Field Trip

How do you like my new shirt?  There is a story behind it and it goes a little something like this.  Two ladies, while their kids were in school, decided to take a field trip and have a little adventure.  We cruised on down to the 5 Points area of Columbia, SC  where we came upon a little consignment shop called Revente.  Now, this isn't any consignment shop, it's an upscale consignment shop.  That's right, I said "upscale".  What does that mean?  It means designer labels at a fraction of the cost, baby!  We're talking Tory Burch, Tibi, Adriano Goldschmied with some Lily, Ann Taylor, and Banana Republic thrown it - but that's as low end as they go.  We piled items up in the dressing room and tried on to our hearts were content.  In the end I scored this Tibi Blouse, a pair of AG jeans, a French Connection top and a pair of Banana Republic shorts all for less than $150.  I can't wait to show you the rest of my scores!

Calls in the middle of the night....

Do you ever get calls in the middle of the night that make you heart skip a beat (or four) and then turn out to be nothing?  That happened to me last night, at 3:00 AM.  The phone rings and caller ID says Lexington Medical Center - my heart has now stopped.  I groggily say, "Hello."  Voice at other end says, "Hi!  This is Liz, is this Nikki?"  Me again, "Umm, no, wrong number."  What the hell, Liz?  It's 3:00 in the morning!  I am sure this Nikki is asleep just like I was! What do people think?  It's not even the weekend, it's a Wednesday night (or Thursday morning, rather)!   And then, I was too mad to go back to sleep for at least 30 minutes. 

Enough about annoying strangers who call from medical centers in the middle of the night.  How do you feel about daytime sequins?  I love just a touch of them added in a casual way.  The shirt that I have on in this picture is almost like a sweatshirt, and definitely as comfortable as one.  I love how it added a little bling to the outfit.  I will need a little bling added to my day today:)

Pop of Red!

Okay, so I put this top on and the jeans and flats, looked in the mirror and thought, "How boring!"  But I really wanted to wear the top because I bought it from the Maxx the other day and it has been begging me to wear it!  So I thought, "What can I do to make this outfit not so boring?"  The answer:  a pop of red!  I threw on a red necklace, red ring, and even painted my nails red.  I don't feel so boring anymore!  And now you know how I like to have conversations with myself!

Do I look tired to you?

Yesterday I felt very pretty wearing this pink sweater.  It was Valentine's Day and I was sporting a color of love, running around doing sweet things for my three Valentines.  During one of my errands I had to go to Kmart to make a quick exchange, then get to my son's school for his class party.  The lady behind the service counter was very busy making change for the cashiers and dealing with customers, plus she was as slow as Christmas.  In front of me was this sweet little 90 year old women with about 20 items to return.  Ugh!  I know I looked disgusted, because I sure felt disgusted.  And then the angels began to sing as the sweet 90 year old lady said, "Oh, you just have one item?  You should go ahead of me."  I said, "Oh, thank you so much, you are so sweet!"  And then the angels stopped singing and the little old lady said,"Well, you do look a little tired."  (Insert screeching record sound here)  At least my tired self made it to the party on time.

 sweater - The Limited

skinny cargos - Forever 21

chambray shirt - Target

boots - Ecco

necklace - Francescas



Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day I got all dressed up!  Okay, not really.  I wore this outfit to church yesterday, but it could work for today because it does have a little red in it.  This weekend my sweetie and I went out to dinner with a group of friends to celebrate Valentine's Day (yes, we are romantic like that - our group loves each other).  We went to a restaurant called Mr. Friendly's  where they serve southern cuisine, and then went to a wine bar afterwards.  We really had a great time sharing stories and laughing the night away.  Nothing restores the soul like laughter.  It was a wonderful way to end a stressful week.  This week we begin on a note of love!  Let's make it a good one!  Have a happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

shrug - Loft

blouse - Banana Republic purchased from Ebay

skirt - Target

boots - Bananan Republic purchased from Ebay

necklace - Kohls

I need an upgrade!

There are some bloggers out there with truly, wonderful pictures that I so admire.  They have the best cameras, and husbands/boyfriends who are photographers and some are even photographers themselves.  Me, I make do with myself, a timer, and the same ol' camera we've had for years.  We seriously need an upgrade!  But until then, I will keep playing with what I've got.  Today, I attempted some outdoor shots.  This is the only one worth putting on the blog, but hey - at least I got one!  Is there anything in your life that needs an upgrade?

sweater - TJ Maxx

jeggings - Old Navy

boots - Nine West

striped t-shirt - Target

necklace - Handpicked

Blazer time!

Hey guys!  If you haven't checked out a great little site called Everybody Everywear you should.  Every month the writers choose an item to style and bloggers can link their posts to it so we can see how everyone has styled that item.  This month's item is the blazer.  I have mine on today and I will be linking up to the site.  Go on over there for great inspiration!

blazer - Loft

jeans - Gap

sweater - Express

necklace - Handpicked

clogs - Target

Singing in the mornin'

I love the sound of happy boys getting ready for school in the morning.  As I type this quick post, they are singing in the upstairs bathroom while brushing their teeth.  So happy!  Wait a minute, if they are singing, they can't be brushing their teeth.  And now, there are banging sounds, and, what's that?  Wrestling!?  We're going to be late for school!  Stop, boys!  Get down here this instant!  And in a matter of seconds, our morning has gone from happy to frantic.

To all my homeys...

Last Saturday at my 1st grader's basketball game, Little G says to his coach during a time out, "Hey Coach!  You can call me 'homeless man'........or 'homey'!"  So after the game, my husband and I had to tell the little man the difference between a homeless man and a homey.  Oh, the life lessons we teach!

Yesterday, when I was getting dressed, I noticed this sweater and shirt hanging beside each other in my closet.  I loved how the navy made the turquoise pop!



Online magazines

Have you guys discovered the word of online home decor magazines?  There are several out there that are so very good - beautiful pictures, great designers, wonderful inspiration, and best of all, they are free!  Let me introduce you to my favorites.  First up we have Lonny Magazine.  It was originated by the people who brought us Domino Magazine, which is no longer in publication.  Here are some pictures from the latest issue:

And then you have this great little mag from down under - Adore Home Magazine.  Oh, those Aussies really know how to throw some eye candy our way!

And we have Rue Magazine, a wonderful lifestyle mag that I thoroughly enjoy.  Feast your eyes:



And last, but not least, there is High Gloss Magazine that just launched in January.

So there you have it, 4 great online magazine for your viewing pleasure.  Check them out and let me know which on is your favorite!

What I learned from a fitness learning experience....

Failure - don't you just hate the word?  How about "learning experience".  I like that much better!  I have had some questions about how the fitness challenge was going.  If you are new around here, I challenged myself and my friend Amy to run 100 miles in the month of January.   We started out great - running almost 23 miles in the first week, and then we had a snow and ice storm in South Carolina.  That's right, in the south when that happens everyting shuts down, including my fitness challenge.  The kids were home from school for 10 days straight, it was freezing, not to mention ice on the roads where we would run.  On top of that, Amy's knee was hurting and my sciatic nerve hurt(stop laughing, I know I sound old!)  so we decided it best to continue running at a more sane pace.  So, we are still running but no longer keeping track of the score.  The lessons I have learned from this little challenge are:

1.  Exercising with a buddy is fun!
2.  Know your limits
3.  I love running when it's cold outside - very invigorating!
4.  When you hurt, listen to your body and rest
5.  It's never a failure when you learn something from the experience.

Okay, life lesson over for today.  Yesterday I did work around the house and just wore sweatpants and sweatshirt, so today I felt like dressing up a little.  I cleaned out my closet this weekend and rediscovered these awesome shoes that I have only worn a few times!  Don't you love when that happens?

striped t-shirt - Target

sweater - Loft

black skinny pants - Kohls

shoes - Loft

necklace - Kohls

J Crew Hollywood Issue

Have you guys seen the J Crew Hollywood issue that just came out?  I was laying in bed last night perusing through my catalog and drooling over some of the looks in there!  Sometimes I think the J Crew stylists go over the top with their styling, but this catalog is full of inspiration.  I took a couple of my favorite outfits from the catalog and created  some looks for less.

The shoes make this outfit!  She looks so casual and chic.

Here are some similar items for less:

Skinny Pants by Gap
Sandals by Franco Sarto

This outfit is looks very thought out.  She looks like she is ready to take charge!

Tanks by Express
Sandals by Jones New York

Have a great 1st of February!