Show Us Your Life - Fashion Tips

I didn't think I had anything to share today, but then I remembered this

Yes, I was voted Best Dressed my senior year of high school, certainly that must make me a certified guru...right? Think again. Since having children I feel like I am clinging to whatever smidgen of "style" I have left. I no longer have the money or the time to pour over style magazines, so here are the "tips" I have used to get me through the transitions of pregnancy, motherhood and the in-betweens!

1. LAYER - If something is too low-cut, too short, or just too plain then layer it with a tank top or lace-trimmed cami for a little versatility. I layer everything; tee-shirts, button-ups, sweaters, cardigans, everything.

2. Own a jean jacket - Let me preface this by saying I do NOT wear my jean jacket with JEANS. I have 3 jean jackets, I wear them over dresses, with skirts, with bermuda shorts, it's the perfect way to keep warm and still be cute.

3. If you like something, try it - I am all about trying something trendy. I wore (fake) Uggs with mini-skirts, ponchos and flowers in my hair in high school because that was what I saw in the magazines....and I totally got made fun of, but I didn't care because I liked it!

4. Own something girly - There are times when you want to feel dressed up in jeans and it's always good to have a sparkly, frilly, metallic or flirty top to dress up a plain pair of jeans.

5. Accessories, accessories, accessories - As a mommy there are days that I just do not want to wear anything but shorts and a tank top, but you can bet that I will at least have a big ol' pair of dangly earrings on. In the winter I will wear a solid color tee with a scarf to make it more exciting. Accessories are the best way to take an outfit from one trend period to another. I love fashion jewelry because you can find it cheap, which is great because in two weeks it will be out of style anyways ;-)

6. Sport a bright smile - Any outfit looks better with pearly whites! (Yes, I realize I sound like a commercial right now!) I started using Crest White Strips in high school and one box made a HUGE difference, I still use about one box a year. Remember, you're never fully dressed without a SMILE! (Insert cheesy grin here)

For you, Sister!

This is my beautiful sister, Emily.

She lives in Ohio, is mommy to my sweet niece and nephew and blogs here! This post is for her, but since I know you all are dying to know, I will share the story with you as well :)

Spencer and I had a date night on Friday night and after dinner we went to the mall for a bit. I got a Macy's gift card for Christmas but have been saving it to do some shopping for our vacation this Summer. After looking around for a little bit I found this

Yes, it is a one-piece with shorts. (I think it's called a romper but I'm not 100% sure!) I was very skeptical at first but after trying it on thought it could be a very cute bathing suit cover-up. It cost less than $10 so I figured it was worth it. I immediately called Emily to tell her about my purchase. When I told her what it was I think she laughed at me! I don't know if these are in style but I was hoping that someone could give me the thumbs up or down that way I know whether to rock it or return it!

Show Us Your Life - Where you shop

I love to shop. I love to find a deal even more. The most expensive garment I have ever purchased was my wedding dress and I got it 50% off! I feel like I'm splurging if I spend $20 on a top. I'm not even kidding, I'm soooo cheap! When I go into a store I go straight to the clearance section, then if I have time I will browse the rest of the store.

Having said that I love to shop at Target, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Ross. I go to those places because *most* everything is already cheap and then if you get it on the clearance rack it's an even better deal! But I also love hunting for deals at department stores.

I love going to Macy's and shopping their clearance. I really like the INC brand that they carry, but woo hoo is it pricey. So I always look at their clearance when they have an extra 50% off.

Another favorite department store is Kohl's. I grew up shopping at Kohl's, but when I moved to Florida there were none to be found! Thankfully we just got one about 20 minutes away and I have really enjoyed being able to shop there again.

Kohls is aways having awesome sales and it makes everything very reasonably priced and they are wonderful about returns and exchanges. I also find some of my favorite jewelry at Kohls.

They also carry great kids clothes, from cheap play clothes, to Carter's to Chaps. I love Kohl's! haha

Happy Shopping!

No One Like My Mimi

Today I was going through some old pictures and I stumbled across a picture from Andrew's first birthday that I hadn't paid much attention to before. In the picture I am serving Andrew his smash cake and I assume we were all singing "Happy Birthday" to him but the only other person you can see is my Mom. She is looking at Andrew with the biggest smile and he is looking right back at her.

When my sister found out she was expecting the first grand-baby of the family we had such a fun time picking names for my Mom. I jokingly sent an email with all of the funniest nicknames for "Grandma" that I could think of, including "Dumpa" which was one of my personal favorites :) Anyways, we all settled on "Mimi" and I think it was a perfect fit.

Mimi loved her grandbabies more than anything. There are few pictures where her lips aren't smooshed on their faces! Whenever we were together I knew she would jump at every chance to change diapers, feed bottles, comfort fussy babies and carry the carseat. She would parade them around all day showing them off to anyone who would stop long enough to hear her brag. My mom loved her grandbabies just as much as she loved her own babies and I hope someday my kids can say the same things about me!

I know my boys won't remember her, but someday I'll be able to tell them what a wonderful person their Mimi was, how much she loved the Lord, what a hard worker she was, I'll teach them all the things she taught me and how she loved them more than anything on earth!

Baby Shower Bliss

This past weekend I hosted a baby shower for a first-time mommy-to-be from our church. It was my first time to host something all on my own!

It was a very simple brunch shower. The menu consisted of Sausage Egg Casserole, muffins, Cool Fruit Salad, cake, punch and water! We ended up having a bunch of extra food but they made great left-overs for my family!

The mommy-to-be is expecting a boy and isn't a fan of baby blue so the colors I chose were black and lime green. I wanted it to look "pretty" without being "girly." I incorporated the black and green everywhere I could, from the invitations right down to the cake. I decorated the tables with tulle that I bought here, it was so much cheaper than getting it at a fabric store! My mother-in-law let me borrow vases and tablecloths, so that cost me $0 and I used 2 bunches of baby's breath that I bought at a wholesaler in town for $8 a bunch. Our Pastor's wife also let me borrow her beautiful drink dispensers for the water and punch.

I didn't play any games, we just spent time talking and watching the mommy-to-be open her gifts! I made a diaper cake that I also ended up using as a decoration for the gift table. Hope you enjoy the pictures!