Thursday, February 28, 2019

Hello last day of February!  It’s hard to believe that tomorrow it will be March.  We have some snow expected this weekend so maybe it will “come in like a lion and go out like a lamb” this year.  

I am considering starting a new series on Thursdays in conjunction with my “Thursday Thoughts” where I give my thoughts on different stores.  So, let’s try this out today!

I am still very much an in person shopper.  I do order online, but I prefer to order from retailers that I have in town and can easily make returns to.  

Do you have a Stein Mart?  If so, do you shop there?  It may seem to have a bit of an older person vibe, but I think it’s worth checking out.  

Stein Mart is similar in theory to TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, and Ross.  I find Steinmart to be way easier to shop than those three stores.  Stein Mart is very well organized.  It’s much easier to find things.  They have men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories.  I would say they have department store brands and quality, but at a lower price, so very similar to the idea of the other three stores.  Their prices may not be as low as TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, and Ross, though, but I think they may have some higher end brands.  I prefer Stein Mart to the other three because of organization, mainly. My closest TJ’s is pretty small.  I don’t have a Marshall’s very close, and Ross is messy and only half full?  It’s weird. 

I took myself to Stein Mart recently and picked up this pretty spring top for $25.  The material feels like butter and it has cute button and a cute seam in the back.  

And, I already wore it!  

One of my favorite tops came from Stein Mart.  Back in the fall, I found this and when I got to the register and it was an additional amount off so it only cost $20.  I can’t wait to be able to wear this soon!  It has a fall vibe, but I also think I can wear it in the spring.  It’s kind of like a poncho blouse.  

In the summer, I visited the petite section for pants in the correct length:  these were around $25.  I can’t wait to wear these soon!  

I feel like their clothes are unique and you won’t see them on everyone, too.  

So, if you have a Stein Mart, let me know what you think! Have you bought any new spring clothing?  

Side note:  I usually add to my next season’s wardrobe slowly and that’s why I look around a lot starting at about this time of year.  It’s kind of a hobby for me, too.  I like to window shop! I come out empty handed more often than not.  I tracked clothing expenditures for several years and had a monthly allowance that I gave myself.  Each year my biggest spending months were March and September.  That didn’t surprise me as I always wanted a little update.  

Check out my post on spring inventory here!

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

I want to apologize in advance – I don’t have great outfit pictures this week.  But, hey, do I ever?  I have been super busy and worried that I’m bugging my colleagues to take my photo!  Maybe I should get a tripod?  

Let’s start with last Thursday – Black Matilda Jane pants, Versona camo tee, and a sweater.  I think I wore my Rothy’s flats every day.  You guessed it, the sweater came off at school.  

My Matilda Jane pants continue to be such work horses for my closet.  I know they don’t fit everyone’s style, but I have already gotten my money’s worth.  I get tons of compliments on them.  They are super comfortable and unique.  I got two at consignment for $20 and bought two new for $58 each. They are comfortable and nice quality.  

Friday I wore Hue jeggings, my Bobeau burgundy butter tee, and this velvet Kimono – and, my Rothy’s, too!  

I went out to dinner Saturday night and it was raining so my footwear was limited, which led to tough clothing decisions.  I really am lacking cute going out blouses in my wardrobe .  I am trying to show more weekend wear.  I wore black pants, my black Tory Burch flats because of the rain – I always wear black in the rain!  I wore a mustard Old Navy boho shirt and a black vest.  Sorry for the cheesy photo.  I sent it to our other friend who couldn’t come.  

For the drag brunch Sunday, I wore my black Matilda Jane fin pants (these are more basic pants, but with some cute layers at the bottom), Rothy’s, my favorite 3/4 length tee, and black vest again.  I was very comfortable but again, I felt that I didn’t have a very good selection of February going out clothes!  

Monday at school I wore Target camo leggings, long tunic top from Amazon, and the black vest again.  And, look at my shoes.  I’ve been spoiled by the Rothy’s and can’t bear to wear the other less comfortable shoes anymore!  The lighting is weird and I look like I’m floating on them!  On this day, I got the sweetest compliment from a teenager at school that I don’t know.  She told me that she loved this outfit and that I always look great.  Wow, I needed that.  I have not felt like I looked great lately in my chosen outfits.  What a sweetie!  

And, finally on Tuesday, I wore a different vest – charcoal grey, the same 3/4 sleeve top from Sunday, my brown MJ pants, Rothy’s and a light scarf.  Now is the time of year when I break out my lightweight scarves.  

So, maybe I should dedicate this week to Matilda Jane, Rothy’s, and vests!  

What was your favorite outfit?  

Amy 

Tuesday, Februrary 26, 2019

Today I’m going to talk about something pretty personal that doesn’t get talked about often on the blogs I read.  

Today I’m going to talk about that nasty five letter word in all of our lives – MONEY.  But, I hope to relate it to the thing that we are all really after and that is TIME.  Have you ever thought about how the two go hand in hand and can really affect your quality of life?  

Have you ever done a spending diary?  You most likely have.  It’s eye opening.  

Have you ever taken a time inventory?  Maybe not.  How much time do you spend during the day on things that really don’t match your values?  How much time gets wasted?  I’m almost scared to do this exercise!  

Sometimes I think that my blog may give a false impression.  I’m actually a pretty frugal person.  Now, I don’t think I’m cheap.  And, there is a distinction.  Frugal to me means that I save money where I can to put my money where my values lie.  Cheap to me means that I skimp on things that I shouldn’t.  That’s how I interpret it.  

I value gifts to the ones I love.  I value experiences.  I value travel.  I value education and educational activities for my kids.  I value quality products. I value well made home furnishings that will last.  I value quality healthy foods.  I could go on and on.  

Here are things I don’t spend money on:  (Please know that I don’t judge you if you do.  We all have different lifestyles and all must make our own choices on how we spend our time and money.  The interesting thing here is that sometimes when you save money, you also save time! I also understand I’m very lucky to have the choice to be frugal when many do not.  There are so many people barely scraping by.)

-I do not go to the dry cleaners.  My husband and boys might go once a year for their dress clothes. I don’t have anything that requires dry cleaning.  This saves me money and an errand.  

-I don’t buy books for myself.  I only use the public library.  I don’t make a special trip, but rather just do a pick up or drop off when I am driving by anyway.  I don’t have to find space on my shelves for books that I won’t read again.  I do have cookbooks and a few special books.  

-I do not go to a nail salon for manicures anymore.  I sometimes buy a new polish, but I do my nails myself.  I don’t have time for an hour plus appointment at this stage in my life during the school year and it gives me something to do while I watch t.v.

-I wash all of our clothes on cold and I line dry most of my nicer clothes.  I rarely iron, but rather just use Downy Wrinkle release and hang them.  I also take things out of the dryer immediately if I can and hang it.  Who wants to spend time ironing?  

-Recently I gave up my Bath and Body habit.  I was spending way too much for candles I didn’t need when I already had several and the soaps are really expensive even when you do their deals.  These are my Kroger’s spring scents.  I bought 4 for the price of one B and B soap.  

-I meal plan and use up the food we have.  I use coupons and the rewards checks that come in the mail.  I use online shopping to stick to my list and avoid temptations.  

-I sell my clothes to consignment shops and shop consignment shops.  There is so much good stuff to be found.

-I visit garage sales when I can.  Again, there is some good stuff to be found.  

-I bring my lunch to school every day. I don’t have time to go out and get anything anyway.  That’s why I can treat myself to a happy hour a couple of times a month.  And, I can go out to eat with friends a couple of times a month.  

-I make my own coffee at school and rarely buy coffee at a coffee shop.  It feels more like a treat when I do buy it.  You can make your coffee more fancy at home by adding flavored creamers, whipped cream, or a bit of hot cocoa mix.  

-I keep each cell phone until it dies.  I really don’t care about the latest and greatest.  

Are you a frugal person?  Is frugality important to you?  

Thanks for reading! 

Amy 

Friday, February 22, 2019

Happy Friday! Still having trouble with link ups, but here I am! My favorites this week included: in the above photo my 30 minutes on Monday.

Below: I am enjoying this book. It’s a little different – a severely agoraphobic girl moves to London!

I love Bravo tv channel. I can’t wait for Summer House to come back – group of 20-30 year olds rent a house in The Hamptons for the summer season. Do you watch it?

And, I’m super excited about Bravo’s Mexican Dynasties. Both shows start in the next few weeks!

Have you tried Ipsy? You get 5 beauty products a month for $10. This nail color came in my February package.

And finally, did you hear it is National Margarita Day today? Ok, twist my arm!

How was your week? Any favorites? Any fun weekend plans?

Cheers to Friday!

Amy

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Hey sweet readers!  How are you?  I’m counting the minutes until Friday to be honest!  So, I have gotten the best recommendations from the blogs I read.  I especially trust my bloggers who don’t do sponsored posts and aren’t getting paid to say they like a product.  (Just keeping it real, folks!)  I have no reason to recommend any of my products other than to help my readers.  Please leave me any recommendations in the comments because I love hearing what you love.

First of all, I visited my favorite consignment shop during their President’s 20% off sale.  The whole store was 20% off of their already reasonable prices!  I picked up this jacket/kimono for $6, guys.  That’s about the price of a latte!  

It is a Target brand that I don’t think is around anymore?  It had a bit of an Anthropologie vibe.  

And, I wore it yesterday!  If I don’t wear a purchase immediately, it goes back to the store.  Are you like that?  

Lipsense – no, I do not sell it, but I really do love the stuff.  It really stays put and is $20 for a color.  It is supposed to be equivalent to 4 tubes of lipstick.  I don’t know about that, but I will say it lasts me a really long time.  If you need a dealer (ha, ha!), leave me a comment.  

I love this foundation!  I need decent coverage but it’s really light feeling.  It’s about $40 and I think it will last me a good 6 months.  No, I don’t abide by those rules about throwing out makeup – at least not foundation.  Mascara is a different story – don’t take chances with your ojos!

I don’t love the sweatshirt.  It is a bit too long on me and the neck comes up too high.  (Amazon)

I love, love, love the earrings and have worn the heck out of them!  They are such good quality!  (Amazon)

I love my Rothy’s!  They have spoiled all other flats for me!  My co-worker also has the same color and is ordering another pair this week.  They are super expensive, but they are really great flats in my opinion.  I played it safe with this mocha color, but I really wish I had picked a fun color or pattern, too. 

The Hofi pockets leggings from Amazon were a great purchase.  I wear them at least once every weekend.  My sister in law now owns 3 pairs – navy, hot pink, and black.  They are good!  

Did you like this post?  I will try to do more follow ups if you liked this!  

Amy 

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Happy hump day, people!  How is it almost the end of February?  January seemed 3 months long and now February seems like it is only taking 2 weeks!  

How has your week been so far?  Mine has been good, but I’m fighting a little cold.  

Let’s go back to last Tuesday (I guess I forgot it for last week’s post).  This outfit did not photograph well.  It was very mild out and I was comfortable, but I don’t know now if this worked.  I’m wearing my Rothy’s (still love, by the way!), my Chico’s pants (very old and from consignment shop), my new Anthro anatola tunic, and a very old Loft vest that I got for like $6 on clearance.

Wednesday I needed to wear my heart scarf.  I wore my royal blue 3/4 length top, a white sweater and the scarf with black pants.  

Thursday I thought this looked red and festive enough for Valentine’s Day, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open apparently.  These are my Matilda Jane Fin pants, my Free People Nordstrom top, my MIA clogs, and an old Walmart $2 necklace.  

Then, yesterday, I wore jeans because we are having a jeans week for a fundraiser, and a light green LulaRoe perfect tee with a kimono.  My long necklace was a gift from senior girls last year.  I had on my Rothy’s again.  

Monday after I finished with Parent Teacher Conferences, my boys had plans.  One went to an ice cream shop and one went to play Laser tag with friends.  I had about 30 minutes in between and went to my favorite Spanish tapas restaurant for a glass of wine – just one.  I fully intended to sit at the bar and watch the cooks – they have an open kitchen that is fun to watch.  But, they had this fire going in the enclosed patio.  So, I want to leave you with this.  

Even in the midst of a busy week, try to find some pockets of time to recharge your batteries and enjoy the simple things in life.  This was a good 30 minutes of quiet and calm for me and I had the patio to myself.  

Cheers to you, readers!  

What have you worn this week?  How do you find pockets of time for yourself?  

Amy 

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Are you ready to pack away the winter clothing?  Or, do you leave all seasons out all year?  I feel like the weather is all over the place and we really could do that these days!  I don’t deal well with visual clutter.  I like to have a smallish wardrobe to pull from for each season.

I have already packed away:  

-anything Christmasey

-anything velour – except my Matilda Jane pants

-anything flannel/plaid (my classroom is just too hot)

-my two turtlenecks (same reason as above)

-my super heavy sweaters

As I was thinking about my spring wish list, I went to my extra closet to see my spring stuff from last year.  I pulled out anything that I wasn’t excited about and anything that I probably should have gotten rid of before packing it away.  

Now, I’m not ready to move anything to my main closet yet, but this was a good reminder about what I already had so I don’t buy multiples of anything.  

This year, I took this exercise one step further.  I pulled out the things that I wore the most last spring and asked myself why and if I still felt the same about it.  Why was something such a good workhorse for my closet?  I will also use that information to drive future purchases.

Spring 2019 Wishlist and/or Trends I’m excited about:

Kimonos – I’m happy to say that I’m still seeing kimonos in the stores!  These are so easy to throw on over a knit dress or you can wear them with a graphic tee and jeans or do the monochromatic look underneath with matching top and pants for a flattering line and throw the kimono over it.

Neon – I could see myself doing this in a small way like with earrings, bracelet or a light spring scarf.

Tie-dye – I love tie-dye and have a hoodie and a blouse.  I might add more because I love it so much.  You can do this trend in a non-hippie way with lighter colors.

Coral – the Pantone color of the year – I really like this color for spring and it looks sharp with white or navy.  I can see myself adding something in this color – maybe a blouse.  

Fancy flats – Yes!  I love flats and I wouldn’t mind some fancy ones!  I also like the mule trend.  

Crochet – I’m not going to be wearing a crocheted bikini top but I can see a clutch or a crossbody in my future.

Fringe – I have loved fringe for many seasons now.  Give me a poncho, kimono, or a purse with fringe all day long.

Biker shorts – This trend intrigues me and I have seen them with suit jackets or blazers.  Um, no thanks.  But, I might be able to see wearing biker shorts with a top that covers the rump?

Feathers – I love feathers!  I have leather feather earrings!

Earth tones – I’m more of a bright color person, but I may be able to embrace some earth tones.  

Now, I’m sure this list is not exhaustive.  I will probably be talking more about trends as spring approaches.

My Personal Wish List:

-some cropped jeans with an interest hem or fringed hems

-an olive or blush military style jacket

-a moto jacket in olive or blush

-Birkenstocks in rose gold perhaps?

-a casual white top or blouse in boho style 

What about you? Have you moved any winter clothes out yet?  Have you inventoried your spring stuff?  What trends are you excited to try?  

Thanks for reading!

Amy 

Monday, February 18, 2019

Happy President’s Day!  Are you off today?  My kids are, but we have Parent Teacher Conferences so I’m working from 7:30-2:30.  I am having trouble with my link ups lately, so I don’t know if I will be able to link up.  I was doing just fine with Inlinkz and now I’m not.  If you are a blogger and have a suggestion, it would be most appreciated!  I’m also having trouble leaving comments on some blogs.  

How was your weekend?  Mine went by in a flash.  I was off Friday but had a hard time motivating myself to do anything other than go to my hair appointment.  You don’t know how badly you needed it done until you see your new fresh do!  

Friday night was my son’s play (they ran it 6 times over the course of two weeks) and my husband was finally going to see it.  I put on the outfit below and dropped my son off an hour before the show.  

Then I met my husband at the Italian restaurant Ciao a block away.  

We had a nice little dinner and then watched our son’s 10 minutes of fame and I left and he stayed until the play was over. 

Saturday morning had me up bright and early to get my other son to an academic competition.  He was taking a test for language arts and had to be at a school about 20 minutes away by 8 a.m. I found out Saturday night that he made it to state!  That means he will be taking another language arts test next month!

I killed time by going to a nearby Panera for a latte.  

It was chilly but the sun was out!  

I did my nails while doing laundry and watching the Food Network.  

I popped into Old Navy and picked up this gold necklace to wear with my silver so I can wear both metals at once.  I figured if I liked them well enough together I might invest more money in a nicer one later on down the road.  

Then, we had to get theater son to his last performance and other son to a movie with a friend so we went to lunch at Hopcat while they were involved with their things.  We did not go to all 6 performances because it was $15 per person per time and because it sold out most of the time!  

I tried a petite sour rose beer and really liked it.  

Look at the cool ceiling decor!

We split a sloppy joe and onion rings and I’m so glad we split!  And, hub loves street corn so he had that, too.  

We picked everyone up by 4 and just hung out at home and I made dinner for the boys but we were too stuffed to eat again.  Theater son was feeling really sick and went to bed very early.  He has been fighting whatever my husband had last weekend and I started to feel like I was going to get it, too.  So, I had an early night as well after falling asleep on the couch at 8.  I tell you, when I’m in the school year, I just can’t stay up very late.  

Sunday was lazy and uneventful.  We finally had nothing on the calendar.  I did my breakfast prep for the week and made chocolate chip cookies.  I read and watched t.v., did more laundry, and that’s about it.  

We did take an afternoon drive to see the river flooding we’ve been having lately starting to recede.  

How was your weekend?  Or, are you still having it right now?  Are you still managing to survive winter?  I’m seeing signs of spring and it makes me think winter will not last forever!

Thanks for reading!  

Amy 

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Do you have special plans for today or tonight?  This year it is just a normal Thursday for me.  I have to work and run kids around and figure out dinner.  I may do something fun for takeout.  We don’t really do gifts for our kids.  Some years I do some favorite candy at dinner for everyone, but that’s about it.  My husband and I exchange small gifts some years.  This year, I just want to go out with him over the weekend because it’s been a few weeks. 

But, today, I thought I would talk about things in life I’m loving right now.  I like to practice gratitude every day and try to look for the positive.  

Little back story:

I’m a wife, mom to 16 year old identical twin boys who are juniors in high school, dog mom, high school Spanish teacher.

-Hearing my theater son singing in the shower – belting out songs from Annie the musical that he will be in this spring

-watching my sons change the trash without being asked and do general chores around the house that need to be done without being asked

-staying light out until 6:30 – really makes a difference when driving home from activities

-my sweet dog getting up when I do – 5 am during the week and 6-7 am on weekends. We have our routine together and he is such a sweet companion

Part of my Valentine’s decor is this portrait.  Why didn’t I put them in red?  It’s so hard to believe they used to be this small.  

-my Valentines minimal decor and getting excited to switch out to St. Patrick’s Day in a few days

-my public library website: every time I get a book rec I put in a request and each week one comes up ready for me to pick up.  I can’t even imagine how much money this has saved me (and given me more money for clothing, shoes, and accessories!), and how many hours of pleasure I have gotten from reading

-one of my sons becoming so adventurous with food – ordered salmon and split eggplant parmesan with me lately

-my husband getting over his cold. When the mom is sick nothing changes but when the dad is sick – watch out! Lol!

-looking at all the spring clothes and shoes in stores and online and checking out new styles.  I want all the white tops and blouses and put in an order from Nordstrom.com with the last of my gift card

-catching a glimpse of daffodils peeking out through the ground while walking Ernie this week

How will you celebrate today?  What have you been loving? What has made you happy?

Thanks for reading!

Amy