A Case of the Mondays

I went to a mommy's group at our church Monday night. It was a rush of errands, schooling, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and classes all day. I was sweaty and a little on edge. But I was determined to make it to the meeting and try to enjoy myself. I walked my kids to the daycare room, dropped them off and settled into my seat where the other gals were--giddy to be free of needy children before bedtime and happy to be conversing with likeminded adults. 

Not too far into the program, I could hear my baby screaming in the hallway. She has a hardcore case of separation anxiety. What was I thinking leaving her in the nursery? 

I ended up walking the halls with her during the speaker. Not because she was crying, but because she couldn't stop squealing with delight or crawling out of my hands and getting into some other lady's purse. It was just easier to walk with her in the hallway and let her be giggly and loud all she wanted there. Thankfully I wasn't alone in the halls - other moms joined me here and there for the same reasons, so at least I didn't completely miss out on socializing. Nevertheless, in the end, I decided it was much easier to handle Capri at home and put her to bed than continue to keep her happy while I tried to participate with the others. So we left.

After a day of feeling completely unraveled, I needed a day where I felt put together. So here's to being a little inspired. Instead of blue jeans, I chose white (somehow I'll keep them from getting stained). Instead of a slouchy tee, I chose this feminine lace covered blouse. Instead of thong sandals or sneaks, I chose my classy leopard flats. Tomorrow I'll probably be back to the basics, but it felt good to don a little lace today.

And now I have to gush about this bag. It is so far proving to be my dream diaper bag. Large enough to carry two diapers, travel wipes, extra baby outfit, diaper rash cream, bandaids, nursing cover, bib, baby spoon, and applesauce pouch for the baby - and also large enough to fit all my things: full size wallet, lipstick, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, coin purse, comb, make-up compact, nail file, iPhone, and keys. Plus, it stands up on its own, is easy to clean, has a cross body strap that you can easily detach, and has satchel straps. I'm in love! Oh, and did I mention it's genuine leather and I got it on clearance for only $60?!

Top - J.Crew via Goodwill - $3

Jeans - Gap - $.58 after coupons

Flats - Gap - $7

Bag - Dillard's - $62

Sunnies - Banana Republic - $17

Minimalism

I had a personal goal of trying to make a mini adventure out of each summer weekend in the few weekends we have left. I had hoped we could rent a canoe and go paddling down our river this past Saturday, but rain and practical things like getting groceries got in my way. Friday, however, we did make it to both a friend's pond, and a relative's pond (all in one day, mind you). I have some pictures to post from that. Maybe not as adventurous as renting a canoe for the river, but just as eventful and enjoyable.

Saturday was spent running errands and shopping. Running errands with three kids always turns into a day long ordeal. It was fun, but took up every inch of the day. I came home with a new iPhone 5s, a laptop cover, a Ninja blender, groceries, new dress shoes for Chris, and a new basketball for CJ.

I've been wanting to try the white on white look all summer long, but just couldn't find the right day for it. As a mom of three, you really have to pick and choose which day you can survive an all white outfit. I chose to wear it on a trip out to a local historical village/museum with a friend. For the record, I made it all day with nary a stain. A feat that I don't take lightly. Perhaps I might dare to wear all white again.

It was a cool day with a cool breeze, so the booties made perfect sense, another trend I've been wanting to try (booties in the summer). Of course the black boots needed a black purse and black cuff bracelet to balance it out.

Now I'm itching to try out a panama hat. I tried one on at Target this past weekend and fell in love. It was full price, though. I'm snatching it up as soon as it goes on clearance.

Jeans - Gap - 58 cents (got them on clearance, plus 40% off the clearance price, plus used a $10 reward)

Booties - DSW - $27

White t-shirt - Everlane - $15

Cuff bracelet and Bulova watch - gifted

Black leather bag - thrifted for $3

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

Remember this post? I thought I found my dream diaper bag on eBay when I found this Vince Camuto "Parker" leather satchel for only $59. When it arrived I realized that it looked more used than I hoped it would, and perhaps I should have just waited to find something better, or just found a faux leather bag that fit my specifications for half the price. Nevertheless, it has a lot more room than my previous bag, and it's a lot easier to find things. The only thing I have against it is that it looks old.

This bag has been so easy to carry around, and it certainly doesn't look like a diaper bag. If it looked brand new, it would be perfect!

These camo pants are one of the steals I snagged at Gap a couple of weeks ago.

I wore this to my son's baseball game last week. Of course I had to wear my baseball t-shirt to a baseball game, right?

Click the links below to shop the outfit:

Baseball t-shirt - Asos - $20

Camo pants - Gap - $8

Converse - DSW - $20

Bag - Vince Camuto via eBay - $59

Sunnies - Banana Republic - $17

And here's my little baseball player.

He was so cute trying to hit the ball!

He had a great little fan section.

The girls may have been a little distracted.

For the past couple of months I've been scheduling posts and getting them all done ahead of time. I do most of my blogging in the evenings. As of this post, I have nothing more scheduled until a guest post in a few weeks. It feels weird to have nothing scheduled for tomorrow. The reason for getting to this point is that I have found myself a little sidetracked from putting together outfits right now. I've been spending a lot of time getting chores done and gearing up for some upcoming trips. Instead of creating a new look, I've been reaching for the tried and true. Maybe it was just this week and after this I'll get back into creating new outfits. Either way, there may be a few pauses on the blog for this month as I get used to our summer vacation schedule and get caught up with scheduled posts again.

Hope you have a great week - Happy Monday!

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.

The Diaper Bag Dilemma

I'm obsessed lately with finding the perfect diaper bag, which is requiring hours and hours of perusing online till all hours of the night.

Here are my top ten requirements:

1. Must be a normal bag, not an actual diaper bag so that I can wear it out with or without babies. 

2. Must be high quality so that it will last forever (100% genuine leather). 

3. It has to wear well (100% genuine leather usually wears well). 

4. It has to be able to stand on its own (in other words, little feet at the bottom of the bag and nothing that slouches). 

5. It has to be roomy, preferably with some compartments. 

6. But it can't be too big that it dwarfs my short stature. 

7. It has to have handles for carrying on my arm and also a detachable cross body strap.

8. It has to look luxe. 

9. It has to be a neutral color but not white.

10. It has to cost $120 or less.

I wasn't sure these requirements were possible until shopping this past weekend when I saw this bag of my dreams which started this whole obsession in the first place. At the time I saw the bag it was 30% off its original price, with an additional 30% off for that day making it come to a grand total of $136 - only $16 over budget!

I passed it up only because I was sure I could find something better.  Thanks to eBay, I did find almost the exact bag a little cheaper on eBay (also here). 

Because of all my research, I learned which brands to look for that offer genuine leather products for the best prices. If you're in the market for a quality bag, I suggest running searched for these brands:

1. Fossil

2. Sak

3. Calvin Klein

4. Emma & Fox

5. Antonio Melani

6. Vince Camuto

7. Tiganello

8. J.Crew

9. Zara

10. OrYANY

Not even sure where to run your online searches? Try these stores:

1. Neiman Marcus Last Call

2. Off Fifth Saks Fifth Avenue

3. Overstock.com

4. T.J. Maxx

5. Marshalls

6. Shopstyle.com

7. eBay

8. J.Crew

9. Zara

10. 6pm.com

Check out these eBay steals that meet most, if not all of my top ten requirements:

Cole Haan off eBay starting bid at $29.99!

This Kate Spade bag also looks like it meets my specifications and it's going for as low as $85:

Here is a J.Crew bag that almost fits my specifications for only $100!

Or how about this DKNY beauty up for bid, right now at $6!

I found this one and almost bought it for $96.99, but was too late and lost the bid. I'm hoping to maybe snag it the next time around.

This B. Makowsky satchel is only $79.99. Maybe this is the one for me.

Caveat for eBay shopping - be sure to choose in the advanced search option "US only" products so you don't get duped by a foreign company copying a brand and lying about its authenticity. Also, be careful to look thoroughly at the pictures of the item presented, as well as read the descriptions thoroughly. Many of these bags are being sold at such a low cost due to a missing part or defect.

Many bags meet so many of my requirements, but there's only one thing missing - a detachable strap. I found these great  detachable leather straps that I could buy if my dream bag has everything but the missing strap.

What are your dream diaper bag requirements? Any suggestions on where to find one?

Colorblocking

I had fun pairing these three colors together. I wore this outfit a couple of weeks ago on a bright, warm, sunny day, so I blended right in with the scenery.

Get the look yourself (links below) - entire outfit for under $70!

T-shirt - Gap - $3 - On sale for $20 at J.Crew

Skirt - Old Navy - $6 - Cute striped one at Target for only $15

Bag - Dooney & Bourke - hand-me-down - Similar for $9

Bracelets and Bulova watch - gifted

Shoes - Michael Antonio - $9 - Similar for $25

Let It Snow

I spent last week in MI at my parents house while my husband had a work trip in Boulder, CO. I packed up my kids, all of CJ's school books, our snow clothes, and drove up there as soon as I finished the school, laundry, and packing on Monday. The change of scenery, the warmth of my family, and closer access to shopping was just what I needed to change my perspective on my life. Between postpartum hormones, winter blues, extreme temps, and my husband being gone, I was starting to feel a little low and a little lonely. But being away from home always gives you a fresh appreciation for it and I feel so refreshed and contented now. 

I am so blessed to live in my beautiful antique home with my loving kids and husband. I am so blessed to live in a safe community in a state that experiences all four seasons in all their glory. The snow looks so beautiful and it won't last forever. I need to enjoy it while I can. 

That being said, I'm learning to embrace wearing my snow boots just about every day and being sure to wear lots of layers. This is what I wore today for grocery shopping, then taking my daughters to a cafe while my son took his karate class. No amount of snow mounds threatened me dressed like this.

Hat - Target - $6

T-shirt - Gap - $3

Sweater - Target - $6

Fleece lined leggings - Wal-Mart - $7

Knit pencil skirt - Old Navy - $6

Boots - Target - $25

Puffer coat - Wal-Mart - $10

Bag - Dooney & Bourke - hand-me-down

My new bag!

I'm so excited, I just got home from shopping at Kohl's and I'm sporting not one, but two new handbags! They were having a buy one get one free sale, and though I normally don't spend as much as I did on one bag, I figured since I'm getting two it was totally worth it.

I have been searching for a buttercup yellow handbag in my price range for a very long time. This one is such a pretty buttery yellow and though it is made out of some kind of synthetic the material is so soft it makes you just want to hug the bag all day. It also came with a matching cosmetic case and a cute mini umbrella.

The great thing about this bag is it large enough to hold a few extra diapers, a baby bottle or other little baby things, as well as my wallet and keys (and whatever else I may need) and it is a wonderful spring color that will go with almost everything.

The other bag will make a fabulous bag for when I need a burst of color or just need to be holding something red. *grin* I love the side pockets I think they will come in very handy. It will also be a great bag to take me through the fall and winter. *sigh* Can you tell I am excited? I rarely buy new handbags since the nice ones really do cost a lot.

At any rate, if you are in need of a new bag check out Kohl's and their buy one get one free sale. They also have winter bags on sale for 90% off! Many of which were super cute!!