Dalmatian spots

This week I paired a spotted Peplum blouse with my teal cropped pants. I'd probably wear these pants every day if I could. They're so comfy! 

Of course, I did have to wear a little sweater with this blouse since I can't be baring my shoulders and all at school. Gotta keep it classy! :)

 H&M  Peplum Spotted Top (similar) |  Macy's Teal cropped pants  (similar)

Accessorizing

I'm loving the latest accessories and home decor from Target. They are bringing some serious style for great prices!

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I snatched up this large trophy vase for 50% off clearance. I think it looks perfect next to my antlers and books on the fireplace. 

Oh yeah, and just in case you couldn't tell from the mantle pic... that is a Green Bay Packer pig, courtesy of my husband. How cute is he? 

Wedge Sneakers....Love 'em or Hate 'em?

I really got excited about this trend. I mean, wedge sneakers? How awesome! And while I am aware that this is SO different from what I normally go for......I really loved the idea of these sneakers for my casual Fall and Winter looks. 

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And check out Gisele Bundchen. I could totally rock these with a short jacket or even an oversized sweater.

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Or so I thought.......I couldn't believe when I actually found a pair! And in black! They were sold out practically everywhere but I found one pair left in my size. There wasn't even a shoe box for them! Luckily that got me a 15% discount on them. It never hurts to ask, right? The sales girl said she could probably do 10% off, I said I was hoping for 15% and she said okay. Yes!

Here's my thoughts, these shoes are super comfy and I love how they make my calves look (Although I don't really know how often I'd wear them with shorts).

 I love the look of this oversized knit sweater with the sneakers. But.....this is pretty much my only pair of skinny jeans; I just don't wear them that often. I feel like you have to wear skinnies with this type of sneaker to really showcase them so I just don't know how much use I'd really get out of them.

High-Top Sneakers via Target (sold out online, similar) |  White knit sweater via Talbots (thrift find, similar) | 


I guess I'm still on the fence about them. I kinda love them, but then again I think they are just a little too chunky for me in that they add unnecessary bulk to my feet. Maybe I'm just more of a boots girl.

Shop like a boss to dress like one!

Today I was on duty monitoring the hallways during my conference hour. One of the seniors walked by and asked if I was a student! I'm pretty sure I gave him a weird look because all I was thinking was, "Do I dress like a high-schooler?! I think not! Seriously, the snake skin wedges I was rocking are totally not teenage garb, at all! 

So here's how to shop like a bauss! It is all about thrifting and shopping clearance. Seriously, I cannot rationalize spending full price on anything anymore! Not when I find deals like this. Take this Olive green belted shirt dress, for example. I found this brand new, with tags, at Goodwill for $5.99. It is super comfy, has adjustable sleeves, and the belt and collared neckline make it dressy enough to wear to work. This is probably one of my favorite dresses to wear because I always feel so put together and polished in it. 

    

Green Belted Dress via Goodwill, Merona (similar) |  Snakeskin wedges via JCP  | 

Then check out the adorable wedges I paired with it. These faux snakeskin wedges are a) ADORABLE!!, and b) perfect to wear all day at work. And I snagged them from the clearance rack at JCP for only $9!!

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So for about $15 I got an entire outfit! Add some lavender nail polish and you're done! :)

Falling for yellow & teal

This week I decided to wear my gorgeous 5 inch leopard heels with my teal cropped pants and mustard yellow blouse. I was pretty proud of myself for putting together this outfit.

I don't like how the fabric on my knee looks stretched here. It's really not.

Mustard yellow blouse: Target |  Teal pants: Bar III via Macy's | Leopard heels: Liliana

Fast forward to me walking out the door, with both hands full, carrying a box of papers, and not looking at the ground in front of me.......That's when I stepped in a hole and literally collapsed!! I'm honestly laughing as I think about it, because it had to be pretty funny from Lucas' point of view since he was walking behind me. (Although he was kind enough to rush to my aid). So now I apparently have a "falling problem" and I probably won't live this one down for a while. 

Coincidentally, that same day in class one of my students asked if I'd ever fallen in my tall heels. I said, "Funny story about that....." Lol. 

Sunday best

I'm am so excited about this J.crew inspired outfit. My bubble necklace finally arrived in the mail on Friday, and I couldn't be more excited! I picked the color because I thought it was so versatile and I absolutely love that it is the perfect shade of Kelly Green. My sweater was an amazing find at Kohls, of all places. It's from the Lauren Conrad line. I love it! It is my granny chic sweater. Thankfully this weekend we had a little cold front come through and I finally had a chance to add some layers to my look. 

Navy sheath dress: Ross | Brown pumps: Mossimo | Open knit sweater via Kohls, Lauren Conrad line | Kelly Green necklace: amazing find on ebay

 I LOVE the combination of navy and green, but I also think this outfit would look great with a pink version of the necklace, as well. Navy and pink look so great together. (Hmmm, might have to buy the pink necklace now). 

I wore this outfit to church and received several compliments on the necklace. I really love it. I think it just makes the whole outfit!

Labor Day at the park

Woke up to another beautiful, sunny day in Mesquite. I still had a few grades I needed to input but decided to take advantage of the morning by taking a walk at the park with Lucas and the puppies.

Lucy was happy enough just rolling in the grass but Grover was obsessed with the ducks! I wish I'd caught his initial reaction on video. We let him off his leash and he charged straight at the ducks, and when they ran into the water and swam away, Grover dove right in after them and started swimming towards them. It was hilarious! The simple joys in life, right?

Lol. Love that you can see him swimming in this picture. He was on a mission!

Visit from friends

We'd only been in Mesquite for about a week when some good friends of ours from Mississippi dropped in for a visit. The crazy thing is that we hadn't seen them in 5 years! And within a week of moving here, they just happened to be visiting friends in the area, so they made sure to drop by our place on their way back home. We were so excited to see them! Ike and I were actually both Farsi linguists in the Air Force and were stationed together in Monterey, Ca, and then Augusta, Ga. I met Brandy when she and Ike started dating and she moved to Georgia to be closer to him. Actually I take that back. I met Brandy, originally at Ike's house when they were "just friends." Lol. Then she became my roommate in Georgia, while Ike shared a house with Lucas and a few other guys.

Here's a picture from the 2006 Air Force Ball. Still funny to me that Lucas and I weren't officially dating at that time but of course we were each other's dates. And this is when Brandy said she needed a roommate and I said, "YaY!!! You can be mine!" Or something to that extent. I'm pretty sure there was squealing and jumping up and down. I mean, we are girls. 

Roomies!!

Halloween 2006. Cowboy & Saloon Girl, and Dorothy & the Scarecrow. 

We've had so much fun, and shared such great memories with these guys over the years. We attended church together, went camping together, visited the South Carolina state fair, and got engaged about the same time.

We're so glad we got to visit with them. This was the first time we'd all hung out as old married couples. :)
It was like no time had passed! And seriously, these two are adorable! Brandy, we are still laughing about how y'all turn down the air to 65° at night and it's so cold that you sometimes have to use a heater in the morning....during the summer!! We're gonna have to make a trip to Mississippi soon so we don't go another 5 years without seeing each other. 

Tax Free Weekend Rocks!

For some reason I thought that "tax-free weekend" only extended to school supplies. Which is why Lucas and I cleared out 125 spiral notebooks from Walmart this morning. Seriously! At 17¢ a piece, we made out like bandits! But anyways, apparently it applies to clothing and shoes as well!

I found these adorable pumps from ASOS marked down from $37.47, to only $11.92! And that is literally all that I paid. I couldn't be more excited!

ASOS PARIS Point Court Shoes

I love the black, floral pattern on the shoes! I've been wanting to try this look pretty much ever since I saw Olivia mixing floral and leopard prints, making it look uhh-mazing. 

Olivia Palermo

I love her style! I doubt I'll be trying anything that adventurous but I am so excited about my floral print heels and I am definitely planning on wearing them with some cute cropped pants. What a steal! 

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Clothes shopping

With temperatures over 100º every day, I am pining for Fall......and new clothes!

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I am IN LOVE with these lace-up over-the-knee boots. The ones on the right are Emilio Pucci but Victoria's Secret is selling a Colin Stuart look-alike that I am obsessed with. The price is $228 though and I am having a hard time justifying this purchase. But seriously, how gorgeous are they? And I can totally envision myself wearing them with this Camilla fitted dress with ruffled hem, by Reis.

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I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up buying this little dress. I can even wear with a blazer or leather jacket for chillier weather. Isn't it so cute?! Just perfect!

And look at these shoes I have on my watch list on ebay. Love!!

They're from the House of Harlow line. There's still 4 days left to bid so I'll keep an eye on them. 

I wish I had someone to get more excited about clothes with me. Lucas tries, but he's not the greatest girlfriend. Although he has agreed to a Hunger Games party/dinner when it comes out on video and we watch for the first time. I suspect he's really just in it for the food. Lol. Next on my list: make new friends here in Dallas :)

Sayonara, San Antonio

Going through the big "D"....and I DO mean Dallas! Yep, we've moved!!!

After exactly 4 years of living in San Antonio, we've packed up our belongings and moved to the Dallas area. It has been a whirlwind of emotions, preparations, and decision-making, that ultimately has led us to leave San Antonio. We have been blessed with great friends who have helped make the move easier, and a great church that has supported and prayed for us throughout.

I snapped this picture from the truck as we drove away. Last look at our home.

 Grover did a little of this..

But mostly this......

And even some of this.... Brandy, do you recognize that shirt? I still don't know how I ended up with it. Lol. And FYI, I am wearing shorts, although it doesn't look like it :)

Lucy, rode in the passenger seat of the rental truck with Lucas, but I somehow missed her in this shot. This might have been when she tried taking a nap on the floor. 

So are we are finally moved in and started to become familiar with the area. Thankfully we made three trips up here within the last month so it doesn't feel that unfamiliar to us. Thanks to our church friends who helped out; Diana, you were amazingly kind to clean our house for us. We couldn't have done it without you. And thanks to LeeAnne for driving my Jeep for us. You're the best!!

We are excited about what the future holds for us here and we are so thankful for God's provision!

............"in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path!" Proverbs 3: 6