Orange Crush

I've got a crush no, not on myself...though sometimes my pictures make you think that.

I'm crushing on the color orange.

To me, it is the essence of fall.

It represents the changing of seasons (which I don't see in Houston), yummy dishes (all things sweet & savory surrounding sweet potatoes & pumpkin), and spices used for all those dishes. Spices I only really use this time of the year.

It also reminds me of football as my husband went to the University of Texas (I went to Texas A&M...Gig 'Em!) and we watch a lot of college football each fall.

This orange cardigan has been used a lot but I can still see many other ways to wear it in the 30 for 30 challenge.

Here are 3 ways I've worn it recently.

Outfits # 19-21

19.

orange cardigan, white button down shirt, taupe sweater vest, black skirt, teal heels

accessories: in place of a necklace, a red tie (origin unknown)

20.

orange cardigan, purple floral button down shirt, gray pants, black flats

accessories: colorful beaded necklace (Costa Rica), yellow belt (Target)

21.

This was my shopping outfit for Black Friday.

orange cardigan, yellow half sleeve tee, gray pants, black flats

accessories: glasses (in place of contacts), purple tank (Old Navy), polka dot pashmina (some shop on Harwin Street in Houston)

I tied a knot in the pashmina and looped it to look like an infinity scarf. I never thought of this until I saw the idea here.

Confession: I used to hate the color orange. Literally hated it. I thought I looked horrid when I wore it...and I was right, I do look terrible when I wear certain shades of orange.

I think that is true for most people and most colors. You have to find the shades in each that work for you. I have found that my features work better with more vibrant colors. Pair that with the fact that they also make me smile and now you can picture most of my wardrobe.

But pretty much everyone can wear the color black. And while it is both versatile and classic, I sometimes get bored with it.

Branch out with me and put some color back into your wardrobe! If you mostly wear neutral colors, punch up your outfit with a colorful accessory.

Believe me...bright colors will brighten your day.

Here's a glimpse of my Black Friday adventures...

Waiting outside of a store at midnight with my mom.

Not shopping for myself here...my mom wanted me to try on some boots.

But I did break down and buy a few things for myself at Old Navy on Black Friday.

Then I went home and threw the bag in the back of my closet to avoid the shame I felt.

Taking a break at 2:00 am for coffee and "breakfast" at IHOP.

My cousin Kelsey is pictured here with me. She's effortlessly cute. Annoying, isn't it? :)

Turkey Day Attire

Outfit #18 of the challenge was on Turkey Day.

Simple layered outfit + yummy foods = wonderful holiday with the family.

Jeans are a good idea if you don't want to stuff your face too much. Too bad I forgot that was the reason I wore them.

I've been experimenting with taking my pictures myself. I guess my backyard fence is as good a backdrop as any.

Coming up tomorrow and perfect for the fall and holidays...the color orange.

Outfit:

yellow half sleeve tee (Downeast Basics)
white short sleeve button down shirt (Banana Republic)

bootcut jeans (GAP)

purple ruffle flats (Target)

jewelry (er...?)

Thankful

I feel obligated to do a post of thankfulness in honor of the recent (American) holiday.
Warning: This may get sappy.

Here are a few items on my thankful list:

1. My husband.

This was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple.

It didn't really feel any different, but it's definitely fun to say we're a family. Even if it's just a family of two.

He's a sexy man, my best friend, and has natural abilities in most sports, in the kitchen...and constantly makes me laugh (and I'm totally jealous of the kitchen abilities). Not to mention that he cares about me a LOT. I'm so blessed to have him in my life.

2. My family.

This includes my awesome parents, my brothers and sister-in-law, my niece and nephew, my aunts...this list is getting long...uncles, cousins, grandparents, and in-laws. Yes, I actually like my in-laws. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[Insert picture here]

There's no way I can picture everyone here, so just imagine LOTS of people...and all good-looking, of course.

If you sat at the table with my side of the family for Thanksgiving this year, you might think we're a little nutty. There are about 5 different conversations going on at once (think While You Were Sleeping..."these mashed potatoes are so creamy") and all 15 people want to participate in the 5 conversations. Couple that with my brother who likes to throw rolls at my face...yes, he is an adult...and that's my family.

3. My dear friends

AKA Club Awesome

Yes, we dubbed ourselves this title of "Club Awesome," but it seemed to fit so well...especially since we are all very awesome in our own ways.

From left to right:

The crafty fashionista (ME!)

The ambitious photographer mom (Tami)

The cupcake-baker crafty mom-to-be (Susan)

The kind and effortless beauty (Emily)

4. My doggies

Layla

Lucy

How can you not love these faces?

Even when they crowd you in your own bed...you can't help but love them!

There are many other people and things that I am thankful for, but that list would be too long and pretty boring.

Hope those of you in the US had a wonderful holiday. And hope the rest of you weren't bitter about our holiday.

Stay tuned for more outfits from the 30 for 30 challenge...

coming soon to a blog near you...(this one).

Going on Seventeen

Hello Day 17. You treated me well. I thank thee.

I must admit that I really loved my outfit today.

Great outfits really help lift the spirits.

My great mood was also helped by a short work day and a foodie holiday tomorrow.

You know everyone's in a good mood when Lucy wants to get in a picture.

Does anyone else try to take pictures of themselves?

It's hard to get one of the entire outfit on my own, but close-ups are pretty good.

Woah, it's like Alice in Wonderland...which vial gives you tiny feet and giant beads?

I'm off to finish making my contributions to Thanksgiving feast. So far, I have made 3 dozen homemade yeast rolls and 4 pies. Tomorrow morning I will finish my yummy three cheese pasta bake.

For those celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, have a wonderful holiday!

And for everyone else, have a wonderful Thursday!

Yes, I see you...don't be shy...leave a comment. :)

Outfit:

black zipper tank (Kohl's)

blue floral cardigan (Urban Outfitters)

gray skirt (Francesca's Collections)

teal heels (Endless.com)

orange beaded necklace (Old Navy)

yellow belt (Target?)

Fossil earrings (gift)

Sweet Sixteen

I'm over the halfway hump in this remix quest. YAY!

Lucy really should've cleaned up her toys for y'all.

Yes, that is Gumby. Lucy loves Gumby and so do I.

Day 16 looks a lot like Outfit #5 (day 6). Same pants, same top, same cardigan. But without the cardigan, you can see the yellow tee I layered with it to create a (hopefully) new look.

Lucy is camera shy today.

A few things I learned from Day 16's outfit.

My wavy hair looks worse in pictures.

Don't wait until you get home to take pictures. You need natural light...for your face...and also for your hair not to have crazy shadows on the wall.

I should hopefully have time to also post Day 17 pretty soon.

I have to admit, my pre-Turkey Day outfit is pretty cute!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

The hubby and I will be going to both of our parents' houses in town and eating our favorites at each place.

Outfit:

I.N.C. black white plaid tunic shirt (Macy's)

gray bootcut pants (JCPenney)

yellow half sleeve tee (Downeast Basics)

orange cardigan (Target)

purple ruffle flats (Target)

orange/yellow bead necklace (Old Navy)

blue earrings (Charming Charlie)

Halfway Point

Looking in my closet, I'm thinking, "Only Day 15?!"

I have plenty more outfits planned...but I'm just getting tired of seeing some of the same pieces.

So I decided to jazz it up and get back in a skirt. I'd been wearing pants for almost a week now, so a skirt was a nice change of pace.

Please note: I am super shiny faced as it was towards the end of a long day at work.

How do you like that diploma and white board in the background?

Any other remixers making a list of what they are going to be shopping for at the end of 30 days? I know I have one going.

Outfit:

green tank with rosettes (Macy's)

black skirt (Kohl's)

black blazer with white trim (Ann Taylor)

snakeskin heels (Steve Madden)

earrings (White House Black Market...?)

Weekend Warrior

After my visit to South America, I was pretty exhausted this weekend.

I basically did nothing. And I'm proud of that.

Scratch that...I did a little laundry and dishes. Go me.

This weekend's outfits.

Outfit # 12

World traveller...going for comfort here since I was on a plane for 5 hours.

yellow 1/2 sleeve tee: Downeast Basics

jeans: GAP

purple ruffle flats: Target

Outfit # 13

My husband and I went out to watch the UFC fights on Saturday night.

So I went a little fancy.

black zipper tank: Kohl's

jeans: GAP

teal shoes: Endless

accessories: ??

Outfit # 14

White button down shirt with puffy sleeves: Banana Republic

Jeans: Gap

Purple ruffle flats: Target

Pink scarf with pom poms: Target (I think)

I said I was going to stand up on the bridge...but then I tried and got too scared.

Yes, I wore jeans each day. But hey, I even washed them between Friday and Saturday...mostly to get the travel smell off of them.

Does anyone else lounge around on Saturdays until they are going somewhere?

Oh yeah...me neither.

A big thanks to my wonderful photographer!

Colombian Coffee...and some clothes too

Greetings from Colombia...last night here...utter exhaustion in my near future.

I have to be ready for our driver to pick us up at 6:00 in the morning...which is really 5:00 in my normal central time zone...yuckies.

Day 1 on balcony of hotel room.

Short, but packed trip. I mostly saw the inside of a training room the entire time. Managed to get a glimpse of the mountain behind the fog one day, but that's the extent of sight-seeing we did.

one glimpse of the beautiful mountain

Favorite part of the trip...the free coffee. At home, the coffee at work is basically nasty, flavored dirt. But in Colombia...it's beautiful every time. There was even a coffee machine (FREE!!) where you could choose a cappuccino, mocha, cafe con leche (with milk), and 10 other available combinations. You only got a few ounces, but once I discovered that machine, I was on a caffeine high the entire second day of training.

No joke, kids...Colombian coffee is the real stuff...now go forth and drink it!

I have informed you thusly.

On to Outfits #10 & 11

Outfit #10

blue tee/striped cardigan/black pants/black flats...boring

Just so you know, I came to Colombia with no jewelry and very little accessories. The crime rate is higher here than in most of the states and muggings are common, even in some nicer business areas as we were in. So I wanted to be cautious so I wouldn't attract attention.

Outfit #11...awkward Waldo look-alike?

striped purple sweater over floral purple shirt/ gray pants/green scarf/black flats

These 2 outfits would not be the same if I had the following items:

1. No accessories...except my green scarf. I didn't want to stand out with my awesome fashion and incredible styling...haha...

...but really, I didn't.

2. My regular awesome photographer. I had to settle for some boring pictures taken on the balcony of our hotel room by my coworker. It was awkward enough to ask her, so no fun ones. :(

3. Sleep. You can tell that I was dragging each of these mornings.

I'll catch you on the flip side when I'm back home and have some accessories to boot.

To boot...is that a Canadian phrase? I hope so, cuz in my head I pronounced it with a Canadian accent.

InVESTed

Outfit #8...and #9?

It's been many moons since I wore a vest. I have owned this one for probably 4 (maybe more) years now and this is the first time I've worn it. I loved it in the store (plus it was on sale, score!).

But then I got home and was like...uhhhh...what do I do with you?

Maybe I tried it on and realized it's kind of big for me now.
But it's also a vest so I don't think it (or I) care if the size is a little off.

Except the...ahem..."chest" area is slightly gapping...and pointy. Weird.

Cousin Itt made an appearance.

It was actually still chilly enough mid-morning to keep my coat on for a few pics.

I think I can easily say that taking the vest off creates another outfit...don't you think?
This picture was too funny not to share...channeling my inner rockstar?

So here's Outfit #9 as well, Boo-Yah! I don't think people say that anymore.

It's a purple-y day...but I always have to include splashes of other bright colors.

Fun kelly green scarf and bright yellow flower bracelet.

In other news, I'm currently posting from the country of Colombia for the next few days...sent here for work.

Outfit:

purple floral button down shirt (Ann Taylor)

jeans (GAP)

navy coat (JCPenney)

navy vest w/stripes (Kohl's)

purple ruffle flats (Target)

green scarf (Target)

yellow bracelet (Charming Charlie)

silver hoop earrings (gift - James Avery)