tgif {frocktober, day 8 and 9}

Outfit 1: Dress (remixed): gifted

Outfit 2: Top: zulily, Dress: borrowed, 

Leggings (remixed 1, 2): Pink Blush Maternity

This weekend has already been speeding by. Any time we spend working on the house seems to eat away at our days. A full day seems less effective somehow. So many projects, so many minutes slipping away. It's hard to feel like real progress is being made until you take a peek at those "before" photos and realize how incredible the difference is already!

Yesterday we finished the wood floors (!!!!!) downstairs; the only room that still needs them is the front office, which will remain closed off for a while until after we move in. No rush to get that room finished. I'll confess, I took a little break from working on the house to have a little girls lunch to celebrate the return of Reign. Season 3 premiered this week, so we had a themed lunch with Scottish Potato Leek Soup, French Bread, Madame Macarons, and Nostradamus' Brew. It was a blast.

The last two outfits of this past week were for basic comfy layering. As you can tell, I've been on a stripes kick. I don't think I've ever worn stripes with stripes before, but I really wanted to wear this cozy striped maternity top my mom got me for my birthday. I love the orange sleeves. I didn't want to wait until after Frocktober to wear it, so I needed to dressify it somehow. It's so long that it might almost be considered leggings-appropriate, but not quite. I used one of my borrowed bodycon dresses to add length and continue the stripes all the way down.

Now, I'm getting ready to don a big t shirt and workout shorts to go work on the house some more. I'll be dressing up this evening for a little belated birthday gathering with friends. Have a beautiful Sunday, friends.

frocktober days

Frocktober is still in full swing over here!

I've been getting behind on posting my outfits every day, so I decided to do a combo post of days 13-16. 

We've been a very happy kind of busy over here!

As you know, last weekend we went to Richmond to see Needtobreathe in concert, and this weekend has been even more eventful!

We had fun double dates, some of our favorite friends moved back into town (completely surprising us at a coffee shop with the news), and we went on a weekend trip to the North Carolina State Fair!

I still have some catching up to do this coming week, but it has been a wonderful few days!

 Day 13: Dress (remixed): LOFT, Jacket/Earrings/Shoes: Gifted

I love animal prints of every kind, but this cat dress is definitely one of my favorites.
I tend to reach for it in the Fall, probably because of the deep color and easy layering possibilities. I also love that it has pockets!

Day 14: Dress (remixed): Zulily, Boots (shop!): Urbanog, Sweater: Target (remixed)

My birthday wishlist this year was very boot-heavy. I wanted a collection of colored booties so I could pretty much live in boots for the next 6 months. So far, so good!
I love these grey cowboy booties. I'm really excited to have this new neutral to reach for on boot days!
If you haven't visited Urbanog, I would highly recommend it. It's my go-to for booties, definitely. Occasionally I also find some great flats, and they definitely have a crazy selection of weird platform shoes that remind me of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (anyone? anyone?) but go straight to the boot section and you won't be disappointed. They sometimes even have shoes and styles from my favorite boutiques, but at much better prices!

Day 15: Dress: LOFT, Necklace (shop!): Ruche

I've had a secret dislike for turtlenecks for many years -- trying to figure out how to fold the neck so it doesn't bunch awkwardly, or stand straight up like a strange giraffe costume, was always my struggle. But something changed in me last year.
Not sure when exactly it happened -- although it might have been this outfit post.
This is actually the only turtleneck I own, because it's the only one I have held on to over the years. It's such a subtle neck, and doesn't bunch awkwardly because it's perfectly ruffled - and is really soft and perfect for layering. I guess I had never really realized turtlenecks are so perfect for layering, but I definitely wore this every day in London and Paris!
I'll definitely be looking for more turtlenecks this winter!

 Day 16: Dress: Bought in London, Boots: Urbanog, Jeans: Forever21

I'm looking forward to the weather continually getting cooler so I can layer more!
Only 11 days left of Frocktober. This month has been speeding by, and I'm not quite ready for all the festivities to end. :)
Look for more Frocktober updates from the last few days, and hopefully I'll be back up-to-date by next weekend!

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.

pink toes

My new favorite shoes. 

Honestly my shoe closet is in dire need of updating, still stuck in a time span between high school and now, and most of them sit untouched and covered in dust. I think I'm still in a state of shoe confusion, completely unsure what my style is. I'll figure it out. But I really need to come to a definitive decision about heels. 

We're currently enroute to Cleveland, and eager to see if it's really as bad as people say!

So I thought I'd throw up another outfit from last week. We were on our way to the movies after work with my parents (seeing Star Trek: Into Darkness - I wasn't born a Trekkie, but I sure am one now) and did a parking lot photoshoot before walking into the mall.

There was definitely a car right next to us with two people in it, staring avidly at me the entire time.
I decided to ignore them and just do my thang. Which included mostly just looking to the right, and pretending they weren't there.

Dress: Ruche (similar, similar), Top: J. Crew, Shoes: Gifted/Zulily
Watch: Fossil, Bangle: Cookie Lee

It has become a habit of mine to enlist some of my shorter dresses as tunic tops to wear over jeans throughout the work week. In fact, I did the same thing yesterday.
The jeans policy at work is unclear, at best - they take the "look professional" approach, and since I sit behind a desk in a closet/office in the back, I'd say I fit the bill nicely.
During the summer, things are really slow in the library, so they've already designated Friday a jeans and t-shirt day. I never wear a t-shirt to work, even on Fridays, so I'm feeling fancier already.

mixing prints: dress in a dress

This past week consisted of some pattern play in my outfit choices. I've been playing around with mixing different prints and trying out bold patterns.
For some reason I was feeling adventurous, and certain things were catching my eye as I perused my closet each morning.

I've tried to get back into the habit of setting out my clothes the night before - it makes getting ready in the morning so much easier! But I don't always think about it.

Floral Dress: Zulily (remixed here and here), Polka-Dot Dress: Primark in London
Shoes: Ruche/Poetic License (shop!), Ring: Ebay (similar), Earrings: Fossil

This outfit is actually a dress on top of a dress.
Completely foreign territory to me until now.
In theory, I think it works. This pairing was a chance encounter, as both these dresses were hanging on my closet door for different purposes and it suddenly dawned on me that I love floral and polka dots together.
This floral dress has become one of my most interesting remix pieces.

I think it depends entirely on the dresses you'd want to wear together, but I think I may try this idea again. Just like wearing a skirt over a dress, or a sweater/top over a dress, or a top under a dress, this layering technique can exponentially expand my dress-wearing. Which I'm always in favor of.

I've definitely mentioned before that I love cutesie things, which includes critters and cute prints.
This ring was no exception. I'm a sucker for foxes (still on the hunt for a perfect budget-friendly fox sweater) and kittens, so this ring kind of encompasses both. I found it on Ebay for 99 cents, so how can you go wrong?
These types of rings are all over the place, places like Ebay and Etsy.
I like looking through some of the more expensive options of cutesie rings, like this, but in all reality I'm more of a 99 cent ring girl than a $60 ring girl. Unless it's of the engagement/wedding persuasion.

I love our balcony, even though it stretches along the entire back side of our apartment complex, so it's a shared space. It still feels secluded and private, with the forest of trees and the lanterns that light up at night.
I'm planning on buying some bistro style patio furniture, hanging some twinkle lights, and spending a lot of quality time on this balcony this summer. I'm looking forward to taking on a lot of home improvement projects in the next few months.
It only took me a year and 8 months to actually be motivated to finish things up. :)
We have a little over a year left until my husband finishes law school and we move back to Arizona, so I'm planning on making it count.

foggy friday

I've always been a true introvert at heart.
I learned somewhere along the line that to be an introvert is all about how you charge your batteries.
Extroverts are re-charged by people - going to a party lifts them up and gives them wings for hours and hours.
Introverts may still love parties, but when they get home, they crawl into the fetal position and shut out the world for 3-5 days in order to recover.
That's me.

I love people. I always have, and most likely always will.
I love my friends and I absolutely love planning things and going out and doing weekend trips and having get-togethers. I love girl time, I love holiday parties. But there's definitely an inner balance, a delicate one, that requires me to incorporate my "alone time" into my regular schedule.

I went to Japan with a group in college, and I remember going off into the corner with another introverted guy, and we'd just say to the others, "It's introvert time."
And we'd literally just go into the corner, and sit, staring into the space, saying nothing for as long as possible. We were practically comatose. It was weird but we both really needed it.

Dress: Zulily, Sweater: Target, Tights: Target, 
Scarf: Gifted via World Market (shop!), Jewelry: Fossil

My amazing husband is such an extrovert, and he has enlivened my life in every possible way. He makes me so much braver than I ever could be alone. I'm so thankful for him.
This weekend he'll be gone for a law-school related getaway (a mediation tournament), so I'll be left to my own devices. While I used to cherish these moments by myself, I'm starting to realize how long it's been since I've had true alone time. Recharging my batteries nowadays usually involves my husband and I having a quiet night in, reading or watching TV and whatnot.
I'm suddenly feeling a bit unnerved, and I'm already wondering what in the world I'm going to do once I get off work and go back to my empty apartment.
But then I already know the answer. Pajamas. TV. Candy. Bubblebath.
It won't be so bad.

Me and my introverted self are going to have a date this weekend. Get reacquainted.
Hopefully I'll be motivated enough to get some cleaning done, and to utilize my husband's away time well.
But seeing as I've just finished Downton Abbey, this foggy Friday may just be spent drowning my sorrows in sweets and comedy shows to relieve the depression. :)

What are your plans? Also, what are your thoughts on the bright tights?
Not quite as daring as the pink tights but still pretty exciting. Buddy the Elf would be proud.

Happy Friday, all :)