Friday, May 1, 2015

April Showers Bring May Flowers Take 2!

*Disclaimer-This was not my original post!  I lost that one somewhere in the blogesphere!!  :(  But this is pretty close!!

The Style Me Bloggers are back for another round of fun posts, sans challenge!!  This time were talking rain gear and floral trends.  Luckily spring has FINALLY sprung here in my neck of the woods. It's still chilly in the mornings and at night but the sun warms things up quite nicely during the day!

And as for rain, I never used to like it, but any day I can wear my Hunter Wellies is a good day!!  I just love my wellies!  And I actually got another pair of rain boots at Target because I just loved the red (and couldn't really justify another pair of hunters for the price!).  And I had a Target gift card!  HA!!  My wellies are basically the extent of my rain gear!  Those and any umbrella I can grab!  :)

Here's some pics of me rockin' my Wellies:


Check out more looks here!


I can't even believe it's May already!! Crazy!!  I love the hope that May brings!!  The hope of summer!!  It's that much closer, that much warmer, and that much more colorful as all the flowers start to bloom.  I love flowers, but I don't have anything close to a green thumb!!  I know every living thing will eventually die, but with flowers in my care, their death comes way sooner!  So these days, it's just easier to wear my flowers.  Floral is big this Spring!  And I tried the trend with this dress.  I posted it on the blog on Wednesday and mentioned that I thought it looked like a tablecloth but I got lots of nice comments on it, so I'm thinking of giving it another chance!


I really love this flower tunic too, that I got last Spring from Piper Street!  I'll be wearing it often this Spring too!



Go check out the posts of my favorite Blogger Friends!!  So exciting to be linking up again!!  


Have a great weekend!!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

The Style me Bloggers are back for another round of super fun posts!!  We're linking up today to talk about our fave rain gear and floral trends...


My post has gone MISSING!! (*insert tears, cursing and the like....) 

While I try and find it,  please go check out my Style Me Friends posts!  PLEASE come back later on to see what I have in store for you!!  

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Spring Challenge...Week 3

Week three already!! Crazy! Time flies when you're having fun!! But truth be told, I didn't participate too closely in the GYPO Spring Challenge this week.  Sad, because I feel like last week, I had a really strong one and did really great!  LOL  In last week's post I mentioned that last Wednesday night I was reaching into the Summer Challenge vault and wearing one of the outfits from that challenge for my mom's retirement party. I did it again Thursday too!!  Thursday's outfit had us wearing the striped dress. I had a Paint Nite to go to, so I knew I didn't want to wear a dress for painting. Instead, I wore my black and white striped shirt and jeans, with a bright sweater and my leopard flats. This was actually a Spring 2014 Challenge look. I've said before that it is also one of my all time faves from all the challenges!!


The weekend was a challenge fail!! Friday I was in my sweats by 4:30 and cleaning. Then on Saturday, I wore this dress for my nephew's Communion.
On everyone else I've seen it on, it looked great. On me though, I think it really did look like granny's tablecloth. Oh well...I wish I had a pick of me straight on actually...I think that might look better!  HA!

Sunday I wasn't feeling all that great so I didn't get outta my pj's!!

Monday was back to work, and back to the challenge...kinda, sorta. The challenge called for a patterned top and colored denim, with sandals and jewelry. I put my own spin on it for work. I wore a patterned top, I got in a Stitch Fix box back in the fall and red Pixie pants from Old Navy. I threw a black cardigan on over it because it was chilly here! It worked for me!

Tuesday was that floral skirt again. Still don't have one. I went with flowers on top instead. Here's my look for work!  All of these pieces I got right out of my closet and are many years old.


So like, I said...not many outfits this week. My Style Me Blogger friends did much better, I'm sure! Go check them out! And don't forget to link up your Wednesday post with us too!!

And Congratulations again to our big winner of the Nordstrom Giveaway 
Darcy Lynn!!  
Enjoy and Happy Shopping!!

Shoes to Shiraz | R Squared | Two Teens and Their Mama |
Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy | A Lovely Little Wardrobe |
Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life | Puppies and Pretties | Daily Style Finds |
Making the Most of Everyday | She Thought She Could | Foxy's Domestic Side |
Quilty Joy Joy | Curls and Cardigans | Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After |
My Running Stitches | From Plaid to Pearls | Stashed Blog | X-tremely V |
 A Little Bit of Cheer | Nick and Nik




An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy Wednesday!!  Friday's almost here!!  C'mon back then when the Style Me Bloggers link up for another round of posts!!   Friday we're sharing our April Showers Bring May Flowers posts!  See you then!!

Linking up today:
Alison at Get Your Pretty On
Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy
Sarah at Tucker up

Monday, April 27, 2015

Weekend Rewind...

Well... really just a Saturday recap!  In my Friday 5 I mentioned all I was doing Friday night was cleaning.  Well, I got everything done but the vacuuming!  So pretty productive in my book!!  Maybe I'll have the energy to vacuum tonight!! Or not...

Saturday morning, I was up bright and early.  My nephew Timothy made his First Holy Communion.  It was a beautiful day for it!   A little chilly for my liking but by the time the party rolled around that afternoon, the sun had warmed everything up.  The Mass was lovely.  The priest busted out his guitar and sang an awesome song to the kids during the homily that was just beautiful.  I wish I could have recorded it.   The church itself was packed.  I will say that after three years, of the "new" (but old) changes to the missal and prayers, I am amazed that people are still saying the wrong thing...and some people don't participate at all!  But anyway!

Some pictures of Tim on his big day!


The party was nice too...what I participated in.  I ended up feeling sick there so I laid down a lot and spent a lot of time in the ladies room!.  That's the thing with parties like that...when you're not feeling good, people think it's a drunk thing! HA! But I really only had two glasses of wine!!

Sunday, I woke up feeling ok...not fabulous but ok!  I lounged on the couch for the good maturity of the day watching cheesy Hallmark movies (my most favorite kind ever!)  and crying at the Hallmark Mother's Day commercials (Have you seen?!  All the Hallmark commercials just KILL me...#solitarylifeprobs).  I ended up laying down around 5 before dinner, and not waking up again until like 9:30!!  Sadly, I slept through the planned Google Hangout with the Style Me Bloggers (and now that I'm writing this, I realized I didn't eat dinner either!)

And speaking of the Style Me Bloggers, the winner of our Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway is

Darcy Lynn!!
Congratulations Darcy!!

Monday, Monday is here again.  Eeeewwww....
I just can't wait for Summer vacation!!  I need a complete recharge!!

If you missed the coffee blog, I did for Wayfair on Friday, please check it out here!!  And come back on Wednesday for the next group of outfits I put together for the GYPO Spring Challenge.  I can't believe we are in the last week already!!

Have a great week!!!

Linking up today for:
Weekending with B Loved Boston and Champagne & Suburbs
Manic Monday with On the Daily Express and More Pieces of Me
Monday Madness with Ashley at A Cute Angle

Friday, April 24, 2015

#CoffeeMyWay

A week or so ago I was approached by Jessica at Wayfair.com who works with bloggers there and asked if I wanted to work with them on their #CoffeeMyWay blog campaign, sharing  my morning coffee rituals. I thought, “Do these people know who they just contacted??” I WOULD LOVE TO!!

 If there is one thing I love more than wine...it's coffee!! There is no life for me before coffee! I can't go a day without it, or I'll get a headache (which I know should concern me a little bit more than it does). Coffee decor is around my kitchen and I may or may not sometimes sleep in coffee-related pj's!!  So I kinda can't wait to share my coffee rituals with you today!!


I suppose during the week, I don't really have a ritual per say. I have a really horrible habit of snoozing my 87 alarms one too many times in the morning, which doesn't leave me much time. So rather than sitting down and enjoying my coffee the way I should, I drink it while getting ready, putting on my makeup, and rushing around before heading out the door for work. God bless the two minute Keurig. Making my coffee is the very first thing I do!  I drag myself outta bed, head to the kitchen and straight to the Keurig.  I put my pod in, turn it on, and THEN go to the bathroom because...priorities!  But when I return, my cup is done and ready to be prepared!
This is kind of like my little coffee nook!  This sits below the cabinet that holds all my coffee pods and sugar, etc.  The mug I don't really use, because it's just too small!  So I keep on there for decoration!!


I enjoy my coffee light and sweet...kinda like my personality! HA! JK!! I like two big-ish sugars and fat free half and half! And the cup has got to be big...the bigger the better!!  Right now I am loving the Caribou brand and blend and of coffee, too!!
It's sad, I know, that I have my sugar in a plastic container!  I had a sugar bowl that really wasn't a sugar bowl, and it never really had a secure top!  Well, one day that bowl did what I knew it would do, and fell from the cabinet.  I did my best kung fu moves, and thank goodness, it didn't fall on the floor and shatter into ten thousand pieces, but the sugar went EVERYWHERE!!  Needless to say, I'm no longer using that one...this sugar bowl from Wayfair is on it's way to me!


On the weekends, I have more of a coffee routine. Saturdays and Sundays I finally have the time to sit and actually enjoy and savor my coffee. Even though I can sleep in on the weekends, I rarely do! So I'm still up early, most times by 7ish. After the coffee brews, I turn on country music videos, fire up my laptop and settle to read all the blogs I need to catch up on from the week. I can sometimes be there a good two/three hours before I get myself up and ready for the day!!

Saturdays and Sundays are the only days I have two cups of coffee. More often than not, that second cup might have a little Godiva chocolate liquor (my new obsession!!!) or Baileys in there.  The weekend just calls for a treat, don't ya think!?!  And it's so,so YUMMY!!


Now that it's been getting warmer out too, I've been taking that second cup onto the back patio and enjoying it in the sun. I do that during the summer too, when I am home and having a second cup daily. My neighbor saw me out there this past Saturday morning and asked if I was drinking wine! This was 10 a.m.!!  When I told her it was coffee, she said “Hey, it's five o'clock somewhere!” I thought to myself...I like the way you think lady! But then she said, you're not too hot drinking that coffee in the sun?” Even in the summer, a good hot cup of coffee is what I need. The temperature outside doesn't dictate how I take my coffee. I do love a good iced coffee now and then but for me, I can't go a day without my usual morning cup! I just love it and sitting out there drinking my coffee, listening to the sounds of the neighborhood, and getting a lil bit of sunshine on my face is pretty peaceful and a great way to start the day!



I just had to include this! I thought it was funny and after all, the blog's called The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life!


/via/



Thursday, April 23, 2015

Five Faves for Friday!



Monday 
Margarita Monday 
Monday was a pitiful day at work. And since it was my early day, I actually had time (and felt like!)  making dinner.  I made my signature dish (HA) Salsa Chicken!  And since it was such a terrible day, I thought, to turn it around, I needed a drink!  What goes better with Salsa Chicken than MARGARITAS?!?!  The night ended on a high note... 



Tuesday 
Tech Tuesday   
On Tuesday night my neighbor, Rosemary called me up and asked me to come over and look at her printer because she was having trouble with it.  From our past conversations, she knew I was  pretty good with computers so she thought I could figure out what the problem was.  After about 10 minutes I had her printer up and running again.    She was ecstatic!!  Rosemary, who's 70 something, told me she knows nothing about computers and offered to pay me to teach her.  I told her we could have Tech Tuesdays in the summer and all she needed to pay me with was a glass of wine!  :) 


Wednesday 
Celebrating Mom! 
Wednesday night we celebrated my mom's retirement.  It was so much fun!  Her friends and colleagues  did a beautiful job and said lovely things about her.  So did my dad, who actually stole the show with his comedy routine! #whoknew I know my mom will miss her friends and work tremendously, but it's time! her and my dad are on to a new chapter in their lives!! 

Mom absolutely loved her party...can't you tell??


Thursday 
Paint Night 
On Thursday night a few friends and I went to a Paint Night Fundraiser in support of the March of Dimes.  The hosts of the Fundraiser Patty and Andy, had a son Aidan who was born at 25 weeks.  The March of Dimes is near and dear to their hearts.   As it is to me as well, being a premie too! Aidan is now 3 years old and is doing great!  I was really VERY nervous about this because I am NOT a painter.  But looking at it from far away, I don't think it came out too, too bad!

My Finished product
#imnopicasso


Friday 
Friday Night In 
Tonight I really have no plans.  I am spending the night doing the housework I've neglected for the last three weeks.  Every time I've left the house lately, I've thought to myself, “Well if somebody tried to rob the place, they'd come in and think I'd already been hit!”  So clearly I have some work to do!  Then it's an evening on my couch with wine, thin mints, and The Reagan Family! 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Linking up today with:
ErikaAndrea, and Narci for Friday Favorites 
September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday!
April and the girls for Five on Friday
Jennie for Friday Favorites
Caitlin and the girls for High Five for Friday

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Not such a challenge after all...

We are halfway through week two of the Get Your Pretty On Spring Challenge! And I'm going to confess something...it's not such a challenge for me. I did VERY LITTLE shopping this go-round because I had everything on the list, except for a pair of bright flats and a floral skirt. I bought a pair of bright (and I'm talking BRIGHT!) flats on the cheap, but opted not to purchase the floral skirt. Everything else I have been pulling from my closet!!

Last week's post left us off on Wednesday, day 3!

Today I have the next few outfits. Each day I pretty much put my own spin on things!

Thursday was day 4. It was a denim on denim look, with bright flats. I didn't mind the look. And after seeing other challengers in their outfits, I wondered why I don't wear this more often.




Friday I had to do a little switch up! Rather than a bright cardigan and patterned shirt, I wore a bright patterned shirt. The weather lent itself to forgoing the cardigan. So it worked. And actually this shirt was something I bought on the recommendation of other challengers. It's a Portofino top from Express. A store I hadn't shopped at in at least 20 years!!  Jeans and wedges completed the look.



Saturday called for white jeans. I would have loved to wear them and the weather was so awesome, I could have, but since I traveled on the train to see friends, I went with my destroyed jeans instead. I didn't want my white jeans getting dirty. I really liked this look. And will wear it again with the white. So I guess I get a bonus outfit!!
ae jeans/similar
I mentioned in my weekend recap, that this will probably be the only non-selfie of the challenge!  HA!!



Sunday was a rather low-key day! I traveled back home and arrived in the early afternoon. The rest of the day was spent on laundry and lessons. So truth be told, I just stayed comfy!!
And Sunday's outfit called for the floral skirt, which I don't have, anyway.



Monday was another easy combo. Anytime I can just throw on cardigan, tee, jeans, a scarf and go...I'm IN!!
I wasn't sure about this scarf. 
 I am just so used to infinity scarves, I forget how tie any other these days. 
 But I suppose it works...and I got some lovely comments about it!



Tuesday the ensemble called for olive (or colored/camo) jeans, a black tank or tee and a bright cardigan. Accessorized with a long necklace. I was happy to find olive dress pants in my closet so I wore those bottoms for work. I came home and put on my camo jeans for a more comfy look for when I went to my neighbors.


Today, I am going off challenge to dress up a bit more for my mom's retirement party. I am pulling from the challenge vault though! I am wearing this outfit that was part of the Summer 2014 Challenge. I'll wear it with a sweater and closed toe flats though, because it's a little chilly!!
Find more Summer Challenge Looks here!

Thanks for following along! Go check out how great the rest of the Style Me Bloggers did recreating the looks this week!!  And link up your looks with us below!
Shoes to Shiraz | R Squared | Two Teens and Their Mama |
Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy | A Lovely Little Wardrobe |
Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life | Puppies and Pretties | Daily Style Finds |
Making the Most of Everyday | She Thought She Could | Foxy's Domestic Side |
Quilty Joy Joy | Curls and Cardigans | Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After |
My Running Stitches | From Plaid to Pearls | Stashed Blog | X-tremely V |
 A Little Bit of Cheer | Nick and Nik

Happy Wednesday and Happy Earth Day!!

Linking up today with:
Alison at Get Your Pretty On
Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy
Sarah at Tucker up