Mid-Week Glamour

I put together this outfit for a bachelorette party, but I think this would be a really cute date night look, too.

I love the mint green shorts - so fun for summer!

Cassi changes her outfit at least twice a day. I never know what she'll come up with next. She watched an episode of Magic School Bus on Netflix this morning about butterflies and insisted that she dress up like this for the rest of the day. Of course I'm not going to get in the way of her sartorial endeavors.

I've also worn this top with a pencil skirt and skinny jeans. I love how it glams anything up without making the look too dressy because of it's casual shape.

In other news, if you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that we recently listed our house for sale. I kind of hope it doesn't sell. I love this house. It's just so large and needs a lot of upkeep. We're hoping that if it sells we can find something that is newer or smaller. Or maybe we'll just rent for a while. Either way, it's a lot to think about. I like change, though, so if a move is in our near future, I'll look forward to all the de-cluttering and organization that goes along with a move.

Top - Goodwill - $3

Shorts - Target - $5

Heels - Nine West via DSW - $20

Casual Sophistication

I don't think wool capes were meant to be worn in the Spring, but it's still chilly here if you haven't noticed by my outfits.

As you can tell by my post yesterday, I'm really obsessed with finding the right bag right now, but I'm having trouble committing to buy. While I waffle back and forth on what bag to buy, I decided to run to Goodwill to see if I could find an interim bag and found this one for $3. It is far from ideal as far as practicality, but I like the way it looks at least, and it's plenty large enough.

The billowy dolman sleeves are so comfortable, but very difficult to wear under a coat - the cape really did come in handy for this outfit!

I shopped each of these pieces either out of season clearance or thrift shopping, making this whole outfit round up to just under $50!

Top - Ann Taylor LOFT - $5

Necklace - thrifted - $2

Bag - thrifted - $3

Jeans - H&M - $2.50

Pumps - Target - $12

Cape - Ann Taylor LOFT (new with tags) - $5

Sunnies - Banana Republic - $17

Entire look for under $50. Bam.

Denim and Sparkles

Happy Friday friends!

Here's an outfit formula for a date night: statement heels + statement necklace + denim shirt + coated jeans = great Friday night out look.

Click the links below for similar pieces at clearance prices - entire look for under $50!

Denim shirt - Goodwill - $3 - similar for $9

Jeans - Gap - $8 - similar for - $12

Shoes - Nine West Boutique - $17 - similar for $12

Necklace - gifted - similar for $13

My New Shoes

My sister-in-law-to-be gave me these cute sandals on Easter. She bought them at a thrift store to wear for her rehearsal dinner, and decided to test them out on Easter Sunday. They were too uncomfortable for her, so she passed them on to me. When it comes to shoes, the last thing I care about is comfort. She is now my new favorite sister-in-law-to-be. I love these shoes!

Shoes - Seychelles - hand-me-down

Top - J.Crew via Goodwill - $3

Jeans - H&M - $2.50

Scarf - Goodwill - $.50

Trench coat - Zara - $69

Sunnies - Banana Republic - $17

By The River

We're headed up North today to see my family for Easter. I'm definitely looking forward to celebrating with them!

CJ and I have been going over the Easter story for our Bible study lessons each morning for the past couple of weeks. Watching him get excited because he truly understands this holiday has me more than ever excited about celebrating this weekend. This is also the first year that I've ever given up something for Lent, which has kept the importance of Easter at the forefront of my mind these past 38 days.

The river has only recently thawed out. It was still iced over in mid-March, which as I'm writing this was only a few weeks ago. That's how cold it has been here this Winter. The water was as brown and ugly as ever, but I am so happy to see it running without any traces of ice or snow anywhere. And look at all that green grass! Could it be that Spring has finally sprung?

With Spring finally here I'm getting excited about working outside. I didn't do hardly any work on the yard last summer due to my pregnancy, but this year will be different. I'm looking forward to mowing, weeding, and planting.

And all the running I've been able to do outside now - especially with the kids! Glorious!

Happy Spring folks and have a glorious Easter weekend!

Blouse - Goodwill - $3 (Similar)

Coated jeans - Gap - $10

Slingback heels - Steve Madden - hand-me-down from my Mom (Similar)

Peter pan collar necklace - Charming Charlie's - $2.99 

No Nonsense

I wore this on Sunday to church. I bought these heels only a few weeks ago and am impressed with the quality for being cheap shoes from Target. They fit perfectly (size 5.5) and make me feel so polished and chic when I wear them. If we didn't have so much snow and ice around here you might see these heels in every outfit post!

Sweater - Target via Goodwill - $4 similar

Pencil skirt - Target - $3 similar

Stilettos - Sam & Libby via Target - $12 same

Outfit Post: Sophisticate

Jacket - Express - thrifted for $3

Top - Ann Taylor - $9

Jeans - H&M - $20

Pumps - Banana Republic - $15

Earrings - gifted

My New Red Suede Shoes

 This handsome boy was my shoe photographer. He looked so dapper, I had to snap a photo of him too!

I was rushing at the mall the other day and noticed that Banana Republic had an extra 30% off sale prices sale. Low and behold, these gorgeous shoes were the last ones left and happened to be in my size. They are from the Mad Men Collection and I got them for $15!! They were normally $120! You can't beat that!

Outfit Post: Evening Wedding

 I wish I took better photos that showed my shoes - they were the best part of my outfit! To see the shoes, you can check out this post.

 This dress has a little bit of a back story. About 4 years ago, when I was still living near Washington, DC, the Lord & Taylor was going out of business and all their clothes were on super clearance. By the time I got there, there wasn't much left, but this dress. Originally it was $350, and I got it on clearance and with a coupon for only $20! I had to get it altered slightly, but the alterations cost $15. I've worn it several times, and always felt special in it.

Trench - London Fog - gifted

Dress - Lord & Taylor - $20

Heels - Steve Madden - gifted

Vintage clutch - thrifted $2

Earrings - gifted

Outfit Post: Fondue Party

I went out shopping a few days ago, and found a few of these pieces at Plato's Closet. They have a lot of lightly worn, name-brand clothes at extremely good prices! I can always find something new that I "need" there.

My outfit is actually from last night. I didn't have time to post it until now. I wore this to church and then to a fondue party with some of my friends! I was told I looked "sophisticated," so I knew I had to post it here!

I wasn't ready for this picture! I was still buttoning up...

I have to admit, I'm quite proud of my shoes. I don't usually wear much of a heel, but I really enjoyed them. They are SO much fun!

Top - Target - gifted

Blazer - Plato's Closet - $10

Skirt - Plato's Closet (Ann Taylor) - $14

Shoes - Plato's Closet - $12

Outfit Post

This is a dress I bought last month. I really love the detail it has! It adds so much character to it. I tried to let the dress speak for itself and wear minimal jewelry. I usually don't wear heels, but I felt that they went well with this outfit.

Dress - forever 21 - $10

Heels - hand me down

Bracelets - gifted

Belt - came with another dress

All dressed up and staying at home

As a stay-at-home-working mom I often find I never have any reason to dress up. But some days I just can't help myself. I need to have an excuse to style my hair, put on my make-up, and slip into some sexy heels.

This season I'm in love with the peep toe pumps and sandals. Chunky heel, no chunky heel...all of them are adorable. The sling backs (which I normally hate) are super cute as well.

Another thing I love about the peep toe is it is a fun way to show off a pedicure that actually makes your toes look like you spent a million bucks on them. Flip flops just don't give your pedicure justice.

For bright summer toes my all time favorite colors are pinks and reds. I'm talking Barbie pink and deep ruby reds.

What are some of your favorite summer accessories this year?