Party Time!

       
The Girls are Back in Town (or Left in Town rather)

Hubby went with the guys to Michigan this weekend for the Penn St./Michigan game. So, that leaves us wives back home with all the kiddos. In an effort to “out fun” the guys, we’re having a big “moms and kids” sleepover tonight. Potentially there will be 5 moms, and 10 kids (with a minimum of 4 moms, 8 kids). Something tells me the men will NOT envy our get together tonight! That said, we plan on an evening of total indulgence for both the adults AND the kids.

Costume Mystery and Mayhem
Well, I bought an adorable cat costume for my daughter two weeks ago. And a good friend gave me an awesome Buzz Lightyear costume for my son (with light up wings and everything).

Problem 1: Daughter has already managed to “lose” her cat ears and tail. I haven’t helped look for them yet, but wish me luck on finding them - I can't imagine they've gone very far.  I refuse to buy a second costume!

Problem 2: Son will NOT put on the Buzz Lightyear costume. So, I’ve now started Costume Exposure Therapy. I’ve been putting it out in front of him, tempting him to at least put a leg in the suit. I’ve even had my daughter put it on so he could see it on someone (even though it’s 4 sizes too small for her). No luck yet. I don’t know if I need to
      a) push the issue, forcing him into it
      b) have him go costume-less or
      c) just get him something he will wear.

Now, of course, if either of them wanted more shoes, I'd buy THOSE in a heartbeat.  One can never have enough shoes.  :)
 

Shoes, Skinny Jeans and Money Saved

  
Knock Knock
Who's there?  The shoe man!  My new shoes just arrived at my doorstep, thanks to Shoeline.com.  I ordered them Saturday and they arrived today... not bad for free shipping!  I "needed" a pair of red shoes, and these did not disappoint.   Can't wait to wear them...

Not 21 Anymore
Sunday I took my first trip into a Forever 21 store.  Lots of great clothes and accessories.  I picked up my first pair of skinny jeans.  I didn't have time to try them on, so I just bought what looked like my size.  I got home and pulled them on.  They slid nicely up my lower legs, but didn't make it past my thighs.  Apparently, my calves are "Forever 21" but my ass is more like "Mother of 2 Kids."  Oh well, they are going back to the store.   I stopped in to the more mommy-friendly Loft today at lunch and bought some "Mother of 2 Kids" sized skinny jeans.. much better!

Money Saved
I went to buy this jacket today from Eddie Bauer.  I need a brown jacket for the Fall.  Well, it's SOLD OUT.  Darn it, now I'm disappointed.  But doesn't this mean I've "saved money" by not buying this? Oh, what to do with all this "saved" money :)

What a Monday!

Visit to the ER
Well, my Darling Son lost a battle with a book shelf at day care today, and earned his very first stitches. Unfortunately, the hospital was swamped (lots of H1N1 going around) so it took us THREE hours to get his two tiny stitches (just over his right cheekbone).  I should have sewn him up myself! I'm actually surprised that his first foray into getting stitches at the ER was so minor.  He handled it like a champ.

Outfit
So, today's outfit was also the outfit I got to wear to the ER.  Was it wrong for me to worry about my DS getting blood on my new cardigan and my white shirt?  Fear not, he got lots of hugs and kisses, just lots of dabs with tissues!  Sorry for the poor pic quality... my DS kept jumping in the picture this morning, and saying CHEEEEEESE!

Shirt: Eddie Bauer
Cardigan: H "&" M
Pants: The Loft
Boots: Simply Vera
Belt, Short necklace: Can't remember
Long Necklace: Kohl's
Bracelet: Smyth Jewelers



Raining on My Budget
So, it was cold and rainy all weekend. Saturday we stayed in ALL DAY.  There wasn't much to do but peruse the internet. A little Bluefly here, a bit of Stylefinder there, a sprinkle of Zappos, a dash of Shoeline.com. Wow, there's a lot of nice stuff out there. After a "few" online purchases, I was inspired to head to the local mall on Sunday with my DD.  She picked out my new cardigan (pictured above), and a few other goodies.  Can't wait until my new online purchases start arriving... hope everything fits!

It's only Monday and I'm sooooo done with this week already!

I'm a Winner!

 
So, it wasn't pretty, but it was worth it.
I went to work in this perfectly acceptable outfit.

 (Side Note:  Do you see the look on Pooh Bear's face in the above picture?  I dont' think he likes my outfit.)

Then, I changed into the outfit below for our IT department's  costume contest.  I was "Dorothy After the Tornado." My nickname was Dirty Dorothy, as a play off of Naughty Dorothy (who would have been considerably more attractive).

To create my costume, I did the following:
--Mashed the dress into wet grass and mulch
--Put wet leaves in my hair and on my dress
--Shredded the bottom of my dress
--Put black X's over the dog's eyes (poor ToTo)
--Broke the heel off of one of my homemade ruby slippers
--Applied lovely mascara and a black-eye
--Did lots of hair teasing and hair spraying
--And the icing on the cake was... applied tooth black-out wax. Oh, so very attractive.

Here's the very flattering picture:
(I'm not even removing the red-eye on this one.  I think it kinda works with the outfit.)

So, what did I win? 
A $250 Gift Certificate to the Apple Store. Yup, 250 buckaroos!
It was sooooo worth it!

I'm off to the office Happy Hour (and back in my NORMAL clothes now!)

Have a great weekend!
 

Friday's Quickly Approaching

   
Can She Win It?
I started getting my Halloween costume together tonight. Though I typically dress up each year, I was actually thinking of skipping it this year. But, then, they announced a costume contest at the office, with REALLY GREAT prizes. And, well, I LOVE WINNING THINGS. The contest is THIS Friday, so it’s going to be quite weird dressing up a full week before Halloween, but winning is winning, so I gotta do it! I don’t want to invest a lot of money, and this is really short notice, so I'm turning to items already in the closet. I was Dorothy last year as part of a group costume at work (which included the Wicked Witch, Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow, Oz, and a ton of props). I still have the Dorothy outfit, so I’m going to convert it into… “Dorothy After the Tornado.” I’ll be tearing up my blue gingham dress, teasing my pig-tails like crazy, applying messed up make-up, smeary mascara and perhaps adding a black-eye. Whatever it takes to make it look like I’ve been through a tornado.  Who knows what else I’ll come up with… I doubt Toto will make it through alive :)

I’ll be sure to take pictures of the end result.

Tuesday's Pic
Brown was my theme today... I bought this top a few months back at Cache, but this is the first time I’ve worn it. I just couldn't figure out what pants to wear with it... black didn't seem to work, and flat brown was just too much brown.  Pulled out these these pants this morning and figured they were just brown enough to work. So, here it goes:

Shirt: Cache
Pants: Kohl's
Necklace: Melissa McMacken Designs - won via a charity raffle
Ring: Amber ring from Italy (gift)
Bracelet: Kohl's
 
I'm thinking I'll also try this top with some skinny jeans (which I still need to buy) and knee high brown boots.

Monday List & Krazy Kid

   
Lists Lists, I Love Lists
In following suit with my pals at ShopKim and DoYouReallyWantToKnow, I too have compiled a list of the little things that make me smile; things that just brighten my day.

• Donuts left over from someone else's morning meeting (especially if they're chocolate frosted)
• Shoes that look great and feel great
• The smoky smell of a wood fire
• Seeing my DD play nicely with her little brother
• A witty crossword puzzle clue
• The huge grin and sweet giggle from my DS every time he successfully pees in the potty
• Having my DS or DD fall asleep in my arms (a rare treat)
• Looking through old pictures
• Good service at a restaurant, especially during lunch, when time is of the essence
• 8pm Thursday nights (Survivor night)
• When hubby randomly brings me home a bag of Hershey's Caramel treasures
• A freshly washed and waxed car

Weekend Update
Had fun at a local event on Saturday with the hubby and kids.  There were lots of local vendors and plenty of  fun for the kids.  Milkshake (the band) played live.  There were several moonbounces, the kids could decorate pumpkins, eat cotton candy, watch a magic show, and even get their hair colored; all of this was included in the uber reasonable entrance fee of $10/adult $5/kid.  I'd have paid that must JUST for the crazy hair!  DD was really loving it... here are some pics (again face removed for her privacy).

Thursday's Pics & Scarf Giveaway!

  
Girl Power

My DD had another successful outfit day today. She never ceases to amaze me. And, this kid loves the camera. She was so upset when I told her that her face would’t be showing. I explained that she could make the choice to show her face when she’s older, but not at six years old!

Shirt and Skort: The Children's Place

Tights and Belt: Target

Shoes: Kohl's

I’m questioning the success of my own outfit yesterday. (I worked from home today, so no outfit pic for today.) The shirt has a built-in high waist belt. Is it some sort of fashion faux pas to have the belt ‘built-in’ to the outfit already? If so, LET ME KNOW! :)  The color of the shirt is actually more of a dark green (it appears blue in the picture).  What are your thoughts on the necklace? Anyway, here it is:

Shirt: Kohl's (please, feign surprise)

Pants: Ann Taylor Loft

Necklace:  Dunno

Bracelets: Smyth Jewelers

Shopping Around and Getting Lucky
I can really relate to TracyH's blog post about shopping in cycles. I was recently on a Kohl’s kick, so I’ve been wearing a bunch of Kohl’s stuff lately. Let’s see where my next splurge takes me. I’ve been drooling over White House Black Market stuff lately.  Of course... if I happen to win this new scarf (check out the Fell4Fashion give away!) then I could go on another shopping spree and buy an entire outfit to go with it.  I’ve yet to wear a fashion scarf, so I’d love to have this be my inspiration! Check it here, and good luck!!!

Thanks to chickdowntown and Fell4Fashion for offering the giveaway!

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Lists & Links - Quick Post

 
I Need To

• Read the Twilight books so I can see what all the hype is about (my gal pals insist that I get on board)
• Stop using so many paper towels (what a wasteful habit)
• Get a tripod for my camera

I Want To

•  See The Invention Of Lying (I’m a huge fan of Ricky Gervais)
• Get an Invisibelt
• Get an Instant Button
• Own this sweater, tights and boots (I don’t think I could pull off the shorts, but I love them too)

 

Another Great (Yet Exhausting) Weekend

 
Friday Fun
Friday was finally the day of our annual charity event. This is the third year in a row that we've done this, and it definitely gets easier each year. We didn't raise as much as last year, but that's to be expected in a recession year. It was still just as fun (I love the planning meetings!). Plus, I won the following two amazing raffle prizes:

1) A ten passenger limo for an evening. We've already decided that we’ll use it with four other couples, all close friends of ours, to spend a night out on the town. Two of the men in the group are having milestone birthdays in February, so we'll most likely use it in February for a night of birthday fun (as if we need an excuse to get sitters and party together). I can't wait!

2 ) A beautiful necklace donated by Lotus Jewelry Studio. If you've never seen their jewelry, you really need to check out their website. Each piece is just amazing. I won the sterling silver Heidi necklace (pictured below). A big thanks to Lotus for donating this item for our charity raffle!

Saturday Sitters
Saturday night turned into an adults only get together, which is quite a rarity for us. My social circle consists mostly of couples that have young kids (from 15 months to 8 years old), so kid free outings are hard to arrange. Three couples managed to get sitters and we gathered at our friend’s house where we ate big kid food, drank big kid drinks, and had big kid conversations (with a few swear words interspersed). Not a single chicken nugget or juice box in sight. It was such a nice treat to just relax with a group of adults for a change. (T&M we missed you!)

This is what I wore, including my newly won “Heidi Necklace”

It’s funny that I find it harder to dress for casual evenings. I can’t wear jeans to work, so I’m in the habit of dressing up a bit. Trying to dress casually in jeans is always a challenge for me.

Earrings: Imports from Zirconia
Shirt: Kohl's (with a Loft cami underneath)
Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft
Necklace: Lotus Jewelry Studio
Boots: Can't remember... just wanted to wear something comfy

Wednesday's Outfit and Advice Needed

Crabs Rule

I went to a company sponsored crab feast yesterday, and I easily put down two dozen crabs. I haven't been able to eat crabs in quite a while, so I was over compensating.  It's hard to dig into crabs at home, or in a restaurant, with a two year old around.  The feast was from 3pm to 7pm, outdoors, and we followed it with a trip to a local bar.  This is what I wore:

I wanted a chance to wear my new boots to start breaking them in. They turned out to be pretty comfortable, and I had no problem wearing them all through the evening (even did a little dancing).  I purposely didn't wear any rings or bracelets because I knew I'd be picking crabs all night!

Sweater: Kohl's
Necklace: White House Black Market
Jeans & Cami: Ann Taylor Loft
Boots: Simply Vera

I think I missed an opportunity to wear a double necklace with this one.  Maybe next time!

Close up of my new boots (a bit fuzzy):

ATTEMPT #1 - Opinions Needed
I bought this skirt last week White House|Black Market. And, now I need to decide what to wear with it. Below is Attempt #1. I wore this for less than an hour... I was working from home and threw this on for the sole purposes of driving to daycare to pick up my DS.  So, all of four adults and ten kids actually saw me in this.  Now I need your opinions and advice.... what could I add or change to improve this outfit?  Is it OK the way it is? Are the black tights/high boots working? I know this skirt looks great with bare legs and strappy heels, but I want to try winterize it. Maybe open the jacket and put on a wide belt? Here it is...

Any and all suggestions welcome...

Good Find
Oh, and I just started following this blogger... love love love her style...District Of Chic.  She has some killer shoes too!