Lookin' Good

I didn't put this outfit together for this purpose, but today I am participating in the We Love Target link-up over at Literate & Stylish.  Today's item to style is... shoes!  These red flats are fairly new, so I'm looking forward to finding lots of fun ways to style them.  

The day I wore this outfit, I walked past our neighbor's house and he yelled, "For having three kids, you look pretty d*%# good!"  First of all, AWKWARD!  Second, I decided I would take that to mean that he liked my outfit!  Later that day, my Dad wondered why I was so dressed up...  Well, we left that house that day!  That's reason enough to "dress up" around here.  :-D

 

Oops, cut off my feet!  Try again...

Scarf: Very Jane;  Tunic: Old Navy;  Leggings: Kohl's;  Shoes: Target

I think a scarf is a great accessory for a mom to wear to complete her outfit.  It's nice and soft for when baby wants to snuggle up on your chest, and won't break when pulled on or have small pieces that could become choking hazards, like a necklace.  Don't get me wrong, I like necklaces, too, but scarves are just so practical!  I love the pop of color that my scarf and shoes add to a pretty plain outfit.  And I can throw on a different scarf and pair of flats to change up the look next time! BTW, this scarf is just a regular scarf that I tied the ends together to make into an infinity scarf.  I like to do that so that I don't have to keep adjusting my scarf all day!

Let me tell you, trying to take outfit pics with three kids running around is quite interesting!  They want to push the buttons, see the pictures, be IN the pictures...  Or they just want Mommy to hold them.  It took thirty-two shots to get these two halfway decent ones.  We did manage to get a pretty great outtake.  (Is that the right word?!)

Edited to add:
 

P.S.  I also linked up over at The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday!

Poser

Trying out some new poses today!  I feel like a dork!  Haha!  I thought about not even posting this outfit, because I don't love it, but hey, this is what I wore for a day hanging out at home.  Better than sweatpants!  And I realized the next day that these jeans weren't the jeans I thought I was wearing all day, they were a smaller pair that I didn't think fit well yet.  So woohoo for that! 

Scarf: GroopDealz;  Top: JCPenney; Jeans: Old Navy; Shoes: TOMS

And a couple random thoughts for today...

The new season of The Bachelorette started this week!  So exciting!  Yes, my guilty pleasure...  We actually watched the first half of the show Monday night and the second half last night.  We don't watch any TV until the kids are in bed, and we were just too tired Monday night to stay up long enough to watch the whole show!  So yeah, some of those guys...  WOW.  And I don't mean that in a good way!  So proud of her for kicking Fantasy Suite Creep to the curb!  Did anyone else think Larry the ER Doctor got totally weird when he was talking to her?  Take my glasses off... put my glasses back on..  take my glasses back off...  apologize 15 times for "the dip."  Bye bye!  I'm disappointed surprised that she kept Mr. Shirtless around.  He seems shallow and self-absorbed.  Eww.  Right off the bat, I'm liking Bryden and Drew.  I think they'll both make it far.  Can't wait for next week!

And, at the other end of the spectrum...

Remember way back in January when I made the insane resolution to read a book a month??  Yeah, me neither.  Haha!  Seriously, I think I read a chapter, maybe two, that month...  And not another page.  Untillll yesterday!  I picked my book back up, skimmed through the first chapter (that I have already fully read twice), and read two more chapters.  It was a beautiful day, and I was able to sit outside and read while the kids played.  Hopefully I will do more of this!

Experiment

I had a completely different post ready for today, but decided to throw this one together quick so I could participate in Whitney's We Love Target link-up.  Today's item to style is a top.  This was my only choice to post, as I JUST started taking pics for the blog, so all you get is a black tee.  But I think that's okay, because basics are just as important as the fun, unique pieces.  You can  have more fun with the rest of the outfit!  This outfit basically started with me wanting to wear the shoes and scarf, and then finding a pair of pants and shirt that I thought might would work.  Before my style quest began, I NEVER would have worn these pants with these shoes!  For one, I didn't own either, but I also never would have experimented with mixing colors like this.  I think the scarf helps to make the color combo work.  I think I would have preferred a white or gray shirt, but don't have either.  I'm slowly building my wardrobe... This outfit was fun for me to wear.  What do you think?

Scarf: Very Jane;  Tee: Target;  Blue Skinnies: Kohl's;  Shoes: Target

I also wanted to mention that you will surely see a lot of these earrings.  I used to wear a lot of big, dangling earrings, but I'm digging the studs these days.

Earrings: Kohl's

New Hobby

About six months ago, through Pinterest of course, I discovered the world of style blogs!  And I. Was. Hooked.  See, I was creeping up on my 30th birthday, and I realized that I still had no clue how to dress myself.  I just wanted to look cute, y'all!  And age appropriate!  And still be able to roll around on the floor with my kids.  AND do all this on a very limited budget!  Little did I know, there were other people out there trying to do the same thing, figuring it out, and even sharing about it on the world wide web!  Who knew I, of all people, could be so interested in fashion?!  But not runway fashion... everyday, real-life, modest fashion.  I started working on discovering my own style, and growing my wardrobe.  I've made some mistakes, but I'm learning!  Some of the blogs that have been super helpful and inspiring include Putting Me Together, ...for Lauren and Lauren, and Franish.  I also enjoy Blue Paper Lanterns, Freckled Fashionista, kristina in retroworter, Stylin' Mommies and Along the Lines of Style.  I used to have quite a long list of blogs I was following, but have cut back to my favorites, although I still follow a bunch on Pinterest and Facebook!

Soooo, I've decided that I want to join in on the fun!  I've been hesitant to start doing outfit posts, as I still don't feel like I know what I'm doing...  and I don't really have a clue how to use my fancy camera.  But we all have to start somewhere, and I think this will be a fun new hobby for me!

Without further ado, here is my first official outfit!  :-D  Trendy, comfortable and affordable!  Just the way I like it!

Adorable little photo bomber I have there, huh?!

Chambray top: JCPenney;  Mint Skinnies: Kohl's;  Shoes: TOMS

He Didn't Get It From Me

I am so not athletic.  I played t-ball when I was little...  Not really.  I quit after the first day.  When I was a little older, I did tumbling for a while.  I even competed.  But I never placed very well.  And I quit when I just couldn't master my back handspring.  I did basketball for a year in junior high.  That was a joke!  And then there was track and cross country.  I still remember the one meet that I tried running hurdles.  I completely wiped out, on a cinder track.  Ouch.  Knocked the wind out of me.  Never again.  But I did continue sprinting for a few years.  And I did one season of cross country.  I was never real fast, but running was my sport, because all it takes is placing one foot in front of the other.  No hand-eye coordination required!


And then there's this guy.  My toddler t-ball prodigy. :-)

He saw his big brother playing in the back yard one day, and decided he should, too.  And now I can't get him to do anything else.  If we're not outside, he'll find anything to use as a tee, ball and bat.  We were playing in a church nursery the other morning, while big brother and sister were in their music class, and he found himself a plastic orange and chicken leg to use as his ball and bat.  My hand got to be the tee.  The kid is obsessed.  And hilarious.  He also has quite an arm and can soccer dribble a ball like he's David Beckham.  A 16 month old David Beckham.  Haha!  Koen is a mini athlete.  And he most definitely didn't get it from me!