Summer Colors

I know it's not officially summer yet, but I can't help it- I love summer! It's finally getting to be around 100 degrees every day and I love it. These are just a few pictures I took from the past few weeks that reflect the bright happy colors of my favorite season. The nail polish is Essie Turquoise and Caicos,  the strawberry margarita is from Taqueria Jalisco (the best Mexican restaurant in Lubbock), and the last photo is how I spend every weekend! :) 

Happy SUMMER!

OOTD: Navy Now, Navy Forever

My favorite color is, and will always be, navy blue. As you know from my previous posts, I also love blazers. Needless to say, I super-love this navy blazer. I luckily found it on the clearance rack at Banana Republic a few months ago, and it was love at first sight. I liked the tipped details, and the striped lining in the sleeves is a fun detail. I didn't show it here, but it also has fun gold crest buttons on the cuffs and on the front. 

Here's a closeup of just the blazer. 

Blazer: Banana Republic

Shirt: J.Crew

Chinos: J.Crew Bennett Chino

Shoes: Eddie Bauer

Watch and Necklace: Target

How do you wear blazers?

OOTD: Soft Pink

Nothing exciting today... I was in a hurry to get to work. 

Shirt: J.Crew Painter Tee

Chinos: J.Crew Factory 

Shoes: Steve Madden

The Better Half: Proposals and Home Decor

Marriage proposals, window treatments, and throw pillows, oh my! Check out my column on Electrogent.com!

OOTD: Mixing Patterns

I really just love this outfit. Mixing stripes with a patterned or textured skirt is a good way to keep things interesting. And I love the way the blue looks against the coral skirt. 

Closeup of the lace overlay on the skirt. 

I finished today's outfit off with a pair of Kate Spade All Aboard studs and pearls.

Shirt: Aeropostal (old)

Skirt: Willie Smith (from T.J. Maxx)

Belt: J.Crew

Tortoiseshell watch: Target

Shoes: Eddie Bauer

Earrings: Kate Spade

I hope you had a great day!

OOTD: Double Trouble

My boyfriend left for Dallas yesterday, so I've been in a bit of a funk. I miss him so much! I'm so bad at taking care of myself when he's gone. I did manage to make myself dinner tonight though, so I consider that an accomplishment. 

Monday's outfit: 

I think this outfit could probably work for any time of the year. It's pretty simple and low maintenance.

This picture doesn't do this scarf justice. I love the yellow rope detail. It gives a nice pop of color against the black and grey. 

And of course no outfit is complete without a bracelet "stack."

Shirt: J.Crew

Chinos: J.Crew Bennett Chino

Cardigan: Target

Scarf: Target (similar)

Shoes: Eddie Bauer Annie Moc

Today's outfit: 

 I just love the Lilly Pulitzer Jia dress! It's one of the few that are work appropriate on me. 

I seriously wore this dress all day before realizing there were seahorses in the print...

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer Jia in Bright Navy Coral Siesta

Cardigan: J.Crew Jackie Cardigan

What's your favorite work outfit? 

Seersucker Weekend

This is a double OOTD post because I was so lax on posting this weekend! AKS is leaving Lubbock tomorrow to go back to Dallas to work for the summer, so I spent all weekend spending some quality time with my boyfriend. On Sunday we went to a rooftop bar near our apartment to watch the solar eclipse. Unfortunately, the sun went behind a cloud right before the full eclipse happened, but we were able to see most of it so it wasn't a total loss.

Saturday's outfit:

Shirt: Kohl's

Shorts: J.Crew Factory Seersucker Critter Shorts

Belt: J.Crew Factory

Shoes: Kohl's (old)

Monday's work outfit: (excuse the messy hair)

Shirt: New York & Company (from T.J. Maxx)

Seersucker blazer: Banana Republic

Navy pants: Calvin Klein (from Ross)

Shoes: Nine West

Belt: J.Crew

...and pearls (of course)!

I can't believe my boyfriend is leaving tomorrow! I don't know what I'm going to do for 3 months without him here. I'm thinking about volunteering at the museum across the street from my apartment. Even though it's small, I've been missing the museum scene and I think volunteering could help with that. 

How was your weekend? 

OOTD: Work Anniversary

AKS and I went to the grocery store after I came home from work today. I was wearing this outfit and he was wearing a maroon Brooks Brothers bow tie with gold polka dots and a blue and white university stripe OCBD. At the store, a woman stopped me and AKS in the dairy aisle and said that she had been following us around the store. She told us that we "looked like a model couple" and she half expected us to break out into a song and dance. She then went on to say that we looked so good and that her and everyone else in the store looked like they were tired from working all day. (This wasn't true at all- she was adorable, and wearing a very fabulous orange and navy striped dress.) Then, the checkout girl asked us if we were on our way to a date because of the way we were dressed. We explained to her that, no, that's just how we always dress. I think most people are just surprised to see 20-somethings in Lubbock wearing clothes that aren't oversized t-shirts and flip flops.

The sun finally came out today after raining for a week- sandal time!

I love the cute coral tassels! I think preppy details like this really help pull an outfit together. 

Dress: J.Crew

Cardigan: Target

Belt: J.Crew Factory

Shoes: Tommy Hilfiger (found at T.J. Maxx)

In other news- today was my 1 year work anniversary! I can't believe I've been there for a whole year. It seems like I just started yesterday. I really love my job, and it's been made all the better because of my amazing co-workers. 

OOTD: Sweater Weather

Another cold and rainy day...

Sweater: J.Crew Factory Striped Fisherman's Sweater

Chinos: Gap Broken-In Stright Khakis in Bright Coral

Loafers: Eddie Bauer

Necklace: Target (old)

Weekend Update

I need to air some grievances...

I've been having so many problems with Blogger lately. For some reason, it deleted all the blogs I follow from my reading list, and it won't let me add any of them back. I checked the forums and apparently other people are having the same problem, so I hope they fix it soon! I really don't want to have to make a new blog just to follow my favorite blogs!

Rue La La has also been incredibly frustrating to me lately. I ordered a Lilly Pulitzer dress from there a month ago, and they still haven't shipped it yet. I've contacted them several times, and each time they say someone will look into it, and then I never hear back. I finally e-mailed them today and told them to just cancel my order. Waiting one month to get something you ordered online is just a bit ridiculous.

Finally, I found an incredibly cute Ralph Lauren swimsuit at T.J. Maxx this weekend. I had to return it though because the bottoms showed a little too much booty. AKS thought they looked fine (of course  he did... he's a guy...), but I like to keep things a little modest when I'm in a swimsuit. Such a shame though... everything else about the swimsuit was amazing.

On to happier things... My friend was out of town at a family reunion this weekend, so I got to dog-sit for her. Her chihuahua just puppies a few weeks ago, so I basically spent all weekend cuddling with squirmy little puppies! They are at the cutest age... their eyes are open and they can bark and walk around, but they're still all wobbly and unsure on their feet. 

Puppies!

Puppies turn me into a blubbering mess. 

After playing with the puppies, AKS wanted a break from studying for finals so we went to Texas Roadhouse. I love this restaurant. In my opinion, they have the best fried pickles out of anywhere. This might be a Southern thing, but if you've never had fried pickles, you are seriously missing out. (My friends up north always look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about fried pickles.) I love them so much, I want them at my wedding. 

Yummmmm. 

I'm excited to say that I'm going to be involved with The Smart Girls Group in the upcoming months. The details are still being hashed out, but I'll post more once everything is settled. 

OOTD: Rainy Thursday

Today it was rainy and miserable outside. I hate cold weather, and it was about 57 degrees in Lubbock today. 57 degrees! It's the middle of May in Texas- it's supposed to be sunny and hot by now! So of course I wore a Lilly skirt to cheer me up. Seeing this picture reminds me that I need to make my bed before taking pictures...

Skirt: Lilly Pulitzer Roslyn Skirt in Open Call

Navy Shirt: J.Crew (old)

Navy Cardigan: J.Crew Jackie 

Lilly Pulitzer for Barnes and Noble

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to read. My Nook is one of my favorite possessions, and my town library has an e-loan program, so I never have to buy books. Even though I read mostly e-books, AKS and I still like to go to our local Barnes and Noble and walk around and just browse their selection.

Well, when we were there last weekend I saw something familiar over by the Nook accessories. Lilly Pulitzer is back at Barnes and Noble! These all looked great in person, and if I didn't already have a nice (pink!) leather cover for my Nook, I definitely would have bought one. If these are sold out by you, they're still available online. (I've included the links below).

"Jumping the Line" for Nook Color or Nook Tablet ($39.95)

"Falling in Love"  for Nook Color or Nook Tablet ($39.95)

"Lavish Lillies" for Nook Simple Touch ($29.95)

"Summer's Night" for Nook Simple Touch ($29.95)

Since I have a Nook Tablet, I think the cover in "Jumping the Line" is probably my favorite. The little frogs in the print are just so cute! The inside of the cover has cute phrases written in cursive, which might be a bit distracting for some people. However, I didn't think it looked too bad. I think these would also make great Mother's Day gifts!

OOTD: A few of my favorite things

I got this coral blazer from Banana Republic a month or so ago. It's quickly become one of my favorite things in my closet. Wearing it just makes me feel happy! (It kind of looks hot pink in these pictures, but in real life it's definitely coral.) 

Blazer: Banana Republic (As far as I know, this was only available in stores and not online). 

Pants: J.Crew Bennett Chino

Shirt: J.Crew (old)

Belt: J.Crew (old)

Shoes: Eddie Bauer

Watch: Target

Bangle: Banana Republic

OOTD: Date Night Lilly

I'll write a real blog post soon, but I just have time for a quick OOTD right now. After work, AKS told me that he was tired of studying for his law school finals and wanted to go out and do something fun. So we went out for dinner and then went to see the Avengers. I'm not a huge fan of 3D movies, but I'll make an exception for Chris Hemsworth. ;)

These pants are Cafe Capris from J.Crew. I think the sizing is a little off though. I'm usually a 2 in J.Crew bottoms, but these feel quite loose on me. If they weren't final sale when I ordered them, I probably would have returned them for a 0. I wish J.Crew allowed for reviews on their site, or I might have figured out the correct size to get sooner.

Shirt: Lilly Pulitzer Cassie Top in Standing Ovation

Pants: J.Crew Cafe Capris in Natural

Shoes: Kohl's (old)

OOTD: Friday Wedges

I usually wear jeans to work on Fridays. I wanted to spice them up a bit, so I wore a pair of red wedges I found at T.J. Maxx. I'm already tall, and when I wear these I stand over 6 feet. I was definitely taller than all the women, and even a lot of the men at work. It's ok though- I try to embrace my height!

My nail polish is Essie Peach Daiquiri. I thought it was appropriate since Cinco de Mayo was this weekend. 

Detail from the heel of the wedges. I love the pattern! 

Shirt: Kohl's 

Pants: American Eagle

Belt: J.Crew Factory

Shoes: Aerosoles (from T.J. Maxx) 

Happy Cinco de Derby!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby falling on the same day, I found this great recipe for mint julep margaritas!

Ingredients: 
10 ounces, fluid regular flavored margarita mix
1/2 cups white rum or white bourbon
1/3 cups fresh mint leaves
5 cups ice

Instructions: 
Place all ingredients in a large blender and blend on low until smooth. Serve immediately in a chilled margarita glass and garnish with fresh mint.

And of course, when watching the Derby from home while sitting on the couch, one must still dress the part.

(Recipe and photo from Tasty Kitchen.) 

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Self-Control

Miracle of miracles- I actually went into T.J. Maxx today and managed not to buy anything. I needed to go to the mall today to pick up some more tinted moisturizer from MAC, and AKS wanted to go to T.J. Maxx to look for bow ties again. Even though I tried on some cute Ralph Lauren shirts and several pairs of shoes, I walked out of there with nothing because there wasn't anything I absolutely loved. They even had a Twirl by Kate Spade gift box! It was hard to do, but I'm proud of myself. Just because I can afford to buy something doesn't mean I should. 

Bonus picture: How cute does AKS look today? I came home from work and he was re-lacing his brogues. I love the Brooks Brothers bow-tie. (It was a Christmas present from me). 

OOTD: Polos and Polka Dots

Monogrammed polo: J.Crew

Cardigan: Target

Chinos: J.Crew

OOTD: Black and Tan

Blazer: Lauren by Ralph Lauren

Shirt: J.Crew

Chinos: J.Crew

Shoes: Eddie Bauer

LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's

Let me preface this by saying I'm not really a huge fan of Lauren Conrad. I watched Laguna Beach sometimes in high school and thought she came off as bitchy and kind of an awful person. I never watched The Hills or any other reality show she's been in. However, the girl makes some cute jewelry. I went to Kohl's with AKS this weekend because there isn't much else to do in Lubbock besides drink or shop, and we were bored. All of her jewelry was pretty and girly, but I picked up the 3 things that really stood out to me. 

This ring is really cute. I normally don't wear rings, and I have to wear this one on my middle finger because it's too big for my ring finger. I don't have many rings though, so I'm glad I bought it. 

Bow earrings. They had these in blue as well. 

Set of 3 bracelets. Again, I love the bows, and they are perfect for "stacking."

Of course, since I got them at Kohl's, they were on sale for about 45% off. Kohl's is pretty hit or miss for me, but I'd say these are a hit!