Zoo-ey.

Hi, please note the 14 inch height difference between my husband and I.

Man, is it hard to stay focused on a blog when the sun is shining! All I want to do is ride my bike and jog and hang out outside. It doesn't help that we have a small beach within walking distance of our apartment, either. Just about every day off includes at least a few minutes basking in the sunlight. 

All of that to say, I didn't get around to snapping my outfits in the last couple of days, but I did take my darling little niece and nephew to the Detroit Zoo, and lo and behold, I was photographed during this trip! And I loved my outfit that day. It was simple, but super comfortable and fun for a day at the zoo!

^^ Kids love me.

Top: Target, $10 (same)

Jeans: JCPenney's, $15

Sandals: Forever 21, $12

Purse: H&M, $17

Necklace: Forever 21, $6

Guess Who's Back?

Top: Old Navy, $12 (same)

Skirt: Target, $15

Shoes: Target, $15 (same, half off in store!)

Purse: H&M, $18

Sunglasses: Clothes Mentor, $5

HELLO, FRIENDS! Did you miss me? I missed all of you.

Here is a little update of what's been going on the last two weeks for me:

1) I started a new job. I'm a showing specialist for a pretty snazzy real estate office, which basically means I show properties to buyers and spend all day in my car. A few days of the week are potentially 10-hour days for me, so pardon my absence this past couple of weeks! This wimpy little baby was used to 6-hour shifts consisting of brewing coffee and baby-sitting an office phone. I think after my first 10-hour day, I came rip-roaring through our apartment door, twitchy-eyed and with a fistful of my own hair in my hands. Dramatic? Maybe. Accurate? Almost. Kind of.

2) Matt & I have been apartment hunting and are in the process of moving. Packing hasn't started yet but it will soon, because we're moving in like two weeks. Whoops. Do any of you have any extra boxes...?

I have to say, though, that this little bloggy break was kind of nice and necessary for me. The last couple of months have been kind of wearing me out because I was letting some stupid form of pressure get to me. I was self conscious of my blog content, self conscious about my outfits, and felt this perpetual need to stay at the tippity top of every single trend and own every trendy item ever. Silly, right? I felt like I was desperately trying to finagle the weird, random items in my closet into "blog-worthy outfits", and God forbid should I wear anything anywhere that wasn't "blog-worthy". I mean, Matt and I were trying to leave to go apartment hunting a week or so ago, and although Matt had mentioned he liked my outfit, I'm pretty sure I was thrashing all of my clothes around our bedroom, tears in my eyes, yelling "IT'S FRUMPY AND NOT BLOG-WORTHY!". Yeah, I needed a break.

And in the last two weeks without blogging, I totally felt like I was "out of touch" with the fashion world, but I also made some really smart, necessary fashion purchases. Like, items that I didn't return and have actually worn since purchasing (because I feel like everything I bought in the last few months either got returned or is still hanging in my closet). I felt like I could think about what I needed in my closet, not what I thought my blog needed in my closet. You know? And so I've kind of adopted a little better and healthier of a thought process toward my closet in the last couple of weeks, and I'm hoping it sticks around. Because I don't know how many more useless dresses and disposable jewelry my closet can take!

And also, for anyone who gave Lynette one last fighting chance to be a part of your daily blog visitation round, thank you. I apologize for dippin' out for two weeks, but I plan on being back, and back for good!

Neglected Dress

Dress: H&M, old

Blazer: H&M, $30

Purse: H&M, $28

Shoes: Old Navy, $17

Necklace: Forever 21, $2

Belt: Forever 21

This dress is one that's been hanging in my closet since my senior year in high school and has probably not been worn in at least 3 or 4 years. I bought it when I was a few pounds heavier, and it didn't fit great then, but I figured if I ever lost weight one day, I'd love the dress. Fast forward 4 years, and I've lost weight, and the dress still doesn't fit. BOO! Hand me those french fries.

Either way, I think this dress might just have to end up in the give away pile. I think it's quite visible (in the above photo) what the dress was doing all day long: riding up in the back because my butt is too big for it. So all day long at work (my last day as a receptionist before I become a big scary showing agent!), I was backing into corners to try and tug my dress back to a work-appropriate length and keep it from clinging to me. To no avail. Oh well. I know when to give up. 

Little Black Dress.

Blazer: H&M, $30

Dress: Cynthia Rowley via TJ Maxx, $30

Necklace: Forever 21, $2

Belt: Love Culture, $6

Shoes: Fergalicious via Famous Footwear, $10

Glasses: c/o Firmoo

Meet my first real "little black dress". This is the dress photographed at the end of this post in case you were wondering so, yes, it's the dress I got at TJ Maxx recently. I've had other black dresses before, but generally just ones that are primarily "just casual" or "just dressy". While this one looks best all on it's own in my opinion, I think I really will be able to dress it up or down!

This was my first quick attempt to make this outfit appropriate for the office. Looking back, I think I would've swapped out the wedge for a regular nude pump, just to make it look a touch classier. I just can hardly stand to leave the house in anything other than this super comfy wedge.

Also, I visited CynthiaRowley.com to see if there were other dresses similar to mine (and was ready to buy a few, because I can't say no to a well-fitting dress!) and was shocked to see the average price for a dress around $400. The tag on my dress said the original price of the dress was $50. I know the tags at TJ Maxx often aren't right and sometimes have original tags attached reflecting a much higher price than TJ Maxx said the item originally sold for but jeez, am I missing something? Does CR have a ready-to-wear line that's much more affordable or is she pumping out copies of her designer line in a lower-quality material? This dress I'm wearing feels so expensive and crisp and of a quality material, I would easily believe it was originally several hundred dollars, but I guess I'm just a little confused. Anyone have insight into this?

Either way, my husband is taking me out on a pretty little date tomorrow night, and I plan on figuring out a way to make this new dress date appropriate. Should I succeed (and not spill frozen yogurt down the front of it, because there's no such thing as date night without frozen yogurt), I may be sharing that look on the blog soon!

Channeling Britney.

Jean Jacket: Forever 21, $30

Dress: Marshalls, $17

Hat: Wet Seal, $11

Shoes: Fergalicious via Famous Footwear, $10

Necklace: Forever 21, old

Purse: Love Culture, $20

 So I've not actually worn this outfit yet, but it's been the outfit in the back of my head since I purchased this dress a few weeks ago, and I couldn't keep it in the confines of my closet anymore! I've been wanting a simple, black maxi dress for the spring and summer that I could dress up or dress down. I only have one other maxi dress and I really love the comfort and look of it, so this dress is a purchase I do not regret! The fedora is a newer purchase as well; one that I was not sure I really wanted to make, because there's something about a fedora that makes me think of Britney Spears circa the Kevin Federline years (which we all know was not a good look), but I like the look and fun touch of a fedora! So upon my head it will stay. Until I start shaving my head or marrying old friends in Vegas, anyway. Should those things start happening, I would stop taking advice from me.

This outfit was a little inspired by pretty little Danielle, so go check her out! I can't help but shamelessly brag about another blonde. You know blonde's have more fun, don't you?

Also, after the tornado watches floating around southeast Michigan yesterday, I felt the need to post photos featuring a happy, sunny outfit I plan to wear sometime this spring, probably on a day date out with the husband. And the good news is, the end of chilly weather is quickly approaching! I mean, there's no way Michigan could give us snow at the end of April, right...?