Bringin It Back

I haven't blogged in so long. Since November. Work and life have just been so busy!
But I miss you, my blogging friends! I haven't even had a chance to even read any blogs the last few months. I miss that. 


Here's the last 6 months of my life.

In November, I worked my butt off for 2 craft shows I did for my Lemon Drop business. Did pretty well and sold some orders for Christmas at the same time. Then I worked the next month filling orders, baking yummy Christmas goodies, buying & wrapping presents, and just the general holiday craziness of it all.

Oh and 3 days before Christmas, I got the fun surprise of having my appendix out. Yay me. Thank goodness medicine has come a long way and God was taking care of me. I know many of you have probably had surgery before but the first time you go under the knife is kind of scary...especially when you don't have a choice.

Then in January, on top of my full-time job, I started working part-time for Weight Watchers. I haven't talked about Weight Watchers much, but they mean a lot to me in my life. I lost over 70 lbs to become a Lifetime member of WW. Now I want to give back some of my time to work for them and help other members who are trying to reach the same goal.

February, March & April were full of lots of birthday celebrations with my own, my husband's, his grandmother, his father, and my father.

So that's the basic recap of the last 6 months or so of my life.

And what of all those things I listed that I wanted to do the year I was 30? Looks like I did 12 of the 30. Not great but at least I accomplished some of them...I guess.

This is what I DID accomplish:

• Ran my first 5K.
• Went to Europe with the hubby.
• Paid off my student loans, this was SO freeing!
• On average, I've said the $200/month I wanted to save.  Saved less some months and more during other months. 
• Sewed some pillows.
• Enjoyed the sunset from our patio...behind which there are now lots of houses built.  :(
• Stayed at my WW Lifetime goal weight.
• Surprised my husband.  I didn't really plan anything major for this, I just tried to be more thoughtful and also buy him treats he would like from the store.  :)
• I read 5 (not 10) books from the Top 100 novels list.
• Mentor at a school.
• Go 30 days without using my credit card.
• Sew a small quilt.

 Considering that I hadn't blogged at all the last 3 months prior to turning 31, I was surprisingly only 6 posts short of reaching 52 posts/year which would equal 1 post/week, per one of the items on my list.

And I shall leave you with a fun outfit I put together on Polyvore. 
I love any variation of coral or orange this season!

  

 Stay tuned for pictures of my recent trip to the Kentucky Derby!!

  


I promise I'll try to blog more often!

Fall Colors Work Outfit

Fall Colors Work Outfit by lemondroplinz featuring white feather earrings

Minty Fresh & Sort Of Clean

We've been experiencing some hotter than heck days in Texas. When it is over 100 degrees for half the day, you tend to just stay inside and soak up the AC. Who cares if your light bill is higher for a few months, because you don't want to die before then by walking outside! And Houston is extra blessed because of the crazy humidity.

But that's enough complaining. Before I continue, though, I'd like to blame the heat and humidity for my lack of fashion posts. I just can't make myself take pictures outside when I am sweating within 10 seconds of walking out there. And y'all don't want me to do it before work, because my make-up gets put on in the truck. I know, safety hazard, blah blah blah.

Anyway, so I love this mint green blouse because it's so breathable for summer. It's light and airy and even pretty too!

In this first pic, I paired it with some Ann Taylor shorts for a quick and cute summer outfit for the weekend. I think this was a Sunday and I first had on a lace black skirt and then changed to shorts to bum around the house.

Note the stretchy headband and lack of footwear. I'm pretty sure I had just done a load of dishes and came outside to take a quick pic.

The next day, I donned my gray pencil skirt, fav summer blazer, and snakeskin heels for an easy breezy work look.

I love using 1-2 pieces from my Sunday outfit for a quick look on Monday. I just can't get inspired without help on Monday mornings. The weekend is over too quickly and my brain isn't functioning yet because I make my coffee right before I leave!

Y'all, this picture makes me laugh.
I mean, what on earth was I thinking when I looked into the camera like that?

"I know your deep, dark secrets, Mr. Camera"

haha.

Blouse: JC Penney, Blazer: Ann Taylor, Skirt: Target, Heels: DSW

Please ignore the fact that I need lipstick. Thank you.

Also, I hate lipstick. But I love lip gloss.

These are the earrings I wore on my wedding day! :)

Yay for love & dangly earrings!

Close up of this lovely blouse that I'm trying not to wear every single day.

But believe me, I totally want to.

Do you ever make it easy on yourself too and just grab a piece from Sunday to wear to work on Monday?

Sometimes I will even copy the entire outfit for Monday and just leave it at that. Please don't think I wear dirty clothes or anything, I only re-wear it if it was only worn on Sunday for a couple hours.

psbtw, It's good to be back! Missed y'all!

Missing You...and shopping

Dear Readers,

Have y’all all left me yet? I hope not! I know I haven’t been the bestest blogger lately. And I know I just used “bestest” and “y’all all” and I hope you know that it’s not that I have bad spelling or grammar…I just like using words that are non-existent, such as bestest. And if you haven’t figured out that I overuse the word y’all, then I must’ve been typing too formally.


I promise not to type formally anymore. I am going to talk to y’all like you’re sitting right in front of me, having a cup of tea, or coffee, or diet coke…or even a martini. But are you really drinking a martini while reading my blog? I know it’s called Tart Lemon Drop but it’s a little early for a drink…don’t you think? (Did you know I’m the new Dr. Seuss?) Or not...depends on where you live, I guess.


Sometimes life gets crazy around here and I get busy. And when a weekend comes around where I don’t have plans, I make long lists of crafts and chores and errands that I want to do before the weekend is over. Sometimes I actually do some of what’s on my list…but usually not all. What happens is that I get lazy and want to relax. So I’ll be motivated and do some cleaning or laundry for a couple hours and then I decide I need a break (a 5 hour break, apparently) and end up watching some movie with my husband.



If it’s a Saturday, you can bet on him watching the terrible movies you've never heard of on the Sy Fy channel. You know the ones I’m talking about…with maybe one actor you recognize from that one tv appearance they had, and the rest are unknown actors (and there's a reason they are unknown). The movies where the graphics are so bad that they make you laugh. Yes, that’s what we end up watching and laughing at.


Does anyone else just get lazy and unmotivated like that on the weekends? Unless we’re having people over, I never accomplish the list I make for myself. And I’m not sure what can really motivate me to finish my list. Maybe I can reward myself with something. But it can’t be shopping because I’m still on the shopping ban.



By the way, I’m doing great on that, thanks for asking. It hasn’t been easy, though. After I made that decision, my dearest sweetest husband who hates to shop decided that he needed to go shopping for some clothes those first 2 Friday afternoons. Of course I went with him. I slowly tortured myself by walking through the women’s section of each store. I even asked him very sweetly if he would buy me something for being good. :) I know that sounds like cheating, but he knows about the shopping ban, so he said that IF he bought me something, it would have to be something he picked out himself. I didn’t get to pick it. I thought that was pretty fair.



I was a good girl that day. ;o)


Yeah, I can't find the camera with the pic and I'm not holding any longer on posting this. So just imagine a cute pink plaid button up shirt from the Nautica store. He has good taste and knows what will work on me.


Back to the question at hand. How do you find time to do all the things on your list? Do you create lists for the weekend? Do you have a List app you’re obsessed with? I like ColorNote and Google Shopper.


And with all of that, how do you find time to devote to your blog? Maybe part of it is that I’m selfish. I am in front of the computer so much at work that I don’t want to be tied to it all weekend too.


I hope you are still around and want to be my BFF...or reader. Either one works for me.


Another question for you while we're being random. If you've ever done a shopping ban, how have you coped with that as part of the fashion blogging community? I am hesitant to look at blogs while on the ban because I think I'll get clothing obsessed again.


Apologizing for a post without a pic. I know that can get boring.


Until next time (and I promise it won't be 2 weeks again)...

New Kid on the Color Block

I think I just color blocked without even trying.

Is this color blocking?

I'm usually obsessed with wearing prints, but as long as it's colorful, then I'm happy with what I'm wearing.

But is it color blocking?

LOFT top, J. Crew skirt, Target tank, thrifted Target cardigan, DSW shoes

I'm not going to go google the word color block trend and then post the images that come up. Sorry, I'm just too lazy for that. But hey, you can do it if you want.

James Avery necklace & earrings

To me, color blocking is either wearing an article of clothing that has colors blocked on it (like all those cute tops or dresses you're seeing this year) or pairing solid colored pieces together to create your own color block outfit.

It just seems logical to me to pair bright colors together.

Of course I didn't wear a neutral top with this purple skirt. Why would I?

Lucy's back, trying to steal the spotlight again.

Aren't these shoes fun?!

What do you think? Would you consider this color blocking?

Hope you're having a lovely weekend.

I'm off to continue chilling in front of the tv. Currently watching The Big Lebowski. Makes me wanna go bowling and try a White Russian.

Lacey...Without Cagney

I'm not gonna lie. I used to hate lace. Even a few years ago, I only owned one piece of clothing with lace on it and it was a pretty black skirt with a lace overlay (I still have it, it's too pretty to ever give away!).

Until the past 6 months or so, I just thought lace looked either too 80s or too feminine. But then I realized that I like to look feminine and 80s fashions are totally back in and looking better than before and I jumped on the lace train.
Side thought...lace train...that brings crazy images into my head...an entire train covered in lace. hmm.

Once I got past my thing (fear?) with lace, I have been incorporating it subtly into my wardrobe. I still don't have tons of lace and I'm sure I never will because who wants a closet full of the same thing over and over? Not I.

Ok, so here's how I used this sheer lace top as a piece for work for EBEW.

LOFT blazer, Target lace top and tank, GAP jeans, Steve Madden snakeskin heels

jewelry from Francesca's Collection

I LOVE this seersucker blazer, the buttons are so cute!

And I will soon be wearing the top without the blazer for a night out because how cute is this look? I love it!

Oh yeah...sexy lacey shoulders are SO in, haha. :)

Make sure you check out how others are wearing lace over at EBEW.

Anniversary Dinner & Lovely LBD

Remember how my husband and I had our one year anniversary a month ago?

Don't worry, we're still as happy as ever. :)

I'm just finally posting the little black dress I got to wear for our night out.

I wanted our anniversary dinner to be the first time I wore it so I couldn't have any spoilers on here beforehand. Not that hubby reads this with all the fashion talk, but it's the principle of it.

So here's our cute selves before going out to dinner.

Isn't it hilarious that right behind us in this picture is a picture of us on our mantle? We're so vain...we probably think this blog is about us.

Is that song in your head now? It's in mine.

When you're a couple without kids, all your pics are of yourselves. I guess I'd rather have that than 20 framed pictures of my dogs. Sorry if that's you, but I just find that weird to go into a house and have the same pet looking at me from tons of framed pictures on the wall. Talk about creepy.

And here's the dress on its own.
Isn't it adorable? And it was less than $20 at Target, YAY!
I think it kind of has a 70s vibe going for it.

I wore the first jewelry ever received from husband (first Valentine's Day when we were dating) and some sexy red hot heels!

Thanks to Lucy, the heels were chewed on that weekend...my fault for leaving them out, but still, not cool. I'm hoping the cleaners near me can fix them.


That's all for now. I'll be posting my lace outfit pics later tonight for EBEW.

Shopping Ban Challenge

I've decided to really challenge myself this summer in order to save some money for my trip to Europe this fall. I'm not going to go shopping until September. So for the months of June, July, and August, I will not spend my own money to go clothes shopping. I say my own money because if someone wants to treat me then I'm all for it! Plus I have one Dillard's gift card to use so I might as well wait until a moment of weakness and then use it.

While I'm at it, I'm going to throw in the fabric shopping as well. I definitely overbuy fabric. "It's so cute and I want it and I can think of so many things to make with it" is what goes through my head in the fabric store. Then I get home, wash it, and it sits in a box or on a shelf in my Craft Room for many months (and sometimes more than a year!).

So I'm holding you responsible for helping me with this decision. I've let myself get carried away with having MORE and it's time to stop that mentality.

This all started when I was looking in my closet last week. I was (finally) taking out the rest of the sweaters to put upstairs with my other winter clothes and I realized that taking them out didn't really help make room. No one else was around but I felt embarrassed. Lately I have even been invading my husband's side of the closet with my overabundance of clothing and that has got to stop!

I think I allowed myself to spend more on clothing this past year or so because I was staying around the same clothing size for once.

So I'm doing a major rehaul this summer. I'm wearing more of the clothes I currently own, some of which have still never been worn. And I'm going to get rid of the lingering pieces that I know I won't wear again.

And as far as fabric goes, I will only buy fabric if I have a specific request for a custom order. Otherwise, I know I have plenty on hand for most orders.

The only time I've tried a shopping ban was during the 30 For 30 Challenge in the fall of 2010 and I ended up cheating and using a Groupon that was expiring. I felt so guilty about it...but not so guilty that I took the clothes back.

Have you ever put a ban on your shopping? How have you gotten through it without getting depressed?

Also, anyone have any good tips for creating a cleaning schedule? I am not very motivated to clean my house so I wait and then have to spend a day or 2 to clean it before people can come over. But I really should do a little bit of cleaning each day. I need help!! Any suggestions?

psbtw, I have several outfit pics to post for y'all but I haven't had time to edit my photos yet. so no pics today. sorry for a boring post.

Hair Care, Menswear, & A Paper Doll

Sorry for the extreme lack of posts lately. I am still trying to recover from being out of town and several family events. I think I will finally get a chance to breathe this week. Hooray for getting back into routines!

I just realized which FBFF post I missed 2 weeks ago! It was all about hair care!! And you know what, I want to post it anyway, so here goes...hey, it's only 10 days late!!!!

April 2007. My favorite haircut EVER.

1. How often do you get your hair cut?

I get my hair cut probably once ever 4 to 6 months. I'm trying to force myself to get a hair cut more often because I know my hair wants to feel and look healthy, so I'm trying to make that every 3-4 months. My problem is that I used to always want something drastic done in order to get a bang (haha) for my buck. But now I realize that if I like my current hairstyle, then why not just get a trim and a few more layers instead.

The best (hair) day of my life.

2. Do you go to the same stylist each time, try someone new, go to the
cheap hair cutting chains or live it up in a salon?

I used to go to Master Cuts a lot when I was in college. And I liked the services there; my hair cuts and color always looked good. I have tried them a couple times since I moved back to Houston and I haven't been too happy. I last went on the day of our engagement photos (Feb 2010) and told the guy I wanted sweeping bangs. He then proceeding to chop them at a very sharp angle and then blow my hair out to give me big Texas hair, ugh! I went home, straightened my hair, and pinned my bangs to the side. That's a good lesson for why you shouldn't get your hair cut on picture day!

I've decided that with so few hair cuts I get a year, that it's definitely worth it for me to spend a little more and end up looking great every time. I now go to an Aveda salon (Josephine's Day Spa and Salon for those in Houston) where the service is impeccable and you aren't allowed to tip. This makes it a lot easier when you are getting both your nails and hair did...it's always confusing to know which of the 5 people that helped you should get a tip and how much they should get. I try to go to the same girl but I've been to 3 different ladies there and have had a wonderful experience each time. I also love that they have Aveda products there and I always buy some during my visit.

3. Do you color your hair? How often? What’s your natural color?

I used to get highlights all the time. But I haven't done that in about 4 years now. I was tired of getting them redone or redying my hair to my natural color and my husband liked my hair better in its natural state of color anyway, so I just stopped getting them and saved myself some money. I've never dyed my entire head one color (except when going back to a natural look) and I'm thinking of trying a lighter brown shade for a different look. (Plus I am getting a few gray hairs at the crown.) My natural hair color is what you see now...dark dark dark brown.

August 2006. Short wavy hair with highlights

December 2006. Shoulder length hair with highlights.

December 2006. Hair dyed back to dark brown after lots of highlights.

4. The one thing you always do to keep your hair looking great is:

Not washing it. That sounds gross when you put it in writing, but my hair dries out if I wash it every day. When I had shorter hair, I washed it more often but I guess I just don't touch it as much when it's longer so it doesn't get greasy.

I also let it air dry most of the time so that I'm not over stressing it with a hair dryer and straightener too many days of the week.

I also use hair products sparingly. I don't use hair spray but my favorite products are Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother to prevent frizz and Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam for a little body.

2005. Shortest haircut as an adult...donated that chunk to Locks of Love.

5. What hair trend do you love and wish you could rock?

I used to want to sport a really short layered do, and rock it for a few months. And when I was younger, of course I wanted to be blonde...every brunette thinks they want that at some point. But now I'm pretty happy with my hair. I like that I don't have a new, cutting edge, trendy hair style. I'd rather have hair that I can look back at in 20 years and not know for sure which decade I was living in because it looks timeless and flattering to my face. That's more important to me now.

Now that we've covered hair, let's get into a little fashion again. I haven't posted an outfit in a while, but here's one I wore last week.

My pants were a little baggy so I paired them with a fitted blazer, which I think creates a more feminine look for the menswear.

I'm really liking the menswear trend lately. And blazers are definitely one of my favorite accessories to jazz up an outfit a little.
I go through phases...one week, I'm all about cardigans, the next week it's blazers. Either way, I have to make sure I stay warm in my cold office.

No close up pics as I wasn't wearing any makeup yet!

I bet you're wondering where the Paper Doll part of this post is coming in and it's right here.

Have you met Elisa? (read as though Barney is saying that on How I Met Your Mother)

Well Elisa is letting the blogosphere choose her outfits for her. In other words, a real live paper doll for you to dress up, YAY!

See the outfit I chose for her here.

So what have YOU been doing the last couple weeks that I might've missed? Point me in your direction so I can catch up on all your doings.

Polka Dot Dress Remix

It's good to be back in the blogosphere! I was out of pocket for a few days. I thought I'd have time to do a few posts during that time but I should've known that I'd be too busy.

I'm back in the swing of things at work today, so no real posts yet, but here's a remix I put together a couple months back on Polyvore.

I'm remixing around the polka dot dress below. What's your favorite piece?

Polka Dot Dress Remix by lemondrop_linz featuring a fitted blazer

Dorothy Perkins white day dress, 30 GBP
Cami top, 34 GBP
DKNY long sleeve top, 120 GBP
Kookai striped top, 33 GBP
Ichi polka dot top, 27 EUR
Daytrip metallic top, $27
American Eagle Outfitters 3 button blazer, $40
Fitted blazer, $90
River Island yellow blazer, 35 GBP
BKE striped jacket, $32
Blazer, $14

I think I'm partial to the yellow blazer myself. :)

Maybe it's time for me to admit that yellow is my new favorite color. I still think pink reigns first though.

In other news, I'm gearing up to work on some cute baby items for a dear friend's baby shower coming up at the end of June.

Would y'all be interested in seeing some cute baby shower tutorials and crafts along the way? I can't share too many before the shower, but I can share them ALL afterwards!

Inspiration Look: Prep School

Another Inspiration Monday challenge with Two Birds. I just love these, don't you?! I really branch out on Mondays at the office now.

This week's look is super cute and also caters to the bloggers do it better: prep school challenge.

Hey, I can never pass up a 2 for 1 deal so of course I was going to participate!

When I got dressed this morning and pulled back my hair into a bun, I felt very androgenous chic. I'm not sure if that's a term or not, but pre-makeup, I really was feeling the men in menswear.

I decided that my preppy/menswear look needed minimalist accessories. I opted for some (fake) pearl earrings and the necktie was a great replacement for a necklace.

I've had this red tie that I have worn very little and immediately thought of when I saw the inspiration pic. That was the easy part.

I wore comfortable brown pants and very simple black flats to keep the look very clean and classic.

I have a white button up shirt with short sleeves but I really wanted to go with more color (go figure!) and decided to go with a pink shirt. Pink shirt and red tie?? What was I thinking?!?!

But seriously, who started that rumor that those colors don't go together? The right shade of any colors can be paired together and I LOVE red & pink as a pair, don't you?!

I am freezing every day in the office so despite the 80 degree weather in these pics, I wanted to be true to the outfit I wore all day and show you the cardigan I also wore. My friend Em calls these the Grandpa cardigans and I think that's so cute and true! They definitely remind me of Mr. Rogers.

I honestly don't think I would've worn the outfit without the cardigan. To me, it really pulled it all together. I felt like I nailed the preppy look while keeping some femininity in it as well. Would you agree?

Thanks for stopping by, neighbor. Now mosey on over to Two Birds and Bloggers Do It Better to see what the other participants are wearing! And hey, why don't YOU join in next time? I swear it's fun and totally helps you get dressed on time!

Outfit:

Target flats & cardigan, NY & Co pants, LOFT shirt

FBFF: Blog Pet Peeves

A little fashion first.

I've tried to incorporate more white from my closet into my outfits.

I am going to overwear this blazer this summer. It is so clean and crisp and the perfect summery piece for work.

Wearing: Ann Taylor blazer, Target checkered button down (on sale!), NY & Co. pants, Steve Madden snakeskin pumps

Francesca's necklace (yes, again, ok!), White House Black Market earrings


I like the look of the cropped blazer over the long button down shirt.
Layers are one of my favorite ways to remix my wardrobe.

Now on to the FBFF questions for this week.

From Katy at Modly Chic: "Blog pet peeves – This was inspired by a post by Beautifully
Invisible from a couple weeks ago entitled ‘The 10 things that drive
me crazy about your blog.’

Before you read it, list the 5 things
that drive you crazy about blogs you visit."

Pet peeves are funny. They are so specific to each person. I'm just betting there's something on my blog that is someone else's pet peeve. I'm going to read everyone's answers until I figure out what it is that may be bothering someone! :)

Before I continue this post, I must quote one of my favorite sitcoms.

Ross: What is Monica's biggest pet peeve?

Joey: Animals dressed as humans!!

Ross: That is correct!

Most of my pet peeves for bloggers will be from a reader's perspective since I haven't quite figured out how I want my own blog to look yet.

1. Misspellings. I hate seeing misspelled words in online articles, e-mails, and even blogs. I can't stand poor grammar either, but I get that spell check won't catch those mistakes on a blog. And as someone who studied French for years, I hate it when I see the word Voilà! spelled as Viola, which is a stringed instrument.

2. Links that don't work. What's worse than clicking on a link that doesn't take you anywhere?! You're thinking "Ooh, that's cute!" or "That sounds like an interesting article" and you start to click with your mouse and the URL is wrong or missing or extinct and then you're super disappointed. You're a little sad and a lot frustrated. I hate that.

3. REALLY blurry pictures. I know that sometimes you get desperate and want to use your phone's camera, but at least get someone else to take the picture if it's always blurry when you do it. I'd rather read an outfit description than see a super blurry picture. And I don't mean a little fuzzy, but super blurry. I'm sure I've violated this pet peeve of mine at some point and believe me, when I did, it really bothered me!

4. Blogs that are too busy. I have seen a few blogs where I have to highlight the words in the post just so I can read them. Or the design is just overwhelming that I don't even want to read the post. It makes me wonder if the blogger has even viewed their own blog. Sometimes I wonder if my blog background is a little too busy. Please tell me if it is!

5. No pictures. I am a very visual being and need to see pictures in a post! For fashion bloggers, that's not a problem. We often have too many pictures, haha. But i like to read other blogs as well and sometimes I want the insightful blogs or funny blogs to have a few pictures too. Just change it up a little so I don't get bored while reading.

Speaking of, here's a few more pictures for you.

I know I look cheesy but I'm attempting to model some of my clutches for my Etsy shop. What do you think?

Check out my Etsy shop. I'd love to hear some suggestions for a new bag.

Check out Modly Chic to read what other FBFFers' biggest pet peeves are.

And don't forget to have a beautiful weekend!

I'm A Soccer Aunt

I've recently had the priviledge of attending my nephew's soccer games. It is so cute to see those little 4 year olds, running around (sometimes the wrong way), and (trying to) stop or kick the ball.

To be honest, I'm not much of a soccer fan. I enjoy my nephew's games more than soccer games I've (not really) watched on tv. I think the only adult soccer games I've watched in entirety were when the U.S. was in the World Cup last year. Sorry to any soccer fans out there.

Anyway, being outside for these soccer games gives me a great opportunity to enjoy the warm weather here before it becomes unbearable. This means it's time for my legs to see more daylight in shorts, eek!

See? You CAN dress for the summer AND look cool. HA!

I'm constantly cold so I must always have a cardigan on hand.





Close up of my accessories. I can only wear the hat on weekends.

The I LOVE these earrings, got them on our honeymoon in Costa Rica last year. And I can't stop wearing this orange necklace from Francesca's. It pairs so well with everything!

shorts: Dillard's / floral tank, purse, hat: Target / cardigan: JCPenney / necklace: Francesca's Collection / earrings: Costa Rica