day of rest: outfit 8

I love Sundays.

Sleeping in, going to church, having a relaxed large lunch and skipping dinner in favor of relaxation and last minute weekend chores. 

We love our church - we're involved in the nursery and I absolutely love when we have the chance once a month to spend our morning with adorable munchkins. Our church is full of young families and it's so amazing to watch them grow. 

We almost always go out to eat on Sundays for lunch, and then the rest of the day is spent in leisure. 

Outfit 8 of my 15 day challenge was perfect for Sunday morning and transitioned well into our lunch with friends, although I honestly changed into my pajamas for the rest of the afternoon. This blog should be an honest blog.

Top: LOFT, Shoes: Zulily

More honest talk: real women iron their clothes.
I'm coming to this conclusion and I have to say, I don't like it.
While I cannot deny that this past week of posts has really hit home that I never iron my clothes and would look much better if I did, it's such a commitment! I think all clothes should be wrinkle free.
I hate grabbing something from my closet that I want to wear, and seeing it all wrinkled. Confession? I just put it back and reach for something slightly less wrinkled. I'm that lazy.
But at the age of 24, I think it's time to stop pretending like I can look like a hobo on a daily basis.
I need to iron my clothes, for the love of Pete.

happy saturday: outfit 7

Outfit number 7 was for a relaxed and fun-filled Saturday.
In the morning I had book club, and that evening we were heading out on the town with another couple for a double date night.

Top/Shorts: J. Crew, Shoes: Zulily, Sunglasses: Ruche

I cheated a little bit in these first few pictures and sported one of my very favorite pairs of sunglasses from Ruche. While they're not an official accessory, they just worked so well with my Saturday ensemble. It was a sunshiney day!

That morning I went to a spot downtown that I had never been to before, to have breakfast with my book club. We read The Poisonwood Bible this month, and are starting on Bread & Wine for next month, which I couldn't be more excited about!

Market at Main is a great spot downtown and I loved my sweet potato pancakes. I really look forward to going there again!
Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table by Shauna Niequist is a darling book filled with life excerpts and personal recipes. It's a quick and delightful read, and the book club is mixing things up a little this month by meeting at one of our houses, and having all of us make and bring one of the recipes from the book. I'm thrilled!
One of our book club members reached out to the author, and asked if the publisher could maybe provide our book club with free copies of the book so we could read it together, and review and blog about it. And they said yes! And sent us all copies.
Our book club is filled with students and stay-at-home moms, so having these books provided for us is such a treat. I normally just request the book from our library, so having my own copy of this one which I already love is really exciting.

That night we went out to The Dahlia to mark the first day of Restaurant Week.
I love Restaurant Week. It's one of my favorite parts of summer in Lynchburg!

My absolute favorite thing at The Dahlia is the beer cheese soup. It's creamy and flavorful and served with popcorn, and it's pretty much brilliant. Pub food at its finest and yummiest.
After dinner we drove around admiring the old money houses of the surrounding neighborhoods, and enjoyed having the windows down with such gorgeous weather.
It was a great Saturday.

self-portraits: outfit 6

I haven't done a whole lot of self-portrait photo shoots. I'm always self conscious, and definitely have no idea how to work the settings for a self-timer, or how to position myself, etc. The second outfit during this challenge was the first time I've taken photos of myself not on my back porch or in my own apartment complex. It was extremely nerve-racking, but luckily there weren't any people around and I was able to get a few usable shots!
I knew I was going to have to challenge myself to put myself behind the camera and give my husband a break from daily photo shoots. I need to push myself to be adventurous with my pictures and my locations, and try and get better at understanding my camera and how to best use it for different situations.
The more you practice, the easier it gets!

Outfit 6 featured my classic orange gingham top, and the purple lace skirt, along with a few accessories.

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

I got off work early on Friday, so I was running around doing some errands before having to go back to get Dusty. While I was driving around, I found this odd little lake behind several businesses and grocery stores. I spotted a flock of geese as well, so I was somewhat drawn to it. I decided to bite the bullet and take a quick photoshoot, even though it was still a bit too sunny and hot out!

I feel like this town has a lot of secrets, and with only a year left to explore them before we move back home after law school, I'm more motivated than ever to explore and try new things.
I look forward to finding more nooks and crannies to discover and capture.

floral denim: outfit 5

Yesterday's outfit featured the comeback of my favorite new pair of pants. 

I love finding a piece of clothing that I'm tempted to reach for every single morning while I'm getting ready. While I obviously try and resist wearing the same outfit every single day, with this challenge I was excited to wear these pants again so soon...

Top: LOFT, Pants: Old Navy (similar), Shoes: Zulily, Necklace: Francesca's

What a strange burst of cold weather we had yesterday!
I came to work and it was windy and chilly, and I was suddenly glad I hadn't done much with my hair.
I was also glad I had grabbed that cardigan!

Today was the complete opposite - clear and hot and sunshiney all day long.
I suppose that's fitting, since today is supposedly the first official day of summer!

Right after we took these pictures, my husband and I joined two other couples for two hours of beach volleyball. It was so cool out, and the sky was gorgeous. I've never been good at volleyball so I was nervous, but we had so much fun, and I can't wait to keep playing throughout the summer! (I also can't wait to get accustomed to playing - I'm so sore today, every time I had to get up from my desk I felt like my body was reawakening from rigor mortis).
I'm not sure why I love summer so much, but there's something so exciting in the air when the weather starts getting hot and you start to hear the happy calls and splashes from the nearby swimming pool, and restaurants start advertising ice cream and fruity smoothie drinks...and you drive home in the darkness and fireflies light the way, and people spend the evenings barbecuing and drinking sweet tea and playing beach volleyball.
I'm pretty happy about what the next few months will look like! Happy summertime, ya'll.

creative layering: outfit 4

Dress: Ruche, Shoes: Zulily

The fourth outfit in my mix-and-match challenge (taking 15 items to create 15 outfits!) utilizes my patterned skirt with a solid dress tucked into it.

This may be my favorite outfit so far.
There are many reasons why I love dresses, but the most recent reason is because they're so versatile. While they're simple and an outfit in and of themselves, they can also be tucked into a skirt to act like a blouse, or worn beneath another blouse to act like a skirt.
I love this dress because of the beautiful sheer details, and also because it's probably my favorite color to wear. I recently noticed that I have an abundance of this bright coral color, and other variances like peach and pink, in my wardrobe. I'm always drawn to it.

While this photoshoot was taken rather humorously in a mall parking lot with a couple of friends right before we went to see a movie, I always enjoy finding bright patches of grass and flowers all over a city. Sometimes it's easy to overlook, but landscaping is such a huge part of the upkeep of a property. It makes a huge difference. I remember in college, always being in awe of the pristine lawn and the giant basins of flowers, and the fountains. It's a lot of work (and we often witnessed the upkeep as we walked to class) but the effect is easy to see and appreciate, if we take the time to do so. 

invest in a vest: outfit 3

Introducing outfit 3 from my 15to15 challenge!

So far I haven't needed to re-wear any items, other than the shoes. I've started with all the separate outfits, and in a few days I'll start creatively re-wearing items from the first few days!

Yesterday was a very misty day. It lightly sprinkled throughout the morning and afternoon, never culminating into a full "rain" but definitely attempting it. 

Through having to park far away from work in the morning and having to walk back to my car that afternoon, by the time I got home and took a few outfit photos my hair was definitely a little worse for wear. 

Exhibit A:

Other than a rather fabulous fur vest, I don't think I've ever worn a casual vest in my teen or adult life. 

I've seen a couple vest outfits that I've really liked, from Melina at The Caffeinated Closet (outfit 1 and 2, I love!) She does the denim vest trend very well. 

Then there's the slightly dressier version, over at M Loves M. 

As you can see, I finally made the plunge and purchased a great white denim-y vest. 

I'm still completely unsure about wearing it sleeveless, even though this is the first time I've worn it and I just went for it. I tend to like vests a lot more when they're layered over a 3-quarter/long sleeve top or dress. 

I think my only real reason is that I tend to avoid sleeveless altogether. (Is it a female condition to think our arms are fat and unseemly?)

Top/Skirt: LOFT, Vest: Kohl's (shop!), Necklace: Francesca's, Shoes: Zulily

Today I have been jotting down my To Do list, which expires Sunday night. I must get everything done by then. I even included dinner dates and mediocre daily activities at work so that I can feel really accomplished when I cross off multiple things every day. Sometimes you need to give yourself a boost of confidence - make the success of your day a sure thing.
"Get dressed? Check! Go to work? Check! Drink coffee? Check! I am on a roll!"

It's Wednesday and I get to leave work a little bit early, so the weekend is looming and I'm ready to conquer my To Do list. How about you?