Outfits of the Week!!!!

Hello Lovelies,

I've been super busy with work and took some time off to have some fun in Atlantic City.  I don't really have anything worthy of blogging about but I did put some cute outfits together and wanted to share them.

 My top is a lovely paisley print from J.Crew Factory store.  I'm wearing black cords from the Gap from last year.  I'm on the lookout for a great pair of black jeans.  I want them to be a little on the dressy side but not look ridiculous if I want to wear them casually.

Although this outfit isn't terribly original, I was the best I could do with only a few minutes to get ready.  I was running extremely late for work so I put together the first thing that matched.  Here I'm wearing the same black cords paired with a Loft tunic underneath and Merino wool Tippi sweater from J.Crew. I've also found that the colder weather is making my hair really staticy if I straighten it.  I've been enjoying curling it but I don't have the time in the morning to actually curl it.

I promise next week I've have some better outfits to show you!!!

Black Friday Outfits and Cyber Monday

Hello Lovelies,

Sorry for not updating more frequently but I've been busy working non-stop this weekend.  I usually love working in retail but every year around Black Friday I start to dread this job.   This year many stores opened at 8pm on Thanksgiving night.  I think that is absolutely ridiculous that crazy people can't wait a few more hours to get a few dollars off something.  I think what many people forget is the fact that those workers who are working at 8pm actually have to come in at 6pm on Thanksgiving to prepare for the madness that will ensue.  I personally refuse to work Thursday night into Friday because I don't think it's fair to ruin people's time with their families.  I honestly think those people who have to be there at 8pm should be ashamed of themselves because of their selfish ways they took valuable time away from the workers families.  I will state this now, I have never and will never shop on Black Friday. Honestly, I love to shop but no deal is worth spending all night with crazy people trampling you.  I hate crowds and waiting on lines so Black Friday shopping is not for me.

Anyway, I digress.  Now onto the outfits I wore to work this week.

Friday my dress code consisted of a chambray shirt.  I paired that shirt with a black cardigan and one of my new favorite jewelry pieces, a white and gold bubble necklace from J.Crew.  I thought my outfit was a little dark so I added some chestnut boots to break up the darkness.

 Now Saturday my dress code consisted of plaid.  I wanted to take a girly take on the typical "flannel" look.  This lovely shirt dress is from the Gap and I love it.  It's a gorgeous green, navy, and red plaid flannel dress.  I paired this shirt dress with my same chestnut boots and J.Crew necklace.  Being that it's cold here in NJ I did wear navy tights under this dress.  I think the next time I wear this I'm going to forgo the matching belt and pair it with a fun belt that I already own.

 Now for Sunday.  After having have to be told what I could wear, I was lacking some creative ideas when it came to clothes.  I decided to pair a Gap Boyfriend fit ruffled dress shirt with a classic crewneck navy sweater.  I liked the contrast of the navy with the red shirt.  For a girly feel I decided to wear the bubble necklace again.

Here's the ruffle shirt available now at Gap

 Now, onto a good deal I got yesterday morning.  It seems many retailers are expanding Cyber Monday to start on Sunday.  I got a email from Kate Spade stating that their sale was 75% off.  I quickly jumped on the website and found this gorgeous bag.  It's the cobble hill small Kori and I look forward to opening it up on Christmas morning.  Thanks Kate Spade for this great deal on this bag!!!!

Where has the time gone

Hello Lovelies,

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of my lovely grandmothers passing.  My grandma was an incredible woman and I miss her everyday.  When my grandmother passed, it taught me to take advantage of each and every moment and live for the moment.  There were so many things I would have loved to have said to my grandmother but I never got the chance.

A picture of my grandmother from 1985

Recently, I was talking to one of my coworkers and we were talking about death.  Both her and I had different experiences with death.  Her father had a long battle with cancer and knew how long her father was going to live.  I unfortunately didn't have that luxury.  I remember the morning of November 21, 2010 like it yesterday.  I had gone to an amazing All Time Low concert the night before and stayed up really late talking to my friend.  When I woke the next morning I had 10 missed call from my mom and my house phone.  I instantly knew something was wrong.  I listened to the voicemail on my phone and could tell that my mom was upset in the message.  I tried calling my mom but she didn't answer so I called my house phone.  My dad picked up the phone and asked me if I had talked to my mom.  I told him no and he had to break the news to me that my grandmother had died.  I can honestly say that was the worst moment in my life.  I had seen my grandmother only 2 days prior and she was completely fine.  I couldn't believe she was gone.  When I had said goodbye to her, I didn't think that was the last time I would ever talk to her or even hear her voice.  My coworker and I have different views on death and which way is better.  Clearly, I would have liked to have known that my grandmother was going to pass and I would of had the opportunity to tell her how much I love her and how much she means to me.  Although, I didn't get the chance to tell her that, I hope that she's watching me from heaven and knows how much she inspires me everyday!

*Any one who is reading this needs to know that this is a deeply personal post and it is really hard for me to write this.  I'm actually bawling my eyes out while I'm writing this because I've bottled up my emotions about this for so long.  I miss my grandmother everyday but know her spirit is her with me.

My grandmother's high school yearbook picture.  I actually took this picture and have it displayed in my room

My grandmother's and I at Disney World

My grandmother and little baby me

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.  ~Author Unknown

Owls, owls, owls

Hello Lovelies,

So anyone that knows me knows I am O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D with owls.  I believe I have fallen in love with owls before they were super popular and I want to share the reason why I am in love with these little birds.  First, to be completely honest I hate birds, they freak me out but ever since a little Eastern Screech Owl, who I lovingly nicknamed Earle, landed in my neighbors tree I've fallen in love with owls.  Earle, has been living in a dead tree off and on for the last 3 years.  He randomly appears in the Fall and disappears right before the end of the spring.  Now, I'm not a professional photographer in the slightest but I absolutely love taking pictures of this little guy.  Here is a collection of the photos I've taken through the years of Earle!

Earle in his little tree branch

The funny thing about Earle is you never think his eyes are open.  I know he's always watching me because I can tell he subtly moves his head to follow me but his eyes always look closed.  

My favorite picture of Earle ever.  This was probably one of the first pictures I've ever taken of him.

So as you can see, Earle has inspired my obsession with owls and now I literally have owls on everything, which I love.  I even have a few owl shirts, which is slightly embarrassing to admit.

M.I.A.... Missing in Action

Hello Lovelies,

Sorry I've been MIA lately but I've been super busy with work and just haven't had the motivation or inspiration to update blog.  I figured since my most popular post seem to focus on my shopping addiction I'd fill my lovely readers on what my shopping compulsion has lead me to buy.

I went a little crazy at the Gap because I got a coupon for 50% off one item and 40% off the rest of my items.  I had to take advantage of this because I no longer can use my employee discount, this was as close as it was going to get.  So the things I bought were:

This sweater was on sale for 29.99 and I got 40% off

I already have this sweater in the grey with neon pink but when I saw this one was $11 I had to have it

Cute plaid oxford with a ruffle collar, it's playful and girly and so festive!

I love these fitted boyfriend shirts that the Gap has right now, I really think they look great on all body types

This is a super cute and super comfy flannel dress

This sweater is super comfortable but I pretty much got this because navy and neon pink is my absolute favorite color combination!

Now onto J.Crew 

I bought a beautiful chiffon black and white chevron scarf that I can't seem to find a picture online and I don't want to take a picture of it right now (but I'm positive I'll be wearing it with an outfit within the coming week). I bought two of the Merino Wool Tippi sweaters.  If you love J.Crew sweaters they are currently on a promotion for 25% off, which is a great deal for these amazing sweaters.

I bought this Biennial hobo for my mom for Christmas, partly because she liked it but because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BAG TOO

and I bought these shoes on clearance because I thought they would match my bag, I mean my moms bag perfectly

Now for some random work outfits of the day.  I need to get a new full length mirror in my room so I don't have to keep taking pictures in my bathroom.

 The headband is from Nordstrom's BP, shirt from Loft, scarf from Banana Republic Factory, Jeans are from Urban Outfitters, Boots are Steve Madden Troopa Boots

Headband from Forever 21, Scarf from Express, sweater from Old Navy, wool pencil skirt J.Crew, and flats from Banana Republic.

As you can see I've been obsessed with head bands lately.  I've been pretty bored with my hair recently so I think I need to spice things up and change it up.

Well hopefully my next posts won't be too far off but if it is, I promise I'll have tons of items to haul 

I am Jersey Strong

Hello lovelies,

This post isn't going to be like my normal posts, actually it's going to be a little darker and very depressing. As many of you know my home state, New Jersey, was devastated by Hurricane Sandy this past weekend. Although I do live relatively close to the shore, my town and my house were spared, thankfully. I wish I could say the same thing about the surrounding towns or even New Jersey as a whole. I've been without power since Monday so I haven't really gotten the chance to see all the destruction sandy caused. I'm using my iPhone to actually write this post because I'm one of those people who feels better when I voice how I'm feeling and I've been bottled up for too long.

My dad works for a local gas company in New Jersey and for the last couple of days he's been touring the devastation. Now my dad is not someone who shows much emotion but each night he's come home he's been so depressed and upset. He showed us some pictures of Union Beach and there was nothing left of the town. The only way he could describe it to us was to say it looked like a bomb had gone off. He said walking around he saw pictures lining the ground and people clothes thrown about. The pictures really are horrific because it shows that these poor people lost everything. I feel extremely guilty because the worst thing that happened to my home is that we lost power. We didn't loose our home, pictures, possessions, or cars. Yes, material things can be replaced but its a pain to do. They have been calling this storm "The storm of the century" and to me it doesn't feel like that because I have yet to see the full extent of what actually happened, and frankly I'm not sure I really want to.

What I did see is that Sea Bright, the place I spent most of my summers as a child is officially destroyed. I don't think Sea Bright will ever be the same. My lovely grandmother, who passed away almost 2 years ago, spent most of her life living in Sea Bright. She was always the crazy person who thought she could ride out a storm and would trudge through flood waters to get to her job at the bank. I am grateful that she did not have to see the town she loved destroyed. Seeing Sea Bright in this state would have broken her heart. It breaks my heart just thinking about it. Unfortunately, the house she owned is probably destroyed and will need to be demolished. It's painful to think about because I had so many memories in that house. Although, the Sea Bright I know and love has been destroyed, the memories I made there will forever be in my heart!

I have no doubt that New Jersey will bounce back from this terrible event. I remember years ago there was a shirt that said "new jersey: only the strong survive!" I believe that's true. Every resident who has called jersey home will bounce back from this. It may take a year, heck maybe even 5 years but we will rebuild and we will survive and we will be better then ever.

This storm has made me reflect and look at my life. If I lost everything in the storm, what would I have left. I probably would be upset that my iPad or my computer was ruined, which is pathetic. There are people out there that have no where to go. I now realize going shopping every weekend is not important. I need to stop caring about materialistic things and start caring about what really matters in life. I know I am only one person but I want to do everything in my power to help rebuild the place I call home!