What I wore Wednesdays 8/4/10

Another week of outfits with interesting circumstances. It wasn't the most professional of work weeks, as we had a staff retreat, so one day was a little casual.

Wednesday, 7/28

Staff retreat, warm day, comfy clothes.

Shirt and sweater: Jcrew

Shorts: Ann Taylor outlet

Shoes: Clarks

Posy Pin: The Pleated Poppy

Necklace: Lisa Leonard Dewdrops Necklace

Earrings: Gift

Thursday, 7/29/10

This was the first time I've been to a beach in five years (yup, I live near stunning beaches, but just don't go). The day started out a little dreary, but it was so awesome by the afternoon. Plus, it was a private beach for my and my family.

The fam on the beach.

Cover up: Jcrew 2005

Those pasty white legs: all mine...

For the ferry ride:

Sweater: Old Navy

Tank: Gap Body

Skirt: Jcrew

Flip Flops: Clarks

Necklace: Sueann Shirzay on Etsy

Earrings: Red Envelope

Friday, 7/30/10

Morning ran errands and did some laundry:

Shorts: Jcrew

Top: Tommy Hilfiger

Shoes: Privos by Clarks

Necklace: Brighton

Earrings: GlitzGlitter on Etsy

Friday night we enjoyed a BBQ with fabulous friends. 

Top and Shorts: White House Black Market

Sandals: B.O.C. by Born

Earrings: Local boutique

Necklace: Made by me

Saturday, 7/31/10

Spent the gorgeous summer day at a graduation party.

Tunic: INC from Macy's

Leggins (the first time I've ever had the guts to wear 'em) Style and Co 

Sandals: Clarks

Necklace: Lisa Leonard

Earrings: GlitzGlitter

Sunday:
Church in the AM

Top: the Gap (soooooo old)
Skirt: Banana Republic (likely equally as old)
Shoes: Privos by Clarks
Earrings: Chicos
Necklace: Petal Drop from the Pleated Poppy

Then it was over to visit awesome friends

Sweater: Anthropologie
Jeans: Calvin Klein
Scarf belt: Jcrew
Sadly not positive on the flip flops. I got them at a spa and love them because they are rubber.

Monday:
Work outfit

Jacket: Talbots (but purchased at Marshalls)
Top: Ann Taylor outlet
Pants: Banana Republic
Shoes: Style and Co
Same jewelry as Sunday

Then it was off to Bible Study:

Outfit: Old Navy (yes, need to hem the jeans)
Flip flops: Jcrew

Tuesday:
Day at work

Top: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Aerosoles
Necklace: made by me
Earrings: Local shop

And then we hosted my sister-in-law and her best friend for a casual dinner

Yup, the jeans and a tee shirt look it is
Tee: Old Navy
Cami: Jockey
Jeans: Uber old, wish they still made em from the Gap
Shoes: Birkenstock Gizeh sandals

Still lovin' the weekly looks, it really does make me think a little bit more when I am outfit planning the night before. Plus, I feel a little less stuck in a style rut.

And again, you can always join the fun.

Linked to:

What I Wore Wednesdays 7/28/10

Another week of outfits, this one with a whole bunch of excitement.

Wednesday 7/21/10

Worked, wanted to stay a little cool, hence the skirt, had to attend a wake in the evening, hence the jacket.

Top: Ann Taylor outlet

Jacket: Local boutique

Skirt: Kohl's (can I just say I love this skirt? Hits at the right spot on the knee, goes with almost everything, cost under $30.00...I could go on and on).

Shoes: Aerosoles

Gems:Candies64 on Etsy

Thursday, 7/22/10

Attended a work dinner for recent graduates, which was inspirational and lovely.

Top: Ann Taylor

Pants: Petite Sophisticate

Jacket: Anthropologie

Shoes: Style and Co from Macy's

Gems: Lisa Leonard Illuminate necklace and crystal earrings

Friday 7/23/10

Had to sing at a funeral, so wanted to be in a suit. And it was reeeaaally hot, so the jacket came off once I made it in the church. Pardon the poor quality, just wasn't working so well.

Everything is Ann Taylor except shoes, which are Nine West

Gems: Lisa Leonard necklace and Anthropologie earrings

Then it was time to run errands and travel to Pennsylvania for my counin's wedding. So went from dressy to casual.

Top, shorts, pink tank are all Jcrew

Saturday, 7/24/10

My cousin's wedding. Had such a great time with my family and love any excuse to get all dressy and girly.

Dress: Liberty of London for Target (been waiting to sport this dress for a while)

Earrings: GlitzGlitter on Etsy (picked these just for this day. And love them so so so much).

Shoes: Bandolino (kinda comfy, but not to dance in)

Sweater: Ann Taylor (my wear-to-the-church-before-the-wedding staple)

Bracelet: Sapphires and diamonds to match my wedding/engagement rings on my wedding day by my aunt.

Sunday, 7/25/10

Drove home. A six hour drive that shouldn't have been longer than four hours. Needless to say, kind of uncomfortable no matter what we wore.

This was taken once we returned home (hence the sweaty look).

Patterned tank: Banana Republic

Tee: Jcrew

Jeans: Calvin Klein

Necklace: Lisa Leonard

Earrings: GlitzGlitter on Etsy

Monday, 7/26

A day at work and dinner at my inlaw's home.

Dress: Bass outlet

Tank: Jockey (I wear these under most of my lower cut tops)

Shoes: Style and Co

Necklace: Local shop

Earrings: GlitzGlitter

Tuesday 7/27/10

Today we had a staff retreat, so we could dress down a bit, which is of course, totally cool.

Tee: Target

Tank: Jockey

Khakis: Gap

Earrings: Candies64 on etsy

Sandals: Clarks

Necklace: Lisa Leonard for InCourage

This has been a glasses week for me, as my contacts have not been sitting right.

Linked to 

What I Wore Wednesdays 7/21/10

Back for another edition of What I Wore Wednesday

You too can join in on the fun. I have to say, it makes me a little more creative than usual.

Wednesday 7/14/10

A day of work 

Jacket: Old Navy (so super old)

Pants: Jones New York (equally as old)

Top: Jcrew (ok, that's new)

Shoes: Naturalizer

Love love love the petal details on the top. Never thought orange was ever a color I would wear.

The earrings are from GlitzGlitter on Etsy 

And Tuesday sadly meant cleaning the bathroom. Actually, it's better to me than folding laundry (which is why it is folded in a basket next to me by my darling husband).

Bleached in spots=ruined shirt: Target

Shorts:Gilly Hicks

Thursday, 7/15/10

Another work day.

Jacket: Gap Outlet

Flower Pin: Pleated Poppy

Top: Anthropologie

Pants: So stinkin' old it's sad: the Limited

Shoes: Nine West

I love the embroidery on the top. It's one of those neat pieces.

The jewelry is by Sueanne Shirzay

Got slightly more comfy after work:

Tee: Target

Shorts: Old Navy

Flip Flops: Clarks

Friday, 7/16/10

Love summer Fridays off from work.

Ran some errands in the AM and again, still in the midst of the crazy heat sans-air conditioning, so I keep it as cool as I can without looking too scantily clad.

Top: Jcrew

Shorts: Ann Taylor Outlet

Sandals: Clarks

Fun gems again. Earrings are from Leleand Eve and the necklace was a gift from my mother-in-law

Friday night was an evening spent with inspirational women as we learned about taking back time and energy. It was a great seminar hosted by Paige and Nikki.

Dress: INC from Macy's

Earrings: GlitzGlitter

Saturday, 7/17/10

Some quick errands and keepin' it cool.

Top: Kohl's

Flower: Pleated Poppy

Earrings: Candies64

Necklace: Lisa Leonard

Flip Flops: Clarks

Saturday night we saw Inception, which by the by, we loooooved. First time I can remember picking a movie that both my hubby and I liked.

Tank: Ann Taylor

Cardigan: Loft lounge

Jeans: Lee

Shoes: Privos by Clarks

Earrings: GlitzGlitter

Necklace: Lisa Leonard

Sunday, 7/18/10

Church and strolling in Pt. Jeff. So relaxing.

Skirt: Kohl's (this is so a new fave)

Top: Ann Taylor

Sandals: Clarks

Necklace: Superhero designs

Earrings: Glitz Glitter

Sunday night we went for ice cream

Tee: Target

Shorts: Old Navy

Monday, 7/19/10

Work  (I did change to capris later, but alas, no pic)

Top: Anthropologie

Jacket: Gap outlet

Skirt: Gap circa 2003 (yuppers, checked the tag)

Earrings: from a local boutique

Tuesday, 7/20/10

Thought I would brighten up a bit for work today.

Top: Target

Skirt: uber old Gap

Sweater: Loft

Flower: Forever21

Shoes: Naturalizer

Necklace: Lisa Leonard's Be Still 

Earrings: Anthropologie

Some observations:

Likin' the integration of the flowers. Wasn't somtheing I ever imagined pulling off, but boy are they fun!

Oldies are sometimes the best goodies.

I should probably try to break up the method of top-cardi-skirt, but not sure how yet.

Yes, the comforter is off the bed, waaaaay to hot, so we sheet it up lately. And there's a sound machine that we're not using because of the fans.

Thanks for peeking at this week's looks. And it's never too late to join in the fun :)

Linked to 

What I Wore Wednesdays 7/14/10

I've decided to begin this weekly series to do a few things:
1. Remind myself of the cool outfits I have, thus needing to buy less and shop in the closet more.
2. Share outfit ideas with others.
3. Have a little more fun putting together outfits, maybe be a little more creative.

You can check out my inspiration at the Pleated Poppy Blog. Love Lindsey and her beautiful Posy pins (a couple were scattered through the week) and love her cute clothes and how she puts them together.

Thursday, July 2nd

Sweater: Anthropologie

Skirt: Jcrew outlet

Shoes: Style and Co. by Macy's

Shirt: Ann Taylor outlet

Jewelry: Lisa Leonard

Tuesday July 6th

 We went on stay-cation at a local spa/resort, traveled in comfy clothes.

 Went to dinner looking cuter than usual.

                                     

Shorts: Old Navy

Shirt: Target

Sandals: Clarks

Jewelry: Lisa Leonard

                                         

Dress: Ann Taylor Outlet

Sandals: Clarks

Jewlery: Necklace was from Etsy here

Wednesday July 7th

We've been in the middle of a verrrry long heatwave, so this is one of my coolest outfits.

Shirt and earrings: Anthropologie

Skirt: Jcrew

Sandals: Clarks

Necklace: Lisa Leonard

Thursday July 8th

Had to go into work for meetings, so dressed up a bit:

Jacket: Ann Klein

Skirt: Banana Republic

Top: Ann Taylor Outlet

Jewelry: From Candies64 on Etsy. Love her stuff!!! She custom-made the earrings for me.

Friday July 9th

A visit to my parents' home and a night at the local church's family festival. But still so so so so hot. Thought that for old-time's sake I would take the photo in my childhood bedroom.

Top: Liberty of London for Target

Shorts: Ann Taylor outlet

Sandals: Clarks (I love these shoes)

Earrings: From a local boutique Leland Eve in Sayville

Sunday July 11th

Church clothes which ended up being all-day clothes

Top: Old Navy

Skirt: Jcrew

Sandals: Privos by Clarks

Superhero Necklace beaded ones no longer avail :(

Candies64 earrings (also custom)

Pleated Poppy Posy Pin

Monday July 12th

back to work

Skirt and sweater: Jcrew outlet

Top: Ann Taylor Outlet

Shoes: Aerosoles

Necklace and Earrings: Lisa Leonard

Tuesday July 13th

Another work day. 

                                       

Top and pants: Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes: Nine West

Drapey cardigan and flower: Forever 21

Earrings: Glitz and Glitter on Etsy

Necklace: Lisa Leonard

Thanks for taking a look at my weekly looks.

Linking to

Where am I going?

I have faith issues. Have had them for as long as I can remember. And now I am seeking waaaay outside my Catholic comfort zone. I finally want to have a place to call my spiritual home, to reach out in the community, and serve. I think these are things I have been wanting for so long that the seeking has been a process I've lived with for years and never listened to those little pushes I'd been feeling.

Where should I go to worship and seek a faith community? What should it be?

There are my hopes.

Don't want:
1. Hierarchy - this is a big one for me, as I have experienced the abuses of hierarchy and clericalism first-hand and I've had enough of it in my life. The church is the people and those called by God to serve. God must be the focus, the gospel must be preached and loved. Christ must be at the center of all that is done within the community, not the priest (and I know for so many Catholics this is not how they believe, it just became my perception of how things were headed).

2. Legalism - That's some scary stuff, yo. Although I am not anti-rules, I fear that I could probably fall into the trap of legalism so easily because I am so afraid of breaking rules. I do believe that people need to observe a disciplined life, but that life is meant to be just that - lived. And I also think that legalism takes the focus off of Christ and places it on self and others and forces one to make constant comparisons and judgements.

3. Political Commentary - Really not interested in political rallying from the pulpit. I think most of us understand the overall moral/ethical stances of our churches. Perhaps evening teaching series would be more appropriate? I just can't listen to the news in church, if that makes sense.

What I do want:
1. Christ-centered, gospel-oriented , Biblically-inspired teachings

2. Practicality - I want to learn lessons and  integrate life-enriching principles into my life that are both sensible and attainable. And I desire to be challenged. I shouldn't like everything that comes out of a pastor's mouth. Because I should have to change my life based on God's desires for my life, not mine.

3. Commitment to Serving Others - I've always wanted to be a part of something more, to respect those around me, help the broken. But now I don't have that spark and I really need to be less me-focused.

4. Support - Fellow believers must be there for one another, and this one is slightly self-serving. I hope to be connected to others who can mentor, guide, and support me along my journey. I want to be led along whatever this path is by appropriately insightful people.

What are the essentials in your faith community? Did I miss an essential?

Dusty Chairs

Last weekend I spent a lot of time doing a deep-cleaning of the apartment. I don't really mind cleaning. It gets me to appreciate what I have and take care of it.

As I was dusting all the surfaces, I walked through the kitchen and noticed a lot of dust on my kitchen chairs. On all four of them. Who has kitchen chairs that are empty long enough for dust to settle? And it made me incredibly sad.

I then realized we had not eaten at the table together in over two weeks,  we have become so over-scheduled that we grab dinner between our comings and goings. Or eat in front of the tv, which is something I promised to avoid. It makes us so disconnected from one another and prevents us from sharing what happened in the day.

We only had one guest in the past two months. No one just stops by, no family visits us. It is starting to get a little tough to clean for no reason other than it needs to be done. I am one of those people who agrees that having people over motivates getting the place tidy. When I have to do things just for me, it tends to be forgotten and easily pushed off.

How do we fix this lack of interaction? Well, I guess the obvious is setting meal time as us time, which we've actually done a couple of times this week. No distractions other than one another and our lives. And it got us to laugh a little and as always, appreciate what we each go through during the day.

And we need to ask people to come visit, which is something I've always been less than stellar at. I don't want to look desperate for company and so I usually let others do the inviting. And this has to stop. Because we need people to connect with and keep us connected.

So some people may be getting more invites from us, may be hearing from us, and we will be eating many more meals at the table, just to keep those chairs dust-free.

Our Wedding Dance

Just realized this has never been posted here! Here is our first dance from Moulin Rouge, Your Song.

Kathleen and Freddy's first dance

Spending the time together rehearsing and getting to meet the fabulous Miss Debbie (who continues to be our instructor) have been just amazing. The private lessons were one of the best things we spent on for the wedding and now we look forward to dancing together throughout our marriage.

Fix that Attitude

A couple of years ago I was passionately politically minded. To the point of driving me (and likely everyone who knew me) absolutely insane. Ask me about any issue and not only would I tell you my opinion, I would tell you why everyone who disagreed with me was out of their minds and completely full of junk. And from those two years I learned that I was, in the words of Buddy the Elf, "an angry elf."

I was a skeptical pessimist. Always had the mindset of "they're out to getcha" and my glass was empty, it passed the 1/2 empty mark a long time ago. It wasn't that I felt my life was so awful because honestly, I was/am surrounded by incredible people who uplift me, but I became consumed by situations that became obsessions for me to mouth off about.

And I let everyone know that I was unhappy about those world crises. Wore the t-shirts, slapped the stickers on my car, watched the newscasts that made my blood boil and my heart race, listened to radio programs and podcasts that were so anger-driven and hate-filled that I remember shaking as I listened to the talking heads spew their garbage.

It's two years later and my attitude towards politics has radically changed. Some may and have accused this new attitude I've adopted as being despondent stirred with a lack of caring. Might think I am uninformed or unaware of the issues that affect the world. The truth is I update myself on what I need to know. And I still am passionate about the needs of others.  And people call me if something dramatic happens. And truthfully in the year that I have gone on this 'news diet' I haven't missed a thing that would have impacted my life. If anything I have filtered out the negativity and sought out the positivity that really does exist everywhere. I do think this attitude altering has made me calmer, less agitated, less like a gun about to be fired and more reflective, thought-filled and patient.

The bottom line is I can not and will not allow political obsessions to consume my life ever again. Why? Because I've learned that:
-heated arguments are not useful nor informational. Most of the time they are based solely on passion-driven opinions. Never has one such argument changed my opinion nor have I changed the way someone else thought about an issue.
-So much is accomplished from listening to another person. Not sitting there and planning your next line of attack, but genuinely making an effort to hear someone out. It makes you appreciate the other person and value their opinion. And I have learned so much more about people and issues by giving this a try.
-I can't forget that I love the people I associate with. Why would I want to spend time creating divisions and screaming at those who mean the most to me? That was the real kicker - I was pushing away those who I wanted in my life more than anything. And now that I have been tinkering with my attitude I have come to value not just the person, but their whole being, their thoughts, their priorities, their rationale.
-I can't forget who I am. I am not an opinion, a viewpoint, or a political association. I am a passionate person who wants to value life and others. And that is probably a 'duh' but it took me a long time to fix this attitude of mine.

And I have learned a heck of a lot.