An Ode to the Maxi Dress

Thrifted Land's End Maxi (insanely similar) and Jacket (similar from Madewell); Stitch Fix Necklace; Walmart Sandals (similar)

Oh maxi dress. Thank you for being there for me as I ease into summer. Thanks for making me feel feminine without showing piles of skin. You are amazing and I hope the world of fashion never casts you aside again.

How's your week going? We are in full on vacation mode over here so I'll keep this short. I have people to see, things to read, flowers to smell. Yep.

Happy Wednesday.

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SammyDress Review

Stitch Fix Tunic; Dress Barn Jeggings, Thrifted Flats; Watch and Bag c/o SammyDress

When SammyDress offered to send me a few items for review, I wasn't so sure. Their prices are almost too good to be true, and you usually get what you pay for when it comes to things like this.

But this bag. This bag.

I've been carrying it around for about a week now and am super happy with it. It looks lush, and is holding up so well. And believe me, I put my bags through a lot. It goes to and from work daily, it sits on various surfaces of questionable cleanliness when I'm working in people's homes, it goes on walks with babies in strollers, it holds sippy cups and wipes for said babies... This bag holds it all and looks great doing it.

And the watch. I've been looking for a great watch, and this one totally fits the bill. I have a thing for maps, and I love this one.

So check them out, why don't you? You'll be glad you did.

Disclosure: I received these items free of charge for review, but as always, my opinions are my own.

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Simplicity

Thrifted Tee (similar); Kohl's Scarf (similar); Gap Factory Jeans (similar); Thrifted Booties (here)

It looks like fall in this photo, but I swear to you I just wore this a few days ago. See the mud? Definitely spring.

I was digging around the thrift store last week looking for a simple tee I could bleach paint when I came across this beauty. I love the boxy, slouchy fit of it. It's such a great basic, I'm pretty sure I'm just going to have to find another tee to destroy cause I couldn't bear to part with this one should the bleach painting go awry.


More of the polka dotted jeans:

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Books vs. Movies

Stitch Fix Tunic; Gap Factory Jeans (similar); Minnetonka Moccs (here); Necklace via Sassy Steals

Styling this top up again. I basically want to live in this tunic, so you`re really quite lucky you`re not seeing it more often.

J and I went to see Divergent last night. Since I loved the book, I wasn`t too sure I wanted to see the movie. I have this thing where I get disappointed when the movie is different than how the book was in my head. Unrealistic, but true. But, I am happy to say that Divergent the movie held up pretty well. Not perfect, but also not ridiculously disappointing.

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Green and Gold

Tunic (similar) and Necklace (similar) via Stitch Fix; Dress Barn Jeggings (similar); Connie Boots via Famous Footwear (similar)

I wore this on St. Patrick`s day. It felt like a fun outfit with some subtle minty green and the gold circle necklace reminded me of leprechaun`s gold. Sometimes dressing up for a holiday is fun.

In other news... check out that snow. It`s melting. Can we all just breathe a collective sigh of relief that winter is finally coming to a close? I know I`m not the only one celebrating.

More of the black wedge boots:

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My Stitch Fix Experience

I have been wanting to try Stitch Fix for months. A personal styling service that sends you fun new things in your style and size right to your door? Yes please.

There`s currently a pretty long wait for a box. I scheduled a box in February and took the first available date: March 15. It actually arrived a few days before that, so I had the weekend to try things on and style them up.

My wonderful stylist sent me a necklace, two tops, skinny jeans, and a maxi dress. I pretty much gave her free reign over what to send me. My only request was that the items be washable and easy to wear.



Boy, did she deliver. Let`s take a closer look.

Zad Adrianna Circle Bib Necklace, $34

I LOVE this! Totally something I`d gravitate towards in a store but not buy. I love how small it is, but still makes a statement. Definitely a keeper.

Kensie Johnny Skinny Jeans, $88

Dirty mirror alert! I really wish these fit. The style is perfect, but the cut is not. They got sent back.

Angie Schmitt Mixed Chevron Maxi Dress, $78

I sort of grimaced when I took this out of the box. Chevron? Please.

But then I put it on. Holy flattering and comfortable and oh my it`s actually modest and I can wear a bra with it. J gave this one a big thumbs up. Keeper.

Pomelo Corrina Striped Dolman Top, $48

I almost sent this one back. When I first tried it on, I was not a fan of the way it stretched over my hips and bum. But then I tried it with leggings and ta da! Love.

Pomelo Arcade Dot Print Chambray Top, $68

There was never a doubt on whether I`d keep this or not. It`s about as `me` as it gets.

So, final thoughts.

The Good:

Everything they sent me was awesome, and 100% my style. It was so fun to get a bunch of wonderful items in the mail that I was under no obligation to buy and could try on in the comfort of my own home, mixing and matching with other things in my wardrobe. I wish all shopping was like this. I might never leave my house again.

The Bad:

Money money money! I requested they send me the cheapest items possible, which Stitch Fix defines as less than $100/item. Although they did this, over $200 for the whole box still felt like a small fortune (80% of my wardrobe is thrifted and I average $35/month on clothes). I`m glad they give you a $20 credit. 

So, why did I keep 4 of my 5 items?

.They`re high quality. I will have these things for a good long time.

.They`re totally my style. I am in love with each one, and know I will get tons of wear out of them.

.I am trying to make a conscious effort to par down my wardrobe and be content with less. I often feel like I have more in my closet than I can wear. My logic these days is this: if I spend more on fewer things, not only will I have fewer things, I will wear those things more because my frugalness will ensure I get my money`s worth. 

.I`ve wanted to put the whole quality over quantity thing into practice for a while. This is the perfect opportunity.

There you have it. I have another fix scheduled for May and I can`t wait. Hop on over and give it a try yourself!

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Northerner

Handmade Cowl (similar); Annie Jean Apparel via Sassy Steals; F21 Top; Gap Factory Jeans (similar); Modcloth Boots (similar)

This necklace is my new favorite. I love dressing like the northerner I am. There are other ways to channel the great outdoors besides camo. I snatched it up on Sassy Steals a few weeks ago..have you heard of it? It`s an awesome flash deal site for jewelry, clothes, kids, and home stuff. It`s awesome and I think they have a better selection and prices than other, similar sites. (Also, not a sponsored post, I`m just a really happy customer.) I have a couple other things on the way from them and can`t wait!

How`s your weekend going? I spent my Saturday organizing the house. It looks so much better now, you guys. We`ve been here 3 months and half the house was still a pig sty. I also took a break to have lunch with my sister. Always great to have some girl time.

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Spring Boot

Rain boots always strike me as a fall and spring boot. But, I see other bloggers sporting them in the snow, so I thought I`d give it a shot. Let me tell you, I am glad it was in the 20s that day. Cold, cold feet. Obviously those bloggers live in a place with a much milder winter. Or they`re just much more tolerant of cold feet than I.

Thrifted J Crew Top (cheapie from JCP); Target Infinity Scarf (similar); Gap Jeans via thredUP; Boots via Amazon

Happy Friday, and happy Valentines Day! Any exciting plans? My sweet husband is making dinner tonight. I`m looking forward to a low-key evening at home. We went out once for dinner on V-Day and it was almost torturous. This introvert does not enjoy the crazy crowds, long waits for a table, and heavy traffic. Give me pasta and wine in the comfort of my own home over that mess any day.

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Catching the Spirit

Thrifted Sweater; Fade to Blue Jeggings; Swapped Boots; Old Navy Scarf

So...I may have worn this outfit twice this week. A loose sweater over leggings has been what I'm craving lately.

I don't know about you, but I am fully immersed in the Christmas spirit lately. Music, minty drinks, trees, snow. I love it all. I learned yesterday that although Tim Horton's (my much preferred Starbucks alternative) doesn't serve any specialty holiday drinks, you can ask for a flavor shot of peppermint in any drink. And it is delicious. I had a peppermint cafe mocha yesterday and holy cow. Christmas in a cup.

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Thankful

Thrifted Cardi, Plaid, and Pants; Kohl's Flats

Did you know one of the reasons Kendi created the 30x30 was to remind herself to be thankful for what she has? I love this so much about the challenge. It can be so easy to get sucked into the culture of stuff.  The latest trends, the designer bag, the thing all the bloggers are wearing this season. Sometimes it just gets to be too much and we need to step back.

I was grocery shopping this morning and this song started to play. And I cried. Right there in the grocery store. I have been grieving the loss of my childhood home for months now and some days it still gets to me. But you know what? It is just a house. What really matters is the people that lived there. The memories that were made there. I am so, so thankful for the fact that I grew up in a place wonderful enough to miss it this much.

I am thankful for our next big adventure. For the house we are moving into next week, for the child we are hoping to adopt. For my husband to go back to school. For growing my relationship with my sister and nephews. Life is good right now and I need to embrace it!

So I choose to be thankful. And I got all that from a pile of clothes.

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

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30 Days, 30 Outfits

Thrifted Top and Skirt; Handmade Cowl by Me; Swapped Boots; Target Tights

So I made a quick decision a few days ago to do a 30x30 remix for the month of November. We're moving this month so this will make things much, much easier. I have all my items set aside in a suitcase and the rest can get packed. Just the way my OCD brain likes it.

This is day 1. I had the day off work last Friday so I decided to jump right into the challenge with a skirt. I only chose 2 skirts for the whole challenge since I spend most of my days in jeans, and I was hesitant to even pick those 2. Hopefully it'll prove to be a good decision in the long run!

Not all of the outfits will be blogged, but you can keep up with all the action on instagram.

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Fancy Smancy

Thrifted Top and Jacket; JCPenney Jeans; Swapped Boots

I wore this same outfit about a month ago, but with flats. I really liked it, so I decided to repeat it today with boots, since it was raining. I love the contrast of the lace and tough jacket!

How has your weekend been? I enjoyed a women's conference at our church and then J and I checked out a mall we haven't been to in a while. And I actually bought something. Shocker, I know. 95% of what I buy these days is thrifted. But, American Eagle had a really cute fancy sweatshirt on the clearance rack that I couldn't resist. Is it just me, or do they have some really cute offerings this fall? I love their sweaters.

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Days Like This

Thrifted Top and Pants; Walmart Flats; Cents of Style Necklace

I've seen quite a few versions of the striped top/olive pants combo floating around the internet as of late. I totally copied this one right off of Merrick. I think it's super cute, and am glad olive pants are having their day. Olive is such a great fall color.

Annnd that's about all I have to say about that. :-) Hope you're all having a lovely Thursday.

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Perfect 10 Remix: #9 and #10

The last 2 outfits! And not a moment too soon. This was a lot of fun but boredom was starting to set in.

Thrifted Striped Top; JCPenney Chambray; Thrifted Pants; Payless Booties

Thrifted Top; ModCloth Dress; Payless Flats

Whew! Thanks for putting up with all my mirror selfies, guys. It's been a really, really busy 10 days. Now I'm going to crawl into a hole and forgot about outfit photos for a while...

A big thanks again to Callie for hosting! It's been so much fun and I hope we can do it again sometime.

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Perfect 10 Remix: #1

Thrifted Tee; Thrifted Pants; Vintage Scarf; Payless Booties

This outfit has been done before and I've always thought it a bit dull. I so often forget how simple changes like rolling my pants and adding a scarf can take things up a notch. Which is why I get really excited about remix challenges. Such a great opportunity to step back and reassess how you usually style certain pieces.

I'm also really excited to have finally discovered the secret to wearing pants with booties. Roll 'em up. Bye, bye super irritating bunching.

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Busy, Busy

Thrifted Jacket; Gap Tee; JCPenney Skinny Ankle Jeans; Swapped Boots

Oh hiiiii! Just thought I'd check in at the end of this crazy busy week. Here's what I did:

-A pile of mystery shopping. I spent this past weekend getting signed up with a bunch of new companies and they delivered. Mystery shopping is fun, but can be oh, so time consuming.
-Work. After a 2 week break it was good to see my little L again. She's 8 months old and crawling full time now. Madness.
-Interview + new job! I accepted a new nanny position that will add about 20 extra hours of work to my week. Which is about 2-3 times as much as I nanny now. In other words, I'm about to get super busy. I'm excited though. I've been nannying for a year now and I'm way more confident in my ability to work so many hours now. Plus the extra money will be great. J and I live in that tight financial spot where we usually don't have a problem paying bills on time, but we also don't have any extra to put aside for later. I'm really excited to actually start putting money into an emergency fund again, save to (hopefully) take a nice, long vacation next year, and just generally not feel so pinched during the month. Yay!

How was your week?

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