and a long sleeved shirt. 

And this hat (and my booties) helped to bring this outfit into fall a wee bit. I'm still rocking summer with my shorts and tank under the vest, but inviting fall in with the booties and felt fedora, and the oxblood colors of my tank and hat. See? Easy peasy to mix seasons ;)

I'm linking up over here today with my hat!

    

Stay dry and safe out there, fellow Coloradoans!

tank: Old Navy

vest: Levi's (thrifted)

shorts: Gap Outlet

booties: Old Navy

hat: Target via Goodwill

Bridesmaid loves a Groomsman

Over Labor Day weekend, two of our dear friends tied the knot. We've both known him since high school, and met her several years ago through him and became fast friends - her bachelorette party was the one I went to in Vegas. They're the folks we grill with in the summer, spend New Year's Eve in with, and go "out on the town" with. 

They've got a darling 3 year old son, a beautiful home that they own, and exciting new job prospects on the horizon. She just accepted a job that will take them a few more hours away from us, but their plan is to only be gone for a year or so - thank goodness! Here is what I (and my husband) wore to, before & during their nuptials...

embellished tank: Target
belt: thrifted
skirt: J Crew Factory
sandals: Shoe Carnival

I wore this to get my nails done with the brides & the other bridesmaids, and then to the rehearsal.

dress: Lilly Pulitzer
shoes: Guess via DSW
necklace: Trends

between dinner & dancing

at the cowboy bar, with my margarita - my beverage of choice. always.

After the rehearsal (it was in the morning), I had to run a few errands and was in desperate need of a shower - the rehearsal was outside and it was so. hot. I showered, put on a pretty face with some pretty hair, and my newest Lilly Pulitzer dress (D picked it out for me for my birthday in March). 

We went to the rehearsal dinner, ate delicious food & dessert, toasted the bride & groom, then headed to a cowboy bar. Now, I do not claim to be a cowgirl or country (my "boots" are Steve Madden, not at all suited for riding or wrangling), that's my sweet sis-in-law. 

However, I sure do love country music and dancing. At this bar, there was a live band AND dancing. And there were a few country boys in our group that knew how to dance. I spent the majority of the evening dancing with them and being twirled and twisted and spun so much that I didn't know which way was what. 

It's really fun to dance with someone who knows what they're doing - especially when you have no idea. I like to think it makes me a better dance partner, since I don't know what I'm doing and am definitely not trying to lead - I just follow and twirl and spin wherever they lead me.

We had a really fun evening with the rest of the bridal party, then headed home to get some beauty sleep for the next day's festivities.

I got my hair done for the big day, and I loved it.
the bride got us all matching robes to wear while getting ready

the bride's sister did my makeup, and thank goodness (I'm hopeless with hair and makeup)! s
he used some "freezing spray" on my eye makeup so it didn't run in the heat.
best. invention. ever.

dress: Allure Bridesmaids
shoes: Chinese Laundry via DSW
earrings & bracelet: gift from the bride

on him
tux & shoes: Al's Formal Wear

my bridesmaid bouquet - it's only a wee bit wilted now

he wore gray in our wedding, so this tux on him brought back memories of our own wedding day last summer

hey, we're married, so it's OK to celebrate our love & marriage at another wedding ;)

After the bride & groom said "I do" and "I will", we got down to the business of dancing at the reception. Sorry, I only have a few grainy & poorly lit pics from that portion of the evening that aren't worth sharing - I was really busy dancing and having a grand time ;)

How many weddings have you attended this summer?

Mr. Picks Mondays: Not Dressed for Fall

My Mr. picked this out for today. I love this dress - it's bright, & cheery it's comfortable, and it's conservative enough to wear to work. I was set. I went to work, did my thing, then sometime this afternoon the clouds rolled in. The RAIN clouds rolled in. And with them, cooler temperatures. Extremely cooler temps - we're talking in the 60s, whereas over the weekend we were in the 90s. So, I was a wee bit chilly and dressed for the wrong season by this afternoon.

*sigh* 

I guess I should start thinking about dressing for fall... 

Moral of the story: Colorado weather will always keep you guessing, and you WILL dress for the wrong season. 

No matter what your weather app tells you.

my new sandals from Target - they're the best of mix of metallic sandals: gold, silver, AND copper

In other news, Sons of Anarchy is back on tomorrow night - weeeeeeeeee! Anyone else a fan? I was never into motorcycles (or riding) until D introduced me to the show last summer. A few episodes in, I was hooked. Maybe it's because my life is NOTHING like the show? I mean, they're a motorcycle club (MC) that runs guns and drugs, and they operate an auto shop as the legal side of their business. 

Anyways, it's really good, and you should get into it. And then we can talk about it. Tweet me.

PS - Charlie Hunnam (Jax from Sons) was just announced as Christian Grey for the 50 Shades of Grey movie. 

#truestory #mc

#morecharliehunnamisagoodthing

#samcro #sonsofanarchy

dress: Kohl's

sandals: Target

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

Navy & Some Hot Pink

the shoulders of this dress have a fancy-bow-thing that I'm a fan of, except for when I try to layer a sweater over my dress, then it looks like I have lumpy & knotted shoulders

Nothing super fancy for you today. Just layering a shirt under a dress, and matching my shoes ;)

Hope your weekend is off to a great start! I'm at a Women of Faith conference with my sweet mama. She attended this same conference last fall and really enjoyed it, so invited me to attend with her this year. It's gotten so big they had to change the venue from previous years, so, we'll be battling the crowds by the time you read this, with coffee and snacks for the day in hand!

Happy Saturday!

shirt: Hollister via Trends

dress: thrifted via ARC

sandals: Maurice's

Chambray Dress

Again, mirror pictures. Sorry, my friends! Tell my Mr. and his job that he's no longer allowed to work in the evenings - somebody needs to have pictures taken for their blog. I kid - I am very very thankful he has a job, it's something he enjoys, and that it provides a comfortable lifestyle for our little family of 2 people, and 2 (high maintenance) bulldogs that are the sweetest little nuggets you ever did see. And you thought it was only necessary to be thankful during Thanksgiving... ;)

Onto this dress. I scooped it up at Kohl's and couldn't wait to wear it. But then I got caught up with the belt issue:

Do I wear it with the belt it came with? 

Try a different belt? 

Use a scarf as a belt? 

Go without and miss an opportunity to define my waist? 

After much deliberation that ended with all my scarves & belts sprawled out across my room, I decided to go with the belt that came with the dress. Original, I know. I wish I'd taken pictures of the "process," but all the other options looked like I was trying too hard to punch up my dress. And who wants to try too hard to punch up a new dress when it's hot outside and you just want to be cool in a nice, light, chambray dress? Not I! Maybe I'll try a funky scarf as a belt this fall/winter with some tights and boots...

dress: Kohl's

sandals: Born via DSW

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