calm before the storm: outfit 14

Outfit 14:

This was my Saturday outfit, although I didn't actually take the pictures until today.
Right as we began taking pictures, it began to sprinkle, and as soon as we hurried inside it began to pour!
It seems determined to be rainy and cloudy all week long.
Anyway, on Saturday, Dusty and I went downtown to the farmer's market, picked up a few veggies, and then we went out to breakfast. It was such a fun little date!

I also had the amazing discovery that my absolute favorite coffee shop, which closed down, actually has another little coffee shop in the lobby of a downtown bank and still serves my beloved lavender latte!!
I thought it was gone forever, so it truly was a life-changing discovery.
The rest of my day was spent having afternoon tea with my visiting friend Amber, and shopping around some downtown antique shops and boutiques.
It was a great day!

sunset: outfit 13

It was such a beautiful evening on Friday, and we got the chance to shoot some photos right as the sun began to shine through the trees before it set. It has been such a great week, but Friday couldn't come soon enough! I was looking forward to the farmer's market on Saturday, and walking along downtown and showing my friend some of my favorite spots.
Introducing outfit 13:

Top: LOFT, Vest: Kohl's (shop!), Pants: Old Navy, Shoes: Zulily

This spot is one of my favorites around our neighborhood.
We've done a couple photo shoots around here (like this one), and it's beautiful all year round. Probably my favorite is at the peak of Fall, when the largest trees turn a stunning shade of yellow and every time we drive down the street we're stunned by them.
I've always been a huge fan of sunset (being an Arizona girl, and also never being enough of a morning person for sunrises), and we had just met some friends for snow cones when we were heading home and decided to stop for our daily photos while it was still light enough.
It turned out to be the perfect time of day for photos!

It's moments like this that make me realize how much I love being outside. I'd love to take the opportunity to go on some local hikes, and use these cooler mornings for some of the gorgeous trails we have downtown.
We've talked a lot about trying to go out on a lake this summer, and also trying to get some friends together to go camping. Camping used to be an annual event for our family, and I haven't been in years and years.
I've never been camping with Dusty, and I think it'd be a blast! We'd both love to try and introduce camping into our regular summer activities.

mixing prints: outfit 12

Outfit 12!

Only 3 outfits away from completing my 15 items to 15 outfits challenge.

While some of these items will get a nice long break after this, there are a few things I look forward to continuing to remix and mix and match - such as this floral skirt!

Top: J. Crew, Shoes: Zulily, Necklace: Francesca's

I think finding a floral skirt like this one can be a great wardrobe staple.

I've been so excited to experiment with mixing patterns (check out Ruche's Mixing Prints feature!) and this skirt has a lot of potential in that arena.

Borrowed from Ruche

Such a great set of principles for the pattern-mixing beginner! This feature is a spot-on guide to seeing mixing and matching in action. 

This outfit definitely follows principle #2. 

This tight orange gingham pattern almost acts as the neutral, while the pretty blue floral print in the skirt is what really pops. But they somehow compliment each other, despite having nothing in common (other than being complementary colors and therefore destined to be together forever.)

mint and humidity: outfit 11

Dress: Ruche, Top: LOFT, Shoes: Zulily

Outfit 11 was perfect for a rainy day and a night out on the town. 

And by "out on the town" I mean a great dinner at our favorite sushi place, for half-off Wednesdays!

I love how wearing this top beneath this dress adds just a subtle new layer, with some ruffles peeking out the top. The almost-cap sleeves of the blouse made it work-appropriate and comfortable.

Will the real summertime please stand up?

It has been so confusing having this whole week be so mild and sunshine-less. Cloudy days with April-esque showers and pretty breezes. I'm not really sure whether to beg for real summer or thank the Lord for the blessing of cool summer weather. The only real problem with all of this is that the humidity is crazy (hence my sad, limp hair that flips out at odd ends in desperate rebellion). But I'd rather have cool humidity than bright humid sunshine. 

double digits: outfit 10

Outfit 10 has really brought it home that my coworkers probably think I've gone crazy.
Or that I just really like this shirt.
Either way, there are just 3 days left of this mix and match challenge (I'm currently wearing outfit 12) and I'm starting to really itch to wear some of my ignored clothes!
As Holly says in P.S. I Love You, 

"I should get my [clothes]. They're all over the place. They're gonna think I don't love them."

Outfit 10 featured my cream top and cardigan, and my lovely purple lace skirt from LOFT. 

This week is overcast and rainy, and it's rather beautiful out. We've had a few storms come and go, but overall it has been mild and enjoyable.

I have a friend visiting this week, which has been so fun! There's nothing better than always having fun plans, and a tiny apartment full of laughter and good food and friends. 

Top/Skirt: LOFT, Shoes: Zulily

I wore this outfit on Tuesday, and that night we made pasta and had a grisly marathon of Hansel and Gretel, and Warm Bodies. It was an evening spent all bundled up on the couch and it was delightful.

Hansel and Gretel is just a typical kitschy horror flick, but it was enjoyable.

Warm Bodies, on the other hand, was definitely one I'd watch (and even buy) again. 

Having the inner dialogue of a zombie, and seeing life through his perspective, was definitely a refreshing twist on the classic horror trend. And that love was at the center of it all? Adorable.
Another bonus is that the soundtrack is awesome. 

I'd definitely recommend it to even the most squeamish of people, because while it is a movie in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, it's really a light-hearted story about how "love is what makes us human". Love is what unites us.

And keeps us from eating brains.

dress to vest: outfit 9

It's official, I invested in a vest and have been bested by the love of the vested. Wait...
Yeah. Anyway! Outfit 9 featured my new vest love with a dress!

I'm a big fan of small purses.

There are many reasons why, but first and foremost is that the more room I have in a bag, the more I put into it.

It's like a magnetic pull; if I have an adorable and giant bag, I turn all crazy-like and just start shoving things into it that have no business in a purse.

6 packs of gum, sachets of lavender potpourri, broken necklaces, batteries, 2 cameras, garbage. Just plain ol' garbage.

Obviously with so much gum, it was also filled with gum wrappers.

It got to the point where my husband would unwrap a piece of gum or candy or his McDouble (not really) and just throw the wrapper in my purse, because, well. That's where it went, wasn't it?

I'd ask someone to pass me my purse and they'd cry out in shock, hefting my Barney Bag across the room exclaiming, "What's in here, bricks!?"

Sometimes, yes. Why not? Why are you looking at me like that?

Dress: Ruche, Vest: Kohl's (shop!), Shoes: Zulily
Necklace: Francesca's

Cleaning out my bags became a really intense ritual.

"It's time," my husband would say and I would sigh. "Okay...okay. You're right."

Then I'd dump it all on the floor, make giant piles of "keep" and "toss" and then vacuum all of the loose lavender off of the floor.

Small bags are simple. And nice. And force me to make life-changing decisions about how many gum packets I have room for, and whether or not I really need 4 EOS lip balms in there at all times. 

Cheers to small purses. To not allowing the Barney inside of you to create a mass of nonsense in your giant purse. And if you have a giant purse and keep it organized and clean and attractive, with no old melted caramels in the pockets, then I nod respectively in your general direction while acknowledging that we have nothing in common.