Fashion Inspiration: Red

sweater: J.Crew Factory, shorts: Forever 21, necklace: Hannah D's

I feel like I have been seeing A LOT of red lately.

Red skinnies.  {here and here}

Red skirts.  {here}

So I thought I would try red shorts...since that is what I already owned.

And yes, it is warm enough to wear shorts.
And yes, that does cause me to worry about what July will feel like.
(Austin had "85 days of 100-degree heat in 2011."  So when it is already 80 degrees in March...it makes me a bit nervous.)

Fashion Inspiration: Green Pants

shirt: J.Crew Factory, pants: NY&Company, belt: J.Crew Factory
necklace: Forever 21, sandals: kelly & katie (from DSW)

I'm going to take a minute to brag about the AWESOME deal I got on these fabulous, green pants.

I was enjoying some leisurely reading in my Glamour magazine (don't judge!)....when I stumbled upon a coupon to NY&Company.  

It said, "Try our pants for $10."  My first thought was, "Yea right!  What's the catch?"  

So I read all the fine print and discovered that it was legit.  Pants for $10!  

Sure enough...I took these pants to the register with my coupon and the nice lady sold me $40 pants for $10.

And that my friends is the story about how I got green pants for $10.

Fashion Inspiration: Relaxing Sunday

shirt: Forever 21, jeans: American Eagle, shoes: Target, necklace: J.Crew Factory

I think that Sunday is my favorite day of the week.

It has definitely become a day of rest and rejuvenation for me.

Today felt extra relaxing and I'm excited to start the week off on a positive note.

High Five for Friday!

My apologies for the lack of posts this week.
I had a wonderful week....I just didn't really feel like taking pictures.
But...I'm back and ready to rock!

Here are my 5 favorite things from this week...


1. Bluebonnets!
Spring is in full swing here in Texas and there is a plethora of wildflowers to prove it.
Bluebonnets are Texas' most popular wildflower.
They are beautiful and a great way to welcome spring.

2. New Girl
This show is HILARIOUS!  Seriously...HILARIOUS!
If you need a good laugh, I highly recommend watching this show.
It makes me laugh every time.  It also makes Jason laugh.
(and when I say it makes Jason laugh...I mean it makes Jason laugh so hard he starts to cry...now that is a good laugh)

{photo from IMDb}

3. Galations 1:10
My friend told me about this verse on Monday and I think I've read it 25 times since then.
It has really  helped me focus on the "big picture" this week and forget about the "little" stressors.

{image source}

4. "Your Great Name" - Natalie Grant
I first heard this song over at Greater Than Rubies in this post.
Almost immediately after listening to it...I purchased it on iTunes.
Caitlin describes it as a powerful song and I would have to agree.
I enjoy "jamming out" to this song.
{Do people even say that anymore? "Jamming out?" Well, I do...so there you have it."}

5. Cupcakes!

I have been wanting to make these cupcakes for over a year.

FINALLY, it happened this week.

I'm going to go ahead and call them "man cupcakes."
Actually, they are called Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes...but they have a lot of "manly" ingredients.
You know...like beer and whisky...manly things.
{You can find the recipe here.}

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
{recipe}

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk.

High Five for Friday! (Spring Break)

Since I'm a teacher and Jason is a medical student...we are still awarded a spring break. 

{and both of our spring breaks were the same week.  score!}

We try to take advantage of this luxury while we still can.

It was a VERY enjoyable and relaxing week!

Here are my 5 favorite things from the week...

1.  Spring Break!

We spent most of the week on a road trip to New Mexico to visit Jason's brother and sister-in-law.

2.  Snow!

I love snow!  Absolutely love it!

I know that I already talked about it {in this post}, but I had to mention it again.

3.  Quality time with family!

It was SO nice to get some quality sibling time with Jason's brother and sister-in-law.

My sister-in-law and I even got some quality girl time, when the boys went snowboarding.

4.  "Bear Claw" Gloves.

Jason found these gloves when we were walking around Santa Fe on Tuesday.

I'll go ahead and call them "bear claw gloves" and they are awesome!

Awesome, I tell you!  Just look at them.  Have you ever seen anything like it?

5.  Mini Apple Pies

After we got home from New Mexico, we had a fabulous dinner with my parents and sister.

We made these delicious mini apple pies.

They are so easy to make!  And did I mention that they are delicious?

You can find the recipe on Pinterest {here}.

Fashion Inspiration: Wind and the Cadillac Ranch

shirt: J.Crew Factory, cardigan: swapped, jeans: TJMaxx, belt: J.Crew Factory
necklace: Urban Outfitters, boots: Arturo Chiang (from Dillard's)

Wind is not a new "obstacle" for outfit pictures.

Jason and I battle the wind on almost a daily basis.

But man, oh, man...we were battling some fierce wind today.

I'm going to take a moment to applaud my husband's mad photography skills.

He was able to capture some nice pictures despite the gusting wind.

Thanks, love!

Okay, now to address the elephant in the room.  

Yes, those are Cadillacs sticking out of the ground.

On our "adventurous" Spring Break road trip, we visited the Cadillac Ranch.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law shared this "must see" Texas attraction with us and we just knew we had to see it.

It was definitely a sight to be seen.

Fashion Inspiration: The Desert

cardigan: Forever 21, shirt: Old Navy, tank: Target
scarf: Target, jeans: American Eagle, boots: Old Navy

Yes, Monday's picture was taken in the snow.

Yes, this picture was also taken in New Mexico.

Yes, I'm standing in what looks like the desert.
This week, I've learned that New Mexico has a wide variety of topography and weather.

Fashion Inspiration: Green

sweater: Old Navy, shirt: J.Crew Factory, jeans: American Eagle, shoes: Target
necklace: Target, watch: Michael Kors, pearl ring (right hand): James Avery

I decided to try my hand at some pattern mixing today.
I've been working up the courage to try it for a while.
Now don't be too shocked by my first attempt.
Calling it subtle is an understatement...but it is a step in the right direction.
I would call this outfit a roaring success!
The green pinstripes in the shirt are very subtle, so they don't compete too much with the wider stripes in the sweater.
Also, both the sweater and the shirt share a similar color...green.

Speaking of green...St. Patrick's Day is coming up on Saturday.
So you might want to start thinking of a super, cute green outfit in your closet.
{or your sister's closet...whatever works}
I may or may not be planning to wear one of today's green shirts on Saturday.
However, now that I think about it my sister has some green sandals that are just darling.
Do you think she will notice if I borrow them?

If you need some more ideas...you can see how other bloggers wore green here...

Fashion Inspiration: Snow!

chambray shirt: J.Crew Factory, sweater: American Eagle
black skinnies: Banana Republic, necklace: Anthropologie (gift), boots: Arturo Chiang

 Snow!  Snow!  Snow!

I grew up in Ohio, so snow was a routine experience each winter.

Now that I live in Central Texas, snow is rare and minimal.

So...I was pleasantly surprised to see some "quality snow" this Spring Break.

{"quality snow" - enough snow to cover the ground entirely with no grass peeking out from under it}

J and I decided venture out on a road trip to New Mexico to see his brother and sister-in-law.

Yesterday, we got to ride the tram to the top of a mountain near their lovely home.

It was perfect!  So beautiful!  

Just what I needed to satisfy my final winter craving...now I'm ready for spring.

High Five for Friday (better late than never)

This week has been absolutely FABULOUS!

Crazy busy, but FABULOUS!

Here are my 5 favorite things from this week...

1.  Our 4th wedding anniversary!

I love the way my husband, Jason, described it.

"We are turning 4!"

I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend.

I love him with all of my heart!

{picture taken by SMS Photography}

2.  Anniversary Dinner.

Even though our anniversary fell on a weeknight the day before Jason had a test...

we still went out for an absolutely DELICIOUS meal to celebrate "turning 4."

shirt: Old Navy, blazer: J.Crew (via a local consignment shop),
jeans: American Eagle, necklace: Target, shoes: Aldo, watch: Michael Kors

3.  Romantic Anniversary Weekend.

Since we do not have any children yet, we are able to make a HUGE deal out of our anniversary.

We always try to plan a romantic "getaway." 

Since our anniversary fell on a weeknight, we got to celebrate twice this year!

A weekend getaway AND a weeknight anniversary date!

4.  Flowers and New Shoes.
Jason is SO good to me!
On our anniversary, he surprised me with flowers at work.
{i LOVE getting flowers at work}
Then he surprised me on the way to dinner with the new J.Crew flats I have been wanting.
He is such a sweet and thoughtful man!

5.  "Like an Avalanche" - Hillsong United
I have pretty much been listening to this song on repeat this week.
This song gives me chills.
"Caught up in grace like an avalanche,
nothing compares to this love...burning in my heart."
So powerful!

I'm linking up with From My Grey Desk.

Fashion Inspiration: Ruffles

tee: J.Crew Outlet, tank: Gap, skirt: Banana Republic, belt: J.Crew Outlet
necklace: Forever 21, boots: Old Navy, watch: NY&Company, bracelet: gift (vintage)

This skirt brought me a lot of attention today.

"Love your skirt!" 

"Oh, cute skirt!"

"Where is your skirt from?"

"Wow! That skirt is...ummm."

(Can you guess which comment came from a male co-worker?)

I bought this skirt on sale after Christmas.

I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.

Oh and once I tried it on...sold!

I was trying to stick to my shopping budget and the price was a bit high.

(Granted it was on sale and a much better price than the original...but still a bit steep for me.)

My sister was trying to be a good sister and talk me out of buying it, so I could nurse my budget for a few more items.

She was afraid that it would be a "one hit wonder" and I would rarely wear it.

Then I told her my vision for this skirt...

Needless to say, she was sold as well.

I love that it is so unique.

It has ruffles.

Texture.

It is fancy, yet can be mixed with causal pieces.

Oh and wait until you see it paired with my chambray shirt.  

Needless to say, this skirt is one of my favorite purchases of 2012.

Fashion Inspiration: Bright Orange

sweater: J.Crew Outlet, scarf: gift, pants: American Eagle (refashioned)
boots: Arturo Chiang (from Dillard's), watch: Michael Kors

I have discovered that I love color.

Love it!

Somehow it helps brighten my mood.

This bright orange sweater definitely did the trick today.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!

Fashion Inspiration: Citrus

cardigan: J.Crew Outlet, tank: J.Crew Outlet, jeans: American Eagle
necklace: Banana Republic Outlet, boots: Arturo Chiang

I love the color of this cardigan!

It is so unique.

However...until recently, I could not tell you what color it is.

Green?  Yellow?
Well, I saw a similar color at J.Crew and they called it "citrus."
So citrus it is.

High Five for Friday!

I love that Friday always seems to show up right when you need it.

I am so thankful for weekends to relax and rejuvenate.

Here are my 5 favorite things from this week...

1. Tree Blossoms

Remember yesterday when I told you spring had sprung in Texas.

Well...I have more proof!

When I got home this evening there were beautiful tree blossoms in our front yard.

2. "Peace..." Quote

Perfect timing is all I can say about this quote.

I found it this week on Pinterest and it couldn't have come at a better time.

{image found on Pinterest here}

3. J.Crew March Catalog
I really enjoy looking through the J.Crew catalog.
So many cute outfit ideas!
{this} is my favorite outfit in the catalog.
You can check it out the whole March catalog {here}.

4. Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk
At the risk of sounding like a 3 year old...I am loving this chocolate milk!
I'm not normally a fan of milk, but I've been trying to get more dairy in my life.
Let me tell you this is doing the trick.
So yummy!

{image found here}

5. "Mean" - Taylor Swift
Now that I've totally embarrassed myself with the chocolate milk confession...
I might as well tell you that this song has been stuck in my head all week.
(and I hate to admit that it's fun to sing along)

I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk.