Playful patterns......

I am not one to mix my patterns.  I know that it is fine to do, lots of people do it, mixing and matching patterns creates interest, yada, yada, yada.  Still, I don't do it.  I have tried, but  it always turns out looking ridiculous, and I change.  But, yesterday I had a change of heart.  I mixed a couple of patterns that I could live with; look cute in even.  It all started with a shirt with small polka dots.  It's a spring time shirt so I layered it over a t-shirt for warmth.  Then, my neck was still cold, not to mention the outfit was sort of boring so I brought out a scarf with stripes.  Yes, stripes I said.  Another pattern!  I wrapped it around my neck and I thought, hey!  that's not ridiculous, that's cute!  And just like that I stepped out of the box.

t-shirt - Kohls

polka dot shirt - Loft

jeans - Loft

scarf - Target

boots - Ecco

Bring a little spring into winter!

Don't you hate when all the stores start sending out ads and catalogs with fresh spring items and we are stuck bundling up with the same winter clothes we've been wearing for months?  Yesterday I pulled out this tunic that I wore last summer and threw a shrug on top for warmth.  I felt hip and fresh because it was something I have not worn all fall or winter! Try pulling out a spring or summer top from last year and throw a sweater or blazer over it.  Instant new outfit!  You're welcome!

 tunic - Target

shrug - Loft

jeggings - Old Navy

boots - Nine West

necklace - Handpicked

Did some strippin' this weekend!

No, not that kind of stripping!  My husband and I decided to strip the wallpaper in the downstairs bath!  It was way overdue.  The paper wasn't terrible, but the guy that put the wallpaper up papered around our hideous light fixture instead of removing it, making it impossible to replace the light fixture without changing the walls.  Note to wallpaper installers:  Remove light fixtures before applying the wallpaper!  So, the bathroom is in the process of getting a complete makeover!  I will try to show before and after pictures when we're done!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Along with being productive, we watched the boys play their upward basketball games on Saturday morning and had dinner at our friend's house on Saturday night.  It was a great weekend involving productivity, a chance to cheer the kids on and socializing with friends on top of that!

This is the outfit I wore to rumage through the jewelries at the Handpicked warehouse sale this weekend.  I had to be warm and comfort - it was cold in there and we were on a our feet the whole time!

skinny cargos - Forever 21

white t - Kohls

sweater - Loft

circle scarf - loft

flat shoes - Nine West

And now, some of my spoils from the warehouse sale:

Yeah, baby!!

Can you say warehouse sale?

If you are in the Columbia, SC, area, you should run to the Handpicked warehouse sale they are having this weekend ony!  The location is in Harbison by Michaels.  Prices start at $2 and they are ready to wheel and deal!  I went this morning and should be accessorized for months to come!  If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you probably have noticed that I own quite a few pieces of jewelry from Handpicked.  It is my favorite accessory store!  Have fun!

When I was looking in my closet yesterday, I kept pulling out my more feminine articles of clothing to mix and match.  For some reason I just wanted to wear something ladylike and lovely.  Do you ever feel like that?  Maybe it's because I have been wearing boots and scarves so much, I'm not sure.  But anyway, I put together this girlish ensemble:

velvet blazer - Kohls

ruffle t-shirt - Loft

skinny jeans - Old navy

black wedges - Target

necklace - Handpicked

Have a great weekend!!

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!

Sorry that I have let posting go for several days.  I am trying to get back into the swing of things and sometimes, you just need a break from picture taking and writing:)  Anyway, my friend, Lucy, asked me to do a post about what I wear to work out.  I told her that it ain't purty, but here it is - bare faced and everything!  Am I a brave soul or what?! Since the new year, my friend Amy and I have been doing this fitness challenge that I blogged about so we are running outdoors most of the time.  Usually the temperature is around 40 degrees, so we bundle up and go at it.  We now have a new runner joining us, our friend Aimee.  (I know, I have a lot of friends named Amy with different spellings - it's confusing!)  This morning we ran across the Lake Murray dam - beautiful setting, but a bit breezy.  This is what I wore:

 Slo-mo action shot:

I pity the fool that messes with me!  (You should hear the theme music to Rocky in your heads):

So here's the breakdown - start with a great jog bra (I order mine from Roadrunners Sports and Title Nine - this is most important because the girls need support!), layer on a dri-fit shirt, and then layer a looser fleece, zip jacket, or something like that.  I wear dri-fit pants from Nike (they are my faves), and hat or something over your ears is a must if it's in the low 40s.  Of course, a pair of good running shoes is also needed - mine are Asics and I really like them.  When I go to the gym, I pretty much wear the same thing minus the jacket and hat.  

The little skirt that could....

Well, it's the start of a new week and I am still at home with the kids.  Are they ever going back to school?  As you know, it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day so schools are closed and we are home.  I am still trying hard to live in the present (remember my New Year's Resolution?)  but enough is enough.  I cannot wait for tomorrow when I drop those two adorable, loving, wild and energetic boys off at school and come home to peace and quiet.  That's not exactly living in the moment of today is it?  Yes, back to today.  When I finish this post, I am going to get some exercise by battling the boys with a Just Dance competition and then we might go for a bike ride to get some fresh air.  There, I did it!  Back in the present!

However, I do need to travel back to yesterday for a moment.  I have been handed down by my friend Amy, THE skirt of the fall and winter.  I think every blogger in the blogosphere has it, and now, so do I!  Amy decided it was too short for her (she is way tall and I am way short) so I was the fortunate recipient of the hand me down.  I wore the skirt to church yesterday and this is how I styled it:

skirt - Target

sweater - Loft

t-shirt - Kohls

skinny belt - don't know

shoes - Talbots

necklace - Handpicked

A kink in the fitness challenge....

Happy Friday, everyone!  Boy, this snow and ice has really thrown a kink in my fitness challenge!  I haven't been able to run since last Saturday.  We may have to stretch this 100 miles in January out to the first week of  February.  We'll see!

Since we are still home from school because of the winter storm, activities this week have included going to the grand opening of Publix (just a mile from my house!!  And yes, I know, I need a life!), going to the library, having many 9, 8, and 7 year old boys over to play (why do they have to yell and scream so much!?), playing with legos and watching movies.  I need a girls weekend sooooo badly, or maybe even just a girls night out!!  Anyone?  Anyone?

I haven't dressed in anything worth talking about this week, but on the grand opening day of our new Publix I new I'd be running into people who were looking for excuses to get out of the house like us.  I threw on some jeans, sweater and scarf and we ventured out.

Oh yeah, did I tell you my hairdresser cut bangs?  The verdict's still out on this do.......

Major cabin fever, but I see sunny skies.....

Hello everyone!  I am sorry that I have not posted in several days.  If you haven't heard, we had a major snow and ice storm here in the southeast (major by our standards anyway) and we are on the third day of school being closed!  You would think that I would have plenty of time to blog since we are stranded at home, but with the boys hanging around and ice on the ground it is hard to get motivated to do anything but sit by the fire in my lounging clothes and watch movies.  Today, although cabin fever is still here, I see beautiful sunny skies!  This gives me hope that there will be school tomorrow, that our life will get back to normal, and that I will be motivated to blog again!

Besides being stuck at home, my computer has something funky going on with it and it's not allowing me to edit my photos.  Not that my pictures are ever the greatest quality, but these pictures are not cropped like I like them.  Sorry about that.  I wore this outfit to church on Sunday (our last day without snow and ice!).

sweater - Loft

striped T - Target

skirt - Target

boots - J Crew via Ebay

scarf - had forever

By the way, I did make it out to get my haircut yesterday.  In a moment of insanity, I had her cut bangs!  I will reveal them later this week........

Day off from fitness challenge and feeling fine.....

Ahhh, today my muscles are thanking me.  I am not running:)  Amy and I have run 20 miles this week (technically I have run 19 1/2 and Amy has run 20 because she outran me on the treadmill yesterday - damn that Amy!)  But today, we are resting.  My legs feel good and strong and I am very proud of how well we have done so far.  80 more miles to go, but let's not think about that right not.  Right now, let's think about that special dark chocolate Kit Kat that I just ate.  Have you had one of those babies?  Yep, a little slice of heaven right in your mouth.  I know what you're thinking, it's the beginning of the new year and I really should not be eating chocolate.  Well for the love of my sanity, I ran 20 miles (okay - 19 1/2), I deserve a Kit Kat!

For my day off from the fitness challenge, this is what I am sporting:

And I'm cuddling up with this guy:

jeans - Loft

sweater - Loft

scarf - old

boots - Loft from about 4 years ago (does that make them vintage?)

ring - Francescas

Note - Sydney from The Daybook taught me how to tie my scarf like that.  You likey?

Just Dance!

Have you played "Just Dance" yet?  The boys got "Just Dance 2"  for Christmas and it is, hands down, my favorite video game evah!  I could dance to that game for hours!  And I  promise, there is no greater joy than watching your children trying to keep up with the dance moves, and there is nothing funnier than watching your husband make a fool of himself!  I highly recommend this form of entertainment - cheap, funny, and you get exercise.  Just Dance!

This outfit is very "The Daybook"  to me.  If you haven't checked out the adorable Sydney, you should!  She is young, but her style is uh-mazing!

shirt - American Eagle found at TJ Maxx

shrug sweater - Loft

cargos - Loft

boots - Ecco

belt - old

Curse you fitness challenge!

So if you remember, my friend Amy and I are doing a fitness challenge this month - run 100 miles in the month of January.  Well friends, it ain't easy!  Yesterday we ran 7 miles through the country.  The weather was great, the scenery was wonderful and we were so proud of ourselves when we finished.  Today, OMG!  My legs are killing me!  In the words of my little G man - "curse you fitness challenge!"  To top my pain off, I asked Amy if she was sore.  Do you know what she said?  "No, but I have big muscles."  Big muscles, my ass!  Those are conditioned muscles as opposed to my "I'm taking the month of December off from working out" sore muscles.  I'll never take December off again (at least not until December 2011). So, what did I do today to help things out, we ran another 4 1/2 miles today!  What was I thinking? 

I did manage to get dressed today.  After crawling out of the shower, I shimmied my legs into my jeggings, threw on a sweater and put my feet into some boots.  If I drop something on the floor today, it will just have to stay there.  I can no longer bend down to get it. 15 miles down, 85 to go.

jeggings - Old Navy

gray t-shirt - Kohls

sweater - Loft

boots - Nine West

necklace - Handpicked

belt - came with some pants I bought

Going to the movies.....

So, I'm working on my fitness and living in the present this year....let's see how I did yesterday.  I ran 3.5 miles on a hilly route - check!  (and ow! my bum is sore!)  It was a perfect day for running outside.  The sun was out, the wind was calm and the temperature was around 40 degrees, crisp but not too cold.  Amy and I started our 100 mile challenge on a great note.

 As for living the rest of the day in the present, I snuggled with my first grader while he read to me and I was proud of my third grader when he put together a toy for his younger brother.  I think the two of them might have made it through the afternoon without fighting!  My hubby came home and grilled steak for supper and then cleaned the kitchen - thanks honey!  Topping off the day, I found out that a friend of mine who has been waiting for about a year to adopt a baby, brought her new baby girl home yesterday.  Congratulations Holly and Timothy!!  God is good!

I wore this outfit during the holidays when I took the boys to see Yogi Bear!  It was a nice and loose outfit for eating lots of popcorn!

boyfriend jeans - Target

red t-shirt - Kohls

navy dolman sweater - Kohls
boots - Ecco
necklace - Kohls

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and happy Monday everyone!  I am sorry that I have not posted since Christmas Eve, but I have been busy with my family - visiting, playing games, watching movies, building legos, shooting hoops with the boys (if you call playing HORSE shooting hoops), etc.  I am now ready to start blogging again and getting back into the swing of things.

Of course, with a new year, that means swinging some new things for a lot of us.  I am no different!  First up on my short, but well thought out list of new things in giving my fitness a jump start by joining in Chasing Davies fitness challenge by running 100 miles during the month of January.  What!?  You read it right - 100 miles!  I know that sounds like a lot, but you could break it down like this - 4 miles 6 days a week, or 5 miles 5 days a week, or 4 marathons - you choose!  Now, I am not one to face a challenge like this alone, so I recruited my friend, Amy, to join me.  We go for our first run today!

The second new thing I will be working on this year is living in the present.  I am so tired of worrying about the future - When do I need to go back to work?  What if I screw my boys up and they don't turn out to be the perfect young men that I expect them to be?  Are we ever going to be able to move to our dream house where there is no football stadium next door?  No more worrying about these things!  God gives us a "present" each and every day and we should relish it, soak it up, pay attention to it - all of it!  The little things in each and every day.....accept that compliment and give compliments back, give lots of hugs, acknowledge the politeness of your children and the little acts of kindness that you witness, feel good and make others feel good around you.  Each and every day!  This is my resolution for 2011.

Now on to a lighter note - what I wore to a New Year's Eve Oyster Roast!  We had the best time shucking oysters, watching the Gamecocks play (even thought they lost) and bringing in the New Year.  I wore this outfit, but with a coat over it the whole time, so no one even saw it!  Oh well, you guys get to!  I need something casual, yet festive -

ivory jeans - Loft

white t-shirt - Kohls

sweater - Loft

boots - Nine West

necklace - Handpicked

I hope you guys have a wonderful day and remember to pay attention to the little things in God's present to you!