Hello spring!

I can't believe it's already the last day of March! I'm not sure where the time has gone...I probably spent more time than I should have deciding what to wear :)

There's nothing like a crisp white shirt to make a girl feel put together!

Too bad we can't work outside

The H-town weather has been glorious this week so far. Sunny, 70s, low humidity. It makes me want to be outside as much as possible because soon enough I will be sweating up a storm. Yesterday the hubs and I did a little grocery shopping, went to Rice Village and did a little regular shopping as well as got some ice cream at The Chocolate Bar (yums!). We even walked to Berry Hill for dinner for $1.99 fish tacos (double yums!).

Today its back to reality and work. I bought this top on sale at Martin and Osa last summer and today is the first time I have worn it! I knew it would come in handy some day :) And the shoes are a recent purchase from Ross on super clearance ($20!).

Call me ("fairy") Godmother!

My dearest nephew, affectionately known as JJ, was baptised yesterday. I was honored to be his godmother, while his uncle M on his dad's side is his godfather. The service went pretty well, JJ was only a little fussy and was really an angel during the actual baptism.

While I am not a very religious person, I feel like I am spiritual and try to lead a decent life so I can be a good role model for JJ. And if anything, I can give him lots of style advice!


I really adore this dress I bought from Anthro. Sometimes I wonder if it is age appropriate, but then sometimes I really don't care!


And these are just a few of the other boys I am "fairy" godmother to ;)!

Work and play

Now that I am having to dress up for work, I am doing my best to wear and buy clothes that I would like to wear in my normal life. Here is an example of being able to transition from work to play without having to change...
I have now worn 2 of the the 3 Liberty of Londton tops purchased recently from Target. I am so in love with the prints I am wondering if I should see if any of the dresses are around still (must stop shopping...must stop shopping...must stop shopping)...I decided to temper the brightness of the top with a neutral cardi, which I think is work-appropriate. The large ruffled collar made me feel a bit like a clown, but in a good way!


Fast foward 8 hours later...I just took off the cardi, pegged the legs of the cords, added some sandals and cool shades and boom! ready to have a relaxing glass of wine before dinner with the fam! I love having a wardrobe that can work double time!

Taking a walk down memory lane

I am so thankful that I love to take photos and scrapbook (although the scrapping has gone by the wayside over the last 6 months!). Tonight the hubs and I ate dinner at home and started reminiscing about our first trip to NYC, which prompted me to bust out some old scrapbooks. I love seeing how things have changed over the last 10+ years that we have been together! This reminds me why I love to scrapbook and why I need to start up my favorite hobby again!

If it's good enough for Naomi Watts,

then it's good enough for me! I would have entirely overlooked this top at Target if not for seeing it on said actress. I think the print is a bit more sophisticated than the others from the Liberty line, which is why I wore it to work today (although I am sure I will wear the other prints as well).


I adore prints and always thought I had many clothes in different prints, but now that I am documenting my outfits I am realizing I wear and own much more solids that I thought! I am slowly starting to bring back the print!

I need some new pants!

Since going to a no-scrub wardrobe at work I have been wearing pretty much the same 2-3 pairs of pants the last few weeks. I really want some new pairs, preferably slimmer cut. It looks like my old standbys, Gap and Old Navy, have some inexpensive pairs I can try out...just need to have some time to shop.

In the meantime, I will keep wearing what I got!
I adored this top, which was a recent puchase from Ann Taylor, so much that I bought it in two colors! My goal with work clothes is to buy what I would wear in my normal life too so they get more wear. (Or maybe it's just another excuse to shop!)

Feeling better

So I woke up yesterday morning feeling less than great. Feeling kind of crappy, really. I managed to shower, get dressed, go to work and even work for a bit. But I didn't eat anything all morning (and anyone who knows me knows I love to eat and eat like a champ so something was definitely wrong). I left work about 11 AM and have been sleeping until about 7 this morning. I am feeling tons better (not quite 100% but maybe about 85%) so I think it was some kind of 24-hour stomach virus. Didn't take any wardrobe pics either so I guess our regularly scheduled programming will begin in the next day or 2!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

Although we were only gone for the weekend, I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do! I really love Puerto Vallarta - it's only a 2 hour plane ride from home, the weather is perfect, the beaches are beautiful and the drinks are delicious! I kept my wardrobe simple and just brought pink and black - my signature colors :)


Here I am outside of our hotel room, when we first arrived. We had a pretty good view of the water!


I "borrowed" this cowboy hat from one of friends on the trip because I forgot to bring one with me!


And I wore one of my favorite dresses ever twice this trip - for our dinner on Sat night and on the way home as well. {What made the trip even better - first class upgrades both ways!}

Now I am just trying to get back into the swing of things...

Counting down the hours

We are going for a short trip to Puerto Vallarta tomorrow! I cannot wait! I am just about finished packing. And the icing on the cake? We've already been upgraded! Seats 1A and 1B, baby! Woot!

Ugh

Our upstairs tenants are grad students who are normally really quiet (or not around at all). It's been working out great except last night they were either playing music or TV really loud so I couldn't drown out the bass with our noise machine. This woke me up around 12:30. By 1:15 I actually went upstairs to ask them to turn it down, which they did but somehow I heard it again around 1:30. So I decided just to read a bit more which helped me to fall asleep again.

Then the neighbors came home and were making a loud ruckus outside as usual. So needless to say, my sleep was fitful at best. I was attempting to wake up at 5 to work out, but that didn't happen (again!). Fortunately I don't have to be at work until 10 this morning so I have time to wake up and clean up and start packing for our trip to PV coming up this weekend.

And to add to my discombobulation this week, the hubs is out of town yet again. His grandpa has been in the hospital and he wanted to see him, you know, just in case. I cannot wait for him to come home though!


I do have to say I feel a bit better after showering and getting dressed. Today is one of the those days I wish I could wear scrubs, but actually feel better now that I am in some pink!

Still missing my hour

I had big plans to get up early and work out this morning. However, when the alarm went off at 5 AM, I decided to turn it off and sleep "just a little more." Fast forward to me yawning a looking at the clock...good lord, it's already 6:30! So there goes those plans! Fortunately I have yoga after work, so all is not lost.

I am wearing a pair of new J. Crew cords to work today. I'm not sure if they can be counted as "business" casual, but since they are new and not worn out and it's still chilly enough to wear them, I will just because.

And look, I even had to to take a remix photo, upload and edit and blog it!

Bare feet

The hubs and I finally got manis and pedis yesterday so my feet are ready for the beach, spring, and sandals! Yesterday was a gorgeous spring-like day.

And I wore flip-flops in the first time since last year!

I *heart* Liberty for Target!

Some of the designer collaborations at Target were misses (JPG, Rodarte (with the exception of the cardigans which I am sad to say I missed), to name a few of the more recent ones), others were cute but I didn't get any stuff or 1 item (Anna Sui, Jonathan Saunders, Paul and Joe) and yet others I completely fell in love with (Patrick Robinson, Libertine).

Liberty of London for Target got a big thumbs up from me.Finding the supercute displays all over the store. And their supercute patterns and designs.I got these 3 tops!I had to resist buying more, but am return to Target today to look for a big sunhat for our upcoming beach vacations (Puerto Vallarta this coming weekend, Lake Travis for Memorial Day (I guess its technically not a beach but I will still need a big hat!) and Cabo in November for my dear friend P's 40th birthday bash!) as well as picking up a couple tops for my sis.The dresses really didn't do anything for me, especially since I have already bought quite a few recently and they aren't as versatile as the tops to me. But this was definitely a winner in my books.

I am looking forward to the Cynthia Vincent collection coming out in April. Hopefully some cute new wedges for the summer to buy!

Madonnarama

When the hubs and I first started dating (over 10 years ago - eeps!), our favorite thing to do was to go clubbing. We both enjoy house music (what many peeps think of as "techno") and dancing. This continued on into married life until the past 3-4 years. With work and working out and not wanted to be completely spent (a.k.a. hungover) the next day, we go out but usually with friends for dinner/drinks. My interest in going to clubs has definitely waned (especially since everyone out looks like they are about 12!).

South Beach is one of our friends' favorite haunts, but I haven't been there in over a year. Just not my thing anymore.

I do, however, make one exception. Every year they host an all-Madonna-all-night party called, you guessed it, the Madonnarama. We always have such a great time because the music is so fun! Last night was no exception! And although I am still paying the price today, it was totally worth it.Here we are at our place before heading to SoBe.Inside the club.My favorite boy ever!Some cuties.More cuties.Fabulous costume!

Working weekend

Dressing up still doesn't make working on Saturdays any more fun. I decided to do a more casual look today.


I have actually practically worn this same outfit before, only even more casually.


It's such a beautiful spring day. These are the days it's nice to live in H-town!


And as much as I am enjoying dressing up for work, nothing beats wearing a comfy pair of jeans!

(Please excuse the funny face - just happy I could still enjoy some of the beautiful weather today!)

The story behind the clothes

I think the main difference between guys and girls is that guys shop out of necessity and girls shop because they love it. Take the hubs for example. He goes to the store when he needs an item (like a new pair of dress shoes for the wedding we attended a couple weeks ago), he goes to the store to look for said item (in his case, Kenneth Cole) and he buys said item (with a $50-off coupon - at least I taught him something!).

Now I window shop (mostly online these days - who has time to go just shopping?) - a lot. Too much. But I enjoy it and I usually don't buy anything. But when I do buy it's not out of necessity (do I really need another pair of jeans...or dress...or shoes...or whatever), but because the clothes speak to me. I can probably name why and where I purchased (not necessarily when) every item of clothing I own.


Take today's outfit. It's a mixure of old and new items. The cardi was bought on super sale online at Martin+Osa. The shirt is at least 11-12 years old, from J. Crew. I have had it since before grad school in Houston, which was '98! The skirt I bought from Anthro because I saw other fashion bloggers wearing it and fell in love. The belt is another oldie from when I got my master's so again, from the 90's (and yes, I was a professional student at one time). The tights were purchased last fall at Loft. The pumps are probably 4-5 years old from Ann Taylor. They are super comfortable and more practical than I realized (you can substitue red pumps for black or brown for almost any outfit!).

So there you have it. THe history of the outfit. Hey, this is kind of fun!

Skirting the issue

I am wearing a skirt to work for the first time in 6+ years. This should be interesting :)

Work that wardrobe

I am half-excited about wearing regular clothes to work and half-already sick of it. The best and worst part about scrubs is that it's easy and you don't have to think about it. Now I am trying to make a professional wardrobe out of clothes in which I mostly play. The main holes I have are pants. I can't remember the last time I bought a pair of dress pants. And I really need some comfortable pumps. But I don't want to buy just any pants or pumps. I want some that I would like to wear outside of work too. I want to be able to mix and match my work and play wardrobes, which is definitely going to take some creativitiy on my part. But I think I am up for the challenge.

Now I just have to figure out what to wear!

I am a little bummed because it looks like spring and the humidity are upon us so I won't be able to wear my boots or cute sweaters anymore - boo!

Best show ever

I just finished watching last night's episode of Lost. I cannot even express how much I love that show. If you don't watch, this won't make any sense, but the last scene, where Jack and Hurley find Sun and company on the beach actually brought tears to my eyes. Yes, it is stupid to cry because of a TV show, but I really think it's that good!

I wore my aforementioned pink pants today. I absolutely love them. They are Express Editor pants and fit so well and have held up. I think I have had them for at least 3-4 years!

I have exactly 1 more pair of dress pants I can wear before I start becoming more creative. I wonder if capri pants can be work appropriate?

The first day

So I actually wore regular clothes to work today instead of scrubs for the first time in over 6 years! What a weird feeling! I think the difficult thing for me will be to incorporate my casual style into something more professional. I can't believe I don't even have a pair of black pants (although I do have a pair of pink pinstriped ones that will be worn tomorrow!). Hmmm...guess I will have to do some shopping!

Daylight savings is ending this weekend, which will be nice, if only to take better wardrobe photos!

In peanut news, he is growing like a weed! His mama had a dentist apt this morning so I went over to sit before work. I went to feed him after he awoke and he was just all smiles. Totally melted my heart. Yes, that little baby has his Auntie E wrapped around his finger!
Here they are on their way out for a walk!

My cutie

So the hubs has been on a planned hiatus from work. He has recently been in touch with his old boss and going to lunch with him today to discuss what he is looking for in new employment. So he dressed up for the occasion. I think he cleans up pretty well!

A good way to start the day

On mornings where I am feeling lazy and unmotivated to work out (for example today, after hosting an impromptu Oscars viewing party) I am usually checking out the many different fashion blogs on my list. Imagine my surprise when Sal of Already Pretty featured one of my photos in her post! Her blog not only features her unique style but also her point-of-view of what defines beauty and how we can change that definition. I read her blog every day! So go and check it out!

Never to late

I think the funnest part about taking outfit photos is to pretend that you are a model! And it's never to late to look fabulous!

I am also trying to teach the hubs to be a better photographer :)

Back in business

Looks like the hubs has fixed the computer and made it even better than before - yay!

Yesterday I stopped by Anthro after going to the bank. I have been eyeing this dress, tried it on and it fit like a dream. Luckily it was on sale so it has come home with me. Sigh. I have absolutely no will power at all. MUST. STOP. SHOPPING.

Still in scrubs

Apparently this new dress code has some docs up at arms so we are still in scrubs...for now. Is is bad that I dream about what outfits I can wear to work?


I did manage to wake up early, work out, pick my Project Runway outfit and photograph it this morning, though :) The Houston weather seems to be warming up a bit.


I am getting better at my layering. I started this outfit out with 2 tank tops and the ruffled long sleeve, but thought it needed a little something something, so I added the vest and necklace!

I am so ready for the weekend. Saturday can't come soon enough!

Be careful what you wish for

...because it might just come true! We just got an email from work saying the docs won't need new scrubs because we will be wearing business/business casual attire to work from now on! Eeps! I was hoping to get 2 days free and 2-3 days in scrubs which would be a good balance. I am not even sure I have 4-5 days worth of business attire in my wardrobe, although I am sure I can remix something up :)

Our desktop is still not working - boo! Fortunately the laptop is functioning. I have an early morning apt with my chiropractor (back is starting to give me issues again so I thought I'd try to fix it sooner rather than later!) so I guess I better go shower. Reminder to self - don't schedule 7AM apts anymore!

I leave you with my outfit from Monday. Spring is definitely in the air but I won't mind a few more weeks of cold weather so I can wear my boots a bit more!


I finally got a pair of black ballet flats! They are Geox, from DSW for $50 and super comfortable. I have a feeling I will be wearing these babies a lot, especially with my business casual attire!

Houston, we have a problem...

So we are having issues with our desktop...for some reason it keeps rebooting itself. Joe has scanned it for viruses as well as done a restore but something is still not quite right. Fortunately we have a laptop, but it can be finicky as well. So posting may be spotty this week.

At least I have uploaded some photos for Flickr so we still have some eye candy.I can't believe the peanut has been here 3 months already! He's growing like a weed!

On dressing up

Because I don't have to dress up for work, I probably get a little overdressed when we go out. I do this because I have a clost full of clothes begging to be worn but also because I like it. I would rather be overdressed than underdressed any time - just makes me feel more confident and happy. And we like a confident and happy girl!


Yesterday we met some friends, including A&P who are visiting from London, out at Brenner's on the Bayou for brunch.

The food was only ok (I don't recommend going with a large group because it took so long to come out, which was probably why my food was cold) but the outside deck was nice. It was deceptively cold, meaning the sun was nice and bright making it look but the shade and wind were very cold and I probably should have worn a jacket!