The Randomness of the Week that Was

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

ONE:

Blackjack

I had so much fun playing blackjack on Saturday at a Casino Night fundraiser!  Read all about it and the great foundation it supported here!

TWO:

Laughing my a$* off!

I did a lot of entertaining this week at my house and had so much fun!  Lots of laughs.  A good laugh makes everything better!  And having something to do every night during the week certainly makes it go faster!

THREE:

The Challenge

 I've joined the Spring Style Me Challenge with Alison at Get Your Pretty On.  Read my blog about it here! Even though the challenge hasn't even officially started, it's already been so much fun!  I've "met" a great group of ladies and have gotten lots of fashion inspiration and shopping tips.  Alison has extended the sign up until TODAY, if you wanna get in on the fun!

FOUR:

So this happened this week!  Not really sure how but I'm kinda sad about it!  But I'm still wearing it!!  HA!

What's wrong with this picture??

FIVE:

Scandal

I wasn't planning to include this show this week but I just had to!  It is so CRAZY and just keeps getting better!!  And now I'm sad, because next week is already the season finale!  Definitely put this show on your summer "must watch list". Every week I have to pick my jaw up off the floor!  Any fellow GLADIATORS out there?

SO CRAZY, TWISTY, GOOD!!

Have a great weekend!

Katie

Linking up this week for High Five for Friday with Lauren Elizabeth

and Darci, April, Christina and Natasha  for 5 on Friday

What I Wore Wednesday

So I was going to wait until I had a full length mirror to join in the fun that is the Wednesday Link ups!  But lately I feel like taking selfies has become second nature to me in the mornings, so I have a few things to share...and TODAY's a good a day as any!

Last Thursday was finally a legit spring day so I wanted to dress like it.  I opted to go full on Piper Street mode!

Necklace

Shirt

Cardi

Worn with my LOFT Trouser pants and black ballet flats to work!

Friday was a rainy day!  On rainy days (or snowy this winter) my "uniform" is a sweater dress of some sort with black leggings and rain (or snow) boots!  So no picture of that!  

But luckily, I went out on Friday after work, so I got a bonus outfit!  LOL...It's another Piper Street look!  Now that I'm looking back on it, this week my outfits were either Piper Street or LOFT!

Charlotte Cardigan

 Necklace

White Scoop Neck Tee (Old Navy)  

For some reason I can't find my exact tee, but find something you like in the Tee Shop!  Lots of great deals and 30% / 20% off right now!

Worn with my AE Skinny Jeans and these Boots

My jeans are old but you can find lots of great options here!

Monday I had a day and night look!  Total LOFT outfits!  Previous seasons looks so no links but they have been having awesome deals lately!

This was actually one of the Insta challenge pics too!  

Day Look on the left with LOFT trouser pants and flats for work

Night Look on the right with THESE jeans and THESE boots (both on sale!)

Yesterday was another rainy day around here and I was feeling sick, so I threw on the aforementioned "uniform" for work!

And today (I'm a lil late, but I loved this top so I wanted to include it) the first truly nice, warm day around here...I wore short sleeves!!  Woo to the Hoo!!

Shirt: Piper Street (on sale now!)

Necklace: JCrew Factory (no longer available!)

Again with Black Pants and Ballet Flats

Well we made it over the hump ladies...and looked good doing it! Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of the week!

Katie

Linking up with: 

Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday, Shanna at Because Shanna Said So, 

Alison at Get Your Pretty On for the I Feel Pretty Link-up!

Tuesday's Tops!

So some other bloggers post a Tuesday's Top Three, but it's not a link-up.  I thought I'd try my own version today, and since I don't have a top three, I'm just gonna tell you what's tops in my book, right now!  The first Tuesday's Tops ever goes to BLACKJACK!  LOL

On Saturday night I went to a Casino Night Fundraiser event hosted by Matthew's Giving Tree, a foundation formed by family friends in honor of their sweet, sweet son, Matthew who, God had other plans for!  His young life was cut short in 2010 due to a congenital heart defect.  Since his passing, his parents have worked so hard creating this foundation that does amazing things.  Along with giving scholarships to students pursuing degrees in nursing, the foundation also provides children with disabilities, adaptive equipment and the like, so that these children can live as normal a life as is possible.  (Read more about the great things the foundation has done here!)  From the fun had by all at Saturday's Casino Night, their efforts in Matthew's name are an astounding success!  The place was packed...there were raffles, great found, drinks, music and of course, plenty of poker chips to go around!

It is amazing how quickly one can lose $100 bucks...thank goodness it was play money!  And YAY for winning an extra $100 as my scratch off prize!  (That by the way, was an awesome idea...homemade scratch-offs!!).  The first game I played was roulette, which I knew a little something about, due to the fact that I spent a few New Year's Eves as a child, at a family's house that made roulette and the ponies an annual part of the night.  But clearly, I was better at it when I was 7!  That is where I lost my first $100...in about 10 mins!  When I failed at that...I ate and drank awhile.

Then I found my "aunt" at the Blackjack table, with her favorite person of the evening...the dealer!!  There was an empty spot at the table, and everyone was very welcoming, so I joined in!  SO. MUCH. FUN.  And I was not that bad at it either! The dealer was pretty helpful too. I made a few calls that didn't work out in my favor, but you have to take chances, right?  I got super excited and giddy when I won and even got a few Blackjacks!  GO ME!!  I kept playing til I couldn't anymore...which was quite awhile!  HA!  Quote of the night goes to my mom, (she also eventually joined the game) who said, "I can see how people get addicted to this!"  We told her to stick to the wine!! :)  But I think she's right!  In the end, it was all in good fun for us...for a great cause, and we had a great time.  Can't wait for my next cruise...I'll be playing blackjack!  HA!

And I can't wait until next's year's Matthew Giving Tree Foundation Casino Night!  A huge THANK YOU to the Foundation for putting the evening together and for helping me find a new favorite!

Like Matthew's Giving Tree on Facebook!

High Five for Friday!

ONE: 

On Instagram I've stumbled upon a few fellow teachers and one of them was @lovebellissima. Then I found out she had an online boutique, which as you may remember, are my new favorite things!  I scoped it out a bit, and found a dress on there that I really loved, but was unfortunately, not available in my size!  Instead, I got two necklaces.  One of which I showed off on IG the other day!  A little while later, I found this on the Love Bellissima IG page!  Pretty hilarious...but also very cool!!  To find more great stuff like this, shop Love Bellissima.  They have an anniversary sale going on right now thru April 5th...25% off select items!

TWO:

I have finally found them!!  The perfect white skinnies for Spring!!  And they arrived yesterday!  This was my third attempt at trying to find a pair I really love!  And these are them! Meet Zoey!  They are cropped with a little cuff, and since I'm on the short side, I'm able to pull them off as either cropped or long! (if that makes any sense at all!) So super soft, just enough stretch, and not TOO see thru!

THREE: 

I will also be wearing these all Spring and Summer as well!!  

I was so super excited when they came in the mail
on Saturday, I texted my bestie this photo!

Another thing I've searched high and low for ever since I saw them on Erika a few months back!  She linked a similar pair to her own from Old Navy and luckily, I was able to grab them.  They also have this pair with zip pockets, that my bestie picked up!

FOUR:

Just like I was a little late to the Frozen party (watched this weekend and LOVED!!) I'm also a little late jumping on the "Happy" bandwagon!  My tune has changed now though (ha...) I am totally on board.  I love it so much, I planned a lesson around it this week for all my classes! Since April is National Poetry Month, I thought using the song as a springboard for the students to write their own list poems (the easiest to write and learn with!). They wrote lists about what happiness was to them...as the song says.  We also talked about how music itself is a form of poetry!

Clap Along!

FIVE:

THIS happened Monday!!!  GRRRR...

An early April Fool's joke it was not!  5 inches!!  WHAT!?!? 

And this is the LAST time I will post about SNOW!!

It was 55 and beautiful yesterday...not so much today though, but I'm optimistic Spring IS in the air!!

Thanks for stopping by...have a great weekend!  Whatever you do, I hope it's FABULOUS!!  

Katie

Love Me Some Friday Link Ups!

High Five for Friday with Lauren Elizabeth...first time linking up today!

a. liz adventures carolina charm hello! happiness the good life blog

Getting back to my roots!

Those of you who know me, know that when this idea for a blog started, it was a total joke!  Read my first ever post here!

I call the blog Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life because that's me!  I've told stories on here that are just my funny ramblings and people seem to like it.  As of late though, I feel like my everyday mishaps and mayhem have been overtaken by my love of all things link-ups!  So I thought today, I'd share some stories of silliness that have happened over the last couple of weeks in my solitary life!

If you follow me on facebook, twitter or insta...none of this will be new to you, but if not, I hope you find a lil' tidbit in here that has you laughing a time or two!!

Some of you may have heard me talk about my roomies over the last couple of weeks in my Friday 5's.  Their visit was a rather short-lived stint and they have since moved on!  It was a crazy, chaotic few weeks with them here but I enjoyed their company and my sister's fabulous cooking. HA!  It was always the big joke that anything she cooked for dinner, she was sorry wasn't my usual bowl of cereal or pop-tart!  While they were here I had kale for the first time, ate spaghetti squash at least 100 different ways and tried 3 different soups and stews.  My sister is a great cook...and she loves doing it.  I on the other hand, do not!

But just the other day, I decided I would try and make a spaghetti squash. So I ordered one in my Peapod order.  Wait...I must stop the spaghetti squash story right here for a second and talk about my Peapod order!

This was my first Peapod order in over two months. Because they were living with me I didn't have to place any orders. But when I got a $10 off coup for being a follower of Peapod on Pinterest (WOOHOO!!), I thought I'd start up again!!  I was having my friend and her daughter over on Friday and needed some snack foods anyway!  I placed a quick order for delivery on Thursday after school.  I only order on Wednesdays or Thursdays because I know that MY GUY delivers it.  He knows where I live and has no trouble finding this new place.  I've had serious issues with other Peapod guys in the past!  Grrr...
Well wouldn't you know...the guy gets here, drops my groceries and turns to face me...and it's NOT MY GUY!!  WHAT???  I'm not gonna lie...my heart broke a little!  Where is MY GUY!!??? The next order I place is going to be on a Wednesday because I know he delivers on Wednesdays too!  If it's not him...all hope is lost!  All hope of what?...I'm not really sure!  LOL But he was such a nice guy!  And, the one time I wasn't home to get my order, he left it for me!!!  How could he leave without saying goodbye???  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....reading this back, it looks a bit ridiculous so I'm gonna get back to the spaghetti squash!

Well, I got one with my order!  So I decided to bake it up according to my sister's instructions. She told me to bake it a bit first so then it's easier and soft enough to cut, so I did that!  But baking it first means that when you take it out to cut it, it's going to be flaming hot. so I put on my brand new Pampered Chef oven mits and got down to it!  Now there's something I forgot to tell you!  The thing was as big as my head!!!!

I wasn't kidding!
I texted my sister this pic when I asked her how long to cook it!

So I had a heck of a time trying to cut it! Even with the biggest, sharpest knife I had, I struggled.  It was actually a time when I thought to myself...maybe this solitary life does stink!  I wished I had a man cutting the damn thing!  But anyway!

I got it cut...length-wise, (after I started cutting it wrong!), threw it back in and baked it up some more! It took FOREVER!!  But eventually it finished, and I scraped it!  It turned out just ok.  I could have probably left it in even longer, but it was getting on 8 o'clock at this point.

I really liked though what I mixed with it and it gave it tons of flavor!I sauteed up a bag of baby spinach in a bit of olive oil and sprinked it with Italian seasoning, feta cheese and sea salt!  Super yum!  I think next time I'll pick out a much smaller squash at the store and not rely on Peapod to get that!  I might be breaking up with Peapod anyway!!

Other things of note:
Only I would wash my brand new cell phone charger in the washing machine!!
Or go to a formal school function with half the back of my dress unzipped!!  GULP!!
Or get smacked in the face TWICE by my mailbox door!!  ONLY ME, PEOPLE, ONLY ME!

I promise I will continue to document the mishaps and mayhem more!  But until then come back tomorrow for another 5 on Friday! Lots of blogging going on for me this week...click here to read any you may have missed!

Thanks for always reading and laughing along with me!
Katie

April Pinspired

Well...it's SUPPOSED TO be Spring!  Mother nature had other ideas!  5 inches of snow fell in my town on Monday!!  And while I long for the days of short sleeves, military jackets, and sandals,  I'm not gonna show you a particularly springy outfit... instead, I'm showcasing a fave of winter that I plan on taking with me into Spring:

via

Mustard with Black and/or navy!  

And even though this picture is from Fall/Winter...my mustard cardigan is totally coming with me through the Spring!  I plan on throwing a tank under it...and it does get chilly when the sun goes down! HA!

You can also transition it into Spring with cute wedges and cropped skinnies a la this photo I found!  Super cute, right?

via Sterling Style

Pretty easy, huh?  Here's my Pinspired recreation:

cardigan: Piper Street (exact)
shirt: Gap (similar) 

sorry this is this way! 

Jeans: American Eagle Skinny Jeans  (AE Jeans Guide)

Boots: Famous Footwear (exact) 72% off right now...WHAT?!?!

So...pretty simple I know!  But hey! 

I tried on the sweater with a black and white tank, as a spring option to show and when I saw myself in the photo...I really couldn't believe it!  Time to lay off the Girl Scout cookies and get to work trying to get summer ready, because I did not like what I saw!  LOL

Looking forward to everyone else's pin-spired looks this month!  Love linking up with Mel,  Sheaffer, and Shay!

Have a great April...fingers crossed the Spring weather comes...and sticks around for good!

Katie

Spring Style Me Challenge!

So I'm really into challenges these days!!  I'm doing great with the Instagram photo challenge with Erika and Andrea, and the 40 Bags in 40 Days, Lenten Challenge with Mel at the Larson Lingo!  I've decided to add another challenge to my list!  I am joining Spring Style Me Challenge with Alison at Get Your Pretty On!  I found Alison's blog on a whim...right around Thanksgiving...and have been following her ever since. (And she follows me on Twitter...woohoo!  Thanks Alison!) She is a true fashion blogger, with a similar style to my own...which, after contemplating for a few days,  helped me make the decision to join the challenge.  I am really glad I did.

Sign Up Here!

I signed up for the challenge on Alison's site and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of a spring "shopping list" that will have items on it that we'll need for the three weeks. I kind of can't wait to get the shopping list because I wanna see what I already have and what I still need!  I'm not going to lie...I think I might already have many of the essentials on the list, and that's gonna make me feel pretty COOL!!  Ha, Ha!
Everyday Alison's going to post an outfit for the challenge participants to wear and style.  There is also a private Facebook page for all participants!  And it's already getting so much traffic.  Everyone is excited! I think it will be pretty neat to see what people come up with.  Look for me to post on the blog throughout the challenge.  I am excited too, because one of the weeks, I'll be home on Easter Break, so I'll get to wear those outfits that day!  The other days, I might just have to wear the challenge tops until I get home from work!  But...who's up for going out those nights?   :)
Wanna join the challenge too? Click the link above or on the sidebar of the blog and get started!  You don't have to be a blogger to join!  You can  even enter to win a $500 J.Jill Gift Card!  You guys know me and giveaways!!  One Day will be my LUCKY DAY...I can feel it!!

Here's to fun fun couple of weeks ahead!!