Fashion Inspiration: Feeling Pretty

dress: Forever 21, cardigan: Loft, necklace: Hannah D's

It is amazing to me...how dressing nice can affect your whole day.

Feeling pretty can really brighten your mood.

Sometimes I get lazy (and sleepy) and push the snooze button one too many times.

This normally results in rushing to get ready and leaving the house looking less than my best.

Earlier this week, we had special dinner plans that I was VERY excited about.

(I felt like a little kid...I was so giddy.)

So...I made sure that I put a little more effort into my outfit for work, so I wouldn't have to change before dinner.

That outfit made my day!  

{well, that and the anticipation of the evening's events}

I felt like I was on cloud 9 all day.  It was glorious!

Now...the next day, I hit the snooze button one too many times and just threw something on quickly.

That day was a little more difficult.  I felt tired, aggravated, and blah.

I was reminded that I need to consistently put in the extra effort in the morning, so that I can reap the benefits all day.

Fashion Inspiration: Little Black {Summer} Dress

dress: Loft (via consignment shop), jacket: Abercrombie & Fitch (old!)
necklace: "swapped", sandals: kelly & katie (via DSW)

I have discovered a new "kind" of shopping.

I've always loved a good sale...but this can be even more exciting.

Consignment shopping.

If you have time (and some patience), you can find some real treasures.

That is how I found the Loft dress (pictured above) and my J.Crew blazer.

Speaking of "the Loft dress (pictured above)"...

Let me introduce you to my new little black {summer} dress.

It is summer perfection and it fits beautifully.

I have a feeling this beauty is going to get a lot of wear in the coming months.

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}.